and then they put you on the day shift

I had a lovely day, all in all. I spent the morning doing various desk tings (including a little bit of writing stuff), and then I spent the rest of the morning making lunch. I had intended to prep some of it last night, but I was feeling lazy then, so I had to cook this morning so that [censored] and I could eat. I made the fixings for cobb salads, which took a bit of prep, but it means that I now have four jarred cobb salads in the fridge waiting for future lunches. I feel like I'm almost past the season where I'll be in the mood for a cobb salad, but it tasted good today.

Then I cleaned up, did a bit of work, and went into town to get allergy shots. They reacted as usual, but not terribly, so I'll take it. After my shots, I grabbed a couple of groceries, came home, and wrote for a bit. But I mostly let myself get sidetracked by other things I needed to take care of, which was fine with me.

When it was time to think about dinner, I decided to experiment with a chorizo fried rice recipe. It came out of J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's THE WOK cookbook, which I got last year for Christmas. He contributes to one of my favorite online recipe sites (Serious Eats), and I follow him on Instagram, so I knew it would be good. I usually don't modify a recipe on the first attempt, but I decided to add some shrimp, increase the amount of rice, and scale up the soy sauce / sesame oil accordingly.

After I'd diced the chorizo, shrimp, onion, green pepper, and scallions, and defrosted the frozen corn just a little bit, I turned on my induction burner as hot as it would go so that some I could heat my skillet (note: I bought a wok but I haven't fully seasoned it). It turns out the turbo burner on my induction stove is perhaps faster/hotter than gas, because my fried rice produced so much smoke that [censored] and I had to open a bunch of windows (and the front door, and briefly the garage door) and I was coughing as I finished cooking. But that level of heat produced some absolutely delicious fried rice. There were some lovely smoky bits, some perfectly crusty lattices of rice, and yet none of it was overcooked.

So this is a hard one, because from the taste alone + the ease of making it, I would absolutely add this to the rotation. But the smoke level was definitely carcinogenic (not to mention pervasive through the house). I think I'll try again at a slightly lower temperature point and see if 20% less flavor yields 80% less smoke.

Ssssanyway, after [censored] and I enjoyed our rice (and cleared out some of the smoke), we watched a bit of TV (including an interview the Please Don't Destroy guys from SNL did with Jimmy Fallon), and then we watched three episodes of OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH. It continues to be absolutely absurd, which means I love it.

And now, I need to sleep since I have a million tings going on tomorrow - goodnight!

i'll dream each night of some version of you that i might not have, but i did not lose

I'm questioning some of my life decisions because my day started off with a mammogram, moved into dinner with my parents, and ended with watching an episode of 'Wishbone' with [censored], which is really not a combination of things that a 41-year-old should probably do on a Friday. I like to think that I'm hip and cool, but this does not bode well for my aging process.

sssanyway, it was a good day overall. The mammogram was routine, and I was in and out pretty fast thanks to the fact that I didn't have to wait any length of time for any part of the check-in / exam process. Then I drove around the county a bit on a whim before coming home, eating some leftover pad thai, and spending the afternoon being productive. I wrote for a couple of hours in the afternoon, and then I cleaned my office - I still need to dust and vacuum, but it's pretty well organized at this point, and I'm at the point where I can start putting up art and tying together some other loose ends.

Then, I met my parents for dinner - they took me out to the place where we usually get prime rib (although my dad got fried shrimp), and it was pretty tasty. We also discussed the state of AI (artificial intelligence, not artificial insemination, which is the big AI business here since livestock semen is always in demand), among other topics. And then we parted ways, I came home, [censored] arrived shortly thereafter, and somehow went down a 'Wishbone' rabbit hole that I do not understand but also didn't mind following for one episode.

