after-work naps, 1.9.22

as soon as i hit the bed when i came home, i fell asleep. without fail, no matter what, bagel always joins me. doesn’t matter if he’s been sleeping all day, if i sleep, then he sleeps. i woke up around 8 something. i check the score for the college football national championship game, and uga is whooping tcu. i’m a nebraska cornhusker through and through, but ever since my parents lived in athens, i’ll always root for them when i see them play. speaking of dogs, i still have to walk bagel. i planned to go to the gym tonight, but i’ll be catching this georgia win.

go dawgs.

-ratha, 8:55pm, 1.9.22

week 18, 1.8.23

today is my sister’s birthday so happy g day to her. can’t believe she’s 39 now. sheeeeeeeeeeesh. today is also the end of week 18 of football, which means it’s the end of the regular season. crazy how i spend all year looking forward to september because of the nfl just to have it fly by so quick. can you believe how fast 18 weeks goes by? shit, can you imagine how fast a lifetime can pass? gotta make the most of it while we can. i remember last year watching the chargers go to ot with the raiders for the last playoff spot and we lost. that felt like it was some time last week. a year ago and a lot has changed since then. i’m veering off track, but the original point of this post was the chargers are playoff bound this year.

let’s take it all the way this timeeeeeeeee.

-ratha, 7:11pm, 1.8.23

ranking the fancy, 1.7.23

since i’ve been eating steak, here’s my opinion. del frisco’s has the best appetizers (bread, calamari), ruth chris has the best steak, and abe & louie’s has the best sides (fries, creamed corn). though i can’t lie, abe & louie’s cooked my steak to perfection tonight. ruth chris overcooked a little and del frisco’s didn’t cook it enough. i’m looking forward to trying more places like these because i’m on my ribeye wave right now.

moo, morton’s, and smith & wollensky are next on my list.

-ratha, 10:31pm, 1.7.23

dinner at venetian moon, 1.6.23

on the fly, we decided to go to an italian joint. there was one in reading called venetian moon. it looked halfway decent, so i figured why not give it a try. after getting lost trying to find the door into the restaurant, we walk in. it’s loud and there aren’t very many tables. i asked how long the wait was, and the host told me we’d be seated right away. confused, he told me to walk down the stairs. we walk into the basement and find ourselves at a table with mirrors behind a cornered booth. having no expectations, i order my go-to. chicken alfredo. when it came out, the portion was small, but you’ve got to believe me when i tell you this chicken alfredo was the best italian i’ve had in my whole life. it wasn’t because i was hungry or that i hadn’t really ate anything in a few days, rather it was because it was that good. it made me think about nights at maggiano’s, giacuomos, and even vapiano’s. those didn’t compare. what was even better was having conversation, being present in the moment. it felt like a new beginning under the venetian moon’s dimly lit basement. maybe it’s not a new beginning, maybe we’re just getting back to us.

you know, the important things.

-ratha, 11:42pm, 1.6.23

the office christmas tree, 1.5.23

i walked in with alan today and saw a christmas tree in the office. i asked him how long it’s been here, and he said since sometime in december. i’ve never noticed it, but i like it. sad that it’ll be gone soon, but hey, at least i get to enjoy it for a few more days.

-ratha, 6:52am, 1.5.23

binney street parking, 1.4.23

i got an email from hr today. they’re giving me a binney street parking pass. it was definitely a pleasant surprise because i lost out on the raffle a couple months ago. i’m grateful because we are smack dab in the middle of winter and parking half a mile away and walking to the office in the morning was painful. some days (with windchill) it was single digits, smh. thankfully those days are behind me now.

still have to deal with the commute, but this is a start.

-ratha, 4:12pm, 1.4.23

slow tuesdays, 1.3.23

first day back at the office and it is a doozy. lots to get done, lots that didn’t get done, and lots to catch up on. add in traffic and it’s enough to make someone lose their mind. not me though. at least not yet, but within time maybe i’ll lose myself so i can find a bit of self-fulfillment out of this life.

can you imagine?

-ratha, 3:23pm, 1.3.23

monday scaries, 1.2.23

since i’ve been out of work these past 2.5-3 weeks, my sleep schedule has gone down the drain. i’ll stay up until 5am/6am, sometimes even 8am, then sleep until the afternoon. i tried waking up earlier today, which was about 9:15am, so that i could sleep earlier tonight for work tomorrow. though it has been years since i’ve stayed up that late, i’d much prefer to not take work into consideration in regards to my sleep schedule.

but for now, what other choice to i have?

let’s hope a year from now i’ll have enough options to make a decision in my favor.

-ratha, 9:57pm, 1.2.23

chapter 2023; 1/365, 1.1.23

happy birthday dad. another year of blessings to him and another year of gratitude for his presence in my life. i’m not going to say much about plans for the year because i’d rather focus that time i’d use to talk plans for action instead.

happy new year’s if you’re reading this.

i pray this is the best year of your life because i know i’ll be damned if it isn’t mine.

-ratha, 3:32pm, 1.1.23

chapter 2022; 365/365, 12.31.22

new year’s eve, aka the finale of it all. new year’s eve is always a relaxing day for me because dad’s birthday is new year’s day. we usually watch college football and do things around the house. i wonder if he’ll stay up to watch the ball drop, if not i think i’ll find myself in the city surrounded by strangers celebrating new beginnings.

as arbitrary as the timing of a clean slate, new year’s is a nice reminder we can choose to start over whenever we’d like.

-ratha, 7:23pm, 12.31.22