what do you get when you place all your bets outside you?

I had a v excellent day, which was a lovely way to end the week. I spent the morning indulging in some very self-care things, like stretching and doing my nails and eating some excellent scrambled eggs (a little more indulgent than usual, with avocado and black beans and peppers on top of the usual onions). And I spent the afternoon with some coffee and journaling and napping, along with a long chat with Alyssa. So, all in all, or was a relaxing interlude before I get back into kitchen/bathroom remodel design and writing in earnest.

But now, it's definitely time for bed - goodnight!

see you at the bitter end

I had a v nice day today...it's amazing what staying off my phone, drinking water, sleeping, and reading will do for me, and also amazing that I somehow don't remember that fact most days/weeks/months. I spent some quality time with my journal and coffee; spent some more quality time with scrambled eggs; had a v impromptu but great catch up with Veronica; and did a lot of research into the ancient Egyptians for reasons that will probably filter into my book but are still currently vague.

But now, in the interest of continuing to stay off my phone, I'm going to bed - goodnight!

imma wade through your shallow love

Today went pretty much as I intended - I got some stuff done, but I'll spare you the details. And since [censored] wasn't around to force me to build equity in my house (jk), I slacked off and finished the weird necromancer fantasy I'm reading...and immediately wanted to start the next one, but decided to spare my eyes. There's always tomorrow for that!

But for now, it's time for bed - goodnight!

there's an endless road to rediscover

I'm sleepy, but I got quite a bit done today despite my worse intentions. I spent some quality time cleaning up the garage after all our painting exploits - unprepping the garage also took several hours, since it required folding up dropcloths, sweeping, pulling down a lot of plastic, unwrapping the meticulously wrapped garage door rails, etc., etc. I also had to get all the things that belong in the garage out of my kitchen / living room. And then all that effort rolled straight into starting to pack up my kitchen in anticipation of my remodel, although luckily it's not starting this week, so I didn't have to pack up everything today.

Somewhere in there, I also did a workout with Alyssa, and I went into (the other) town to vote. And I stopped by my parents' house to drop something off, and also stopped at my dad's shop to throw away all the plastic from my garage. And now, I really must sleep - goodnight!

cut me down where the water meets the sea

Today was okay, but I'm thoroughly ready to retire my paint sprayer and never see it again. When I woke up, I felt like I was developing the cold that [censored] has, which is definitely not what I want. So, I made a vat of hot tea (followed by another vat a few hours later), and I also made a bigger than usual breakfast (hashbrowns with my v. tasty scrambled eggs) in an effort to ward off the plague. We'll see if any of it works, but at least I got through the day.

At some point, [censored] and I finally rallied and finalized our painting prep so that we could paint the garage ceiling. This continued to take longer at every step than I would like for it to take, since we're meticulous about prep and already had too much stuff in the garage, and the garage is hard to seal since we need access to almost every door. But we got everything sorted out, set up the sprayer, mixed up all the paint, and then painted the ceiling. And by that I mean I did the majority of the setup, but [censored] painted the entire ceiling, since [censored] is an excellent/masochistic buddy who is sacrificing spare time to make my house more pleasant. The painting took exactly one hour, with copious breaks to clean/defog goggles -- so, one hour of painting to 20+ hours of prep / cleanup continues to be the paint sprayer ratio.

Despite that, the garage looks great and I'm really glad we got it painted before we permanently fill it with all sorts of stuff. After we were done, I cleaned up a bunch of stuff and then made dinner (chicken burrito bowls in the instant pot), which [censored] and I ate while watching several episodes of CHARMED (I'm calling it research). And now I must sleep - goodnight!

say goodbye to hollywood

I had intended to paint my garage ceiling today - but after approximately eight hours of prepping, all we accomplished was getting the garage ready to paint. It truly takes an exorbitant amount of time to put plastic on everything and seal the room up, especially when trying to cover garage door tracks and various other strange features.

