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!

it's two a.m. and i've gone and lost my friends

I made it to Seattle and am safely ensconced in bed after a v. long day of travel and a moderately long night of socializing. In retrospect, I should have rented a car and driven myself from the Oregon coast to Seattle, since it would have been faster than leaving absurdly early (6:15am) to drive to Portland and wait three hours for my flight (to accommodate the people I was with). But still, I was v. grateful to not have to drive in today's intense rain, and I was also grateful to just sip my venti cold brew and offer navigational assistance, so it was probably #worthit.

However, after the many bottles of Veuve Clicquot rosé and various Oregon pinot noirs that were consumed yesterday, and after going to bed at 1am for a 5:45am wakeup, I was not #inittowinit. I had breakfast at the airport post security, and I slept for the ~24mins that we were in the air between Portland and Seattle, but it wasn't enough. So, when I landed, I got my baggage (which took too long), then uber'd to my hotel, where I checked in, briefly unpacked, grabbed some sushi across the street, and took an hour-long nap.

The nap was v. necessary to sustain myself for my evening plans - the only reason I'm here is to see Ritu Rani, and she is notorious for feeding me first dinner, second dinner, several appetizers/desserts, multiple bottles of wine, and an inordinate number of cocktails. I think she thinks I'm a foie gras goose, but I'm going to roll with it. I took an uber to her house a little before five and was greeted with mango mimosas and three kinds of cheese, as well as two kinds of small children (a five year old and a two year old have even less in common than a truffle brie and a mild manchego). We hung out and chatted and played a board game (and by that I mean something to do with dragons and gemstones that was appropriate for a child), and then ate dinner (lamb rogan josh), which was delish.

Eventually, after I read to the girls, Ritu lied and said that she and Bill had to take me to the airport, so we left and went to a bar (don't worry, Ritu's mom was there so the kids weren't fending for themselves). We had a drink there, then adjourned to another bar down the street from that, where I had a truly excellent rum cocktail that I will probably dream about.

And now, I need to go to bed so I can maximize my time with Ritu tomorrow before flying to SF (aka the city of sin) - 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 said, ooh, i'm blinded by the lights

Hello from San Francisco. I read some hot take on Twitter today about how people with ADHD forget all about people who aren't right in front of them (which is relevant for all the people whose emails I have not responded to), and it's exhibit #973 of how social media is convincing me that I have ADHD...but my midwestern / puritanical work ethic would tell me that I'm just lazy, so who knows what is right?

sssanyway. Today was pretty good, although I'm severely overcaffeinated - if I can get a large Philz at 7:30am, and then some coffee, and then an iced latte, and then a chai (the non-Philz cups provided by the free barista at work), it turns out that my body is jittery and my heart is fluttering by 4pm. But other than that, today was great. I am not looking forward to a commute, but my secret extrovert heart is delighted by seeing people in person.

So, I spent the whole day at the office, then walked to my hotel, took a nap, and then worked at Le Meridien's bar while having some wine and dinner (and observing yet another bad first day from the guy who I saw here last time I was in SF + the last time I went on a bad first date in SF - apparently he does not give up, which is why he + other bacteria will eventually win the evolutionary wars after humans destroy themselves). And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

so tell me when it kicks in

Today was my first weekend day home in a v. long time where the weather also cooperated to get tings done. I woke up this morning without the hangover that I probably deserved after last night's excursion with Katie - but then, I am much better at pacing myself in my late thirties than I was in my late twenties (or maybe it's because Adit's not in Denver, unclear). So I messed around and made coffee and wrote to-do lists, and also made myself a rather decadent breakfast sandwich with egg, bacon, and cheese.

Then I hit the yardwork - I hadn't really had a chance to clean up this spring since I've been in Iowa so much, and I needed to get things situated so that I could turn my sprinklers on. That took many hours over the course of the late morning / afternoon, but I'm pleased with what I got done - my compost cart is completely full of various yard debris, my yard is mowed (or rather, string trimmed - it's a small space, so I just used the string trimmer to avoid the hassle of mowing), my back patio looks well kept, and my sprinklers are on. Unfortunately the backflow preventer is dripping, which is not really a surprise given that I had a plumbing issue over the winter - but otherwise the system seems to be in decent shape. So, I'll have to find someone to fix that, but at least it's not super hot yet and we're not in a drought, so this should all be fine.

