Alphabetical COVID Diaries: G, Part II

Rusty gate/fence situation outside a local business along the Riverwalk.

Groceries after dinner. Groceries after dinner. Groceries after dinner - we now have Easter candy. Groceries are so expensive! Groceries in J---------.  Groceries in the morning. Groceries this afternoon. Groceries with T-- at Woodman's. Groceries, library, making slaw. Grocery shopping. Grocery store (with T--!) after dinner. Grocery store after dinner - more people there than I would have expected. Grocery store after dinner - not a lot of mask wearing these days.

Grocery store after dinner! Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. Grocery store after dinner. 

Grocery store after that. Grocery store after work. Grocery store after work. Grocery store after work. Grocery store after work. Grocery store and brief Target pickup after dinner. Grocery store and Ulta today. Grocery store day. Grocery store in J--------- this afternoon. Grocery store in the afternoon - some guy with no mask buying super essential lottery tickets. Grocery store this afternoon. Grocery store this afternoon. Grocery store this morning - better stocked than on Friday nights, but far more crowded. Grocery store this morning. Grocery store this morning. Grocery store this morning. Grocery store to rebuy everything we had to throw out. Grocery store with R&K. Grocery store with T-- after dinner. Grocery store with T-- after dinner. Grocery store with T--. Grocery store with T--. Grocery store, laundry, and finished addressing and stamping holiday cards today." Grocery store. Grocery store. Grocery store. Grocery store. Grocery store. Grocery store today.

Gross weather - very wet snow. Gross. Guess we'll see how that goes. Guy came and did a bunch of yardwork and it was worth every penny.

Alphabetical COVID Diaries: G, Part I

Art on a campus building. It was taken down about a week after I took this photo. 

Gave H a bath and brushed her when she was dry. Gave H a bath before dinner and she's been weird since - fingers crossed she doesn't hurt tomorrow. Gave H a bath in the driveway. Gave Hannah a bath. Gave her some rimadyl and hopefully she'll be feeling better tomorrow. Gave the dog a bath after dinner. Gave the dog a bath, cut her nails. GBBO and Taskmaster episodes today.

Getting excited for our MPLS trip tomorrow! Getting her to take it isn't very easy. Getting my first week of Book Club for My Brilliant Friend up on my blog. Getting nervous about Hannah's appointment with the neurologist tomorrow. Getting ready for a SOAR tomorrow. Getting ready to leave tomorrow for Des Moines. Getting stuff done Saturday.

G----- family Zoom after dinner. G----- family Zoom with the siblings to discuss feelings re: D-- and R-------'s wedding on Saturday. G----- family Zoom.

G--- came along and I think she had a good time. Glad I went, but it was a struggle to convince myself to leave the house.

Going by myself reminded me of early pandemic days. Going to be a hard winter. Good day at work. Good day in general. Good day. Good fun hanging out with everyone. Good fun. Good meeting about recruiting FAC board members this morning. Good stuff. Good times were had by all. Good times! Good times! Good times. Good times. Good times. Good times. Good times. Good turnout and lots of people were buying food.

Gorgeous day - sunny and warm. Gorgeous day outside.

Got a bit of work done, lots of walks with Hannah. Got a book at the library. Got a call from B---- D----- about maybe applying for a job at his cybersecurity center. Got a card at Hallmark for D-- and R------. Got a COVID booster and a flu shot today. Got a flu shot this afternoon. Got a haircut and then went to see the ice castles in Lake Geneva with E--- and R-----. Got a new mattress cover and LOTR book set from T--! Got a No Mow May sign. Got a pedicure and went to the grocery store. Got a pedicure this afternoon. Got a rejection email for a job that I thought I had a good interview for last week, so that's disappointing. Got a room at the SleepInn in M------. Got a second box of holiday cards from Minted, so now I have 130, which is too many! Got a sundae at Frosty Freeze because YOLO. Got a Zoom invite to a UWW job, so fingers crossed for that. Got A---'s laptop boxed up and ready to mail. Got all dressed up and went to get family photos. Got all the ingredients for the salad we're taking to Thanksgiving today. Got all the way home before we realized we left *THREE* bags of stuff there. 

