It's like asking me which I want, to breathe or eat

The title of today's entry is an homage to my sister and a recent conversation she had with her boss. He was asking her to do things, and she asked him what was the priority for the things. Which do you need more immediately. And he replied that was like asking him which he wanted -- to breathe or eat. 

Well, breathing is more important. You can't ever eat if you've suffocated so yes, I'm asking which one is breathing. Then I can do the eating one. 

I have a very hard time prioritizing things. I will simply not do something because I can't do it before I do something else and that something else is kind of less important but, it may be easier to conquer/accomplish. So I obsess on the things. And the more important thing is backburnered again and again until I'm flush up against a deadline.

I'm reminded of a song by my friend Jim Infantino and his excellent song "Stress." I am singing this now. Only. I'm not enjoying what the stress is I've given myself. 

Here's someone's interpretation of the song, which is hilarious. And I love it.

Doug took today off but had a conference call at 7am. I didn't reset my alarm after he went down, and managed to sleep in until 9:ish when Lin messaged me. Because I'd been on-call, all my alerts and noises were louder than usual. 

Thankful that she did, I probably would have slept until 10 or later. 

And to be honest, I would have loved that. 

Got up and showered immediately because I would not have had a minute all day to do a mini-vacation (that's what I call it when I retreat in the middle of the day to the shower...) Doug had finished his meeting and was napping in the guest room when I did my steps for the 10am hour and stomped in. Oops sorry. 

Several meetings, all day, important talks about important things, texted back and forth with my work buddy who is still on leave but hopes to be back next week. I sent him and his family a nice Spoonful of Comfort cookie basket. He sent me a picture of his son Om Nom Nomming his way through a cookie with his thumbs up. And he was wearing a Star Wars/Lego T-shirt I'd sent him a couple years back. It finally fits him. This time next year, it won't. 

Iattended an all staff while tearing the pantry apart and wiping down all the shelves. 

Why? Why am I doing that? I have things I need to do for the clients. Why?

Ants. Ants is why. 

Before the All Staff, I opened the pantry to get an english muffin and well, there were ants. Everywhere. Tiny tiny itty bitty little mother fuckers. Hundreds of them. Fuuuuuuuuuck.

So I took all the food out of the pantry, scrubbed it, sprayed it with ant spray (made chicken salad so the 2 pieces of chicken we have left would not go to waste, instead of an english muffin...) 

Geoff came upstairs and looked at the process and progress, and asked what the hell was happening. 

What do you think, honey. What. Take a guess. 

"You know. Mom is in a mood. Doing things. Sick of it all. Just fucking doing it. Going bananas. Hi honey! HI!"

I was feeling a little manic, a little hyper. I thought to myself "I wonder if this is what Geoff's brain felt like when he was in Elementary school..." Things made more sense to me about him at that moment.

Had a 2pm meeting but the client didn't show up. I called him at 2:10 just to check on him and he was so sorry! So Apologetic! Give me .... 5 minutes, I'll jump on zoom. 

Oh honey, to be honest, you've given me a gift. I had three big emails to compose, I am supposed to do something for a client that is so far overdue I almost cried in a meeting with them (they were understanding but Jeeesh I gotta do this thing). Another email got a response and the client was unbelievably gracious. 

I turned to my team to ask them to pick up the baton on that issue - someone please come up with a solution for this because I cannot. 

Another client has hired an SEO consultant, which is nice, but the guy has questions and good God I do not have time to answer him. I punted him to my manager. 

I had a 1:1 with my manager today and confessed that I'm not my best self for thinking and doing. My quality time management is way off kilter. He said after this weekend it'll probably open up space in my brain, and heart, and I'll feel more normal again. I believe he diagnosed it right. I'm distracted and burdened but yes. Let's get through this weekend. Maybe I can brain again.

I did a bunch of things after the chat. Got things done, and had a 4pm call with another client. 

She got on zoom and said, in a very Alabama way, "Girl. I mean, ... girl." And I laughed. I know what that means when you say .... girl.

