i spin on a whim, i slide to the right, i felt you like electric light

I continue to be in mostly a bad mood, thanks to a wide-ranging variety of perfect storm factors. But I started my morning with coffee, a shower, and a playlist based on 'Machinehead' by Bush, thus proving that when stressed I revert to the angry music of my teens and early twenties. Hopefully my stress levels will go down in the next few days, but we shall see.

So, I spent the morning / afternoon working and attempting not to think about anything stressing me out (not entirely possible, since some of my meetings added to it). Then I spent the evening drinking a margarita, eating frozen enchiladas and an ice cream bar, and watching the Olympics. It's entertaining to watch world class athletes at the peak of their athletic performance while eating the most unhealthy meal I've had in awhile - I highly recommend it. I finally logged in and did an hour and a half of day job stuff to get a little bit more caught up from being out Friday, so I can go into tomorrow without things being quite as bad as I expected.

And now I need to go to bed and hope that my stress factors start getting better soon - goodnight!

blood is like wine, unconscious all the time

It doesn't quite feel right that I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I'm going to go to bed early and hope that I can reset in the morning in time to get into work. This morning was pretty lowkey - I got up in time to do some stretching for my always-tight calves, and I ate some toast while chatting with Barbara. Then I showered and we managed to vacate the rental on time - checkout was at ten, which felt a little early, but all in all the place was really good. We dropped off the keys, and then I dropped Barbara off at a different rental - her partner was coming up to spend the day/night up there, so I dropped Barbara and her stuff off so that she could rendezvous with him. All in all it was a successful retreat, so I'm hoping I can carry the writing momentum into the week.

Then I drove home - I took a slightly longer way so that I could see something different than I-70, but I was still home in a little over two hours. The drive was quite pleasant, and it just reminded me how muchI have yet to explore in Colorado. When I got home, I ate some leftovers, messed around online, and took a nap - all of which was clearly necessary to rest after a weekend in Breckenridge on top of last weekend in San Francisco. Then I ventured out to pick up / return something at Nordstrom + pick up a small handful of groceries.

Then I talked to my parents, who were in fine form. I also talked to [censored] while picking up a takeout pizza; we had a lot to catch up on, so that was enjoyable (although he might not have enjoyed listening to me perfecting my margarita shaking technique). Then I ate pizza, drank my margarita, and watched the Olympics. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

[insert olympic theme song here]

My mini retreat is already drawing to a close, and I should go to bed so that I can get some solid sleep before driving back to Denver in the morning. Today was nice, though - I got up and made some coffee, then wrote on the balcony for awhile. It was a cool, crisp morning, which is v. different from how hot Denver is, so I luxuriated in it. I spent the rest of the morning / early afternoon taking care of some personal tings, and then I made a breakfast sandwich, took a nap, and showered.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing off and on - nothing particularly impressive from a pure word count standpoint, but I'm developing some much needed clarity on some of the issues these characters face, so I'll take it. Eventually, it was time for dinner - Barbara and I went to a place called Modis, which was surprisingly excellent. I had a snapper with some pineapple fried rice that was the opposite of what I usually order (I was going to go for steak), and it was top notch.

Then we came home, and I watched some Olympics (including a v. exciting men's 4x100m swim medley), packed up my stuff, and did some more journaling. And now, as I said, I should probably go to bed - goodnight!

we are made of old rocks and salt

I didn't sleep well last night, so I was dragging today, which was an unfortunate start to my three day weekend. But I had a good day despite that. I spent the morning moving around in an attempt to get my stress out - I showered, used a softball as a foam roller to work out the tightness in my calves, and eventually walked around Breckenridge for an hour. It was a gorgeous morning and I'm glad I got out, because the afternoon turned cool and stormy and tomorrow promises more of the same.

I spent the afternoon writing, napping, and perhaps doing a bit too much on Twitter. Eventually, Barbara and I went out for dinner - we went to a Mediterranean restaurant that was quite delicious, so I felt satisfied. Then we came home and I watched some Olympics before doing some personal business.

And now I need to sleep so I can get more done tomorrow - goodnight!

if I could find a way to see this straight

Hello from Breckenridge! I slogged all day without breaks, and then my friend Barbara showed up at my house so that we could drive up into the mountains. I'm here for a mini writing retreat and I have high hopes of getting some things done - so we'll see what happens.

But now sleep is more important than other updates, so it's time for bed. Goodnight!

feeling hot hot hot

No blog tonight - I did a bunch of work today, did some stuff around the house, ordered takeout from my favorite Indian place, and did more work tonight while watching the Olympics. And I have a million things to do tomorrow as well, so I think it's time for bed. Goodnight!

so open, then snap shut, yeah, but here we are

I need to get off my laptop and go to bed. Today wasn't particularly onerous, but I didn't get quite enough sleep and was dealing with some challenging coworker situations, so that didn't exactly help my mood. But I ended the day with dinner and a margarita with my friend Sara - I drove all the way up to Longmont to see her, which should be a sign that our friendship is for real. We had a delightful and hilarious time, and then I got to see her husband (whom I also work with) which was hilarious in its own right.

