i can only stand apart and sympathize

I should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I am doing some bedtime procrastination since the rest of my day didn't go completely according to plan. I had intended to write this morning, but Randy is moving faster than we thought he would with the kitchen, which means I had to make some decisions and order some tings for the bathroom. This maybe wouldn't have been so time-sensitive, but shipping around the holidays is turning into a problem, and Randy apparently doesn't intend to take off any time around Christmas except, perhaps, the 26th. So, we have to be ready for him to keep going - which is great for my medium/long-term happiness, and stressful for my short-term desire to get things done.

Beyond that, though, he hung my pendant lights, which are either too large (according to Randy/[censored]'s dubious looks) or just right (according to me and Pinterest). And he finished installing all the can lights, which are thankfully not too much, and also placed several cabinets + insured I had outlets where I needed them. The kitchen is starting to come together, and I'm delighted by it - there are still elements that could make or break things (like the uppers, or the countertop, or the flooring), but things are really looking good right now.

The rest of my day was uneventful - I got some groceries, ate leftover burrito bowls with [censored], talked to Alyssa, and spent some afternoon time theoretically trying to write. I also tried a new orange chicken recipe in the instant pot - I probably wouldn't make it again without major modifications, but it wasn't bad. However, it was outshone by the frozen egg rolls that I crisped up in my air fryer - I only had one (and should have had zero bc gluten), but they were delish. And it's a good reminder to add the air fryer to my construction-kitchen repertoire.

After supper, I had a long-overdue call with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - I've mostly ignored all my friends for the past few months as I've moved / settled / tried to figure out what I want my life to look like, so our chat was very nice and I'm glad we got a chance to catch up.

And finally, [censored] and I watched David Letterman's interview of Volodymyr Zelenskyy - Letterman flew to Kiev a few weeks ago and interviewed Zelenskyy in a Metro station 250ft below ground, and also filmed some footage around the city. It was pretty moving, in no small part because I recognized some of the places they were, and still feel a deep connection to Ukraine even though my memories are filtered through almost thirty years of another life lived separate from that strange and surreal year that I spent there. I do not think Ukraine would have made it if Zelenskyy hadn't stood up the way that he did in those first few days / weeks - the Russians expected him to flee with a planeload of cash the way most other leaders would, and instead he rallied the nation in a wholly unique and unexpected way. So, the interview was worth watching, even if it made me sad for what's happening now and how hard the winter will be.

And now, I really must sleep - goodnight!

uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, cinco, seís

I have made it to ye olde Iowa after a v. long day of driving, and I'm not particularly excited about turning around and going back in a couple of days. However, there was some stuff in Colorado that needs to be in Iowa, and I could spare the time to make the trip this weekend, so I did it.

Of course, that meant loading the car this morning, so I didn't get out of Denver until almost 10:45am. But I made it all the way with only a couple of gas/bathroom stops + a longer break to sit down and eat dinner at Runza (an apparently Nebraskan chain I had never heard of until I started driving I-80 regularly). And I had a couple of nice chats to break the monotony of the drive - both Ritu and Terry called me, and it was great to hear their voices.

And now, I'm rather desperate for sleep, but I've been engaging in bedtime procrastination. It's time to rectify that. Goodnight!

always keep your heart locked tight, don't let your mind retire

I should have gone to bed a couple of hours ago - but when left to my own devices, I rarely go to bed when I should. I did a lot of manual labor today in preparation for my return to Colorado tomorrow - I really wanted to get my pantry project done before leaving, so I painted shelves most of the afternoon. It would have all been relatively easier if I'd just painted the whole pantry one color, since I could have sprayed it - but the contrast of the bright white shelves + the subtle light blue walls is #worthit.

