ricochet, you take your aim

Another day, another recognition that I will not quite get done everything I want to get done. Today was a lot better than yesterday from that perspective, though. I didn't write before work, but I got a bunch of other stuff done before slogging all day (and having a meeting with the big boss somewhere in there that went well).

But I was in meetings pretty straight from 9-6, then talked to Katie (who is in the wilds of Iowa, which means we have to catch up over phone calls instead of tacos), then talked to my parents, then talked to [censored]. At that point my jaw physically hurt from talking too much today, but I had more things to do - I ran to the pharmacy, came home, tidied a bit, and then did an hour or two of day job stuff that I had been putting off.

And on that note, I need to sleep so that I can recover in time for tomorrow - goodnight!

i'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

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

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

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

do interviews on mental health, how i'm living the dream

Today was my first day back at work post-vacation, and it went about as well as first days back usually go. I did manage to get up and write before work, which was wonderful. However, what was not wonderful is that I somehow forgot to take my contacts out when I went to bed last night, and so my eyes were sensitive enough that I had to wear my glasses today. Wearing my glasses in the daytime always makes me feel like I'm about to take a nap, so that probably didn't help my lackluster productivity.

But I made a smoothie for breakfast and made a quinoa tabbouleh salad with grilled chicken for dinner, so at least I had that going for me. It was my first time using my grill this season, so I had to do a bit of cleaning to get it ready, but my chicken turned out perfectly. I also ran a couple of quick errands (mostly to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things that I couldn't get yesterday), did a bit more work, and read twitter / journaled.

And now I'm going to go to bed and hope that I can repeat the writing feat tomorrow while perhaps managing to get some other things done too - we shall see. Goodnight!

nice to meet you where you been

As I expected - nay, planned for - I had a v. unproductive day today to make up for how productive I was yesterday. However, I didn't really feel significant Sunday Scaries - I probably should have, but I've avoided a lot of work emails over the past two weeks and so don't feel connected enough to worry about whatever I'm getting into tomorrow. Hopefully the reentry won't be too brutal...

Since last night's shenanigans kept me up late, and since I heard my friend Sara leave relatively early this morning (she snuck out quietly, but I heard the chime of my security system tell me that the front door opened), I stayed in bed and lazed until my heart and body didn't want to laze anymore. Then I ran to Starbucks to get iced coffee, came home, and spent most of the late morning journaling / planning / contemplating while sitting on my patio.

Eventually it got too hot to be lazy outside, so I moved my laziness inside. I did, at some point, decide what I'm cooking this week and order groceries, since my fridge was completely barren (confession: there were vegetables in the veg drawer when I got home from my travels, but the squash/zucchini were so rotten that they fell apart as I was pulling them out and I had to wash the whole bin. clearly having a separate veg drawer that I don't see unless I open it can cause some problems when I'm cleaning out the fridge pre-travel...). I also talked to my parents, who seemed to be in fine form. And, happily, I rode my Peloton for the first time in a couple of months - I would say my calf is almost fully healed, and so I felt pretty safe attempting a bike ride, but I took it easy to avoid turning the occasional twinge into a full-blown reinjury. Hopefully now that it's healed and I'm back in Denver for awhile, I can get back into Peloton and get some exercise.

I then spent the rest of the evening taking care of some personal business tasks. And now I should go to bed - it's earlier than I usually go to bed, but I want to get up and take a walk and/or write before work, so early bedtime seems like the right call. Goodnight!

keep me second guessing

I'm typing this on my phone, so it will be quick - but I had a v nice day in my own house, with some fun socializing at the end of it. I spent most of the morning doing yard stuff - I trimmed things, raked things, and cleaned things. I also planted most of the plants I bought yesterday - I still have a few things left and need to decide if I'm going to put them straight in the ground or get a couple more containers, but I'm happy with what I accomplished. And my patio furniture is reconfigured for non social distancing - I am considering getting a small table so I can eat outside more easily, but we'll see.

Then I showered, changed bedsheets, and generally tidied up until my friend Sara arrived. We haven't seen each other in person in over a year - she was one of my last houseguests last year, and we talk at work a lot anyway, so in some ways it felt like no time had passed. But we had many things to catch up on, so we hung out for over six hours - first on my patio, then dinner at Fifth String, then more time in my living room. We've both worked at our company for like a combined 25+ years, which is crazy, and so we had both new and old stories to keep us entertained.

Also, Fifth String was basically as amazing as when Katie and I went - Sara had fried green tomatoes that certainly weren't gluten free but were incredible. I ignored my gluten issues tonight and had pasta, which was also a delight - I may regret it tomorrow, but I'm hopeful.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

playing too much of that dr dre

I'm back in Denver, safely ensconced in my upstairs office, where I spent the last twenty minutes making a list of all the things I want to get done with my two days of remaining freedom before my vacation is over. Of course, there's no way I can accomplish everything I actually want to get done, since that would require writing two books and finishing ten house projects and relandscaping while also taking baths and doing my nails and riding my peloton and pursuing other forms of vanity. But there are some solid things that I can knock out this weekend while also letting myself enjoy the sun and heat and last minutes of relaxation before I enter 'chaos girl summer' (as I described my current work situation to a coworker today - I would prefer a hot girl summer, but chaos may have to do).

sssanyway, I woke up this morning a little loath to get out of bed, but I finally forced the issue, got up, and took a shower. Then I had my last breakfast at the ranch - it was a leisurely morning on the patio, and my tanner-than-usual arms indicate how intense the sun is up in the mountains even when I'm out in the mid-morning and slathered in sunscreen. After breakfast, I threw my things into my suitcase and checked out of the hotel - I'm sure I'll go back someday, either with work or for another retreat-type excursion, but it felt good to head back to my own house.

The drive back wasn't quite as bad as the drive up, mostly because the return trip usually keeps you in the lane that hugs the mountain rather than the lane that zips merrily alongside the abyss. So, I made it back to Denver without incident (but without finishing the venti cold brew that I picked up on the way out of Fraser, since I didn't quite feel like drinking it while navigating switchbacks). I had a bit of time at home to eat some lunch (tuna dumped out of a can and mixed with some mayo and pickles - not quite as fancy as my last couple of days, but it certainly tasted good), and then I went over to Kelly's to hang out for a little bit since I probably won't see her for a month. Then I went to a greenhouse and loaded up on plants - I didn't really feel like going, but I do feel like planting some annuals in containers, and I figured that tomorrow the greenhouse would be slammed.

After that, I came home, ordered a pizza, took care of some business, and then walked to pick up the pizza. I also talked to [censored] and to my parents while sitting on my own patio - it needs some cleanup and I need to leaf blow and do some trimming of various things, but it's nice to be back.

And now I should sleep so that I can make the most valiant attempt possible on my to do list tomorrow - goodnight!

now i drive alone past your street

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

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

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

son of a whore and a scotsman

I have not figured out my entire life on Day 1 of my mini-retreat to the mountains, but I gave it my best effort. Today was glorious, all in all - sunny, warm (but not too warm), and perfect for relaxation. I had breakfast; I walked across the meadow; I laid out by the pool and started SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER, which is a memoir that came out last week to all sorts of (deserved) acclaim. Then I got a massage, because that's what one does here - it was the first massage I'd had since covid started, and it was so amazing that I'm getting another tomorrow.

After the massage, I had a margarita and a salad on the patio while journaling, and then I talked to Alyssa for our usual Wednesday check-in. Then I read some more of the memoir before going for dinner, where I journaled some more. Then I brought a glass of wine back to my room, and I was too intoxicated by the book to finish the wine - instead, I gulped down the last section of SOMEBODY'S DAUGHTER like it was the finest libation imaginable. The narrative arc of the book was deceptively simple, focused mostly on her experience as a child in a difficult household marred by a father in prison and a mother who couldn't manage to keep it all together without succumbing to (understandable) rage. But the prose was gorgeous, and there were some interesting questions about what's forgivable, how families engage and model 'appropriate' behavior for each other, etc. All in all, I loved it, and I'm glad I had it with me today.

And now, I should probably sleep - I want to repeat most of these feats tomorrow, but with a different book and perhaps a bit more journaling and a bit more movement. Goodnight! 

playing peek-a-boo with the devil these days

No blog tonight - I had a great day, but I'm super sleepy and am going to indulge and sleep as much as possible tonight. But I made it to my undisclosed location, which I shall now disclose as Devil's Thumb Ranch - I've been here three times before for work events, but it's exciting to be here on my own. I'm planning to read and write as much as possible and try to get my bearings after a truly wacky year, so wish me luck with that. I'm sure two days of vacation is enough to fix everything, right??