Got an email from TPR in Ann Arbor about a GRE and GMAT training. Got an invitation to E--- and R-----'s house in a few weeks. Got an on-campus interview at BHT. Got eggs at the Carpe and signed a card at FAC for R-----. Got eggs from the CSA. Got FAC ready for the Chamber Concert. Got groceries at Woodman's - they've stepped up their mask wearing signage, but not enforcement. Got H a bath at Pet Supplies Plus and did chores at home. Got Hannah out by dodging raindrops. Got her a bath at the car wash. Got home, made dinner, unpacked, put away laundry, made granola, and caught up on Taskmaster. Got home, unloaded the car, and picked up Hannah. Got home, unpacked, went to get H, got home to make dinner and do laundry. Got honey at the Farmers Market. Got hot again today and we had to turn on the AC. Got my COVID booster today - my arm hurts. 

Got my first full paycheck, which is good news. Got my hair cut and eyebrows waxed this morning - it feels amazing! Got November birthday and Thanksgiving cards at Tuttle's - spent so much money today! Got off work a couple of hours early and got a hair cut and bought honey. Got photos of all the cow statues. Got really hot today - in the 80s. Got six books from the library by curbside pickup. Got some Doc Popcorn, though, so that was a real treat. Got some good reading in, too. Got some Hershey's candy cane Kisses - very exciting! Got some honey at the Farmers Market and went to FAC for the Wellness Day event. Got some new Gopher swag! Got some sign ups already, so that's promising. Got stuff ready for lunch this week. 

Got to N--- and S------'s house and hung out with them and T------. Got to pet Oscar, the cat at Book World. Got to see their Christmas presents and chat. Got to the airport early to fly to Toronto for GMAT training. Got to work from home! Got tons of pens from Admissions to use at SOAR. Got T---'s birthday package in the mail. Got up, went to K----'s party. Got up and drove home. Got up bright and early and went into the office for the morning. Got up early to unlock the FAC doors for an event. Got up really early to go to a Career Fair at E------ High School. Got up, took H out, and went to shovel/deal with Buddy and Mingus over at J----- and C------'s. Got up, went to Ace for paint, and started painting the front porch. Got week 2 of the A Tree Grows in Brooklyn book club ready for my blog.

Gotta enjoy good weather in February when it's here. Gotta take the dog out in the morning because she melts after 10am. Gray, cold Saturday. Gray, wet day. Great Big Sea! Great day. Great last day of training in Toronto. Great show, mediocre ending. G--- C--- is acting Chancellor. Grey and blustery day - all the leaves I raked into the terrace are in the street now. Grey and drizzly weather.Grey and rainy this morning, but turned around in the afternoon. Grey and rainy, so I felt like sleeping all day. Grey day today, so H was reluctant to walk much. Grey, drizzly day.

Five Plus One for Friday, Edition #52

It's almost the weekend!! Let's do this.

1) Election results - Hey, non-American friends? Did you hear about our mid-term election results? Yes, Trump is still in the White House. BUT. We did some good stuff. The Democrats (from here on out, the Good Guys) won control of both houses of the legislature, so that should prevent some shenanigans from the so-called president. The Good Guys also flipped a lot of governor seats (INCLUDING TEXAS, GEORGIA, AND IOWA). I don't think this was a referendum on how awesome the candidates were for the Good Guys, although there were some very awesome candidates, but more of a referendum on how pissed off people are at the Bad Guys, particularly Trump.

However, my cynical take on the election did not stop me from crying when I woke up last Wednesday to hear that so many people voted - the second-highest turnout rate in a midterm year since 1914, exceeded only by the 2018 midterms AND that the polls finally, finally showed that people are unhappy with the fascistic trends in this country.

Let's hope this is just the beginning of turning this ship around. I know you have no reason to trust us, rest of the world, but I hope you will stick with us. 

2) NaBloPoMo - Who here is LOVING NaBloPoMo? I mean, yes, my posts for this project are absolute nonsense, but who doesn't want to hear about how tired I am or how often we drive to Iowa? If you have feedback about these posts, feel free to put it in the comments on this post, but I have to admit there are more than twenty left to go, so if you feel negatively about them (I GET IT), feel free to just ignore my blog until 2027. 

But beyond that! There are so many cool things happening and cool bloggers participating. Go see the list over at San's place. 

