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.

happy happy

Both dogs are here, we had a good dinner (cooked by me), we've got a fire going, and I got my end of year donations done. We are so lucky.

dog dog dog

Going to pick up Henry in a bit, now that I've had a sleep-in, gotten my laundry started, used up my Flex account, and made plans to buy bells and get him started on potty bell training.

back again

My own house with my own bed where I know exactly how to find the toilet in the middle of the night.

awakened

We had a few hours free this afternoon, and we were too full from eating Michelin-starred dim sum to keep eating or even walking, so we watched the new Star Wars. No Jar Jar Binks, and passed the Bechdel test, so we didn't mind ignoring the fact that pretty much every good scene was a direct derivative of a scene in the originals. We wanted the old Star Wars back, and that's what they gave us, with a kickass female lead to boot.

binge

We ate an entire Peking duck for dinner. And I had three desserts (Asian desserts are less common in the States). And we're planning a Harry Potter marathon street we get back (the library has the DVDs held for pickup). Total gluttony.

bonus round

Hong Kong is just a stopover, and I haven't been here in almost 20 years, and coming here as an adult without my parents and without a tour group is so much better. We can't walk more than a block before seeing something I want to eat. Din Tai Fung for dinner (plus some mango cake and a red bean bun for dessert), and plans for dim sum and Peking duck tomorrow, with stops along the way for random street food.

carry-on only

All of our stuff still fit into carry-on bags, despite the fact that we acquired airline pajamas, custom tailored shirts and dresses, and souvenirs along the way. I'm not sure how that happened.

food glorious food

Spent a whole day on food: 3.5 hours on a walking tour of street food, and another 3.5 hours taking a cooking class, eating the results, and checking out a market. Delicious and mind boggling. The vendors all work in tiny spaces on street corners or back alleys with cans of glowing coals and cutting boards smaller than dinner plates, and the food is delicious, with each one specializing in one or two treats. The guide and our instructor were both tiny and sweet, and I felt like a lumberjack next to them, running around trying not to collide with a million motorcycles that they didn't even seem to notice.

cooler

The weather in Hanoi is more like California right now: highs in the 60s, some rain. It was a welcome break from the blazing, sunny 90s we were getting in the other cities, so we walked around for hours, ordering some custom made clothes, trying street food (oh my god, the street food!!), watching a public aerobics class, and plotting out the next two days (more street food, a cooking class, picking up our finished clothes, and buying souvenirs now that we're not overwhelmed by heat and humidity).

all better

Not having food poisoning is so much better than having food poisoning. So much better.

sixty

Good evening, Vietnam, my 60th country visited!!

splurge

Low grade fever and all kinds of aches means that it's a room service kind of night. Southeast Asian room service means that I can get pho, the ultimate comfort food, right to my door.

six dollars

Price of a one hour foot massage in Cambodia.

perspective

When you're in one of those first world "is that all there is" funks, and then you start talking to people who were forced to be child soldiers, lost their entire families, and worry about their kids getting enough to eat while not getting blown up by landmines.

saved

I think I may have just cleaned the Namibian dust out of the inner workings of my camera, just in time to take it to Angkor Wat.

hark

Suddenly, thunder!!

rain or shine

Yesterday was over 70° and brilliantly sunny, which was a lovely surprise. Today it is raining, which is also a lovely surprise. Apparently, I've reached a point in my California existence where any weather other than 60° and partly cloudy is a lovely surprise in December.

always be closing

As the hours until vacation decrease, the number of deals closed increases. All is as it should be.

mindful

I've been in a 2.5 day mindfulness class at work, and have had some interesting thoughts as a result of some of the exercises, but the best one was really articulating what it is that I appreciate about Boyfriend (he takes care of me and does things I don't want to do, he really gets me and accepts me, and he makes me laugh every day), then deciding to tell him after work, then hearing him say what he appreciate about me (I accept him and make him aware of things he wants to improve without judgment, I make him want to be more generous, I share stone interests and priorities while giving him space to pursue the ones we don't share, and I have a similar but different sense of humor). It was fun to actually spell out what we like about each other.

We also realized that in over seven years, we can't even remember having more than a couple fights, which is crazy and amazing.

black friday

I love Black Friday.

After two days of kitchen mayhem, overeating, playing Twister by the fireplace, and staying up late talking and hanging out (and eating banana-bacon-nutella-peanut butter crepes for breakfast), I'm now alone with two sleeping dogs, listening to the clock ticking in a quiet house, trying not to doze off as I catch up on my reading (but even if I do, an afternoon nap would be lovely), and debating which leftovers to eat first.

Even better, there are still two more days in the weekend.

giving thanks

I am thankful for Fossey, the gentle giant from work who taught Henry that it's OK to trust a big dog, and who is staying with us this weekend.

I am thankful for my sister, who gets me, and my brother-in-law, who also gets me, despite not sharing any weird genes. I an thankful for all of the food they brought to cook at my house.

