change of plans

Our walking tour guide for the morning had an accident, so I went for a surprisingly excellent facial, instead.

king of breakfast

I'm calling it. Indian hotels win at breakfast. Lassis, chai, dosas, all kinds of other Indian treats, plus all the options of a full English breakfast. I could eat Indian hotel breakfasts forever.

quick transition

Despite the 12.5 hour time difference, I think it only took two days to get on Indian time.

whole new world

Cranked like crazy all week at work, got a ton done, spent 25 hours in transit to India, got more work done, got four hours of sleep, then spent the day sightseeing and eating, and I am so excited to go to sleep before 8 p.m.

pho

Pho for dinner on a cold night.

firehose

I haven't had to learn this many unrelated kinds of law since I took the Bar exam. This is way more fun than the Bar exam, though.

free salad

Miner's lettuce is coming in early this year, so the backyard salad bar is open.

fixed

Finally took my phone into the store to see why data hasn't been working, found out the carrier had messed something up, got days working (just in time for our upcoming trip), and got a $20 credit towards my next bill.

vicarious joy

My mentee got into college! With a full ride! As an international student! She's amazing, and I got to be a little part of it! I can't wait to see her reaction and to meet her and be her family while she's here!

random act

Here's to getting six errands done in the pouring rain, and here's to the kind stranger at the post office who offered me a pen and told me to keep it.

whew

When, halfway through an 11 hour day at work, your boss tells you you're doing a good job and running a lot of things.

And then your dog pukes because he's hungry and bored. And your boss says it's OK, and lets you name a work thing after him, even though he puked.

so much depends

On a dog and a heating pad on the couch when you have a tummy ache.

celebrity fans

Some big shots were in the office today, and like most people, came by to say hello to Henry. They were really nice and Henry loves attention, so I give them a thumbs up.

just a number

That feeling when three of your younger teammates thought you were ten years younger than you are, even though the math really doesn't work out.

choices are good

It's good to have a cafe in my office building again, and to have some delicious choices. Tuesday, we had Dungeness crab. Today, there was brisket, Japanese grilled halibut, and gnocchi. I'm eating like a real person again!

love and chaos

A parade of family, friends, and food ensured that I had lots of belly laughs and a full belly all weekend, even while working on and off. Now, half a day to read, watch TV with Boyfriend, try to recover from this cold, and prepare for whatever the week may bring.

all by myself

Boyfriend is en route to the East Coast, and I have the house to myself for just one night. I'm living it up by going to bed at 10 to try to make up for weeks of bad sleep.

at least

If my car battery had to die, and I had to wait for two hours for AAA to show up, at least it happened at the end of the day when I was at work, so I didn't miss any meetings and could grab dinner and chat with people while I waited?

friday

In bad news, Henry marked the boss's office. In good news, boss didn't care and just wanted the dogs to play. Then accidentally stayed for a cocktail and got to know some of the engineers better.

Overall, a productive first week. Worked on some deals, got to know about half of the team, and am excited to be back in the thick of things.

decisions

Fourth day of work, first product meeting, and the CEO let me make a design decision, because I was the newest. Designer even said my feedback and questions were useful. Good thing it was yesterday, because as of today, I'm only the third newest.

pranks a lot

Second day of work, and after a harrowing morning with car-not-starting issues, walked into this. Payback for all of my pranks, and totally made my day.

day one

Henry had a welcome basket and new bed, plus the CEO changed our seat assignment so that we'd have a better dog setup. There was pork belly at lunch, and I got lots of paperwork done. I even revised my first agreement and made it into the team photo for the launch teaser.

surprise visit

Dear college friends are coming out west for Thanksgiving, so I'll get to spend some time with them when they're not doing family stuff. In light of the sadness and uncertainty that came out of the election, plus the stress of changing jobs, it's good to have that coming up.

hygge

Inspired by the Danes and their love of hygge, I've been buying some comfy, cozy sweaters, slippers, and hoodies as we head into cooler temperatures and longer hours at work.

social

Between the Boston trip and the time at home, we've squeezed in a fair amount of social time, which is a good thing as I head into the unknown.

lasts

Last games day at work, last chiropractic appointment at work, last massage at work, lots of lasts. Bittersweet.

small satisfactions

With this many days at home, I've been able to dig deep into neglected errands and get through them efficiently. It's going to feel like I'm 20 years old again when I get through these, with no overdue errands to take care of.

girls girls girls

Two and a half days with the girls back at Harvard, eating, singing, talking, laughing, shopping. Just perfect. I think we're starting an annual tradition.

eight years

Friday was my last day of work, and it also happened to be my eight year anniversary with Boyfriend.

rainy day

We're getting a good start to the rainy season this year, which is awesome. After a productive day yesterday, I feel entitled to a lazy day at home with a book, and if the rain lets up, maybe I'll even go out and plant some of the wildflower seeds I bought (and the ones I got from the library after I had already bought the other ones).

first day off

Dog adoption fair, gas, returned a dress at REI, pedicure (finished a book!), library (oh, the luxury of having the time to justify checking out ten books and four DVD box sets!), returned eyeliner and bought lip balm at Sephora, came home to dinner almost in the table, then watched for episodes of Battlestar Galactica. Not a bad first day.

full heart

When twenty of your coworkers come out in the pouring rain for your leaving drinks for four hours, then you crash your old team's team dinner for another four hours, then you get home and open a card and find so many kind words and a gift certificate to use at the spa after you are in the real world where massages aren't subsidized... that's when you realize that even if the company has changed in the last eight years, the people are still the best.