"I almost emailed you to cancel this meeting because I cannot with all this work lately." I thanked her for not canceling, told her that we could just "easy peasy this conversation and touch on one or two things, perhaps three, of the 50 or 60 things she needs to do." 

And we did. We spent the full hour and could have gone longer, but I solved some problems for her, showed her how some things can work better, encouraged, and we laughed. 

To be honest, that's just the way I wanted to end the day. 

I needed to cram in 2 things and got to one, and discovered a problem with a site expiring their DNS Registration and they probably have no idea. So emergency emails sent, email response received from the client, sigh of relief shed, I feel better going to bed tonight. 

Doug packed most of his stuff. I cleaned the bathroom, I still need to put all the pantry things back but, that can wait until morning. 

I'll dress the guest bed in the morning, strip those sheets and throw them downstairs and deal with them whenever. I need a haircut so desperately, maybe I'll find a haircuttery on Friday. 

All told, I made it through these 3 days and am ready to face the next batch. Hallelujah. 

Breathing and eating.

No picture tonight, I was too busy to take one. Gotta pack and get my shit going, not sure there will be an entry tomorrow.  Digits below.

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps; no dedicated 10;  5k steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

9am: 175
5pm: 177
10pm: 209

food:

coffee/water
10:30am: bowl of mac & cheese w/ground beef
11:30am: metformin
2pm: ramekin of chicken salad w/craisins and walnuts
7pm: chinese food. lo mein, egg roll, general gao's chicken, garlic pork, 3 peking raviolis; metformin+jardiance

Cruise People

I have friends that go on a lot of cruises. I also have friends that go to Disney a lot. I don't think either of those things appeal to me. We went to Disney once when he attended a conference and I tagged along. But I'm not into rides or humans in giant stuffed animal costumes. And cruises make me feel the same way. I'm just not into being trapped for 4, 7, 11 days with strangers in a place I can't really escape from. And Norovirus. Everyone gets Norovirus on cruises. Not interested.

We got a flyer in the mail the other day for a 6 day Alaska cruise out of Seattle, for 362.00 per person. Doug said that sounds fantastic. We'd obviously have to pay for airfare, and if we go all the way out there, I'd like to maybe see Aaron or something. So the 6 days would turn into 10. And the 362 per person would end up around like 800 per person when all is said and done. We would go in the fall, maybe late fall, according to Doug. He said "it'll be cold." I replied "we'll have a better chance of possibly seeing the Northern Lights." 

Still.

The bigger question is, are we cruise people?  

I don't think we are.

Anyway. He's looking into it. I'm unconvinced. and I'm going to bed. 

Here's my dog. And my cheezits. Digits below.

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps; no dedicated 10; 5500+steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

8:45am: 154
5:30pm: 143
10pm: 183

food:

coffee/water
10:30am: english muffin w/pb and low sugar strawberry jam
12:30pm: metformin
6:30pm: 2 chicken cluck pucks, some tater tots, mayo/ketchup; white wine
7:30pm: metformin+jardiance
8pm: cheezits

just the digits today, lads

Didn't prepare a blog and thought about just saving today's digits for tomorrow but, this is an entry. More tomorrow. 

exercise: 11/12 hours of 250 steps, missed 6pm? not sure how? no dedicated 10. 4300+ by bedtime

blood glucose:

8am: 182
5pm: 162
10pm: 163

food:

coffee/water
1pm: roast beef and gouda on keto bread; metformin
6:30pm: mac&cheese and spicy sausage; metformin+jardiance
8pm: cheezits
white wine

Random stuff pretending to be an entry

Sorry if you read the blog and you realized I didn't post yesterday and you are wondering if I am ok. I'm fine. I just needed a device break so I didn't even start an entry yesterday. Friday night I talked to my sister for a while on video, and while we were talking I was working on a helpdesk issue. A client had asked how to do something last Tuesday, I asked him for more details and then didn't hear from him. Until Friday night. It was kind of urgent, and it came in when I was still working, but I missed his message. 

