marry me juliet you'll never have to be alone

I had an excellent day in the city of sin. I woke up earlier than I wanted to so that I could walk to the Financial District - my old hair stylist from a lifetime ago fit me in on her day off, and I'm delighted that I got to see her and also got a much-needed hair cut. We caught up on many topics (life, covid, dating guys who were on the Bachelorette), and it was an excellent way to start my day.

Then, on a whim, I caught an uber to Hayes Valley, where I had brunch, did some window shopping, and then stopped in for a glass of rosé and some writing time at Arbor. This turned into extra rosé because the server mysteriously and miraculously said 'the manager said to top you off' and poured me almost a full glass when my glass was empty. I don't know what it is about my face, but I'm glad that my magical free alcohol power still seems to be in full force. Then I ordered another glass just because, as well as some curly fries (also just because) and they gave me a friends and family discount, so I'm v. disposed to think kindly of them going forward.

More importantly, I got several good pages of writing done, and I'm excited about that. Then I came back to Chandlord's and helped her get ready for tonight (while also napping). She had a bunch of people over for dinner - the main event, in my opinion, was Claudia, but Chandlord's friends are pretty entertaining. There was a girl who also writes romance (although hers sounds smuttier than mine), and a bunch of hilarious guys, and some Germans, and various groups of the Indian subcontinent, and a v. strange guy from Texas (definitely the strangest guy in attendance). Our conversation alternated strangely between Malala, ChatGPT, camels, and Tennessee motels, and we ended fairly convinced that AI is going to destroy us sooner rather than later. But this was all excellent grist for the book mill, so hopefully I can write this book before the end.

And now, I really need to sleep so I can pursue additional plans tomorrow - goodnight!

don't ever compare me to the rest that'll all get sliced and diced

I had a lovely day, and it was definitely better than I deserved after last night's shenanigans. I woke up this morning not feeling #inittowinit for obvious reasons (see: several glasses of sauvignon blanc), but I rallied and went to Another Cafe to write for awhile. This was one of my favorite haunts back in the day, and it's comfortingly similar to how it used to be - the upper mezzanine is perfectly quiet in the morning, and it was a good place to force myself back into the story after an extended hiatus.

After that, I came back to Chandlord's, got ready, and walked over to my old nail salon, with a stop for a quick Korean spicy pork and rice bowl (perfection). The ladies at the salon waxed my brows and gave me a mani/pedi, thus turning me into a better groomed version of myself. It was good to see them all, and even better to get my nails looking spiffy, so I'm glad I was able to get in today before my social plans begin in earnest.

Then I came back to Chandlord's again, did some laundry, took a nap, etc. Eventually, I left to rendezvous with her (eventually), but I was feeling like I needed to write some more, so I ducked into a strange little bar on top of the Stockton tunnel to write in the relative quiet of their establishment. I nursed a boulevardier for as long as I could, but right after I ordered my second (having already been there over an hour), the bartender gave me a free shot because the people hanging out at the other end of the bar were all getting a free shot and he decided to include me despite the fact that I was entirely antisocial. So, my second drink turned into a second drink + a shot of fernet, which is really not what I wanted, but I went along with it because that's what happens with me and bartenders and free alcohol.

However, it was all worth it because I got some really excellent writing done at the bar, and I hope to continue that tomorrow. I left the last half of my second boulevardier at the bar and met up with Chandlord, where I was dismayed to discover that she had ordered me an old fashioned (luckily, it was also free), and I said farewell to one of her coworkers (since it was a farewell party, although I had never met the guy).

Eventually, we escaped, and we tried to meet up with Adit, but it turned into a bit of a jhoke and we ended up at a v. weird restaurant that has a name like a taqueria and a menu on the door that promises pupusas, but instead they serve steak and pasta. And the steak is suspiciously cheap for SF - I had a thin-cut ribeye for $18, and it was good enough that it should have been more than that here. So maybe it's a front for something else, idk.

Adit did show up just in time to get some yogurt for dessert, and we talked until they closed, and then Adit drove me and Chandlord home. And now I need to sleep since I suddenly have three meal plans + a lot of writing to get done tomorrow - goodnight!

i talk to myself and it's quite surprising

I had an excellent and productive first day of the retreat. I woke up unusually early for me, but I'm sure it's because of the timezones + the fact that I can hear people moving around and others are also early risers. So, I made a quick and dirty iced coffee with a Starbucks Via packet, and then I wrote in bed for an hour and a half while watching the ocean through my window. Yes, you should be jealous.

