chalkdust

The Lighthouse turned out to be compelling but something of a bafflement. The cinematography was pretty terrific (the film was nominated for an Oscar in that category) and the acting admirable, although I don’t know how I feel about some of the decisions, mostly the accents affected by both principal actors.

I’m withholding judgment until I see it with the director commentary.

I was so lethargic today I worried several times that I had the virus. Got up early-ish for breakfast (two hot dogs and some potato salad) but went to bed shortly after, where I alternated between dozing off and goofing off on my phone.

Forced myself up at 2:00 or so to make the chili, which turned out yummy; then I finished the movie. I ate way too much so I pretty much skipped dinner and went out for my walk.

It wasn’t a nice walk at all. My body just didn’t want to go (so of course I was worried again I had the virus) and either it was a really humid evening or I’ve got the virus, because I was warm and sweaty. And I was sneezing and sniffling like crazy in the second half of the walk, something I’m hoping was a reaction to the tall grass I walk past, but maybe I’ve got the virus.

Today I traded just a few texts with Crush Girl and my friends from the engineering firm. There were a few DMs in IG with Penny, Winnie, and Sharon.

Sunday I’m going to watch the movie with that commentary and then write my review. There’s some stuff in the laundry room I want to clean up. And I really should do a little bit of work since I’ve been so inefficient during working hours. Oh, and that journaling activity my writing partner and I agreed to do. I may be holding us up on that. I would like to do some reading too.

Some coworkers mentioned that they’re being far more productive working at home than they are when working in the office. They’re hoping when the office opens back up, they can get permission to work from home more often — much more often, like maybe three or four days a week. I’m not there yet; I definitely benefit from having a dedicated work space. But who knows? I might find myself cranking out the work like crazy by the time this is up. I’ve had permission to work from home for a year and I’ve never taken advantage of it.

Here’s your daily reminder that you don’t have to go through this alone. If you’re struggling and need a little bit of contact, please reach out. I know a bunch of dirty jokes and stupid stories.

Mellow day at the office

Kind of a mellow Friday. I did what I think are final edits on two proposals, then final edits on the thank-you emails we’re sending to people who donate to the university’s emergency relief fund. Worked on a short bio about a person who’s the namesake of a chair I helped land. We’re talking about a gift in the millions.

I still worked kind of slowly though. One of my goals this weekend is to work on my workspace so it’s a little more comfy than it is. I suspect some of my slowness has to do with not enjoying my workspace.

Chicken and oats

Breakfast was overnight oats. Lunch was an enormous bowl of steamed broccoli and asparagus on brown rice with garlic butter. I had tortilla chips and fresh salsa for a snack. Dinner was (oh no) a ridiculous number of Chicken McNuggets from McD’s. It was a late dinner; I just finished it half an hour ago and it’s a quarter past midnight.

I took some ground turkey out of the freezer so I can make turkey chili tomorrow. It’ll be the first time I make my chili in the Instant Pot. I have a feeling a thing like that is much better slow-cooked, but that’s how I’ve made it for twenty years. I have a new toy with a pressure function so of course I’m going to use it.

I’m having Kafka dreams this evening; I’d almost bet on it.

Exposure? No thank you.

I really wanted to try the drive-up shopping at Target but of the four things on my list, one was sold out, two were “not available for pickup” (that is, you have to go into the store to purchase them), and the last was just a couple of six-packs of Diet Pepsi, which of course I can get anywhere. So much for that plan.

I need distilled water for the Darth Vader machine, and it’s $.75 more per gallon at the local supermarket than at Target, but whatever. I can sneak into the supermarket fifteen minutes before closing and minimize my exposure. Fair trade.

Of course I got a little carried away, also picking up more oatmeal, some hot dog buns, a gallon of skim milk, a tub of potato salad (seriously; what?) and a couple of cans of corned beef hash just in case the disease erupts in this town and I’m too wussy to run out for fresh food.

And Diet Pepsi, of course.

All that walking I did after midnight meant I didn’t have to go far to hit my goal. Ended up with 15,300 steps without really working for it, and I can live with it. My body wasn’t feeling it this evening.

Children of the next level

New metal releases have been a little ho-hum these past couple of weeks, but Friday brought the much-awaited (by me, anyway) new album by Testament. I pre-ordered the CD from Amazon because Testament toured Europe with Death Angel and another band, and they all came back with the freaking virus. The Death Angel drummer is in intensive care on a ventilator. Ugh. I bought the CD to kind of show them they have a fan who’s pulling for them. Should probably buy a Death Angel CD as well.

