I gave your name as my emergency phone call

I have had an exceedingly boring week, made more boring by the fact that it's been zero degrees outside more times than I think it legally should be, even in winter. I've been alternating between slogging, cooking, writing (a little), and procrastinating (a lot), so I have had nothing to report. 

But today was nice despite all that. I woke up and decided to make carnitas, because I went to the grocery store yesterday and found a pork butt that was on sale for a dollar a pound. It was so cheap because it expired yesterday, but I bought it anyway. It was almost nine pounds, and so I ended up trying two different carnitas recipes - I put one chunk in the crock pot for ten hours, and I cut the other chunk up and baked it later. Both had orange juice, garlic, and onion, but the crock pot version had a rub of cumin and oregano, while the baked version had bay leaves and a cinnamon stick. 

I thought they both turned out great - unfortunately [censored] doesn't really like pork and so this bounty is wasted on him, but my tacos were v tasty. They would have been better with a proper salsa verde, but I can't get such a thing here and my salsa stockpiles are low. But now I have leftovers + will freeze a bunch for Future Sara, which is quite exciting. 

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

chimes

I have nothing to report - I have just been slogging and trying to stay warm. I did do some writing last night and tonight, but it's rough going - I would find it easier at a coffee shop or wine bar, but those things are in short supply here. But my day overall was good, and now it's time for bed - goodnight!

send lawyers guns and money

I have apparently not blogged in several days - I blame a perfect storm of factors (pun intended).

Thursday was my last full day in SF and I slogged relentlessly before meeting Lauren (aka subz) for dinner at Rooh. She was in fine form and we enjoyed dinner v tasty Indian food - and a surprise sighting of our old boss from India, who was completely shocked to see us (and probably to see us together, since most work friendships don't survive a couple of decades and continents). Then I had to pack as fast as possible because...

Friday I was supposed to leave SF at the civilized hour of 1pm, but with the massive weather issues happening this weekend, and the fact that I had only a thin coat, fingerless gloves (cashmere, but still fingerless), and a hat I stole from the office swag closet meant that I thought it prudent to get into Des Moines during daylight hours. So I flew out of SF at 5am, which was as painful as it sounds. There weren't any restaurants open then, but luckily our robot overlords/underlings never sleep, so I got a decent latte from a robot barista before boarding. My Denver layover was a hike but went fine, we were delayed an hour by deicing plus a maintenance issue, but I made it to Des Moines by early afternoon and was able to grab groceries on the drive south. 

When I got home, I said hello to [censored], unloaded my car without freezing my ears off, and then made chicken and rice for dinner. And then I went to bed early ish and accidentally slept for ten+ hours, which was great. 

Yesterday I did basically nothing. But I did heat up some ham balls to take to Mom's, which we enjoyed with her scalloped potatoes and baked beans. And then I did more nothing and went to bed. 

Today it was still brutally cold, but it was sunny and well reflected by the snow, so I was in a decent mood. I did a bunch of cleaning, a bunch of laundry, a bunch of podcast listening, and also made a gigantic batch of beef stew. And now, I need to sleep since work is going to be busy busy busy this week - goodnight!

sleep tomorrow but tonight go crazy

No blog tonight - I had a v good day at work, but I got up early so I could grab Philz and make it to the office before an 8:30 meeting, and then I slogged relentlessly all day. Eventually I cut out so that I could meet Veronica for dinner at Beretta, which was excellent (and featured a surprise run-in with Katrina as I stepped out of the Uber, who discovered me cheating on her with Veronica at a restaurant that Katrina and I often go to).

But now I need to sleep so that I can make it through my last full day in SF tomorrow - goodnight!

long train running

I slogged completely incessantly all day, starting at 7:20 when I realized I had a meeting at 7:30 (that is usually at 9:30 in Iowa) and still hadn't showered. I made it through the shower in record time, took the call with my camera off, did another call, dashed to the office, and was in meetings straight until five. 

After that I continued to hang out with work people, but that involved drinks at True Laurel and dinner at Heirloom, where I had a v excellent duck and some surprisingly good wine. Yes, Adit was involved; no, we did not go off the rails. But now I need to sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow- goodnight!

brightest lights

I had a chill day, sort of - my morning was more chill than I planned, and then I drove to a random Philz somewhere and worked for a few hours. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my day off, but it wasn't all bad. In some ways it's nice to go into tomorrow not feeling completely behind, although I never exactly feel caught up. 