And now, I need to log off immediately if I'm going to be in bed by midnight (and I really should have been in bed at eleven) - goodnight!

we barely notice as the pages disappear, floating off into another year

I had a nice Sunday, although it would have been nicer if it were eighty degrees and sunny. I got up at a reasonably respectable hour and made breakfast for me and [censored] -- it was the usual Sunday affair with scrambled eggs (filled with bacon, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms) and hash browns, and it was v. tasty (if I do say so myself). We ate while watching most of the skits from last night's SNL -- they're definitely still rebuilding and I hope Keenan is in all the skits because he wants to be and not because no one else is capable (although I could see that being true). But there were some good moments, and Weekend Update was funny, so that was a worthwhile watch.

I then spent the afternoon doing some desultory office work, journaling, and riding my Peloton, which is finally fully set up and ready for use (after an absurd number of months of paying my subscription). It was really nice to ride again (after the first five minutes, when I thought it was the stupidest idea I'd had all day), so I'd like to make it into more of a regular part of my routine.

Eventually, I showered and then made supper. I made the usual instant pot burrito bowl at [censored]'s request, but I tested a tweaked version and added some diced Spanish chorizo to the mix. I was a little leery because tweaking pressure cooked recipes is a science that I don't yet understand, so I was worried I would burn it or make the bowl too wet/dry or perhaps cook the chorizo into oblivion. But it turned out really well and was a nice addition, so I'll probably add it on the occasions when I feel like driving to Des Moines to source Spanish chorizo (which isn't even at Whole Foods, I don't think - but I found the brand I used to buy in Denver at Cost Plus World Market, so hopefully that continues to be true).

After it was ready, we ate and watched an episode of Letterkenny. Then, I cleaned the kitchen, procrastinated a bit, and came upstairs to plan out the week ahead. I have a lot of stuff I have been putting off that I want to get done this week, and I want to get deeper into the book, so hopefully I've outlined a plan to make all of that happen. And now, it's time for bed (or maybe reading before bed) - goodnight!

i can buy myself flowers

I am extremely delighted that I will wake up tomorrow morning with no one in my house. Granted, [censored] is welcome anytime, but [censored] is in [censored] tonight. But my contractor wrapped up the last day of work today - he still has to come back in a couple of weeks when we get the final piece of trim for the vanity, but as of today's he's basically done. We still have to finish some tings (I need to do some deep cleaning, and [censored] has some remaining plumbing, and we have a joint agreement to paint some tings), but things are otherwise done and I'm *delighted*.

Of course, Randy was here all day today, so I was a bit distracted - but I got some administrative stuff done, which I'll take. And eventually, Randy left, and then [censored] vacated, and I had the house to myself for the evening. So, I wrote for an hour, ate some leftover salmon, and watched an episode of SEVERANCE - I've been meaning to watch it forever, but I was finally in the mood to start it tonight. So far so good, and I'm eager to see where it goes.

And now, I'm going to go to bed and wallow in it - goodnight!

i get lost on my way searching for liars

Today was much less social than yesterday, which helped me to get some tings done. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep in like I wanted to because Randy always shows up just before eight and I usually try to make it downstairs around his arrival - but I was not feeling particularly chipper to be awake this morning.

The day didn't entirely improve because it was vaguely snowy and very grey all day, which does not help my mood. However, I managed to work despite that - I spent a lot of time doing some office-related tasks, which felt good to get organized. I also had a burrito bowl for lunch, which was delish. And, I had a coaching call for the writing strengths class that I'm taking - the call is a 1:1 included in the course registration, and it was super helpful to talk through my own unique blend of strengths with someone (especially someone who matches approximately five of my top ten strengths).

So, the coaching was v. interesting - I walked away with some practical tips for my writing, plus some new ways about thinking about some of my problems. I'm eager to see what's in the remaining lectures, but at this point I'm ready to start setting some writing goals for this year with a bit more intention than I've had in the past couple of years.

After that, I messed around with house stuff and then continued organizing my office. Eventually, I made a v. delicious ribeye using the reverse sear method (roast it low until ~95 degrees, then sear it and then let it rest), and I also made some broccoli and heated up a frozen-for-a-gloomy-day twice baked potato. The ribeye hit the spot, so #noregrets on that even though my house now smells like the charcoal part of a barbecue.