And now it's time to sleep - goodnight!

you think that you're space ghost, you're wanted coast to coast

Today was mostly spent in service of the noble cause of leaving Nebraska and getting back to Denver. The trip was totally uneventful - I had to stop a couple of times for gas, food, etc., but the sun was shining and the traffic was super light, so it was a good day for a drive. I spent several hours of it listening to NOMADLAND, which is an audiobook I had downloaded; it mostly talks about all the formerly middle class people who have accidentally become itinerant workers in RVs, often working for little more than a place to park their RVs during a farming harvest or getting some cash via seasonal work in Amazon warehouses. So if you want to be depressed about how you can do everything exactly right and still lose the game as its currently rigged, or if you want to be anxious about whether it can happen to you, this is the book for you!

sssanyway, it's good so far, so I'll have to find excuses to listen to it in my house since I usually only listen to audiobooks in the car. When I got home, I attempted to balance my desire for relaxation with my desire to get some tings done - so I did three loads of laundry, but I also ran and picked up some books from BookBar, browsed a couple of clothing shops on Tennyson, etc.

And now I really need to sleep - I have a full day of errands / driving tomorrow, since I'm taking this week off to have a 'proper vacation' - maybe not proper in the sense that I'm not going to see anyone I know, but at least it's a break and at least I'll have some time to read, write, and relax in the sun. So wish me luck with that and I'll blog from my undislosed location - goodnight!

the story of us

No blog tonight - I'm in a hotel in Kearney, Nebraska, which is not my favorite town of all time despite how much time I seem to spend here. I had a great last day in Iowa, but that meant I got out much later than planned - I didn't leave until five, which is absurdly late for a 10.5hr drive home. But I knew I would leave late enough that that I would have to stop somewhere, and this was a pretty good trip all in all.

So, I need to sleep so that I can get on the road tomorrow - goodnight!

once more you open the door

Today was lovely - one of those perfect summer days with family and good weather. We spent most of the day hanging out with my dad's side of the family - Aunt Kathy, Drewbaby, Aunt B, and Uncle B all came down for the day, and I'm pretty sure it was the first time we'd all been together since sometime around Christmas 2019 (which is a little wild).

So we hung out, mostly on the patio (despite the outdoors causing severe allergies for Drewbaby; my allergies weren't great, but they were nonexistent compared to how badly I react to touching anything that was in the old house). We also had lunch - my dad had ordered a smoked turkey from a neighbor who smokes meat, and my mom made layered lettuce and five cup salad, and Aunt B brought roast beef salad. And [censored] (whom I shall now call Punxsutawney Paco for reasons that don't matter), Drewbaby, and I got some cousin time in, which is always welcome.

Aunt B and Uncle B had to go back to Des Moines for an evening event, but Drewbaby and Aunt Kathy stuck around to have dinner (which was just lunch revisited). They eventually said their goodbyes, and then I came downstairs with the intention of packing, which I definitely didn't follow through on. So now I'm going to go to bed so I can do that in the morning - goodnight!

last great american dynasty

Today was lovely, but I didn't get enough sleep last night and I'm starting to feel it. I spent the day hanging out around the house, taking care of some tings that I wanted to get done here (tings like resetting the wifi, going through some stuff that [censored] and I rescued from the old house, etc). My dad and I also took a trip back into the field to examine the property - it was a perfect day for that, since it's finally warm and feels like real summer, and I'm deeply delighted that it's unlikely to snow on me unexpectedly in Colorado in the next three months.

Tonight, I made Mongolian beef for dinner - the beef turned out excellently, if I do say so myself. And we all celebrated the fact that my dad is finally off his IV antibiotics for the first time in many weeks, which means that he doesn't have to go to the hospital every single day to get an infusion. This is v. good news, and hopefully the forward progress continues.

But now I'm desperate for sleep - goodnight!

so they dug your grave and the masquerade will come calling out at the mess you've made

I'm sleepy and should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I'm also on vacation and don't wanna go to bed, so whatever. Today was fairly lazy, especially compared to the last couple of days - I made some iced coffee and journaled and scribbled some notes to myself, and also did a few desultory things on my task list. But mostly, I didn't do much, and that was great. I did drive out to the lake and sit for awhile, contemplating the past. I also drove into town to get a few groceries, which was fairly unexciting. And [censored] and I drove around a bit this afternoon to examine various things in town; I'm usually entertained by these excursions, since [censored] knows a lot about property in town and I always learn something somehow.

In the late afternoon, I prepped some accoutrements for dinner, and then I talked to Alyssa for awhile. After that, I finished making dinner - I made shrimp tacos and ground beef tacos, which meant there was something for everyone and also there are leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The shrimp tacos with slaw and pickled onions were great (I make them on the regular anyway), and the ground beef tacos were also delish (especially because I made guac to go with them). So, that was all tasty and was a worthy reward for my sloth today.

After dinner, I came downstairs and talked to Terry for awhile, and then I hung out and did some tings online. And now I really should consider sleeping - goodnight!

and i speak to you like the chorus to the verse

The old house is officially gone, and I have to say that it's 100% a good thing. Today started early but went as well as it could have gone - I went upstairs around 7:20 and promptly accompanied my dad into town to pick something up, and when we got back the crew was ready to go with the demolition. So I spent most of the day watching that - it was a bit surreal to see someone on an excavator use the bucket to rip through the roof over my bedroom, or tear the porch off the front of the house, etc., etc., but it was also v. satisfying.

The demolition was surprisingly quick, all things considered - as of tonight, the whole house is gone and the site has been smoothed over, and all that's left is to finish a bit of cleanup and spread some fresh dirt on top so that my dad can get his guys to seed the yard sometime. But it was an oddly relaxing morning to stand around (and later sit around, since I commandeered my dad's gater so I could easily drive around the yard and catch the action from various shaded vantage points) and watch the destruction of the house I grew up in.

We saw some occasional things get revealed that we recognized, and somehow my dad's bowling ball and also a crate that we'd taken to/from Ukraine emerged unscathed from the wreckage, but for the most part it was all blessedly quick and easy. And I'll also say that the advantage / total oddness of small town life is that you know so many people - so where in a city this would have been an anonymous, transactional engagement with the demolition crew, in this case the excavator operator was in my brother's graduating class and one of the other two guys was three years ahead of me in school. It was both easy and bizarre to have people we knew tearing our house down, and yet so very different from hiring contractors anywhere else.

So, that was today. I also went it town to mail a package and wash my car, then cruised around the other town and talked to [censored] for a bit (he was present for our house demolition in the morning, but then he went to accomplish other things). Then I came home, took care of some tings, and made dinner - I cooked a v. tasty chicken stuffed with cheese/bacon and wrapped in prosciutto, and it was delish.

And now I'm contemplating sleep, so we'll see how that goes - goodnight!

my charade is the event of the season

Today was utterly bizarre but weirdly fun, but I'm sure I will be processing this in the back corners of my mind for awhile. I had a rather lazy morning, but then [censored] and I spent the whole afternoon dealing with the detritus of the old house. For those of you not in the know, the house I grew up in is still (as of tonight) standing, but we moved out fourteen years ago after my parents built a new (10x nicer) house and left the old house to the elements (traditional elements in Iowa: air, earth, fire, water, raccoon).

It's finally getting torn down tomorrow, but that meant today was the last chance to rummage through it and see if there was anything left to salvage. Because of the aforementioned raccoons, the place was both a mess (they have been rummaging much more than us, so there are abandoned things strewn everywhere) and also felt dangerous (we didn't see any animals, but were constantly on edge that something would appear from a hole in a ceiling or floor; and the kitchen floor was so soft where it's been continually exposed to the elements that the bathroom was inaccessible and my parents' bedroom felt like a trap).

But [censored] and I maybe possibly enjoyed ourselves - I shouldn't speak for [censored], but I enjoyed myself, and it was all made easier because I was wearing a respirator and goggles and so couldn't smell anything and also wasn't getting anything into my eyes. And I certainly enjoyed myself when [censored] put me on the telehandler platform and lifted me up to the second floor to peer in through a broken window and take some last pictures of our bedrooms - we didn't trust the stairs and also were loath to go anywhere without multiple exit paths, so there was no possibility of going upstairs, but the lift was good enough for one last look.

So, we salvaged a few things, abandoned other things, accepted that we will never know what was left behind in the extremely scary storage room upstairs (we called it the room of doom even when we lived there and no one had been in it in years even before we moved), and generally had a grand old time. By seven-ish we were done with what we could do, so [censored] did a last few things outside and I took a shower so I could drive into town and pick up pizza. When I got home, I took a few last pictures of the exterior right in the best moment of late sunlight, and then we ate pizza and generally relaxed. And then, unfortunately, I had like an hour of work to do, but hopefully I don't have anything else to do while I'm on break.

And now I desperately need to sleep - the crew is showing up to tear things down early tomorrow, and I want to be awake when it happens. Goodnight!

one stop to the rhythm that divides you

I spent most of the day messing around and watching [censored] install a new garage door opener for my parents (the actual motor / chain for lifting the garage door, not a clicker or something). I am of minimal use in these endeavors because my skillset mostly consists of making money so that I can pay other people to do this, but I am capable of handing him various implements and also sitting on a bucket and waiting, so I guess I am an okay first-year apprentice.

