the good, the bad, and the ugly

yesterday was pretty good. naomi_traveller and i spent a while wandering around Ikea, where i bought only the things i'd intended to buy and nobly resisted the many unnecessary temptations around me, while simultaneously encouraging naomi to do exactly the opposite. afterward, we spent some time in a hot tub open to the sky. i'd forgotten how it feels to be naked outside (for values of outside that include having four walls around you, but no roof). i wish i could have enjoyed it as much as i might have in a better frame of mind, or hung onto those positive feelings longer, but so goes depression.

today, energy levels exceedingly low, anxiety levels moderately high. i'm out of pants, and must do laundry, but am finding it extremely difficult to get started. the apartment is rapidly descending into a disaster area again.

on the up side, cats.

on the down side, some new people have moved into the building and they have a dog. a dog which they put out on their deck at 8 a.m., whence it promptly commenced barking continuously for an hour. it quieted down for a while, but for the last two hours has been emitting intermittent howls. for which i can't blame the poor thing, shut out there all by itself with no toys to play with or anything to do.

but it's really fucking annoying.

ahhh.

i am feeling somewhat restored after a long soak in the bathtub with a book. i had to clean the bathtub before i could soak in it, and after i got out, i tidied up the kitchen and did a load of dishes, so now there's room for me to cook tonight's dinner. (last night i got lazy and had potatoes au gratin out of a box. this morning i looked at the calorie count. yikes.) now, though, i'm all psyched up for sausages and beans and beer. okay, you know me, it's foofy versions; i already mentioned the chicken and apple sausages and the cannellini beans with sage, but with it i'll have pumpkin ale. which i tried last night and have determined is very good stuff indeed. i think i need to use it in cooking something or other. maybe i'll use some in the beans instead of wine.

<wanders of muttering to self...>

there is nothing better than this

the beans (with pumpkin ale in place of white wine) smell so good i could cry. the aroma of the sausage is gorgeous. they could not be more perfectly matched. god, i wish i had a crusty baguette.