I am thankful for Boyfriend and Henry, who make up a large percentage of my little universe.

I am thankful for this bed that I have all to myself until Boyfriend gets back.

ten years

Dear friend is coming to visit tomorrow, and we've known each other for ten years now, so that's kind of crazy.

stock up and splurge

Bought 3.5 pounds of pork belly, which is enough for about 9 full meals of pork belly buns.

rain or shine

Six hours of rain overnight, which is great, it will help with drought and wildfires, and the sound of rain on the roof is the best nighttime sound. And then it cleared up and left behind a clear, sunny day an hour before I got up, which is great, I prefer clear skies for my weekend loafing routine.

sinbad

I fall in love with a new dog every week. This week, it was this guy, and while I was cuddling him, a woman who had been looking around and was about to leave saw him on my lap and thought he was adorable. Her whole family was there in short order, and they became his new family. It's sad to see them go just as I get to know them, but I hope they have such amazing lives and never end up in a shelter again.

don't wake me

After weeks of inexplicably (or sometimes unavoidably) short nights of sleep, sleeping almost ten hours is amazing.

maybe in time

Both of our ovens died in September, but after much delay (repairman on vacation, then we were on vacation, then the parts had to ship out for repair and come back), they just might be fixed tomorrow, just in time to host Thanksgiving.

weekday family time

I spent the night at my sister's for a rare weeknight get together, and was amused to realize that my nephew inherited our (lack of) athletic ability (but has lots of enthusiasm for sports that we never had), and my older niece shares our love for musical theater (but with more talent).

tailored to fit

And then there's the thing when you think, "what next?" and by coincidence, you get several scary but interesting ideas from random people, and one random but exciting idea from your favorite work buddy ever (and she's so into the idea that she wants you or nobody else).

perf-ection

Annual peer reviews are a pain, but reading the feedback is always a nice postscript.

come together

Right when you think, "I might be interested in being on a non-profit board, but only if it's something I'm totally into," you meet the director and the chairman of the board for your dog's shelter where you volunteer every week, and they mention the possibility of joining the board.

honolulu

I may get to go to Hawaii for work.

playdate

A coworker's dog came over for a few hours after work yesterday, and it was the first time Henry has had another playful dog in the house. There was a solid hour of sprinting, dodging, wrestling, and wagging.

running short

Two hour conference call only lasted one hour.

fixed it

Suddenly, seven years in, Boyfriend has figured out how to give a good backrub.

halloween

No trick or treaters, but I spent the weekend hanging out with dogs at the shelter, buying new boots, eating Halloween candy that I'd bought just in case any kids came, and watching a lot of vampire TV. Dinner with friends tonight (in the post-DST gloom, although it is satisfying to go through the house adjusting clocks), and it's back to another week. Thanksgiving countdown starts... now.

moving on

I was not feeling the last book I was reading, but couldn't bring myself to drop it, because I was already 33% of the way in, and it's end of year, and every book counts... And then I dropped it for a book on the history of Scientology, and found out that L. Ron Hubbard did affirmations to stop being scared of snakes and to protect himself from being hypnotized by his guardian angel. I should have moved on sooner.

like butter

Traffic just gets worse and worse, which means that when I drive in at a weird time on a Friday and there's no traffic, it feels like magic.

more crank

Another day in the zone, banging out stuff that will buy me a weekend of peace, with some well-earned catch-up TiVo time.

And after a day of being completely ignored at work, my dog is now being super cuddly, like he was in his puppy days.

crank

Every once in a while, my calendar and inbox and deadlines align so perfectly that I can just crank out an ungodly amount of work in one day without having to wait on anyone else's feedback, and I like to imagine all these steaming piles of legal work product piling up in other people's inboxes faster than they can shovel it back out. I had one of those this week and it was so satisfying.

lucky number seven

Yesterday was our seventh anniversary! Asking Boyfriend out may be the best impulsive decision I've ever made.

razor edge

The path to here has been a razor edge, and the path ahead is foggy, but I can see a few new razors through the mist.

experiencing delays

Paris: three 3-star meals (two of them totally awesome), a 2-star meal, and a really amazing fancy but friendly bistro. Two weird and fascinating museums. Catch-up time with a law school friend, a former legal assistant, and a cube neighbor. Absurdist jewelry window-shopping. Handmade Italian boots. Working public transportation. Minimal rain.

jetlag

Is there any nap that is a better guilty pleasure than a jetlagged nap after a huge French lunch? I think not.

inside joke

When your friends conspire to make an inside joke unexpectedly show up on your desk from 5,000 miles away, and you actually laugh out loud when you get into work, it's a good Monday.

soon

Paris is so close I can almost taste it. Dogsitter booked, hotel lined up, and four reservations (three Michelin 3* and one 2*) in the books. Hard to believe that we've been back from Namibia for almost three months, and then after this trip, we've got less than two months before our last trip of the year (Vietnam and Cambodia, with quick stops in Bangkok and Hong Kong), and then it's on to 2016!