I felt compelled to assist, so I got everything fixed up for him, but felt drained from the day, the week, the life. I answered some more helpdesk tickets, some that I wanted to encourage people to write me back, soon, on issues they are experiencing. 

I'm also doing that horrible thing where I have to do something and there is a deadline, and I've had MONTHS to do this but I just can't get out of my own way. The person emailed me to ask what's up late on Friday, and I feel like shit for thinking about this every day and not doing it. 

So I had to write back an "I'm sorry, I suck so much" message but tone and styled it in a way that would make it sound like I'm on it. I'm on it! I'M. ON. IT!" for her, and yes, I have to be on it. I have to do it. 

Why am I this way. 

Do I have like, an executive function disorder? That has always been there, but is just extra bad? I'm not sure. 

Anyway. 

Linda has been working on prayer cards, and has not been happy with what she's making. Not because of her skills but the online products. The preview on the website shows this giant photo, but the picture on the card is small, and you can't make it bigger. 

I found a possible replacement but I'm super afraid we won't be able to get it in time for next Saturday so I'm again, wondering why I can't get my shit together to do things. 

My neighbor is doing some serious work to his house, all I've heard all day is hammering and crashing. I think he's ripping out the downstairs bathroom. Very loudly. And then he throws stuff into the back of a really nice, high-end good looking pickup truck. I'm like ... guy. You're going to destroy that truck bed! 

I hope he doesn't do this all day tomorrow. 

We have a plant that Doug brought home from his mom's. We overwintered it in the house, but didn't water it. I think that is our mistake? The internet tells me that we can revive this but Doug isn't too too sure that's gonna be the case. 

I feel like this plant sometimes. Is there hope for me and my shrivelly brain? Am I dried up and not capable or able to rally back? Do I just need sunlight and warmth, and some water?

I guess there is only one way to find out, and that's to give it a shot. My office Slack has a channel for gardening, so I went there to ask the advice of my colleagues. We'll see what they say. 

Here is my sad ass plant.

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps,  20 min inside walk; 6200+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

10am: 183
4:30pm: 181
10pm: 155

food:

coffee/water
11am: metformin
2pm: pbj, low sugar j and keto bread  
4:30pm: wine & zero sugar ginger ale
7pm: pot roast w/ onions, carrots, potatoes etc. 4 small cornbread muffins

The Big Chill

I found out that a college friend passed away in March. 

Another friend had been thinking of him, and she had been in touch with him as recently as February of this year. He was not returning her texts, so she googled him and found his obituary. 

It reminded me of when I found out a high school friend I'd been thinking of had passed, I wrote a blog entry about that, so many years ago. You can read it here, if you like. 

Finding a friend's obituary is like getting sideswiped on the highway. She reached out to me to let me know, enveloped in her own haze of grief. We both missed his celebration of life, and the crappy part is I was in New Hampshire and could have gone to Maine for the service. If I had only known.

I'm just so sad about it.

When we were in college, and this is before the Doug years, there was a group of us who just hung around and watched movies and sang songs and were fast friends. Me, my roomie Bonnie (Bubble),  L played guitar and we'd sing, I was dating S, M's parents would host us at their lovely cottage home on the lake near the college. And then there was Paul. We called ourselves The Big Chill, or sometimes The Big Thrill. It's all a blur, to be honest. 18 year old me is far away at this point. 

We had so much fun together. Literally the best. It lasted two years, S and I broke up. L graduated early, B and I remained the closest and most in touch. M and L were involved and then not involved. And Paul was in the middle of it all. 

There are some good pictures, I'll see if I can dig some up. One that M's mom took from the landing at the top of the stairs of us all piled in the living room with blankets watching a movie with big bowls of popcorn or something. 

I have an amazing picture of Paul with B's little sister. 

We all ... went. All different directions. I never saw him again, but I've been in close contact with everyone else. Still to this day. 

I repeatedly reached out to Paul over the years, once I found out where he was. But he never reciprocated. And I'm the kind of person who can take a hint sometimes. So I let it go. I let it go. 