Then I came home, sent a few emails, and told myself I had to be done by now so that I could unwind a bit and go to bed - let's see if that works out for me. Goodnight!

somewhere between dust and the stars

I'm safely back in Denver and ready to go to bed. Today was mostly uneventful - I woke up, showered, packed, grabbed some coffee and then worked for five hours or so. I'd secured a late checkout, so I was able to get some stuff done, which was nice. Then I met a coworker for a snack at Tartine Manufactory (which was slightly annoying because they were way too aggressive about clearing away all the outdoor tables well before they closed, so it felt rushed).

Then I went to the airport and hung out in the Amex lounge, which was a delight - they had surprisingly good food and also my favorite Seghesio zinfandel, so it was a nice place to do a bit more work and talk to my parents. It also happened to be directly across from my gate, which was convenient. My flight was easy, but unfortunately the drive home took close to an hour (should've been thirty minutes) due to construction on I-70. But I'm home and ready for bed, so I'll take it. Goodnight!

we were perfect when we started, i've been wondering where we've gone

I had a fantastic day in the yay area, thanks for asking. I didn't get quite enough sleep last night and so I was dragging this morning, but I got up in time to shower, grab coffee, and get myself to Berkeley in time for a ten a.m. rendezvous with John and Jess. Normally when we get together at that hour it's for breakfast (never brunch) at Saul's, but today we drove up to Healdsburg for a winery excursion. Lauren (aka Subz) hosted a belated 40th birthday for Nathan today, and when she found out I was coming into town she added me to it, which was super fortuitous and incredibly fun. And the fact that I got to spend some quality car time with John and Jess was definitely an extra bonus.

So, we spent the afternoon at a winery called Reeve, which I really enjoyed. It was a perfect day up there - the weather was great and everyone was eager to see other humans, so it was lovely. I ended up sitting in the middle of a table with John and Jess and some others to my left, but I mostly talked to the group on my right (Anthony, Domain, Andy, Zaia, and a split between Lauren and Nathan). The conversation meandered between meaningful topics and jicama, both of which I can contribute a lot of words to. And the food was gorgeous and the wine was even better (but since I basically drank Jess's tasting in addition to mine, and also went deep on some leftover rosé at the end, I may not be an impartial judge).

Sadly, all fun must end eventually, and John and Jess were definitely late getting back to their sitter, so we eventually said our farewells and drove back to Berkeley. I said hi to Ian briefly, and then John v. kindly gave me a ride over to Claudia's so I could hang out with her. I hadn't seen her for the same seventeen months that I hadn't seen anyone else, but the last time I saw her she was eight months pregnant, so I was v. excited to meet Téo. I am sorry to tell the rest of you that he might be the cutest baby of all time and that everyone else's baby is just in the race for silver at this point. Claudia ordered Thai food, which was delish, and we hung out and caught up for a couple of hours (never enough, but I'll take it).

Then I caught an Uber back to the city of sin, took a million ibuprofen, and am going to go to bed early since I need to work all day tomorrow before going to the airport. Goodnight!

you just need a better life than this

I had a gorgeous day in the city of sin, but now I need to go to bed asap so I can recover for tomorrow. The day started off with iced coffee and egg bites from the Starbucks down the street, and then I got a massage / bodywork session that undid a bunch of tension (which I'm sure I'll redo in due course). Then I sat at a coffee shop in the Richmond and journaled for awhile, which always feels great.

I then met up with the original Jen Lui for an extended lunch experience. Her birthday was yesterday (happy birthday!) and happily she was free to come up to the city today despite the fact that I just made all these plans this week. She met me on Clement Street and we hit up two different dim sum places + a place where Jen could get some roasted duck and barbecued pork to take home with her. We got the dim sum as takeout and headed to the Presidio, where we spread out a picnic blanket and snacked on dim sum while discussing life and enjoying the sun and views of the water (and not quite enjoying the wind, but it was bearable). I hadn't had har gow or siu mai or egg custard buns or anything with taro in at least eighteen months, so this was a total win (even if we over ordered).

Jen and I hung out for almost four hours - we've had pandemic zoom calls, but we had a lot to catch up on and it was so lovely to hang out in real life. We also grabbed boba tea (sans boba since I was so full, but the tea was delish) before parting ways, and it was pretty much a perfect afternoon.

Then I came back to my hotel, took a nap, took a quick shower, and talked to my parents. Then Chandlord picked me up to take me to Adit and Priyanka's for dinner, but this got me waylaid into stopping at her friend Sarang's house to do a favor for him, which led to a hilarious conversation that also made us unfortunately late for dinner. But dinner got back on track, and we had a lovely, lowkey conversation, and longtime readers will be shocked to know that the four of us didn't even finish a bottle of wine, which is v. sedate and adult-like compared to my usual shenanigans with Adit.

Then Chandlord brought me back to my hotel, and now I need to sleep so I can pursue more fun tomorrow - goodnight!

when life leaves you high and dry

I had a perfect day in the city of sin, except for the fact that I'm old and so turned down an 11pm invitation to go to karaoke with Adit. I got up this morning, grabbed some Starbucks from down the street, and did a tiny bit of day job stuff. Then I showered, made myself up, and took a (hilarious) lyft to the other side of the city for lunch at Beach Chalet.

Ocean Beach is my usual meetup place with Veronica, Grace, and Barbara; we used to go to Cliff House, but Cliff House has been lost to time, so we went to Beach Chalet instead. We had far more to discuss than we could cover in two hours, but we're going to see each other again in the coming months (including a Tahoe retreat if people don't move to Duluth first), so this was a nice little appetizer.