overtime

Favorite massage therapist went 20 minutes long on my 50 minute massage today.

it's so hard

The mark of a good workplace is the sadness that comes with leaving it.

addiction

The bad thing about my newfound addiction to microwave lasagna is that it's embarrassing and unhealthy. The good thing is that it's legal and cheap.

young-ish

Thank you to the grocery store clerk who asked where I work, and when I said I've been at Google for eight years, thought that maybe I'm young enough that it was my first job out of college.

times are changing

I had to stop a moment earlier today when I stopped to think that it's possible that in the course of a single decade in my lifetime, we'll have had our first black president, legalized gay marriage, and elected our first female president. Lots of big issue ballot measures in California this year: banning the death penalty, legalizing marijuana, requiring background checks for guns, increasing parole for non-violent offenders. As crazy as the world is, I have hope that we are on a saner track.

extended version

Brunch with my former office mate and Boyfriend's former manager turned into a 5.5 hour dalliance over brunch and two rounds of drinks, with much gossip, speculation, and nostalgia.

care package

Mysterious "adult must be present to sign" FedEx package ended up being a welcome gift from the new gig.

unofficial peer reviews

Reading all the kind things people write when you're leaving a job makes you not want to leave. Key takeaways: people like my dog, they think I'm funny, sarcastic, and social, and they like working together. I'll miss these people.

all good things

I got a finalized job offer on Friday, gave notice to my manager Monday, and sent out my farewell email today to wrap up work next Friday. Exciting and terrifying, and happy/sad/kind conversations with so many friends and coworkers.

i volunteer

Only two more weeks until we submit an Early Decision application for my Cambodian mentee, and the more we work on her application, the more she blows me away. I wrote the questions for a pub trivia night for the shelter, which we're hosting on Monday. And I've already pretty much maxed out my annual gift match for the year, so I feel like I'm ahead.

rainy season

First rain of the season, perfect for staying in, cooking dinner with friends, and watching the musical numbers from Sound of Music.

throwback

Law school friends came over, so the house had eight adults, three kids, and a dog. It was good to catch up and see what people are up to, and yet another reassuring data point that we really are quite happy not having children. Life is busy enough to then go and get rid of what calm parts remain.

we meet again

Listening to Watership Down many years since I last read the book, and getting to meet Fiver all over again <3

fun fun fun

Now the work and networking parts of the trip are done, and all that remains is hanging out with college friends.

surprisingly good

Good conference with kickass keynote from Anita Hill, knowledgeable and friendly women with practical advice on interesting topics. I'm not usually a conference fan, but this was a good one. Also, my panel got more turnout than I expected, all of the questions afterwards were for me, and people somehow seemed to think I am an expert on something. So that was kind of flattering.

getting real

Email and phone call on Monday, to be followed by a more detailed email soon. Things are starting to get real. Exciting, terrifying, and bittersweet.

out with a bang

Lunches, dinners, drinks, karaoke with current and former New York clients, jammed between meetings and keeping my inbox under control. Next stop, D.C.

many years later

All of the original cards group got together tonight to play cards for the first time in over twelve years. We've had subsets since then, but this was all six of us, and it was great.

back to cambridge

Bit the bullet and booked a redeye weekend trip in November to Boston to hang out with a few of my girls from college. The flights are going to suck, but the girl time will be worth it.

addict

Sunshine is Henry's heroin.

in transition

I am only one business day away from officially only working one full time job again, after four months covering 1.5 jobs.

fully booked

India is officially booked!

reservations

No idea how I just scored a dinner reservation for Boyfriend's birthday this weekend at the specific restaurant he wants to go to, when they're usually booked out a month in advance for weekend reservations, but I'll take it.

best idea

Yesterday, I may have had the best idea for how Boyfriend and I should celebrate our 40th/50th birthdays, 10th anniversary, and some kind of wedding thing in a couple years: adult summer camp. No kids, less ceremony, more time, lots of activities. I'm kind of excited to see if it would work.

google search

Pictures of extraordinary chickens. Worth it.

love hate

I finally, unexpectedly beat a level on this frustrating game I've been playing on and off for months. I'd been stuck for ages and had pretty much given up.

time traveler

Looking at old photos on our phones before bed, trying to find the oddest faces, the best sunsets, the funniest memories.

check

Dishes, three loads of laundry, Henry's teeth and nails, phone call with mom, consolidation of Boyfriend's almost empty shaving cream collection, check. Now a quick yoga session, later cook dinner, and that's all the productivity I have planned for the long weekend, done in one day.

yay for you

When your friend calls to tell you something good that happened to her, and her voice is just so happy.

second half

Took a nap, even after the coffee. Was inspired by a friend's post to have an heirloom tomato BLT, did Henry's teeth and nails and walk, did some yoga, and now we're in the home stretch to have dinner and loaf around until bedtime.

sunday lazy sunday

After going to bed late, slept until 10, let the dog out and gave him breakfast, went back to bed until noon, ate something, fell back asleep until 1. Now I've had some coffee so that I won't sleep all day and be up all night. But I'm pretty sure I could have slept the whole day away with a whole new bed all to myself.

perfect timing

It just may happen that we'll be in Mumbai for two days at the same time that my Zurich BFFs are there. It also happens that they are the ones we love to eat with, and that one of the restaurants on this list we've been working on since 2007 is in Mumbai. What are the chances?

checking in

When a friend calls you because she's worried about a vague Facebook post.

most improved

Migraine for most of the day, conquered with a massive dose of caffeine and painkillers, just in time to go play board games for four hours with friends.

friends and family

Working in tech, I'm used to getting to test new apps and phones and things. My cousin works for Tempur-Pedic/Sealy, and now I get to test a mattress!! This is kind of awesome, because I've said in the past that one of my dream jobs that doesn't exist would be to test and review mattresses (or books or food or diving or travel -- basically, anything involving reading, eating, sleeping, or going on vacation). I'm not getting paid, but hey, I still get to test a mattress!

india

We are so close to nailing down our itinerary for India in December/January. It's pretty exciting to have big plans.

my army

Yesterday was a big day for me, and I slept really badly all week thinking about it. I put out a plea for good luck on FB, and so many friends sent so many good thoughts. It's sometimes hard to have friends scattered so far and wide, but it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to imagine all these little points of love and hope sprinkled around the world.

