Sitting drinking coffee

And listening to the news. In my pajamas on a Tuesday morning at 7:20. I listened to an NPR story about a documentary about Black art.

And then I watched the Jimmy Fallon interview with Shailene Woodley that I fell asleep during last night, where she confirmed her engagement to Aaron Rodgers.

I decided that I’ll work now and then walk to the library in the afternoon and pick up holds. The day’s F’d already with too many meetings.

and then …. by the time 4:00 rolled around and it was time to walk to the library, I didn’t really feel like it, I was too zoom-fatigued and not in a good way (I don’t think online-work-fatigue can ever be a good tired like after real exercise, anyways), so first I asked Mark if I walked to the library would he pick me up, then I tried to cancel the hold online, but it was too late. So I drove. And stopped at the hardware store and got a box of the kind of little spotlight lightbulbs that go into the kitchen ceiling because I used the last one about a week ago. I mean they usually don’t burn out for at least 3 years, but I might as well have backup. It was a 6-bulb box, so probably a lifetime supply for someone as old as me.

and now … it’s actually Saturday morning, and I never had time all week to finish this post. I even took my laptop with me to sit on the couch to watch This Is Us Tuesday night; I had 20 mins. before the show and during the commercials, but I ended up grading an assignment in one of my classes instead.

It’s the same WFH malaise, using all my screen time for work. Somebody I was in a meeting with back in January, a UW higher-up, a vice provost, said they were trying to stay off the computer in their off-work hours. My problem with that is that the creative things I like to do in my off-work time, except for cooking, like writing this blog and playing with pictures, have a screen component. And since the pictures I play with are of food, and I like to think I’m a food writer and a recipe writer, even cooking has screen time.

And Photoshop trying to run on my 11-year-old iMac is making me crazy … I think I might’ve hit end of life here. When I do save-as, no menu. I guess I’ll go get my work laptop so’s I can edit all the food pics I have not posted since, gawd, Feb 15. Even though last night I vowed to re-institute my no work on Saturdays policy, I need to turn the work laptop on for virtual yoga, anyways.

and next … I didn’t have to do my picture editing on my work laptop, quitting & relaunching Photoshop a few times fixed it. I tried to do my virtual yoga class, but I’m having a fatness crisis, and couldn’t do it. Kept looking at myself in the mirror in the student bedroom, and too displeased with the size of my belly and jowls. So now I have my yoga teacher’s soothing voice in the background and can try to finally finish this. So you can see what’s gotten me so chubbed up. I mean, I was afraid I’d gain weight when Mark retired and wasn’t in Chicago 4 nights per week because we’d be eating dinner together more often, but pandemic has made it worse than I expected. Sigh. Plus besides fat, the mirror now shows an old lady. I mean, I am an old lady but it’s still shocking.

OK, so what was that about food?

Starting with baked goods. We ended with a week ago Saturday cherry muffins. Last night (Friday) I made Maple Blueberry Muffins, and chicken, bacon, potato, & corn chowder for dinner. The soup’s not very photogenic, but here’s a muffin.

Here’s the King Cake I made on the 16th. I cut it into quarters, and kept one for us, and drove the others to friends, feeling happy that I was able to text Patrick and ask him to pick up his & Maxine’s quarter on his way home from work here on the west side, saving me delivering to the east side. My deliveries downtown and further west meant we ate our dirty rice (made with the gizzards of our Thanksgiving turkey, saved in the freezer since November) kind of late, but it was worth it.

The other important thing about Mardi Gras is that I got my 2nd Covid vaccination that day. So maybe we can go see John & Megan in Chicago for John’s birthday in March.

And, here’s my giant sourdough from this week. My starter seems to be really active. I made sourdough naan and rajma beans for dinner last Saturday, a meal that I’d also made back in May, and even though the dough was supposed to have fed starter, I simply took mine out of the fridge and mixed up the naan and it more than doubled while I worked all day. And then I made this BIG bread on Monday.

And, what else??

Last Sunday we got out of the way deep freeze we’d been in, and this whole week it’s been in the 30s and even 40s, and the snow is rapidly going. Seems too soon – it’s not quite March yet ….

Here’s the giant pile of clothes that went on my body a week ago Thursday when the high was 21°

This Friday I went and got my second drool test, so I can go into campus buildings. I tried to really hydrate in advance this time, starting the night before, because you have to not drink or eat anything starting an hour before the test. They were playing the Bee Gees How Deep Is Your Love, and it was easier the second time to produce my 1.5 ML sample of clear drool. Hmm, maybe my fatness crisis is partially retaining fluids – I haven’t been peeing enough, although I know that’s TMI. Sorry <grin>.

Last Saturday I picked up my pre-order from the group of farmers I’ve been getting stuff from, got coffee (order app working one day later), then went to check in on Al & Emma’s cat. I took my coffee in and hung out with her a bit. She was shedding.

Sunday I was going to make ricotta biscuit egg sangwiches, but we had so many bread items, potato rolls, leftover naan, a heel of the sourdough prior to the BIG one – that we just had our egg sangwiches on those. I made the eggs as kind of a frittata with tomatoes & shallot in the egg and cheese on top, finished under the broiler and I had mine as a naan rollup with avocado and bacon. Mark had his on the potato rolls and I ate the sourdough heel toasted. And we had cheesy potatoes and fruit and were stuffed.

Tuesday in between meetings I shopped at Costco and the co-op. I got a giant bag of these veggie straws, just like the one from GrossOut (Grocery Outlet) in Seattle, that was in Dave & Jen’s kitchen cabinet, that I finished during my sabbatical there, when I could eat dinners like a bowlful of veggie straws, dried mango, and a beer. Or oatmeal right out of the pot. I was thinner then.

The last couple of days, I have had breakfasts based on the BIG sourdough.

Alright, I think I better go for a walk – maybe get my serrated knives sharpened; I did the chef knives last week. And get some greens for a salad tonight, maybe Whole Foods, maybe Pick & Save. I tried yesterday but the line at Trader Schmoes was way too long. After my short walk for the drool test, I did another short walk over to Monroe St. Nice walk even though I didn’t get the lettuce. The warmer weather sure brings everyone out.