After that, I took a shower, grabbed a second iced coffee from the actual Starbucks down the street, and got a mani/pedi. I didn't completely love it, mostly because I have sensitive toes and they were too aggressive with cutting / filing - but it felt great to get my nails done for the first time in almost three months. My bougie ways are really suffering in the country, but it's probably good for me.

sssanyway, while I was getting my nails done, I started reading a book called SATURNALIA - so far so good, and I like her depiction of a Pennsylvania after a lot of climate disasters. After the mani/pedi, I came back to the house, ordered a poke bowl to get delivered, and ate it on the rooftop while chatting with Veronica and Barbara. Then, I thought about writing and instead took a long and delicious nap.

I spent the late afternoon in a long business-focused brainstorming / sharing session - I got some good ideas, but at this stage in the game I really need to be thinking about writing more than about tracking URLs. Then, we ordered food, which is a trick for fifteen people, but we managed (mostly by getting from two different restaurants - my Mediterranean was tasty, so #noregrets).

I spent the later half of the evening talking to Grace and Sylvie, and hoping that Sylvie will be my new friend coming out of this retreat (I'll probably make more friends than that, but Sylvie seems to be a winner). I also chatted a bit with Barbara and Anne, but I missed out on both the hot tub (because I was too cold) and a game of Cards Against Humanity (because they don't need to find out yet that I'm evil).

And then I came to my room and wrote a couple more pages, and now it's officially time for bed - goodnight!

putting someone first only works when you're in their top five

I had a really good day, thanks to some retail therapy. I'm going to a writing conference next week, and it's the first writing conference I've been to in (checks notes) four years. It's also the first conference of any kind that I've been to in three years, so my wardrobe is dusty and my social skills are even moreso. To bolster my ego and ensure that I have pants that fit, I made a last-minute trip to Des Moines to scour the stores at the main mall.

Unfortunately, styles are extremely bizarre right now. I am reminded that I am no longer twenty, and if I tried to wear what the twenty-year-olds are wearing, I would look utterly absurd. But also, I am not built for crop tops and also not built for overly-long jeans, and none of those things are appropriate for a conference anyway. So, shopping was a bit hit or miss, but I found a couple of jacket/blazer-type things and some pants that I think might be cute, but I will need to try everything on again in the lights/mirrors of my house.

On the way home, I stopped at Whole Foods to grab a few tings (I was craving rainbow chard, which is not a thing I have ever typed before, but I can't get it here and so scarcity creates desire). I also talked to Katie for an hour or so, which was excellent. And then I got home, unloaded my car, heated up some spaghetti, and watched election results.

All in all, I'm happy with where things are headed so far. I still live in hope that the Republicans will eventually stop nominating completely crazy candidates and will also stop attempting to pass laws that curtail everyone else's freedoms in the name of keeping a sliver of the population from feeling offended, but the party never learned its lesson about Trump and they seem content to continue dying on his hill. I also live in hope that they will get the message on how all the anti-abortion bills are failing at state levels, since I would like to maintain my access to IVF, like having birth control that keeps me from throwing up for hours every month, and also think it's important for women to be able to survive things like ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages that require abortions to prevent sepsis. Unfortunately, Iowa continues to swing to an R super-state, which is hard to watch since the governor is basically running on a massive state tax surplus + funneling money to private Christian schools while rural counties and public schools are starving for funds to stay afloat, but c'est la vie.

So, I'm sure all sorts of crazy things will come up in regards to election denial (i.e. Republicans already claiming that Maricopa County's voting is rigged despite Republicans controlling the entire elections department there), and I still doubt that the Democrats will hold onto the house, but at least it wasn't a bloodbath. And on that note, I'm going to stop watching coverage and go to bed - goodnight!

we'd buy cheap spirits and drink them straight

I finally painted my bedroom today, after much procrastination and also a lot of prep work. The prep work continued this afternoon, since I had to tape off the vents and close up the last pieces of plastic. I also had to set up the paint sprayer and mix the four gallons of paint I bought (did I mention my bedroom is gigantic?). I was almost derailed because the sprayer wouldn't prime correctly, but luckily [censored] was around and was able to figure out how to pull out an inner working and clean it. So, I was back in business.