After all that, I was dirty and wiped out, so I took a bubble bath with some extra bath salts for my muscles. My calf is almost fully healed after the injury it sustained six weeks ago, and I didn't really notice any issues today, but I want to keep it that way. So I enjoyed my bath, then called my parents - and after that call, and knowing that my dad seems to be on the road to recovery, I decided to postpone my drive back another few days. I had planned to drive home tomorrow, but I was wrecked from yard work and have a v. busy work week ahead, so I punted and am going home Friday instead.

So, since I didn't have to pack and load my car and shut up my house tonight, I promptly shut down instead - I reheated some pasta, poured a glass of wine, and watched a couple of episodes of Top Chef: Portland. This has to be one of their better seasons - all of the chefs, even the ones who were eliminated early, seem awesome, and I again wonder whether the pandemic and the restaurant shutdowns meant they got even better contestants across the board than they normally would have. So now I'm dreaming of food and restaurants and travel, but it will still be a bit before any of that happens.

But there is hope, and I'm starting to think about travel and where I might go (no offense to Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska, but I would like to add at least one more state to my repertoire this year). That's a dream for another night, though - right now it's time for bed. Goodnight!

i'm trying to find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful

Today was a bit of a slog, but I blame the fact that I stayed up stupidly late last night watching royal interview coverage (still, #worthit for the family time) and also stupidly drank wine for four hours, which is unusual and really not an advisable way to end the weekend. So, I got approximately six hours of sleep, and most of that sleep was fitful, which did not make for success this morning.

That said, I was able to get up, shower, wash my hair, enjoy my coffee, and do a bit of planning before starting my day, so it could be worse. I slogged through many meetings, then wrapped up in time to take my poor gravel-and-salt-encrusted car to the car wash, where I gave it a bath before my next trip to ye olde Iowa ruins it again. Then I came home, messed around, ate some leftover pork shoulder w/beans, and talked to my mom.

At that point, it was only eight and I was tempted to go to bed - but instead I dealt with some laundry, answered a few emails, organized my thoughts about what work stuff I need to get done tomorrow, etc. Of course, in the midst of that I caught the usual weird second wind that I catch around 9:30pm, and now I feel like I could stay up even later - but that is clearly a lie, and I should go to bed asap. Goodnight!

the seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake

I'm still in ye olde Iowa. Yesterday was brutal, only because I barely slept after my excursion with Adit - I was back in my room and attempting to sleep by midnight, but drinking coke zero and fireball at eleven was not a good idea for sleep quality. So I woke up groggy yesterday morning, rallied, dropped Adit off at the airport (we wore masks in the car; someone in my county died of covid after driving people around, so I tried to limit my chances), and then drove home. That meant I made it in time to get settled in before my meetings started, and the coffee / hashbrowns / sausage that I grabbed at McDonald's on the way out of the city went a long way toward helping me recover.

Then I slogged all day, ate with my parents (porkchops and tater tots, which were delish, plus I roasted some broccoli to go with it), and then slogged until [censored] showed up. Today was more of the same - I had a ton of meetings, so there were no breaks and no real work done. But I stopped a little after five to hang out with my mom, which was nice. And then we had takeout Mexican food for supper, which was particularly delicious. And now, after drinking slightly too much wine discussing RBG's death with my friends, it's time for bed - goodnight!

what kind of words would cut through the clutter of the whirlwind of these days?

Today was great, even if I did wake up too tired and mildly hungover. I drank a bunch of water and swapped my morning iced coffee for a coke zero, since carbonation is preferred in hangover land. Then I took a quick shower and had a quick writing date with Veronica - I was not feeling particularly in it to win it, and the words were molasses-y, but I plotted out the next scene and was happy with that. And, of course, I'm always happy to see Veronica, even if it did result in me reading up on the history of Roman Britain (which is most definitely research for her book and not mine).