The day went well. I have no idea what's going to happen next (all of the possible outcomes are a bit scary and uncertain), and it's a waiting game now, but having finally gotten through the day, I was able to finally get a real sleep in last night.

So I am better-rested and hanging on to hope from around the world.

one more time

Booked a trip to New York and D.C. next month, a full year after the last, and the last one fully funded by someone other than me for the foreseeable future.

affirmation

Go back and read all your peer reviews and look at your comp history. It reminds you that you are probably pretty good at what you do.

repeat purchase

I may have bought more single serve microwave lasagnas at the store today, after having one last weekend. Haters gonna hate, but it wasn't bad and it was so convenient.

snack time

All right, if I must, I will finish off this avocado by mashing it up with olive oil, salt, pepper, and shichimi togarashi and spreading it on toast.

nap

Nap.

the more you know

I know a lot of people who know a lot of stuff. How did that happen? Seriously, if I think of some issue I'm facing at work or in my personal life or if I just have a weird rant about rereading favorite childhood books, I know someone who has deep experience or strong opinions. My friends know so much stuff.

adulting

Less than three years after moving in, we have replaced the airplane blankets over our bedroom window with the custom window shade that the previous owner had left in the garage! We couldn't figure out how it worked, so there may be some zip ties involved, but it looks more grown-up than blankets and masking tape!

weekend getaway

Lunch at The French Laundry with friends, then a night at a hotel watching trashy movies and microwave meals from the grocery store.

jackpot

I was packing up my desk for yet another office move, and found three bars of chocolate that I had stashed away and forgotten.

you're good

There is something really cool about watching someone who is really good at what they do. Window cleaners came to our house today, and it was like an art and a science.

sweet

When your boyfriend brings you back five individual peach cobblers.

good things

Nice long catch-up (kvetch-up) on the phone with a friend the other night. Getting into more substantive stuff in my volunteer gigs. One hope is quelled for now, but the other remains. Lunch at French Laundry in the private room with friends this weekend, just because (and a friend is taking Henry for the weekend on short notice, because the dog sitter is booked up), and only a week after birthday dinner at Quince with Boyfriend, because food is good.

ok

Well, at least I know I'm being compensated fairly, based on the recent offer and the current refinance. And yet, might I leave this behind??

let's get busy

Two loads of laundry, a load of dishes, Henry's teeth and nails, yoga, pre-cleaning lady tidying, toiletries dregs consolidation, and plant care so far today. Still to do: finish this book, walk the dog, get my finances a bit more in order, and maybe even book some plane tickets.

meet the dog

Friends who adopted a dog from Henry's shelter are having a dog party next weekend, but we can't go, because we already have plans. They texted this morning to see if we wanted to meet up, so we got to meet Fennec, the dogs got to play, and we grabbed lunch and caught up.

whoa

Lunch with a work friend I never get to see anymore. End of day meeting turned out to be kind of crazy interesting. Taking tomorrow off for my birthday for an overdue facial and haircut.

i want candy

Arrived early for dinner with my co-mentors last night, and there was a candy shop on the way to the restaurant!! Picked up two nostalgic things: salt water taffy and Goldenberg's Peanut Chews (if you're from the mid-Atlantic, you understand). Put them away last night, and forgot about them. Got home early to beat the traffic and I'm sitting here, plowing through my inbox with a sense of grim determination, and I suddenly realize that the grim determination can be tempered with chewy, sugary goodness!

have hope

I'm not out of the running yet for Hope #1, and an unexpected Hope #2 has emerged, which may not be quite what I'm looking for, but it is flattering to be considered, nonetheless.

off season

Even though it's the off season for TV, this one, amazing week, we have new episodes of Mr. Robot, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise. Yessss...

lazy day

Dinner and a late night talking with a friend turned into a late start today with a long nap in the afternoon, leaving enough time to finish a book, but less time to anxiously wait for news I'm hoping for tomorrow.

isn't she lovely

Had a video call with my Cambodian mentee, and I love her already. Can't wait to get her into college and meet her next year.

suddenly

I can't remind myself enough times that in the end, it's mostly about who you know and only a little bit about how much you stand out, and you never know which person you know is going to end up doing you the biggest favor with the greatest of ease.

perfection

That thing when a dog-loving friend decides she might be ready to start meeting dogs after losing her beloved dog of many years, but leaves the shelter to think about it, and then you send her a picture of a dog she didn't meet because he hadn't been brought out yet when she was there, and she goes back and adopts him the next day. That's a good thing.

complimentary

When a nice volunteer at the shelter stops you and says you're so beautiful that you should be a model. Aww, thanks, nice volunteer. I'm old enough to be a model's mom, but I'll take it.

my cheating heart

Spent a few hours at the shelter today, walking and cuddling dogs and trying to play matchmaker for them with all the people who came in for Clear the Shelters. Happy dogs make my heart happy.

wow

When you get an amazing offer and they are proposing to hand you both the thing they value the most and the thing you value the most, it's pretty humbling. And when you realize it's still not exactly right and don't take it, it's pretty scary. And then when you sign on for a really cool volunteer program in the meantime, it gives you hope that you can still make a difference without flipping your entire life upside down.

close call

Tire blew out when I was going 70 mph on the freeway on the way to work this morning.