This endeavor was not what I intended to do today, but it involved far fewer raccoons than I was expecting from my Sunday, so I guess I'll take it. I also did some journaling, drank some iced coffee, hung out, and enjoyed a tasty supper of bratwurst, potato salad, and baked beans, so all in all it was a lovely day. And we'll see what tomorrow holds, but for now it's time for bed - goodnight!

she listens like spring and she talks like june

I had a v. uneventful day and I ended up in Iowa at the end of it, so I would say everything went as planned. I got an excellent amount of sleep in the hotel in Lincoln last night, and I'm glad that I stopped when I did because I was exhausted and there are not that many places to stop between Lincoln and home (even though it's still a 3.5hr drive at that point).

So this morning I woke up, cleaned up, and got out the door in record time. I also stopped at Whole Foods in Lincoln to pick up some tings for cooking this week, so that was a worthwhile endeavor. Then I grabbed a venti iced coffee and some egg bites at Starbucks and commenced the rest of the drive. As I said, it was uneventful; it was v. pretty in late May across southern Iowa, since everything is still really green and the summer heat hasn't set in yet. I stopped in Mt. Ayr for gas, but otherwise just listened to a bunch of satellite radio, talked to [censored], and contemplated life.

When I got home, I unloaded my car (mostly by loading things into my dad's gater and driving it around to the back of the house, which was worth it. Then my mom and I went to the next town over to buy more groceries - she had been out of a lot tof things, so we had to stock up. The biggest priority for me was that she get bratwurst, and that was accomplished, so I think we can take a break for the rest of the week.

Haha, just kidding, this summer is going to be a lot, and this week has a lot of tasks teed up for completion. But hopefully we get through a bunch of stuff. And now, after abruptly ending this recap because I'm falling asleep, it's time for bed - goodnight!

some kind of hip-hop beat

I'm in a hotel room in Lincoln, Nebraska - I intended to get to Iowa tonight, but I didn't end up leaving my house until after eleven, and that drive just seemed too long. So, I paused for the night, which I think was wise. The drive was entirely uneventful, and I listened to a couple of podcasts and generally chilled. 'Chilled' is, I suppose, literal - it was almost eighty degrees when I left Denver, but it was in the fifties by the time I got to Lincoln. I'm hoping it warms up in the Midwest this week, bc this is a v inauspicious start to my first vacation of the summer.

But that's a problem for another day - right now it's time for bed. Goodnight!

i wanna bathe with you in the sea

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

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

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

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

imma be the fliest chick

Today was a long but lovely day. I had meetings straight through, which was a slog, but I started with iced coffee and got a salad delivered in the middle, so it could be worse. Then I ended at 5pm, talked to my parents for a bit, and then had my friend Kelly over - we hadn't seen each other in person in ages, and so when she texted this morning about an impromptu hangout, I happily agreed. We ordered Mediterranean takeout, and as usual we hung out for five hours instead of two - and it was a pure delight.

But now, even though it's only 10:25pm, I think I'm going to detox and go to bed so that I can be in it to win it for my meetings tomorrow - goodnight!

imma be making all them deals you wanna do

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

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

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

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

is it any wonder i'm not a criminal

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

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

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

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

hey, must be the money

I had the Sunday that I wanted to have, for the most part. That meant getting up and running to Starbucks for iced coffee, then getting my car washed (including washing the inside rubber floor mats), running a couple of errands, etc. Then I talked to Veronica for a bit - she was in fine form, and I probably won't be around for chats the next few weeks, so I'm glad we caught up.

Then I ate some lunch, took a nap, and almost decided not to do anything at all. But I rallied to go to the mall, where I returned something and planned to shop and buy some new tings. However, my phone notified me that my garage camera had spotted movement, which looped me into the fact that my garage door hadn't closed when I left. So, rather than buying anything, I sped home and shut my garage door. Luckily nothing was stolen, but still, it was a rather annoying and abrupt end to my mall excursion.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon / evening talking to [censored], talking to my parents, and doing a bunch of random stuff around the house (things like changing lightbulbs, organizing closets, etc. that I haven't had time for while I've been driving back and forth the Iowa the past few months). I had intended to cook tonight, but the garage debacle also meant that I didn't go to the grocery store, so I ordered Indian takeout instead.

And now, I should sleep - I have a v. busy four days at work, and then I'm going to Iowa and taking next week off, so we'll see how that goes. Goodnight!

so tell me when it kicks in

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

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

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

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

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

i am an idiot walking a tightrope of fortune and fame

Today was a delight. I started working at 8:15ish, which is earlier than usual, but that part was sending emails while sitting outside on my back patio for the first morning this season. The trees are shedding insane amounts of finished blossoms, so the patio furniture doesn't stay clear for long - but it was warm enough to sit outside in a tank top, which is so fucking overdue after nine months of the worst winter in several decades in Denver, so I will take it.

I spent the day being quite productive, with a break to eat some leftover spaghetti and another break in the afternoon to take a quick nap (the joys of working from home). Eventually, it was time to throw in the towel, slather on some refreshed makeup, and drive over to Katie's to pursue our evening activities. She and James got a babysitter for the first time in a year, and so the three of us walked over to Root Down for an early-ish dinner. Root Down was a favorite before the pandemic, and it continues to be a favorite now - especially since I was able to reserve outdoor seating, which is on their perfect covered outdoor patio. The drinks were a delight and the food was absolutely perfect - we had the usual devils on horseback (bacon wrapped around cheese-stuffed dates) and arepas, and then Katie and I split a steak and some scallops, and it was the perfect meal. The three of us also discussed a variety of ridiculous topics, including alien threesomes, so it almost felt like life is getting back to some semblance of normalcy.

After that, James went home to relieve the babysitter, and Katie and I kept the party going by going to Lady Jane for a nightcap. We scored a table on their patio as well, far from the madding crowd (things have really accelerated in Denver - we went there two weeks ago and it was dead, but tonight we had to wait ten or fifteen minutes and it was totally full). So we discussed #smalltownlife and childhood and adulthood (and more alien threesomes) over wine for me and beer for her, and it was perfect.

At that point, it was ten p.m. and we were feeling snackish, so we hopped down the block to bartaco and grabbed a second dinner. bartaco has the pandemic ordering situation down to a science - we didn't have a server, just an app to order and pay through - which was odd because the inside definitely feels like a real, upscale restaurant and not some sort of fast-casual order-online kind of place. But it was nice that no one was hovering, and at that time of night it was pretty empty - so we got our tacos v. quickly. My pork belly taco was incredible, and the carnitas were great too - so I would definitely go back at some future date.

But that future is a ways away - I'm going to Iowa on Sunday, and Katie will be in Iowa all of June (but on the opposite side of the state from my parents), so our fancy dinners will have to go on temporary hiatus. And luckily I didn't go overboard with the drinks - I need to do a million things tomorrow, and nursing a hangover isn't one of them. So hopefully I can get some sleep and hit it hard tomorrow - goodnight!

dancing in the moonlight

No blog tonight - I had a good day and I ended it by making spaghetti all'amatriciana (spaghetti with bacon, red onions, crushed red pepper flakes, and tomato sauce for those of you who don't like Italian words). But I had a lot of screen time and way too much conversation, and now I need to detox and sleep - goodnight!

please don't make any sudden moves

I had an okay day, all in all, although I had a headache most of the evening - I think maybe the botox I inject in my jaw to keep it from clenching (thanks, 2020!) is wearing off. Or maybe I was just stressed, or hadn't had enough water, or had too much sugar, or didn't eat at the right times - my body is certainly finding ways to remind me that I am aging into decrepitude and can't bounce back as quickly.

sssanyway. Despite that, I had a good day - work was fine, and I had a tasty lunch (leftover salmon / mashed potatoes / brussels sprouts) + a v. tasty dinner (takeout thai food, which was especially good because I haven't had thai food in months). I also spent some time at lunch using my leaf blower on my patio, which was v. fortuitous because it was still nice in the evening and so I was able to sit outside on my patio furniture for the first time in months. This was the first day that felt like summer might almost be here, and I'm hoping it stays clear because sun is always good for my mood.

And now, I should probably consider going to bed - goodnight!

i can see the end as it begins

It's definitely time for bed - I had a rare 10-11pm meeting, and while I'm thankful that they're much more rare than they used to be in previous roles, I'm still feeling tired and cranky for having to take this one. The rest of my day was pretty good, though; I had some meetings, got some work done, and then headed north to meet up with Caroline for dinner.

Caroline and I have seen each other a couple of times during the pandemic, but it was all backyard patio stuff. Tonight, we met in Lafayette, near her new house, and had v. tasty Mexican food (and even tastier margaritas) at a restaurant that just happened to be one of the last restaurants I went to before coronavirus shut everything down. The evening was delightful - we had a lot to catch up on, and it was also wonderful to have enchiladas served on a real plate instead of soaking into a to-go container.

After dinner, we went to her new place so that I could get a tour. Then I drove home and talked to my mom on the way - my dad's latest surgery today went quite well, so that's a hopeful sign. And then I journaled, did my meeting, and am now contemplating bed - goodnight!

cruel professor, studying romances

I have nothing of note to report tonight. My return to work was as brutal as it usually is on Mondays - I got up in time to make coffee, foam roll my back, and wash and dry my hair, but I really wasn't feeling in it to win it.

