listen all y'all it's a sabotage

I had a v. lazy day - I woke up this morning basically feeling hungover from working all week, and so was slow to get out of bed, slow to get around, slow to make breakfast, etc. That meant that breakfast was really more like brunch - I made huevos rancheros, which was a real treat after mostly living on oatmeal for recent breakfasts. And I messed around my house without accomplishing anything for most of the morning, but #noregrets.

I did eventually rally and leave the house - I made an epic Target run, since I hadn't been to Target for several months and was starting to run low on my hoarded home goods. I obviously could have gone longer without a Target run since my stash is rather epic, but I decided that a Friday afternoon Target run was preferable to going some weekend day. And, for whatever reason, Target had missed me so much that they had sent me a 20% off everything coupon, which is unheard of, so I took them up on it.

And so, $300 later, I'm stocked up on a wide variety of tings (and also have new bath mats because #treatyoself). Then I went to Whole Foods and bought some groceries for the trip back to ye olde Iowa - mostly things for snacks, although I bought beets so that I can expose my parents to my new favorite beet salad, and I also bought prosciutto so I can make them some fancy stuffed chicken.

Then I came home, unloaded everything, ate a snack, ran to Bookbar to pick up a book I'd ordered, came home again, talked to my mom, and spent the rest of the night packing / organizing / deciding what I should take to Iowa. Packing was super smooth because I mostly know what I need in Iowa at this point (and also have duplicates of some things, so I can survive there even if I forget some things). I have to load my car tomorrow, water my plants, load up my cooler, and take care of a couple of other things, but I'm hopeful that will all be smooth and I'll get out of here at a reasonable hour.

But in order for that to happen, I should sleep - goodnight!

choke this love 'til the veins start to shiver

I have a three day weekend courtesy of my employer, and the end of the work week could not come fast enough today. I had meetings pretty much straight from 8:30 to 4:30, with a 30min break in which I made an omelette and some toast to soothe my acidic stomach (despite my unusual stress levels this week, I only had one headache and one day of that acid/sour feeling I sometimes get, so I guess that's a win?). But I wore a hot new lipstick and put sugar and heavy cream in my coffee, so at least I had little bits of decadence to get me through.

Then, after many many meetings, I slammed my laptop closed around five and ran a couple of errands. Then I came home and basically did nothing the rest of the night - I did a bit of journaling, watched a bit of tiktok, kind of fell asleep while playing on my laptop, and messed around and daydreamed of restaurants and hotels and trips and the many things that I will do again someday but am not doing tonight.

And now I should consider bed - I'm going to ye olde Iowa on Saturday, which means that I intend to have a relaxing day tomorrow (and possibly make a Target run, which I'm v. overdue for) and get some packing done so I can head out Saturday morning. Goodnight!

endless ether

I had quite a long day today - I was not feeling in it to win it at all when I woke up, and so I skipped a couple of morning meetings where my presence isn't strictly required so that I could get some work done. I also had a coaching call with Alyssa, who was a delight (as always!). Then I had some afternoon meetings with people who mostly raise my spirits, which was great. And then I ended the day with a presentation to my big boss - not the most relaxing way to end the day, but it went well, so at least I got through that.

I probably should have worked tonight, but I couldn't handle it. So I took a walk after work, then came home and reheated some risotto and some roasted chicken. Then I watched some tiktok videos to spark some joy. And then I gave myself a gel manicure while watching a couple of episodes of DRUNK HISTORY - the show is so dumb and it makes me laugh, so that was a nice way to wrap up the evening.

And now I think I shall go to bed early so that I can aim for productivity (or at least a shower) in the morning - goodnight!

have a seat in the foyer, take a number

Today was pretty exhausting. I thought I had set myself up for some modicum of success - I got up, made coffee, rode my Peloton, and stretched / foam rolled before my first meeting, all of which felt like the kind of healthy choice that should be rewarded with world peace (or at least inner peace). But a lot of people at work were struggling today from all of the news of the Boulder shooting - it's just a lot to handle on top of a year of pretending to work like everything's normal. It's pretty upsetting to feel like we're getting closer and closer to some signs of the pandemic lifting, and we're just going straight back into mass shootings every day without getting any break at all.

So. Today sucked and I had trouble focusing, which was unfortunate since I have a lot of tings to do. But when I was done a little after six, I decided to be done for the night. I made some spaghetti all'amatriciana, which is one of my comfort foods - I usually have the ingredients lying around, since it just takes bacon, red onion, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, tomato sauce, and spaghetti. It went a little way toward rejuvenating me, but nothing was going to fix tonight. Then I alternated between journaling and watching tiktok videos, and now I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

miss sangria

Yes, I worked today. That was pretty much all I did, since I went to bed last night without having done anything that I had intended to do over the weekend, and so I was behind when I woke up.

But I took a break at five to call my parents and wish them a happy anniversary (happy anniversary!). Then I did some foam rolling and stretching. Then I roasted a chicken for the rest of the week + reheated some risotto and scallops for tonight’s supper, and they were delish. And then I worked for a couple of hours. And through it all I checked Twitter for news of the shooting in Boulder and got sadder and sadder.

And now it’s time for bed - goodnight!

make that money, fake that bunny, ache my tummy - on the fence, all the time

I got eight+ hours of sleep last night, but I don't feel sufficiently recovered for the week ahead - so even though it's not quite 9:15pm and I had planned to do some work tonight, I think I'm going to go to bed early and hope that translates into success tomorrow. Today was fairly relaxing, though - I did some stuff around the house this morning, made oatmeal, and then talked to Veronica for awhile. Then I spent the afternoon mostly not doing much - some laundry, some napping, some prepping of food for the next week (mostly roasted beets, which will turn into salad later).

Then I talked to [censored], followed shortly thereafter by my parents. By the time I was off the phone it was six p.m, and then I made a delicious risotto and seared some scallops, and it was quite a decadent Sunday supper. And now, having cleaned the kitchen, run the dishwasher, put away all but the last load of laundry, and messed around sufficiently on the internet, I think I'll go to sleep - goodnight!

is anybody out there paying attention

No blog tonight - I had a nice afternoon in Katie's back yard before snow returns tomorrow, and I got some tings done around the house this evening, but now I'm totally wiped out and falling asleep on my couch, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

these eyes will not be blinded by the lights

I had a long day - usually Fridays are a little quieter, but I had seven straight hours of meetings, which made eating and thinking and using the bathroom a little harder than usual. One of my meetings was five hours long, but it was gracious enough to allow for a fifteen minute break, which I used to take a walk down the block in an attempt to maintain sanity.

But the meetings all ended up okay in the end (or at least I survived them) so that's all fine. Then I ran some errands, including a trip to Nordstrom to pick something up + a trip to Whole Foods to get enough groceries to get me through the next week. Then I came home, ate some leftover pasta, and watched a couple of episodes of Stanley Tucci's SEARCHING FOR ITALY, which I'm still enjoying. And now I believe I should go to bed - goodnight!

thursday watch the walls instead

No blog tonight - I had a long slog today, full of meetings that were also about managing my emotions while trying to help others with theirs, and those are always exhausting. But I rode my Peloton after work, and I ordered delivery from a new Mediterranean restaurant on Tennyson that is v. delicious and v. promising. The chicken and hummus were delish, so I predict that I'll have a new favorite.

Then I probably should have worked but I was too tired, so I mindlessly watched tiktok videos, did some journaling, etc. And now I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

live from new york

You can probably guess what I did today: I worked. Surprise! 🎉🎉

So I had a million meetings, including a VP presentation, because that's what I do now. But I ended up at five to have a coaching call with Alyssa, which was delightful (with some deeper discussion at the beginning; the killings in Georgia yesterday on top of hundreds of random attacks against Asian Americans in cities around the US over the past several months is terrible, and it's a lot to process and deal with, especially when these issues are sadly nothing new).

Then I talked to my parents while reheating some of last night's pasta, which was still delicious tonight since I figured out how to reheat it in the oven without drying it out. And then I did some laundry, painted my toenails, and gave myself a fresh gel manicure while watching a couple of episodes of SEARCHING FOR ITALY. It's Stanley Tucci's travel/food show on CNN about a variety of Italian cities and their cuisines, and I'm so desperate for new food and new travel experiences that watching this was pretty close to torture. But I enjoyed the episodes on Naples and Rome while exercising some self-care, so it was a good evening.

Of course, I couldn't totally resist work, especially since working from 9:30-5 isn't quite enough for my current situation, so I just did an hour of desultory slidemaking. And now I'm going to close my laptop, do some journaling or reading, and go to bed. Goodnight!

shot through the heart and you're to blame

I'm v. tired and I blame work (and maybe the slice of banana bread I had before bed last night, which may not have been the best bedtime snack). Today was a slog, with back to back meetings with my VP and my boss, as well as a lot of meetings in which emotions were discussed, and that always takes it out of me. But I paused at five to stretch and run to Bookbar to pick up a couple of books - the roads are still not amazing and it snowed a bit more this evening, but things are melting way better than I expected.

Then I came home, messed around online, and made a new recipe for dinner - a pasta with italian sausage and swiss chard and a creamy cheesy sauce with enough lemon zest in it to make it sing. It was super easy and quite tasty, and I'm looking forward to leftovers even if pasta leftovers are never quite as good as the original serving.

Then, unfortunately, I had to do some work. And then, stupidly, I messed around online rather than reading or doing anything else to relax. But now I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

lost highway

no blog for you tonight...I slogged all day, with a break to shovel snow over my lunch hour, and then a bit longer break from 4:30 to 7:30ish to meditate, stretch, talk to my parents, talk to [censored], eat some leftover steak, etc. And then I went back to the slog and worked the last four hours - I have too many meetings that require prep this week, and so I really need to find a balance between getting the work done and getting some sleep.