The painting itself took less than an hour - spraying is crazy, since it probably took me a solid 12-15 hours of prep work for an hour of painting. And I'll have to do another bunch of hours of prep work to get ready to paint the ceiling. The pros say that rolling a bedroom is faster than spraying, and I think I believe them - but rolling my bedroom would be an excellent way to destroy my shoulder, and would require going up and down a ladder to cut in so many times that I would want to die, so I'll take the spraying prep over the rolling any day.

Eventually, I was done with that project for now (and it looks good!). I then tidied up, showered to get some of the paint and dust off me, and ate a late dinner (eight p.m. is city hours, not country hours). And then I messed around with my nails, which were looking haggard because they still had dip manicure polish on them from four and a half weeks ago, but it was all chipped and grown out and terrible. So I finally got rid of the polish, and I painted my toenails while I was at it.

And now, I really need to sleep - goodnight!

i hear a thousand songs but you're the only melody

Okay, so I have a second major life update (separate from quitting my job): I'm also selling my house in Denver. This has, of course, also been in the works for a few weeks - I decided to list it around the same time that I ended my leave of absence, and it has been a whirlwind since then. Of course, the market decided to soften approximately when I decided to list, which was unfortunate timing. However, my house is in a pretty perfect location and very little comes up for sale right here, so, luckily someone decided to buy it.

That means the last few weeks have been a bit of chaos - the house had to be staged, and shown, and then inspected and appraised, all of which caused intermittent interruptions in my usual life. But we're through all of the main steps and everything is looking good, so fingers crossed the deal closes as expected.

This has, of course, been a rather tumultuous decision (and it feels appropriate that I'm writing this in a sudden, dramatic thunderstorm. Or, perhaps the better word to use is bittersweet. I've realized over the course of the past few months that my house no longer brings me joy - I spent so much time isolated in my house over the past couple of years that I don't really want to be here, even if it is functionally just right for my needs. And, unfortunately, I didn't really build a community in Denver, beyond Katie and several (lovely) coworkers. So it's bittersweet in the sense that I'm ready for a change, but I will never know what could have been if I'd moved here and then been able to settle without a pandemic throwing everything into disarray.

But these are feelings to process another time. Right now I'm consumed with moving - I wasn't able to do much packing while it was staged + while I was wrapping up at work, but now I have a week (well, six days) to pack before my movers show up. I'm taking everything to Iowa, which will be an adventure in an entirely different vein. I'm trying my best to purge stuff here before I move, but I don't purge well...so we'll see.

Today, though, was pretty good - the appraisal was this morning, so I took advantage of the fact that I had to vacate anyway to get a mani/pedi. Then I came home and alternated between procrastinating and packing - I did pack 12 boxes of books + several other boxes in my office, so I think I can wrap up office packing in the morning. I also sold my living room rug to someone who came to pick it up, and I think I'm selling my couch to a girl I know who works with me and also lives a few blocks away (she came to inspect it, but since she'd been in my house before she knew she could trust buying a used couch from me). Selling stuff to (former) coworkers is ideal because I can pretty much trust that they'll pay and also not murder me, and I think I've lined up people for just about everything I listed.

And now, I should sleep - my blog is going to be real boring with packing the next few days, but I'm excited to get it done. Goodnight!

some things lookin' better, baby, just passin' through

I'm in the midst of a purge of all the tings that I have let pile up in my house, including many tings that I haven't used since before the pandemic (or perhaps even before that). I spent several hours today cleaning out my bathroom - that amount of time shouldn't be necessary for a bathroom, but I tend to hoard cosmetics, and I also tend to get a lot of free samples, and all in all things were out of control.

It was a little sad to toss lipsticks that I didn't wear the last two years, or eye shadows that went bad because I wasn't going to parties. I have clearly lost my appetite for trying new skincare regimens, and instead just stick with the stuff that works for sitting in my house on video calls. But while the purge was painful, I 1) don't want to continue looking at things that I no longer use, and 2) don't want to risk giving myself an eye infection by using makeup that I've had for half a decade. And now my bathroom drawers are much cleaner and better organized, which is a delight.