They say not to live life with regret, and to be absolutely and completely honest, I have so few. But one is that I so very very wish I'd been able to reconnect with this lovely man.

Paul came out years after college, and I think maybe that he didn't want to be connected to us, because he wasn't able to really be his authentic self back in the day. All I know is if I knew then what I know now about life and love and relationships, if I had the heart I think I've grown into, he would have been safe to come out to me. 

I had no idea, to be honest. None of that mattered to me. But I wonder and worry if I said something, or gave off a vibe in a certain way, that would have made him feel like he couldn't be himself. Well. That I feel bad for. 

Never having the opportunity to have that discussion, ever, that is my regret. 

If you want to read about Paul, click here for his obituary. I love the photo. That's so him. At least, that's what 40 years ago me would think. 

Digits, below. No photo today. I just don't feel like taking or posting one. 

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps, no dedicated 10, 5200+steps by bedtime. 

blood glucose:

8:15am: 177
5pm: 177
10:30pm: 136

food:

coffee/water 
10am: English muffin w/pb
11am: metformin
2pm: chicken fajita leftovers w/refried beans
6pm: salmon and salad
7pm: metformin+jardiance
8pm: 2 ice cream sandwiches
white wine

Before our next round of cicadas comes

I went outside to work part of the day today.  

First, I sprayed down the patio table and I assessed the state of affairs all around on the patio itself. We have half the pillows out for the seats. There are no plants. Everything needs to be weedwhacked.

The weather was perfect, and while the leaves are not yet out on the trees, and the umbrella isn't set up yet (I want the weedwhacking to happen first), it was overcast and the sun was not a nuisance. Very relaxing to sit out and answer email and helpdesk tickets, and do a couple calls. 

Toffee had a blast chasing carpenter bees. 

Like Phineas before her, this is a greatly enjoyable game. He caught one once, it stung him and he spit it out with no damage but an increased wariness of them. She is a lot more athletic than Phineas was, so she leaps! jumps! spins! chases! Has not caught one yet.

All around the neighborhood there was hammering. Hammering, power tools, and lawn equipment. People are getting things done, or at least the crews they've hired are getting things done. It would be very nice if things were quieter but I understand the need and timeliness to get the job finished. 

My neighbor across the street installed a huge beehive pizza oven in his yard last summer. They used it but once. I saw the fault in their design - a small hole at the top to let smoke out, but no venting along the base to let air in to fuel the fire. The one time they used it, smoke was POURING out of the front of it. None of them could maintain the fire. I don't think pizza was cooked. I didn't see it used again.

I came home from my time away and it was gone. I felt badly, because that would have been a super sweet thing, if only. But they took the whole thing down. 

Our dogsitting solution is set. A friend from our Guster fan group recently relocated to the area, she works from home, she was suggested to me by someone who lives closer who couldn't. And she was all in. She and her husband came down and spent an hour today, chatting with me and more importantly, getting to know miss Toffee. 

I think Toffee loves them. But then again I think she just loves everyone. 

I feel much better knowing she'll be here at the house. I was projecting my own human fears onto Toffee like, if we kenneled her, she'd be back in a cage somewhere and what, feel like she's back at the Humane Alliance? Sad. Abandoned. Where is my family? Why am I here? But at least now, this is her house. We just won't be in it for like 5 days. But she'll have a good babysitter. And her toys. And her bed. Beds. All the things. 

Whew. 

I had a nice time sitting outside working. At 4:30 we were supposed to have a big meeting and I went back outside, only to find the meeting postponed to next week. Oh well. Another hour of outdoor patio work, and back in to make dinner. 

Doug went to the market and forgot milk, so I hope I survive tomorrow. Ha. We have just a little bit so, I'll have some coffee. And maybe I'll run out to get more. 

And at some point soon, the cicadas will come back. Everyone freaked out in 2021, and then this year a lot of people are freaking out because two broods will emerge, but maybe not in this part of Maryland and DC. Maybe further south. This article seems to indicate we aren't going to be horribly swarmed. And to be honest, I didn't think 2021 was that bad. 