But I capped off my night with a slice of banana bread, so we'll see if my latenight snack was great or terrible (I'm leaning great, and now wishing I could go to latenight dining halls like I did throughout college). Goodnight!

i had a dream, i got everything i wanted

Today was the blizzard that I had expected yesterday - Denver officially got over two feet of snow at the airport, and I would say that my neighborhood is safely at 19" or so. It's truly an insane amount of snow, so much so that it feels unique and picturesque instead of just an inconvenience. It appears to be snowing at the moment, but the winds have died down; when the winds were roaring and it was snowing 1-2" per hour this afternoon, it felt downright treacherous. Apparently this is now Denver's fourth-largest storm ever, and while I'm not looking forward to the aftermath of melting and freezing and general calamity over the next few days, today was actually kind of fun.

I also did my very best to relax today - while I got v. little done yesterday, it hadn't felt relaxing, and I was determined to make today relaxing where yesterday wasn't. I mostly succeeded - I slept more than I have in weeks, and the time change meant I didn't get out of bed until ten. I did some writing and journaling and other forms of recording observations, and I meditated and stretched and foam rolled and rode my Peloton. This all felt pretty great for my body and my spirit. I had some leftover chicken tortilla soup, did some laundry, and talked to my parents - they seemed to be doing pretty well, so that was good to hear. I also baked some banana bread in there - I didn't eat any of it when it came out of the oven, in a remarkable exercise in restraint, but I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.

Then I took a v. long overdue shower before making dinner - I felt like part of yesterday's bad mood was due to the fact that I hadn't had beef in ages, so I cooked a ribeye (using the reverse sear method - heating it in the oven, then searing it in a pan with some ghee), reheated some brussels sprouts in the ribeye/ghee grease, and made frozen french fries in my air fryer. The ribeye and brussels sprouts were perfect; the french fries were too crispy, but I think that's because I only made a single serving and should have cut down the cook time. But all in all, supper cured a lot of what ailed me.

Then I wrapped up the night by folding clothes, making some plans for the week ahead, and reading some more of A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. And now I'm going to go to bed and hope I actually fall asleep despite the time change - goodnight!

i saw the sun begin to dim and felt that winter wind blow cold

Today was a bust. I'm feeling the 'full year in quarantine' vibes, especially since I couldn't go anywhere today - not that I usually go anywhere, but it's nice to theoretically have the option of walking down the street to my favorite card shop, or drive over to the mall to pick up something unnecessary at Nordstrom. We were supposed to get the biggest snowstorm ever in Denver today, and as of sunset it had maybe snowed 2". Inches, not feet, which is what they were predicting. That said, it's snowing pretty steadily now and the weather forecasts are still saying all that snow is on the way, but we'll see what happens overnight.

sssanyway, I was just not in it to win it today. I forced myself to have a call with Laura (an old coworker from many years ago) this morning since we'd already rescheduled a couple of times, and it was great to talk to her, but I definitely felt like I didn't need to spend more time on videoconference than I usually do. Then I talked to Katie just as the snow was starting to fall and we thought we were in for a blizzard, which turned out to be inaccurate. Then I ate some leftover sausages and polenta and thought about getting some stuff done (aka my taxes), and instead talked to Claudia. She was taking a walk and so we were able to catch up uninterrupted...and then when she got home and Téo was awake, we switched to video so I could see zee baby (who is almost one and is walking, so maybe not quite a baby anymore!). And then after all that effort, I watched tiktok videos and took a nap.

But I rallied somewhat this evening - I made perhaps the best batch of chicken tortilla soup that I've ever made, and I'm v. excited to have those leftovers for the next few days. I did some journaling, which always helps my mood. And then I picked up a book that's been sitting on my shelf forever - A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, about a Russian aristocrat who isn't executed by the Bolsheviks because of his prior service to the cause, but is confined to house arrest for life in a Moscow hotel. I'm not so far in, but I'm loving it so far - but that's to be expected, since I find Russia fascinating (see: my history minor in college, which was mostly classes about Russia and totalitarianism) and also this guy is basically living the quarantine life since he can get things delivered but can never leave and just thinks about redecorating (again, I'm very early into the book, I'm guessing he doesn't just redecorate all the time).

And now, even though I am tempted to keep reading, I think I'll go to bed and attempt to set myself up for success with the time change. Goodnight!

shut your mouth, baby, stand and deliver

Today was boring in terms of what I can report to all of you, but I got done what I needed to get done. That mostly involved work; because I had planned to take today off, I only had two meetings today, so that was great. That meant I actually got some work done, which felt v. luxurious. I also took a break to have a call with Alyssa; working out over video is weird, but it felt good, so I guess I'll take it.

And now I'm mostly hunkered down and waiting for snow. I brought my shovel and my ice breaker inside so that I don't have to slog to the garage for them; I am charging my devices and backup phone batteries in case I lose power; I am fully stocked up on the foods and drinks that will keep me happy over the next few days. And I made a delicious supper this evening - the same sausages and peppers dish that I tried at home a month ago, paired with a tasty parmesan polenta (basically grits, although polenta has a different texture and also is full of parmesan).

So, we'll see how the snow goes, but it's not like I don't spend 23hrs a day in my house anyway, so I think I'll survive. This week marked a year since my office shut down, and I've got to say that it was a bizarre sense of deja vu the last couple of days, going to grocery stores that were completely sold out of dairy products, wondering if I would be stuck at home, seeing long lines at liquor stores, etc. - the snowstorm in Denver is basically recreating early pandemic buying patterns, and that's really not an anniversary I wanted to remember in that way. But my buying patterns have probably permanently been broken by the last year, so suffice it to say I won't starve even if I can't leave the house for a month (although I'll get cranky when I run out of coffee and cream).

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

i'll make a cup of coffee for your head

Whelp, I've officially stayed up too late and officially reverted to workaholism. This always happens around performance review season, but it's been particularly ridiculous this week. I worked today from 9am to 5pm (not bad! well actually I lied, many ridiculous things happened, but no more than the average I guess). Then I took a break, put a chicken in the oven to roast, ate some grapes and cheese, and rode my Peloton. While the chicken rested and the brussels sprouts roasted, I took a quick shower. Then I ate a bit of chicken and some brussels sprouts (and all of the skin off the whole damn chicken, like a total carnivore, but I might as well embrace the benefits of having a whole chicken to myself).

The rest of the chicken got picked off the bones and put in the freezer; I'm planning to make chicken tortilla soup soon, but I froze the meat in case I don't get to it in a few days. Then I cleaned up the kitchen, thought about relaxing the rest of the night, and instead worked from 8:30 to midnight. Oops. But I feel better about my to-do list, and I have ample time to work tomorrow (or deal with whatever fires pop up then), so hopefully I can enter the weekend free and ready to party in the massive snowstorm we're getting. 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!

how to save a life

Today was a brutal slog - luckily it started by getting the best sleep I've gotten in ages, but then I promptly got neck deep in work and couldn't get out. I had meetings pretty straight from 9:30 to 5, although I had time to pull together my beet salad with goat cheese and pistachios, which was still a total delight. Then I talked to [censored], and then I got dragged back into working from 6:30 to 8. At that point I was ravenous, so I ate some leftover pork and spent a bit of time tidying things up, dealing with personal effects, etc.

But the lure of the work inbox was still strong, so I worked from nine to eleven. This is probably not setting me up for success for sleeping well or being productive tomorrow (which is a shame because tomorrow looks also brutal). But I am operating under the assumption that I will be less stressed if I don't wake up tomorrow in a panic over the work I needed to do. Whether I'm correct about that will be determined when I wake up tomorrow - 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!

let's get it started in here

Well, I am certainly awake later than I had planned. Today was pretty productive, from what I remember - I made some oatmeal for the week, journaled, showered, etc. and then talked to Veronica for an hour, which was very much overdue. She was a delight, as usual, and I feel v. grateful to have writer friends who know exactly what a struggle the writing can be sometimes.

Then I spent the afternoon taking care of tings around the house, including another attempt at the harissa-rubbed pork shoulder that I made last weekend. Last weekend's effort was a disaster that was so bad that I threw out four pounds of pork, which is really just a total tragedy. But I was determined to try again. So, I made the rub and put the pork in the oven around one. Then I messed around, did some laundry, and did a couple of hours of day job work to make tomorrow just a little more bearable.

Eventually, the pork was at the right temperature (part of what I didn't like of the original recipe was that she gave a time for cooking it, not a temperature to cook it to, which is really not a good idea when it comes to big chunks of pork). So I let it rest and did some more work, and then cranked up the oven heat, threw some beans in with the pork, and finished it off. The end result was much better than last week - it was actually good, and while I think I could still perfect the technique, I was happy with how it turned out.

Then, as supper ended, I poured a glass of wine....and accidentally watched the Oprah/Harry/Meghan interview twice. I say accidentally because I very much intended to watch it once tonight (I had set a recording and also told myself that if I finished work I could watch it undistracted). But then Adit texted about a live watch as a family, and they were an hour behind me (two hours, actually, since the timezone is an hour back but then the broadcast schedule is even later). So I finished my watch and immediately hopped onto a zoom to watch with Adit / Chandlord / Riturani.

I had a lot of thoughts, but I'm too tired to recap here - basically it's just a sad situation and it's kind of shocking that the royal family (esp Charles) doesn't seem to have learned any lessons in the past forty years. Not so shocking that the palace is full of racist, hidebound courtiers - but shocking that the family didn't do more to figure this situation out. Anyway, it was v. interesting to watch, and it was entertaining to watch it a second time with the family (I did my nails while watching the second time, so at least I have something to show for it).