The bad stuff: It was terrifying. My battery then died while I was waiting for AAA to show up. I missed my first two meetings. I have to buy two new tires. The wait time at the garage is two hours.

The good stuff: I didn't die. I actually had my AAA card with me and the guy came and changed the tire and jumped my car (fortunately he hadn't left when I realized my battery had died). I got into work in time for a massage that I had scheduled weeks ago. My schedule today was forgiving enough that I could come to the garage and buy new tires and get them installed, and still get work done in the mean time. The garage is by Target, so I can buy a few things we need. Henry made lots of friends at Target.

early bird

It's kind of crazy how much you can get done if you leave the house at 7 a.m. with a carefully plotted calendar.

hold me

Quick snuggle break before diving back into the inbox.

green thumb

Apparently, if someone gives me a box full of rich compost in the sun, appropriate seeds and plants, and strict planting and watering instructions, the plants don't all die. The tomatoes, radishes, cilantro, green onions, and jalapenos have been fun to eat, and the bees appear to like the sunflowers.

good start

Calendar looks jammed, so an apologetic treat in advance should make Henry's day a little better.

next up

French Laundry with friends, for no special occasion (except maybe heirloom tomato season?) in just under a month. This reservation was months in the making.

prime

Back into the thick of things, but then found out it's Amazon Prime Day, so I bought a new Kindle (the one I've had for five years is starting to hold less charge and get dinged up, and I'm a sucker for sales, and honestly, if there's anything I get my money's worth out of, it's my Kindle), and an electric toothbrush (to replace the one that died a couple weeks ago). I guess that's a happy early birthday to me?

10.5

That's the longest I've slept in one night in a long time. I should do that more often.

back to normal

Epic journey home, but only four hours after walking in the front door, my laundry is clean, the house is prepped for the cleaning lady, the dog is fed and walked, dinner is eaten, my work bag is packed, and I'm ready for reading then bed.

whirlwind trip

Saw lots of friends (several more than once -- this was the best part of the trip, catching up with so many of the best people ever), watched fireworks, bought about 29 kilos of gummy candy, ate way too much food and drank more wine than necessary. Despite only spending a little over two days in Zurich and five days in Italy, we packed in so much goodness that I was only able to finish two books!

good and bad

Angry Tooth was considerate enough to be quiet yesterday, when I had tons of meetings and drafting to do. Past Me was prescient enough to schedule an afternoon massage. Present Me wasn't so thrilled to get a root canal this morning, but was pleased not to fall behind on work, and to take consolation in a massage from my favorite massage therapist, who had been on vacation for a month.

i was wrong

It was worth installing air conditioning, especially on weeks when temperatures are consistently over 90°.

i am robin

It's gotten to the point that Henry can't walk at work or at Stanford without getting at least one comment or request for an introduction (this evening it was five). I feel like his sidekick.

helping out

Three of my overworked teammates agreed to help cover me while I'm out over July 4th. Two other coworkers pulled me into a quick sync that turned into a three hour meeting to hash out the details of a group session that could turn out to be fun (but at least I had fun working on it).

rocky road

Rocky times call for rocky road ice cream.

smells like summer

The smell of freshly picked tomatoes from your garden plot at work.

high note

Rough week at work ended in a day of unexpected calm, with time to play board games with co-workers and get a pedicure in between meetings, inbox maintenance, and a call on the road (which T-Mobile didn't drop!).

Now we have our first weekend with both of us at home with no plans, so there will be some loafing, a movie (in the theatre, which we only do once or twice a year), and some quality time with TiVo and some library books.

a good day

Boyfriend is doing a mileage run, so I got up when I wanted to get up, took Henry on a long walk before the heat started in earnest (I needed to get 15K steps today for my team at work), did Henry's teeth and nails, read, did some yoga,  showered (there is nothing like feeling clean during a heat wave), went to my parents' place for home cooked food and hangout time with my sister and nieces, took Henry on a shorter walk (more steps), did the dishes, and now I'm settling in to read until bedtime, feeling content that the day was sufficiently productive.

absence of re-org

After a short period in which it looked like I would have to change teams, do less interesting work, or take on more work than seems reasonable, it looks like things are going to get better pretty soon. The threat of unfavorable changes really forces you to decide what you care about the most, and it's a relief when you end up getting it.

the great indoors

Temperatures approaching 90°, and a band of gardeners hacked, blew, and raked their way through our overgrown, buggy yard. I've never been the outdoor, gardener type, but today more than ever, I am thankful that my job is indoors.

absence of pain

There's nothing like a three day skull crusher of a headache to make you appreciate the simple joy of not having a headache.

back on track

Long weekend came just in time for me to get my reading back on track for 100 for the year.

taste the rainbow

There are so many different kinds of cheese, and so many of them are delicious.

that feeling when

Client signed off, saying she's unplugging for the long weekend, and I've got six books from the library with nothing to distract me other than a couple errands (returning things, which is basically one of my favorite hobbies), a barbeque, and board games. And TiVo.

get moving

The weekend in New Orleans and a team thing at work have finally (after about nine months off) motivated me to start caring about walking more again.