3) Zelda and her ears - In recent months, Zelda's appetite had whittled down to very little. Her weight started going down - not a crazy amount, but a quarter of a pound over a month here and a quarter of a pound over a month there. I started getting worried, but she's a senior cat and blah blah blah. I purchased her a cat advent calendar at Costco because - this is a direct quote from the middle of an aisle - "I don't know how many more Christmases we're going to get with her." 

She was cuddling with me a couple of weeks ago and went I went to put my knuckle in her ear and give her a good ear scratch, which is something she has historically liked. She DID NOT LIKE IT. She wouldn't even let me touch her ear and may have taken a swipe at me. MY PRECIOUS KITTEH. When I tried to look in her ear, all I saw was black gunk. Uh oh. 

I took her to the vet and she has an ear infection. We have been treating that infection for just over a week and, friends, her appetite is back and I am no longer worried that this will be our last Christmas with her. (How long has she had this ear infection? I don't know and honestly, I feel like a bad kitty friend for not realizing it.)

4) Fun plans - November is amazing. I have so many plans over the weekends. This weekend I'm going to a sewing class and then going to a popcorn crawl downtown. A POPCORN CRAWL. Next weekend I'm going to visit my friends in Michigan. Woot woot! The next weekend is Thanksgiving. I can hardly stand the excitement. I sort of feel like I'm coming out of my skin a little bit. 

5) Bathroom sink - Our upstairs bathroom sink had been draining slowly, then sloowly, then slooowly, and then I suggested to my husband that he call the plumber. The plumber came, complained about the plumbing upstairs (as if we haven't known it was a problem since the day we moved in), and eventually the drain ran clear. We celebrated and I immediately brushed my teeth and washed my face in the sink. But, uh oh? Is that water on my foot? IS THE NEWLY UNBLOCKED SINK NOW LEAKING ALL OVER THE FLOOR?

We called the plumber back. Something, something, something wasn't tightened, blah, blah, blah. 

I think the sink is fixed now. And isn't that truly delightful? 

6) Outlook down - The email at work went down yesterday at noon and still wasn't fixed when I left work. I GOT SO MUCH WORK DONE WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH IT. I sort of hope it's down all weekend. Oh, it also means that the email connected to this blog isn't working, so if you want to contact me, um...you can email my gmail account? 

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What are you weekend plans? Anyone else doing a popcorn crawl? Do you have a NaBloPoMo post you want to shout out?

Alphabetical COVID Diaries: F

This is wrapped around an electrical pole. I have no idea what magic it houses. 

F brought in pies for Pi Day (mathematicians are gonna math). 

FAC board called emergency meeting to discuss COVID-19 strategy. FAC board meeting - I put in my resignation. FAC board meeting - the CDC guidelines are confusing as to what we should be doing. FAC board meeting after work. FAC board meeting after work. FAC board meeting after work. FAC board meeting and annual meeting today. FAC board meeting and FACTalk. FAC board meeting before dinner. FAC board meeting before dinner. FAC board meeting re: shutting down. FAC board meeting this afternoon. FAC board meeting this evening. FAC board meeting today. FAC board meeting tonight. FAC board meeting via Zoom - not opening now. FAC board meeting via Zoom. FAC board meeting was the big event for the day. FAC board meeting. FAC board meeting. FAC board meeting. FAC board meeting. FAC board meeting. FAC board phone call to check in. FAC board retreat today. FAC fundraising committee meeting.

FAC is a nightmare. FAC office hours and a FACTalk. FAC office hours this morning. FAC programming committee meeting. FAC programming committee after work. FAC programming committee meeting after work. FAC programming committee meeting before dinner tonight. FAC programming committee via Zoom before dinner. FAC volunteer appreciation event after work. Face masks will be required indoors starting tomorrow. FACTalk about creating pollinator gardens after dinner. FACTalk about the water tower - very good and well-attended. FACTalk about vaccines after dinner. FACTalk about Vietnam War songs after dinner. FACTalk after dinner - Greg Renz, former firefighter and author. FACTalk after dinner.

Fall Forum (online) at UWW. Fall is in the air. Fall weather is settling in a bit. Family Zoom call with the G----- family after dinner. Farmer's Market - still selling Sun Golds! Farmers Market for honey (I'm the only one wearing a mask - delta variant be damned, I guess), run, clean, make zucchini bread. Farmers Market this morning.  Farmers Market to  buy honey this morning and a quick library stop.  Farmers Market to get vegetables for lunch this week.