Then I got a mani / pedi at my favorite nail salon in the whole world (Silk), and it was great - I hadn't seen them in forever, but they still remembered me and it was nice to hear how some of them were doing. And then I dashed to the Page to meet up with Katrina. Katrina and I have chatted occasionally during the pandemic, but it was far more fun to do it over margaritas (even if outdoor seating here reminds me that San Francisco is totally frigid and I was shivering at five p.m. - note to self that it's 95 in Denver, which is one thing Denver has going for it (until it snows in September)). So we caught up for a couple of hours, and also got some takeout guac from Little Chihuahua to add to the margaritas, so that was great.

Then I came back to my hotel, switched into jeans instead of a jumpsuit and added a sweater under my jacket, and met up with Chandlord. We walked to North Beach and purposefully chose a mediocre restaurant, which was truly mediocre - my wedge salad wasn't a wedge of iceberg lettuce and instead was a bed of romaine, and Chandlord's pizza was bad enough that she abandoned the leftovers. But the restaurant set a v low bar for the conversation, which we exceeded, so I think the night was a success.

Then we walked back to my hotel and laid on my bed and talked until I was starting to fall asleep. And now I need to sleep for real so I can get through tomorrow's round of engagements - goodnight!

but just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die

In a rather last minute turn of events, I'm sitting in bed in a hotel room in San Francisco, elated to have returned to the fog-filtered golden light of my youth. I booked this trip last weekend on a total whim, after a text thread with the usual suspects reminded me that I have friends here. I also feel fairly confident that the delta variant and other personal plans will make travel west dicey the next few weeks, so I'm making hay while the sun shines.

So I worked all morning, and then left for the airport around one. I got to the airport in time to have a glass of wine and some burrata, which made me better able to survive the slight delay to my flight.

Then I landed in SFO, and even though it's been almost eighteen months since I've been here (the longest gap in my adult life by approximately fourteen months), it immediately felt just right. I took a Lyft into the city of sin, driving down streets that used to be my commute. I checked into one of the last hotels I'd stayed in here, and they welcomed me back as though I'd never left. I had dinner at a random place across the street, and I journaled and people watched and daydreamed of other lives and other times.

And now, I should sleep - in true fashion, even though I only planned this last weekend, I have managed to book almost every hour of the next three days, so I need to get some sleep so I can make it count. Goodnight!

we both said it's a beautiful try

I need to go to bed immediately - my life right now is meetings and more meetings, and unfortunately tomorrow they start at 8:30am rather than a more civilized time like 9am. But I'm taking Friday off for some last minute shenanigans, so I just have to make it through tomorrow so that I can get to the weekend in style.

But since all I did today was work, and since that is neither interesting nor discussion-worthy, I think I should cut this off early and go to bed. Goodnight!

ceo, entrepreneur, born in 1964

I had a decent day but it was nothing to write home about. I had meetings most of the day, all of which were good but none of which were amazing. I also chatted with Alyssa and with Terry, so I feel like I got some quality girl time this afternoon. And I ran to the mall to return something and pick something up (the Nordstrom anniversary sale giveth and taketh away). On the way there and back, I talked to [censored], so now we're properly caught up with each other.

Then I picked up pizza from Blue Pan, came home, did laundry, and did a bunch of nothing. At this point, I think bed is a better choice than working or TikTok (well, maybe not better than TikTok), so I think I should go to sleep - goodnight!

when i get home boy you better not be there, you're long gone

Today was hectic, in a good way. I had meetings very intensely from nine to five, and that required a lot of mental energy (and a takeout lunch). But I managed to sign off around 5:20 and drive to Lafayette. On the way I talked to [censored] briefly, who was in surprisingly good form considering he found two (mostly) dead bats in his garage when he got home last night (one never wants to find bats of any kind anywhere near one's sleeping location). And then I met up with Sarah-Frances for happy hour - we hung out at Community and caught up on work and life, which was a delight.

Then we moseyed down the street to a Mexican restaurant, where we met up with another coworker who is brand new to our place of work and so hasn't really gotten to meet anyone in person yet. We had a v. delightful, v. long dinner, and it was a great way to spend a warm Monday night. But even though I have a million work things to do and should probably take a stab at them now, I'm going to go to bed and hope that I wake up tomorrow in time to do them. Goodnight!

don't be scared, don't be shy, come on in, the water's fine

Today started inauspiciously but managed to pull itself out of the (literal) toilet, so I'll take it. For some reason my fancy dinner last night did not sit well with me - I woke up an hour after going to bed (but felt like it was five hours later) and immediately had to vomit. I went back to bed, slept an hour, woke up, and vomited again. I then slept through the rest of the night, but it was a very weird experience - it almost felt like those times that I got really sick after eating crab, but I didn't have any crab yesterday and also wasn't nearly as sick as I was in those other moments. So, idk, but hopefully it was just a fluke.

Needless to say, the vomiting episodes made me leery to do much today. So I slept in, and then I ran and grabbed iced coffee and washed my car before coming home to hole up on my patio and write. I wrote for a couple of hours (until it was too hot to sit where I was). Then I ate a bagel in deference to my stomach. And then I took a nap in deference to my exhaustion.