long weekend plans

We didn't really plan anything, but somehow the long weekend is getting filled with plans: dinner with a friend, afternoon barbeque with other friends, board games with another set.

tgif

Fun new hat, cafe au lait, food tour, comfortable new sandals, only a little bit of rain, dinner at our favorite place from last time, great live music, no line for late night Cafe st Monde beignets on the way back to the hotel, no rain in tomorrow's forecast.

the big easy

Long weekend in New Orleans started off with a bang. I haven't seen this much lightning and heard this much thunder in maybe ten years. We got upgraded to a hotel suite that might be bigger than our house, so we have plenty of windows to watch.

note to self

Take note, lazy self: this solo yoga at home thing takes the minimum amount of time and effort, and it always makes your back feel better and your breath come easier.

bananas

We had some over ripe bananas, and Boyfriend turned them into banana muffins with stuff we already had in our house. I've never had a pantry with enough stuff in it to make unexpected baked goods without a trip to the grocery store. They're delicious, especially with the brown sugar crumble on top.

learn something new

My sister adds flour to the water in the pan when making potstickers, resulting in more of the crispy, crunchy part of the dumplings. Didn't think my dumpling cooking technique was going to change after all these years, but it has.

perchance to dream

Boyfriend is sick, so he slept in the guest room, and I had the best night of sleep I've had in a while, which only ended with the delivery of a fresh cup of coffee to my nightstand.

timing is everything

When the audiobook you're waitlisted for becomes available on the day that you're finishing the last one.

dry

Having a working dryer continues to be amazing. After over two years of worrying every time we needed to dry any sheets or towels (much less extra loads of sheets and towels after having guests), it's kind of mind boggling to just be able to wash and dry several loads of laundry in a row without incident or delay.

best guests

My sister's family is the kind that shows up, cooks lots of delicious food, and when you turn around, the dishes are all clean, and there are cuts of sashimi grade salmon in your freezer and aged steaks in your fridge.

compare and contrast

House full of five adults, three kids, and a dog suddenly dropped down to just me and the dog. Fun times with family, lots of food and no time to think about work, and now some time to read and be quiet. I had set aside some clothes for my niece to check out, and she is a total clothes hound, so some of my favorite shirts, sweaters, and dresses will get a second life. My sister and brother-in-law brought me a thoughtful gift for no reason. My dog got lots of attention without any effort from me.

we are family

Sister's family is camping in our house for the weekend for food, folks, and fun, which is just what I need to disconnect my brain from its usual annoying rut.

oh deer

Rescued this guy from my dog and the fence yesterday. Cuteness overload.

moving on

Sometimes it's just time to move on. Seems like that time comes a little bit sooner with each iteration.

treasure at home

I have been coveting the California poppies that grow wild every spring, and lo and behold, there is a clump growing wild on the edge of our front yard. Breed and spread, poppies, and come back every year.

bright college years

College friend in town = excuse to round up another college friend and go get pedicures. We can't possibly have known each other for almost 20 years, can we?

solo practitioner

So I've decided to try doing this yoga thing by myself, because then I don't have to have an audience of coworkers or plan around class schedules. Downloaded an app, and have done four sessions in my basement, without having to leave the house.

social

Work friend over for dinner tonight, Zurich friend coming in town and staying with us for the weekend, college friend up from L.A. the following weekend, cooking with sister's family and some friends the weekend after that... It's almost like we have a social life.

rain delay

Working from home Friday means that changing into real clothes and showering can be delayed to the afternoon, and evening errands can be postponed until the next day, right?

after the rain

A good rainy season kicked off the trees going into bloom in late January, then California poppies (my favorite) in March, and now there are wildflowers everywhere, and jasmine season has started.

first day back

Dug my inbox from 150 down to 45, made it through five meetings, got a massage, got gas, picked up new glasses and two library books, bought dog food, and walked the dog.

back at it

Home for just over three hours, and I've walked the dog, washed all my vacation laundry and a load of dog laundry, skimmed my inbox, eaten dinner, put out my dive gear for a bit more drying time, and sorted the mail. Sad to be back to real life, but glad to be free of mosquitoes, rain, and humidity.

in transit

On our long way back home, almost five hours into a 25 hour trip, door to door. Squeezed in one last yoga lesson this morning, followed by one last massage (which lasted an extra 20+ minutes because she was being awesome). Back to reality pretty soon, but at least that reality includes my dog and less rain, with a visit from a friend only a few days after we get back.

drying out

Did our last two dives yesterday, and our gear is drying out. We had strong wind last night, which dried out my sandals, which had been sopping wet all week. Dry shoes are amazing. Two more massages, and two more yoga lessons, then it's time to head back to the real world, where there will hopefully be less weather, but unfortunately more stress.

hoppipolla

Good puddle jumping today. My pants were soaked up to mid-thigh.

the heavens wept

Pouring rain when we woke up, and even though we came here to dive, we were relieved that the storm is strong enough to cancel the dive this morning. Room service, reading, and napping sound much better than trying to put on a damp wetsuit and getting on a rocking boat on rough seas right now. Secretly hoping the second dive is cancelled as well, and then all I've got the rest of the day is lunch, massage, yoga, and dinner.

private lesson

My afternoon yoga class ended up being a private lesson that definitely pushed the boundaries of what my body can tolerate, particularly after a day of diving. All these poses look nothing like their names (crow, camel, pigeon, plow = me scratching my head and just copying whatever the instructor is doing while trying not to face plant). All this weird stretching seems to be doing something though, as I touched my toes for the first time in years.