However, the meetings I had were good ones, and I was able to stop around five so that I could make dinner. I made a seared salmon with spicy red pepper aioli, some brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes, all of which really hit the spot. And I talked to my dad for a little bit, which was nice - he's going in for another procedure tomorrow, so hopefully that goes well.

Then I cleaned up my kitchen, did a couple of loads of laundry, and watched Top Chef while giving myself a gel manicure. And now I think it's time for bed so that I can get up tomorrow and hopefully be a little bit more put together - goodnight!

prove yourself, you are the move you make

First and foremost, happy birthday to [censored]! [Censored] turned [censored] years old today, and usually we do not get to celebrate in person since I'm rarely in Iowa in mid-May. But since we were in the same location, we got to eat the lemon cake that I baked for him last night, and I coerced him into blowing out some candles, so that was v. exciting.

However, I did not stay all day to celebrate - I flew back to Denver this afternoon, although I anticipate that I'll only be here a few days and will likely drive back to Iowa next weekend. So, [censored] was forced to celebrate the birthday by driving me to Des Moines in the rain, which is probably not what he wanted to do. When I got to the airport, I had time to grab some food before boarding - and I got upgraded on my flight, which was v. exciting. The airports were shockingly full - Denver was a madhouse, and felt like pre-pandemic levels of travelers, which I was honestly not excited about because I do not like large groups of people anymore. But I made it here entirely uneventfully, picked up my car, and grabbed a few groceries on my way home so that I have something to eat tomorrow.

And now I think I'll try to go to bed early - I haven't gotten enough sleep the last few nights, and it would be nice to rectify that this week. Goodnight!

i drank champagne with kings and queens

I'm too tired to blog tonight and had intended to go to bed two hours ago. But suffice it to say that my dad got out of the hospital today, and I only spent five hours or so sitting around (one hour at a Starbucks patio with my journal, four hours in the hospital parking lot - but that included a random visit from my sister and two of her kids, and I also spent most of the time sitting on a sidewalk instead of cooped up in the car). On the way home, we stopped at Long John Silver's at my dad's request, which I haven't had in at least a decade because of the gluten, and I have to say their deep fried fish is still amazing.

Then we got home, I took a nap, and then I ran into town to get a few tings at the grocery store. A little later, [censored] and I picked up Mexican takeout, and then the four of us ate and talked until 10:30ish. During that time, I also baked a lemon cake for [censored]'s birthday, and I hope it turned out okay - we'll find out tomorrow (or rather, today). And then [censored] and I watched too many youtube videos, and now I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

blue are the people here that walk around

I'm way too tired to blog tonight. Today didn't go quite as planned - my dad had stents put in his leg, and it was supposed to be outpatient, but while the surgery went well in the sense that it opened up blood flow, it was a lot more stenting than they expected to do and they had to admit him overnight.

So, [censored] and I spent another six hours or so sitting in our favorite parking lot at the hospital. We ran an errand beforehand to get some stuff at Sam's Club, and I left the parking lot a few times to get a couple of tings at a grocery store, pick up a Starbucks order, use the bathroom, etc. We were also joined by Aunt B for awhile, and while the public safety car kept creeping past us to see why we were there so long, we were generally undisturbed.

Mom finally left the hospital sometime after eight pm, and we decided to stay in a motel tonight. But since she smokes and the only motels with smoking rooms are pretty dire, this was perhaps a questionable decision. My room (non-smoking) is fine, but since I have been fantasizing for months about staying in a fancy hotel with a spa and room service, it's a real kick in the teeth to instead be staying in a room with flickering lights and no shampoo.

So after we checked in, we went to Perkins (a Denny's equivalent) at 9:30pm. The food was really good, or at least really needed...tater tots and gravy go a long way toward making me acquiescent about a bad motel. Then [censored] noped out of staying here under the pretext that someone needs to feed the cats tomorrow, so he left at 10:30pm and should be at my parents' house at midnight.

So at least I have this room to myself, and at least the air conditioner finally started working so it's not a million degrees. And at least we're fifteen minutes from the hospital and hopefully my dad will get out tomorrow. We shall see, we shall see. Also, I need to check on my hobo stab insurance before I go to sleep, so I think it's time to sign off. Goodnight!

sleep the day, let it fade, who was there to take your place

I'm back in ye olde Iowa after a thoroughly uneventful travel day, which almost felt like a vacation because it involved french fries and not answering work emails. I woke up this morning and made coffee, took care of final house tings, trimmed my bangs (the most important part of my preparations), showered, finished packing, etc. Then I drove to the airport, which I used to go to so frequently that it was almost annoying, but since this is only my third plane trip in the last fourteen months, it still feels fresh and novel. Okay, maybe not fresh, since I'm still paranoid about catching covid (especially because I don't want to bring it back to my dad - or my mom for that matter). But definitely novel.

I got to the airport early enough to have lunch, so I treated myself to a caesar salad, french fries, and a glass of sauvignon blanc (that + the dramamine I bought in the airport ensured my survival on the v. turbulent ascent out of Denver - dramamine for the motion sickness, sauvy b for the nerves). The Denver airport restaurants are mostly reopened, perhaps at reduced hours, but capacity has been cut, so the tables were spaced out enough that it felt pretty safe. Then I strolled to my gate just in time to board, stowed my carry-on, and spent the whole plane ride (with the exception of five minutes of ascent when I thought I might panic vomit) reading THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO. So far so good - I'm about halfway through and I am enjoying it, although too soon to tell if I'll end up recommending it.

When I got to Des Moines, Des Moines airport proved to be as delightfully easy and efficient as always - between the point when my airplane touched down on the runway and when I was sitting in my rental car was less than fifteen minutes, and that was with the plane taxiing to the gate + me walking slowly to preserve my almost-healed strained calf muscle + a stop at the bathroom.

So, I made it back to southern Iowa with no drama and just in time for supper. My parents can get a perfectly prepared whole smoked chicken from a neighbor for $8, which is absurd (per my citified price estimates) and v. delicious, so we had smoked chicken and salad and baked potatoes. Then I took my dad for a drive to find him some cookies, which we don't usually have around because my mom and I can't have gluten (but my dad certainly does, and his foot situation is cramping his style of getting gluten on the sly when he's out and about in his normal routines). It was a really nice night for driving around and looking for cookies, even if cookies are hard to find in rural Iowa - the sun was just setting when we set out, and so we drove around and examined things (and managed to score some rice krispie treats that weren't great, + some brownies that may be made without any real adherence to food licensing rules but are apparently pretty good).

After that, we got home and talked to my mom for awhile, and then it was time for them to go to bed and for me to sit in my recliner in their basement and watch tiktok videos. That seems like such a cliche, but it was a good break. And now I need to sleep - we're going to Des Moines tomorrow for another procedure (on my dad, not me, obvi) so hopefully that goes well. And hopefully [censored] and I don't have to spend more than a few hours sitting in a car staring at our favorite tree in the hospital long-term parking lot, but we shall see. Goodnight!

he can't keep his wild eyes on the road

Today was another work-filled day. I have nothing to report from that, other than that I just did an hour or two of work tonight to try to catch up before flying back to Iowa tomorrow. But I had a break at midday to eat a poke bowl, and I had a break in the afternoon to talk to Alyssa, and I also spent the evening talking to Katie + packing + watering plants + taking care of house stuff. I would say that things are generally in good shape for my departure, even if I probably should have gone to bed an hour ago.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

do you love your neighbor? is it in your nature? do you love a sunset? aren't you fed up yet?

I have nothing to report today - I got a lot of sleep last night, did some work today, and made slow cooker carnitas for dinner. And that, truly, is about as much excitement as I had for today - so I'm going to sign off and try to rest my eyes for the night. Goodnight!

a hundred and five little blades in a line

No blog tonight - I've spent too much time looking at screens today. It started last night, of course - staying up two hours later than planned to (re)read things about Soviet Russia that I mostly already knew was perhaps not the best use of my time. But I slept well and deeply, so even though I was scrambling this morning to get work stuff done that I should have done last night, it was all good.

So I spent the day working, with a lunch break for a tuna melt. I also did some work stuff + some personal stuff tonight, while reheating yesterday's pasta + making egg muffins for breakfast for the next couple of days. And now I need to sleep, or at least shut down my laptop - goodnight!

this isn't what i signed up for

I had a pretty good day, although I definitely didn't get enough sleep going into it - after staying up way too late reading, I slept fitfully and was awake well before I got my usual 7-7.5hrs. But I pulled myself from bed, made an iced coffee, and showered - since I didn't shower yesterday, I considered this a triumph. Then I had a morning call with Veronica, which was, as always, a delight.

After talking to V, I made more iced coffee, made myself hash browns and fried eggs for lunch, and then did some stuff around the house - laundry, kitchen cleaning, stretching, talking to [censored], etc. I also forced myself to leave the house to get groceries. This was not a big errand, since I am going back to ye olde Iowa for a few days at the end of the week, but I needed a couple of things to get me through so that I don't just eat takeout all week (not that there is anything wrong with that!).