I think wrote just a teensy bit, and then [censored] showed up and we talked for awhile. And now, I need to go to bed - it's not at all late enough for me to *want* to go to bed, but I'm so tired from not getting to sleep in that I think I need to make the shift. Goodnight!

o geronimo, no minor ego

I had a lovely day, but it was more productive than I had intended - I had sort of planned to lie around and read all day, or perhaps mess around in my office. My morning was sufficiently lazy, although I did make some v. tasty scrambled eggs and hash browns. But then, [censored] and I somehow tricked ourselves into fixing the platform for my bed + mounting my bedroom tv + mounting [censored]'s bedroom tv.

I'm happy that this all got done, of course - we attempted to fix the bed in September but were missing a part, and then the project got postponed due to efforts to paint the garage. And because the bed frame was leaning against my bedroom wall since September, we hadn't been able to mount my tv. But now those things are where they should be, which means great things for my ability to finish setting up both my bedroom and my office. And [censored]'s bedroom tv looks great too, so at least all of that got done.

At some point, I made dinner for tonight (spaghetti amatriciana) and also prepped several ingredients to make cobb salads for the week. And [censored] and I watched WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY, which came out this weekend - it's a biopic that is a parody of Weird Al's life, which is appropriate given that his songs are parodies too. It was really really strange and mostly hilarious, so it was a nice way to spend the evening.

And now, I should really sleep - goodnight!

cut me down where the water meets the sea

Today was okay, but I'm thoroughly ready to retire my paint sprayer and never see it again. When I woke up, I felt like I was developing the cold that [censored] has, which is definitely not what I want. So, I made a vat of hot tea (followed by another vat a few hours later), and I also made a bigger than usual breakfast (hashbrowns with my v. tasty scrambled eggs) in an effort to ward off the plague. We'll see if any of it works, but at least I got through the day.

At some point, [censored] and I finally rallied and finalized our painting prep so that we could paint the garage ceiling. This continued to take longer at every step than I would like for it to take, since we're meticulous about prep and already had too much stuff in the garage, and the garage is hard to seal since we need access to almost every door. But we got everything sorted out, set up the sprayer, mixed up all the paint, and then painted the ceiling. And by that I mean I did the majority of the setup, but [censored] painted the entire ceiling, since [censored] is an excellent/masochistic buddy who is sacrificing spare time to make my house more pleasant. The painting took exactly one hour, with copious breaks to clean/defog goggles -- so, one hour of painting to 20+ hours of prep / cleanup continues to be the paint sprayer ratio.

Despite that, the garage looks great and I'm really glad we got it painted before we permanently fill it with all sorts of stuff. After we were done, I cleaned up a bunch of stuff and then made dinner (chicken burrito bowls in the instant pot), which [censored] and I ate while watching several episodes of CHARMED (I'm calling it research). And now I must sleep - goodnight!

blame it on my roots

No case of the Sunday Scaries tonight because it doesn't feel like a Sunday - I don't have to work tomorrow, which makes everything better. My body is clearly catching up to this fact, because I somehow slept until almost ten - I'll be curious to see how much I sleep this week, and whether my heart rate continues its astonishing drop that started when I confirmed my leave and some other stressful things at work wrapped up.

Despite sleeping until ten, I got a lot of things done today. I did a bit of prep in my pantry for a possible painting project this week, and I conned [censored] into pulling a board out of the pantry that certainly didn't need to be there (Marvin made some interesting choices in his day). In payment, I made some v. tasty eggs with ham and onions, which [censored] benefitted from. I also spent some time doing more planning for me and Katie's grand adventure to Italy in a couple of weeks - I am determined not to be as unprepared or as badly packed as I was on my spinster honeymoon with Joann several years ago, so we'll see if I succeed in that.

I spent the afternoon doing some more kitchen organization stuff, and I also said goodbye to [censored], who had to return to the city where he technically resides. Then I went out to my parents' house and made dinner - it was pretty easy since I just thawed out some bolognese sauce from my last trip home and made spaghetti + garlic bread to go with it. I also discussed cemeteries and strange happenings with them, which is my favorite topic.