All of this happened before a 5pm dinner with the friendship renewal crew (Jen, Jane, and Joann). We went to Seapot, which is a hot pot place I'd been to before, and it was quite tasty. It was a little more chaotic than I would have preferred for a proper catch up after being separated for too long, but it was still fun and I got the high level overview of what my friends are up to. 

Then I dropped my rental car off at SFO, and endured an absurd wait for an Uber. It became clear that no one wanted to pick someone up at the rental car center (I assume it's either inconvenient for them to get to or they assume the clientele is worse). So I took the airtrain two stops to the Grand Hyatt, which is v nice, and I was promptly picked up by an excellent Uber, so the airtrain gamble was worth it.

And now I need to go to bed - goodnight!

working on mysteries without any clues

I had a lovely day in the city of sin. I got up at a reasonable hour and went to Blue Bottle, where I drank some New Orleans iced coffee and planned my week. Then I got ready, retrieved my car, and drove to the dirty east bay to have lunch with John and Jess. We went to Saul's in celebration of old times, and it was a delight to see them (and their child, and their child's friend, who I mentally call Yahtzee even though that's not his name).

Then I took the long way (by distance, not time) back into the city, which meant going over the Golden Gate Bridge yet again on this trip. I spent a couple of hours hanging out at fort mason/the marina, where I bought some art supplies, grabbed some coffee, and talked to my mom while taking in the view of the water. 

Then I came back to my hotel, vegged, ordered takeout sushi, journaled, and generally wasn't quite as productive as I wanted to be, but c'est la vie. Goodnight!

cozy era

I need to go to bed immediately since I'm falling asleep, but I had a great day in the city of sin - I got a bunch of sleep, talked to Katie for quite some time since we hadn't caught up in a coon's age, had an extended brunch with Katrina at Nopalito, and then did some work at Arbor in Hayes Valley. And then I had a v leisurely dinner with Claudia at Coqueta, where we had excellent tapas and even more excellent conversation. 

But now I'm desperate to sleep - goodnight!

they're gonna eat me alive

No blog tonight - I got up early enough to grab philz on my way to the office, and then I slogged all day. I ran some errands in japantown after, grabbed some pizza at delfina, and was back at my hotel by 7:45.... Where I proceeded to doze the rest of the night bc I'm in a deep sleep deficit. And now I'm going to bed for real - goodnight!

you make me glow

I had a nice morning even though I got less than four hours of solid sleep and wanted to die as a result. I had breakfast, then used the steam room and hot tub, which made me want such things in my bathhouse. Then a group of us set off toward SF in three cars, but we stopped for lunch at Boon Fly, which was delightful. 

I did a tiny bit of work when I got back, chatted with Adit, and then checked into my hotel, drove straight to Burlingame, and had dinner with Anne and Barbara. And now I desperately need to sleep - goodnight!

i would come back a thousand times

The first part of this is what I started writing at one am last night...

I had an excellent day at my offsite, including many meetings, many opportunities to consume food, a v fun ceramic etching class at a winery, and more drinks + book club + more dinner + more drinks. Book club was v fun since we were in person for the first time ever and also some of us thought it was terrible while others thought it was great.

//

That's where I fell asleep, but unfortunately I only got five v fitful hours before waking up. I had a massage this morning that I didn't want to miss (rough life), so I overcame my extreme apathy for waking up + my mild hangover to go to the spa. It was definitely worth it and also definitely sad that I had to immediately shower and lead a breakout.

But the meetings were all good, I ate many tasty snacks, and I got a nap around 3:30, which is all I wanted. Then I grabbed a wine tasting with Adit, Emily, and Baz, which is a core group of favorites. And then we went to the team dinner, which was delicious, and I closed out the after-party tonight with Adit and Martha, which is exactly what happened last night (although I drank much less tonight and so have high hopes for my sleep).

And now it's time for bed - goodnight!

tell me never

I'm too wiped out to blog but I had a lovely day - I woke up v early, packed, checked out, grabbed a gigantic cold brew, and went to the office to work on slides. I had one long meeting, and then six of us went on an expedition toward wine country - which involved lunch in Berkeley and then a nice tasting excursion. Then I checked into my hotel, did a bit of work, had dinner, hung out, and escaped unusually early (for me) to do some more work. And now I need to sleep immediately - goodnight!

busy child

I had a v busy but lovely day in the city by the bay. I woke up relatively early this morning and spent a pleasant / frustrating hour finishing reading the book for this week's work book club, which was (in my opinion) badly written but full of interesting ideas that weren't fully developed.