I gave it a spin (via Spotify) and it’s pretty darn good. The first three songs are nice candidates for the live show.

I also watched the first hour of The Lighthouse, that movie last year with Robert Pattinson (Support Cedric Diggory, the real Hogwarts champion!) and Willem Dafoe. It’s not as horrifying as I expected, nor (yet) as homoerotic. Then again, I’m only an hour into it and there are still forty-nine minutes to go. That’s a lot of time to disturb the living heck out of me.

Today I traded texts with Crush Girl and the group from the engineering firm. There was so much interaction at work today that it was enough.

Too tired for the Friday 5. I’ll do it sometime Saturday.

It’s only April 4, and we’re pretty much all staying put until the end of the month. If that’s freaking you out or dragging you down or leaving you a mess, and you need someone to talk you through, I hope you’ll reach out. I’m lousy company but I’ve been practicing making sympathethic listening sounds. They’re all yours if you want them. Don’t go through this alone.

I got to sleep far too late Thursday night for an early Friday swim, but I woke up and did it anyway. I tried to find parking at Kewalo Basin, thinking I could just walk over to Ala Moana and do a quick swim. Apparently lots of people had that idea, including a bunch of dawn patrollers. My search for a parking stall was in vain.

Plan B was parking in that free parking lot behind the Hilton Hawaiian Village (I don’t know what that area’s called). I walked from there to Fort Derussy, which looks like a longer walk than it is. Threw my stuff on the beach and jumped in.

I did it at the beginning of February to see if I could, so I knew what I was diving into. The swim isn’t as nice, but I did have the water pretty much to myself and the beach was practically empty. There’s a beachwalk way up on the edge of the beach, and lots of people were walking there without practicing safe distancing. I avoided most of them.

The water was really clear. I haven’t been in the water there since I was a teen, except for that one time in February, and I do not remember the water ever being so clear. A hundred yards out, I could see the sandy/reefy bottom. This lockdown stuff is good for the beaches, I tell you. Now I really want to get in at Ala Moana, just to see if it’s different there.

So it wasn’t the nicest swim but dang it felt good.

I got home early enough for a short nap before work. Work was okay; I was more productive than yesterday even though I didn’t really submit anything except new edits to stuff I edited Wednesday. My writing goes through a lot of other hands before it comes back to me. Sometimes it makes the work better. Sometimes!

Breakfast was grilled ahi from Megs Drive-In, picked up on my way back from the beach. Lunch was two frozen burritos. I made dinner before my walk, but I had a snack instead, thinking I would have dinner after the walk, instead of always snacking after the walk as I’ve been doing. That may have been an unwise choice, because I was hungry but too tired to eat. So I lounged for an hour before sitting down to write this and have my meal and now I’m going to be up far too late (again). It’s 3:20.

The pre-walk snack was tortilla chips and fresh salsa. Dinner is a huge bowl of steamed broccoli and asparagus with garlic butter on brown rice. It’s delicious but I wish I’d stopped for potatoes.

I walked more than 19K steps, 13K before midnight and just shy of 7K after midnight. Ridiculous. I’m past the halfway mark for Friday’s steps already. And boy is my body sore.

Traded texts with JB, Faye, and Crush Girl. Exchanged a few FB messages with Lauren. Chatted with my mom and dad, who continue to be in pretty good spirits. Tried to hit up Jocelyn in Gchat, but she’s stressed and she wasn’t having it.

Friday I’m going to try Target’s drive-up shopping. Pay for your stuff in the app, then let them know what time you’re coming. They meet you at the curb. Crush Girl says she went into the store Thursday evening and there were a lot of people there. No thank you.

Hawaii had slightly fewer new cases yesterday than the day before. I’m praying for the unikely holding steady for a few weeks, indicating a rather flattened curve. I’m not really optimistic about that one, but a guy can hope.

I think it was a good day. It’s hard to tell anymore! If your days are sucking and you’re going through this alone, please reach out. I won’t actually speak with you on a phone (yuck) but I’ll be happy to trade texts, DMs, or IMs. You don’t have to be alone!

Planning to make this a quick one because Thursday is the day I try to get into the water.