After the interview was over, we debriefed (and Priyanka joined)...and now it's after midnight here and I desperately need to sleep. Goodnight!

everybody, everybody, let's get into it, get stupid

I'm thoroughly exhausted and falling asleep at ten p.m. It doesn't help that I haven't been sleeping well (quantity or quality) the last few weeks - and then staying up so late to read a book last night pretty much doomed me. I woke up this morning at my usual time, but that meant I'd only gotten five hours of sleep; I stayed in bed for awhile, but my sleep was fitful at best.

So, I am not ashamed to say that I took two naps today. I also went to the grocery store - it was a gorgeous day out, so it was nice to get out of the house with the windows rolled down. At some point this afternoon, I also took a walk around the neighborhood - tomorrow is looking equally pleasant and I hope I can take advantage of it.

My main activity was cooking some of what I bought - I was in the mood for something different, something I might have ordered at a restaurant, and so I made a roasted beet / goat cheese / radish / pistachio salad, and it was exactly what I was in the mood for. I roasted a whole chicken to go with it - oddly enough I have never roasted a whole chicken before despite my #quarantinechef prowess, but I used Ina Garten's method bc I find her to be v. trustworthy, and the chicken turned out as well as she had promised it to.

So, my dinner was excellent. While everything was roasting, I talked to my parents, who seemed to be in fine form. Then I ate supper, cleaned up my kitchen, ran the dishwasher, and took care of a variety of tings.

And now I'm falling asleep for real and wondering whether it's time to throw in the towel...goodnight!

try, try, try to understand, he's a magic man

I have officially stayed up past my bedtime, which I will perhaps regret in the morning. Today was a slog - I had more meetings than I prefer to have on Fridays. But I stopped working at four and hung out with Katie - she came over for a backyard hangout, but we turned it into a front yard hangout because my backyard couches were too damp and the front yard gets more sun in the late afternoon.

So I dragged some folding chairs out front like we were sitting awkwardly at a wedding, and we ordered a quarter of margaritas + guac + tacos from El Camino. There are few things that I will miss about this wasted, wretched year, but getting a quart of margaritas delivered to my doorstep has definitely been a highlight. It was slightly too cold to be hanging out outside, but Katie and I have become accustomed to these hardships, so we shivered and talked and caught up for a couple of hours. We had much to discuss - I was in Iowa for the first three weeks of February and she was in Iowa for the last one, so we hadn't seen each other in over a month. And at least sitting in the front yard gave us a change of scene, even if we looked moderately trashy drinking margs and sitting on my front lawn.

After Katie left, I talked to my parents and also talked to [censored]. Then I thought about playing Civilization, or perhaps doing some other mind-numbing activity. Instead, I picked up a book called MAGIC FOR LIARS and then read it straight through in one sitting. It was basically a magical murder mystery set in a high school for wizards (but they are called mages in this book). It was certainly not the best book I've read this year, but it was entertaining enough to suck me in for a few hours, so I'll take it.

And now, I'm going to take myself off to bed and hope I sleep in long enough to make up for the lateness (but not long enough to keep me from being insanely productive tomorrow, which I need to be). Goodnight!

she wants a young american

Today was a bit bizarre. It started as normal and progressed as normal through most of the day - I had coffee, journaled, showered, had a whole bunch of meetings, ate tuna salad on toast (one of my go-to stress meals), had a whole bunch more meetings, and slogged straight until six in an effort to hit a deadline.

Luckily I hit the deadline just in time to switch my work laptop into a fun zone. I had a virtual wine tasting tonight with a group from work - it was something that one of the VPs I work with had auctioned off in a charity auction over the holidays, and I was one of the ten people who won the auction. She organized a virtual wine tasting that was actually quite lovely - I was sent a box with eight wines, each in a little individual bottle (187ml each, which is the equivalent of a six-ounce pour). The theme was Down Under, so all the wines were from Australia and New Zealand. The host was really fun, and the work group was as entertaining as it can be when you get together with a VP over video chat to drink wine for an hour.

I had not initially intended to open all eight wines since I probably can't drink them all before they go bad (well...seven glasses over the next three days or so might do it). But the tasting was fun, and I figured a couple of them wouldn't necessarily be ones I would want to finish, and I was right. I don't typically like syrahs, and the rosé was weird (it tasted like smoke because of the Australian wildfires, and it was not my jam). But the sauvignon blanc was great, the Australian chardonnay was surprisingly good, and there was a nice red blend + a pinot noir that I adored (so I finished the pinot after the tasting was over).

So all in all it was great, but I basically had the equivalent of three glasses of wine in an hour during the tasting, and while I have been drinking wine steadily in quarantine, it's usually more like one glass over three hours instead of three glasses in one hour. That meant I was tipsy, but I ordered some fancy pasta and pizza from Bar Dough to soak it up (thanks Tipsy Sara for ordering a nicer dinner than usual).

I wrapped up the night by leaning into the relaxation - I turned on Netflix and finally watched ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE, which I should have watched two years ago. It was v. funny and cute, and made me homesick for San Francisco, and I adored it. And now that the wine is out of my system and the yawns are starting, it's time for bed - goodnight!

but he talks like a gentleman

I'm super tired today - my days have been too meeting-filled, and it's taking it out of me. But I had a nice morning before I started working, and my meetings went pretty well (although one ran a full thirty minutes over schedule, which was unfortunate - but I then ate a salad while sitting on my front steps and soaking in some sun, so I'll take it). I was done around six, and then I called my parents, ate dinner, talked to Katie, and spent some quality time putting my bedroom closet back together. I'm not fully done with getting things properly set up again, but my clothes are all hanging in their proper places and that's a huge start.

And now, I think it's time to sleep - goodnight!

sleep just to dream her

I'm way too tired to blog - I did not sleep super well in my guest room last night (sorry to past and future guests if you don't sleep well either), and then I had an absurd number of meetings today. But my painters are done and I've remade my bed and am looking forward to sleeping in it - the paint color looks great and I'm v. happy that my room is now light and airy instead of dark and depressing.

Beyond that, I have nothing to report - my day ended with a virtual happy hour with Vicky, then a chat with my parents, then a chat with [censored] (who may have convinced me to live in a boxcar), and also a chat with Katie. So now that I've written that all down, it's no wonder I'm all talked out and ready for bed. Goodnight!

sea shanty

Things went mostly right today, which was a tremendous relief. My painters showed up exactly on schedule and seemed to understand what walls and ceilings required which colors, which was a vast improvement over the guy who quit before starting the job last time. They got through a lot today, so I'm guessing they'll finish tomorrow, and then I can start putting my upstairs back in order.

Another fun activity today: I got new tires. The tires were timed just right - they've been having shipping delays and had warned me that the tires might not be there on time, but as I pulled up for my appointment, the FedEx truck that had delivered them was pulling away. The tire experience went super well and was approx $500 less than getting them at my dealer, so I was as delighted as one can be while buying tires.

While I was waiting for my car, I caught up with Terry for a bit. Then I picked up a few necessities at the grocery store, came home, and talked to my parents. And then I mostly did nothing - I made a quesadilla with the last of my chicken tinga + a whole lot of guacamole, and then I watched a bunch of SNL from the night that Regé-Jean Page (the guy from Bridgerton) hosted. Why did none of you tell me that there was a sea shanty sketch in that episode????? That maybe would have made last week so much better if I could have watched it every hour.

And now, I am going to attempt the unusual feat of sleeping in my guest room (which is also my Peloton room and also currently is doubling as my closet since all my clothes are piled everywhere). Goodnight!

just go ahead let your hair down

I have v. little of interest to share with you today. I spent the day taking care of tings around the house + talking on the phone, and while much of it was worthwhile, little of it was something that deserves memorializing. I guess I did go to New Zealand, but since it was only for twenty minutes and only virtually via my Peloton, that's probably not very interesting either.

However, while I did have some existential life-level Sunday Scaries today, I'm not particularly dreading work this week, so at least there's that. And I painted my toenails, so if the thick bands of dead skin ever fall off my heels, I might look like someone who is ready for a vacation (spoiler: I am definitely ready for a vacation, but I'm not going to get one anytime soon). I also think I'm basically ready for my painters to show up again tomorrow - hopefully we don't have a similar debacle to last time and they actually do the job tomorrow, since I'm more than ready to put my bedroom (and especially my bedroom closet) back together.

And now, I think I shall go to bed (or at least read in it) - goodnight!

and i wanted to blame the roots of the trees for pushing up the concrete but now i know

I was feeling fairly determined today to get a bunch of stuff around the house done; it fell apart at the end when my dinner didn't turn out as deliciously as I had hoped, but up until that point it was pretty good. I had a somewhat lazy morning and made myself french toast for breakfast - that's a rare treat, especially since I usually don't crave sugar and so opt for more savory breakfast options, but it was pretty tasty today.

Then, I finally took down my Christmas tree - I am giving myself a pass on how long it took since I wasn't here for the last three weekends, although that doesn't really excuse whatever was going on in January. I also took down my outdoor wreath, swapped my doormat for my usual non-Christmas one, took down the garland/lights wrapped around my banister, and generally ensured that my house looks seasonally appropriate. I also dealt with the piles of mail in my dining room, took out trash and recycling, etc., etc.