After we were done, I swapped the sweats for a sundress and then threw some chicken in a pot to poach (note: I did not poach the chickens from my neighbors, although I'm tempted). Barbara came up from the Springs for a socially distanced afternoon, and so we sat on my back patio for over three delightful hours and discussed life, writing, more life, the world, how much coronavirus sucks, etc. We also had lunch - I made some quinoa tabbouleh yesterday for today's lunch, and it was pretty perfect (esp with chicken and tzatziki on top). And we moved around the patio as the sun shifted - after this summer I'm more tan than I think I've ever been (at least my arms; my legs still look like stunted trees in a blizzard).

There was a bit of an interruption in our lunch because I'd hired a guy to come and mount my TV, which I hadn't done because I didn't really want to mount my TV. But the previous owner had cut a hole through the wall for an electrical outlet behind where the TV should be mounted, which would always be visible if I didn't mount the TV, so I finally bit the bullet and did it. I think it's a little higher than I would have mounted it personally, but it was preferable to use the previous owner's mount rather than redoing everything. And now my wall looks nice and all the cords are hidden, so that's a good outcome.

sssanyway, it was great to see Barbara - it almost felt like a normal non-coronavirus afternoon, even if she arrived and departed with the ghost of a hug. I don't know what winter will feel like when socially distanced afternoons on the patio are no longer comfortable, but I'm trying not to get anxious before it actually happens (and then, I promise, I will be really fucking anxious).

After Barbara left, I tidied up the kitchen and then spent a couple of hours talking to Sara (a coworker who is mostly just a friend at this point). Then I ate supper (leftover chicken chile verde) and took a walk around the neighborhood while listening to a writing podcast. And then I sat on my couch and did absolutely nothing, which I suppose I will take.

And now I'm going to sign off and either journal, read, or watch TV - goodnight!

don't take it personal

I had kind of a long slog at work today - emotions were weirdly running high in several meetings I was in, and I was ill-prepared to deal with it. But otherwise everything was generally good, and I slacked off at five to go over to Katie's. We had a socially distanced dinner in the backyard - nothing is entirely without risk, but we sat apart and I didn't go into her house, so hopefully I don't have to pay any coronavirus wages for my sins. Speaking of wages of sins, which is a v. biblical concept, tonight we discovered that Katie takes her kids to mass and church classes regularly, and yet I am the only one of the two of us who has read the whole bible (thanks Ukraine, where I did not have nearly enough reading material).

sssanyway, we had a lovely dinner and a great time catching up in between our respective trips to Iowa - it seems like we'll be crisscrossing I-80 in alternating time periods this summer. Then I came home and finished André Leon Talley's biography (THE CHIFFON TRENCHES), which I loved. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

try to wrap your arms around a memory

I woke up in Denver this morning, surprisingly none the worse for wear after last night's escapades. I'm delighted that I stayed over - I'd been worried about the weather, and while I was right to be worried (it was 23 degrees and snowing when I woke up), the snow wasn't enough to interfere with my drive home. But before I drove, I got to have a leisurely morning in Katie and James's house - James made excellent coffee/eggs/bacon, and Katie made some killer roasted potatoes, and I felt v. refreshed and restored.

Of course, in the light of day, our plan to take a vacation to Moldova may not have held up to scrutiny (although I still want to go there someday). And Julia told me that she thought she was getting sick, and then sneezed in my face - four year olds are monsters. But still, it was a great night and a perfect morning, so #noregrets (until I get some crazy toddler virus).

I eventually left, and on the way home I stopped at Target, then went to Ozo to grab coffee beans (I would have gone to Whole Foods, but I wasn't sure I wanted to brave it). When I got home, I promptly did absolutely nothing for a few hours - I should have done a million things, including answering friends' outreach attempts and taking care of work stuff and writing and a bunch of other stuff, but I wasn't feeling it. I did eventually do three loads of laundry and finish tidying up my office. I also called my parents, who were delightful. And I made supper - I was going to make chili, but the inside of my red onion was rotten, so I went in a completely different direction and made spaghetti carbonara instead.