Somewhere in there, I took a break to make scrambled eggs and hashbrowns to fuel me and [censored] for the journey ahead. And really, the prep wasn't too bad - it's just incredibly tedious to hang a bunch of plastic that will likely come down tomorrow. But the garage will look great when we're done, so I'm holding on to that belief that spending this many hours painting it will be worth it.

Eventually, I threw in the towel on garage stuff for the day. [censored] and I left the lights off in the house tonight to avoid attracting candy-seekers, but we did welcome his best friend's kids, who were pretty adorable. Then we had dinner at the parents' house - v. tasty brisket with mashed potatoes, which went a long way toward refueling me.

And now, I am falling asleep as I type, so it's time for bed - goodnight!

right around the corner son

I meant to go to bed an hour ago, but that's what happens when you're having fun (and by having fun I mean panicking over all the choices I need to make for my remodel).

Today was good, though - I did some writing and other work in the morning, worked out with Alyssa, and had a writing class. I also continued to work on the neverending garage painting project. And my parents lured me to their house for dinner, which I fell for because I'm easily lured by cheeseburgers and fried potatoes.

Then I came home, talked to [censored] about various tings and hootenannies, and made many lists. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

sleep just to dream her

I did less than I would have liked today, but far more than might be expected on the day after a trip, so I'll take it. I was lazy all morning and half the afternoon, but I made a tasty tuna sandwich and used it to revive me. Eventually, I spent some quality time painting a second coat on the garage walls - while the previous efforts looked pretty good, I knew in my heart of hearts that a second coat would make it better. So, I finally broke down and did it, although I didn't bother touching up around the garage doors. We'll see how it looks in the morning, but I am glad I got it done.

Then I ate a baked potato with some pulled pork that I had waiting for me in the freezer. I also procrastinated a bit more before deciding to throw in the towel and read - I'm still deeply engrossed in an extremely weird fantasy novel, and unfortunately I'm approaching the climax but can't stay up to finish it if I have any hope of getting anything done tomorrow. So now it's time for bed - goodnight!

harmony hall

I'm back in ye olde Iowa after a perfectly smooth (except for turbulence) trip out of New Orleans today. I got up, encountered no issues getting an Uber, met no major traffic on the way to the airport, and didn't have to stand in line for security at all (thanks to my Clear membership, which is paid for by one of my credit cards, and my TSA precheck). That gave me time to have a lackluster but still helpful breakfast and grab Starbucks before boarding.

My first flight was on time, and I had just enough time to make it between gates (a long distance, as it turned out) before boarding in Houston. The second flight hit some unpleasant turbulence, but otherwise it was all good.

When I landed, I drove to the next town south of the airport to get gas, picked up some groceries, and ate takeout Chinese from the grocery store deli in my car. Then I got home and promptly took a nap. I spent the rest of the evening settling, planning my week, and reading the book I was reading on the plane (which I will discuss in more detail later). Goodnight!

did i play my songs too loud

I had a relaxed day in New Orleans. It was cheaper for me to get a hotel today and fly out tomorrow than it was to fly out today... But on my fifth trip to New Orleans, I didn't feel much urge to go out and explore.

So, Caroline and I grabbed coffee and checked out of our Airbnb, then stowed our luggage at my hotel and grabbed brunch at an excellent place called Willa Jean. My brisket and potatoes and grits were excellent, and we had a nice time hanging out. Then, we mostly hung around my hotel lobby - I did a bunch of writing and a bunch of reading, as well as some home goods browsing.

Caroline left for the airport around three, and then I spent the rest of the day doing more writing/reading with #noregrets. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

look to the horizon

No blog tonight - I had a lovely day in New Orleans, with an excellent brunch (duck hash) and also excellent dinner (tuna tartare and a tasty fish), as well as writing/reading time and an interesting cemetery tour. But I'm tired and need to go to bed rather than regaling you with that - goodnight!

just find a place to make your stand and take it easy

I had another lovely day in New Orleans - the weather is perfect, and we've made the most of our wandering/eating opportunities. I had a lazy morning, and then we went to brunch at Tableau. I've eaten there before, but not in their lovely courtyard, where I had some v tasty shrimp and grits in deference to my gluten issues. Then we wandered all over the French Quarter, had some coffee, bought some paper, etc.