Well, I'm sure we'll get some, and they'll probably bother me if I'm sitting out on the patio. So I'll enjoy it as much as I can. Until I can't, because of cicadas or heat. 

No picture today, tried to get a good shot of Toffee chasing bees but ... not an easy task! 

Digits below.

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps,  30 min walk, 7100+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

8am: 183
5pm: 184
10pm: 166

food:

coffee/water 
10:30am: apple w/peanut butter
11am: metformin
12:30pm: Left over pot roast (carrots, onions, potatoes), Potato roll w/butter
6pm: chicken fajitas w/peppers and onions, low carb fajita wrap, refried beans, sour cream, shredded cheese, low carb wrap. white wine. 
8pm: ice cream sandwich

I got nothing but digits today kids

Didn't realize it was 10pm already. I talked to Linda a lot tonight, while I usually would have been blogging or thinking about an entry. 

90% sure we've got the dogsitting situation resolved. Hopeful. 

Gotta start my day early tomorrow, I've got several things due tomorrow afternoon, one big client call, and more things to think about for Dad's funeral thingie. 

Digits down there.

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps,  20 min. in-house walk. 7k steps by bedtime.

blood glucose:

8:30am: 177
5pm: 164
10pm: 213

food:

coffee/water 
10:15am: english muffin w/PB and full sugar apricot jam
11am: metformin
1pm: small ramekin of tuna salad
6:15pm: plate of spaghetti with meat sauce
7pm: metformin+jardiance
white wine
couple handfuls of pepitas

So much to do

I am so happy to be home, but there is a lot to do. 

We are here until next Thursday when we get in the car and go to NY. All the puzzle pieces are coming into play but a couple of them fell on the floor. And we're bending over, picking them up, dusting them off, putting them in place. 

One big problem was our Air BnB. Our host was so gracious and worked with us when we had to cancel with 2 weeks to spare in October when the church informed us that Columbus Day weekend was a holiday weekend for the church (why didn't you tell us that when we booked the funeral? Weeks and weeks ago?) Okay so cool, the dude was kind but could not give us a refund. 

We rebooked with him, so happy. So wonderful. So kind and loving. Thank you. 

He reached out to me two weeks ago to let me know they had a horrible storm, and part of his roof was destroyed. He had to cancel us, cancel the booking the week before us, cancel the week after us, and may have to cancel up to Memorial Day. There are no available contractors (seems to be the case everywhere where there aren't people to do things, like mechanics and trades people all over) to come fix his roof. 

Uhhhhhh. Okay. May I please have my money back. He told me he cannot give me a refund. He was gracious to me in October 2023. I needed to be gracious to him. I get it. He said we get five days "any other time of the year, your choice." I wondered when the hell am I going to need an Air BnB for 6 and a dog in the future? 

I'll find a time. We'll take a vacation to Long Island. We'll have fun. 

In the meantime, thank God I have a credit card with 22k on it and can just plop down a ton of cash on a nearby to our destination hotel. We could have stayed at a less expensive place further out. There is a semi-not horrible place west of our destination that we've stayed at before but all the hallways smell like the chlorine or pool solution. I didn't enjoy that. So I didn't want to go there. 

Doug thinks I used points, but for some reason, this hotel wouldn't use the points so, fuck it. I earn 10 more nights on my points program with this hotel chain. I'll take it. 

Housing for my family of four - solved. 

Now, for the dog. 

When we booked that Air BnB the host was all in on Phineas. He took a little more convincing on Toffee because of her breed (of course). But she was welcome after all. 

She's not welcome at any hotel I looked at. Size limitation and breed limitation. Nope. 

I had hoped to bring her with us and just have a friend on LI babysit her while we're at the funeral and everything. We'd keep her handy all the rest of the days. She'd meet Linda's pupper. They'd become best friends forever. 

Now, I have to figure out what to do with her. 

Someone at work had told me they love dogsitting! They don't have a dog in their apartment, and their family lives so far away, they miss their dog! I asked them if they wanted to sit, and initially they said yes but. Hmmm. Something suddenly came up. 