I took a break at some point when my parents stopped by to check out my new sectional + my paint job (and [censored] and I wished our mother a happy mother's day). I also talked briefly to Terry, which was lovely. And [censored] was kind enough to power wash my car's floor mats, which was v. nice of him. Beyond that, though, painting took up most of my afternoon, as well as an hour when I got home from dinner + another few minutes at 11pm. However, I believe that I'm done - I'm waiting to see how it looks in the morning, but after putting a second coat on the tops of the shelves tonight, it appears to be in great shape.

Beyond that...at some point I said farewell to [censored] and went out to my parents' house, where I v. shamefully let my mom cook for me on Mother's Day (thanks Mom!). The cheeseburgers and fries were excellent, though, so it would have been hard to pass them up. Then I came back to my place, did the aforementioned extra painting, and then spent the past few hours packing tings up, cleaning out my fridge, taking a shower, etc.

And now I really need to sleep - it's possible I won't make it back to Denver tomorrow, but I'm going to give it my best try. Goodnight!

i ain't even trippin, i'm not slippin, i just come on back for more

I had a v. nice day, all in all. I got almost nine hours of sleep, which was v. restorative. Then, I made some coffee and wrote for an hour - the ideas that I'm coming up with feel pretty good right now, and I'm guessing they've been percolating beneath the surface even though it feels like I haven't been doing anything writing-related recently.

Eventually, I ate an early lunch and got dressed. Then, I caught up with Terry - we hadn't talked since her wedding, so we chatted for awhile and talked about life and career and all that stuff. I also talked to [censored] for one of our usual quick (aka thirty minute) convos. Then, I ran a couple of errands, including picking up paint chips for the next phase of decorating schemes at my Iowa house + getting a few groceries.

Then I came home, ate some popcorn, and talked to my parents for quite awhile. I was supposed to go home next weekend, but the day job is cramping my style, so I'm pushing it off for a week (but will then be in Iowa for two weeks, which I'm hoping I can use to paint my office and possibly my bedroom if I get super ambitious). So, we caught up for awhile, and while I was talking to my dad I put some sweet potatoes in the oven to roast. After we hung up, I roasted some salmon - it's pretty much the easiest thing I make, and it's delicious every time. I also made some special butter with maple syrup / chipotles / orange zest (easy - just mix it all in the stand mixer for a couple of minutes, along with salt and pepper) - it really tastes great with sweet potatoes. So, supper was easy and also delicious, and my kitchen was cleaned up in a snap.

Eventually, I did a bit of day job work because I had to, and then spent the rest of the evening organizing myself. And now I should go to bed so I can get up at an early hour and still feel reasonably rested - wish me luck with that. Goodnight!

oh, this is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart

I'm back in Denver and brutally tired, but I had an excellent long weekend in the city of sin. Friday was particularly delightful - I spent an hour drinking coffee and journaling at Philz, and then I packed up all my stuff, checked out of my first hotel, and left my tings there while I took an uber out to Beach Chalet for lunch with Anne and Veronica. Barbara is out of town and Grace couldn't make it, so we were a smaller group than usual, but I was v. happy to see Anne and Veronica. I am reminded, as always, how much I miss my writer group in SF, even if we usually met at an uninspiring Starbucks in the peninsula instead of having a fancy lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

After we parted ways, I went back to my hotel, grabbed my stuff, and took an uber to the Fairmont, where I checked in for wedding shenanigans. I had just enough time to get ready and put on my outfit before it was time to head out - I shared an uber with Lauren (aka Subz) and Nathan to the Friday evening party, where I met Adit (some people call him the cat), who was my date for the night. I wore the v. fancy lehenga that I bought in Denver last month, and I loved it - it was v. princessy, which is not usually a look I go for when I'm a wedding guest, but it was great.

The first night was dry, which was less than ideal, especially since I had to give a toast. However, Terry's dad snuck in approx 100 airplane-sized bottles of vodka, so I was able to have a vodka and diet coke to get me ready to go. Also, the food was really excellent and the venue was nice, so all in all it was good. My toast was also great, if I do say so myself, so it felt like a rousing evening.

