Week 29 / Summer Journal Week 4

It was a bit of a magical week. The comet Neowise arrived, I got a haircut, Joel had a birthday and every apricot I ate was delicious.

I took a few days off of work so I could stop thinking about it for awhile. I've never felt more creatively drained than I do now and have felt myself heading downhill. I had a phone call with an agency rep on Tuesday morning and couldn't remember the word "prototype." And then I couldn't remember what day it was. By the end of the call, the rep offered to send me some vodka. My work usually goes through these of cycles of creative-drain, but I've been waiting for this cycle to end since April. It goes on and on. It's undoubtedly because of the state of the world, but it's nearing an unsustainable level right now.

And so I took time off, redirected my focus to celebrate that most supportive of partners I could have ever asked for, and tried to make sure his birthday wasn't the pits. We had donuts, kayaked on the Spokane River with a couple of friends (after he went on a morning bike ride), Zoomed with his family, opened presents, picked up a hell of a dinner from Italia Trattoria and enjoyed it with a nice local wine, and finished off the evening with the best chocolate cake I have ever known. I've made it for his birthday before: the Winning Hearts and Minds Cake from Molly Wizenberg.

On my second day off, i.e. Friday, I did lazy stuff. It was a gorgeous day, and I spent about half of it on the deck, where I read the rest of the Sunday Times, painted my nails and listened to 80s new wave music all afternoon. (It started with "This Is The Day" by The The.) When it got too hot, I came in and took a nap on the couch. Later, a couple friends joined us in the backyard for continued Joel celebration.

The best part is that I'm still on vacation through Monday. It's not over yet!

Recipes

I asked Joel what "greatest hits" meals he'd like this week, and then he ended up cooking half of them. They included whiskey pasta, chicken tikka masala, steaks with the nutmeg rub and red chimichurri, and pizza. Classics, indeed.

Otherwise, I'm finding ways to eat up all the CSA veggies (roasted, with lentils and goat cheese) and fruits (fresh or grilled, with whipped cream).

Also, we finally got waffle plates for our Cuisinart griddle! So for the first time in my adult life, we are having waffles at home.

Watching

Palm Springs (Hulu) was a fun watch on Saturday night.

Listening

This will only interest knitting nerds, but the Pom Pom magazine podcast, "Pomcast," has returned with Sofie and Lydia, after a year hiatus. I am always inspired listening to other knitters talking about what they're making, hearing about similar struggles with the creative process, and in this latest episode, life in the UK during lockdown (it was recorded in May, which feels like forever ago now).

Reading

I'm finally reading Where the Crawdads Sing since it became available on Kindle through the library. A perfect summer read so far (I just started).

Making

I'm working through my socks most evenings, and just started on a lightweight raglan from Purl Soho with a sweet-potato-hued, linen-blend yarn. I've got a sleeve cuff so far, so it mostly feels like I'm still knitting socks.

On a final note, we walk past this neighborhood dumpster nearly every day and I like to think about what inspired whoever it was to scrawl this sentiment on it in Sharpie. In case you can't decipher it, it says, "Tough times don't last... Tough people do, like you! 20 Twenty" Sending you all the hearts this week. Stay tough.