Somewhere in there, I started tonight's dinner - a harissa-rubbed pork shoulder with white beans and chard. This was v. promising - the rub involved harissa (a Tunisian sauce with chili, red pepper, spices, etc), tomato paste, brown sugar, garlic, and vinegar, and the rub tasted great before putting it on the pork. However, the pork came out so dry that it was basically inedible, and the beans were also dry, and the chard was just a mistake. I think the issue was that I had a picnic roast rather than a butt (thanks to a delivery error), which had less fat on it. I also may have used too large a pot for the size of the roast, and so the 1.5c water added to the roasting pan to cook the pork evaporated too much? I added more water when I took it out to add the beans, but then you were supposed to turn the temperature up and leave the pot uncovered for the last 40min, and it was way too dry at that point. I would actually try it again because there were bites that were great, but for an initial outing it was a severe disappointment.

That said, the rest of my afternoon was not a disappointment - I had a friendship renewal chat with Jane, Jen, and Joann, and it lasted for several hours and was a delight. Then I finished eating my disappointing dinner, cleaned the kitchen, messed around online, and finally finished FOUR LOST CITIES. The last city was Cahokia, which was located near present-day St Louis - they had a population of ~30,000 back in 1100AD, which means they were bigger than Paris at the time. It was a pretty fascinating read, although less detailed than a couple of the other sections because Cahokia didn't leave behind anything written and so a lot of guessing at social structure is supposition (although the Sioux / Osage are likely descendants who moved west from Cahokia and share some similar agriculture / art / religious stories).

Of course, the danger of reading nonfiction is that it makes me wish that I had become a history professor so I could have studied this stuff myself - but a) the actual history professors I know haven't exactly had an easy time of it from a career standpoint, and b) this book was written by a journalist, not a historian, so I could theoretically write something like it too.

But now, I'm desperate for sleep - tomorrow is an office day, in that I want to write and also work on my taxes, so wish me luck with that. Goodnight!

put your record on

I'm suddenly too tired to blog, probably because I stayed up until midnight, which is an hour later than I've been staying up recently. I had a decent day, though - I slogged all day, but I took a break to turn last night's chicken tinga leftovers into a quesadilla with a whole bunch of guacamole on the side, and it was delicious. And I stopped a little after four to go down to Aunt B's - she's in town for the week, and I managed to catch her before she sees anyone else, so it felt relatively safe. We hung out for a couple of hours, and it was definitely worth the drive (although I will say that I will be more careful not to miss my exit in the future - I accidentally missed the exit off I-25 to her house, and then the next exit was seven miles away and it added twenty minutes to my trip).

And now, having spent the rest of the evening doing absolutely nothing, it's time for bed - goodnight!

are you fed up yet

I've been seriously unmotivated since coming back to Denver - or rather, the things I'm motivated to do are not the things I should be doing. I awoke this morning to a winter wonderland - 6-8" of snow, gleaming in the sunlight. The storm last night was over by the time I woke up, and the sun was shining almost all day - so while there is still plenty of snow to be found, it wasn't as dreary as some of the snow days I had in Iowa a couple of weeks ago.

I did have a decent morning - I ate oatmeal and did some writing, and I will most certainly take that. Then I worked all day, although I had a break for a call with Alyssa, which was great as always. I wrapped up around six (with a call with an aspiring writer at work, which I enjoyed) and then tried a new dinner recipe - I made chicken tinga tacos with a side of brussels sprouts, and they were delish. Basically, it just required pureeing tomatoes, chipotles, onions, and garlic in a blender, then browning some spice-rubbed chicken and finishing the chicken by simmering it in that sauce. They were delish and I'm excited to eat leftovers for the next couple of days - although I have some ambitious recipes planned to try this weekend, so we'll see if anything tops the tacos this weekend.

Then I cleaned up, messed around, and put a foot peel on my feet (perhaps a mistake, but my heels are cracking and I think I managed to keep the peel from touching my ankles, which was the mistake I made last time and resulted in feeling like I had burned skin that wasn't meant to be peeled). And now I am going to read or write or something and go to bed - goodnight!

keep it to myself and in my heart

I'm falling asleep on my chaise with my contacts open, which is not a recipe for success - I need to go to bed immediately. But I'm being lulled to sleep by the snowstorm outside - it was forty degrees at 5pm when I went to the post office, and now we've received several inches of snow and are in a sudden winter storm warning.

Luckily I have plenty of groceries (as well as a warm house) to see me through, so I think I'll be fine. And now I'm going to try to make it to my own bed - goodnight!

it isn't that much but it's a good start

I think today was good overall, although I continued to have a headache. I got up early enough to write for an hour before work, and I had some delightful ideas for zee book, so I'm planning to keep that energy going tomorrow.

The rest of the day involved slogging. But I ended around 5:15 and ran over to Kelly's with the intent of just picking up a package that had gotten delivered there in case I was out of town when it arrived...and I ended up staying for dinner (and drinking two capri suns, which I feel like I haven't had since college). My willpower was weak in the face (nose) of the pork tacos they'd cooked in their slow cooker, and I also know she and her husband already had covid because she was super sick and missed approx two weeks of work last fall. So, I'll have to hope that Colorado's falling case count + the relatively low chance of catching it again mean we were all safe from each other.

Sssanyway, it was great to see her and her husband, and so I enjoyed the evening and was still home before eight. Then I did some more day job work since I'm feeling behind, but I finally threw in the towel around ten. And now I am going to read a bit and go to bed - goodnight!

tell me what you're trying to hide

Today was a classic transition day - I was exhausted from the drive, likely under-nourished from eating cheetos the whole way (#noregrets), dry from the altitude, and dislocated from three weeks away. So, while I did two loads of laundry, changed a light bulb, ordered groceries, and generally took care of tings, today was not amazing.

But I took a walk after work because it was in the fifties, which *was* amazing. My dad continues to improve, which is also amazing. And I relaxed most of the evening - tomorrow is soon enough to tackle some of the projects on my list.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

all my favorite songs are slow and sad

I'm back in Denver, after the v. sad realization that the only states I've been in in almost a year are Colorado, Iowa, and Nebraska. Colorado and Iowa are great, but I hate driving across Nebraska (and yet it continues to be my destiny). This is the one-year anniversary of my last week in California, and it feels like a lifetime ago....

sssanyway. Things seemed to be going well when I said my farewells to my parents this morning, so hopefully my dad stays on the mend. I left them with the threat that if I have to come back to cook for them, I'm cooking garbanzo beans, so hopefully that's some motivation. After I packed up my car and ate some breakfast and said goodbye to my parents, I hit the road - the drive is officially ten hours and twenty minutes, but I think I lost fifteen minutes because I stopped four times, so it was more like ten hours and thirty-five minutes. Usually I speed just enough to almost keep up the pace, but still, I feel like I made pretty good time.

The drive grows ever more boring since there is nothing new to see, but I had a long chat with [censored], so that helped. I also listened to an audiobook called CHATTER by Ethan Kross - it's about our internal monologues and how to reshape them (which is key, since my internal monologue veers mostly between arguing with coworkers + being worried about not writing enough + tallying up my quarantine stockpiles). It was really interesting and sort of made me wish I'd gone into neuroscience after undergrad - and it was a good audiobook to listen to while drowning out my internal monologue on the drive.

When I got home, I dragged most of my stuff inside, ordered Indian takeout, and took a quick shower. Then I had a family dinner zoom - we hadn't talked in weeks, so when John suggested a zoom tonight, we all showed up. Priyanka didn't join, and Sam was offscreen, but otherwise it was a full quorum: Claudia (aka Santy), Chandlord (aka Vidya), John and Jess, Adit wearing a v. fashionable sweatshirt, and Ritu and Bill (+ a very creepy doll that Bill left on screen as a placeholder before they could actually join). We had much to discuss, which was accomplished, and we also went a little too deep on discussions of influencers and SPACs and how to wipe off a cake.

And now, I'm completely wiped out and need to sleep since I have to work tomorrow - goodnight!

lorenzo's on yokohama tires, bling bling

I am headed back to Colorado tomorrow unless snow and the roads conspire against me, so today was mostly spent in preparation. That included packing, loading my car, cleaning up the downstairs, putting away things I'd taken upstairs, etc., etc.

However, it wasn't all work - I took a long break when Aunt B came down to see my dad, so we all hung out for awhile. I also took a nap, which was v. welcome. And, of course, I ate supper; my mom took over the kitchen again, and she made v. tasty steak with baked potatoes and some veggies and some sauteed onions/mushrooms, all of which were delightful.

So, that's pretty much all I have to report - I just spent more time than I intended looking at my laptop, so I should probably shut it down and aim toward my bed. Goodnight!

grey clouds roll over the hills

I have v. little to report today. I had a fairly productive day in front of my work computer - I had relatively few meetings, and I actually used my non-meeting time to get some stuff done rather than ignoring it and zoning out during my breaks as sometimes happens on Fridays. I also had a break to eat a cobb salad and talk to my mom - this may not seem very exciting, but as I'm going back to Denver on Sunday and will a) be able to order lunch (which is a plus) but then b) will eat it by myself (which is a minus), my lunch today was overall better than usual.

After I was done with work, I hung out a bit and watched some 'Tales of Wells Fargo' with my dad (a vintage western tv show that was basically propaganda for how great Wells Fargo was as a stagecoach / banking company back in the day, sometime before they started creating fake accounts to pad their books). Then I ordered Mexican food and drove into town to pick it up. While I can't get food delivered here, I'm delighted that the Mexican takeout is so delicious. When I got home, we ate supper, and I regaled my parents with what I know about Pompeii (much of which I knew before starting to read FOUR LOST CITIES, but I learned more tonight!).