After the Friday event was over, Adit and I went back to the Fairmont and rendezvoused with Chandlord. We were going to go to the Tonga Room, but it was stupidly closed early, so I changed clothes and we ventured into the Tenderloin. Our first drink was not great due to a potential bartending mishap, but then we went to Zombie Village and had a couple of punchbowls while holed up in a booth and talking about Ritu's nephew (our favorite topic of conversation). And when we were done, I took an uber approx five blocks because I didn't feel like walking up Nob Hill at 2am.

The next day, I had room service breakfast (my favorite) and then went downtown to quickly buy a new pair of shoes, since my Friday shoes had created blisters and I didn't have any other options. That errand was easily accomplished, but getting back was a pain - the St Patricks Day parade was happening all along Market, which completely screwed up traffic, and so I ended up walking up Nob Hill with my shoes. This was not what my blistered feet wanted, but I made it back, took a shower, and took a nap. Then, Subz came to my room so we could get ready together - she had arranged some people to do our hair + her makeup, which was super fun. Unfortunately, the wedding was so windy that my updo didn't look as awesome as it did in the first thirty minutes of its life, but it was still great to get some girl time with Lauren.

Then we went to the wedding, which was at Cavallo Point in Sausalito. The vow renewal was outdoors, and since it's San Francisco, that meant it was totally freezing - I was glad I had decided to prioritize comfort over fashion and brough my down puffer, because I needed it. However, the Golden Gate Bridge made for a gorgeous backdrop, and Terry and Haseeb's vows (a vow renewal, since they got married at City Hall as NYC was shutting down two years ago) were beautiful.

The rest of the night was super fun - lovely cocktail hour followed by dinner, then lots more toasts, and then dancing. Eventually we all headed back to SF, and I ended up going out with most of Terry's siblings + Lisa (an old Stanford friend) until whatever bar we went to shut down. And then the time changed as I got back to my hotel, so suddenly it was three a.m. and I was ready to collapse.

Today was smooth, even though I didn't get nearly enough sleep - I got up, ate breakfast, packed, showered, etc. and made it to the airport with just the right amount of time. Getting to Denver was easy (albeit turbulent), and my house is still here, and I had takeout sushi to celebrate being home. And now, I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

i look around and sin city's cold and empty

I had a v. stressful work day, but it's over and I have a four day weekend, so I'm deeply relieved about that fact. I went to the office and slogged all day (mostly meetings), but I snuck out for an early drink with my friend Lorena. We haven't seen each other in years, obvi, since the pandemic ruined business travel, but it was a delight to see her (and a delight to have a nice tea-infused cocktail at Absinthe).

Then I went to Octavia for an early dinner with Terry to celebrate a) her wedding and b) the fact that we were seeing each other in person for the first time since her bachelorette in February 2020. I'm glad we got a bit of solo time before the wedding stuff fully kicks off - it was v. nice to catch up on life, and that conversation probably requires more than the span of a single meal. But tonight was a good start - we split some delicious sweet potato tempura and also a mozzarella with beets that was excellent. I had their pork with some beans and a bunch of dill, and it reminded me of Ukraine - we ate a lot of pork there, and things were covered in dill, so while this was objectively 10x better than anything I ate in Ukraine, the flavor profile triggered some memories.

Then I dropped Terry at her hotel, came back to mine, and worked for the last three hours to wrap stuff up before going on vacation. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

when the sun comes up on a sleepy little town

Honestly, I'm pretty depressed / anxious / angry / sad about the Ukraine situation. Those of you who read this probably know that my family lived in Ukraine for a year when I was twelve, and we went back for a visit in 2007 - all the people my dad got in touch with this weekend in Ukraine didn't think an invasion was happening, so Russia's aggression took them all by surprise.