I did, alas, do about an hour of day job stuff tonight - although it was pretty unfocused, so I probably could have been done in fifteen minutes. I also did some personal writing job stuff, which was v. necessary. And now I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

chandelier

I was v. v. tired today - while I am typically comfortable in Katie's guest room (and was equally comfortable last night), I think I only got five or six hours of sleep (#blameitonthealcohol). So I got up, took a quick shower, put on yesterday's clothes, and left a little after seven. I walked out with James, who was on his way to work - and the little ginger kid next door stared at us slackjawed as we left, as though I was the worst sort of homewrecker sneaking out of her neighbor's house in the morning. I guess it was deserved, but I felt *very* judged.

I stopped at the car dealership on the way home, picked up my car, then came home, used a face mask in a vain attempt to make myself look more awake, and changed so that I wouldn't look like I'd just done a walk of shame. Then I went to the office and slogged all day, but I left around 5:30 to have happy hour with Nicole. We went to Rayback Collective, which is a bar and some foodtrucks and a lot of very distracting people milling about (one of the waiters was wearing sparkly yoga pants and a silver fanny pack for a completely unknown reason, and many of the children were obnoxious, but the dogs were cute). So we had some rosé and talked about life for a couple of hours, and were eventually joined by her husband, which was fun.

But we parted ways around eight, and I got a poke bowl to go from one of the food trucks (it was super tasty and I'll have to get it again). Then I came home, ate, and promptly took a nap. There were a million things I should have done tonight, but instead I decided that I should get up from my nap so that I could wash my face and go to bed - which is why I shall do now. Goodnight!

the wonderful unknown

I'm still exhausted - but I spent this morning lazing in bed after last night's debauchery, so I somehow made it through today without dying. Last night was pretty epic, though; starting with wine tasting at 3:30pm, continuing with wine through dinner, and then ill-advisedly switching to tequila shots and s'mores was probably not the wisest idea I've had in awhile. But, judging by the faces of everyone who I left at the firepit at midnight last night (for once, I went to bed when I felt like it and didn't shut down the party - I know, I'm shocked too), none of us had particularly wise ideas.

Still, it was super fun and #noregrets. However, I was supposed to get another massage this morning and instead canceled it - yesterday's massage was so intense that she bruised my shoulders, so a massage would have been wasted on me today anyway, and I preferred to stay in bed. But eventually I vacated my perfect bed, showered, packed, and went out in search of coffee and food. I journaled for a bit while looking at the mountains, and then I had lunch with all the people who were in pain (and some people who showed up this morning for today's round of the retreat, which is staggered across multiple days - those people all looked bright-eyed and happy, but right about now some of them are probably making the same poor decisions that some of us made last night).

I could have stayed later, but I was over it, so I drove a few people back with me to Boulder. I got home a little after three, messed around the house, called my parents (belatedly, since we didn't talk Sunday), and then went out to have dinner at my favorite mexican place, which went a long way toward restoring me. Then I came home and took an hour-long nap, but I had to wake up to talk to someone from Hyderabad (I really hate nighttime calls sometimes). And now I'm going to go to bed - tomorrow's calendar looks super painful, so sleep is imperative. Goodnight!

scheming on a thing that's a mirage, i'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage

I'm back in Boulder after a truly epic four days in Portland and its strangely-named surrounding cities. I should probably do a full writeup of Claudia's wedding, but I'm still too tired to do it justice - it was a mad dash to get everything taken care of, and I celebrated that mad dash by staying mostly sober at the reception (I was the emcee and had to give a toast, so I needed to stay somewhat sane)...but then went back to our airbnb around 10:30 and drank most of a bottle of white wine while hanging out in the hot tub and gossipping about the wedding. Adit, Vidya, Ayla and I were staying together, but we convinced John and Jess to come back with us and camp on the floor of the living room rather than camping in the llama fields, so it made for a super fun night (despite another guest thoroughly enraging me, but hey, I often rage over things, so it felt like I was in the zone).

