random thoughts – Day 1,121 – (Wednesday) – donuts and more

Maple iced donut with bacon.

The weather forecast promised warm weather and Mother Nature delivered. Cropped ankle pants were pulled out for the occasion. Unfortunately, I failed to leave the office during the day to enjoy the sunshine and warm temperature, but the walk to the garage after work was most pleasant.

The office had a Wednesday thrill in the form of amazing donuts that a colleague brought in from a shop in Andover. Holy moley. I had one with maple icing and bacon. So, so good. There also may have been portions of other donuts, like maybe a piece of a chocolate with honey glaze, and possibly part of a jelly donut, and/or maybe a portion of one with pink icing. Maybe. 

There was a late afternoon surprise delivery of 11,500 promotional slips that I forgot I ordered for a campaign because once I cross something off the list, it’s purged from my brain. There was enough time left in the workday for me to divide them and pack them in interoffice envelopes to go to our 27 branches and an internal department. I can kick ass when it’s needed.

After tending to the Canine Overlord, it was directly to the couch for me. It was time to binge this week’s Netflix obsession, BEEF, with Ali Wong. Holy shite. Wow. Early in, this show has a small parking lot event and then it just keeps going. I’ve loved Ali Wong’s standup shows, but dang, she’s also an amazing serious actor. 

When BEEF was over, it was time for Leanne Morgan because she cracks me up. And just like that, the night was pretty much gone like the donuts at the office. Because that’s how it works.

random thoughts – Day 1,120 – (Tuesday) – art stuff

View from Lowell City Hall.

The weather was delightfully spring-like and the forecast is for warmer weather the rest of the week. It was a joy letting Winston outside during the workday. All 572 times. At least it got my derriere out of the chair. Having a dog can be a great way to fight deep vein thrombosis.

At the end of the remote workday, it was a mad dash downtown. There was an art reception with the studio artists from The Brush Art Gallery and Studios at City Hall at 5:30. Their art will be on display throughout the main level for the rest of the month. You gotta love a city with the motto "Art is the Handmaid of Human Good." 

Bonus, the traffic getting downtown today was significantly less annoying than when I was trying to get out of Lowell the past two Mondays. 

Fancy, lightly dusty
 column top at City Hall.

The City Hall reception was nice. Not too much speechifying. Platters of yummy cheese quesadillas. And it was a nice chance to chat with people including artists from The Brush and other friends. The building is really cool with stained glass windows, and stonework and fancy golden slightly dusty column headers.

After the reception, we had our monthly board meeting for The Brush Gallery and Studios a couple blocks away at the Gallery. Our board is great, and we are experts at not dragging out the meetings. We get our business done and then we are off. I delivered my photo to the Gallery for the Associate Artists show that opens on April 15. Our “Dinner and a Show” fundraiser event featuring local singers and musicians is in a couple weeks and things are shaping up nicely. There is an exhibit reception is in May. 

Between the Brush events, Finnish lessons, two high school reunion committee events, an oh, yeah, work, busy season is definitely here. Oy. I used to thrive on a jam-packed schedule, but now I'm a little worried I won't survive this one.

random thoughts – Day 1,119 – (Monday) – springing up

The signs of spring are becoming apparent. The nest over the drain pipe at the front corner of the house is being updated by this season’s avian tenants. Green shoots are several inches tall in the spots where the irises and lilies grow. The site of the bleeding heart near the front door has an abundance of red shoots appearing, and based on how large it got last year even after being cut back, it will need to be divided again. 

The Monday destination.

The 5:00 hell ride to Fitchburg the past two weeks has taken longer than it did in the fall session of Finnish classes. It took nearly 25 minutes to get out of Lowell and then it was the joy of the weekday parking lot also known as I-495.

For several miles it was long lines of traffic with tail lights as far as could be seen. There were brief stretches where things moved at the blistering speed of 14 mph. After the slow motion miles there was a stretch with tire shrapnel scattered along the roadway and across three lanes, and finally, an 18-wheeler parked in the breakdown lane with one destroyed tire. 

