surround sound

When there's rain hitting the roof, have your Google Home play rain sounds inside.

lighter later

The switch to Daylight Saving Time is always such a relief, signaling the end of winter and the beginning of longer days.

worth waiting for

In this world of instant gratification, I'm trying to appreciate things that are worth waiting for. Clothes that are made to order (with a month or two of lead time), and experiences, as well. We went with a couple friends to our favorite restaurant in the city last night (reservations that I made on 1/1), and I bought tickets earlier in the week for a small venue concert for one of my favorite artists, three months out. Good things are worth the wait.

lol

I'm Sorry is such a good show. I just laughed until I cried at the second season premiere.

hamilton

Hamilton and dinner with friends is as good a reason as you can find to leave the house after losing a dog.

to dogs

We said goodbye to Boyfriend's dog yesterday, and it brought back all the feelings from Fiver dying almost six years. Mercifully, Jersey had a peaceful end, but even then, the loss reminds me of how lucky we are to have dogs. We don't deserve them.

to friendship

Lots on the social calendar these days: going to the city most weekends, out of town guest for a few days, and while my lazy side suffers a bit, my extroverted side loves it.

spring

The trees started blooming a week or two ago, right on schedule, and as always, it makes me grateful for California seasons. It may be colder and rainier than usual this year, but spring and summer are almost here...

it's been years

Slept without earplugs for the first time in decades. It only worked because Boyfriend was sleeping in the living room with his dog and there was rain on the roof all night, but it was pretty cool.

surprise rainbow

Giant rainbow over the wing of the plane as we descended into SFO. I've never seen that before, and it was really cool.

santa barbara saturday

Slept in late, had a leisurely lunch with a college friend, baked in the sauna, soaked in the hot tub, then lolled around in a bubble bath in my room. Next up, dinner with the lawyer who brought me down here, then reading until bedtime.

first world emergency

When you're in Santa Barbara for a presentation (and you got upgraded to first class for the 40 minute flight down, thanks to a friend with lots of expiring vouchers), and there's a mandatory evacuation, forcing you to leave the Four Seasons for the Ritz Carlton.

free stuff

Boyfriend still works at my old company, and came home with a ton of free hardware. New computers, new WiFi, new home devices, lots of new toys!!

tfw

That feeling when your morning call gets cancelled!!

city life

Spent the weekend settling back and forth to the city: Friday dinner with a friend and his date, Saturday trampoline park, dinner, champagne party, and sleepover with my sister's work wife, lazy Sunday TV and coffee before heading back down for a massage and lazy TV at home.

hack

Snake print sneakers + reflective spray paint = no more FOMO over missing out on reflective sneakers

moderate

Added some organization to a BST FB group my friends and I are running, and it's already been useful!!

approval rights

One of my best friends told a girl he's interested in that my approval is a prerequisite 🥰 It's nice to feel valued.

new year

Lazy break with the dogs, and now we're easing back into real life, first with a short and slow week at work, then with a quiet, rainy weekend, broken up only with a facial, a pedicure and baking pretzels with a friend, and playing a psychological prank on another friend who had previously proclaimed himself immune to such trickery.

guitar lessons

I'm doing it. I'm taking guitar lessons with the guitar my co-workers bought me for my birthday.

heaven on earth

Lying on a giant beanbag with two more days of downtime ahead of me, belly full of Korean food, and a sleeping dog cuddled under each arm.

important meeting

The dogs were all about the meeting with our main relationship partner from outside counsel last week.

getaway

Law firm wants to pay for me to spend three nights in February at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara in exchange for a 90-minute panel discussion about the best way to work with clients. Sounds like a good deal to me!

holiday visitors

Boss dog is staying with us for a little over two weeks, which means more cuddles for me! Mentee staying with us for a few days next week.

custom

This talented designer and seamstress has offered to customize some of her designs to suit my taste, with special colors or lengths... I feel so fancy and special!

winter

I'm not a fan of winter, but at least California winter has a lot of days with temperatures in the 60s.

fresh start

When you use a new lip balm for the first time, and you almost don't want to, because it is so pristine.

oh what fun

Company holiday outing to go ice skating (my first time in maybe 25 years?) was a lot of silly fun, although it used muscles I don't recall having.

drunk painting

Wine and painting cartoon pigs with women at work today. No great masterpieces, but fun nevertheless.

happy feet

Who knew that I'd become such a shoe addict? Comfortable shoes that make me happy every time I look at my feet (and also randomly resulted in new girl friends), yes, please! Now to convince myself to sell some off to keep my collection to a sane size...

meat up

Korean BBQ, sake, and white elephant gift exchange with fifteen coworkers last night. My hair still smelled this morning. Yum.