I had a good walk. 15,500 steps and I was back at the house just past midnight. I was squirmy for almost my whole work day, so I was not super productive, but I did submit like three or four things fo review, most of them edits of works in progress. Emailed my boss midway through the day to let her know I was struggling, and she was totally sympathetic. Suggested I take a walk and do a mental reset. She’d done the same earlier in the day.

Four hundred deaths in New York in the twenty-four hours leading up to the beginning of my day. It’s mind-boggling, and it’s going to get worse. We’re up to 258 cases as of Wednesday morning. I can’t remember the number of new cases, but it’s the biggest jump so far.

Traded a few more texts with my former department chair at HBA today. My former coworker who moved to the East Coast has officially been replaced, so I texted her to let her know. Traded texts with another coworker during the day, and laughed at a few things in a group text I’m in with former coworkers at the engineering firm. And a couple of quick ones with Crush Girl. Meant to call mom and dad but got distracted; I’ll do it Thursday when I get back from the beach.

Breakfast was overnight oats. Lunch was the rest of those brussels sprouts and some tortilla chips and salsa. Dinner was two small frozen burritos. And then two more. Yikes. For a late snack I had a tuna sandwich. Drank an unusual amount of soda today. I’ve decided that as long as I can afford it, it’s an indulgence I’ll allow myself without going overboard even though I never drink soda at home. Work is home now so that changes things a little.

And it makes me feel good.

Tomorrow I have a lot of broccoli to get through and probably some asparagus too. I might pick up some red potatoes if I’m brave enough to chance the supermarket. Broccoli and potatoes are so good together.

Ugh I forgot to do my taxes. Must do tomorrow or I’ll just keep dragging this out.

Getting late and I’ve been staring at this screen without typing for twenty minutes. No time for introspection.

Please reach out if you’re going through this alone or if you’re feeling disconnected or despondent. It’s a weird time we’re going through and any response at all is reasonable and understandable. You may need to suffer, but you needn’t suffer alone.

There were too many people in the laundry for my comfort, but we were spaced out enough that I think it’s okay. Early Tuesday is definitely better than early Monday, though, so that will be my laundry night.

I took the morning off from work so I could recover from late-night laundry. A five-hour workday is much better than an eight-hour workday at home, and I have quite a bit of vacation to burn. I may make this a weekly thing. My boss has encouraged me to take as much time off as I want.

Work was productive. More revisions on that PSA, then edits to a digital version of our quarterly publication, then some talk about the letters I wrote on behalf of our CEO. A little bit of conversation about edits to a proposal I worked on. I like the variety.

The daily conference call was looooong, going more than an hour, but I think it was productive too. A lot of it just didn’t really concern me, which is the problem with larger meetings.

I got a text from my former department chair at HBA, asking how I’m doing. We traded a few. HBA ends an extended spring break Wednesday with the first day of all online classes. I’m kind of envious of my former colleagues, as they get to rethink their classrooms in a completely new way. I know some teachers find this kind of thing discouraging, but I think my friends would be kind of amped for the challenge.

I’m envious. I would love to try and teach ninth-grade English this way. I wonder if George, who’s the middle-school principal now, is also envious. I think I’ll ask. It must make him yearn to be in his classroom again; it does me.

Also sent a text to a former coworker Ali who’s on the mainland now. The time difference makes it rough for us to have conversations. Other text exchanges were with one of my coworkers and with Crush Girl. She sent me a photo of a grownup coloring book with some parts colored in — with the colored pencils I gave her for Christmas. That made me feel pretty good.

I did my census, but not my taxes. Will do those Wednesday.

Breakfast was a Big Mac combo, enjoyed with great pleasure while I worked at the laundry. For lunch, I went to a teahouse in my neighborhood. They’re doing drive-up takeout in their sizable parking lot (it’s a very popular party room). I’ve never had their food, ‘though I’ve heard it’s very good, and Mochi Girl sold her business to them. $10 for a tonkatsu plate, and it was *chef kiss*. I kind of want to go back again tomorrow. I kind of skipped dinner because I had tortilla chips and spinach artichoke dip for a late snack.

If I had started walking fifteen minutes earlier, I’d have hit my goal. I was nine hundred steps shy of my 13,000 target when the clock struck twelve. Ah well. Still a pretty nice walk.

It’s coming up on 2:00 in the morning and I plan to have a productive day, so off to bed.

My spirits are pretty good. I think my mood is tied to a productive workday and a nice walk, plus a little bit of interaction with people I love. This journaling probably helps a little too, just to stimulate the creativity a little. I think the essentials are the work and the fresh air.