Once beyond the truck, the logjam cleared and it was the more normal travel pace. Thank goodness, because I was getting antsy and may or may not have been yelling at Waze for sending me straight into the mouth of hell. It could be a long eight more weeks. Last fall, the system navigated me along peaceful, scenic country roads that I don’t know how to find on my own and it was great. This session, it seems like Waze is trying to kill me.

I arrived for my 6:15 class with less than five minutes to spare. It had taken an hour and ten minutes to arrive. It’s frustrating knowing that in the fall, it took about an hour to arrive, and on a Saturday morning, the ride to the monthly breakfast at the same location takes about 45 minutes.

Sunshine yellow crocuses springing up.

While walking into the building, I noticed the flower bed that runs across the front of the building and around the side had been tidied up. A cluster of sunshine yellow crocuses sat like a welcome sign at the side door, and clusters of tiny purple flowers were scattered along the front portion of the bed. It was pretty. Calming. Hopeful. 

It’s been a long and weird winter and it’s nice to see the signs of spring and growth. It was especially refreshing to see the flowers after the stressful ride.

random thoughts – Day 1,118 – (Sunday) – Easter weekend

Saturday dessert.

Easter weekend had a lot of running around. There was a hair salon visit Saturday morning, scheduled 14 weeks earlier. My hair had been behaving beautifully the entire week leading to the appointment and I almost changed it a few days prior. The calendar had other ideas. It would be another four or five weeks before I had a Saturday opening, so the appointment went as scheduled.

The hair trim was followed by shopping for items for a fundraiser gift basket, Easter tulips, and a few grocery items. After a 2.5-hour break, it was time to change into something festive and head to the Khmer New Year dinner celebration which included overeating and a pretty dessert and fun. 

Saturday night featured weird dreams and waking up a couple times, which is the new norm. When Easter morning arrived, there were still a couple things that had been floating in my head and seemed to have escaped undone. The worst was never getting the Easter card into the mail to my niece who lives in Vegas.

In the car wash.

There was Sunday morning coffee drinking and a banana for breakfast while doing the homework for Monday’s Finnish class. Then it was time to dress and blast out the door. Along the preferred route to Fitchburg, the $5 car wash was open with no long line so I pulled in for a wash. It had been months since the last wash, and the last time I was near there the line was forever long and clogging the street. 

The gas tank was filled at the station across the street from the car wash and then there was a quick visit at my sister’s house to drop off tulips for her and cards for my nieces. We chatted for a bit, and suddenly I realized I was going to be late for Mom's.

From my sister’s house, it was a drive a couple towns over to Mom’s. I brought her some tulips and we had dinner. Our after-dinner entertainment was Scrabble, the usual activity when we visit. The day flew by, and the next thing I knew it was time to get back into the car to drive home. Mom sent me with leftovers for the already overcrowded freezer.

Back at The BungaLowell, the usual nonsense was happening. A Prime truck blocked the street and my driveway, and I sat patiently in the road waiting for the driver to move. I think he was contemplating life or rearranging the contents of the truck, because it was a long wait. The worst part was he wasn't even delivering to my house, just blocking my access to it. 

Inside, the Sunday chores awaited. At least I was full from dinner and didn't need to deal with supper. The trash was bagged and the bin rolled to the curb. Laundry was done. The dishwasher was run. Then there were some extra tasks – framing an image for a show. Organizing a basket for a fundraiser for the weekend of back-to-back events later in the month. Many other tasks and chores went undone. 

And just like that, the weekend is over. Sigh.

random thoughts – Day 1,117 – (Saturday) – Khmer New Year

Angkor Dance Troupe.

Tonight was the Khmer New Year Dinner Celebration at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center. The Bank had two tables and it was a great night out with bankers I rarely see anymore. It was the perfect event for dressing up (sequins!) and it felt like a major accomplishment being out on a Saturday night.

The pre-dinner entertainment featured a band with singers and a performance by  master instructor/dancers from the Angkor Dance Troupe. I’ve wanted to see these dancers for ages and just never made it happen, so it was great to finally see them performing tonight. 