I literally have no other friends in this area who maybe could do it. I have no idea what to do. 

We could board her, but, I'm so terrified she'll feel abandoned. Ya know? At least, if she's here in our house, she's got her family things and the couch! The BED! The TV! The WINDOW THAT OVERLOOKS HER DOMAIN! 

Shit, y'all ... 

I asked in our work Slack pets channel if anyone was free, and so far no takers. 

I don't want to just drop her off at some stranger pet-sitter, I don't know what their other dogs are like, how she'll react? I don't want to feel badly if there's an incident. 

I'm sitting here thinking about it and wow, if I still lived in Massachusetts, I'd have dozens of friends who could host her! 

Ugh. So ... send up some prayers that ya girl figures something out there for the best beastie. 

I have to rewrite dad's obituary today to get it to the funeral home in NY to get it in the one local paper that doesn't charge an arm and a leg for running the obit. 

We got our car fixed, so that's a bonus. Both cars are good to roll anywhere. 

Jess has their plan set up for bringing Grandma to NY. That's buttoned up. 

Linda is making the prayer cards for the funeral. She sent me the comps. The funeral home has a service but their cards are cheesy and awful. I do not want them. So she found a place online to do them, and is working them up today. 

Linda was also in charge of the mercy meal (aka the "after party" for Bart Funeral Two, Electric Boogaloo). That's falling into place.

I know I'm not accounting for something else. I'll think of it. 

In the meantime, I went outside after a meeting this morning and just had to breathe and touch grass. Our yard is GREEN and LUSH and all the vines and the wildness is starting to OVERGROW everywhere. It's hot out - well, hotter than what I'm used to. MA/NH in April is in the lower 60s most days but it is 78 here. It's a little much. 

I feel like I skipped spring yet again and went straight to summer. 

Doug had brought home some garden things that a neighbor was throwing out, little trellises, whirly gigs (one works, one does not) and a lizard that needs a wicked nice spraypaint job and detail work. I'm up for the task. Can't wait to do some before and after shots of it!

I'm ready to go buy our outdoor plants. I'm ready for him to weed whack the patio. I'm ready for everything to be outside and set up. In time for it to be 90 degrees every day until October, right? 

Thinking of my dad tonight, looking at pictures for the prayer card. Still loving how funny this one is. 

Digits down below. 

exercise: 12/12 hours of 250 steps, dedicated 22 min walk (yay). 7100+ steps by bedtime

blood glucose:

8:30am: 191
5:30pm: 154
10pm: 181

food:

coffee/water 
10:30am: PBJ, full sugar J because there was no other choice. full carb bread. 
11:00am: Metformin
6pm: ham, green beans, mac & cheese
6:30pm: metformin+jardiance
4 chocolate chip cookies that geoff made while I was away, white wine

From Friday to Monday

Monday Morning:
Writing this from one of my girl C's apartments. She owns a number of apartments/buildings and it is nice to have a little space. She and I stayed here for the weekend because Camp was not Camp ready. So we didn't have any Porch Life, but soon. Very soon. 

It was a busy weekend with a lot going on. I tracked my sugar/food but didn't write it down. Kept things good and even, and no huge and horrible spikes. 

Friday afternoon C came and got me from mom's. I had a busy work-day and I was incredibly pressed about having to leave work. Mom was dressed, ready, waiting at the dining table while I was scrambling to finish emails and messages. 

We were met at the foodrinkery by my friend A and her son who just got his Eagle. I was surprised they were there and staying for lunch. My mom chose to sit at the bar and eat rather than sit with us, which I found obnoxious but okay mom - you do you. Whatever. 

I had scallops. I was there for almost 2 weeks and had not had scallops. It was a good thing to have before my departure. 

We got to Boston very early for David Sedaris, so we had drinks at a little local bar by Symphony Hall and I felt like they could have done so much better with their beer and wine selection, it was disappointment in solid/liquid form. We ate at an Indian restaurant around the corner and confused the waitstaff. C's sister R was with us, a very good friend of hers in town for a class at MIT, C's friend B who manages the properties C owns. And Jess. Jess came with. Girls' night, seeing America's favorite snarky satirist. 