I hope you’re finding whatever it is that does it for you. If you’re going through this alone, please reach out. We can talk each other through all this craziness.

Walk / Don’t Walk

I skipped walking for the first night in more than a week, mostly in anticipation of laundry, which I am doing right now in my (now) usual spot. Last week’s Grand Central Station coming and going freaked me out a tiny bit, and I was confused because the week before I’d only encountered those two ladies who came in for the last hour of my time.

I realized (too late) that the week before last, I’d been here at 4 on an early Tuesday, while last week I was there at 3 on an early Monday. Of course. Sunday is laundry night.

So I’m here now, off to a later start than planned, on an early Tuesday again. One guy just left and another is finishing up now, so here’s hoping?

I’m slightly disappointed I didn’t get my walk, but more because I enjoyed the streak than because my body and mind felt the need to go. I think both felt a night off was appropriate, if not preferable.

Zooming into uncertainty

At work Monday, we had our first virtual all-staff meeting via Zoom. My company’s been using Zoom for years, since we have people on Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii Island, and the nature of our work dictates a lot of face-to-face meetings. We sometimes have all-staff meetings of our 100 people, with a few people Zooming in. This would be the first where all participants would be calling in.

It mostly worked. With everyone on mute, our leaders took their turns saying what they had to say. Some people IMed their questions, which our moderator tossed to the speakers when appropriate.

Then they unmuted everyone. I called in via phone (rather than web) and of course I had myself on mute from my end. You can tell a lot of people didn’t do the same. The cacophony of background noises was incredible. I kinda hope someone was recording the meeting so we could play it back some day, because it was truly comical. The idea was to unmute everyone so we could have an open Q&A, as we usually do at these meetings. It took just under a minute for us all to realize this wasn’t going to work.

Back to all-mute, and questions via IM.

You could feel the tension. People are worried about their positions, echoing some of the concerns I’ve expressed in this space. I wonder if that’s the vibe everywhere in this country, among people still lucky enough to be working.

After the brainstorm

I spent all weekend with two projects bouncing around in my brain. No actual writing on either, but lots of gestating. Then when I sat down at the keys Monday, they both kind of just rolled out of me. Revisions to the 30-second PSA came first, and I was pleased. I was even more pleased when they came back with revision suggestions and one suggestion made the entire thing better. A word had really been bothering me and I’d been unable to find something that worked better. Without my mentioning my discomfort with the word, someone suggested just deleting it. Yessss. I don’t know why the writer is often the last to think of that.

I negotiated to change back two small edits and got my way, and the piece is stronger over all, if for no reason other than its brevity.

The other project was a set of thank-you letters to donors, to be signed by our company president. It’s become a regular part of my job, to write new sets of letters every few month for our president, the president of the university, and some of the university’s units.

Our president and the university’s president were unhappy with my last set. I got too metaphorical on one set; I was too specific on another. This threw me a little because compared to letters written by someone else before I started doing them, these were pretty dang good. But it’s not my signature at the bottom, so I get it. I’m writing on behalf of someone else.

The challenge (as it ever is in all my work) is not to sound like everything else. In these thank-yous, you want donors actually to feel thanked, in a way that doesn’t sound like the chorus of other thank-yous these people receive.

I submitted a set I feel pretty good about, but after the hits I took on those last two sets, I no longer write these with confidence. It took the equivalent of two entire working days to write the letters I submitted yesterday, which is probably too long.

“Kale was a bad idea”

Monday I kinda skipped breakfast because of that early staff meeting (something I almost never do!), snacking later on chips and dip. Ugh. Lunch was two frozen burritos (I’ve found a brand whose ingredients list doesn’t read like you expect on frozen prepared foods). Dinner was about a pound and a half of steamed brussels sprouts in garlic butter.

The article I linked the other day by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt made me feel better about getting takeout, but oh, ugh, bleah. I’m still tense as heck when I’m out around others. I’d like to support local businesses but unlike certain lieutenant governors in other parts of the nation, I’m unwilling to die in order to save the economy for someone else’s children. And I’m certainly not willing to kill for it.

I’m on a mini-mission to finish the abundance of fresh produce in my fridge before it turns. Someone didn’t exactly panic shop last week, but someone might have gotten a little ambitious with veggies at Costco.

