lonely vs. peaceful . . . or both

ships passing in the night morning
[image]

i haven’t talked about it much (for fear of alerting enterprising robbers . . . because my readership stretches that far, right?), but josh has been on nights for the past several weeks. it’s a part of being a resident (and being married to another resident) that i’ve gotten used to over the years, but it never feels completely normal, or quite right.

it’s been so different to come home to an empty house, and much harder to motivate myself to do things like cook a real dinner and clean up afterwards. we sometimes cross paths for a few minutes in the morning (me: coming back from the gym or a run, all sweaty and disgusting; him: coming back from his overnight shift, typically to be found near-comatose on the couch).

i find myself craving our normal routine! our dinners together (i cook, he . . . appreciates), watching weeds episodes in bed, passing out simultaneously before 10 pm (yes, i know, we’re rock stars). it’s what we do, and i love it. in 2.5 weeks, we’ll be back to this lifestyle again.

but for now . . . well, i’m still trying to get used to it, and trying to make the best of it. the up-sides? they are few, but they’re there.

■ i get to bed earlier (and get more sleep)
■ our weekend time feels more ‘special’
■ i’m making lots of progress in the namesake
■ i can take as many dinner pictures as i want without anyone getting impatient

i suppose that’s about it. i will say that over the years i’ve gotten better at NOT dreading time apart and just enjoying it as peaceful me-time (or, girlfriend catchup time). but i am definitely looking forward to returning to our old intertwined lifestyle. even with all the trappings and rationalization above, i miss him.

cheap thrills
what a happy surprise in my mailbox!

vanilla peanut butter, vanilla almond butter, and chocolate butter toffee peanut butter
thank you, naturally nutty, for making a lonely girl’s day! i can’t wait to review these flavors — definitely something to help with my food rut.

off to run
sadly, it will remain dark until near the end of my run this am! but i take comfort in this chart, which notes that in just one month, dawn will arrive at 6:32. definitely an improvement.

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1.20.10

workout: 4 miles (on the treadmill), 0.5% incline, 8:57/mi pace + weights
– 2 x 12 pushups
– 2 x 12 squat with ball, 10 lb weights
– 2 x 10 pullups, 50 lbs assist x 5, 60 lbs assist x 5
– 2 x 10 walking double lunges, 8 lb weights
– 2 x 10 lateral/forward raises with lunge, 6 lb weights
– 2 x 10 tricep pushdowns, 15 lbs

splendid table selection: OH.MY.GOD! this recipe was so good i had to tweet about it immediately after consuming. the recipe is sweet roasted butternut squash and greens over bow-tie pasta, found in the splendid table: how to eat supper, the cookbook i’m focusing on this month.

my substitutions: sweet potatoes for butternut squash, swiss chard for escarole, and tri-color pasta for prettiness
make this!! i’m not usually this bossy, but i promise you won’t regret it!

reading: 20 PREP questions. in the past when i’ve done PREP questions, i’ve just kind of ignored the answer blurb if i got the question right. but now that the boards are looming, i’ve been good about reading and taking notes on the explanations. so, 20 was quite a feat! yay. now if i could only get more of them right . . .