After that, we found a hotel that had a Banksy mural painted post-Katrina, and then we went to Magazine Street to explore the shops of the Garden District. Eventually, we wandered back home, where I took a v necessary nap.

Then, we got dressed up and took the streetcar to dinner at Commander's Palace. It's a New Orleans institution, with excellent service and even more excellent food, and it was pretty much perfect tonight. To avoid glutening myself, I skipped the gumbo (even though I really wanted it) and instead got a perfect salad (romaine with bacon and egg, but very well executed) and an excellent steak with some spiced-up mashed potatoes. The meal was fantastic, as was the company, and we left happy.

Then we grabbed cocktails at the Columns Hotel, which was excellent, before coming home and discussing celebrity gossip. And then I read until now, but I really should sleep to fortify myself for the day ahead - goodnight!

in the dark of armstrong park the marching bands attend, but they never make a sound

I had an excellent day in New Orleans. This city feels like a town that has already died, but the news of its demise hasn't caught up with it yet - which is probably why it feels a bit like home to me, even though I've never lived here and these ghosts aren't mine. This is my fifth trip here, and each time it feels like something calls to me - my French ancestors, or the waters that drain from my home to this delta, or just the feeling of grit and determination in the face of inevitable decay.

Or maybe it's the rum that calls to me. Regardless, it was a great day. We all got up around the same time, and we took an Uber to Cafe du Monde, where I succumbed to the gluteny allure of beignets (which were #worthit) and chicory cafe au lait. Then we wandered around for hours, had a decadent lunch at Herbsaint, and came home to take naps.

In the evening, we did a walking tour that talked about ghosts, vampires, voodoo, modern PTSD, etc. Then we had dinner and drinks at a wine bar, followed by hurricanes at the supposed original hurricane bar (terrible drinks, nice ambiance) and another drink at a nearby bar that I'd been to before and liked. And now, after getting home before midnight (which is v civilized in New Orleans), it's time for bed - goodnight!

the costume fits so i played my part

I am taking a break from my #smalltownlife for the weekend, and am about to fall asleep in an Airbnb in New Orleans. I'm on a girls trip with a couple of former coworkers (Caroline and another girl named Sara, which is probably confusing on a three person trip). Everything today went quite smoothly - I had some time to take care of tings around the house before leaving, and then I got to the airport without any issues. My flights were on time and I had time for a snack in Houston. And when I got to the Airbnb, I was here for approximately two minutes before meeting my friends at a restaurant down the street for a Caesar salad and champagne, which felt appropriate.

So, I'm very excited to be here, and also very excited to go to sleep so I can do all the things tomorrow - goodnight!

raise a glass up cause i won't

No blog tonight - I had a pretty good day, all in all, but I was dragging after staying up too late last night, and I had a lot to do today that I didn't really get done. However, I did pack for my trip - I'm leaving for New Orleans tomorrow, which is v. exciting. And I talked to Katie, which is always a delight. 

But right now, I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

so welcome back and take a breath, you come to life, you're bored to death

I was lazier than I intended to be today, but that's because I had intended to spend today prepping the garage so that I could spray the ceiling tomorrow. However, my hands are still shot from this weekend's painting activities, and I've been on the brink of carpal tunnel or RSI or whatever other hand issues often enough to know that I need to rest them now or they will only get worse. So, I reneged on my plan to prep the garage, which felt right even if Future Sara will probably not be excited to do it next weekend.

Instead, I spent the day messing around the house - I did approximately four loads of laundry, cleaned some tings, moved some tings around, etc. I also did a wee bit of journaling and an even wee-er bit of writing. And I took a walk around town, despite the fact that it's approximately forty degrees - it was colder than I wanted it to be, but it helped me to stretch out from painting + kettlebells, so it was #worthit.