Fed Rosie for B---- and H------ who are in Kansas visiting H------'s parents. Feels like 2020-2021 all over again. Feels nice to have done a lot. 

Felt a little bit like a never-ending day. Felt a little crummy today, but slept for ten hours last night, so hopefully I'll be in top shape tomorrow. Felt a lot better today, but still stayed pretty low-key. It was windy and cold. Felt crappy after my vaccinations. Felt crappy all day - fever, chills, body aches. Felt crappy all day because of the vaccine. Felt good to go on a bit of a drive. Felt good, though. Felt great. Felt kind of crappy all day because of the COVID booster. Felt kind of crummy today, so took it pretty easy. Felt kind of yucky today. Felt kinda yucky today. Felt like a return to a semblance of normal. Felt so much better this morning after having a rough night's sleep. Felt yucky again this morning.

Fielded work complaints. Figured out how to get library books on to my Kindle. Final episode of season two of Ted Lasso - Nate sure took a heel turn. Finally caught up on Taskmaster. Finally got a purchase order and can move ahead designing our Salesforce platform. Finally got Christmas cards mailed. Finally got Hannah's antibiotics refilled, which was quite a process. Finally put away winter stuff.

Financials aren't great, but we'll keep doing our best. Fingers crossed again. Fingers crossed for him. Fingers crossed for him. Fingers crossed for my interview tomorrow. Fingers crossed Hannah feels better tomorrow. Fingers crossed her injury doesn't flare up. Fingers crossed it gets better for both of us. Fingers crossed it goes away! Fingers crossed it goes well. Fingers crossed it goes well. Fingers crossed it goes well. Fingers crossed that it stays quiet this week. Fingers crossed that she rebounds tomorrow and the x-rays show some progress. Fingers crossed that Trump doesn't pull out another win. Fingers crossed very hard she calls back. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed.

Finished Firekeeper's Daughter today. Finished Fool's Quest, which wasn't as much of a quest book as you might think based on the title. Finished The Luminaries. Finished The Pack on Amazon - pretty amazing show. Finished a 1000-piece puzzle. Finished a book called Echo. Finished a Laura Lipmann ebook I had to return today. Finished all the available episodes of Ted Lasso - it is a good show. Finished an ebook that is due to the library tomorrow. Finished ATGiB and wrote up the penultimate book club post. Finished Bill Bryson's The Body - interesting, but terrifying book. Finished driving to D--'s. Finished jigsaw puzzle. Finished making buckeyes and made H sweet potatoes this morning. Finished my book club book, updated my blog, and we watched some Taskmaster. Finished my to-do list for the week. Finished our six season rewatch of Buffy. Finished packing my UWW political science office. Finished photo scavenger hunt with Hannah today. Finished Realm of the Elderlings today! Finished the Green Bone trilogy by Fonda Lee - excellent books. Finished the last Murderbot Diaries book - they're so good. Finished the Michigan puzzle this morning before T-- left to run some errands in Chicagoland. Finished The Wager by David Grann, which is all about a shipwreck and a crazy story of mutiny. Finished up watching Olympics stuff and that was kind of sad. Finished writing Easter cards to send to the nieces and nephews. Finished our advent calendar!

Fireworks after dark and both H and Z were stressed out. Fireworks started early and may never stop all night.  Fireworks stressing out Hannah. Fireworks.

First CSA of the summer season. First daffodils of the season! First day at my new job. First day back after Break. First day back at work in a while. First day back to work after a long weekend. First day back to work in a while. First day of classes for T--. First day of classes for T--. First day of classes for T--. First day of DoL audit. First day of February! First day of Labor Day weekend. First day of March! First day of my HP candy advent calendar - delicious lemon drop! First day of my new job. First day of walking Mingus a couple of times a day while J----- and C------ are in Mexico. First day of work after a four day weekend. First day of work in the new year. First episode of season 18 of Taskmaster after work. First episode of Taskmaster Season 17. First fireworks of the season. First flowers of spring. First kale of the season - maybe I'm not as excited as I should be about that. First Navigate campaign today at work. First snow of any significance for the season. First snow of the season. First SOAR (of three) this week. First SOAR at work today. First virtual FHC classes of the year today. First winter egg share pickup today at the Carpe - I also got a couple of baguettes from K----.