The wedding, though, was totally gorgeous - everything came together well, and Claudia looked beautiful, and I cried during her vows, as I am wont to do. The reception was also fun, even with a bunch of mangy kids roaming around. And I'm glad I got to spend so much time with Santy Claude over the course of the weekend - it was a good bonding adventure, and I really enjoyed all of my time with her even if the amount of work we had to do in the last few days was bordering on insane.

So, today was all about recovering and getting the fuck out of Portland. Chandlord and Ayla left super early, but John, Jess, Adit, and I (and the fifth houseguest, who was the one who enraged me last night after deciding she wouldn't come with us when we left, then calling in tears wanting us to come back and get her, which was super annoying since it's a 30min round trip from the airbnb to the farm and I don't know her well enough to gracefully handle such ineptitude) drove a bunch of stuff over to the farm. We said our last goodbyes to Claude, and then we drove into Portland, where we had brunch at Proud Mary. It was well worth the wait - it was one of the best meals I've had in awhile, which is surprising since I had a lot of good food this weekend. I had a hash with ham and a poached egg and kale and a delish garlicky sauce, but I also tried the hotcake, which was covered in edible flowers and was one of the best breakfast sweet dishes I've tried in awhile.

Eventually, though, the fun started to die...Adit had to go to the airport, so I bid him farewell. John, Jess and I walked around Portland for another hour or so, admiring all the shops and wishing we could eat all the food, and then I said my goodbyes to them and went to the airport. I had just enough time to grab some iced coffee for the plane before we began to board, but all that iced coffee wasn't enough to keep me from sleeping through the first half of the flight.

And now I'm successfully in my own bed, and I am desperate to sleep and get a head start on what's bound to be a ridiculous week at work. Goodnight!

we'd be so fantastical

I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, although it was #worthit - yesterday was fun, and so I didn't feel too bad about waking up at Katie's after approximately six hours of fitful slumber. I spent some leisurely hours hanging out with Katie and James and the girls, and then I came home, picked up some iced coffee on the way, and hermited the fuck out for most of the afternoon. This involved procrastinating instead of writing, eating some eggs, taking a nap, taking a shower, and calling my parents. Yes, I'm living the dream.

But I forced myself out of the house at six and walked to Pizzeria Locale, which was packed - they didn't really want to seat me for dinner since they were so slammed, but they let me order a takeout pizza (which was kind of preferable anyway since it suddenly looked like it might storm, although it didn't end up happening). And while I waited thirty minutes for the pizza, I had a glass of wine and started reading 'Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities', which is pretty fascinating - humans have lived in Byzantium/Constantinople/Istanbul (and the settlements preceding it) for at least eight thousand years, and it's been at the crossroads of so many sweeping changes in human history.

So when my pizza was ready, I came home, ate it, and spent the evening alternating between Twitter, reading 'Istanbul', and napping. And now it's time for bed so I can be slightly more productive tomorrow - goodnight!

somebody save your soul 'cause you've been sinning in this city, i know

Yesterday involved way more fun than my body had budgeted for, and that meant that today required paying the wages of my sins. I slept in yesterday morning, and then spent most of the morning/early afternoon taking care of office-related stuff - mostly sorting through all the piles of documents that I've let stack up for the last six months so that I can start figuring out my taxes. This is going to be an exercise in pain since there are so many documents, receipts, etc. to sort through - and since I've been basically ignoring my writing business for the past six months, things are really not in order.

But I had to slack off around three so that I could take a shower and get ready for fun. Katie and I had a 5:30pm reservation at Ophelia's, so I drove to Denver and met her at her house so that we could lyft over together. We both forgot that yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, which meant downtown was super messy with people pretending to be Irish (the same people who also pretend to be Santa during Santacon, and patriotic during the 4th of July, and Mexican during Cinco de Mayo, etc., etc.). Ophelia's was also messy, since there were a lot of drunk people (which I judged, although as the night turned out, I was being a total hypocrite).