When I got home, I talked to my mom for awhile - she seemed to be doing well, and she called me back to report that a calico cat that had been missing for several days had just turned up, so that was a highlight. Then I made supper (the tuscan sausage and chard pasta that I had made a few weeks ago - so simple, so good), cleaned the kitchen, folded my laundry, etc.

And then I finished the book I was reading last night - it was A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, which I'd started a month ago and then not felt like reading while I was in Iowa. Also I hadn't felt like reading it because I didn't want it to end. But it was incredible, and also right up my alley for obvious reasons:

• I'm obsessed with zee russians
• I'm obsessed with aristocrats and class issues
• I'm obsessed with fancy hotels
• I'm obsessed with fancy meals and fine wines
• I'm currently obsessed with how extroverts make an entire world and life out of a v. constrained environment, which basically describes my pandemic experience

If you don't know why those bullet points are relevant to this book, the basic gist is that, in 1922, as the Bolsheviks are tearing up the old Russia to make way for the new one, a thirty-something aristocrat is sentenced by a tribunal to life under house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. He likely should have been shot, but he'd written a poem that inspired the revolution - so they let him live, but he could never leave the hotel again. He was quite the character, and the hotel itself felt like a character, and the period through which the book is set is, of course, fascinating.

sssanyway, I quite enjoyed it and have now spent two hours going down a vast and deep wikipedia rabbit hole instead of sleeping, so it's time for bed.

And finally - happy mother's day to all the mothers out there (especially to mine!), and hugs to those of you whose mothers aren't here to celebrate. I hope you all had a delightful day!

all the bad things disappear

No blog tonight - I had a very lazy day (and a nice long chat with Ritu), and almost went to bed at 9:30, but I picked up a book and suddenly it's 1:30am. So I need to go to sleep immediately - goodnight!

i'll be all you need and more

I'm v. tired but I had a v. lovely day (or at least a v. lovely end to it). I woke up this morning in time to have some fairly leisurely coffee before getting started with work, and work itself was not too onerous - I got through most of my inbox backlog (which was a miracle in and of itself) and got some actual work done, and also had some good meetings, so that was all great.

Then I sloughed off slightly early to get ready for my evening plans - Katie and I hadn't been out to dinner in fourteen months (although we've seen each other all the time in quarantine), so we decided to break the seal tonight. We had six p.m. reservations, but we were both not feeling it in terms of work (Katie because she had taken the afternoon off, me because I was tired), so I went over to her place a little before five and we grabbed a drink before dinner. Our first stop was Lady Jane, which we used to go to often in the beforetimes - I had a tiki style drink with an umbrella and everything, which felt like a v. warm welcome back into the fold of people who sometimes go to bars.

Then we went to our dinner reservation - I had booked us an outside table at The Fifth String, and the weather was perfect for it. If anything, it was a little too perfect - it turns out their outdoor tables are still in little greenhouses, which would have been great in winter but was roasting for the first bit of our dinner. However, it cooled off soon enough, and the food and cocktails were so amazing that the temperature didn't matter. Fifth String is where Old Major used to be, and while we always liked to go to Old Major for the ambience and the location, Fifth String has way outdone Old Major in terms of food. My cocktail was perfect, and Katie and I went all in on food - we started with oysters (and omg I've missed oysters), which were delightful. Then we split two prix fixe menus (i.e. ordered things and then shared them) - the appetizers were a wagyu carpaccio and a hamachi crudo (the carpaccio was almost too decadent, since the raw beef was covered in some incredible bites of other things; but the hamachi was just right). The mains were a Japanese pork dish and a halibut on top of the most perfect buttery mashed potatoes. For dessert, we had a strawberry pie and a v. nice sorbet. All in all, the food was to die for, especially after a year of eating takeout or #quarantinechef endeavors.

Of course, it's allergy season and so now I have a sore throat and am convinced I have covid, but other than that it was an incredible night. Katie and I discussed many and varied tings over the course of approximately four hours together, which was way overdue since I've been in Iowa. We ended the night sitting in my car and talking like we often do, and I could have kept talking forever...

...but I'm also old, and clearly that's true because we both paced ourselves and didn't get drunk despite the temptation of those killer cocktails. So we said our farewells and I came home, and now I'm considering bedtime. Goodnight!

stand and deliver

I have nothing interesting to report today - I slogged most of the day, which was neither good nor bad. I took a break from 5-5:30 to do nothing + put a chicken in the oven to roast, then I had one last meeting before calling it a day. It was nice out for the first time this week, so I spent some quality time on my patio cutting up the limbs that had fallen in my yard during one of the recent snowstorms - I still need to use a saw or some other cutting implement to take care of the two main limbs that were too big for my loppers, but I got all the extraneous branches and twigs off and into my compost cart.

Then I finished making dinner (roasted chicken, roasted broccolini with cheddar, and a baked potato - pretty good!), ate dinner, cleaned my kitchen, and then relaxed the rest of the evening. And now I really should go to bed - goodnight!

who needs a house out in hackensack...is that what you get with your money

I had a good day today - I started it by writing a ridiculous email to the office about seating charts, and I'm always happier when I can start my day off by writing jhokes about nonsense and sending them to a couple of hundred people. I then slogged my way through meetings, but none of them were too onerous. I spent about fifteen minutes sitting on my back steps to enjoy the sun during my lunch break, which was well timed because immediately after that, we had twenty minutes of thunderstorm + hail, and then it was sunny again and you never would have guessed there was a storm. Colorado weather is a trip.

So I worked all afternoon, took a break to talk to Alyssa, and then had one unusually late meeting from 6-6:45. After that, I talked to [censored], talked to my parents, and ate leftover stirfry. Then I had a call with Subz - we hadn't talked in ages, so it was really nice to hear her voice for an hour.

And now, I believe I shall go to bed and hope that tomorrow goes similarly smoothly - goodnight!

feels like a night to carry a tune

I'm too tired to blog tonight - today was fairly boring work-wise, with at least one chaos meeting to liven things up (with my coworker who 100% agrees with everything I say while stabbing me in the back, but this time I caught him stabbing me in the face, so we shall see how I deal with that!). I ended the day by making a chicken stir fry (pretty good but needs a lot more salt / umami), talking to my friend Nicole, talking to [censored], doing a crossword puzzle, and generally messing around until now.

And now I'm going to shut off my laptop and start winding down - goodnight!

it's so ironic it's iconic i get off on it

Today was the usual brutal Monday reentry into job and life after being away. In other words, I should have been v. productive and instead mostly stared at my inbox and faked my way through meetings. But I did what I absolutely needed to get done, and then stopped around 5:30 to pick up a grocery order at Whole Foods (there were no delivery windows, but ordering to pick up still saved me a lot of time).

Then I came home, talked to my mom, talked to [censored], and did a bunch of stuff around the house (laundry, empty the fridge of my disgusting, ancient foodstuffs, general tidying, etc.). I also made some egg muffins like the ones I was making in Iowa, but something went hilariously wrong, because they puffed up and spilled over the cup edges and melded into each other. Either the eggs puffed up too much due to altitude, or the ingredients I used (feta, roasted red peppers, and zucchini) had too much water and somehow expanded too much. Idk, but we'll see how they taste tomorrow.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

he always holds the door but i found him in a mosh pit

I'm v. v. tired, which is always how I feel after driving back to Colorado. The combination of the drive (which was rough on my still-healing calf, although I think it'll be okay if I'm careful), the interminable miles across Nebraska, and the return to altitude after several weeks away leaves me feeling dehydrated and almost hungover.

That said, today was as good as the reentry day can be. I woke up this morning and got on the road pretty quickly, thanks to the fact that I had leftover Casey's pizza and a Starbucks coffee drink in the motel minifridge so that I didn't have to deal with finding food when I left. I did end up stopping in North Platte for gas, which was a bit of a jhoke because the pump was going so slow that it was taking a minute per gallon (well, actually, 54sec per gallon - I timed it). So I left with only four gallons, grabbed a coffee, and drove to Colorado, where I stopped in Sterling (I think) for more gas and another drink.

I made it home around 12:30pm MDT, unloaded everything from my car, and promptly spent most of the afternoon lounging in bed. I knew that the likelihood that I would feel like doing anything this afternoon was slim, so rather than fighting it, I just changed into some shorts, opened my balcony door to air out my room, and lazed. I spent an hour talking to [censored], who was on his way back to [censored], since we hadn't had enough conversation the last few weeks (and also [censored]'s drive is almost five hours, which is shorter than mine but still can use some phone call distraction to get through it). I messed around on my phone and sort of napped. All in all, it was a lovely, lazy, blurry afternoon, and it was what I needed.