Fitness class after work. Fitness class at FAC after work. Fitness class at FAC afterwards. Fitness classes at FAC after work. Fitness classes at FAC before dinner. Five days off!! Five years before the next one. Fixed that, I hope. Flowers are blooming, windows are open, dogs are barking. Flu shot this morning and then to work. For real. For the last few days she's been eating out of her food bowl instead of being hand fed. Forgot about book club (tomorrow!), so I spent a lot of the day trying to read that book. F--- A------- is officially in the red zone, so I'm trying to limit contact with people. F---closed all public buildings. F--- closed its schools starting tomorrow. F--- HealthCare fitness classes before dinner. F--- Holiday Market today. F--- Holiday Market today. F--- is pretty devastated. F--- schools will be closing for three weeks next week as per gubernatorial order.

Fortunately it was a Sunday, so it was easy to just chill. Fortunately, we both felt mostly better today. Forty degree difference in temperatures from my walk with Hannah last night to this morning! Found my rechargeable hand warmer - it was still in my backpack from my trip to Toronto in February. Found out from T-- that L---- has stage 3 cancer. Found out I didn't get the COLS advising job. Found out that R--- H--- died, so I'll be going to Michigan this week for the funeral. Found out that the guy on the grant we had doing stress management was charged with child sexual assault! Found out that the memorial for T---'s parents is the same day as the memorial for T--'s aunt, which stinks.

Four big bags of yard waste. Freezing rain last night. Freezing the blueberries we picked on Saturday. Friday Funday. Friday night isn't a bad time to go - not a lot of people there. Friday of finals week. Friday team meeting was long this morning. Friday team meeting. Friday team meeting. Friday the 13th! Friday trip to Costco and Woodman's in S-- P------. Friday! Friday! Friday! Friday! Friday! Friday! Friday. Friday. Friday.

Friendly amendment = you don't have to vote on them. Frosty Freeze after dinner - first trip of the season! Frosty Freeze after dinner. Frustrating work meetings back to back. Fuck the American public. Fun day at work - petty larceny, trip to the greenhouse. Fun day at work. Fun to hang out with everybody. Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Funday!

Alphabetical COVID Diaries: E

Hinge on the door of a local church/cult - my co-worker swears it's really a cult

E&R stopped by to drop off a food container and some lawn chairs we'd left there last weekend. Easter Sunday. Easter! Easter. Eclipse!

Egads! Egads. Egads. Egg hunt went well. Election Day is tomorrow - pretty anxious about it.  Election Day! Election Day. Election results are slowly trickling in. 

Emails, meetings, walking the dog. Emergency HVAC call and that got fixed. Employee celebration at the Union. Emptying the shredder, making granola, etc. Entered a fair amount of the spreadsheet.

E--- and R----- came over after dinner to catch up. E--- and R----- came over after dinner. E--- and R----- came over for a couple of hours. E--- and R----- came over for dinner - ordered take out at Paddy's. E--- and R----- came over to hang out - we gave them a Christmas ornament as a housewarming present. E--- and R----- came over tonight. E--- and R----- got married at the Capitol today! E--- and R----- sent a text that they got engaged when they were in Canada! E--- brought flowers to my office. E--- came over for a bit - socializing inside our house!

Errands around town this morning - library, pay water bill, Walgreen's, FAC. Errands today. Errands, yoga at FAC in the morning, and FAC board meeting. Errandy day. Even Hannah is unwilling to go out longer than it takes to do her business.

Evers and Johnson both won reelection. Evers extended the mask mandate for another 60 days.

Everyone else met at J----'s. Everyone is tired. Everyone seems really nice, but it might be a very similar problem to my current job. Everyone was there and it was fun. Everyone's quite worried. Everything is packed away in sealed containers, so hopefully the mouse gets bored and leaves. Everything is so weird. Everything is status quo.  Everything is unpleasant.

Excited for a three day weekend, although the dog is freaked out by fireworks, so that might be a problem. Excited to see how it goes. Exciting day in the kitchen for her.

Exhausted by the heat. Exhausted today. Exhausting day! Exhausting day. Exhausting weekend, but fun. Exhausting. Exhausting. Exhausting. Exhausting. Exhausting.

Expensive, though. Eye appointment this morning - everything is status quo.  Eye appointment this morning, to work. Eye appointment this morning. Eye doctor this morning.