The food, though, was v. tasty - we had some excellent arepas and some kobe beef sliders, and a lot of fries, and it was great. I was pretty sedate at Ophelia's - I had two cocktails over two hours, and Katie and I talked lots about life (mostly me, yay - jk). But when we were done at 7:15, we weren't quite ready to go home...

...so we went to Lola, where we somehow ended up staying for five hours, drinking more margaritas than was advisable while covering many and varied topics of conversation. The music was perfect (I kept thinking things were by Roxette, when really they were by Heart, and [censored] would be very disappointed in me), and the drinks were strong, and we were high on life, and it was one of those perfect nights where overindulgence seems like a good idea...

Spoiler: it wasn't a good idea. Or, at least, it didn't feel like a good idea this morning, when I awoke in Katie's guest room feeling like death. I hung out for awhile in an attempt to recover, which was helped along by James picking up breakfast burritos for us - but considering that sitting in a rocking chair at one point made me want to vomit, you can tell I wasn't in the best place physically. That said, though, it was a lovely morning - we sat in the sun in the backyard, and I was rocking my plush pink robe (I know how to make myself at home at Katie's), and hanging out with Katie and James is always blissful.

I came home around noon and promptly crawled into bed, where I nursed my pain for awhile. Then I ate a snack and called my parents. While I was talking to them, all the great weather disappeared - the sky turned dark, and then suddenly it hailed, and then proceeded to rain. I wanted to just hole up in my house for the rest of the night, but I had dinner reservations with a visiting coworker in Denver...so I took a shower and drove back to Denver after only having been home for ~5hrs.

On the way, the rain suddenly turned to snow - I ate breakfast outside this morning, but by dinner everything was snow and ice. The roads were warm enough that it wasn't sticking, though, so I made it to Denver on time and picked up Navin from the train station. We had dinner at Avelina, which I hadn't been to before - it's your usual hip new American kind of place. I liked the decor a lot (warmer than many minimalist new American places), and the food was pretty tasty - however, what I ordered was probably a little too rich (short rib with beet risotto). Still, I would probably go back. And it was really fun to hang out with Navin, so I'm glad I went.

But now I need to sleep and try to effect the rest of my recovery - goodnight!

poured it down so i poured it down

I awoke this morning totally wrecked, which is what I deserved after an long evening of cocktails and laughter with Katie...but I also awoke in a totally great mood despite my physical shakiness. Unfortunately, I couldn't laze in bed - I had plans this morning, so I walked back to Root Down to retrieve my car, swung by Black Eye to get a coffee, and then headed back to Boulder. When I got here, I really just wanted to crawl into bed, but I managed to take a shower and make some more coffee before heading over to Natasha and Chris's house for breakfast (which I was v. late to).

It was delightful to hang out with them for a couple of hours - they've lived in Colorado for several years, so I hadn't spent much time with them since they moved, but it's delightful to be in the same state again. I could have easily kept hanging out, but eventually I came home - with an impromptu stop at a really wonderful greenhouse, full of all sorts of indoor plants (and a separate section for outdoor gardening, although I didn't check that out). I may have to go back tomorrow or Monday to buy a couple of things, as long as I think I'm buying things that I can keep alive even when traveling (which probably means succulents or cacti).

When I got home, I took a quick nap, then got a mani/pedi, then ran to Bed Bath and Beyond to explore their offerings. Then I took myself out to dinner at Verde, which is the Mexican restaurant that [censored], Drewbaby, and I went to over Thanksgiving - I ate grains last night with Katie for the first time in almost a month, and I decided to keep indulging tonight before going back on the meat bandwagon tomorrow. So I had chips and salsa and v. v. tasty enchiladas and a margarita while writing in my journal, and it was all great.

But now it's only 9:30 and I'm feeling like death, so I'm going to curl up in bed with a book and invite sleep to come asap. Goodnight!

my perfect rock bottom

I'm back in Boulder and back in my own bed, which hopefully means I'll get some solid sleep - and hopefully also means that I won't be confused in the middle of the night like I was a couple of nights ago, when I got out of bed at three a.m. to use the bathroom, walked there without really opening my eyes or turning on the lights...and promptly hit my head on the wall by the shower, because I didn't remember that corner being there and was probably picturing some other hotel bathroom layout in my head. Oops.