It's completely crazy to me that we're seeing a massive land/air invasion (against the second-largest country in Europe, to be clear), and also completely crazy to me that 20-30% of the US population will probably casually support Putin on this because Trump says that Putin is very smart, and they because they admire Putin's strong-arm tactics to create a Russian ethnostate and wish to recreate that kind of power in the US. Putin *is* very smart, because he successfully (and provably) used Russian disinformation tactics to 'flood the zone' at various points in the last five years and create extreme confusion and conspiracy theories on American social media, which is a contributing factor to the wedges driven between American groups in the last few years. But I'm hoping that the Ukrainians will be able to hold out, and I'm hoping this stops soon and doesn't domino-effect its way into another world war.

sssanyway. I did have several hours of meetings today, so I couldn't spend all my time doomscrolling. I also had to deal with carpeting - they finished today, which was a day ahead of schedule, and I'm delighted with the results. After they left and I was done with work, I spent some time vacuuming, which is probably a task I will have to repeat regularly for awhile. [censored] and I also went out to our parents' house for dinner - my mom made ham + gluten free mac and cheese, and it was completely delicious. Then we came back to my house, and I did some house stuff, talked to Terry for awhile (it's hard to plan a wedding in a pandemic + a possible world war), got ready for bed, wrote in my journal, etc.

And now, I really need to sleep - even though it's now morning in Ukraine, I'm trying to remember that doomscrolling doesn't actually do anything to help the situation, and I would be better served by getting some sleep instead. 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!

everybody ends up here in bottles

Today was fine, all in all - my heart rate continues to come down, and I didn't have any meetings to raise it back up. I also ordered a poke bowl for lunch and ate it on my patio, which is always delightful. And when I was done with work for the day, I made myself a new cocktail I've never tried before (from the cocktail book [censored] gave me for Christmas) - a High Five is very similar to a Hemingway daiquiri, but it has gin and aperol instead of rum and luxardo cherry liqueur. It was just the right drink to enjoy while catching up with Terry - we hadn't talked in a bit, so we had a quick phone chat and it was great, as always, to catch up.

Then I ate the leftover fajitas from last night's excursion with Katie, relaxed while watching Olympics, and eventually did an hour or so of day job work since I don't have time to do work during the day. And now, I should probably sleep - goodnight!

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

The Sunday Scaries that I mostly avoided over the weekend have somehow morphed into Tuesday Scaries, which was a very unwelcome development. Things weren't bad today, all in all - I wrote before work, and my meetings were all fine. But I was not feeling particularly motivated - there are a lot of things up in the air right now, and navigating that + gossiping with people took most of my energy.

After work, I sloughed off and talked to Terry, which is always welcome. Then I should have eaten the salad I made last night, but I ordered thai food instead. I also rode my Peloton - my legs were a little tired from yesterday, so it made for an unnecessarily hard ride, but it felt good to do something (and not do it in the hundred+ degree heat outside).

Then I painted my nails, talked to [censored], and took care of some personal activities. And now I need to sleep - I would like to write tomorrow before work, but I also have an earlier start time for my first meeting, so we'll see what I accomplish. Goodnight!

losing you's a win-win

I probably should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I was messing around with my laptop and my #quarantinechef instagram stories. Today was as good as it could be when I had meetings literally straight from 11 to 5, which made grabbing lunch a tad bit difficult (I persevered and ordered a poke bowl). But then I threw in the towel - I talked to my parents, and then I talked to [censored], and then I ate the last of my leftover beet salad and some chicken while talking to Terry about the royals (my favorite topic, although it makes me sad).

Then I decided to get groceries - I had considered going back to Iowa this weekend, but we're potentially getting 2-3 feet of snow here this weekend, and so if I went to Iowa I would need to leave as soon as I'm done working tomorrow. I'm also a bit nervous about that much snow on my trees, especially the tree in my backyard that is lovingly wrapped around my power line in a death embrace. So, I decided to stay here, which means I need groceries to sustain myself for the next few days since I expect I won't be going anywhere after tomorrow night.