Then I came back to my house and watched a new episode of Stanley Tucci's SEARCHING FOR ITALY - it made me want to go back to Venice, but that's not happening on this trip. And now, I should probably go to bed - goodnight!

i can bring the vibe down from ten to zero

I drove, I worked, I drove, I watched Bridgerton. That pretty much sums up the day. I guess I started it with some tea and journaling, which was nice. Then I went to Boulder, where I slogged all day. The office is still bizarrely empty, which means I have every nice lounge space and every amenity to myself; I had a quick chat with [censored] while sitting in a closed lounge meant for fifteen people (it has two comfy chairs, a long table, and several nooks filled with pillows built into the wall, with ladders to reach them - it's near an area called the Beehive, and the nooks do feel very hive-like).

So, I had breakfast and lunch, both of which were tasty. I had a bunch of meetings, including one with someone who is likely my new manager (yes, #8 in 4.5 years) - luckily I knew him many years ago, so at least that was fun and easy. And then I skipped out to run some errands and then go to Caroline's house. She invited me, other Sara, and Alice over to have cheese and watch the first couple of episodes of Bridgerton Season 2, which I had refrained from watching until now. So far so good, although it's a slow burn and my brain is struggling to recollect what happened in the book vs. what is happening in the show.

And now, I'm safely home and in need of sleep - goodnight!

like a videotape, it's just a memory slipping away

I'm not ready for the weekend to be over, but I suppose that's a common human sentiment. Today was lovely, all in all - I didn't get enough sleep last night because I stayed up until one finishing my book, but I spent the morning puttering around the house, cleaning, drinking coffee, etc. At some point, I did some research into couches / sectionals, since [censored] will no longer be my buddy if I don't replace the horrible sectional that Marvin left behind and that is currently our frenemy in my Iowa house (frenemy because it's better than having no couch at all, but also maybe I would prefer to sit on a beanbag because it would be equally impossible to get out of and also I would not find leftover candy wrappers of Marvin's whenever I move).

Eventually, I spent some quality time catching up with my parents, who were doing well (although there is much cleanup to do after the tornado). Then, I picked up Chandlord near Union Station - she was in town for the weekend with some coworkers, but they departed this afternoon so that I could have her all to myself. We went to Bookbar and had coffee on the back patio, and then we walked up and down Tennyson (not as exciting as San Francisco, but also not as much visible drug use), and then had dinner at Mazevo. I've ordered takeout from there during the pandemic, but it was my first time eating at the restaurant, and it was a delight.

Then, Chandlord and I adjourned to my house and watched some tv (a surprisingly uninspiring episode of Queer Eye, followed by a couple of episodes of 30 Rock). And now I need to sleep if I'm going to get up in time to bid Chandlord farewell before work - goodnight!

sit back and wave through the daylight

I went back to work today, but it's pretty much impossible to tell how much of my malaise is covid vs. how much is just that I would rather be watching Queer Eye than doing my job. I was pretty tired all day, however - I took a shower for the first time in a few days, and that was enough to make me want to take a nap. So I canceled all non-essential meetings, and I took a break in the middle of the day to enjoy my lunch like a normal human + take a nap before the next round of work.

This evening was more of my general relaxing, which I'm getting somewhat cranky about - not that relaxing is bad, but I'm quite tired of my living room. But I ate the last of some leftover Indian food, watched an episode of Queer Eye, sat around, procrastinated, and then took care of a few minor tasks online. And now, I'm tired but don't feel like sleeping, but should probably try anyway. Goodnight!

some color on monochrome

I'm feeling quite a bit better today - still fatigued enough that I needed a nap this afternoon, and still a bit headachy, but overall much improved. My fitbit also shows that things are getting better in terms of both sleep and heart rate, so that's exciting. I'm definitely not 100%, but I'm also getting very tired of sitting around, so I don't quite know what to do with that other than forcing myself to continue taking it easy.

