Blerg, pt II

So, apparently, I have been not-sick for about three weeks since January. I'm not joking.

Sunday: Sore throat. Monday morning: Soar throat with headache and slight cough; could be allergies, could be a cold.

It's a cold. And despite going to Seattle for a semi-work-related thing, I was on vacation. Except that by the time I got back from Seattle I had a full-blown raging cold, and it got worse before it began to get better. So my vacation? I spent it NyQuilled up, half asleep on the sofa. I had wanted to spend my time off in the sun.

I did have a chance to try the Mac Daddy from the Wayward in the U-District in Seattle. Not as good as the vegan Big Mac from Doomies. I think I'll stick to breakfast at the Wayward.

Oh... I did watch the second season of Girls. I have mixed feelings. Especially about the ending. Did it bother anyone else that Hannah had to be rescued by Adam? Because it did me, but I'm not sure why it bothered me.

Anyway.... Even though I was sick I had to drive to Tacoma to give a presentation. Now, I've never actually been to Tacoma. I didn't see much of it during this trip other than a LaQuinta sandwiched between I5 with rooms that smelled like laundry detergent and the Tacoma Community College. I did make it to the UW-Tacoma area and it was actually pretty cool in its diversity and general funkiness.

Now, I drove. This is big. I hate to drive in or around Seattle. Hate it. Really, really hate it. I was in a day-long meeting on Thursday but left early hoping to miss rush hour. I don't know if I missed it since I spent an hour barely moving on I5. Was it rush hour or just shitty traffic? Don't know; don't care. Oh, and a lady behind me in an SUV was eating soup from a bowl with a spoon... while driving. People are stoopid.

I gave my presentation and left. I was going to stick around but I needed food and despite listing my diet restrictions when I registered for the conference, there wasn't anything I could eat (I usually don't expect it, but if asked my dietary restrictions, I usually expect an attempt). But, it was okay. It gave me both an excuse to leave early (and miss Friday rush hour) and a reason to head up to Hilltop Quickie Too (which is in the UW-Tacoma area). Owned by Plum Restaurants, I have been to several of their other places yet haven't been to actually go to one of the Hilltop Quickies because they tend to have weird hours. Their service can be slow, but the reputation of their food is stellar (and Plum Bistro is excellent). It's basic comfort/soul food: breakfast, sandwiches, greens, and anything that can be covered in gravy. It took me at least 15 minutes to decide what to order. I had to talk myself out of a milkshake and finally settled on the BBQ "burger" (BBQ tofu with caramelized onions and potato salad on a bun). I'm pretty sure I had BBQ sauce on my face as it was all over my hands, rings, and clothing. I did not care, it was just that good.

BBQ from Hilltop Quickie Too. Sloppy goodness.

(Oh, while grabbing the URL for Plum Bistro site I noticed they have a book due out in April. And I actually exclaimed, out loud to no one: "There's a book?" Because, oh my god, there's a book!)

My cold is going away. I am caught up on Big Projects and Deadlines so now I can begin working on the next Big Projects and their impending deadlines. There was debit-card drama earlier this week that was taken care of quickly and easily thanks to my credit union. The sun is out. So, while this week I have felt very "blerg," for the first time in a long time, I actually feel a teeny bit optimistic.