So I went to Whole Foods and picked up a bunch of stuff, and I feel quite confident I'll survive (I would have survived anyway with all the food in my basement, but this means I have fresh produce). Of course, if I lose power I will regret that I have food in my fridge, but fingers crossed that doesn't happen. Whole Foods wasn't too busy tonight, although the staff said they had been slammed all day. But the really interesting thing is that I discovered that Katie is right (sorry that I had to discover that, Katie) by going to the Whole Foods by Union Station instead of the one I usually go to in Lakewood - while the Lakewood one is bigger, it also seems to be the main supplier for Denver's online orders, and so shopping there means competing with a lot of employees for stuff. They've often been out of chicken or garlic or other basics when I've gone there...but the Union Station one doesn't get as much order pickup and everything was in stock.

So, I'm as ready as I can be for whatever blizzard descends. And now that I've said that and tempted fate, it's time for bed - goodnight!

can't make a living as a bayman anymore

I had a pretty productive Saturday, although I probably should have gone to bed a couple of hours ago. I spent the morning doing a variety of house-related tasks, which was great. I got groceries delivered, thus crossing a major errand off my to-do list. And I had coffee and showered, which are v. necessary for making me feel human in the morning.

Then, Katie came over - it was only forty degrees and very much not the kind of day that we would choose for outdoor dining, but the need for friendship outweighed the need to feel my fingers, so we sat outside for a couple of hours. We also ordered thai food, which warmed me up substantially, and my outdoor blankets (and uggs, and a coat) helped. Katie was in fine form and we had much to catch up on, so that was a delight (albeit a frigid one).

After she left, I ran to the paint store to buy a few paint samples for the bedroom project I'm embarking on. Then I came home and began to cook a baked fish chowder - it's from the latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook, and it's been on my list of recipes to try. It involves onions, celery, potatoes, bacon, cod, butter, cream, wine, saffron, and pernod (an anise-flavored liqueur) - so, pretty decadent, but also similar in flavor profile to a chicken bouillabaise from one of the earlier Barefoot Contessa cookbooks (which used to be a mainstay of my dinner parties). I was slightly disappointed in how it turned out, I must admit - the potatoes needed more salt, I thought the celery dice was too big (she called for 1/2" dice, but I didn't like the texture of the cooked celery at that size), and I didn't have the usual bacon I use and wasn't impressed with the alternative bacon that I'd found. That said, it was still tasty, and it was certainly a different meal than what I'm used to making.

While that was cooking, I talked to Terry for awhile - we also had much to catch up on, and it was also a delight (warmer than catching up with Katie, since I was inside and also cooking, but also virtual rather than in person, so there are trade-offs). After we got off our call, I ate my fish stew, messed around on the internet, and did some personal productivity stuff to close out the night.

And now I must sleep - goodnight!

wish i could turn my mind off for a month

I was pretty productive today, although I hit a wall this evening. But I got up this morning in time to write for an hour before work (mostly from bed - I was at my desk and actually crawled back into bed to brainstorm, since I hadn't showered yet, and it was great). And I slogged all day, mostly successfully.

When I finished work, I threw together a spicy red pepper/chipotle aioli from Barefoot Contessa's latest cookbook (which is a winner so far!) - this just involved chopping up some garlic and chipotle, chopping some jarred roasted red pepper, and pureeing it in my food processor before adding a cup of mayonnaise. The aioli took five minutes but really jazzed up the salmon that I made later, and it would also be amazing with sweet potato fries, or on a sandwich, or in an effort to jazz up many other foodstuffs.

After I did that, I had a quick call with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz) - we were overdue for a three-way catchup, so we made it happen tonight. Then I finished making dinner - I cooked some salmon, roasted some fingerling potatoes, and also roasted some broccolini with sharp cheddar cheese (broccolini also from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook). All in, this took <30min - everything cooked at 400 degrees for varying times, so while it took some careful timing to get everything done at the same time, I pulled it off and the end result was completely delicious.