I did rally in time to order dinner from my favorite Indian place (which was strangely not as good as usual), and I did two loads of laundry and unpacked a bunch of stuff. And then I ended the night with a family zoom call - we were overdue for a call. Adit, John, Jess, Claude, Sam, Ritu, and Bill all showed up, so we were only missing Chandlord (and Priyanka, but it was 11pm on the east coast when it started, so Adit was willing to stay up but Priyanka is forgiven). Everyone seemed to be in fine form, and we got to admire Claude's baby, discuss random people none of us have seen in years, watch John eat some birthday cheese, discuss property values and building material costs (a favorite topic for me and [censored], so I had info to share), etc., etc. All in all people were in fine form and it was a delightful way to end the weekend, even if I should have slept two hours ago.

And on that note, it's time for bed - goodnight!

they know your name and they know what you're about

I'm sitting in a motel in Lexington, Nebraska - a town in which I've never stayed before and may never stay again. Usually I would stay in Kearney, or push on to North Platte. But when I got to Kearney, my usual place was full and most other places were too, so I made a reservation for a room in Lexington instead. This is a strange town for the rural midwest - when I looked at restaurants (before settling on a takeout casey's pizza bc it was almost 10pm and that was easiest), I was shocked by how many different cuisines Lexington has for its size, including (apparently) Ethiopian, and also several taquerias that were open super late. I guessed there must be a big meatpacking plant or other job source nearby to make those restaurants successful, and I'd say I was right.

So at least I saw something new on this trip, even if it's not that exciting. Yesterday was a bit stressful with my dad's appointment in Des Moines, but they're home and hopefully things will improve. Today I decided I needed to go back to Colorado for at least a few days to check on my sprinklers and yard stuff, so I packed some tings in my car, ran some errands, talked to my parents and [censored], and said my farewells. I didn't leave until almost three, so I knew I would spend the night somewhere, but I'll get home tomorrow with time to clean (or at least decompress before working Monday). I'll go back to iowa in a week or two, but it will be nice to see my house for a bit.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

you know i'll follow you

Today was a long day - I'm taking time off tomorrow, which meant that I worked more than usual today in an attempt to clear enough stuff off my plate. Today wasn't the worst ever, but it wasn't the best - too many meetings, too many little dramas. But I had salmon and cream cheese on a bagel for lunch, and I had takeout Mexican for dinner, so it definitely could have been worse.

But that's all you're getting since I need to wind down and go to bed - goodnight!

baby we're a dying breed

I had a lot going on at work today, so I'm probably more tired than I should be - especially since some of my meetings got canceled and I was able to actually get some stuff done, which is an added bonus. But I ended the day with a session with Alyssa, who worked some wonders for my ongoing strained calf situation - I can walk on it without much pain, but it's certainly still not right, and so we did a lot of movement drills and nerve-type work to try to straighten things out. Even though a lot of her exercises look like total bullshit (like, sticking my thumb out in front of me and then rotating my torso while following my thumb with my gaze), they are amazingly effective - and she also warned me that I would be tired tonight even though it seemed like we did v. little.

So she was right - I'm tired, but my calf feels better. I then spent most of the evening hanging out with my parents - my mom cooked some fish that someone had caught from our pond (they come over and fish occasionally, then clean some of the catch for us - apparently yesterday they caught something every time they threw their line in, so we had eight nice filets of crappie or something (also, if crappie is not something you're familiar with, it's pronounced 'croppie' and is like a real fish that people catch)). She also made fried potatoes, and I threw together a salad, so it was quite a feast. Then I chatted with my parents until around nine, when it was firmly time for them to go to bed and for me to think about going to bed...

...and instead I did a crossword puzzle and was generally lazy. But now it's time for bed for real - goodnight!

i remember her, i don't remember me

Nothing to report today - I had a bunch of meetings, as per usual. But I was somewhat productive when I wasn't in meetings, so I'll take that. My last meeting was more social than work-related, so I had a glass of wine and caught up on the latest gossip. Then I had dinner with my parents - my mom made roast beef with potatoes and carrots, and it was delicious. I also watched some 'Cajun Pawn Stars' with them - anytime I can watch weird people discuss weird objects, it's usually a good time.

And now, I'm tired and not accomplishing anything of note, so I'm going to go to bed - goodnight!

we're cut from a stained glass mountain

I'm too tired to blog - today was the usual grind of meetings, although I took a lunch break to eat dinner leftover tacos adjacent to my dad (he did not eat tacos). When I was done working ,I took dinner duty and made a tasty chicken and wild rice soup in my instant pot. And then I spent the evening doing tings around my room, giving myself a gel manicure, etc.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

a shimmering balance act, i think that i laughed at that

I had a v. lazy Sunday, thanks for asking. I got up relatively early and spent the morning drinking iced coffee while journaling, watching videos, and talking to [censored]. I also caught up with Veronica, whom I hadn't talked to in ages - it's been tough to keep up with friends in addition to family+work, but I am making an attempt. Then I spent some quality time in the kitchen with my dad. And at some point I took the gater out and drove around the field - I thought it would be idyllic to park it by the pond and take in the sights, but there were gale-force winds and two mating pairs of geese on a double date who didn't like my presence. Still, I didn't let any of that scare me away, and instead sat in the sun (and the intense wind) and talked to Terry for awhile.

Then I ran an errand in town, came home, messed around with some writing, and maybe took a v. short nap. My mom was on dinner duty tonight and she made tenderloins, which were delish. And now I'm unwinding and trying to make myself go to bed early, so I'm posting this early in hopes that I eventually remind myself that bed is preferable to late-night doomscrolling. Goodnight!

i've got intrusive thoughts like burning my hair off

I had a pretty nice day in ye olde Iowa, even if I've already hit my yearly quota of Saturdays in Iowa before we're officially a third of the way through the year. When I woke up this morning, I made iced coffee and chilled, and then made myself some huevos rancheros for breakfast. I had the house to myself for approximately the twenty minutes it took to make and halfway eat them (parents were at the hospital for my dad's daily antibiotics, and [censored] was off being [censored]), and then Aunt B showed up to hang out for the day. [censored] returned at some point too, so the three of us chatted until my parents came home.

At that point, my dad conned me into making chocolate chip chewies, so I did that while hanging out with them in the kitchen. Then I left Aunt B and Dad to their devices and spent some quality time organizing my supplies and cleaning the downstairs kitchen (yes we have two kitchens, but I never cook downstairs beyond making coffee because it's not really stocked for cooking). At some point I took a drive and dropped trash off at my dad's shop in town (yes we have a private dumpster, don't you?) - it was a gorgeous day, and it was nice to get out in it for a bit.

Then I came home, put fresh sheets on my bed, finally showered, and then went to pick up take out for dinner. As you know if you're a regular reader, we usually get takeout from the Mexican restaurant in town because it's a) delicious and b) four miles away. But my mom was in the mood for prime rib, which is our alternative takeout option - it's fifteen miles each way, if you take the most direct route that involves cutting across seven or so miles of gravel roads before getting to pavement. As I said, it was a lovely day for a drive, so I didn't mind - and the end result was that I got prime rib for dinner, so that was pretty satisfying.

After dinner, I hung out in the kitchen with my parents and made some egg muffin things for breakfast for the next few days. Then I came downstairs and sat in my gram's recliner and did a crossword puzzle, so I guess I'm officially old. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

turn around bright eyes

I had my first productive-ish day at work in ages today - if I could repeat this feat tomorrow, I might almost feel caught up (or, if not caught up, at least not ridiculously behind). I was rewarded for my labors by eating a delicious supper made by my mom (cheeseburgers, fried potatoes, roasted broccoli, plus some leftover caprese salad). And then I should have done more work, but I mostly watched weird music videos with [censored].

And now I think I'll go to bed early so I can repeat the feats tomorrow - goodnight!

like does it ever really stop

No updates tonight: I went back to work and felt like I'd missed a lot of stuff, but I managed to survive it. I had a tuna salad sandwich for lunch though, which is my go-to when I'm stressed, and that went a long way toward fueling the rest of the day. It even helped despite the fact that I talked to [censored] throughout my lunch break (jk, [censored]!). Then I had more meetings, slacked off around five to talk to Alyssa, talked to Katie for awhile, and then had dinner (leftover stirfry from last night).

I had to work a couple of hours tonight to make up for lost productivity, but it went well enough - and now I desperately need to sleep. Goodnight!

dig deep, can't hide from the corners of my mind

It was a v. nice four-day weekend [editor's note: that's partially a lie; it was a four-day weekend, but it was only somewhat nice rather than v. nice]. Today was a bit more relaxing than yesterday, mostly because I willed it to be so - I slept a little later, wrote in my journal while nursing my coffee, played some word games on my ipad to relax, and generally tried to unwind a bit. I probably should have gone for a walk, but it was cold out, so I mostly chilled in my room.

This evening, I made the rather grandiose plan to cook two stir-frys at once, neither of which I'd made before. This was a delicate balance, since I had to prep ingredients for both, get the rice going, make sure I knew which bits of tings and which sauces were going into which pan, etc. Luckily [censored] hung out with me while I cooked and was the perfect sous chef (and by that I mean he occasionally handed me iced tea spoons and also made jokes).