The Reread - Realm of the Elderlings #2: Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

Realm of the Elderlings reread

Assassin's Apprentice

Okay! The RotE reread is happening. I listened to Royal Assassin - all 29 hours - in the last couple of weeks. Man, this series is so good. 

Fitz is super sick because of the poisoning situation at the end of the last book. He's whiny for a very long time about it. He returns to Buckkeep. His crush, Molly, is a servant at the castle and he's such a moony teenager about it. Fitz saves a baby wolf cub from a terrible breeder (BABY NIGHTEYES) and they are soon connected through the Wit. Prince Regal is a dick. King-in-Waiting Verity is an idiot who decides he needs to leave Buckkeep on a mission to find the Elderlings. King Shrewd gets super sick after Verity leaves...I wonder what dick is behind that? 

Regal announces that Verity is dead, but Fitz knows he isn't because he has Skilled with Verity. Ugh. Regal throws Fitz into a dungeon and tortures him and Fitz does some super special poisoner trick to make everyone believe he's dead. But then Burrich and Chade dig up his body at the end of the book. 

Nighteyes!!! Woot woot. 

There is a lot of mooning about Molly in this book. Molly is pretty terrible, but Fitz is hitting that, so I can see why he is so worried about her. ANYWAY. Other than that slow bit at the front with that business, this book MOVES and is so good. I'm so glad this series is holding up. 

4.5/5 stars

Lines of note:

"And if I don't get better? If I just stay like this, where the tremors or fits can come over me at any time?"

His answer was slow in coming. "Live with it. Many folks have to live with worse. Most of the time you're fine. You're not blind. You're not paralyzed. You've your wits, still. Stop defining yourself by what you can't do. Why don't you consider what you didn't lose?" (page 10)

Fitz is such a baby. 

"It's all changed, forever, now," I observed to the night. My words whirled away with the snowflakes.

"What has?" Burrich asked cautiously. His tone bespoke his worry that I might be getting feverish again.

"Everything. How you treat me. When you aren't thinking about it. How Hands treats me. Two years ago he and I were friends. Just two boys working in the stables. But tonight, he treated me like some sickly weakling...not even someone he can insult about it..." (page 44)

The first part of the book really did remind me that poor Fitz is just a teenager. 

"Justice. There's a thing we shall ever thirst after, and ever be parched. No. We content ourselves with law." (page 58)

Do you see a distinction between justice and the law? My husband teaches an entire course on this question. 

Vixen had lived a long life, for a hound, but still too short for Burrich's heart. To bond to any animal was to promise oneself that future pain. (page 188)

NOOOO. RIP Vixen. 

We go far. Will you be able to keep pace with the horses?

Over a short distance they can outspeed me. But nothing outdistances the trotting wolf. (page 497)

I love Nighteyes with all my heart. Like...yes, my first tattoo would be of Francie and the two of hearts, but maybe a wolf tattoo would be next? 

Within the castle courtyard, it seemed an ordinary day. Stable help came to take the horses while other servants and folk moved about on the ordinary business of the Keep. Somehow the very familiarity of it rattled against my nerves like stones. Verity was dead. It did not seem right that life should go on in such a workaday fashion. (page 516)

This. I love this commentary on grief. It makes me feel very seen. 

Hat mentions (why hats?):

"It reminds me of the old folktale of the beggar who had but a hat to cover his nakedness," I told Verity. He smiled without humor.

"Would that I could move my ships as swiftly as he did his hat," he wished grimly. (page 326)

He fluffed his plumed hat...(page 524)

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Have you read this series? Do you think whiny teenagers are the worst? 

Alphabetical COVID Diaries:D

The back of a sign for the riverwalk. 

Dairy Day at the museum (moo-seum!).  D--- W----- came over to sign J---'s card. Day before Thanksgiving! Day before Thanksgiving. Day off = great for the girls. Day off work, but my to do list was outrageous. Day off work! Day off work. Day off! Day off. Day off. Day three at new job. Day two at the office. Day Two of Labor Day weekend. Daylight Saving Sunday. Daylight Saving.

Dead goldfinch on the porch. Dead mouse in the basement - pests all around! Dealt with that and felt good to have a lot of it off my plate.

D-- and I had a huge blowout. D-- and J--- were headed home, so I headed to N--- and S------'s and hung out with them and D------ and J--- for a bit. D-- called that Mom was in the hospital D-- called that they're taking Mom to the ER. D--'s new dog Rocket is a pomsky and he's pretty cute.