Then I came downstairs, finished the section on Pompeii, started the section on Angkor Wat, and accidentally fell asleep. Then I spent some time ordering a new journal, since I'm about to finish the one I'm currently writing in. And now I need to sleep so I can start packing tomorrow - goodnight!

and the walls kept tumbling down In the city that we love

I had a very nice day, all things considered - it wasn't below zero outside, and there was some sun, and my mom made my favorite cheeseburgers and fried potatoes for dinner. I was also oddly productive at work - if you work with me and are reading this, I'm of course *always* productive, but today felt particularly so. I also journaled and drank coffee before starting my day, so all in all it was pretty decent.

My last meeting didn't end until 6:30, but at that point I was officially done and had no intention of picking work back up again. So I went upstairs, opened a bottle of wine, and enjoyed dinner with my parents. I hung out in the kitchen for a couple of hours after that; I couldn't talk my dad into playing canasta, but we at least had a nice lazy evening.

And now I think I'll read some more of FOUR LOST CITIES - I finished the chapters on Çatalhöyük, which was one of the earliest cities in the world (8000 years ago, in Turkey, where they had yet to discover roads and so built enough housing for 5000-10000 people as a sort of honeycomb of rooms with ladders up to rooftop exits). Next up is Pompeii, which ended in fire instead of slow decay, so I'm kind of excited about that. Goodnight!

cutting lines and blurring truth

Today was a good day, if you like people getting out of hospitals and don't mind dreary weather. I slept in a bit more than planned, but that was probably wise since the aforementioned dreary weather didn't help me to feel in it to win it.

But I slogged for most of the day, with a break for one of my beloved bologna sandwiches (yay midwest). And, even better, my dad got out of the hospital today and is back in the house, where I can subject him to my citified cooking regime. Tonight was all leftovers, and the mix of ham, chicken and wild rice soup, and sausages and peppers was a bit odd, but it was all still tasty and was far easier than me or my mom whipping up anything new. And since I have meetings until 6:30 tomorrow night, I think I might get out of cooking tomorrow altogether...but we shall see.

sssanyway, it's great that Dad is on the mend, even if his boot isn't exactly my style (but then, high heeled suede probably wouldn't be the right choice for his current needs, so I guess I'll allow it). I hung out with my parents from the end of my last meeting around 5:30 until almost nine, discussing lost cities and phosphorus and the psi at which natural gas moves through pipes and rural music venues in the 1970s (among other topics). And then I came downstairs and slogged for the last ninety minutes, which officially, *finally* mostly cleared my inbox after letting it suffer these last few weeks.

And now I'm going to read some more about lost cities and go to bed - goodnight!

give all that you got on the sword

Today was a day for slogging - my mom and dad were at the hospital and [censored] went home last night, so I had the house to myself and no excuse to avoid the dreaded inbox for my day job. The sun was shining, which brightened my mood - sure, it was like -14 when I woke up, but at least the sun was reflecting back off the mountains of snow that have accumulated and will cause fresh new miseries when they finally melt.

So I slogged, with a break to have a v. delicious cobb salad for lunch. I also took a break for a horrifying moment when I managed to pull a three-inch-long hair out of my eye - I had a sudden burning pain in my eye this morning and when I looked in the mirror I couldn't find the usual eyelash. But when I pulled my eyelid back I thought I saw something...and sure enough, I managed to fish out a strand of hair that must have come from my bangs and somehow fully immersed itself in my eye. This is truly a portent of the end times, even if all the snow and bitter cold aren't.

By 5:30 or so I was done with meetings, and then I watched a company meeting while doing last night's dishes (and took a break to talk to Aunt B). Then my mom came home and we ate leftover soup (with a side of leftover mashed potatoes as a vehicle for butter) and caught up on how my dad's day went. Then I did a bit more work, said goodnight, came downstairs, and have messed around until now.

But now it's time for bed, and by bed I mean thirty minutes of reading a book I started last night (FOUR LOST CITIES, which is about...four lost cities). Goodnight!

my bunker underneath the surface

It is absolutely bonechillingly, dangerously cold in ye olde Iowa - I can't remember if it got above zero today, but it was certainly well below zero by tonight. It also started to snow again around 5pm, which was most unwelcome. And it's so cold that the heated water dish we keep outside for the cats (who have spent the last four days hanging out in their 'condo', which is full of straw and cats) can't entirely keep the water from freezing, so my only venture outside today was to break the ice that had formed around the rim and add fresh water. That three minutes outdoors was enough to convince me that any further time outdoors would be foolish at best.

The rest of my day was moderately relaxing - I had the day off, but I got up somewhat early and spent the morning / afternoon taking care of some personal tings (like starting the dreaded tax prep) and taking a nap. Then I made chicken and wild rice soup for dinner (which will also be dinner tomorrow), and I prepped mason jar cobb salads so I have lunch the rest of the week. [censored] headed back to his residence late this afternoon (where it is something like -22), and then my mom came home, so I still had someone to eat my tasty soup with. Luckily it sounds like my dad is doing okay, so hopefully that trend continues and he can come home later this week.

And now, I am rather desperate for sleep - goodnight!

but brutus is an honorable man

Today was bizarre but lovely. I spent most of the day watching Shakespearean theatre in Dutch, which is not what I usually do in ye olde Iowa (or anywhere else). It's likely that none of you recall my blog post from 17 March 2017, when I went to a six-hour play in London called ROMAN TRAGEDIES. However, I recall it - it was a v. inventive, interesting piece of theatre, mashing together Shakespeare's CORIOLANUS, JULIUS CAESAR, and ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA into a six-hour play set in a 21st-century newsroom, replete with tickers counting down the minutes until major characters' deaths, tvs and cameras all over the stage filming and reproducing the action as it happened, etc.

So, since that production was amazing, I've followed the acting troupe on Instagram ever since, and so I discovered they were doing a one-night-only livestream of the play today. Of course, evening in Amsterdam (did I mention they're Dutch? so it's English subtitles) is morning here, and so the play started at 8am. I didn't bother to get up for Coriolanus, but I settled in just in time to watch Coriolanus die and segue into Caesar.

Watching it on TV was definitely a bit different - the audience piece of the live performance was really cool, because for most of it you could actually mill around onstage, buy a drink at the onstage bar as the play was happening, and sit in the middle of the action. But I also got to really see the actors up close, and that brought its own delights. And I could stay in my pajamas and then shower during a longer intermission, so that was a bonus as well.

Another bonus was that I somehow tricked [censored] into almost five hours of Dutch Shakespearean theatre - he came into my room to find out what I was doing just as I was settling in, and he ended up hanging out and watching. Since he got sucked in, we used a scene change to move my Chromecast from my bedroom to the bigger tv in the downstairs living room, where we were able to watch in some bit of comfort (not total comfort, since it was -5 degrees out and the heat in the basement is not totally keeping up).

Needless to say, I quite enjoyed the play, and it was a very welcome break from the same-old-same-old. However, spending five hours basically watching subtitled tv was not how I usually spend my days and it somehow took a lot out of me. So I spent the afternoon recovering a bit, and then I cooked supper - I tried a new sausage and peppers recipe from Barefoot Contessa, along with mashed potatoes, and they were delish.

My mom also came home from the hospital somewhat early because it's so cold and the roads are so bad - the road outside our house is not a priority for the country road crews, and she barely made it, Luckily it's #smalltownlife and she knows who grades our roads, so she called him to find out when he'd be starting out in the morning to clear at least part of the road. So, fingers crossed she can make it back to the hospital tomorrow or else my dad will be quite bored.

And now, I really need to sleep - goodnight!

tell me do you hate me or do you want to date me

The first half of today was supremely lazy - I slept until almost ten, which significantly altered my averages sleep for the week (I've been averaging 6.5hrs, which is not enough). Then, groggy, I mostly sat around and made to-do lists that I had little real intention of completing. In my defense, it was brutally cold and under five degrees and snowing off and on this morning; the sun did come out later, but that wasn't enough to warm things up to anything bearable. But today will probably feel like a pleasant memory by the time Monday and temps around -16 roll around....

So I was lazy this morning, but I eventually showered and forced myself to accomplish some tings. Since my dad is still in the hospital, my mom was there all day, and so [censored] and I took care of a variety of house / life issues. For [censored], that meant running some errands and then dealing with the drifting snow that was blocking our driveway. For me, that meant cleaning out the fridge, vacuuming, and then making dinner.

Tonight's dinner effort was a ham that had been sitting in the fridge downstairs + potatoes au gratin + baked beans. All in all I was delighted with the results:

• cooking a ten pound ham for three people was perhaps overkill, but I love ham, and also now there is ham + a ham bone in the freezer for future meals and/or soups
• the potatoes au gratin were a modified Barefoot Contessa recipe - I've made her version with fennel and onions a couple of times, but tonight I skipped the fennel/onions since it makes the texture a little different from the usual midwestern scalloped potatoes of my youth. The non-fennel/onions version turned out excellently, and super easy - just potatoes, gruyere, heavy cream, and salt and pepper, baked until bubbly and browned on top, and completely comforting.
• my baked beans weren't quite as perfect as my mom's, but it's challenging to get them just right because there is no recipe, just eyeballing the amount of brown sugar / ketchup. However, they were totally good enough, especially since I haven't made them myself in at least a decade, so I'll take them

Everything was ready shortly after my mom got home from the hospital; unfortunately for my dad he was stuck there eating hospital food instead of this feast, but it sounds like he had a good day overall, so I'll take that.

And now, I suppose I should go to bed - goodnight!

waste away the whole afternoon

No updates - I slogged in the morning, then spent the afternoon getting groceries, procuring another heated water bowl for our outdoor cats, etc. And I'm insanely tired tonight - fitbit says I'm only getting ~6.5hrs of sleep per night, which is not enough for my delicate constitution. So it's time for bed - goodnight!

she's one in a million girl

More slogging, more problems. Personal life was fine today, although I was tired; work was also fine, but I mostly just went through a slew of meetings without actually getting work done.