Making a list

In addition to more of those letters I have to write and a couple of proposals to get to fundraisers, I’m hoping to find time today to do my census and taxes. This past year was the least complicated money year I’ve had in a verrrry long time, so I’m absolutely filling out the short form.

I also have a Nielsen form to complete. A couple of months ago I got a dollar in the mail with a Nielsen survey, promising $10 if I completed the questionnaire and sent it in. So I did it and got a $10 bill in the mail some time later. Monday I got a radio survey to complete (I haven’t opened the envelope yet so I don’t know if there’s the promise of cash) and I’m all in, either way.

Brief connections

I traded a few texts with Crush Girl early. Then my coworker Sylvia a few times about today’s meeting. A couple of short FB Messenger exchanges. I think that’s it. It feels like enough.

I think I need to make a little bit of an effort to reach out to a few others. Will add to my to-dos for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Went to the office to update some software on my work-issued laptop and to grab a few things from my desk. I didn’t need my movie-quote calendar or my Harry Potter calendar, but since I was there anyway, I brought those too.

Then I met Crush Girl for a few minutes to give her something, appropriately socially distanced, of course. I thought I might sneak into Walmart to grab something I really need, although not yet urgently, and from fifty yards away from the entrance, it looked like the regular flow of people going in and coming out. Are you kidding me? I got shivers just picturing myself among them all.

So I headed for Lowes, which has other options for the thing I need. Pulled into the parking lot, and it also looked like business as usual. While I idled in an aisle of parked cars, I saw at least four couples on their way from cars to the store. No thank you. I didn’t even pull into a stall.

I’m going to try Lowes again on a weekday morning (it opens at 6:30), perhaps early Tuesday on my way back from doing early laundry.

I had dim hopes for a stop at Ahi & Vegetable, one of my favorite sushi/salad places. In order to help out locally owned restaurants, one of the banks here put up $100,000 to reimburse diners fifty percent of their checks (for bills totalling up to $100 per visit) if they share a photo on social media with the recommended tags and a DM photo of the receipt. Ahi & Veg is one of the places on the list.

One woman was on her way out when I walked up, and nobody else was in the store. Yay. So yeah, I picked up a sashimi special (hamachi, salmon, and ahi sashimi on a bed of fresh greens, with their amazing, famously addictive salad dressing) and then I went a few doors down to a Korean take-out and got some meat jun (banchan: bean sprouts, kim chi, shoyu potato, and cold tofu). Korean for lunch; sashimi for dinner.

It’s nearly 1:30 in the morning and I’m having dinner now. Yummy as heck.

The walk felt really good for the first half, so I went a bit further. 17,600 steps for Sunday (nearly eight miles) and 2500 hundred for a head start on Monday. The last mile was a bit painful; I’m going to feel it in the morning for sure, but whatever. Gotta make up for all that Korean food.

Traded a few IMs with someone who sometimes reads this space. That was nice. She’s in actual self-quarantine because of a canceled cruise she was set to board (as in, she’s from the northern midwest and she was in San Diego getting ready to board when they they canceled). Also with Crush Girl, whom I also got to chat with in person for a few minutes. And then a few texts with the writing partner.

Hawaii is up 25 new cases Sunday. I fear there’s about to be an explosion in numbers. New York has me spooked.

It was nice to get takeout, nice to see Crush Girl, nice to go for a very long walk and not be rained upon, and nice to listen to some good music (Foo Fighters for most of the walk). I wouldn’t say I feel great, but there are worse ways to spend a Sunday.

Wherever you are, I hope you’re not going through this alone. Please reach out if you’re feeling too isolated.

I’m not really sure what I did with my Saturday.

Stayed in bed until past 11 for starters. Worked the Saturday NYT crossword (it was brutal, but I solved it), stared at my phone a lot, and read quite a bit of news. That’s really all I remember.

Got to 16,500 steps for the day, walking a different (more urban) route. It’s quiet out there.

Breakfast was leftover macaroni and marinara. Actually, so was lunch. Dinner was an egg salad sandwich. I didn’t feel the need to snack until just now, after my walk. Tortilla chips and spinach-artichoke dip.

I got the okay to go to the office Sunday. I’m missing a few things from my desk, and if I’m not going back at least until the end of April, I’d like to have them at home. Also want to update my Creative Crowd programs on the work laptop. I have a loose data cap on my wifi (long story), so I’d like to run my updates on the office network.