However, I did do a load of laundry so that I could wear my favorite most comfy things again, and I also trimmed my bangs since I couldn't really see through them anymore. And, I left my house for the first time in a week - I had to mail a check, so I drove through the post office drop off and came home again. That was not a particularly exciting outing, but at least I got it done. I also got a few personal online tasks taking care of, and overall didn't feel quite so sluggish, so I'll take it.

I also took my aforementioned nap, and I took a quick shower, so I'd say the self-care is doing okay. In the evening, I ordered takeout Indian food (delish) and watched another three episodes of Queer Eye. It's just mindless enough that I don't have to worry about a plot or watch them in order, but the stories of the people they feature + the interactions they have while helping someone to rebuild / reshape their life are pretty lovely. So, perhaps I'll watch some more tomorrow - or perhaps I'll do something else before I get bored of this too.

And now, I need to sleep - I've been looking at screens too much, and I'm guessing that's a small contributing factor to my headache. Goodnight!

we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife

I've had a fairly miserable headache all day today, which is apparently an omicron thing (side note: somehow I don't think a tshirt that says "It's an Omicron thing" would sell very well, although it sounds catchy). Luckily, my sore throat is basically gone and my congestion is decreasing, so I feel like I'm on the mend. But the headache is a real aggravation, and I am tired enough that I took an hour nap this morning and took a two-hour nap this afternoon.

This was not, of course, what I wanted to be doing - I wanted to be well enough to pick up a couple of curbside things that have been waiting for me, and maybe cook something. I did shower, and I even shaved my legs, but that took basically all of my motivation for the day. It was snowing lightly most of the afternoon as well, so it was perfect for hanging out on my couch - which is all I did. I made some mac and cheese for lunch (I had other leftovers, but boxed mac and cheese was what I wanted), and I had leftover pizza for dinner, and otherwise I just alternated between napping and watching five episodes of Queer Eye.

So, with that very exciting time behind me, I think I should consider going to bed - goodnight!

spaceman, smoke show, scarecrow, geronimo

I still do not recommend getting covid. I think today was slightly better than yesterday - my throat isn't hurting quite so much, which is v. welcome. However, I've had a headache off and on all day - perhaps some of it is due to covid, but some of it is probably due to the day job. I took today off and I'm preemptively taking tomorrow as well - and I can't remember the last time I took four days in a row off for an infectious disease, so I guess this is not great.

But there was an issue at work that kind of blew up, and I felt like it was in my best longterm interests to fix it. That involved more screen time and more thinking than I was probably capable of, and I also had a video chat with my boss to discuss it, and all of that was just a bit too much. But it's fixed and I don't have to do anything tomorrow other than perhaps answer a couple of last minute questions, so hopefully I can sleep as much as I want. I only got one hour-long nap today and it definitely wasn't enough. When I wasn't working, I mostly showered, snacked, stared into space, texted, and stared into space some more. I also had a quick chat with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - luckily I'll see them soon enough in person, since Terry's third wedding attempt is coming up in March. I'm desperate for some San Francisco time and will be superimmune by then, so that's keeping me going.

When I was fully done with work stuff, I zoned out on my couch, drank a Sprite (beverage of invalid champions), and watched a couple of episodes of Queer Eye, which cheered me up immensely. And now, I need to get some sleep - goodnight!

the god of maine proclaims the last evacuation of the dream

I wasn't feeling all that great today - and in the year 2022, it's impossible to tell if it's malaise caused by news of covid, or malaise caused by covid itself. I tested negative yesterday, so I'm hopeful that it's just general 2022 malaise. But I still took it as an excuse to do absolutely nothing today - I haven't been sleeping enough, and I haven't been relaxing enough, so I decided that's basically all I would do.

So, I drank coffee, messed around online, and did a little laundry because I couldn't totally relax even when telling myself to relax. At some point, I took a nap; I also took a shower, and those things combined were pretty great. And I talked to my parents - my mom seems to be recovering from whatever she had after Christmas, and my dad's foot is still on the mend, so hopefully they continue to do well.

