The Marci Rating System

Okay, so when it's hot out, sometimes eating food seems Way Too Hard, but I still get hungry, which definitely makes everything worse. So I got some vanilla protein smoothie drinks from the grocery store, and also some strawberry yogurt drinks, both of which are in the 'acceptable if all food sounds awful anyway; at least they're easy to consume' category.

BUT THEN! Yesterday, I had the absolutely galaxy brain idea to combine them together, because I thought the 'one is too sweet, the other is too gloopy' issues might cancel each other out. Except that one of the 'yay, beverages' benefits is that I don't have to wash any dishes afterwards, which would be canceled out if I poured these two drinks into a third container. This had me stuck for several hours.

UNTIL! I thought to myself 'oh hey, what if I just open both smoothies and take a sip of each?' It's not like someone's going to tell me not to! I can do what I want!

And I did, and it was delicious.

*got up suuuuuuper early so I would have time to do stuff before work

*because I'm commuting to the office today and tomorrow ::crying::

*now I can't remember how to do stuff before work in a reasonable order so as to be ready to drive away from the house at 7:45 and not be back until 6(ish? our release time is unclear)

*that's so long

*luckily I packed a LOT of snacks yesterday

*planning to tuck a few more in my backpack before I leave

*got a message yesterday that there will be coffee and bagels at work, though, so that's a win!

*I was SO TEMPTED to message back and be like 'just bagels?' like, are we to assume that some common bagel companions will be present, like cream cheese, or jam? or is this just bagels? which is great! love bagels! (okay, I don't love bagels, but it's the thought that counts, and I appreciate being offered something)

*Hooray, it's Wednesday and I'm not at work!

*The cat has determined that it is Not A Work Day, and has settled into her largest and most cozy bed

*Pretty much any time I am cranky, I should go sit somewhere quiet and alone and eat a snack; this would resolve at last 90% of situations

*Yesterday I explained to my boss how to see our calendars on their calendar, so... that was a thing that they weren't seeing before

*SO MANY FUN PLANS FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS!

*Goal 1: not working: ACHIEVED

*Goal 2: at least one fun thing each day that is not already something I would have done if it was not special vacation time: BRING IT ON

Yesterday I posted the 'I need dis' otter, without even REALIZING that one of my impulse purchases during my Saturday grocery shopping trip was, in fact, ICE CREAM COOKIE SANDWICHES.

I remembered this thrilling fact this morning, and am now contemplating whether 9:30 in the morning is too early for ice cream. It's not, right? Ice cream is an anytime food, I'm pretty sure.

*Yes, free coffee is available, though I did not partake

*My recollection of 'office winter' (the permeating chill of high-powered AC) was milder than the reality -- it was SO COLD

*The empty wall in the bathroom was as useful as ever, and I managed to squeeze in my ONE MINUTE of exercise for the day by doing wall-sits on my bathroom breaks

*As someone who prefers a predictable routine and an absence of being perceived, I did not thrive under the conditions of the day

*Lunch was delicious

Takeout Tuesday with Lower Decks viewing and special dessert, AWW YEAH!!!

A very exciting day indeed! Time to go out into the world! Drive somewhere! Purchase food! Drive back!

Grocery shopping is pretty much my one excursion per week into the wider world, and always reminds me why I don't do it more often. But I appreciate the reminder, and I also appreciate getting to buy food, so mostly it's a pretty fun trip.

(Also treats! Every trip is an opportunity to get myself something fun, like cookies, or yet another seasonal mug!)

help help it's back to work day! HOWEVER! I am determined!

(First I was going to say determined to not panic, but it's far too late for that. I remain determined as a vague state of being!)

Things I'm looking forward to today:

*Work day = coffee day! (yes, sure, *technically* I drink coffee every day, but it's even more fun when I'm on the clock)

*It's takeout Tuesday! (I have so far resisted the urge to read up on what happens at the end of the movie we're watching, so it remains A MYSTERY)

*Coloring! (I got a desk calendar for Christmas that's one of those coloring book ones, AND some new markers, so this is very exciting)

*I am going to go interact with people today, at a grocery store! (AHHHHH!!!) I'm not sure I'm quite done hermit-ing, but I'm out of fruit and vegetables, so it's definitely time to get more food.

*Between the holiday and my post-holiday retreat, emails have been piling up. I cannot imagine the strength of people who leave things in their inbox long term; I have 14 emails in there right now and I feel like I'm crumbling under the pressure.

*Today's other major goal: laundry. That should be easier, actually, now that I think about it. Yay, laundry!

*So far I have not made use of this vacation time for any big adventures, but on the other hand, I also haven't (yet!) had that thing where my body goes 'oh you're on vacation? excellent, here's that cold I've been holding back on because you were too busy before.'

*I should probably put gas in the car too, as part of the grocery trip. My car is having unspecified water issues (aka water is entering the car somehow and then failing to leave again, leading to ice forming on the inside of the windows). The internet suggests running the air conditioning, which seems clever, and is also on my list for the ever-expanding grocery store journey.

*Christmas is one week away!

*I am as prepared as I need to be at this point, which is to say, not at all, but there's like -- seven days to go!

*WE'VE GOT THIS

*What is 'this'? WHO KNOWS! A head cold? A fresh roll of scotch tape? A staggering amount of dessert options? ALL OF THE ABOVE???

*At this point I've been procrastinating on cleaning the shower for so long, it feels like I might as well put it off a bit longer.

*I bought a dozen eggs so that we could use ONE EGG in a cookie mix, and now I'm running through all my "easy egg recipes" to use up the rest of them. So far there are still eight to go, but I'm determined.

*It's time for another new toy in the cat's official unofficial month-long gift celebration! (It's her first Christmas here! She likes toys!) OH HAPPY DAY!