But despite the complications of cooking two main dishes, dinner was banging, if I do say so myself. I made a Mongolian beef that I will absolutely make again, and a cashew chicken stirfry that I would also make again (although I might experiment with some different sauce options). The beef was a real winner - I almost quadrupled the recipe so that we would have leftovers, but we hit it pretty hard tonight. This recipe made for super tender beef (if you slice the flank steak correctly and sear it without overcooking - if you don't, sorry, it will be inedible) and the sauce was delightful.

So, I was pretty pleased with how it all turned out, even if it took longer than planned and ended up on the table later because my parents had company (people around here are slowly hearing what's going on with Dad, which means more visitors and more calls). After we were done eating, I hung out with my dad for a bit, then cleaned up the kitchen. Just as I was wiping the counters and soaking the last pan, John called, so I took a break and talked to him for almost an hour. We hadn't talked in ages and ages, so it was really nice to catch up. Jess also took a turn on the phone to say hi; hopefully I'll make it to California for an extended trip this summer, since we are long overdue for some in-person engagement.

So, talking to John and Jess made my heart lighter, which was much needed and appreciated. Then I finished washing that last pan, messed around online, and generally procrastinated on going to bed. But I suppose sleep would be a good idea since I have to work tomorrow - goodnight!

cause i'm a vintage girl hangin' with the flashback kids

I have nothing particularly insightful to say today. I took the day off, which was theoretically good for recharging, although I don't feel recharged - but I didn't have to spend much time on zoom today as a result, so that seemed to help. I mostly spent the day taking care of tings around the house - I made a bunch of egg muffins for upcoming breakfasts, which I think are delicious. I also dropped [censored] off in town, and used that as an excuse to drive out to the park and inspect the reservoir where Katie and I used to spend lazy summer afternoons rowing around the lake in a rowboat. Those were simpler times, albeit simpler times in which I was exposed to far more farm runoff chemicals than I am now.

Later, I roasted tomatoes for a caprese salad - this is not something I usually make in Iowa, and I discovered as I was prepping it that the balsamic vinegar expired two years ago, so I made an impromptu trip to town (the other town) to buy balsamic (after [censored] almost tricked me into believing he might have some lying around, which was obviously false in retrospect). Then I chatted with Katie for awhile, which took her by surprise since she wasn't expecting me to answer. And then I finished making dinner - I reverse seared some ribeyes, finished the caprese salad, and made mashed potatoes, and they were all delish.

And now I believe it's time for bed - goodnight!

might not work but i'll take a maybe

Today I made an excursion to the big city (aka Des Moines). I have grand plans to cook a bunch of stuff this week, and that requires groceries, and that required a trip to a city with legit grocery stores. So I got up this morning, hung out with my parents while finalizing my lists, showered, got ready, chatted with [censored] etc. before heading out the door.

My trip was incredibly uneventful - I spent way too long at Target and at Whole Foods, but that's what happens on restock trips. Then I came home and put everything away - this necessitated loading a bunch of stuff into my dad's gator and driving it around the house to the basement patio door, since I didn't feel like hauling my 40lb cooler down the steps.

Then we ate takeout Mexican, and then I said adieu to my parents and came to my room to paint my nails and otherwise mess around. And now I think I should probably sleep - goodnight!

running low on serotonin

I'm still v. v. tired - sitting around in ye olde Iowa will do that to you. Yesterday and today were fine, theoretically - my energy is mostly going toward cooking and hanging out with my dad, and I did a lot of those things today.

But I'm way too tired to blog and need to get up relatively early so I can make a grocery run - goodnight!

manifest a ceiling

I'm v. v. tired (which is three fewer v.'s than last night, so I suppose that's an improvement). The tiredness is more mental than physical, I think - the kind of tired behind the eyeballs and around the corners of the mouth that comes from stress rather than exertion.

I went back to work today, and by that I mean I sat at my desk in my parents' house and pretended to focus on meetings that were difficult to focus on, and ignored emails I didn't have the space for. I had a good conversation with my boss about all of this, though; she's really supportive of everything going on with my dad, so I'll probably take a couple of days off next week to regroup. And I did get some critical stuff done and am sorting out what else needs to get done tomorrow, so it certainly could be worse.

Sometime around five I was done for awhile, so I hung out with my parents and then drove into town to pick up Mexican food (basically the only takeout in town, so it's a good thing we like it since we're now eating it 2-3x / week). It was pretty tasty tonight, so no regrets there. I hung out upstairs a bit more, then came downstairs with the intention of being virtuous and answering work email. But instead I had a v. impromptu, v. overdue zoom with my friend Grace - she and I hadn't caught up in ages, but we exchanged texts about a ridiculous writing drama today, and then we ended up zooming for over an hour. It was very much what I needed, even if it wasn't exactly the same as our previous catch-ups, when we would drink margaritas (three for me, 0.25 of one for her) and laugh so hard that we would come close to wetting ourselves. Still, I'll take a zoom with Grace anytime, and tonight was a delight.

And now, rather than trying to clear my work inbox, I'm going to go to bed and attempt that feat in the morning - goodnight!

the kind that blindside you at four p.m. on some idle tuesday

I'm v. v. v. v. v. tired and should probably have gone to bed an hour ago, even though it's currently only 10:30pm in Iowa. The last couple of days have been a lot (and a lot of time spent in my 2007 RAV4, which I sold to my mom after buying my Audi; I never planned to spend this much time in it again). Yesterday we took my dad up to Des Moines for a procedure, which ended up taking forever because the doctor had to do an emergency procedure for someone else first, and then they decided to keep him overnight.

This news of course came after [censored] and I had spent most of the day sitting in the RAV4 staring at a tree, since only one person is allowed into the hospital with the patient due to covid. Also due to covid, we couldn't sit at a coffee shop, and it was too cold to sit outside. So I spent as much time in the RAV4 yesterday as I would have spent if I'd driven from Denver to Iowa, which is really too much.

sssanyway, I drove my mom back home last night, then back to Des Moines this morning. Luckily my dad got out around noon, so we drove home (with a stop in Indianola for lunch w/[censored], who was on his way to [censored]). My dad had to go to the hospital here for his usual antibiotics after, and I used that time to start prepping some instant pot beef stew. I also talked to Alyssa, which was great. And then I finished making the stew, went into town to harvest my dad's latest asparagus haul (I suspect he has a thief pillaging his asparagus patch since there wasn't much there), ate with my parents, talked to my dad, etc.

And now I really need to go to bed so that I can attempt to focus tomorrow - focusing is something I am having a terrible time doing right now, but I live in hope. Goodnight!

the way is long, but you can make it easy on me

I'm v. tired and should have gone to bed an hour ago, but I had to do some work stuff and then I 'had' to unwind by shopping my 20% coupon at Sephora. You can guess which of those tasks was more successfully accomplished.

Today went okay, all in all - I had one meeting this morning, and then I took the rest of the day off to drive my parents to Des Moines so that my dad could see a cardiologist. Long story but we're going back tomorrow, and hopefully the outcome of that will improve blood flow and enable his foot to heal faster.

And now I should probably go to bed if I'm going to get up in time to drive back to Des Moines - goodnight!

underneath the stars, looking for a sign

I'm back in ye olde Iowa after a v. slow jaunt through the Denver airport to get here. Today went as smoothly as I could have hoped for it to go - I got up in time to throw some clothes in a suitcase, shower, and eat some yogurt before my ride (aka Katie) arrived. She was on time, which was v. kind of her since no one wants to take people to the airport - but she claimed she was looking forward to drinking her iced coffee and listening to the radio on the way home without the kids, so I think I might believe her.

When I got to the airport I decided not to get wheelchair / cart service (which I had requested a couple of days ago when my leg seemed dire) - I had plenty of time, so I just slowly and leisurely hobbled through security, onto the train, and around the C concourse. I had time to eat a burrito bowl and ice my leg, and it was all v. civil (with the exception of the fact that there's a pandemic and so it's really not civil at all, but I was pretty careful). Then I boarded, had a v. quick and easy flight, hobbled through the Des Moines airport, picked up my bag, retrieved my car, and drove to southern Iowa to reunite with my parents.

The hobbling was perhaps overkill - I really don't think I have long-term injured myself. But I also can't really afford to turn a strain into something worse, so I'm just going slow and stretching every chance I get. I think I'll be all better in a couple of days, but we'll see.

And now, I believe it's time for bed - as soon as I wish Aunt Becky a happy birthday (happy birthday, Aunt B!). Goodnight!

fork hands

This will be brief because I'm typing on my phone, since as previously mentioned my personal laptop is in Iowa and I am not. Today was possibly the most social interaction I've had in over a year, and it was bizarre. Chandlord is in Denver for the weekend, and unfortunately I am not here for the whole weekend, but she came over this morning so that we could spend a few hours renewing our acquaintance. She escaped the overly-long hug that I've been threatening her with because we're still not out of the covid woods, but we had a delightful morning and it felt like no time had passed since I'd last seen her (which makes sense since nothing has happened in the last year). We went for an outdoor brunch at El Camino - I haven't been there for brunch, but there their "brunchiladas" and their corn cakes were completely delicious.