I did the same purge to my laundry room, which is a catch-all for junk, and I also took care of a bunch of trash in my basement. The incentive for so much trash removal was because tomorrow is an extra trash pickup day - but even with everything I tossed, I recycled what I could recycle and composted what I could compost, so I didn't fill my normal trash bin. I still have a lot to purge (especially clothing, which has truly spiraled out of control as my wardrobe has 90% shifted from work/going-out clothes to yoga tights and strange jumpsuits), but I felt good about today's dent.

I also got sufficient sleep, took a nap, and ate a poke bowl to make up for not enjoying the poke bowl I ordered on Monday (my fault for trying fried garlic on it, which was overpowering). And, more exciting, I caught up with Jess for awhile - we hadn't talked since I was in SF in March, so it was nice to hear how she's doing with her new coaching business (which sounds great!).

And now, I'm going to wrap this up and wind down before bed - goodnight!

Знаю я, ты помнишь обо мне

I have successfully tracked down a song I heard in Ukraine in 1993, and this is such a feat that I am in awe of my own prowess. Since I don't speak Russian or Ukrainian and yet have a memory for syllables, this song and whatever I remembered of it has haunted me since those early days in Ukraine when we sat in the basement at Viktor's restaurant, eating beefsteak (which was pork) or chickens that had starved to death, finishing up with ice cream out of the finger bowls that we had just used to wash dill off our hands, and listening to a v. earnest band that was trying to entertain us. But the song is "Странник мой", and the lines I remember apparently translate into "My wanderer, my baby / You are not sleeping at this hour. / I know you remember me." This feels like what Taylor Swift would sing if she were Russian, so this checks out.

sssanyway. Ukraine is heavy in my thoughts, and it has moved a bit into my actual day job, which makes it both inescapable and also feels good-ish that I'm not just ignoring it during the day. Today was a long day, since I had a lot of work to do. But I skipped out at 4:30 to get my hair cut, and it was long overdue - I think I got my hair cut sometime during the Delta wave, if that tells you anything, and I've been trimming my own bangs since then. Unfortunately, I think that my bout with covid in January has caused some hair impacts - I feel like I'm losing more strands than usual, and my hair is tangling more frequently. This is a defcon 1 situation (yes, more important than Ukraine) because I'm incredibly vain about my hair and feel that its sleek texture and perfect chocolatey brown color with infinitely interesting red/blonde/white strands means that I am blessed by God (you may think I'm joking, but seriously, my hair is a blessing, and my storytelling ability / people skills / empathy / strategic thinking are all secondary).

So, I got a haircut and added a moisture treatment, and it feels great. I also let the woman upsell me on waxing my eyebrows, which I am not vain about because they look like my granddad's (see: why I have bangs). But I was her last client and she didn't want to go home, so now I look slightly more presentable.

Then, I met up with Sarah-Frances at FNG, which is a block and a half from me ([censored] and I had tater tots there) - it recently reopened with an up-leveled menu, and it was a delight. My hair or my personality scored us a free old fashioned, as per my old skill level at bars, and then we had a super tasty dinner. All in all, it was great to see SF and great to know that the bar closest to my house is a contender for top hangout in the aftertimes.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight! 

i made a million dollars and i spend it on girls and shoes

It's pretty hard to beat Hawaii in terms of vacation destinations, but I probably don't need to rub that in. Today continued to be idyllic - rather than eating the subpar/overpriced hotel breakfast, I ran across the street to pick up iced coffee and eggs at Starbucks. Then, I wrote for an hour, which was semi-productive - I feel like I'm slowly, slowly feeling my way into this story, which is great, but I'm also impatient and want to be in it *now*.

Then, I met Heather (aka dear respected madam) by the pool and hung out for a few hours. I didn't spend the whole day there because I feel like I'm perilously close to starting the burn phase - my skin is slightly prickly, and if I'm not careful, I'll tip over into lobster land. I know red is a traditional Christmas color, but I'd rather not be coated in it this week, so I'm trying to stay safe. But I did spend a few hours there this morning, and have a piña colada and a poke bowl, so I got the best of everything before escaping the killer afternoon heat.

Then I talked to my parents, who were in fine form. I also messed around a bit and generally relaxed until it was time for today's main event - Heather had booked tickets for a sunset catamaran cruise tonight, which left from the beach next to our hotel, so we did that together. It was pretty perfect - ninety minutes on the water + an open bar (which just meant mediocre-but-drinkable mai tais on tap) + a double rainbow over Waikiki. I felt vaguely seasick right after we boarded, but the dramamine I surreptitiously took before boarding + the fact that we got under way quickly saved me. The whole ride was v. pretty and the boat was fun, so it was definitely a worthwhile activity.