Then I did a bit of work, showered, and drove to Corte Madera, where I grabbed lunch, grabbed a couple of tings at Sephora, and then worked at philz for several hours to prep for this offsite this week. Since I basically foisted this offsite on everyone, I feel some duty to make sure it goes well, and so we shall see if I have prepped enough (right now I feel like I haven't, but there is still time tomorrow). Then I got a mani/pedi before going to my friend Grace's.

Grace made an extremely delicious dinner (including a salad that would be like a hundred dollars at Restoration Hardware), and I enjoyed hanging out with her and Brian and Brendan. I had never seen her new house even though she moved a couple of years ago, and seeing her was worth the drive.

But leaving there at 8:30 meant getting to my hotel at 9:30, and I need to go to bed immediately if I'm going to get up in time to check out and do some work before the shenanigans start. Goodnight!

measly means

I am ensconced in a hotel near the airport, which is not where I usually stay (although I have stayed here before), but it was convenient for the next couple of days. Getting out of my house today was a bit of a mad dash, as it always is, but I made it to the airport with enough time to eat a burger and have a glass of rosé, so I timed it just right. I was also upgraded on the flight to Denver, which made the flight to SF even more painful since I was but upgraded and was in a row with a woman whose small dog was very unhappy to be flying and let everyone know it through most of the flight. 

However, I had headphones and the book I need to finish for my work book club, so I survived. Getting out of SFO was about as smooth as possible, and I had my bags + rental car + keys to my hotel room within 60-75min, which I will totally take.

I spent the rest of the evening unpacking a few tings, eating a pizza that I got delivered since I didn't feel like going out, and reading some more. And now I need to sleep - or finish the book, but sleep is prob a better idea. Goodnight!

slumber lands

I have been slogging relentlessly the last few days, but I have prioritized sleep well enough that I'm not dying despite feeling like I've worked excessively. I'm going to California for an offsite next week, and since I was the one who 1) said we should have an offsite, 2) planned it, and 3) made myself responsible for the content, I suppose I need to get everything done and show up. I haven't had a chance to plan much personal stuff in SF after the offsite yet, but perhaps that's something I can do from the plane. Or perhaps I'll just show up and hope people are around.

sssanyway, my week has been good. Wednesday I slogged, made some turkey and white bean chili for dinner, and then watched the second half of the ISU/Baylor game with [censored]. Thursday I slogged, drove to the next town over for a dentist appointment (where I made an excellent joke about donkeys), came home, slogged some more, and then had my first city council meeting as an elected official. So far so good, although I look forward to seeing what the populace will bring up in future sessions. Today, I had allergy shots, ran some errands (including to the lumber yard, where I made an excellent joke about strippers, unrelated to yesterday's donkey joke), came home, and slogged.

But I was done by 5:15, and then [censored] and I picked up Mom and went to Seymour for prime rib. Then we came home and I spent the last four hours tidying up my room and figuring out what to pack. I don't really want to do laundry on my trip, but I'm also traveling for many days, so it's tempting to take everything I own. So far I think I have the right mix of stuff, although I may sleep on it and completely change my mind in the morning.

But now I need to sleep since I need to get out of here tomorrow morning - goodnight!

sun ain't shining no more

I have reentered the work slog - it was nice while most people were out of office, but now it's a firehose of catching up and preparing for the upcoming year. 

So I slogged all day yesterday and celebrated with a frozen pizza - somehow the local Hy-Vee has the best gf frozen pizza I've ever found. Today I got up and slogged again, rather manically bc I had many hours of meetings in a row where I actually had to participate. But I did do some writing last night and again this morning, which was a real win. 

After work, my mom came over and we ate leftover chicken and wild rice soup, which was tasty. Then I washed a sweater, packed up a table to return (it was for my chaise lounge in my bedroom and it unfortunately arrived damaged, which is real annoying bc it's literally 45lbs and I didn't find the damage until after I'd unboxed it and carried it upstairs), and did various other tasks. And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

road shimmer wiggling the vision

I was reasonably productive today, despite staying up far too late last night reading that stupid book (which I should continue reading tonight, but I shall not). I got up later than I had intended to, but I spent quite a bit of quality time writing today, which I will take. I also took a shower, got groceries, made some chicken and wild rice soup, hand washed several sweaters, cleaned the kitchen, watered plants, and did some day job stuff.