Definitely cooled way down last night. Definitely felt like spring. Dentist appointment in W--------- this morning. Dentist appointment this morning - status quo. Dentist in W--------- this morning. Dentist this morning - new hygienist and I don't care for the dentists, so I don't know how long I'll stay there. Dentist, work, grocery store. Dentist this morning - my bottom teeth are an absolute mess. Depressingly quiet. Despite a beautiful day, only 29 kids did trick or treating at our house - we had bowls of candy and other goodies on the porch. Despite signs saying masks are required, the workers were not wearing them. D---- came over to visit for a while after that.

Did  yoga at the UC during lunch.  Did a bit of cleaning, but will do more tomorrow morning. Did a bit of work, walked Hannah, did yoga, and read some of the newest Sarah Dessen book. Did a bit of work, worked out, and took Hannah out for a couple of walks. Did a bit of work. Did a bit of work. Did a bit of yardwork. Did a bit. Did a bunch of chores, including ordering a bouquet for R----- for her wedding on Friday!

Did a bunch of CPL work and then it was time to go get her. Did a bunch of errands today - dropped packages off to be shipped, picked up library books, made a donation to the Humane Society, and picked up the CSA. Did a bunch of prep for CPL today and the upcoming GMAT training. Did a bunch of work before lunch. Did a bunch of yardwork - took four bags over to the compost. Did a bunch of yardwork. Did a couple of errands I could walk to. Did a couple of hours at FAC for a wedding. Did a drive-up pickup at Target (smooth operation) and grocery shopping at Woodman's.

Did a few errands today - Blodgett to get food for Hannah (yay! not from mail order!) and Walgreen's. Did a Fitness Blender leg workout after dropping Hannah off at daycare. Did a Fort HealthCare class and a yoga class with I-- after work. Did a fun 20-minute meeting with the Hawk Squad celebrating general education. Did a League of Women Voters book club via Zoom today - not as great as I'd hoped.

Did a little yoga to try and loosen up my hamstrings. Did a lot in the kitchen today - made a Moroccan lentil soup (okayish - will eat for lunch today, but won't make again). Did a lot of chores around the house - laundry, cleaning the litter box. Did a lot of CPL work today.  Did a lot of reading on the couch. Did a lot of work in the kitchen today - roasting pumpkin seeds and making granola.

Did a task at work. Did a tour of the water tower and the Dwight Foster house this morning. Did a yoga class with I-- today, but otherwise it was a pretty low-key day. Did a Zoom call with T--'s family. Did an application for a different job at UWW - fingers crossed. Did an escape room at night - we were terrible at it. Did an interview for the LC Coordinator position at UWW today. Did as much with the cabin as I could. Did Body Blast at FAC outside and it was such an energizing workout.  Did CPL office hours. Did get a phone call about a phone interview on Wednesday, so fingers crossed. Did household things - laundry, clipping Hannah's nails, making H chicken and sweet potatoes. Did interviews with ORSP and had a FAC board meeting. Did J---'s annual review over at FAC.

Did laundry, made snacks for Hannah, and had a phone/Zoom call with E--- and R----- after dinner. Did laundry and lazed about. Did laundry and took H for a bath. Did laundry and vacuumed. Did laundry today. Did laundry, a puzzle, and watched a lot of Buffy episodes today. Did laundry, updated my blog, and basically read a bunch. Did laundry, vacuumed, and read a bit. Did laundry, went over to visit L---- and his parents. Did laundry Did laundry. Did laundry. Did laundry. Did laundry. Did lots of household chores and bought T-- some birthday presents.

Did not sleep particularly well last night, so it was a good that it was quiet day at work. Did some blog stuff, took H. for long walks, and read most of a book. Did some BS FAC scheduling. Did some chores, namely laundry. Did some chores. Did some cleaning, including the floors. Did some FAC and CPL work today. Did some Fort HealthCare fitness classes and I am super sore! Did some housecleaning, yoga, and watched episodes from Season 7 of Taskmaster.

Did some laundry and cleaned a bit. Did some laundry today before running over to campus to go to a listening session about budget cuts. Did some laundry, napped with Zelda. Did some laundry. Did some laundry. Did some laundry. Did some laundry.