After we got back, we changed quickly and then successfully walked in to Taormina (a Sicilian Italian restaurant near the hotel). I had an excellent mushroom risotto, which is definitely not something I'm likely to get in Iowa unless I make it myself, so that was great. And then we came back to the hotel, after doing a bit of shopping, and now I really need to sleep. Tomorrow is my last day here and I leave tomorrow night, so I have many things to do + relaxing to accomplish in the morning. Goodnight!

wave after wave, wave after wave

I had a great first full day in Hawaii - I mostly spent it getting settled, which felt delightful. I got up stupidly early due to the time shift, so I showered, ate breakfast, and then wrote for a bit. I also did laundry - while I packed pretty well for this trip, it was cold in Seattle and I didn't stick completely to my wardrobe plans there, so I needed to freshen a couple things up.

Then I went out exploring, bought some sunscreen and snacks at a pharmacy instead of the overpriced, and ate a delicious poke bowl - I'm a little worried that the poke bowls here will ruin me for my favorite poke bowl delivery in Denver, but that's a problem for Future Sara (and there will be several weeks of poke bowl drought when I'm in Iowa after this). I also got a manicure at a strange little hole in the wall place where they asked me after if I wanted to meet their cat, which made me glad I wore a mask the whole time since it probably saved me from some allergies. And I spent the afternoon napping / relaxing / brainstorming this book / brainstorming a Christmas shopping list, so that felt great.

I did end up leaving the hotel again - Alyssa, whom I've mentioned here regularly for the past ten+ years, lives in Hawaii now (I met her in the bay area, but she grew up here). So she picked me up around five, and we had a delightfully long dinner at a restaurant down the road. We focused our attention on fish, and it was great - we shared some excellent scallops and a really nice steamed fish with some ginger and scallion congee. I also had a mai tai in a v. cute pineapple-shaped glass, and I can say with certainty that that mai tai was better than the one I had here last night.

Alyssa was in great form and we had a lot to catch up on, so we chatted for a few hours, and I felt v. lucky to get to see her in person. And now, I really need to sleep - my friend Heather (aka dear respected madam) arrives tomorrow, and we have many plans after that, so I need to get some rest. Goodnight!

and the light in your eyes, the waves on the ceiling

I should have gone to bed two hours ago, but that's not unusual. Today was a fast and hard slog to the finish line - after today, I'm out of office for a whole month, which is v. exciting. Of course, I had things I had to get done before leaving, but I miraculously got through just about everything that I needed to do, so that was quite gratifying.

Once I was done for the day, I went to my parents' house, where I hung out with them and ate vegetable beef soup. Then, [censored] showed up for the weekend just in time for us all to get in my car and go into town to see a Christmas light display. A bunch of groups and individuals put up a massive light display (with different themes for each of their displays) at the fairgrounds, so we drove through the displays and admired the creativity. We also went into one of the fair buildings, where people had decorated individual Christmas trees - some were touching (a couple of trees in honor of people who died this year), some were hilarious (I particularly liked someone who put up a tree with two large photos of the queen), and there were some cute mini ones decorated by kids. My old 4-H club had a tree, so that was some nostalgia. And we ran into my third grade teacher and her third grade teacher friend, which brought back memories - she was quite pleasant, which is v. much at odds with the literal horror books she made us all read throughout third grade.

Then we stopped at my parents' house, and then [censored] and I returned to my house, where I painted my toenails and we spent a lot of time discussing not much. And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

i'll take one lift, your ride, best trip

I'm super tired tonight - I didn't sleep all that well last night, and I had a ton of slogging to do today. The whole company has tomorrow off, but that didn't make today low-key, and I'll probably have to do a bit of work this weekend that I didn't get done and really have to get done.