december

When the maple trees turn red and the hills start to turn green.

dinner redux

Best work friend started his new job this week, but that didn't stop us from getting dinner twice. Miss him at work, but it's good to still see him.

gimme some love

I couldn't stop laughing when Boss Dog couldn't get close enough at work today.

well rested

Over ten hours of sleep last night, the first long sleep in a while. Also, appreciating more than ever the value of keeping old and making new female friendships. Also also, the wonder of breathing through both nostrils still gets me at least once a week.

missed him

My work wife (who doesn't work with me anymore, and whom I text every day and see a couple times a month) came into work today for lunch and to hang out, and I just couldn't stop smiling, because we just laugh at all the same things. I miss him in the office, but it was good to see him there and remember our work vibe.

rain

First rain I've seen since the spring, and it came with thunder and a brilliant rainbow, plus I got to wear my new rain boots, so it's worth it.

make me laugh

When Boyfriend makes me laugh, he really makes me laugh, whether it's through absurd IM conversations about a fake company we could start, or through violent dancing to Journey songs, he fully understands my love of everything absurd.

exceeds expectations

Persimmon tree produced about 50 persimmons this year, much more than usual.

needed that

A few days in the city I love best with some of my favorite people, away from the smoke and the bubble world of the Valley. I decorated a Christmas tree for the first time in decades, drank lots of wine, and got a bit of a reset. Read a book on the plane ride back, met Boyfriend at the airport. Back in time to still have a full weekend before going back to work.

i <3 ny

Ten friends in two days so far. Ethiopian food, Google visit, hot chocolate, wine bar, Warhol at the Whitney, public transportation, walking, and people who aren't bubbled away in cars.

maybe next time

Work friend last minute invited us on a spur of the moment Thanksgiving in Mexico to escape the smoke, but we're both going to the east coast to freeze, instead. Pretty awesome idea, though, and hoping it works out another time.

out of dodge

This last month+ has been rough, to say the least. With Boyfriend going to Boston and my usual family Thanksgiving cancelled, I was debating what to do with myself, and when two friends said they'd take Henry, I decided to go to New York for a few days. Greatest city in the world, I'll see you soon, it's been over two years, and I miss you.

boss dog

A four-day playdate with the boss dog!! When in doubt, dog is almost always the answer.

what you need

Sometimes, a few group texts are what you need to stay sane in the face of insanity.

Sometimes, an unexpected heart-to-heart with your CEO about your non-work lives, your future work lives, and your current work lives is what you need to recommit yourself to doing whatever needs to be done, even in the face of setbacks both at work and in the real world.

nice save

Solo Saturdays in the office can be tough, mostly because the lights (and my monitor) turn off every ten minutes unless there is motion detected. Cue a young engineer who came in to do some work at just the right time, and when asked, promptly moved his workstation near my desk and walked around frequently, keeping the lights on while I was in the zone.

sunday funday

Sushi, friends, sun, sky, ocean, seals, tide pools, trees, and pizza. California doesn't give in to winter without a fight.

good friend

You know you're good friends when they decide to come over in an hour and you decide not to shower or change out of your pajamas.

successful scramble

Managed to coordinate a few folks to scramble together a surprise birthday/promotion celebration for a friend at work on Friday: balloons, cake, candy, noisemakers, and flowers came together pretty damn quickly.

irl

Met a friend in real life for the first time. Drank a bottle of wine, ate some cheese, traded some clothes, and dropped off a bunch of clothes for donation. Not bad for a Sunday.

Yesterday, had maybe 16-18 people over to eat snacks, drink leftover booze from camp, and look at pictures (which we turned into a drinking game).

A good social weekend at home after a tough week at work.

eating my feelings

It's been a rough couple of weeks at work, but a few coworkers cheered me up yesterday by accompanying me to get donut burgers, against their better judgment. Yum.

they're back

Years-long prank surfaced after a long period of dormancy and totally made my day. Love my friends.

love this place

No matter how crazy things get, it's all about the people, and my work crew is amazing, top to bottom.

great day recipe

Immediate gratification (bacon and maple syrup and coffee for breakfast). Future indulgence (sixteen tickets to see Hamilton next year). Usefulness (plowed through a big pile of work). Empathetic pleasure (seeing a friend happy when something went well). Dog (dog).

velcro

Boss dog has decided to be a Velcro dog this weekend. If I'm in the living room, he's in the living room. If I'm in the kitchen, he's in the kitchen. If I'm in bed, he's in bed, preferably resting his chin on my leg or squishing his entire body up against me. My dogs have always done their own thing (partly due to how I raise them), but it's been super sweet, especially as I'm feeling a bit gloomy this weekend.

looking for good

Our government might be burning down, but I got maybe a dozen or so of my coworkers to play games and drink some of my cheap beer after work, and remember that they like each other, and I've got my boss's dog staying with me for the weekend with no real plans, so I foresee a lot of cuddling and making out with dogs on the couch, which is good for the soul.

pranks = love

Got back to the office, and my desk had been completely punked, my badge deactivated and replaced with a funny one, and my website profile changed. I love my coworkers.

bonus time

Zurich BFFs stayed over for two nights after camp, and we got to hang out, talk a bit more than camp allowed, go out for dinner, get mani/pedis, and run some errands as if we just love normal lives together in the same place.