I was hoping to get to the beach at sunrise before heading to the office. Alas, we have flash flood warnings this weekend, and it poured on the island, so although I haven’t heard of a brownwater caution, I’m not taking chances. Runoff is nasty stuff — you do not want to swim in that.

It just occurred to me that I have broccoli about to turn, and that would have been a better option for the spinach dip than the tortilla chips. Note to self for tomorrow.

Traded a few texts with Jennifer about the new Pearl Jam album (she hasn’t listened to it all the way through yet). It’s pretty dang good, possibly the best non-metal album of the year so far. Also a couple of texts with Crush Girl.

I also gave first spins to the new Morrissey album (it’s not bad but it’s not especially memorable) and the new Boomtown Rats album (first half excellent; second half meh).

The number of new COVID-19 cases on Oahu from Friday to Saturday is more like what I expected. I’m getting a little nervous.

I’m less nervous about ordering takeout. Except for a few late-night snacks at McD’s (close to midnight when there are almost no customers), I haven’t had takeout. I haven’t even had grab-and-go from convenience stores as is my wont. But this article by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt helps me relax a little. I might even drive somewhere tomorrow and get something. I wouldn’t say I’m tired of my own food at home, but it’s nice to get a meal out once in a while. It’s a long article but totally worth the read; I promise.

It’s been just over a full week since I brought the office home. Ostensibly I’m supposed to have more down time, but I haven’t opened a book (digital or physical) in all this time. Very strange. And I’m 30 pages from the end of a rather amazing book. I don’t know what’s going on there. Will finish sometime Sunday!

It’s a strange time we’re living in. If you’re going through it alone or you need to connect with someone, I hope you’ll reach out. I’m happy to talk you through whatever.

The city and state both say physical activities for exercise are permitted as long as social distancing guidelines are followed. The state edict specifically includes surfing and swimming, which means all I have to do is find a good spot, and I’m back in the water. My usual beach, Ala Moana, is attached to a park, which means its greatest advantage (besides being right in the heart of the city) is wiped out: parking right next to the beach and walking fifteen yards to get into the ocean.

But there are other options if I’m willing to drive a bit further. Than one option that’s reeeeeally close to Ala Moana where there’s plenty of free parking (probably not closed because it’s not a park), and it’s right on the beach. The problem there is that the better area for swimming is a leeeeettle bit of a walk along the water’s edge. I’m going to do it next week before work.

My writing partner has a new little activity for us to work on together, something journaling-related. Should be interesting.

I didn’t do nearly as much stuff today as I intended, but I did okay. My chores were interrupted by a suddenly very slow drain, which I hope to take care of Friday during my work day. Picked up some foaming Drano at Long’s near the end of my long walk this evening.

I went 15,700 steps (2000 of them after midnight last night) before picking that stuff up at Longs. The Walgreen’s in my hood closes at 9 these days instead of being open all night, so thank goodness for Long’s sticking to its open-all-night schedule.

After midnight it was another 2000 steps (that’s about the distance from Long’s to my house) to count toward Friday’s goal.

Only eleven new diagnoses yesterday in Hawaii.

I started Tim Allen’s The Santa Clause Thursday. Only got eight minutes into it before the local news came on (I felt a sense of responsibility to watch it since I read no news the day before). It’s pretty promising. I saw the sequel (The Mrs. Clause) in the theater and really liked it. It was one of those impulse DVD purchases last December and I’m just getting to it.

Cowboy Mouth has a new EP Friday and it’s pretty dang good. New albums also drop from Pearl Jam, Morrissey, and Vanessa Carlton, all probably worth checking out. Meanwhile nothing that interesting in metal is out this week (nor last), so this weekend’s a good time to get caught up. There were new Boomtown Rats and Maria McKee albums this month too, and I still haven’t gotten to them.

I’m up late, resigned ahead of time to work tired Friday. Most of the stuff I have to do isn’t too mentally strenuous (I hope), and honestly sometimes when I’m tired the work comes out better because I don’t overthink it. The stuff I have to produce Friday needs to be good but it doesn’t need to be amazing, which means I’m helped by being unable to try super hard.

My brain and body sooooo yearn to go to vampire hours. I kinda floated the idea casually past my boss a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of this working from home thing, and she very quickly shot it down. She reminded me that some of the stuff I’m working on nowadays is quick with little notice, like this COVID-19 student aid thing I’ve been working on.

So it’s time for this wannabe vampire to fly back to the cave even though 2:00 a.m. is the best part of the day.