Then I messed around on Instagram, caught up on Twitter, and did some romance novel business stuff. And now it's only ten p.m., but I'm determined to go to bed in the next 15-20min - I should have done some day job stuff tonight and did not, so I need to get up early and work in the morning. Goodnight!

your face is all that i see, i'll give you everything

I had a pretty nice vacation day, all in all. I slept in, made coffee, wrote (yay), talked to Katie (also yay, I guess), showered, and had leftover Indian food for lunch. I did about thirty minutes of day job work, but it was related to planning fun activities and I was stressed about it when I woke up (there is a deadline for fun, related to closing out our financial reporting for the year, so it's a bit of a high pressure situation). So, I was relieved that I got that done and can enjoy the rest of the week.

Then I took a walk - it was still chilly, but most of the sidewalks had melted off, so I walked down to my beloved cheese shop to buy myself some treats for this weekend. Then I came home, put things away, and had a class with Alyssa, which lasted about two hours. At that point, it was time to make dinner, so I tried a new recipe for chicken and mushrooms, which I had with mashed potatoes, and it was really tasty. While I was cooking, I talked to Terry (again, yay) and drank a glass of chardonnay (with the excuse that I needed wine for deglazing the pan - but the other excuse is that it's the apocalypse).

Then I was going to write, or perhaps read, but instead I went down a three-hour wikipedia rabbit hole on nuclear disasters, followed by space shuttle explosions; believe it or not, this is a good sign, since I often go down these weird rabbit holes when I'm getting deep into a book. But while it may be a good sign in theory, right now I should really sleep - goodnight!

nothing hurts like your mouse

Today was good, but long and full of zooms. I woke up and had a v. leisurely morning with coffee and journaling, etc. And I made some tasty acelgas guisadas, which is basically just stewed tomatoes, onions, potatos, and chard - I make it every once in awhile as a bed for poached eggs, and it hit the spot today.

The afternoon was then consumed with a variety of catch-ups - I talked to my parents first, which was unusually early, but I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to catch up. Then I talked to Veronica; we hadn't talked in weeks, so we were v. overdue. Then, almost immediately after that I talked to Terry - we did a phone call instead of a zoom because everyone is zoomed out, and it was lovely.

Then I took a break, ate some takeout thai food, messed around, took a nap, etc. And I ended the evening with a family dinner zoom in honor of Adit's birthday; Marina was a surprise special guest. Vidya won best jhoke for a truly terribly joke about all the mink that died of covid (coatvid), which she only won because there were no other jokes. Adit and Priyanka claimed to be in a local maxima, but everything they discussed seemed pretty minima - they won 'worst problem', which was that they had a mouse staring at them and eating one of their doors through most of the call.

You can catch up on the rest of the topics with the chat transcript, which was used to catch people up as they joined late:

[in regards to Adit's birthday] Adit’s parents ordered cake
Sister ordered cupcakes
Priyanka bought flowers for the photos
They have a mouse

John bought a dinghy

Marina had to teach online bc the Colorado college students all have covid

John and Jess’s kid is still in backyard school

Bill is wearing plaid pants

The mouse is eating through the door
it’s like a zombie mouse
trying to get to them

Ritu and Bill bought a house
but they can’t get out of their lease
one road in, one road out (same road, as Bill said)

oh yeah - John’s new dinghy has a hole in it
The term 'dinghy' is a loanword from the Bengali ḍiṅgi, Urdu ḍīngī, and Hindi ḍieṁgī

They hired a professional [to get rid of the mouse]
$1000

a dingo is not a dinghy

Pls vote for coated!!! coatvid

We also discussed nap dresses and nap suits, Priyanka's problem with mopping floors, how Adit's best birthday was the one he didn't spend with any of us, Bill's parents' house sitting unattended in Georgia (if you need somewhere to break in), paddleboarding, air quality in the bay area, etc. Pretty standard, and pretty low energy if we're all being honest. But seven months into quarantine, everyone is pretty low energy, so I guess that's what you get.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight! 