Sedaris was funny. He's in a groove, a long time groove, and his essays are personal, honest, but sometimes it is hard to tell if he is being satirical or hyperbolic. Did he and his friend Dawn really walk 40+ miles and their apple watches (seems he's moved on from the FitBit) really register just under 100k steps? 

Also damn, I'm proud when I hit 5k, 7k. 

Highly recommend you see him if he comes near you. 

Saturday we got up and went out to breakfast with R, then went to Camp to do some stuff to start getting ready. There isn't running water yet, so we couldn't do as much as we wanted but we got the garden table pots out, moved the bikes out of the porch, investigated the very rustic over-winter of the bedding and couches, and C has an idea of what she needs to do next.  We went to C's workplace and looked at projects. I am always so impressed with their work and the things they do. 

Because Breakfast was huge and wonderful we weren't super hungry for lunch, but convinced ourselves to go out for an early dinner. It was very nice but I got an upset stomach and kind of a bad reaction that had me in the bathroom a lot overnight on Saturday. 

Ugh. 

We watched the Barbie movie, which I enjoyed and is not what I think a lot of people think it is about. Overall very enjoyable and fantastically cast. Ten thumbs up. 

Sunday we laid around with the dogs, drank coffee, just relaxed. Nice. We went out to lunch with our friend Dave up in Maine, very nice. Because I still had the lower belly issues I only had a lobster bisque which I could have eaten a gallon of. Very good stuff. Would love to go back to eat there one day. On the deck. Outside. Maine. Sunshine and summer. 

Sunday night I went out to dinner with Jess and friends from my job 27 years ago, it's nice to still have friends like this who you fall back into step with like you saw each other last week. We shut the restaurant down, they headed home and Jess came to C's with me. We drank wine and watched Pitch Perfect, which I had never seen, on purpose. For years I spent a lot of time going to High School and Collegiate a Cappella competitions with my friend Amy. So this was a little PTSD for me. 

After Jess left, C and I watched some actual ICCA things, Guster covers (a very flat/out of tune Harvard presentation of Demons, and Notre Dame's version of Parachute which is fantastic). 

"This is what Collegiate a Cappella is. Pitch Perfect is cute, but, this is real," I had some distinct memories of some of the shows, and the High School kids who were just ridiculously talented. Not everyone can turn into the Housejacks or Pentatonix or Home Free, but, there is some sick talent out there. Looking at you Marblehead and Salem, MA. 

Carrie went to the office today and took the dogs. I'm surprisingly lonely without them. But I'm getting a lot of work done. 

I stripped the bed, washed the laundry, vacuumed, ran the dishwasher. I would have done more but I have to actually work? 

We had a team meeting today and then I talked to my work bestie for an hour. We have not had time together for a while and it was long overdue. 

Worked more, hid love notes all over C's house, just to let her know how awesome she is.  

Continued Tuesday Morning:
C got me to the airport plenty early. Security had 10 people in it. I had a bottle of spray-on hair conditioner in my bag that got confiscated. 10 ounces, brand new. Thanks. I blame myself because I reorganized my bags and put all my meds/supplements and I THOUGHT anything liquid into my checked bag. But I missed that one. Blah. 

Doug picked me up and brought Toffee, and she was very excited to see me. I was excited to see her too. We didn't stop for dinner or anything, I wasn't hungry. I mostly just wanted to be home. And home it was. 

Back to normal. 

Here is a photo dump of some of the things. I took more pictures but can't post them because they are super top secret. Let us never speak of them again. In no particular order....

home

 Made it home last night. My kitchen was clean and I didn't have to freak out at anyone that for nearly 2 weeks they let everything become a mess. So that was nice. Not freaking out was nice. A clean kitchen was nice. 

Doug brought Toffee to the airport for a ride. She was (understatement) happy to see me. 

I had a beer and went to bed. Very happy to be back here. 

A more detailed post to follow, I'm sure. But.