The line at the bar was the perfect spot to see the dancers while waiting for service. The dance movements had so much precision with subtlety and nuance. The toe movements and weight shifts in the feet. The finger dexterity. The head movements. I was mesmerized.

Yummy buffet!

The buffet was yummy. A few of us at our table are open advocates of the “see food diet” (see food and eat it) and we visited the buffet twice. I was full when the dessert was set out, but that didn’t get in the way of having some coconut tapioca. There was also a mango gelato, but I had to draw the line somewhere.

When the dance floor opened with a live band, we were coaxed out there by a fellow banker for the “cha cha cha.” The floor was packed. It was fun.

Despite all the merriment and the advertised party end time of 12:30, I cut out at 9:30 because I know my limits. It feels like some sort of boot camp training will be required for me to successfully be out late dining and dancing. The past few years of hanging out at home have made me very soft.

random thoughts – Day 1,116 – (Friday) – Transatlantic binge

It’s been a long week. Lately they all feel like long weeks, but this most recent one felt especially grueling. There were frustrating tech issues and a crazy workload topped with weird dreams and fitful sleep. 

Today's tech warfare involved the office printer, and later, the paper cutters. There were paper jams, a series of other issues, and a lot of colorful cussing. There are three paper cutters in the office and they are all awful. It took the cutters plus the scissors and hand cutting to get it done. What should have been a quick task before heading to a photo shoot took a couple hours spread across the day.

After arriving home tonight, I wanted nothing more than to park it on the couch. It was ramen for supper because something hot and quick was needed. The day was colder than dressed for and the walk from the office to the garage left me chilled. I didn't even have the energy to fancy up the ramen. It was chicken picante flavor made with water and nothing else. 

While eating ramen on the couch, a new Netflix binge obsession was tuned in. It’s Transatlantic, in which “Two Americans and their allies form a scrappy rescue operation in 1940 Marseilles to help artists, writers and other refugees fleeing Europe.” Since turning it on at 6:00 tonight and for the next three hours, I’ve been glued to the screen. Just wow. 

Gillian Jacobs in Transatlantic.

One of the leads, and the only actor I recognize in this one is Gillian Jacobs, who I liked in the series Love several years ago. But all the cast in Transatlantic is good. I’m in love with the women’s costuming, because the styles of the 40s are amazing. The suits! The trousers! The blouses. 

But for now, gotta run. My show is on.

random thoughts – Day 1,115 – (Thursday) – freezer fun

The other night, there was an ambitious hankering for rice and enough was made to feed an army. The last time I did this, a lot of rice went down the garbage disposal about a week later. The crazy part is, I was thinking about that last time makin rice, even as I made all the extra rice this time. Some people never learn.

Veggies were sautéed in butter and olive oil and tossed with soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, sriracha sauce and sesame oil. That bunch of stuff was tossed with some of the rice and yielded three meals, plus two side containers of plain rice. 

Today, plain rice was tossed with salsa and pepper jack cheese for supper, and it was pretty good. The second container of plain rice was crammed into the freezer, fingers were crossed, and the door was closed. There would be no feeding of the garbage disposal with this pot of rice.

The freezer is now full to the point of a near avalanche each time the door is opened. Pizza, mac and cheese, quiche, rice, a crazy amount of bread, egg rolls, and that is just the stuff in the front that can be seen or is recent enough to be remembered. There is soup broth in containers and bags with chicken carcasses and veggie bits to make more broths. And two trays of ice cubes and several freezer packs.

There is some barely remembered precious stuff buried in there, including various shredded cheeses, the remaining half box of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies and a couple random fruit Danish. Some people collect tchotchkes, but it seems that recently, I collect leftovers. If I didn't need the steady stream of chicken for Winston, I wouldn't have to go to the grocery store for weeks. 

It might be time to start a spring freezer excavation. Maybe it can be scheduled for Sunday as this singleton's version of an Easter egg hunt.