Then we had coffees across the street before dropping by Katie's to say hi in Katie's backyard. Then I dropped Vidya off at her next destination, with promises that she'll come back and I'll come to San Francisco sometime this summer.

Then I came home and spent several hours doing absolutely nothing in an effort to recover from such a social endeavor. And then Katie came over and we had an extended backyard session - the weather was nice and we picked up food and drinks from Ashkara, and we caught up on many many things.

And now, I should sleep - I need to pack and head to the airport in the morning so that I can get back to ye olde Iowa. Goodnight!

buddy of last resort

I’m typing this on my iPad because my laptop is in Iowa, so this will be brief. I had a decent day, mostly because it appears that the injury I hadn’t told you about isn’t actually serious. On Tuesday, at the airport, I started to run to catch an Uber, felt something pop in my leg, and was sure I had torn a tendon or something. So I spent the last seventy-two hours alternating between my bed and my chaise like a Victorian lady, albeit a Victorian lady with easy access to ice. I also panic ordered a compression sleeve and a fancy ice pack at 5am Wednesday for same day delivery, which helped. Thanks to constant application of ice, compression, elevation, and ibuprofen, I was in much better shape by today - I can basically walk on it and it doesn’t hurt at all when I’m sitting/standing, but I’m still being careful since I don’t want to strain it more. And I went to the doctor today and they confirmed that I didn’t tear anything and just told me to keep doing what I’m doing, so that’s all a relief.

Needless to say this has put a damper on my week - but I also can’t help but think that it was just my body insisting on a couple of days of couch / tv / early bedtime after all the stress of the last few weeks. It’s been kind of nice, all in all, to sit on my couch and order takeout and watch Top Chef. [speaking of Top Chef, I watched the second episode of the new season tonight, and it seems like this might be one of the most impressive and competitive seasons yet. I wonder how much of that is because so many amazing chefs had to shut down their restaurants last year and so were more willing / available to shoot a tv show in the pandemic?]

So, today was mostly consumed by working, taking care of myself, eating sushi for dinner, and watching Top Chef. You would think that I would have spent more time reading coverage of Prince Philip’s death, but I’m so tired of bad news that when I saw it this morning, I just kind of thought “that makes sense, too bad” and went on with my day. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how the stories play out over the next few days, since the brits are currently banned from having more than thirty people at a funeral and just his kids / grandkids get it up to twenty without adding great-grandkids, other relatives, etc.

That said, pretty much anything in the world is more important right now than this funeral, and I should probably rest, so it’s time to sign off. Goodnight!

i said, ooh, i'm drowning in the night

Today had highs and lows, and now I'm thinking about going to bed early. The highs were pretty high - I had to give a thirty-minute presentation to the big boss's boss (who is truly a big boss, and is also the French guy who dropped thousands of dollars on champagne at a work dinner I went to a couple of years ago). The presentation was 'fabulous' (to quote the big boss after), so I live to get a paycheck another day.

While I was cool and collected and on top of my game, my fitbit thought that I got twenty minutes of exercise during that presentation because my heart rate spiked, so it's no wonder my adrenaline tanked after that and I got v. little done the rest of the day. I did have some more meetings, and I had leftover Indian takeout for lunch, and everything was generally fine. I talked to my mom for a bit when I was done working, and then Katie came over and hung out for a bit - she dropped off her car for me to borrow for the next couple of days, and so after we were done gossiping I took her back to her house and got to watch her husband chase an escaped cat v. aggressively (you had to be there for the jokes about that).

Then I came home, ate some leftover Italian food, and generally did absolutely nothing. And now I think it's time to sleep - goodnight!

you live in the dark, boy, i cannot pretend

I had a decent first day back in Colorado - or at least a productive one. I had a bunch of meetings, as usual; I sent some emails; and I had a chat with Alyssa to close out the day. I also ordered takeout dinner from an Italian place I hadn't tried before - they made an excellent gluten free pasta with sausage and cheese, and their pizza was also great, and now I have leftovers for tomorrow. And I took it easy by watching the first episode of the new season of Top Chef: Portland - it just started last week, and I want to watch this season mostly in real time if I can.

And now, even though it's early I think I'm going to crawl into bed with a book and see what happens. Goodnight!

the hook brings you back

No blog tonight - I made it back to Colorado, but I'm tired and need to close my eyes more than I need to blog. Goodnight!

we tried to wash our hands of all of this

No time to blog tonight - I spent the day slogging, but it was difficult to concentrate or get anything done. And I spent the evening hanging out with my parents - [censored] went back to his home today, and so he missed out on the chicken tortilla soup that I made tonight (which turned out well, if I do say so myself). We had a nice enough evening, all in all, even though nothing feels particularly great right now.

Then I came downstairs, cleaned some of the downstairs kitchen, organized some tings, and gave myself a fresh gel manicure before doing a tiny bit of day job work to prep for tomorrow. I've decided to make a quick trip back to Colorado tomorrow; I'm flying because I can't stand the thought of driving there and back, but I also wasn't intending to spend quite this much time in Iowa on this trip and so I need to pick up some clothes and check on my house. So I'm working in the morning, then dashing up to Des Moines to catch a flight to Denver. I'm coming back Sunday, so hopefully things will be smooth - I'm loath to leave, but it will be nice to order takeout and ride my Peloton and generally be bougie for a few days.

And now, on that note, I need to go to bed - goodnight!

up on the sun playing drums with a bleached bone

Happy Easter! This was not how I intended to spend my Easter, partially because I thought it was likely that I would be driving back to Denver today or tomorrow - but it was a good day nonetheless. I spent the morning taking care of tings around the house, and then my dad and I drove over to Osceola so he could look at some work-related tings. I drove his truck again since it has better legroom for him than any of our other vehicles; when I got in, I realized that my right thigh was slightly achy from driving the truck, not from picking up sticks yesterday. His truck is positively gigantic compared to my SUV, with a diesel engine and pedals that aren't configured for someone who is very nearly short enough to be classified as a dwarf. So, driving it is an entertaining adventure, but thus far I've managed it without hitting anything, so I'm calling it a win.

Anyway, we drove to Osceola and back, and it was another really nice day for a drive. On the way over we took the backroads (paved, so I don't know if that technically qualifies as backroads, but it wasn't a straight shot to get there) and it was fun to see parts of the countryside that I don't see often. Then we came home, I took a v. brief nap, and then I spent some time cleaning my room and the bathroom. I eventually took a break so I could make Easter dinner - I made scalloped potatoes (but the Barefoot Contessa's version, which requires gruyere, which I luckily had stockpiled here) and a ham, and my mom made baked beans, and it was all v. delicious.

After dinner, I watched a bit of 'American Restoration' with my dad, then came downstairs, painted my toenails, and did some planning for the week ahead. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

and so i wake in the morning and i step outside

I'm quite tired after more than the usual exertion today. I spent the morning being somewhat lazy, but then [censored] and I picked up a bunch of sticks in the yard to prep for mowing season. Since the yard is multiple acres and some parts of it (especially around the old house) are full of ancient trees that shed bark and limbs when a single snowflake hits them, this is quite the task. [censored] did more of it than I did because he started before I was ready, but I was game until my allergies got the best of me. We also drove around parts of the farm that neither of us have been to in years; some of it is actually unreachable from here, while much of it requires driving over the pond dam and then navigating large anthills and washed-out draws. So, that was a fun excursion, and we returned without setting anything on fire (unlike our grandfather, who memorably caught his pickup on fire when he drove it through our field many years ago).

sssanyway. After that I took a shower and drove my dad to Centerville to look at some tings and pick up a few other tings (mostly ham salad for my mom, who gets cranky if her addiction isn't sated on the regular). We had a nice drive - the weather was perfect, and while driving his truck is a far cry from my Audi, it's fun to see the world from a vantage point several feet higher than usual.

Then we came home and I made dinner, but I unfortunately slightly overcooked the chicken (#quarantinechef knew better, but there's enough infection around here and I didn't want to cause food poisoning). And now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

sometimes i wish i was on an island, but then i'd miss the sound of sirens

I am v. tired and have already fallen asleep in my recliner once, so I should wrap this up and go to bed. I took today mostly off, although I had one meeting at 1pm that I chose to dial into with my VP; it felt easier to just do it than to try to find another time with a bunch of people whose calendars are impossible, and I needed to get her feedback on something before an even more important presentation next week. So, I wasn't entirely disconnected from work, but it was certainly more of a break than usual.

So I spent the morning drinking coffee and talking to [censored], who got home last night. Then I spent some quality time with Aunt B - she came down from the city to sow some grass seed on Gram's grave, and she stopped here first to hang out + borrow some gardening implements. It was great to see her, even though my hospitality failed and the only things she ate were things that she had brought here last weekend.

Then, the best news of the day: my dad got out of the hospital. He'd gone in on Monday for recurring issues with his foot infection, and he certainly has a v. long road still ahead (and is in a disturbing amount of pain), but it's great that he's back home. So we spent the afternoon hanging out, and then [censored] and I picked up Mexican takeout for dinner. We also watched some 'Cajun Pawn Stars', who were completely ridiculous.

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!