However, it wasn't all work and no play - I cut out a little early to get a mani/pedi, and then I picked up Katie and we went down to the Union Station area to have dinner at The Kitchen. I hadn't been there in a couple of years, but I am reminded that I should go there more often - it was a total delight. I ignored my gluten issue (which was a mistake, since it's an actual issue) and we split a tomato flatbread to take advantage of the last tomatoes before winter, a few grilled oysters that were delish, a miso black cod, and some gnocchetti bolognese that was absolutely the best thing I've eaten in awhile. It was unfortunate that the black cod came after the gnocchetti, because it was impossible for anything to follow that. That said, dessert was pretty great too - we split a sticky toffee pudding that was more cake-like (British) than pudding-like (American), and it was perfect. And, my skills at getting free alcohol randomly comped remain undiminished because the waiter was so charmed by us that he brought us each a glass of madeira to pair with the pudding, and it was such a perfect way to end that I was utterly delighted.

Of course, I was also utterly delighted by Katie - we had much to catch up on, so it was a great evening. Then I came home and rather frantically tried to accomplish tings until now. And now I must go to sleep - 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!

cut out all the ropes and let me fall

Today was a pretty good day, especially considering that I didn't quite get enough sleep to start it off. I had meetings the whole day, which should surprise no one, but I also had decent coffee + leftover steak and scalloped potatoes + a good meeting with my boss, so I'll take it. Then I had a session with Alyssa, which was also a delight.

Then I scrambled to get out of the house and over to Katie's - she had invited me for dinner, and we stayed in at her house so that we could also hang out with James while watching the kids. James made us palomas to drink, and then we had beef skewers, corn on the cob, and green beans, and it was all quite tasty. I also had an entertaining time observing their cats (who for some reason seem to love me); I would make a joke about pussy-appropriate activities here, but I am both a good friend and a lady, so I shall refrain. And we discussed a variety of topics, mostly related to jobs and also to houses in rural areas.

Eventually, it was time for the girls to go to bed and for me to take care of tings, so I came home, tidied up around the house, and gave myself a fresh gel manicure. I probably should have prepped in a slightly different way for a meeting with my VP tomorrow, but I felt like a manicure would serve me better than anything else. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

super villain with a manifesto, dang

This was one of the most productive vacation days I've had in recent memory (well, tearing down the old house was pretty productive, but in a destructive way, and also unlikely to impact my day to day). [censored] is an excellent house guest because he does not want to do anything fun or go anywhere or take advantage of any activities - instead, he just powers through a massive to-do list of projects that would require me to find multiple service people and spend hundreds of dollars on.

Today's projects: [censored] cut down four small trees, hung a new light fixture, and installed a keypad opener for my garage door so that I can get to my garage from the alley side. I played some role in most of this (like helping with some of the tree cutting, and also touching up the ceiling paint since the new light fixture's plate was slightly smaller than the old one) - but it definitely wouldn't have happened without him. And the new light fixture is awesome - it only took two years to get rid of the light fixture that I hated from the moment I walked in, so now I can move on to obsessing about other things.

At some point in the afternoon, I made a quick trip to Lowes and then picked up a couple of things to make dinner. We continued to make progress through the afternoon, but eventually it was time to clean up. I then made supper (spaghetti carbonara) and we sat around and talked about my sprinkler system (as house guests usually do). We have more projects lined up for tomorrow, but so far so good.

And now I need to sleep if I'm going to be useful tomorrow - goodnight!

blink three times when you feel it kicking in

I had a pretty lovely, lazy day. First up was a pedicure - I think I've found my new spot and my new person, which is great since this place is 8min from my house and is not, instead, 'conveniently' located five minutes from my office in Boulder. Since I haven't even driven to Boulder since sometime last year, I don't really feel like picking up the habit again just to get my nails done.

Then I drove over to Sloan's Lake and had lunch with Laura and her husband and son. She's my old boss/coworker from a million years ago who lives in San Antonio, but she's in the process of moving to Denver, and they were in town this weekend to finalize some details on their new build. So, we grabbed lunch at the Tap and Burger in Sloan's Lake - I've never been to that little strip of stuff before, and I thought it was cute. We had a lot to catch up on, which we did over burgers + some very awesome cauliflower 'wings' (basically cauliflower fried and coated in buffalo sauce, which was really tasty).

Then I came home and was lazy the rest of the day - I took a long nap, cleaned up my kitchen, tidied some things, did some laundry, etc. And I started reading a book. And that, honestly, was pretty much it, and I'm glad that's all I did because I needed a break.