pork belly

Village kids gave an enthusiastic performance before dinner, where I had perhaps the best pork belly ever (crispy like Peking duck in the outside, unctuous on the inside, flavored like Chinese five spice beef), with a bottle of wine comped by the manager to make up for some confusion over whether we had prepaid or not.

good deed

All the honeymooners here who don't dive are just bored and miserable in the rain. I took pity on a couple who are leaving tomorrow and gave them my time slot at the spa so that they can have one nice thing on their last day, and I feel so virtuous now, wallowing in the room until it's time to go to afternoon yoga. I'll go to the spa tomorrow, instead.

omg

Best vacation massage ever. May have to go back for another round or two. We have an ambitious slate tomorrow: morning yoga, breakfast, village tour, lunch, afternoon dive, afternoon yoga, and dinner. I could do this vacation thing for a very long time.

weather or not

It was raining this morning, but we went for a dive anyways, and I tested out my camera to make sure it's still OK after so much time. Then we opted out of the rest of today's diving, because it's our vacation, and we can do what we want. I sat in our hot tub for a few minutes before showing off, and the rest of the day will be divided between eating, napping, reading, getting a massage, and checking out a kava ceremony. Rainy days really aren't so bad, they're good excuses to be lazy.

vacation perks

No makeup ever, and the comfiest sandals with the best arch support.

afternoon agenda

It's only 2:30, and we've accomplished a lot: breakfast, two dives, and lunch. Now I need to spend a couple hours in the hammock, reading and napping until afternoon yoga, then a couple more hours of flopping around the room, then dinner. No yoga tomorrow, so I'm getting a massage after diving, instead. Life is so good.

nothing like it

There is really nothing like a hot shower and a dry towel after two morning dives.

dive dive dive

And tomorrow, we hit the water for the first time since December 2013, the longest I've ever gone between dives. There is nothing quite like flying like Superman while breathing like Darth Vader.

californication

We took a free yoga class on the beach here in Fiji. I have decided that despite my prejudices against it, I like yoga, when it's on a beach in Fiji, and there are only four students who are equally inept.

better than planned

Made it to the wedding, and slept for seven hours on the eleven hour flight to Fiji (personal record for plane sleeping), watched The Martian (which I missed in the theater), and managed to get onto the earlier direct flight (instead of the later flight with a connection), and didn't pay any excess luggage fees. We're all settled into our house for the week (it's huge), and only five out of twelve are occupied. I think that under our actual tickets, we should still be hanging out in airport #4, waiting to catch a puddle jumper to airport #5.

pasty goodness

Boyfriend went to a conference in Arizona and brought back pasties from the place we like, just in time for dinner!

in other news

We're dropping by a wedding in LA on the way to Fiji, and a dear friend is coming to stay with us the weekend after we get back. Slotting in lots of fun after the rough month that was March.

t minus four

Fiji is coming up so soon! I've been checking off errands and to do lists, testing out luggage weight (keeping checked luggage under 33 pounds is a challenge on a dive trip), trying to get things at work to a decent pause point, and realizing that it's been a longer gap than usual between trips for us. Can't wait. Diving! Sun! No meetings! And I'm even going to try the free yoga classes, but may just end up reading novels the whole time.

already done

Love is coming home and finding out that your boyfriend already wrangled the recycling and compost bins down your treacherously steep driveway.

less is more

One more box of donations (handbags and clothes), one more box of e-waste, and a big dog watering dish -- gone. Also salvaged a bunch of duffels and handbags from the box where the critters had been getting at them, cleaned them up and put them away, and started another box of donations (already half full).  

patchwork

Henry has a keen nose for forgotten treats left in jacket and sweatshirt pockets, and has chewed his way through several pockets in order to rescue the treats, including the pocket of my very favorite hoodie. Finally got around to patching the hole shut, and I must say I did a pretty good job, and it's good to be able to put my hand into a hole-free pocket and not have that twinge of annoyance.

makeover over

After three curated stylist boxes and lots of online shopping, I think I'm pretty much done with the acquisition phase of the wardrobe update. Just need to get the last few boxes, go through and decide what to keep and return, make the returns, do one more round of culling for donations, and then enjoy never having "nothing to wear."

going going gone

I think that the Mysterious Hives are mostly conquered? Nothing quite like four days of being eaten by your own skin to make you appreciate skin that doesn't try to eat you. Here's hoping that they stay away, even after the meds taper off this weekend.

heathen holiday

Not being religious means that on religious holidays, I have to remember that nothing is open, but on the upside, I've got an excuse to stay in and read.

root beer float

And Season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. Summer Saturdays are the best.

imported

Two separate deliveries from Switzerland in the last week, hand-carried by patient mules: four bars of chocolate and five bags if gummy candy.

down time

Inexplicable illness has erased all of my productive plans for today, and possibly for the weekend. Fortunately, I'd been getting a lot done in the last couple weeks, we had no social plans for this weekend, and I can catch up a bit on my reading in bed with minimal guilt.

seasonal

Fresh Thin Mints are so much better than the year-old ones I'd been eating from the freezer.

fresh local

Our friends grew these in their garden!

up a notch

Did an eight factor assessment of my life, and compared to last May, total score (out of 80) went up eight points, so that's pretty good.

busy but good

This weekend: dinner with a former legal assistant on Friday, coworker's housewarming party (preceded by the procurement of a suitable gift) and dinner and board games at our place on Saturday, Goodwill drop-off, glasses selection, Asian market, dive gear pickup, dog hygiene, and cooking lessons and dinner with mom on Sunday. So many boxes checked!

