some some some i some i murder, some i some i let go

I had a great day in San Antonio - so great that I'm mildly annoyed that I'm leaving tomorrow, but I have other plans that I want to pursue, and I'm sure the next stop will be as great as this one. I woke up this morning later than I planned, laid in bed for a bit, and then showered and walked over to Pearl, where I had lunch (because I missed breakfast by ten minutes) at Supper (which serves all meals, contrary to its name). I had a salad with chicken that was quite excellent, although the Coke I ordered with it was perhaps my favorite thing since I hadn't had soda in awhile.

Then I sat in the Hotel Emma lobby for several hours and worked. They had a couple of tables that felt almost like the old-school library tables at Stanford Library, which I haven't been to in far too long, and it made me quite happy to be sitting inside working. Granted, I didn't get enough done because I was distracted by the constant dumpster fire of Twitter + texting Katie + texting Sherry (who I am staying with tomorrow) + calling my parents since I wasn't able to talk to them yesterday. Yes, it sounds like I'm blaming all of them; no, it's no one's fault but my own.

I walked around the Pearl area for a little bit when I needed a break, and then I secured a seat in the bar/lounge area and ate tater tots and had a glass of rosé and wrote for another hour, and that writing was pretty great (mostly because my phone battery died and my laptop was on the verge, so I was writing longhand in my notebook and couldn't be distracted by anything but my own thoughts). Then I walked back to Laura's, making it inside approximately forty-five seconds before it started pouring (that's not an exaggeration).

I hung out here for twenty minutes or so and charged my phone, and then Laura got home from work and she, Matt and I went out for dinner (Mexican - a place called La Fonda). The food was tasty if you like Tex-Mex - it's really amazing how all-in tex-mex is on the queso situation, and more amazing how all-in Laura was, since she wanted me to try both the regular queso dip and the different, no-less-delicious queso fundido (melted cheese that is somehow not a dip, because it's a cheese that was basically melted in a griddle and starts to reform into stringy unmelted cheese as soon as it's off the heat).

So needless to say, I ate a child's weight in cheese, and I also had two margaritas, and it was all quite delightful. Then we came home, Matt went to hide from us, and Laura and I spent a couple of hours talking about life and career stuff and personality tests, and it was pretty much exactly the conversation I probably needed tonight (since I'm weighing several options: go all-in on writing romance, keep writing something non-romance (which may mean taking on some part-time consulting work or something to pay the bills if that book doesn't sell), get involved in politics/community work, or do something else entirely). sssanyway. More to come on all of that as my thoughts become more clear, tanks.

And now I need to sleep - Laura and I are having breakfast before she goes to work tomorrow, and then I need to pack and take care of a couple of things before heading back to Austin. Goodnight!

you've dreamed a thousand dreams, none seem to stick in your mind

I am holed up in Kathia's guest room after a long, (mostly) lovely day that has done so many good things for my heart and soul. I wasn't too sure how I would feel about today when I woke up; really, it felt like I never actually slept, since I had too much wine and not nearly enough water, and it was hot in Terry's apartment (through no fault of hers), and the time difference wasn't my friend, and my monkey mind and endlessly racing thoughts haven't been my friend for awhile (and were worse than usual last night, probably because I kept dozing off and getting just enough sleep to fuel them again during my waking moments).

So I dozed off and on throughout the night, and was supposed to wake up and have breakfast with Terry, but when breakfast time came I felt like death and didn't feel like eating. Luckily, Terry didn't seem to want breakfast either, so she went to work and I lazed about for another couple of hours. But eventually I pulled myself together, packed my stuff, went down the street to grab a quick lunch, and then dashed to Grand Central to catch a train (and just barely made it - if I'd missed it I would have only had to wait thirty minutes, but I'm glad I caught it).

After an hour of sitting on the train and distracting myself with the wonders of my smartphone, I arrived in Kathia's town. She lives in a super cute area outside New York City, and she picked me up and took me promptly to a coffee shop, where we renewed our friendship over lattes and a couple of glorious hours of conversation. Then she brought me back to her house and gave me the full tour - it's so gorgeous here, and the serenity is v. v. welcome after the bustle of cities and airports and stress and drama that I've had the last few weeks (months, years).

So we sat around here and talked some more, and then we went out for an earlyish dinner at a delish restaurant (the burger went a long way toward restoring me back to health, despite my lack of sleep), and then we walked around the town before having a glass of wine at a wine bar. And then we came back, and by mutual agreement went to our own rooms at nine - I'm exhausted, and Kathia tends to get up early, so we're relaxing in anticipation of more fun times (and hopefully writing times) tomorrow.

Anyway, it's really lovely here, and I'm enjoying my Kathia-time after too long of an absence - so I'm going to go to bed and hopefully sleep the sleep of the dead so that I can enjoy more of it tomorrow. Goodnight!