Right as I got off the phone with my mom, my takeout Mexican food arrived - I could have / should have eaten leftovers, but I was craving enchiladas and rice and beans and queso, so that's exactly what I got. I decided I didn't have the energy or attention span to watch a two-hour movie...so instead, I watched four hours of The Witcher. Ha. The first half of the second season is quite enjoyable, even if I do have to have captions on so that I can understand when Henry Cavill is grunting vs. when he's actually saying something.

Luckily, I have tomorrow off, so I can either get things done or I can finish bingeing The Witcher (it's anyone's guess!). For now, I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

everybody wants to rule the world

I have v. little to report today, but today went about as well as it could have considering that I'm still recovering from having a robot dig around my insides. When I woke up, Aunt B was still here, so we hung out in the kitchen and I made some oatmeal in my instant pot. She left around 9:15 or so, but my fridge is still stocked with her memory (namely, vegetable beef soup).

I had about 45mins to myself, and I made good use of it to sign some legal documents despite the fact that several nurses told me not to sign anything or buy anything for a couple of days. I feel pretty good about the legal documents, but maybe I shouldn't given how much stuff I bought from Nordstrom Rack late last night (in my defense, I need a dress for a wedding; but honestly, even though some of it will go back because I ordered two sizes of several things, there were tings in there that definitely weren't for the wedding - so we'll see if my sober self likes any of it!).

Then Katie came over to spend the day - she was ostensibly working and I was ostensibly resting, but we mostly gossiped and caught up on our families' respective lives. I also ate some potato soup (which she insisted on stirring so she could do something to take care of me), talked to Aunt Kathy for a bit, and eventually did take an afternoon nap. I think Katie's coming again tomorrow, which is good distraction for both my mood and my pain levels, so we'll see what happens!

After Katie left, I talked to my parents, messed around on my phone, did a very small load of laundry to wash some stuff that came today, and ate leftover vegetable beef soup. Then I watched the first episode of 'Only Murders in the Building' and also the first episode of 'The Great' - both of which has extremely different vibes. 'Only Murders' stars Steve Martin, Marvin Short, and Selena Gomez, and they're amateurs who love true-crime podcasts and are trying to solve a murder in their apartment building. 'The Great' is a dramedy about Catherine the Great, who is my jam - Russia under the tsars was pretty much batshit crazy, and her rise to power was more batshit than some. I know they took a lot of poetic license with it, but so far so good.

And now, I think I shall sleep so that I can pursue a grand plan of watching TV and reading and talking to friends tomorrow - goodnight!

oh valley of plenty

I had a v. lazy, hermity day, which is what I guess I needed. I did spend some quality time cleaning up my patio - I had enough cut-up branches and sticks to fill my compost cart (approx 30min after it got emptied this morning), so I got all of that disposed of. I still have two big yard totes full of more yard materials, but those are safely chilling near my fence until the compost cart gets emptied again. Then I used my leaf blower to clean off the patio, and all is right again.

I spent some quality time this afternoon doing nothing, although I did take a nap and a shower, which feels like an accomplishment. Then I went out and had a steak at five p.m., which was rather early, but also rather late because I didn't really eat a proper lunch. I spent an hour and a half brainstorming some stuff for the book I'm working on, and wishing I were at Des Amis instead because their steak and wine were better - but Des Amis is long gone, and I'm not in San Francisco, so I guess tonight's steak will have to suffice.

Then I came home and watched four episodes in a row of THE WITCHER - yes, it came out ages ago, and yes, I watched the first four episodes sometime around the start of the pandemic, but I had never finished it. I decided that tonight was the night, and I powered through all four hours in one go. All in all I thought it was a good series with some interesting storytelling choices, and I'm glad that the next season was able to get made during the pandemic because I'm looking forward to it.

And now, I think I should sleep - I have some tings I want to get done tomorrow, so I think it's time for bed. Goodnight!

danced to death at an east side night club

I have once again stayed up past my bedtime - I can theoretically sleep in tomorrow, but I have not been sleeping well enough to give me much confidence that sleeping in will happen. Work today was pretty good - I had a good meeting with the big boss and a bunch of other meetings in the morning, but I had three free hours this afternoon and was able to cross some tasks off my list.