So as you might have guessed from last night's post, today was an exercise in pain. I'm lucky that I woke up at seven, since I hadn't set my alarm for the right time and I was supposed to leave at 7:45 (and I needed to shower and still hadn't packed). I went to bed at two last night after far too many drinks with about ten people from the offsite - it all started very sedately with a happy hour at four p.m., but after most people left, I discovered myself with a bunch of people from the Dublin office, all of whom were determined to keep the party going. So we adjourned to another bar down the street and stayed until after one, which was really totally unnecessary (but very fun, and the best way to get to know the Dublin crew better).

But that made today pretty bleak - I definitely had a hangover when I woke up, and I also had to take a lyft from the hotel to my car (less than a mile away) because I'd obviously had to leave it in downtown Sunnyvale overnight. Luckily, everything this morning went smoothly - Caroline and I grabbed the car, drove to the airport, returned the car (goodbye land yacht, my new friend!), got to the airport, and made it through security in time for me to have breakfast at Urban Tortilla, It was totally out of my way, but Mexican breakfast is a lifesaver.

I slept throughout the flight, as you might have guessed. When I landed in Denver, I ran into one of the guys on my team who happened to be on the same flight, so I offered him a ride into Denver proper - I had thought I'd hit my introvert wall, but it was nice to have someone to talk to so I wouldn't fall asleep while driving. When I got to Denver, I dropped him off, then went to Avanti and ate some truly excellent gluten free pasta. Katie and I had plans to meet up tonight, but when she left work we agreed that we didn't really want to hang out at Avanti - instead, I met her at Lola's, which is tasty Mexican food (you can tell that Mexican food and pasta were what my hangover needed). We had a great time there, with way too much queso and some v. insanely spicy margaritas (probably a good thing, since I was not in a place where I really needed to finish my drink).

Then we went back to her place and I said hi to the girls, who are adorable as always. Katie put the girls down and James and I talked about work and watches for awhile, and then Katie/James/I kept talking until 9:30 or so. I could have spent the night there, but I really wanted to be in my own bed tonight, so I drove here - where I promptly took a nap (although a nap at ten p.m. is a bad idea). And now I'm going to bed for real - goodnight!

all my friends are heathens take it slow

It's very dangerous that I think that my vacation has already started, since I'm working Monday and Tuesday this week and need to get a million things done. But today was an exercise in getting personal things done + relaxing. I spent most of the morning doing things around the house, with some success, and I also talked to my parents....

...and then I was almost murdered. Technically it probably would have been vehicular manslaughter, and I was 45+ seconds removed from the moment where I could have died, which is a lifetime (literally) when it comes to freak accidents. But I took a bunch of recycling through the parking lot to the bins, and on the way back, I watched a guy back directly into the car behind him (across the parking lot that our units all park/walk in), pushing that car into the garage behind it. He was super confused, and I have run into him before - my guess is that he has major dementia and probably doesn't live here anymore, but shows up occasionally thinking he belongs there. He tried to leave after hitting the car, using the rationale that his own car still started and so he was good to go, but the people who happened to be around stopped him, and the paramedics and police came shortly thereafter and further investigated the situation. I'm glad he and the other people in the parking lot at the time were okay, but given how confused he was (when he tried to leave the first time, he was still in reverse and damaged the car/garage he'd hit even worse), someone could have been seriously hurt.

sssanyway. That's not how my life in Boulder usually is, and that's not how the rest of my morning went. I'm still not totally unpacked, but I made some more progress today before showering. Then I drove to the airport to pick up Drewbaby (my only cousin on my dad's side) - he's in town for the week for Thanksgiving, but we had some solo time today. We put it to v. good use - we hung out at my place for awhile, then walked the length of Pearl St to scope out our options. We ended up at Next Door, which I've been to before and wholeheartedly recommend. After dinner and a couple of drinks there, we walked down the street to Eureka!, where I had three more glasses of wine while talking to Andrew (pour one out for 'Drew', which is what my family used to call him) and watching the Stanford/Cal game (#fearthetree). We had a great, meandering conversation, and I'm looking forward to more tomorrow...but for now, I really need to sleep. Goodnight!