(And before camp, a college friend stayed over for a night, so we had some extra time, too.)

simply the best

Camp weekend was so much fun. I know the best people in the world. Dancing, singing, talking, laughing, playing games, doing activities, eating, drinking, just so much amazingness. My favorite part was seeing different friends meet each other and get along. It was so awesome.

aww

Three coworkers set up a meeting today, and it was just to give me and Boyfriend some surprise gifts. They're so sweet. Friends are the best thing in the world.

special delivery

First out of town friends (Seattle and Japan) arrived in town today, bearing a special delivery for me! Another friend will stay with us Thursday night, and camp is starting to get really real!!

early delivery

The made-to-order, ethical tops that I ordered a month ago arrived a day early, and they are so different than what I usually wear, but I'm going to rock them, especially since I can't buy any new clothes for at least six more months.

sunday crushed

Did seven errands on Sunday, spanning three cities, and seeing family and friends. Even managed to hustle a referral credit (and run into two former co-workers) when returning some shoes. So productive.

worth the wait

Found out that two made-to-order tops that I ordered four weeks ago just shipped today, so I'll finally get to see if they're as perfect as I hoped! They're arriving just as I start my shopping fast, no new clothes purchases for 6-12 months, and lots of donations or sales, to clean everything out.

gotchoo

Four co-workers descended on my house Thursday to help pack goody bags. Friends are just the best thing ever.

six days

In six days, I'll be hanging out with a whole lot of my favorite people, some of whom I haven't seen in years 🥰

meanwhile

A male stranger stopped me in the street yesterday to pay me an appearance-based compliment, despite the fact that I was wearing glasses and a ponytail, middle aged, and in deep suburbia. It was like I was in my 20s in Manhattan again, and just as it was then, it was simultaneously flattering and weird.

saturday is best

A pretty chill Friday at work, capped off with a stunning sunset on the drive home. But today is Saturday, and Saturday is the best day. Had a 90 minute massage that turned into a 130 minute massage, then returned a bunch of stuff at three stores (I think my returns are almost done, just maybe three more items and I'm done for a long time, as I'm starting a shopping fast for the next 6-12 months). The rest of the weekend will be spent reading, preparing for camp, watching TV, and doing some yoga.

a good weekend

Stayed home with the dogs yesterday to give Boyfriend some time with his friends, and got lots done for camp and to decide what to return from my last gasp of orders before going on a no-new-clothes fast for a year, in between reading and dancing around the house to 80's playlists. Today, went for soup dumplings, then went and returned a bunch of stuff at a few stores, only picking up a spare pair of my new favorite pajama pants (seriously the best for so many reasons), and some more face wipes while I do this no-washing-the-face thing until my brows are totally settled. Also, after all that anxiety and second guessing... the brows and eyeliner are amazing and I wish I had done it sooner! And I'm back on the yoga wagon, sort of. Two weekends in a row of two sessions in a weekend.

the last gazpacho

Heirloom tomato season is waning, but we really did it up big this year: multiple BLTs, and a solid month of keeping the fridge constantly stocked with homemade gazpacho, which is so easy and so delicious. Till next year, heirloom tomatoes.

gimme a break

Three day holiday weekend with a day of working from home tacked onto either end -- not exactly a real vacation like I used to take before joining a startup, but it's always nice to wear pajamas for that many days in a row.

so soothing

I know nature sounds, lavender essential oil, and the color blue are supposed to be calming, but I think I lean towards the sound, smell, and sight of my dog as he sighs happily while napping.

perchance to dream

The "sleeping less as I get older" thing, combined with the "I'm already bad at sleeping" thing, makes that rare night of 9+ hours of easy sleep so sweet.

campy

Camp is only four weeks away! Fixed the straps on my prom dress, got started on goodie bags, finalized t-shirts and teams, locking in activities and schedule. It's going to be ridiculous fun.

if it fits

This thing that I've been thinking about for several years happens to be available. In my size. So I'm getting it.