first time

For the first time since I got my first glasses 30 years ago, my prescription went down.

lighter

Daylight Saving Time is here!! Winter is shorter and less dreadful here than anywhere else I've lived, but it's still wonderful to see it leaving. Weather forecast says it will be sunny all week, after several long days of rain.

getting ahead

Finally, a day when I feel like I'm getting ahead instead of behind. Finished my self-assessment for performance reviews at work (four days early), filed my taxes (five weeks early), and finally took first steps to put my extra cash in something a little better than a savings account.

no more quarantine

Henry is going to be so glad that his quarantine period is over.

complimentary

Wore some of my new clothes to work today, and immediately got compliments. Either this stylist is great, or I was an even bigger slob than I thought.

nola

A good friend's 40th birthday gives us an excellent reason to go back to New Orleans in May.

all aboard

First board meeting for the shelter went well, and I'm excited to help drive one of our big goals: exploring ways to leverage technology to increase visibility, traffic, and adoptions, and developing projects to shop around for skilled volunteers to complete.

catching up

After a tough day of back to back meetings, grabbed dinner with a former client and talked until the restaurant closed. Good to get things off my chest. Also, wore my new jeans and loved them.

gravy

I even finished a book, cleared out space on TiVo, took care of Henry's teeth and nails, tidied up in advance of the cleaning lady coming tomorrow, and took care of a bunch of those little things that always pile up into a daunting big pile of things to do later/never. Having a few daylight hours with the house to myself while Boyfriend is out can either be major sloth time or major productive time.

purge

After so much frustration during the week (and partly out of guilt for buying more clothing), I went on a two day rampage: unpacking some boxes that are still sitting around from our move, sorting out six boxes of clothes, shoes, and books to donate, and starting to better use and organize our limited closet and drawer space. I feel so productive.

what a week

Thing after thing after thing some big and some little. Stressful work problems, then Henry got kennel cough, then a wrecked pedicure, then a weird miscommunication with the personal stylist... The best part of the week was that it ended, and I've been cocooned in the house avoiding all the much needed rain that we're getting.

sleep it off

No matter what is pressing on my mind, if I can manage to sleep for the night, the next day, it's hard to feel quite as upset about it. Mostly because I can't remember every awful detail that long.

days like this

And sometimes, you have a day that is comprised of multiple meetings in which you find out that things have gone sideways on every single thing you're working on, with breaks only to almost die in a near miss on the freeway and to cringe in humiliation when your dog is unquestionably the worst behaved dog in the park, only to find out that his misbehavior was loud enough to attract the attention of people inside the building. And you miss breakfast and lunch. And you try playing a stupid game that you're addicted to on your phone. And you lose.

And on such a day, you are relieved to take your frustrations out by cooking enough food for ten people, even though you're only cooking for yourself. And you wait for The Bachelor to come on, because no matter how badly the day went, at least you're not crying on national TV. And really, at least you didn't get smeared into a bloody paste in that near miss on the freeway. And you resolve to work from home tomorrow, because if you're going to face another day like this tomorrow, you're going to do it alive and in sweatpants.

curator

Trying a couple online personal stylist and clothing delivery services, because the online menu planner and food delivery services ended up being surprisingly good, and it's probably about time for me to clear out my old stuff and update my wardrobe a bit. It's kind of fun trying to figure out what I'm looking for and then seeing what they send in response.

girl friday

Had a few girls over after work Friday. Wine, snacks, and lots of gossip.

perfectly planned

After a lazy Saturday, I got so much done today. Lunch phone appointment, and then a 4.5 hour perfectly planned, maximally efficient circuit: gas, pedicure, grocery store, facial, Asian market, dog walk, dog teeth and nails.

end of the tunnel

Evenings are already staying light later, and Daylight Saving Time starts back up in two weeks!!

caffeine on demand

There is now a barista in my building at work. On my floor. Less than a one minute walk from my desk. This is going to be dangerous.

backyard salad

Found out that two of the weeds that grow in our backyard are actually tasty wild greens, so we've got fresh salad to go with our pizza tonight.

coda

And then I totally fell asleep during a show, lying on the living room floor while Boyfriend rubbed my neck.

wild and crazy

Thai chicken burgers with Chinese daikon pickles, salted caramel chocolate cookies, 25 year old vintage port, and vampire shows on TiVo. Happy Saturday!

hard won

I am often reluctant to call for customer service. Then when I get bad service, I am disproportionately outraged. It's like the perfect storm. Except that this time, I started calm, dug in my heels, argued my way up to the top, and negotiated until I got what I wanted. Same coverage, a 20% discount, and the ability to just deal directly with my actual service provider on his personal phone, and never having to call the national or regional lines again.

hot dog

Henry, for one, loves the new office. Lots of sunbathing, a view of the dog park, and furious sprints around said dog park seem to add up to his ideal work environment.

security

Security is having thirty rolls of toilet paper.

ski week

I love ski week, when it's a four day week, and there's no traffic because everyone who has kids is in the mountains. It's nice to pretend that traffic doesn't happen.

fully stocked

Dinner at mom and dad's before they go on vacation means a full belly of home cooking tonight, and a full fridge of leftovers for the next few days. I forgot to bring laundry to do there, or it would have been the full college experience. Also, as my dad has gotten older, he has also become so easy to please. Bring a couple of dogs over, and he's just as happy as he used to be when I got straight A's for an entire semester.

neighborly

Had four neighbors over for dinner with lots of wine and gossip. We need to do that more often.

return on investment

Five extra minutes getting ready this morning, and five compliments from different coworkers. That's a solid ROI.