But I threw in the towel around 5, took a quick nap, and then drove into town to pick up takeout pizza from Casey's (sometimes a taco pizza is really what you want). [censored] and I ate together before my mom came home from the hospital, and then I hung out with her while she was eating and unwinding. Then I came downstairs, took out my contacts, and meditated, which is probably something I should have done hours ago.

And now, since I'm falling asleep before I'm even in bed, I think it's time to sleep - goodnight!

but don't fall in love

Today was another slog. Work was fine, although it included one of those presentations where I get to speak for approx sixty seconds to a senior VP, which required two weeks of prep. But my sixty seconds went well, so I will take it. Then I slogged relentlessly until around 5:30, when I paused to make supper - lemon chicken + roasted fingerling potatoes.

I held supper until my mom got home, so by the time my mom and [censored] and I were done eating, I was completely out of steam. And I remain completely out of steam, so even though I have a ton of work I need to do, I'm going to go to bed and see if I can do it tomorrow (answer: I can't because I have meetings straight from 9:30 to 5). So, wish me luck with whatever I don't get done tomorrow - goodnight!

you can look inside another world

Today was iffy, if I'm being honest. My dad had to go back into the hospital today due to ongoing issues with his infection, which is obviously not what any of us were hoping for (well, maybe the hospital was hoping for it for revenue reasons, but I can't think of anyone else who might have been rooting for this). Because of covid (aka destroyer of dreams) only one person a day can be with him, and so while my mom can spend as much time there as she wants (which is a good thing!), [censored] and I cannot avail ourselves of the dubious comforts of the hospital while he's there.

So, we said our farewells this morning and hopefully the new antibiotic gets some traction. After he left, I attempted to buckle down on work - that was not so successful early, but I did manage to get into some semblance of a groove this afternoon. I was done around 5:30, so I made black bean chili for dinner, and then went ahead and made a frittata so we'd have leftovers to eat for breakfast/lunch tomorrow. My mom came home sometime around 7:45, so she got some of the soup before [censored] and I ate it all, and she also got the pleasure of finishing the dishes when I accidentally grabbed the still-hot frittata pan (with the intent of washing it, not thinking about how recently it had come out of the oven) and burned the palm of my hand. Luckily the burn doesn't seem too bad - there might be one small blister, but it's not as bad as the time I burned a circle in my hand while doing a flaming shot in college, so I'll take it.

And now, I should probably sleep - it's hard to keep my head in the game when there are so many games I'm trying to keep my head in (family, writing, work, feeding people, health, etc), but sleep would undoubtedly help my energy. Goodnight!

oh, you, telling me the things you're gonna do for me

Another day in the online mines. I spent most of the day slogging, although I canceled some meetings to make it less onerous on myself. I also had a coaching call with Alyssa before starting my day, and she was a delight (and gave me a lot to ponder). And I met with the big boss, which was v. therapeutic (not something one usually says when meeting with one's VP, but I am #blessed and will take it).

And now, despite all the tings I feel like I should be doing, I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

tell your friends that you're okay, you're never gonna see them anyway

It was apparently Super Bowl Sunday or something?

j/k, I kind of half watched the game, but it was not going in Kansas City's direction early and I didn't really care enough to pay attention. I guess I should be happy as an almost-forty-something that Tom Brady has demonstrated continued relevance, but as I'm not willing to do the TB12 diet or literally anything else that Tom Brady has done to make himself into a football automaton, I don't think he's actually much of an inspiration for me.

sssanyway. I was more productive than yesterday, but that was a v. low bar to meet. I did a couple of tings around the house this morning, made some coffee, showered, ate some yogurt, etc., and then had a chat with Veronica - we didn't write this time, but it was delightful to catch up. Then I ate some lunch and fortified myself to tackle the great outdoors. In this case, the great outdoors was approximately 3 degrees and snowing, which made it more grim than great. But I was determined to get my car cleared off and put into my parents' garage in case I need access to it this week - it's supposed to be in the negative temperatures every night this week, with more snow coming, which makes getting out tricky if your car isn't covered. So I defrosted, brushed, scraped, etc., and I managed not to freeze to death mostly because I have heavy ski mittens + a hat with ear flaps + was wearing one of my face masks to protect from frostbite instead of covid.

Later, after my parents were home from my dad's doctor's appointment, I drove into town to get some groceries - I waited for them to get back so that I wouldn't risk meeting them on the road, since meeting someone on the road right now is v. treacherous. The country roads haven't been bladed or plowed or any other kind of treatment in recent memory, and most of them just have tracks straight down the middle with treacherous drifts and ditches on either side. Luckily, I can drive four miles into town and four miles back without meeting anyone, which was the case today.

So I grabbed groceries, came home, and made two dinners: tater tot casserole for tonight, and chicken tortilla soup for future meals this weeks. Both turned out amazing, if I do say so myself - I think I have perfected my gluten free tater tot casserole, although this version could have used just a bit more salt. And while I didn't eat any soup tonight, I tasted it and I think it meets my standards.

And now, after having done some journaling and a few other tasks, I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

out of control but you're playing a role

I got 8.5hrs of sleep last night, which was v. much needed. Still, today was pretty unproductive - there were many things I could have done, but none of them felt exciting to me and so I blew just about everything off.

However, [censored] and I took care of some tings in the garage while my parents were at one of my dad's doctor's appointments, so I guess that's something. I also walked out to the mailbox to get the mail - this should not be impressive, but it was approx 8 degrees and dropping fast when I did so. And I made a v. tasty salmon + spicy red pepper aioli + mashed potatoes for dinner, and the end result was delightful.

But now, after that v. boring post, I need to go to bed and hope tomorrow yields more results - goodnight!

every good gold digger's gonna wind up there

I have nothing of note to report today - I slogged, but not entirely effectively since it was Friday and I was feeling over it. [censored] and I went into town and picked up takeout from the Mexican restaurant, which was delicious. I guess it was nice to get out of the house while it's still a balmy 18 degrees, since it's supposed to be below zero for much of the coming week. And I also talked to Katie for a lovely interlude - we didn't have a ton to catch up on either, but we can always make an entertaining conversation.

And now, I've been falling asleep in my chair for awhile, so it's time for bed - goodnight!

in the v.i.p. with the movie stars

Another day. Today wasn't too onerous from a meeting standpoint, but unfortunately they were pretty straight on from 10 to 2, which meant I got hangry somewhere in there (hangry enough that I ate a Kind bar in a meeting and told them that I had used the company's stock gain from yesterday to buy expensive snacks, which in retrospect is a joke that you really had to be there for). However, I didn't have as many meetings as yesterday, and I didn't get angry in any of them, so I will take the win however I can.

The rest of the day was uneventful, with the exception of it feeling like a shadow of ye olde prairie times - I walked out to the mailbox to get the mail and it was 18 degrees with major windchill + blowing/drifting snow, which felt a little dire. And [censored] and I caught a shrew in our hallway - well, [censored] caught it with a trap, but I was the one who came out of my room and was startled to see it. FYI, in this case a shrew is a small venomous mammal similar to a mouse, not a Shakespearean character meant to be tamed. We haven't seen a shrew in the house in several years, so I'm guessing it somehow got in to escape the cold, but I sincerely hope it's not a harbinger of things to come.

I also spent tonight enjoying some of my mom's delicious roast beef, watching Storage Wars (per their inflated valuations of things they find in storage, I think I'm sitting on a gold mine of discarded things in my basement), taking care of some personal business, etc. And now I should really sleep so I can make it through work tomorrow - goodnight!

with your delicate wings, i used to weave

I should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I was working until an hour ago, and it always takes me a bit of time to unwind after a slog. Today was fine, all in all - I had a lot of work and a lot of it was vaguely unpleasant, but I survived it. And I took a long break in the evening to make sweet potatoes with that special chipotle and maple butter + some broccolini with cheddar, which paired well with the hamburgers my mom made.

But now, after giving you as little content as possible, it's time for bed - goodnight!

flying towards the moonlight

Today was certainly much better than yesterday:

- my coffee was better because I cleaned my grinder

- I meditated before work and managed to not get insanely angry at anyone (one meeting came close, but I managed to avoid going into thermonuclear meltdown, so I'm taking the win)

- I had a tasty cobb salad for lunch thanks to last night's efforts

- [burying the lede] my dad got out of the hospital today, which is great news!

- my last meeting of the day included wine, which is a delight

- I got to hang out with both parents tonight over dinner, yay

- then, unfortunately, I worked another couple of hours, but at least I'm feeling moderately caught up and potentially able to focus

And now, I'm going to try to force myself into bed so that I can get up reasonably early - goodnight!

i feel it in my fingers, i feel it in my toes

I'm too tired to blog - I got a decent amount of sleep last night and woke up this morning v. excited to hit the work hard. But my body had other plans - my dad is in the hospital, this was the second anniversary of losing my Uncle Mark, and someone at work got on my absolute last nerve. All of those things combined meant that I sublimated my worry and grief into intense anger at my coworker, which didn't help matters (although I am enough of an adult to suggest a conversation about this issue for tomorrow rather than putting him on blast immediately).

But I was able to stop around six, and I reheated leftover potato soup while also finishing prep work to make some mason jar cobb salads. My mom got home a little before eight and we hung out for a couple of hours, which was great. And now, I really need to sleep - goodnight!

do you have enough love in your heart to go and get your hands dirty

This weekend did not go according to plan. Not that there was much of a plan, beyond staying in my house - but it's possible that I would have taken down my Christmas tree if I had stayed in my house, and also possible that I would have started organizing my taxes or done myriad other things around my domicile.