After that, I finally dragged myself out of the house - I had to go to the mall to return something and pick up other things, which I accomplished pretty efficiently. Then I came home, ate some ice cream, and talked to my parents (who were in fine form). Then I went down the street to my favorite Mexican restaurant and had an early dinner while writing another couple of pages (this time in my journal, since I haven't been there enough to establish myself well enough to just pull out my laptop, but maybe that time will come). And then I came home and talked to [censored] while he drove home.

Now, unfortunately, it's time for bed - work is looking hectic this week, and I would be best served by going to bed immediately so that I can start the week with a bit more sleep than usual. Goodnight!

like a damn sociopath

I can't blog tonight because I'm too tired and falling asleep on my keyboard and have thus far misspelled most of these words at least once before going back to editing. Today was great, though - I got some tings done talked to my friend Barbara (California Barbara, not Colorado Barbara) for a couple of hours, did some more tings, took a nap, and took care of some stuff outside.

Then, the reason I'm tired is because I had an 8:15pm reservation at Tavernetta, which is approx two hours later than I usually eat. Tavernetta has been on my list of places to try and I would say it hit the mark - the service was great and the food was impeccable. And I went with Jackson and Kelly to celebrate Kelly getting a new role outside my company - I don't want her to leave, but at least our friendship is likely to survive.

And now I'm desperate to sleep - goodnight!

i tell my love to wreck it all

Today was a bonkers day at work, mostly because I had a million meetings and no breaks and half those meetings were ridiculous. But I did write just the tiniest amount this morning. And I was able to abandon the laptop a little before six and run to the greenhouse to spend some money; they do some rewards bucks through the season that are good for up to half off a purchase in early July, and today was the last day to use them. The greenhouse was hopping for a Thursday, since clearly other people had the same idea - but I picked up a couple of new houseplants and some potting soil, so it was worth the trip.

Then I came home, reheated some pasta, did some personal business stuff, and did some work business stuff. And now it's suddenly midnight and I must sleep immediately - goodnight!

pour a little salt, we were never here

I'm slipping deep into my stupid workaholic ways, which is unfortunate as I realized tonight that summer is basically half over if you consider that Colorado has snow in May and could very well have snow on Labor Day. But the lure is strong - I can easily succumb to situations that involve helping others, and since so many people are out and other people are stretched thin, I feel like I need to pull some weight.

But today was good - my VP meeting went well, and it probably wasn't because of the manicure I gave myself last night, but I'm going to assume that it helped. I had meetings all day, then took a break to make some of my favorite sausage / chard pasta, which is pretty delicious and also reheats well. I then did some mindless scrolling on twitter and tiktok, and then I worked for an hour and a half to get on top of my email.

And now that I've done that, it's time for bed - goodnight!

cut out all the ropes and let me fall

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

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

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

waking up to find your love's not real

I'm suddenly too tired to blog - I pushed hard today, which is not my usual 'conserve energy on Mondays' approach, so we'll see how I feel about that decision tomorrow. But I got up this morning and did some business and made coffee and wrote before work, so I felt accomplished even before opening the corporate laptop. Then I slogged from ~10 to 5 without any real breaks. At that point, I talked to my dad for awhile, and then I made dinner - I went fancier than usual for a Monday, which meant potatoes au gratin (aka Barefoot Contessa's version of scalloped potatoes) and grilled ribeye, and it was a total delight.

However, I still had a million things to do for work, and the rest of the week is looking brutal (context for why it's all brutal: I'm down two managers and so am managing a bunch of people directly + things always get brutal in the summer due to our usual planning cycles + everyone is burned out and taking breaks). So I worked from 8-11, which at least put me into slightly better shape for tomorrow, but isn't enough to get me all the way to feeling good about things.

But that's a problem for Future Sara; right now, it's time for bed. Goodnight!

that's the impression that i get

I have nothing of interest to report - today was slightly more productive than yesterday, but it wasn't much to blog about. I took care of some personal business-type tings this morning, and then I mostly continued to be hermity and avoid people. I did, however, wash my sheets and my guest room sheets and did a couple of other loads of laundry, which was better than nothing. And I miraculously accomplished the most pressing order of business - I made a grocery run, which was way overdue, and so it's possible that I'll be able to feed myself this week. 

When I got home from the grocery store, I had to clean out my fridge to make room for the new stuff and toss things that were rotting. Then I called my parents - they seemed to be doing well, as are their cats and dad's foot and all the other usual things we check in on. Also, three rose bushes have sprung back from the dead by the old house - they were climbing up the south side of the house and we didn't move them before the destruction, so we just assumed they were gone. But life finds a way, and apparently they're coming back up from the ground, so that's exciting. And grass is growing where the house used to be, so that will be a trip to see when I go home next time.

After I talked to my parents, I didn't get much else done - I had to make my bed, fold a bunch of laundry, and take care of a few more tings, but it was mostly a quiet evening. And now I need to sleep so that I can write before work tomorrow - goodnight!

oh valley of plenty

I had a v. lazy, hermity day, which is what I guess I needed. I did spend some quality time cleaning up my patio - I had enough cut-up branches and sticks to fill my compost cart (approx 30min after it got emptied this morning), so I got all of that disposed of. I still have two big yard totes full of more yard materials, but those are safely chilling near my fence until the compost cart gets emptied again. Then I used my leaf blower to clean off the patio, and all is right again.