Did some work and took Hannah to the dog park.  Did some work, did some yoga, and spent a fair amount of time trying to get Hannah to eat. Did some work, walked Hannah, and did a yoga class. Did some work, watched some Buffy, and that was that. Did some yard work - the internet was down for several hours, so what else were we going to do? Did some yard work and put up Halloween decorations! Did some yardwork and went to Frosty Freeze for my first ice cream cone of the season. Did some yardwork until I was chased indoors by rain. Did some yoga with I--. Did take books back to the library. Did work. Did yoga. 

Didn't feel great for a bunch of the day - had a headache, so I slept a bunch on the couch. Didn't feel great this morning. Didn't feel great, so spent a lot of time on the couch. Didn't feel great, so took a long nap and did some reading. Didn't get one of the jobs at BTC. Didn't have a great night's sleep last night, so I took a catnap or two with Zelda. Didn't hear back about the DA position in psych. Didn't stop Hannah from having some great walks.

Dinner and then back to the Air BnB. Dinner at Big R's Pump and Party was brilliant, though. Disappointed that they've decreased the number of self-check for large orders. Disastrous dinner - made T-- go get fresh asparagus, but the risotto was terrible, so I had to go back to Festival for CLM ingredients. Discussed with T-- on the way to school about a Vox article I read about how cursing has changed over time. 

Diving dogs! Do fish have loins? Do not recommend. Do some CPL stuff. D-- and R------ came by to drop off rugs from the W-----s. D-- and T-- came to drop off the dining room table and it looks fantastic! D-- used the grill. Doctor this morning - scheduled a colonoscopy for later this month. Doctor's appointment this morning. Doesn't seem to bother Hannah, but I am not as willing to stay out on walks. Dog park with L---- and J---- this morning. Doggy bath for her afterwards. Doggy play date with Gus.

DoL meeting - my references are all lined up. DoL meeting and a quick board meeting re: FAC ED search. DoL meeting this morning. DoL meeting today, followed by lots of emails and phone calls. DoL meeting today. DoL meeting via WebEx this morning.  DoL meeting via Webex. DoL meeting, but only B----- and I were there. DoL meeting. DoL report in and the last day of work before vacation. DoL report submitted. DoL team meeting, took H to the dog park, and that was about all.

Donald Trump is a terrible leader. Drizzly, grey day. Dropped H off at E---'s and then went to Iowa City for a tailgate. Dropped H off with E--- and R-----, drove to Iowa, Easter brunch and egg hunt, drove back, picked up H. Dropped H. off at E--- and R-----'s and then drove to D--'s house. Dropped H. off with E--- and headed out for Labor Day. Dropped Hannah off at E---'s and we drove to Iowa. Dropped Hannah off with E--- and R-----. Dropped of a donation at Goodwill and went to yoga at FAC. 

Drove back home this morning. Drove back home after meeting T---- very briefly for a coffee. Drove back home. Drove back home. Drove back home this morning. Drove back to Wisco, though, because I'll need to get things together for work next week. Drove back to Wisconsin after spending the morning with TRL. Drove back, got H, and headed off to bed." Drove home afterwards. Drove home and picked up H. Drove home kind of late. Drove home with stops at Sonic (cherry limeade slush!) and Costco (gift card to thank E--- and R----- for dogsitting). Drove home. Drove home. Drove home. Drove home. Drove part of the way to D--'s house - bad weather and traffic slowed me down. Drove to Chicago with T-- so he could run some errands. Drove to Columbus. Drove to Iowa and back for G------'s Celebration of Life. Drove to Iowa and back to get T--'s grandmother's curio cabinet. Drove to Iowa City to go to the H----- kids' birthday party and then drove home. Drove to Iowa. Drove to Iowa. Drove to Iowa. Drove to Lorain, OH for T---'s brother's wake." Drove to Michigan and saw my mom! Drove to Michigan today. Drove to Michigan, picked up J-------- at N--- and S------'s house, and then went to A--'s graduation party." Drove to Michigan. Drove to Michigan. Drove to Michigan. Drove to Michigan. Drove to Michigan. Drove to M------ - had dinner with Mom (yay!) and Whippy Dip with D-- (yay!). Drove to M------ today. Drove to Minnesota via La Crosse so Ted could stop at Dave's Guitar. Drove to MKE for my flight to Toronto. Drove to Mom's.

Dug out this morning. Dumb day at work - new PIRL spreadsheet. :(