you know i love the past 'cause i hate suspense

I had a pretty decent day, mostly because I indulged my desire to completely geek out over reorganizing my pantry. This was perhaps not the most important thing that I needed to accomplish, but it felt good to do it. When I got up this morning, I messed around the house for awhile, trimmed my bangs, showered, etc., and then made some spaghetti bolognese for lunch. Then I drove to Staples to pick up a label maker that I ordered this morning - it's probably kind of shocking that I didn't already own a label maker, given my tendencies. I do label things quite a bit, but I usually use washi tape and a sharpie. However, I decided to give in to my genetics and get a label maker, which was quite exciting.

So I came home and tore my pantry apart just in time to take a break and talk to Lauren (aka Subz) and Terry. We had much to catch up on, so it was great to talk to them. Then I paused the pantry project to make dinner - I tried a sesame chicken stir-fry from my Burma Superstar cookbook, along with some brussels sprouts that were patiently waiting to rot in my fridge. The chicken turned out pretty well - it really just made me want the orange chicken from Panda Express, but it was really tasty nonetheless.

Then I spent the rest of the evening messing around with my pantry; everything that belongs in the pantry is now put away, but I have to tidy up some stuff that needs tossed / put in the basement / put somewhere else. That, however, is a problem for tomorrow - right now I need to sleep. Goodnight!

unfair we're not somewhere misbehaving for days

I had a good day, all in all - I got up in time to have a lovely bit of silence with my coffee, meditation, and a bit of journaling, and then I slogged all day. The slogging was pretty productive, so I paused for a happy hour and then didn't unpause. The first happy hour was with my friend Nicole and we talked about work most of the time, so I'm counting it as work - but I was drinking a moscow mule, so it didn't feel too onerous.

Then I sent a few more emails, logged off for the day, and had a video chat with Terry and Lauren (aka Subz). We were overdue for a catch-up, so I'm glad we made it happen. It seems that a lot of people are hitting local minimas these days, as it continues to be reinforced how not-normal life is going to be for a long time. So, all we can do is band together and have ridiculous video chats and dream of other, better days.

As soon as we hung up, while the phone was still in my hand, Chandlord called me. She was going for a walk and talking while she walked, so I went outside and walked around my block multiple times while we chatted. I only walked around the block because it looked like it might storm - and that proved accurate. We talked for awhile, and I made the best jhoke of my life, thus hitting a global maxima that will never be repeated. Then I came inside, ate some takeout sushi, and as I was eating takeout sushi it began to hail.

Things got a wee bit dramatic then - I put on a foot mask (wrapping acid around my feet to dissolve the dead skin that has accumulated after several months barefoot without pedicures), which meant that my feet were wrapped in slippery plastic and covered with socks to hold them on. But then it started to thunder/lightning quite intensely. And in the middle of that, something (smoke alarm? CO alarm?) started chirping upstairs. I assumed it was the smoke alarm, and it was in a place in the hallway where the chirp reverberated enough that it was hard to tell exactly where it was coming from. So I went to the basement (in my plastic-encased feet), got my ladder and some 9V batteries, dragged the ladder up two flights of stairs, put a new battery in, and realized it was still chirping. Then I discovered the battery was expired. So I went back down and got fresh batteries and tried again. That ended that bit of chirping, which I may have caused by putting in an expired battery...because then I realized it was the CO alarm that was plugged into the wall.

So I had to get another battery, but changing that battery fixed the problem. Still, standing on a ladder with slippery feet, precariously near my stairwell, with thunder/lightning outside was more excitement than I wanted for the night. So now, after having caught up on Animal Crossing and done some various tings around the house, it's time to unwind for the night - goodnight!

always the same it's just a shame that's all

I somehow wore myself out without leaving the house, which I guess is a good thing? I stayed up way too late last night, so I didn't get up an around particularly early - but then I drank some coffee, meditated, journaled, and generally enjoyed my morning. I also made a v. tasty egg and cheese sandwich and organized my freezer, which is a thing I now do regularly due to the apocalypse.