I spent some quality time this afternoon doing nothing, although I did take a nap and a shower, which feels like an accomplishment. Then I went out and had a steak at five p.m., which was rather early, but also rather late because I didn't really eat a proper lunch. I spent an hour and a half brainstorming some stuff for the book I'm working on, and wishing I were at Des Amis instead because their steak and wine were better - but Des Amis is long gone, and I'm not in San Francisco, so I guess tonight's steak will have to suffice.

Then I came home and watched four episodes in a row of THE WITCHER - yes, it came out ages ago, and yes, I watched the first four episodes sometime around the start of the pandemic, but I had never finished it. I decided that tonight was the night, and I powered through all four hours in one go. All in all I thought it was a good series with some interesting storytelling choices, and I'm glad that the next season was able to get made during the pandemic because I'm looking forward to it.

And now, I think I should sleep - I have some tings I want to get done tomorrow, so I think it's time for bed. Goodnight!

i need the cheat codes

I have nothing of note to report tonight - I did get up in time to write before work, which was a good accomplishment. Then I slogged all day, but it was all rather mundane. And I eventually stopped, ordered some takeout for dinner (I should really get groceries, but #quarantinechef is not in the mood) and have spent the last several hours backing up my laptop - I need to get it checked because it's been repeatedly rebooting overnight, but that means backing everything up in case my hard drive has to get reset.

And on that v. boring note it's time for bed - goodnight!

don't do me like that

No blog tonight- I had to slog pretty hard all day, so there's nothing of interest to say there. But I finally closed my laptop at seven and walked to El Camino, where I had a margarita and some nachos and also journaled and people-watched. And I chatted up the bartender, who hadn't seen me in forever and comped my second margarita, so nature is healing.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

at some chinese restaurant in san francisco, my fortune told me i’m on the wrong road

Katie and I went out for an epic evening of margaritas, so I guess nature is healing or something. But before I got to the margaritas, I had a day of slogging. I was going to write this morning, but I got an email at 7:30am from my sprinkler guy asking if he needed to pick up an irrigation control box before getting to my place by nine. This was quite a surprise, since he had previously confirmed he would be here on July 19....and [censored] just replaced the box that the sprinkler guy was supposed to do. But I seized the moment, told him I didn't need the box but did need him to fix a broken zone valve and still fix some of the heads, so he got here around nine and did a great job fixing the rest of my system. So, that's a relief, since I can now leave my water on all the time without a leak and can also run my sprinklers from anywhere in the world thanks to my new control box.

Then I slogged for the entire day - I had a bit of a break at lunch, but not enough to feel luxurious. During my last meeting, I texted Katie and asked if today was the day that we would get margaritas together - we hadn't seen each other since late May, which feels impossibly long ago. I was in Iowa, and then she was in Iowa, and then unfortunately her grandmother passed away in souther Illinois, and so we've been as ships crossing in the night the last few weeks.

Happily, Katie succumbed to my lure of margaritas, and so we went to bartaco to catch up on the million things we've missed in each other's lives. This required many tacos, many margaritas, some tasty ice cream, some subpar churros, and a lot of conversation. We were there for almost four hours, and I think we made a valiant effort at scraping the tip of the iceberg of what has transpired in the last few weeks, but it will undoubtedly require some additional summit-level discussions to properly square all the many and varied topics away.

So in other words, it was a delight to see her and I feel v. grateful that my best friend from forever lives within ten minutes of my house. And I also feel v. grateful that my best friend from forever likes tequila and tacos, although I would still love her even if she didn't. And now, I need to consider going to bed since tomorrow looks like another epic slog - goodnight!

riding the storm out

Today was the last day of my long weekend, so the Sunday Scaries were actually the Tuesday Scaries. I got up this morning a little before six to bid farewell to [censored], and I intended to just sleep for another hour before getting on with my day - but instead I slept until nine. I guess I needed it, but it threw off my morning.

However, I then went to a new-to-me coffeeshop and wrote for almost three hours, which was a total delight. I haven't written in a coffeeshop in forever, and while this one was still maintaining social distancing and isn't fully back to normal, it was back to normal enough that I was supremely happy to be there and writing again.

Then I should have run errands, but I was feeling v. lazy, so I didn't. I did, however, have a call with Alyssa; we did some stretching and breathing exercises which helped since I seem to have tweaked my whole right side while doing stuff this weekend and my calf and neck were both stiff (thanks for reminding me that I'm getting older). And then I ordered sushi, did some stuff around the house, took a brief walk before getting rained out, and wrote for another hour.

And now I'm going to try to go to bed early so that I can write before work tomorrow (or at least have a more relaxed morning than I sometimes do) - goodnight!

he never smiles, he keeps it candid

[censored] is still here, even though he had intended to leave sometime this afternoon. This is to my benefit, as it meant that he did more projects today instead of skipping town. It wasn't all work - he did have a friend from grad school come over, and so we hung out on my patio for a couple of hours. But after that, it was back to the house slog. Today's list included finishing installation of my irrigation control box, installing three new smoke/CO detectors, hanging a mirror, doing some more surreptitious chopping at the tree of heaven debris over my fence line, removing the forming materials on the cement that is now shoring up my fence, putting on a new outlet cover in my backyard, and cutting some dead branches out of my tree that were hanging perilously over my garage.