i'm a rebel just for kicks

I was so exhausted today that there was a point where I thought I might faint. This was, of course, my own damn fault - I stayed up until 3:30am and woke up at 8:30 confused about why I was still alive instead of blissfully freed from my suffering. I know I said too much wine last night, but I wasn't even that inebriated - five glasses over eight hours is not a big deal, but it is when you also don't have enough food or water or sleep.

However, it was all worth it - I stayed up so late talking to people at this conference that I was attending, and it was great to network and get to know them (and all the other corporate words I've started using again). But today was rough. It didn't help that I got a flu shot yesterday, so I wonder if some of my weakness/fainting feeling was related to that. Either way, the fact that I had meetings straight from 11am to 5:30pm without a break was supremely unwelcome, and it took way more energy than it should have to get through them all.

But then I skedaddled (slowly) and drove up to San Carlos to have dinner with Anne and Barbara. It's not very far from Mountain View, but it still took an hour because the whole Bay Area is a total dystopian nightmare. However, our friendship is worth the pain - we had a lovely dinner at Vivace (which Shedletsky had introduced me to), and my gluten free pasta went a long way toward restoring my vitality. Barbara and Anne were in fine form, and it was great to take a break from work and talk about my other work (not that I'm writing at the moment, but I think things will quiet down a little at work after this and I'll hopefully be able to get back into it all).

When dinner was over, I drove to my hotel (farther from San Carlos than the office is, but the trip back only took 25mins), messed around on the internet, sent a few vital work emails, etc. And now I'm going to sleep - I have to get up and pack and vacate my room tomorrow, so wish me luck with that. Goodnight!

i like my guns all big like texas

So, last night I apparently actually wrote a blog post and got within seconds of being able to post it, but I was so tired that I fell asleep sitting up with the lights on, and when I came to, I closed the laptop and went to bed. Oops. Read the post below to find out what I was up to last night!

And as you might have guessed, I spent this morning paying the wages of my sins. I really shouldn't have gone out last night since I have what is turning into a killer head cold, but my desire to be a grown-up with Katie couldn't be denied, so I had a lot of bourbon and a lot of fine conversation, and absolutely #noregrets. Well, maybe one regret, since my ears didn't really pop very well on my flight today and I was not thrilled about that. But I woke this morning wishing that I could get ten more hours of non-congested sleep. Of course, it wasn't meant to be, so I showered, packed (slowly), and then Katie and I went out to grab breakfast burritos (she'd fed the kids pancakes hours earlier, since their night wasn't as abbreviated as ours was - their stomachs were empty and ready for breakfast instead of full of bourbon and ready for a nap). The breakfast burrito saved my life, so I was able to gather my things and head out....

...and the 'out' was to the airport, where I parked my car, survived a longer-than-usual security experience with my shorter-than-usual temper, grabbed some tea, and made it to my gate in time to talk to my parents for a few minutes before boarding. I'm in Mountain View this week for trainings/meetings, which is a trip that came up v. last minute (I booked it on Thursday). So, SF friends, please don't hate me, but I'm not going to expend any heroic efforts to go to the city since I'm not feeling all that well and traffic here is a nightmare.

But I did make some fun plans - I spent tonight with Heather (aka dear respected madam), since I wasn't sure when I'd see her next, and she lives fifteen minutes from the San Jose airport, which was super convenient. We spent the evening talking, gossipping, and generally catching up while Salim prepared tastiness for us - and then we all ate steak and corn while watching 'Deadpool', which I'd somehow never seen before even though everyone told me I would enjoy it. And, it turns out, I did enjoy it.

But now I'm exhausted from all my adventures, and I need sleep desperately if I'm going to get through trainings tomorrow - goodnight!