I also made dinner tonight - at lunch time I marinated some chicken, and so for dinner I just had to bake it. It was, of course, a little more complicated than that - I made a spicy, sticky chicken with pineapple, and I also made rice and roasted some broccoli for the side. I've made it once before, but this was quite delicious (albeit spicy) - and it's pretty simple, other than cutting up the pineapple, which isn't exactly hard.

After I made dinner, I watched last night's episode of Top Chef so that I could stay caught up before the finale next week. Then, I had a v. extended call with my friendship renewal crew (Joann, Jane, and Jen) - they've been in touch and have actually seen each other in person recently, but with all my travel to Iowa I've missed a bunch of calls. So we had a lot to catch up on, and it was a nice way to spend Friday night.

And now I need to sleep so that I can enjoy my weekend - goodnight!

imma be making all them deals you wanna do

I had a pretty chill day, considering that work was a train wreck. I got up pretty early and made the v. unusual move of ordering iced coffee and some egg bites from Starbucks and picking them up at 7:15am - but that was pretty sweet, since the errand took all of ten minutes and I was able to drink iced coffee on my patio while waking up and contemplating the day. Then I wrote for about forty-five minutes - don't get too excited, since it was mostly journaling, but I'll take it.

Work really wasn't all that bad, but it was a little dramatic because a couple of departures were announced that were definitely going to get some reaction. But I bounced around 5:30 and got my first pedicure in over a year - I've been keeping my nails up on my own, but clearly I haven't been as meticulous as a salon would be because they had to use a fucking cheese grater on my calluses to try to make my feet look like lady feet instead of troll-under-a-bridge feet. I'd never been to this salon before since I used to get my nails done near my office in Boulder, but since I haven't been to Boulder at any point this entire calendar year, finding a place closer to me seemed like a good idea.

Then I came home, poured a glass of wine, and had a long gossipy chat with my friend Sara. And then, tipsy because one glass of wine will do that when I don't eat dinner, I reheated some leftover Indian takeout and watched an episode of Top Chef. This season really is spectacular and I want to do a grand tour of the US to visit all their restaurants. But really, I would do a grand tour of the US to visit a bunch of interstate rest stops at this point, so maybe that's not the highest compliment.

And now I need to sleep so I can accomplish some feats of superhuman effort tomorrow - goodnight!

is it any wonder i'm not a criminal

I had a pretty good day, all in all. For some reason I didn't sleep well last night, so that put a damper on this morning, and I'm going to try to go to bed early so I can reset. But despite that, I got through a lot of stuff today (mostly meetings, as per usual) and took a break to eat leftover Indian takeout on the patio, which was beautiful.

After my meetings were over, I had a few minutes to send some emails before Aunt Becky and Uncle Brian showed up. They're in Colorado this week, and the advantage of blogging every night for 17+ years is that sometimes people offer to solve the problems I mention in the blog. In this case, Aunt B reached out yesterday to say she thought that Uncle B could fix my leaking backflow preventer - and so I gratefully accepted the offer. They came over late this afternoon, and it turns out that Aunt B was correct in her assessment of Uncle B's skills - he was able to replace the valves required to get the backflow preventer to stop leaking, which was excellent news.

So, my sprinkler system is ready to go for the summer approx 2-3 weeks earlier than I thought it would be. To celebrate, I took them down the street to El Camino - it's my favorite nearby Mexican restaurant, and Katie and I ordered many quarts of takeout margaritas from them over the course of the pandemic. Still, it was v. nice to sit on their patio instead of mine, and that meant I could order nachos - their nachos are incredible, but would not be good for takeout, and so I hadn't had them in over a year.

So we ate and talked and generally caught up, and it was lovely. Then we came back to my house and they left for their house in Castle Rock. I probably should have worked tonight, but I mostly sat on the couch and watched videos from this week's SNL, and I have no regrets. But as I said, I slept poorly last night and want to correct that tonight, so it's time for bed - goodnight!