board-dom

I joined the board at Henry's shelter. Excited to see if I can help them get more visibility and more adoptions.

seventies

Winter is losing the battle. This is the first week of the season where every day is forecast to break 70°F!

female mentors

I've been very lucky to have had some amazing managers and mentors, and two of them were women. I try to do that for younger people who might want some guidance, but I realized it's been a while since I have had one of my own. I am hoping that this is about to change.

winner winner chicken dinner

Went to a coworker's house for dinner and board games last night. Ate lots of cheese and still managed to eat a full dinner after that. Tied with Boyfriend to win the board game. Didn't suffer a massive allergic reaction to the cat. So I'd say the evening was a success.

speedy

Due to many boring reasons, we currently don't have a functional washer/dryer set in our house right now. I've been working here for almost eight years, but had never used the laundry rooms at work, so I tried it for the first time today, and I totally forgot how fast American-style washers and dryers are. 35 minute wash, 40 minute dry, and you're done!

front burner

Long weeknight conversation with one of my dearest friends who has seen me through some of my most difficult times reminded me that even people who seem to be so on top of everything still wonder what's missing, and that old friends are still friends for a good reason.

oldie but goodie

Cap'n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch is the best cereal of all time.

february

February in California catches me off guard every year. After a lifetime on the East Coast and a stint in Europe, I tend to think of February as a month solidly ensconced in winter, with many cold and dreary weeks blocking the path to summer. But in California, February is spring time. The days start getting longer, the plants have put out new shoots, and the trees (ohmygod the trees) bloom as if they have no idea that it's winter anywhere else. This year, they got started last week, probably because of extra rain we've been getting, and seeing all the green and white and pink everywhere is a welcome reminder that summer is just around the corner.

even better

When that student who rocked the interview manages to find you online (you stopped giving out business cards because no one writes thank you notes anymore, so why even bother giving them out), and writes you a perfect thank you note. Faith restored, there is at least one good kid out there.

lost and found

Unexpectedly found the missing mate in my favorite pair of socks. In my sock drawer.

interview season

Doing lots of interviews at work, and also interviewing high school students for Harvard admissions. That thing when you finally talk to someone who just makes you so excited to write their feedback because that person is everything you didn't realize you were looking for and would just be amazing.

unusual week

Last week was awesomely unusual, and unusually awesome. Started with a three day weekend, then spent the week in Hawaii for work. I met up with my Japanese host sister for breakfast on the last day, and on impulse, bought myself a purse because it was bonus day and someone else mentioned getting herself a treat on bonus day. This is my eighth bonus day, and it had never before occurred to me to do anything but leave it all in the bank. Reunited with Henry and Boyfriend, then went up to the city to see my niece star in The Wizard of Oz, hit up an awesome restaurant with coworkers for dinner, gave the kids their belated Christmas presents, spent the night, and hung out for part of the day.

dessert first

Caramel pecan sticky buns with orange cream cheese glaze, an all day production that was so highly anticipated that I ate one as soon as they were ready, before we have our poached eggs and smoked chateaubriand.

best gift

Giving Boyfriend a science-based cookbook for Christmas means that he wants to make lots of new food.

breakthrough

It's just a little over two weeks into bell training, and Henry rang the bell without being asked and without me standing nearby with a treat, and as soon as the door opened, he ran to his spot and peed.

crying

When you both blurt out the same joke at the same time, and that makes it even funnier.

next in queue

Hawaii for work, L.A. for a wedding, Fiji for diving, Italy for food, and that takes us through travel plans so far through July.

chili

Turns out that if you are making vegan chili, two things really help amp it up: tons of chili powder. And ground turkey.

take a chance

Sometimes, the act of putting yourself out there is almost as exciting as actually getting picked. The state of uncertainty between the question and the answer adds a certain something to everything.

not so bad

First week back was totally hectic, but not the losing battle I expected. Marketing person said I was a superstar, and partner call about indemnities only took 25% of the scheduled time, with everyone coming away happy. I'll take it.

6.6

That's how many pounds of gummy candy came today, hand carried from Switzerland then shipped by mail :)

giftbot

Awesome present on my desk from an awesome work friend I don't even work with!

year in review

I did my annual personal self review and overall gave myself an average grade of B+ on my goals from last year. My high points outnumbered my low points. I think that's a pretty good year.

ring any bells

On Friday, Henry was afraid of the bells. Since then, we've moved through several stages. Friday he started associated the sound of bells with treats. Then he started gently nudging muffled bells in my hand. Then unmuffled bells in my hand. Then bells hanging from the doorknob with me right there. Then a few feet away. Just now, he did his first "ding dong" with me just out of sight. All of this for treats, dog likes to get paid.

Next up, ringing before the door opens, and then, some tough leaps, taking the initiative to ask to go out, and finally, ringing to ask to go out when I'm not in the room or waving a treat around.

I'm cautiously optimistic that we'll make it there this month.

going fast

More adoptions than I've ever seen in one day at the shelter today. Six dogs out the door by the time I left, and there were still two hours to go.

no sh!t

Not sure how we didn't realize this, but there is a new Sherlock that just recorded to TiVo today. We are saving it for after we finish the Potter-thon (3 down, 5 to go).

jingle bells

The bells for Henry's potty bell training were 80% off after Christmas. The ribbon was $1 in Vietnam. Now all I have to do is figure out how to teach him to use them.

tally ho

Final count for the year: 101

Not bad, considering that I was taking it a bit easy on the reading and spending some more time with friends and on volunteer work.