At some point, that was enough stuff for today, and [censored] loaded his truck with the intent of leaving tonight. But he wanted to do a bit of work for his job first, so I took a shower and napped briefly and called the parents to see what they were up to. Then I picked up pizza from Blue Pan as a farewell dinner for [censored]. However, after eating he decided that he didn't want to head back to [censored] tonight after all, so he kept working and I did a bunch of organizational / financial stuff to try to figure out what absolutely needs to get done tomorrow during my final vacation day.

And now, I should sleep - [censored] is supposedly leaving early tomorrow, and I want to get up to see him off. Goodnight!

he knows all the words to mr. brightside

[censored] and I had another great vacation day, although vacation day seems like a cruel misnomer. I took it a little easy this morning and mostly rearranged things in my living room (making space for more books, moving a table with plants on it, etc), but then we got cracking on outdoor activities. [censored] spent most of the morning creating a method to shore up my fence, which is sagging badly under the onslaught of my neighbor's untrimmed overgrowth. So [censored] cut some wood to create forms for cement, and then he mixed and poured cement around the fence pillars so that it will harden up and support the fence. We'll see how it looks tomorrow, but that seems like a good short-term solution to me!

While [censored] was doing cement work, I did a bunch of cutting of tings - I broke down all the stuff [censored] cut down yesterday so that I can compost it over the next couple of weeks, which was all a good endeavor. I also helped [censored] with some stuff related to my irrigation line, which was going to get buried under [censored]'s fence solution. And I ran and got some groceries and we also order sandwiches from Snarf's, which were a total delight.

Sometime in the afternoon, Aunt Becky came over - she's in her Colorado house as of yesterday, so we invited her up for supper. She got here early enough that we were able to hang out for quite awhile, and I made caprese salad (roasted tomatoes + mozzarella) and the proscuitto-wrapped stuffed chicken breasts that [censored] like, with some mashed potatoes for good measure. We had a lot to catch up on, and it was nice to do so over tasty food (even if my dining room now feels like my office to me and may feel like that forever).

After we were done eating, Aunt B went home and [censored] and I made a Home Depot run. I had told him I wouldn't make him go to Home Depot four times on this trip, but he has gone twice (and I went to Lowes without him yesterday), so it's a good thing he's leaving tomorrow before we can hit his limit. We picked up a couple of tings + a new irrigation control box, which [censored] installed tonight.

And now, I'm falling asleep in my chair and I need to get up and at 'em tomorrow to get tings done before [censored] leaves. Goodnight! 

super villain with a manifesto, dang

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

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

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

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

i've made charts and graphs that should finally make it clear

I had a great day, all in all, and now vacation can begin in earnest (and by 'vacation' I mean that I'm going to be doing house projects all weekend). I had to work today, but I started it with Starbucks and had lunch with [censored] at Chipotle, so it wasn't bad (and the one meeting I had was great). Then, [censored] and I went to Home Depot, where we purchased many things to support the projects that we're doing this weekend (and by 'projects we're doing', I mean 'projects he's doing').

When we were finally done at Home Depot, we came home, unloaded, and ate takeout Thai food. Then [censored] fixed the broken light switch in my basement, which is great news since my basement has become a total mess since I haven't been able to turn on lights and organize things better. And then I watched the season finale of Top Chef - it was a great season, and it will be interesting to see how they handle the fallout of the finale due to some information that apparently came to light after the season was taped.

And then [censored] and I watched some more tv, and then I laid in bed for awhile and enjoyed some quiet time. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

lawyers guns and money

I had a long but lovely day. Today started with interrupted sleep - my carbon monoxide detector chose 4am to give up the ghost, so I had to figure out how to get it to stop chirping so that I could sleep. I also had a meeting with my boss at 8:30, so I had to get up and get with it earlier than usual.

Despite all that, my day was good (albeit still too many meetings). At some point, [censored] rolled into town - he is visiting for the weekend, theoretically to take a vacation but mostly to fulfill a bunch of house projects for me. Yes, this is a good thing, [censored] can come back anytime.

However, this visit isn't actually free, because I went to see Micky and the Motorcars with him, which is a country music band that I would never listen to if left to my own devices. The concert was at Globe Hall, which I've also never been to - turns out they serve barbecue and a full bar, and then the concert is held in a room directly adjacent to the restaurant. So we got there early enough to have barbecue and a drink, and then we went into the concert area just in time to snag one of the last barstools along the wall.

I thought both the main act and the opener were clearly v. talented, so I enjoyed myself a lot. I also thought that several of them looked like Lord of the Rings characters, which was apparently not supposed to be my takeaway.

But now I'm exhausted from lack of sleep last night, and I have to get up and get some tings done tomorrow - goodnight!

everyone's a winner, we're making our fame

I should not have stayed up to work until 11:30, but that's the way it goes right now. Today was a brutal meeting slog (starting at 8:30, ending at 5:30, with two 30min breaks), but I survived (thanks to a poke bowl delivery). Then I took a break in the evening - I ate dinner, did some laundry, finally planted my last plants that I bought a couple of weeks ago, read twitter, and gave myself a fresh gel manicure. So the work didn't pick up again until 9:30, and then I couldn't help myself in terms of what I absolutely had to get done.