Instead, I'm in ye olde Iowa. I left Colorado yesterday (around 2:30pm, after an abbreviated front porch hangout with Katie), spent the night in Lincoln, and finished the drive today. Long story short, my dad is in the hospital, and while he's doing much better, it felt like coming home and helping out with groceries, Netflix access, etc., might be the right thing to do.

So I rolled into home around 12:45pm and said hi to [censored], who had held down the fort over the weekend but was headed back to his house this afternoon (my dad went into the hospital on Thursday, so [censored] came home then). [censored] helped me with some car unloading, and we chatted, and I ate some of the delicious vegetable beef soup that he'd made, and that was all delightful.

Then he left, and I spent the afternoon unpacking and organizing since I have to work tomorrow. Then I made some food - tonight's endeavor was potato soup, which was delish, + a bit of prep for making salads tomorrow. My mom came home from the hospital a little before eight, so we ate soup together and caught up, etc.

And now, I have stayed up slightly later than planned (but in a productive fashion, since I wanted to spend some time with my planners to scope out the month ahead). So it's time for bed - goodnight!

then you try to scream but it only comes out as a yawn

No blog tonight - I'm already in bed but my laptop isn't in bed with me, and I'm too tired to type a whole entry on my phone (even though that is sometimes the method I use). So you'll have to wait until tomorrow for substantive updates - goodnight!

i've been thinking lately of what i'm missing in the city

Today was not the most productive Friday I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst either. I let myself sleep in a little bit (to 7:30 - how indulgent) and then made coffee and rode my Peloton. I really am liking the bike quite a lot - and I'm also liking the fact that I can get some exercise without forcing myself out into the frigid wastes of a rocky mountain winter.

After that, I showered and just barely made it to my nine a.m. meeting. Then I had meetings until around noon, when I paused to greet a plumber - in addition to my painting debacle this week, I also had a leak in the shutoff valve to my irrigation system, which meant that I needed to get it fixed before I ended up with frozen pipes. The plumber was quick and efficient, and it seems that the issue is fixed, so I'm happy that at least one home project seems to have gone right this week.

Then I ate some takeout chile verde, messed around the rest of the afternoon, got a little bit of work done, and was generally just productive enough to not feel guilty that I wasn't even more productive. When I was done, I dashed to the post office, then came home and spent most of the evening organizing, taking care of household chores, etc.

And now I'm desperate for sleep - goodnight!

so don't delay, act now, supplies are running out

Today had some v. strange moments. I had a few good meetings in the morning, felt v. professional, etc....and then at three p.m. it utterly devolved. I had organized a few fun events for the Boulder office, and today was a mixology class (which I of course put myself into, since I wanted to do that rather than paint or decorate cookies or whatever). Thirty-some people dialed into the call, made small talk, etc. - and then the bartender showed up, and he was perhaps the most ridiculous stranger I've interacted with in a year. He was just so strange and bizarre and hilarious, and clearly all of us were stunned and yet simultaneously enjoying it. We made some 'winter warmer' that was basically hot chocolate with bourbon in it, and then the second drink was a cranberry margarita. I only made the winter warmer because I was pacing myself and needed to drive later, but all in all the event was a smashing success.

After, I hung out (virtually) with my friend Tomas, who happened to be in the same event - we finished our drinks on screen together and caught up on life. And we realized that part of what made the event was so weird and wonderful is that we just don't have those weird serendipitous interactions with odd strangers anymore - I can't think of the last time I truly interacted with a stranger beyond a few minutes at the grocery store (or, I guess, the weirdo painter dude yesterday). I want that back so badly, but today was a v. entertaining glimpse of something akin to 'normal' life.

sssanyway. After I hung up with Tomas, I ran a couple of errands -  mostly picking up an order that was waiting for me at Nordstrom and also returning an online order. Then I came home, ate some leftover beef stew, did a bunch of laundry, talked to my mom, and generally took care of many house tings.

But now, it's past my bedtime and I have a lot on my list tomorrow, so I think it's time to sleep. Goodnight!

i wish i was a little bit taller, i wish i was a baller

Today did not go as planned - I'm okay with that, but it certainly threw a wrench in things. I got up and felt pretty good about finishing the prep to empty my bedroom for the painters, and I got everything taken care of and squared away. I also drank coffee, showered, had some yogurt, did some quick personal tasks, etc., and generally felt on top of things....

Then the painters arrived, and long story short, I overheard a very awkward argument in which the subcontractor decided he no longer wanted the job, and so he walked out before starting. I was actually fine with this as he seemed incredibly dumb - he asked three or four times what paint was going where, which was v. concerning because I am using one (1) color for all of the walls in the master bed, master bath, master closet, and guest bath. Granted, there were two ceilings that needed to be painted white (small ceilings, in the closet and in the small toilet room), but really, one (1) color + two ceilings shouldn't be hard for a painter to remember.

So, they were here approximately fifteen minutes, the manager (who had given me the quote and was just here to help the guy get started + move my bed) was profusely apologetic, and I'm back on the schedule for Monday with a different painter. This is really not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but it means I can't spend the weekend putting my bedroom back together. However, maybe that means I'll take my Christmas tree down....we shall see, we shall see.

After that, the rest of the day was anticlimactic. I had a bunch of meetings, of course, and I ended up with a coaching call with Alyssa. Then I made myself a hemingway daiquiri and called [censored]. After I talked to him, I reheated some beef stew, did some tings around the house, etc., etc.

And now I should either do some day job stuff or go to bed early so I can get up super early to tackle it - we shall see. Goodnight!

drill it in like you're j. paul getty

Nothing of interest to report. I continue to stare at the same walls that I have been staring at, but tomorrow some of those walls will be a different color - the painters are coming for my bedroom/bathroom. So I spent a couple of hours this evening moving everything out of my bedroom and closet so that I'm ready for them tomorrow. I still have to empty my dresser, but I think I'll do that in the morning; other than that and stripping my bed in the morning + moving my lamps, everything is good to go.

Beyond that, nothing exciting happened - although I did write this morning, and it went well, so I'll take it. I also had to shovel snow this evening, since it snowed lightly but steadily all day. Yes, things are v. exciting in quarantine these days.

But tomorrow's painting will be exciting, and so I'll take what I can get. Goodnight!

someone give me fucking zen

No blog tonight - today was supremely unexciting. I got up and did some tings before work, and then I slogged all day. I had fish chowder for lunch, and it seems to get even better as it ages...but I assume there is a cliff after which cod will definitely not continue to get better.

After work, I made beef stew in my instant pot - I believe this week is officially soup week. And I did some more stuff around the house, amused myself with some tiktok, and wrote in my journal, so that was all lovely. But after this v. boring entry, it's time for bed - goodnight!

they say these waters aren't what they used to be, but i've got people back on land who count on me

Sunday Scaries were out in full force today, but I managed to salvage some decent times in spite of them. I spent the morning doing a bunch of office stuff (for my writing life, not for my day job life), and then I had a chat with Veronica (we usually try to write together, but today we mostly caught up on life). Then I was supposed to have another friend zoom call, but I was feeling zoomed out from the week + desperately in need of doing tings around the house, so I bailed.

That gave me ample time to take care of some tings - mostly related to painting swatches of paint all over my bedroom and bathroom, since I have painters coming Wednesday to turn my dark, cavelike, not-at-all-my-color bedroom into something that will make me happier (or at least more able to wake up in the morning). I also talked to [censored], since we were overdue for a catchup. And I talked to my parents, of course - it's our usual Sunday call, but I managed to call slightly earlier today (albeit still probably later than it would be wise to, since it usually cuts into dinner time).

However, I wasn't particularly hungry when I got off the phone since I'd had a weirdly late lunch, so I rode my Peloton instead. So far I'm very happy that I bought it - I am actually enjoying it, which is a shocker. Then I took a shower (seven p.m. showers are usually not my thing, but they are when I just exercised), and then I finally heated up some of yesterday's leftover fish chowder. It was much better today - the flavors had melded together, and it was quite tasty. I have way more fish than I will be able to eat before it goes bad, but at least I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow.

Then I journaled, did some laundry, did some writing stuff, etc. And now I should sleep so I can get some work done tomorrow - 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!

all the blue light reflections that color my mind when i sleep

I'm too tired to blog effectively - I didn't get enough sleep the last couple of nights and it's starting to hit me, so I think I'll go to bed as soon as I write this. Today was pretty good despite that - I made some fancy potato fennel gratin the other night and I leftovers this morning, and it was wonderful for breakfast (cheesy potatoes are basically breakfast anyway, right?). I then slogged pretty relentlessly all day, which enabled me to check a couple of tasks off my to do list that I've been avoiding, and that always feels good after it's done.

By 4:30 or so I decided to let myself be done, so I chatted with Katie to make a plan for tomorrow, then ran to the post office to finish setting up a PO box (I don't need a PO box in normal life, but if I get serious about writing business again, it's good to have a box that isn't my home address). Then I came home, rode my Peloton, poured a glass of chardonnay (probably not the approved post-workout recovery drink), and talked to Irish Matt. We hadn't talked since before the holidays, so we had much to catch up on.

Then I ate leftover takeout from last night, turned on the tv, and spent the rest of the evening watching Netflix while making a meal plan and a grocery delivery order, crossing tings off and adding tings to my to-do list, etc. And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

put the blame on vcr

I have nothing of importance to share today - I got up in time to do about an hour of work before my first meeting, which was enough to get me a little closer to set up for success. Then I slogged straight through until 5:30, with a quick break for a walk around the block somewhere in there - I had meetings straight from nine to five, with only thirty minutes for lunch, so it was extremely exciting when one of my meetings ended early.