So, all in all, it was not the most exciting day, but I'm just a little bit better set up for the week than I could have been, so I'll take it. Goodnight!

dude don't take it personal

So far my new year is off to a reasonably good start. I spent some time on new years day journaling and setting up my planner, and then I made prosciutto wrapped chicken breasts to take out to Mom's for dinner. We played two games of ticket to ride and [censored] won one and Mom won the other, which was great for them I guess. The only good news was that [censored] somehow managed to lose points at the end of the game, which never happens, and I had to take that as a consolation prize for not winning myself. 

Yesterday I had to work, and I had to do it while slightly itchy because I had to get allergy shots. I only had four hours of meetings, which was both chill and an ominous prelude to everyone coming back online Monday. 

Today I decided to do various things around the house, mostly successfully. I also wrote for awhile, also mostly successfully. Then I made chicken Alfredo pasta for me and [censored], which we ate while catching up on the last SNL episodes that we hadn't seen - the random duet with Jane Wickline and "Lil Jon" was a highlight, but there were some other v funny moments. And then I crawled into bed and spent a couple of hours reading SECRET OF SECRETS - it's the latest Dan Brown book, and it's fairly terrible, but we're reading it for book club at work and I decided to go with it.

And now I need to sleep - goodnight!

maybe wave if i pass you

Happy almost new year! It will be midnight here in ten minutes, but I hope to be done with this post and have the lights out by then. I spent the last couple of days being a city person - as I mentioned Monday, I drove up to Des Moines Monday night so that I could accomplish a variety of errands yesterday and today. Yesterday's primary errand was getting my car serviced, which went fine; they are v. eager to sell me on an upgrade since my car is seven years old, and I will perhaps get eager to upgrade because my car is worth increasingly little and any future repairs will be increasingly expensive thanks to zee germans and their car designs.

However, yesterday was not the day to shop for a car (unless it was, due to end of year sales, but I didn't have time). Instead, I slogged most of the day - almost everyone else was off, but I had several hours of planning meetings, which went well. And I took advantage of being in a city by doordashing some thai food to my hotel room door while talking. The thai food was actually somewhat mediocre, but I was so excited about being able to order it that I didn't care that much about the quality.

After I wrapped up for the day, I met up with Drewbaby and Sammie for a drink and dinner. Yes, I had just seen them this weekend, but it was fun to see them again. We had a drink at my hotel, and then walked to Roca to have dinner, which was quite tasty. And then I was going to get a bunch of stuff done last night, but instead dozed / slept, which I suppose was better.

This morning I got up reasonably early, grabbed coffee, showered, packed, and drove to West Des Moines, where I hung out at a Starbucks for a bit. Then I got my hair cut - I'm a little iffy on the woman I've been using, even though I like her, because I feel like she gives me too much of a 90s midwestern mom/Jennifer Aniston blowout + I think she messed up my bangs this time, but luckily blowouts wash out immediately and my bangs grow fast. After my hair cut, I ran several mall errands at poisoned myself with mall chinese food, which was mostly worth it. Then I grabbed a few groceries and came home.

I spent the rest of the night doing very little beyond eating cheese and playing some Animal Crossing, and now I need to go to bed so that I can accomplish much more than that going into the new year. Hopefully 2026 brings many lovely things for all of us - goodnight!

i'd fake my death if it weren't such a mess

Yesterday I was too wiped out from family time (Iowa family, not Adit, although he's exhausting too) to blog - we had a delightful Christmas, but Becky and Brian left at seven am Sunday instead of Monday due to weather threats, and I woke up to see them off because I was sleeping in my illegal hidey hole in the basement and so I couldn't help but hear them moving around as they prepared to leave. I went back to bed after saying goodbye, but I mostly dozed for an hour before getting up to entertain my remaining guests. 

The Des Moines Metro crew ended up sticking around for brunch at my mom's house, but they left around noon, which was not a moment too soon since a storm hit around the I-80 corridor and made travel v difficult. In my neck of the woods it just got bitterly cold and a little icy/snowy, and I took that as an excuse to do as little as humanly possible yesterday. 

Today I had to work, which I was almost grateful for after a week of family time - again, Adit is exhausting too, but my only meetings today were all with him and they were a welcome change from making ham balls, lasagna, gf garlic bread from scratch, and other labor intensive endeavors. When I was done for the day, I packed a bag and absconded to Des Moines - I have an appointment to get my car serviced tomorrow, so I decided to come up tonight and have a hotel to work out of while my car is in the shop. 

The drive was uneventful, and I spent some quality time at the bar eating dinner + making many lists + getting into a TMI convo with the guy next to me, who was stranded in Iowa due to flight cancellations and was the type of interesting character you only meet at a hotel (my favorite). And now I'm going to go to bed so I can focus tomorrow - goodnight!