After all of that (and a trip to the grocery store), I had a pretty quiet night. [Censored] showed up this afternoon, and we ate dinner together (leftover burrito bowls that I made last night). Then I retired to my room, where I reread the first half of SUNSHINE. This has been a favorite reread since it came out almost twenty years ago (gasp), but I don't think I've reread it since the pandemic started, so I'm overdue. It has a bit of an interesting plot structure and a very strong narrative voice, so I'm reading it partially to see how the author did what she did - but I'm also reading it because I love it, and I continue to love it despite reading it so many times over the years.

But now, I need to go to bed before I inadvertently stay up all night finishing my reread. Goodnight!

acapulco, tel aviv, and maybe japan

I did a bunch of tings today, but none of them are that interesting to you. I woke up with a headache and some soreness, no doubt due to painting the garage, so I was pretty lazy getting around and making coffee. But I did take care of some tings and shower in time for an 11am call with someone I'd connected with on LinkedIn, and then was secretly delighted when the person no-showed (but less delighted to find out it was because they had a medical issue). So, with some unexpected free time, I made a dash to the next town over to return some countertop samples and buy ceiling paint for the garage. I was in the store less than ten minutes before driving home, so I feel like my efficiency at doing things for my house is going up a bit.

When I got home, I did a bit of an Alyssa-themed workout (kettlebells), and then did some stuff in the garage. I also did a whole bunch of stuff upstairs, which is not what I had intended, but I needed to vacuum and throw away the detritus from installing my lights, and I also needed to organize tings.

Eventually, I was done with all that, and I decided to cook tonight so that tomorrow will be easier. I made a chicken burrito bowl in the Instant Pot, which has officially become a staple of my diet, and it was v. tasty. And then I did some cleaning, did some procrastinating, and wrote for awhile. And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

it seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye

My hands are covered with paint, but luckily the garage walls are also covered with paint, so I think it was a worthy tradeoff. Today was far more manual labor than I like to pack into my Sunday, but there was really no other choice given the many tings that are coming up in my schedule over the next few weeks.

When I woke up this morning, I made some coffee and got ready, and then [censored] and I did some garage prep. Then, we took one of my mattresses to my parents' house (it's been sitting in my garage since I moved, but it's going to replace the mattress in my bedroom at their house). We also drove around the field, which is always fun.

The fun ended when we got back to town - I made some eggs to fortify us, and then we painted. We decided to roll the paint in the garage instead of spraying it due to the intense prep that spraying requires, but rolling has its own issues (namely, it hurts more due to the repetitive motions). But we successfully rolled a coat of stain/odor blocking primer, and then rolled a coat of paint, and it looks really good. It helps that [censored] has scaffolding on wheels, so when I was cutting in the ceiling with a brush, I could do several feet at once, and then [censored] could roll me on the scaffolding to the next location. This felt almost majestic, especially when I had to crouch down to avoid the garage door tracks and so felt like I was being slowly paddled down a jungle stream -- or perhaps the fumes from the primer really got to me.

sssanyway, all of that took 6+ hours, not including a break to let the primer dry. But it looks really good - I have some touching up to do, and then I need to tape up a whole bunch of plastic since we are going to spray the ceiling. But I think the project was #worthit, even though it was painful.

When we were finally done, we picked up Mexican takeout (I had it two days ago, but beggars can't be choosers here, and I am happy to eat that instead of having to cook after spending six hours painting). Then, I relaxed for a bit, and now I should sleep so I can get back into the writing swing of tings tomorrow. Goodnight!

i'm in the beauregards, slow me down if i get hard

Yesterday and today have been v. full of productivity, which is not what I signed up for with my #funemployed life. [jk, I am excited that I've been fairly productive since leaving the day job, which is not how the last two departures felt initially]

Yesterday, I was still in Cedar Rapids, where I enjoyed my free hotel breakfast before going to a coffee shop and writing for a couple of hours. [Censored] suggested that I go to Stillwater, which overlooks the river and has a v. city vibe - and I really enjoyed it, as well as the two pourover coffees that got me wired while I was there. I also wrote steadily for that couple of hours, and my story is taking strange and interesting turns, which means I really just want to be writing instead of doing manual labor.