I then spent the afternoon taking care of a variety of tings around the house - mostly organizing my master closet, which spilled over into organizing the guest closet as well. I'd been meaning to do this for quite some time, and I still need to acquire some organizational supplies (mostly for my handbags, which defy organization) - but my closet looks much better and more functional than it did. Of course, since I have time on my hands, I arranged the clothes by color, which was weirdly satisfying. And I vacuumed and dusted the closets before putting things away, which was less satisfying but much more necessary.

At some point in the middle of this project, I chatted with Katie for a bit and discovered that she's also purging her closets this weekend, so we must have hit the same point in our quarantine moods. Then I talked to Terry for quite awhile - it was supposed to be her western wedding today, which means I should be in California on the verge of blackout drunk. Instead, I'm sitting at home, running the cleaning cycle on my coffeemaker, and listening to some soothing music on my meditation app. I did have takeout sushi tonight, so I guess that's somewhat festive? Probably not, but idk anymore.

And now, as soon as my coffeemaker has finished cleaning so that I can set it up for the morning, I need to go to bed. Goodnight!

there's a world outside every darkened door where blues won't haunt you anymore

My tongue is definitely better today - I skipped my seven o'clock dose of ibuprofen and was able to eat without it, so I'd say that's good news. I think I may have had a stitch come out while I was talking to my boss, which was a v. uncomfortable feeling - but after that things seemed to be better. So, I don't know. It's still not perfect, and I ate yet another box of mac and cheese for dinner because I didn't feel like I should go straight into real solids, but it's better than it has been.

That was the only real excitement of the day. I slogged for most of it, then stopped a little before five and took a walk. Then I talked to Terry for awhile while making my macaroni. And I should have spent the evening working, or watching TV, but instead I read several cookbooks and made a list of things I want to try to make (no doubt influenced because this is my sixth full day of eating a rotating diet of smoothies, milkshakes, mac and cheese, lukewarm scrambled eggs, and potato soup). Now, though, it's time for bed - goodnight!

once the show gets started it's bound to be a sight to see

I was fairly bored / unable to focus most of the day, which was unfortunate since I had a lot to focus on. I did get up in time to journal this morning before work, which was lovely. And I also showered, which was equally lovely. This should not be noteworthy, but I had not showered yesterday, so I have to be careful not to let myself go too much.

Then I worked all day, but I stopped around five so that I could run out and pick up a TV that I'd bought at Best Buy. Denver is going on lockdown starting tomorrow, and I decided that I should turn my basement into a better space in which to work out so that I can perfect my prison body in the next few months. The basement is actually pretty bright (thanks to [censored] changing all my lightbulbs when he was here, as well as the two egress windows) and I have plenty of space for kettlebells, my TRX bands, etc. - but a TV would enable me to watch workouts. So I got a cheap, small flatscreen, and we'll see whether this helps me deal with the isolation or if it just gives me another thing to be crazy about.

While I was picking up the tv, I stopped at Katie's and gave her half the banana bread I baked last night. We social distanced by sitting on opposite sides of her porch for ten minutes; James joined us for a few minutes as well, so we caught up on doom and gloom while rainclouds gathered overhead (both literally and metaphorically). We're all being good quarantine soldiers, which meant we didn't hug and I didn't partake of any beverages on the property; with Denver's new stay-at-home order, it's unclear whether we'll see each other anytime soon, but we'll see whether the weather cooperates enough for us to socializing distance from opposite sides of porches and patios.

Then I came home and caught up with Lauren (aka Subz) and Terry via video, which was delightful. And then I ate supper, messed around online, took a nine p.m. work call (which I now have every day for the foreseeable future, which is kinda cruel) and am now getting ready for bed.

And sadly, no links for you tonight - I didn't spend much time online, so I have no joy to spread. Goodnight!