And now I need to sleep and hopefully not let myself get sucked deeper into this book - goodnight!

homecoming parade as we renegade

I had a somewhat lazy day, but I'm pretty sure that's what I needed. I didn't totally get out of bed until after ten, since I stayed up so late reading last night - but my sleep from eight to ten was fitful, since my body is getting old and isn't used to sleeping in anymore. I'm sure it could get back to its preferred 2am - 10am cycle if given half a chance, but I need to go to bed immediately so that I don't accidentally reset to that and then screw up my whole work week.

Anyway, I finally got out of bed, had some coffee and a bagel, and made some lists of things I needed to do + wrote a bit in my journal. Then I got a haircut - it was only my second haircut in the past ~2yrs, which is odd since I used to go to the salon in SF every 3-4wks to get my bangs trimmed professionally. My hair is still long by normal standards, but I took off 3-4", so hopefully the worst of the overgrown weediness is gone.

Then I came home and almost immediately left again - I walked down the street to El Camino, which is my favorite nearby Mexican place, and had a mid-afternoon solo happy hour with nachos, margaritas, some very good journaling about my current writing project, and time to finish the book I started last night. I've deeply missed going to bars and writing / reading / people watching, so this was a good way to ease back into that. And I've also deeply missed nachos, which were not a good takeout food, so this fulfilled several of my desires.

Then I came home, attempted to tell myself to be productive, and instead took a long nap. And then I actually managed to rally into some productivity after - nothing too exciting, just paying bills and taking care of various tings online. And now I really do need to 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!

now i drive alone past your street

My vacation is rapidly coming to an end, but I'm attempting to hold on to it for as long as I can (which is approximately 68hrs before the Sunday Scaries set in in earnest). Today was pretty lovely and relaxing, all in all - I got a lot of sun, did some journaling, had some coffee, did a bit of stuff required to keep my life going (#adulting), and got a facial and a massage. Was this strictly necessary? No. But also yes, because I haven't had a facial in over a year, and my skin needed some help and my soul needed a bit of pampering. The spa here is a gorgeous space in what feels like an old barn (but was almost certainly custom built to look old while also being new), and I loved every minute of it.

After being pampered, I hung out on the patio and ate some chips and dip (don't tell anyone, but I prefer AE french onion dip to the onion dip they serve here - the dip is great, but AE is impossible to replicate or beat). Then I showered and spent a bit of quality time in my room, and then I was lured back to the patio - funnily enough, one of my coworker friends (she counts as a friend because we've socialized outside of work) was here for the night with her niece, and so we met up for happy hour. It was nice for me to show the staff that I have friends and am not just some eccentric spinster, and it was also nice to see her and meet her niece. They abandoned me to go shower and unwind, and I had dinner (burrata, which wasn't as good as the other night because they were out of pesto tonight; and a caesar salad with steak on top that was quite tasty).

Then I should have journaled or read a book, but I mostly sat around and watched TikTok. And now I think I'll go to bed early so that I can get up early and soak up the last morning here before I head back to Denver - goodnight!

i wanna bathe with you in the sea

I was definitely paying the wages of last night's sins this morning - while I've had a steady low-grade stream of wine during quarantine, it's usually been like one glass a night. So even though last night's consumption felt v. sedate and not at all over the top, it was more than two glasses, and so I woke up at one a.m. feeling like I was dying. Clearly my body had been away from Adit too long and I can no longer handle any sort of shenanigans.

So, I slept fitfully last night and had to wake up early because I had meetings literally straight from eight to five, so this was the worst possible day to not get much sleep. But water and coffee and a facial moisturizing mask helped to bring me back to life, and I was v. much in it to win it the rest of the day. I made it through all my meetings successfully, and as soon as I was done, I picked up Katie so we could have one last girls' night out before we both abscond to different parts of Iowa for different lengths of time.

We went to bartaco, where the main server remembered me from a few nights ago, and it was even better than the first time - we had margaritas, and guac and salsa, and four tacos each (steak, duck, carnitas, and pork belly). The tacos were all excellent, but the pork belly was out of this world. And Katie and I had sufficient margaritas to go deep on recurring dreams and past reminisces, which is always a good time. We also both wore absurdly high heels for the first time in forever, and I'm pleased to report that neither of us fell, so I would say that nature is healing.

Then I took her back to her house, where we hung out with her girls for a little bit (they are v. impressed with the remaining new car smell of Aunt Sara's Audi). And then I came home, and even though it's not quite ten p.m. I'm ready for bed - I want to hit the road tomorrow and haven't packed, but I think sleep is more important than anything else. Goodnight!