But now I can go to bed, push hard through tomorrow's similarly heavy meeting schedule, have some fun, and then coast through Friday before the weekend begins in earnest.

And now, before I go to bed, I shall document that Adit, Ritu, Chandlord, Claude, and Jess had dinner in Oakland (jhokeland) at Arthur Mac's last night. They sent me a picture this morning wondering if it even happened if it wasn't documented on my blog - so voila, it's now part of posterity. And I am jealous, but my time in San Francisco is coming eventually. Goodnight!

late nights in the middle of june

No blog tonight - I have nothing to report; I didn't get enough sleep last night because I stayed up too late staring at screens; and I don't want to make the same mistake tonight (especially since I have meetings pretty much straight from 8:30-5:30 tomorrow). Goodnight!

i've been waiting for the tides to change

It's Monday, and a fairly uninspiring Monday at that. However, the day went pretty much as planned from a work standpoint, which I will take. And since I had a relatively light meeting day, I secretly absconded to a Starbucks in the late afternoon - it was my first time working in a coffee shop in almost sixteen months, which was bizarre in its own right. The clientele was also bizarre - a girl came in from the patio to complain that a man was staring at her, and a barista had to go out and talk to him (but he must be a regular, because the barista called him by name, and the barista didn't seem to make any attempt to shoo him off). I often err on the side of sympathizing in this kind of situation because I've seen my share of creeps in the world - but the girl was wearing a dress that was literally see-through and also cut so low that I was pretty sure I could see areola, and also I had previously vacated the patio without looking at her because she was loudly listening to music, so my sympathies are pretty dim. But this is a good reminder that 1) leaving the house is good for people watching, but also 2) leaving the house means running into weirdos.

sssanyway. After my excursion to Starbucks (which I made to beat traffic), I went over to Caroline's to hang out for awhile. We had a drink on her patio, then had dinner at a chicken and waffle place in Lafayette. I did not have the waffles, but I did break my gluten fast with some chicken tenders. They weren't really worth it as I thought they were a little dry, but the fries were good and Caroline's company was excellent.

Then I came home, took care of some tings around the house, and did some day job work. And now I must sleep - goodnight!

the water is warm, but it's sending me shivers

I had a lovely day - it started a bit quiet because I was so tired and so stayed in bed until after nine, but then I rallied, ate some oatmeal, took a shower, and drove to Colorado Springs to see Barbara. We hadn't seen each other in several months, since I've been in Iowa a lot and have generally not been available in person or virtually recently, so we were way overdue to catch up. I met her at her permanent house, which she has temporarily vacated for a massive renovation - the renovation is getting close to done, and the kitchen is so gorgeous that it makes me want to demo and redo my kitchen immediately.

So, Barbara gave me a tour of her house, and then we went out for brunch. The food and the juice at the place we went were really good - I haven't had breakfast out in awhile, so the skillet hash hit the spot. Also, the waiter was a little hilarious in an almost-too-much way - he complained deeply about how much some other tables were demanding of him, but also offered to add vodka to my juice if I met him in the employee parking lot. I'm taking that as a sign that nature is healing and that I will get back to my usual 'odd interactions with strangers' game as soon as things open up just a bit more.

When we weren't dealing with the waiter, Barbara and I had a delightful, meandering conversation about life and writing, which is what I always enjoy about spending time with her. We went back to her house and hung out some more, and I would have liked to stay all afternoon - but it was raining off and on and I was flagging, so I said my goodbyes sometime after three and drove back to Denver. On the way, I talked to my parents and was shocked to hear that they were about to eat some of the boneless skinless chicken breast I left in the freezer - I'm hoping this isn't a sign of some dire personality shift.

I basically collapsed into bed and took a nap as soon as I got home, which is not what I normally do at six p.m., but that's what I did today. Then I made myself some boxed gluten free mac and cheese, which is not exactly a delicacy, but it hit the spot. I also planned some stuff for this week, did some laundry, and talked to [censored] about our plans for next weekend, so at least I salvaged some productivity tonight.

And now I think I'm going to fold towels and then perhaps read and go to bed - goodnight!

blink three times when you feel it kicking in

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

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

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

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

danced to death at an east side night club

I have once again stayed up past my bedtime - I can theoretically sleep in tomorrow, but I have not been sleeping well enough to give me much confidence that sleeping in will happen. Work today was pretty good - I had a good meeting with the big boss and a bunch of other meetings in the morning, but I had three free hours this afternoon and was able to cross some tasks off my list.

I also made dinner tonight - at lunch time I marinated some chicken, and so for dinner I just had to bake it. It was, of course, a little more complicated than that - I made a spicy, sticky chicken with pineapple, and I also made rice and roasted some broccoli for the side. I've made it once before, but this was quite delicious (albeit spicy) - and it's pretty simple, other than cutting up the pineapple, which isn't exactly hard.

After I made dinner, I watched last night's episode of Top Chef so that I could stay caught up before the finale next week. Then, I had a v. extended call with my friendship renewal crew (Joann, Jane, and Jen) - they've been in touch and have actually seen each other in person recently, but with all my travel to Iowa I've missed a bunch of calls. So we had a lot to catch up on, and it was a nice way to spend Friday night.

