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.

End of Summer Week Off

While everyone else in the academic world is starting their fall semester, we are just finishing the summer session. We are now in intersession; fall classes start the end of September.

I normally take a week off in September. This is when I head back to the Midwest for beer and football, but I'm not going this year. Why? The Packers are playing in Seattle so my football-going friend from Wisconsin is coming out here and we, along with another friend, are going to the Monday Night Football game in Seattle next month. Look for me on TV.

But, I still wanted a week off. It's been a busy summer and it will be an even busier fall. I wanted a week off for doing my favorite thing: Whatever I want.

What did I do? Not much of anything.

• I slept in. I stayed up late. 
• I knit.
• I did do some catch-up work. I really didn't want to, but I needed to get some things done because, well, it needed to get done. But I did it in a coffee shop at my own speed. 
• I saw The Campaign. It was okay. I expected more. 
• I saw Moonrise Kingdom. It was spectacular. It was so weirdly sweet and endearing and wonderful that I just wanted to give it a big hug. I loved it.
• I read Andy Cohen's book Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture. I cried when he talked about coming out. It reminded me of when one of my best friends came out to me while we were in college. 

While killing time before seeing The Campaign, a friend and I spent some time in a Tuesday Morning. I haven't been to one since I left Ye Olde College Town, where, until a Belk moved in, it was the only decent place in town to shop that wasn't WalMart. And at Tuesday Morning I bought two mugs that just made my entire week:

"Vintage" Kermit and Fozzy mugs.
"Vintage" because they're marked with the Disney logo on the bottom. 

I bought these with the intention of sending one to BFF, since we both love The Muppets. I texted her the picture, and I got the equivalent of a squeal via text (including an "OMFG"). I realized they were pretty much a set. This morning I went back to Tuesday Morning and bought two more for BFF.

I have to admit, one of my favorite things this week was simply cuddling with the cat. I suppose that makes me, well, a librarian, but he's become such a wonderfully cuddly cat with a surprising amount of energy. I did take the cat to the vet for his semi-annual check up (I guess they go in every six months once they hit a certain age) and he he needed some vaccine boosters. He's fine. Fat and surprisingly healthy. He has a bump on his head, but the vet said just to watch it. However, she said most bumps on cats are benign. Then he bit the vet when she gave him a shot.

So, really, other than working for a day and a half, I spent my week doing nothing. Thing is, I could really use another week of doing nothing. I really kind of like it.