midlife stereotype

Turned 40, got tattoos. Eyeliner and eyebrows, so not your typical midlife crisis tattoos, but I can pretend... But actually, 40 is my favorite in quite a while so far...

breakthrough

27 years after I started wearing contacts, they finally have good daily disposables in my crazy prescription!! Also, my prescription continued its weird trend of getting slightly better each year. Also, I'm getting new glasses, sunglasses, and contacts!

mellow yellow weekend

Lazy Saturday at home, and tomorrow going to see Crazy Rich Asians (how incredible a feeling it is that in this last year, we're finally finally finally finally finally finally seeing movies that aren't all about whypipo -- I get a bit choked up every time I see representation like this, and wonder what life will be like for kids growing up now, who get to see minorities doing things that used to only be for Caucasians).

surprise yays

Last minute invitation to a fancy work dinner where we ate good food and told all the old stories. And an unexpected trade of a pair of shoes I don't love for a pair of shoes I've been eyeing for a while.

unexpected happies

Friday night with coworkers unexpectedly turned a bit crazy, in a throwback to my 20s, including the part where I woke up magically without a hangover. Saturday, got a morning smog check (hello, adulting), a birthday hair cut and color, a quick video call with my Zurich crew, yoga, and then dinner in Alameda with a former coworker and my best friend from kindergarten (whose husband is awesome, as it turns out). And now, a day to just read and stay in...

must love dogs

When your CEO casually donates to your birthday fundraiser for your dog's shelter, and you have to raise the fundraising goal because he already doubled it.

double happiness

And my work wife got me flowers, too!

happy monday

My coworker got me birthday flowers 🥰

melted

I have melted into a puddle of contentment. I'll never turn my nose up at summertime sauna time again.

big day

40!! Perfect day to finish off a great weekend. Friday, got to try a 50-year old whiskey at work, then went for lobster rolls with Boyfriend and college friends who were in town. Yesterday, went for soup dumplings with Boyfriend, a work buddy, and my friend that he's dating, then went out for cocktails and way too much dinner with one of my girl friends. Today, I lazed around a bit before doing a bit of yoga, taking care of Henry's weekly hygiene routine, and running a few errands (including lots of returns), timing them perfectly (this is so satisfying) to arrive at the spa with enough time to settle in and relax before my massage. Drank a glass of birthday champagne and read for a while before then indulging in 45 minutes of sauna, steam room, and cold showers, then scrubbed up and came home to eat a home cooked meal with Boyfriend.

This is just the beginning, and 40 is already looking pretty great.

that feeling when

TFW you unknowingly buy the most comfortable bra ever.

simple and delicious

Gazpacho, charcuterie, and cheese toast (finished with a broil) is the easiest delicious summer lunch.

try try again

After 15 months of inactivity except when absolutely required, I just did yoga again.

oddly satisfying

Just look at this picture of my "things with long sleeves" drawer.

dog days

Picked up the CEO's dog (Henry's favorite work friend) this morning, headed straight to a dog party where there were eleven dogs (and Henry did really well), and getting ready for a nice afternoon nap and lots of good doggo time for the next few days.

purge

Lots of new things from summer sales and a free Saturday, so it's time to do a full closet evaluation and purge with a 90s playlist blasting in the background. Oddly satisfying.

crushing it

Second time this week that I've gotten my work inbox under ten!

zzz

Nine hours of good sleep punctuated with vivid dreams and ending with intervals of waking up and sinking back into unconsciousness. Bliss.

free

When the shoe company you're obsessed with slides into your DMs to ask if they can use your comment as a post, and you're flattered and happy, AND THEN they offer you a free pair of shoes as a thank you 😍

Seriously, everyone should try these ($20 off here).

sunday surprise

Out of town cousin texted this morning that he's in town, and the stars aligned so that he, my sister and her girls, Boyfriend, and I were able to go eat lots of soup dumplings and then talk for a few hours. Then older niece took a bunch of my clothes and shoes that I had just culled from my closet this week, giving some of my old faves a second life.

raid the pantry

Lunch today was made using what I had handy: mac and cheese with buttermilk and sriracha. Possibly better than normal milk, but I think I'll stick with cayenne for spice.

bacon lettuce tomato

Nothing says summer like a BLT with fresh California produce. Throw in some ripe avocado and the sriracha mayo that my mentee in prison made and gave me last time I was there, and it's a perfect summer dinner.

many happy returns

Returned a ton of stuff today, so satisfying.

nice choppers

At his physical last week, Henry's vet complimented his six year old teeth, saying they were as clean as a puppy's.

summer party

Summer party at the boss's house with my sister. And a baboon. Followed by burgers with coworkers at home.