And now I need to sleep so that I can enjoy my weekend - goodnight!

when the leaves turn brown

No blog tonight - I slogged all day, then watched three more episodes of Top Chef to get caught up with the season. Now I'm not caught up because I didn't watch the episode that aired tonight - but I wanted to catch up in time for the finale next week to avoid spoilers. This season is so good and I want to go to all their restaurants.... But right now, I need to go to bed instead. Goodnight!

might not work but i'll take a maybe

My schedule is totally screwed up, as evidenced by the fact that I did nothing most of the evening and then worked from 9ish until now. Today was fine, overall - I had a bunch of meetings, ate some fancy cheese and cured meats for lunch, had a bunch more meetings, and ended the afternoon with a call with Alyssa. Then, as I said, I did nothing - I mailed some things, reheated some leftover pasta, and watched three episodes of Top Chef so that I can try to catch up in time for the upcoming finale. But eventually the drumbeat of things that I need to get done for work caught up to me, and I worked until now.

But I feel better that I'm entering tomorrow not quite so far behind, and hopefully I can disconnect and get some sleep. Goodnight!

manifest a ceiling when you shy away

I had a mostly normal day, but there were some weird bits to punctuate it. I unfortunately had to start my meetings at 8:30, which is an hour earlier than I like to start, so the morning was rushed. And I started with three one-on-ones, then a ninety-minute strategy session....and then I went straight into a team fun event, which involved a virtual drag queen performance while playing bingo and making cocktails. Part of my team is in Europe and so it's impossible to find an event that works for everyone, and making a cocktail (which I only had a few sips of, but I wanted to show it was okay if other people wanted to) at 11:30am is a little ridiculous. But I'm sure the person who just joined my team and is on her second day at the company decided that this is the most amazing place ever!

sssanyway, after that I ate lunch while sitting in the sun, which was the best part of the day. Then I had meetings and worked the rest of the day. I ate some cheese and salami to tide me over while I talked to my parents, and then I messed around on my phone, and then I eventually made a late dinner (the tuscan kale and sausage pasta that I've made before - it wasn't quite as good as usual, but it sufficed). And then I started a book (SUNNY SONG WILL NEVER BE FAMOUS) - it's a YA novel about a teenage YouTube influencer who gets sent to a digital detox farm in Iowa for the summer. Hilariously, the author seemed to pick *my actual county* off the map to set it in (Promise City does seem like the right name for a town where a digital detox camp is located, but the actual Promise City doesn't have much going on), and nothing about it is at all accurate, but I'm enjoying the story so far.

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

if the world would only know what you've been holding back

Today was a fast and brutal slog - I have a lot going on at work, and I should have done some stuff this weekend and did not. So, I worked all day with basically no breaks. But I did sign off around 5:30 to get ready for dinner, and then I picked up my friend Kelly and we went to Rioja.

When I go out in Denver I almost never bother to go downtown, since Katie and I usually stick around our neighborhood - but Kelly and I were talking about the need to try other restaurants, so Rioja was our first attempt. It's on Larimer, and that block has been shut down to traffic and feels very festive, with lots of outdoor seating for lots of restaurants. All in all, it was a delightful evening - I wasn't quite as impressed with the food as I thought I would be (my halibut was slightly overcooked, and I didn't care for the dessert - but I'm really not a dessert person anyway). But the ambiance was fantastic, and Kelly and I had a really good time, so it was a v. fun excursion even if it was v. weird to be out on a Monday.

Then I got home, relaxed for a bit, and worked for the last hour and a half to get through some stuff for tomorrow. And now I really should decompress and go to sleep - goodnight!

touch it, bring it, babe, watch it, turn it, leave it, stop, format it

I thought I was lazy yesterday, but I was also lazy today. That means I should probably get up early to get some work done in the morning that I had intended to do today, but I'm not too worried about that. And I suppose that getting some sleep today (between sleeping in + taking an hour-long nap around lunch) was what I needed more than anything.

I did do a bit of writing this morning, and I did three loads of laundry, and I cleaned out my fridge. I also planted multiple planters of stuff - I have planted all but one planter of stuff that I bought over the last couple of weeks, so if I can get that done in the next couple of days, I'll feel pretty good about it. I also talked to my parents, picked up pizza (that should have been groceries + cooking, but I am not in the cooking mood right now), and then spent a long time talking to [censored] while he drove home.

And now I should probably sleep if I'm going to get tings done tomorrow - goodnight!

homecoming parade as we renegade

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

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

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

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

come sail away

I'm deep in a book hangover, which I've made worse for myself tonight. I woke up this morning just in time to shower quickly before starting my meetings, and then I slogged pretty hard all day. When I was done around six, I was done done....so I ordered takeout and finished the book I started last night. Then I promptly bought the next book in the series and read most of it too. And who knows - maybe I'll read all weekend, but I also need to do some gardening and writing and cooking and day job work and peloton, so we'll see.

But now I really need to sleep - goodnight!

don't stop make it pop

I should have gone to bed an hour or two ago. But after work today (which was good, but long), I didn't feel like doing anything at all. I did convince myself to write for thirty minutes, but then I ate some leftovers, started a book...and, as usual, sat unmoving for the last four and a half hours reading it. This is why I do not start books on school nights (and rarely on weekends).

But that's a problem that Tomorrow Sara will have to deal with - right now, it's time for bed. Goodnight!

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!