Then I ordered takeout Indian food, and while I waited for it to get delivered, I rode my Peloton. I chose a ride through Golden Gate Park, which made me supes nostalgic - the ride also went by Cliff House, which has now closed, and it was all a bit surreal. Then I took a quick shower, ate, and spent the evening doing a variety of personal tasks (mostly related to cover designs, so that's exciting).

And now I should wind down and consider going to bed - goodnight!

river running free, you know how i feel

Well, today was something. I didn't get nearly enough day job work done (although I slogged very steadily all afternoon), but I watched the inauguration, ordered a poke bowl for lunch, and forced myself to answer many emails. In the evening, I made a potato fennel gratin to go with some leftover ham balls from my freezer - the potato fennel gratin is basically just fancy scalloped potatoes, and while it would have been healthier to eat a salad and ride my Peloton, tonight called for fancy potatoes instead.

As for the inauguration, I will spare much commentary since it will likely either offend some of my readers or duplicate what the rest of you already feel. But for my own posterity upon rereading someday, the highlights:

* the national youth poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, read an incredible poem and I'm in awe of her talent

* Garth Brooks' a cappella version of Amazing Grace made me cry (and also text [censored] to congratulate him that one of his classmates got to perform at the inauguration, since Garth graduated from the same graduate school as [censored] and surprised everyone by showing up to get his diploma)

* Lady Gaga definitely had some Hunger Games vibes, but her voice is out of this world

* I wish I looked good in high-waisted wide-legged pants, but I do not, so I will leave them to Michelle Obama

* it was rather nice, after the last four years, to see a pretty bipartisan display of unity in the speeches from McConnell, McCarthy, etc....and now we see what comes next

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

way down had to find a place to lay low

Today went about how I expected it to - I was not in it to win it after the three day weekend. However, I did get up early enough to write before work, and I was prepped enough for my meeting with my boss, and I got done the things that absolutely had to get done (but probably not as many things as I should have gotten done).

Sometime after five, I felt done enough, so I succumbed to the lure of tostitos and queso (which I never eat at home, but I was in the mood, and the queso that I have been stockpiling in the basement is at its expiration, so I guess I need to clear out the stockpile and buy fresh). Then I threw a potato in the oven in anticipation of wanting a real dinner and place a phone call to [censored]. We caught up while my potato was baking, and it was a delight. Then, when my potato was done, I cut the convo and focused on my prize - a baked potato that was not very interesting, but served with leftover ham balls from my freezer that were quite delicious.

And then I did v. little the rest of the evening - I did about twenty minutes of work, and did some research into various tings online, and doomscrolled, etc. And now I need to get off screens and go to bed - goodnight!

no more contacting please we are sleeping

I was supremely happy to have today off, but of course that just means delaying the inevitable and also cramming a five-day workweek into four days. Still, I'll take today for what it was. I actually slept pretty well last night, despite being distracted before bedtime (hence the failure to post my blog - I sat down at my desktop this afternoon and discovered that my blog was sitting half-written on my screen). And this morning, I got up in time to spend a couple of hours on a zoom with my old coworker/mentor Laura, who lives in San Antonio and who occasionally gets a mention here. We hadn't connected in about a year and a half, so our catch-up was overdue, and it was delightful to chat with her (and exciting to know that she'll probably be in Denver more frequently in the future).

Then I ate lunch, messed around on my computer, and talked to my mom. And then I did a Peloton ride - it was the hardest one I've done so far, which is probably not hard for people who've been riding it forever, but I was v. happy that I did it. The nice thing about having the Peloton in the guest room is that, when I'm done riding and stretching, I can promptly fall back onto a bed, which is superior to the relaxation options at a normal gym.

After that, I showered, ate a v. late sandwich, and ran a couple of errands - Bookbar to pick up a couple of books I'd ordered, and then Sherwin Williams to pick up paint chips for a possible master bedroom painting project. The master bedroom/bathroom/closet is the only room that I didn't paint (other than the guest bathroom) last year, and I think it's time to spice it up (aka finally patch the places where my movers damaged the wall / the removal of my old windowshade screwed up the paint). We'll see what I go with, but looking at colors is always fun.

Then I came home, took out trash and recycling, did a bunch of other tings downstairs, remade my bed, ate some leftover chicken, did a bunch of writing business stuff, folded a couple of loads of laundry, looked at paint chips in my bedroom, etc., etc. And now I think it's time for bed - goodnight!

she stole my broccoli casserole recipe

[editor's note: hmm, apparently I forgot to finish this! posting at 1:15pm on Monday for posterity]

Luckily I don't have to work tomorrow, so the sunday scaries are postponed until Monday. Today was pretty good, all in all, although I perhaps over-socialized. I had a Sunday morning writing/catch-up call with Veronica (in which I wrote, yay). Then I took a quick break to run an errand and eat a sandwich before hopping back on my computer - I had a video chat with Maya, whom I hadn't talked to in forever. We used to see each other at writing conferences every year + my somewhat regular trips to NYC, but I haven't been to a live writing conference since 2018 and haven't been to NYC since sometime around then either, so our catch-ups have fallen off dramatically. It was great to see her, and hopefully we'll be reunited sometime later this year (but we shall see - I have a lot of travel places on my list).

Then I messed around with some writing business stuff and also put some chicken in a marinade. After that, [....and this is where I stopped typing and got distracted by doing a lot of tasks on my to do list! goodbye until later!]

two hundred miles to clear, chasing a sound i hear

I woke up this morning feeling like I could have slept another five hours, but I forced myself to get up and at 'em. This meant coffee, and some yogurt, and a quick Peloton ride; it also meant getting out of the house around ten, which is v. unusual for me these days.

The first stop was Aunt Becky's - she had a gift that I'd gotten through our family white elephant exchange, so I stopped by to pick it up and say hi. We chatted for a bit, but unfortunately I couldn't stay long - I had a second social commitment today (unprecedented!) down in Colorado Springs, where I had a backyard hangout with Barbara. She's living in a new-to-her house while renovating her old house, so I got a tour of the new house before we sat in the backyard and ordered food from Modern Market. The weather was surprisingly great today - still in the forties, but with the sun and no wind it was pleasant enough to sit outside.

So, we caught up for a few hours, and it was a delight. We also drove (separately) over to her permanent house to see the remodel in progress - the main floor has been completely gutted, and it was exciting to see what it will become. Then, we sadly parted ways so I could drive back while it was still daylight, which I accomplished; I also stopped at Sprouts on the way home to pick up a couple of things I couldn't get at Safeway last night, and I'm feeling pretty well-stocked.

Then I mostly did nothing the rest of the night - I was too tired and too lazy to even turn on the tv, so I mostly laid on my chaise lounge like a fainting Victorian. And now I'm going to go to bed so that I can reclaim some semblance of productivity tomorrow - goodnight!

the name of the ship was the billy of tea

I am falling asleep downstairs rather than upstairs, which is really not a good idea, so I need to wrap this up. I had a relatively productive day - I continue pursuing my strategy of 'get something done today because maybe tomorrow something terrible will happen to keep you from being productive', and it seems to be working. Unfortunately, when it comes to the day job, the more productive I am = the more work shows up for me, so I'm not sure this is a great strategy.

But I had a decent day, so I'll take it. I wrapped up around five and eventually went to the grocery store (with a brief chat with Katie somewhere in there) - this time I went to Safeway, rather than Whole Foods, because I wanted bologna and potato chips and Coke Zero and other preservative-laden wonders that I can't get at Whole Foods. Then I came home, put away my groceries, and talked to [censored]. Once we were done, I finally ate dinner - the last of the leftover salmon/broccolini/potatoes from the other night, which were still perfect tonight.

And now, I think I shall go to bed since I have grand plans tomorrow - goodnight!

drive out of the city, away from the crowds

I don't even know what today was when it comes to my mood. I think it was good? But I didn't sleep at all well last night, on top of several nights of not sleeping well, and so I awoke bleary eyed and not particularly in it to win it. I meditated and journaled and coffeed my way out of my stupor, and I made it to my laptop just in time for my nine a.m. meeting. That led straight into many hours of meetings - my only break from 9am to 4:30pm was lunch. But I used part of my lunch break to take a ten minute nap, which may have been the only thing that saved me.

That nap also restored me just in time for a meeting with my VP, which went really well. And it restored me for a work fun event this afternoon - my team organized a virtual cocktail class, and it was super fun. They sent us a couple of kits in advance - one to make blood orange mojitos, and one to make some sort of old fashioned. The bartender worked at both Foreign Cinema and Bourbon and Branch, both San Francisco establishments of high regard, and now he's teaching virtual classes on zoom because that's what happens in a pandemic. So we made the drinks, and they were utterly delightful, and it was fun to hang out with people virtually...

...but I haven't had two cocktails before six p.m. in a lifetime, and I hadn't had dinner, so that promptly turned into ordering pizza from Blue Pan and making a second mojito (third drink overall - and I didn't finish it, but I did photograph it for instagram). Then, since I clearly wasn't going to attempt any further impressive feats, I finally succumbed to my desire to watch BRIDGERTON - it's taken Romancelandia by storm, as well as continuing to top the Netflix charts, and I've been saving it for a time when I knew I could binge it. I have a long weekend starting tomorrow night, so now seems like the right time - I watched two episodes tonight, and so far it's great.

I will have many more thoughts to share on it when I go deeper - but since I read all the books and know all the characters, and have imagined all these settings forever, it's v. entertaining. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!