However, I gave up the writing at lunchtime and met [censored]; we went to a place called Daisy's Garage, where I had a smothered chicken sandwich sans the sandwich part (so basically a chicken breast with peppers/onions/cheese) and some excellent tots. Then, [censored] took the afternoon off, so we went to Lowes to get some painting supplies, and then loaded a whole bunch of stuff in my car. I then drove home through a bit of rain the whole way, but the trip was otherwise uneventful. And I made it back in time to have Mexican takeout with my parents, which fortified me both yesterday and today, thanks to leftovers.

Today continued the productivity show - [censored] showed up last night, and we spent today doing myriad house projects. First, [censored] installed new overhead lights in my bedroom and my office, which wasn't entirely necessary (I'd gotten used to using the bare bulbs hanging overhead after painting) - but we needed to take the scaffolding down to the garage for our next project, and it had stayed upstairs for the express purpose of installing the lights. And I must say, I'm quite pleased that they're up and usable, so I'm one step closer to feeling settled in my bedroom/office.

Then, we hauled scaffolding downstairs, ate lunch, and spent the rest of the afternoon prepping the garage to paint the interior. This meant I spent most of the afternoon crawling around on concrete while wearing my gardening kneepads so that I could clean/tape/mask the trim. This was definitely not glamorous, but I will be happy when the garage is painted -- back doors around here are always the actual entrance, and the fact that everyone enters my house through the garage means I have some incentive to spruce it up. Also, if we don't paint it now, we will never paint it, so there's some incentive.

However, all of that effort made me tired, so [censored] and I mooched vegetable beef soup off the parents, then came back and watched a bit of TV before deciding that perhaps bedtime was in order. And so I should really sleep (which is what I planned to do an hour ago, before falling prey to online shopping). Goodnight!

who needs a house out in hackensack

I'm not living my #smalltownlife at the moment - instead, I'm in the large(ish) city of Cedar Rapids. When I woke up this morning, I hurried around to get ready, and then I drove for three hours to get up here in time to have lunch with [censored] at one of [censored]'s favorite eating establishments near the office. I had a BLT pizza on a gluten free crust that was really tasty - I have never had mayo on a pizza before, but it was delish. And it was fun to see the place that [censored] often eats at during the week, even if we didn't have a lot of time to dilly-dally.

After lunch, [censored] hooked me up with a conference room, so I took a call with Alyssa. Then [censored] gave me a tour of the building and introduced me to some people before I returned to my conference room hideout for my writing class. By the end of that, it was basically the end of the work day...which is when the real work began.

[Censored] is in the process of moving some tings, and since [censored] was an extremely generous buddy and came to Denver to help me move, it seemed like I should probably make some mediocre effort to return the favor. Unfortunately, [censored] doesn't have access to skid loaders or telehandlers or other accoutrements of civilized life here, so moving tings like a king-sized bed required basic manpower instead of high-powered equipment. Even more unfortunately, I have child-sized hands and t-rex arms, which makes moving tings difficult - Alyssa, who is my trainer and knows my body better than anyone, actually expressed some humor at the idea of me moving a king sized bed given my size.

However, [censored] and I successfully moved a king sized bed, the two twin box springs that go under it, a large TV, a recliner, and a few other tings down 1.5-2 flights of stairs without dying and without killing each other, so I feel v. accomplished. There is still some stuff to do tomorrow, so I shall amuse myself by writing at a coffee shop (yayyyy) until [censored]'s afternoon off begins, but I'd say tings are in good shape.

After we finished moving, [censored] took me out for dinner at a v. tasty Italian place, where I had a nice glass of wine and some risotto for my efforts. Then, we checked into a hotel, since [censored]'s bed is now in a trailer and there is nowhere else to sleep. And now, I really need to sleep - goodnight!