03. A glimpse into my work week

Plus a trip to Massachusetts

Sunday was equally as pleasant as Saturday was. Sundays are my favorite day of the week — they hold so much promise and are full of all the things that make me feel utterly at peace, like organization, preparation, and determination. Without these three elements, I wouldn’t have a good week, I’m sure. And I believe one can get the most out of each on a Sunday. (The absolute best feeling is when a month begins on a Sunday — can’t wait for October). I had a very slow morning after the cats woke me up for their breakfast. I fixed myself an iced matcha latte and vowed to steer clear from coffee this week since it’s been making me extra jittery (determination). Then, I made two sandwiches using the focaccia I baked the day before (preparation — see the sandwiches here), and geared up for a wintry run, my first since the fall. Bridget and I ran a 5k in September, and I want to run another this year (maybe something longer if I can find the time to train). Although it was cold, it felt so good. In the afternoon I continued to pack for my visit to Massachusetts later in the week (organization — check, check, check!) where it will be in the twenties. For lunch I had something I often forget I love — a warm pita stuffed with hummus, lettuce, and tomatoes. I started a new puzzle and began preparing dinner: Skirt Steak with Red Chimichurri from Molly Baz. It came out pretty well considering it was the first time I’ve cooked red meat ever. After dinner, Dad and I worked on the puzzle. And kept working on it well after the sun set. I complained about the lack of chocolate in the house, and he, of course, knew exactly where a few squares were hiding. I said goodnight, and when I came down in the morning, the puzzle was finished. 

Monday it was back to work. On the train I started Hunger by Roxane Gay. I made another matcha and had it at my desk along with breakfast — granola with oat milk, banana, and peanut butter (I eat it in a paper coffee cup which makes me feel like I’m camping). For lunch I had my sandwich and some chicken wings. Maura picked me up from the train, and we went to Jules for dinner. She told me all about her and Bridget’s trip to Scottsdale, and then we went to Wawa for dessert. We watched TV at home, got ready for bed together, and then bid each other farewell. She left for school the next day. 

On Tuesday, a lunch meeting and a wedding tasting took place at work, which meant lots of coordinating who was serving what to each party. In the afternoon, my boss took me to a university’s gala walkthrough. Mom cooked salmon in brown butter for dinner with brown rice, steamed spinach, and broiled tomatoes. I spent a good chunk of the evening editing the itinerary for the trip Matt and I are taking to Vermont and Montreal in March; if you have any recommendations of places to see and things to eat please let me know! I made popcorn for dessert with my usual seasoning lineup — salt, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast — and made a note to try a version my cousin Caroline shared with me. She recommends popping kernels in coconut oil and tossing in salt and li hing powder, a dried plum seasoning from Hawaiian. Then I watched more of The Lost Kitchen, a show that has quickly become a comfort blanket during the work week. I saw a TikTok this night, too, that stayed with me through the rest of the week. In it someone came to the conclusion that “the way we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” I suppose wrestling with this hard truth is a good thing during this time in my life.

I rose at my normal hour on Wednesday (6:30 a.m.) and made a matcha before getting on the train. A VIP tasting took place around lunchtime, so I did my best to scarf down my mortadella sandwich while setting the table and doling out special skewers and signs the planner wanted to use to wow her clients. The theme of this particular event is all things aviation and Top Gun, so I designed a boarding pass menu card to go along with their main course. I am one of two people at work who create all the signage at work. My coworkers call me the in-house graphic designer, although the stuff I make is far from what professionals are capable of. But you’d be surprised at how little effort it takes to really wow someone. People’s faces light up when they see their name or company logo on something. In high school when I worked on the school newspaper, laying out the pages was the part I looked forward to the most, so this part of my job is quite gratifying. Finished Hunger, a five-star book. I ate dinner in front of the TV (Mom made beef stew) because all I wanted to do was zone out. Then Bridget and I had a fun little chat about work and sticking up for ourselves and our apartment search and her recap of the trip to Scottsdale. I finished packing and hit the lights before 11 p.m.

And then on Thursday, I got up at 6 a.m. I went into work early so that I could dip out just before five in order to situate myself at 30th Street Station to put a damper on my travel anxiety. But before that train, there was the local one into the city. I started a new book that my Uncle Paul raves about according to Dad — Nelson DeMille’s Night Fall. Work was less busy, and I was finally able to share lunch with my friends again. I’ve become closest with a woman named Sue who is the other half of the signage department. She’s considerably older than me — but not by much — although we’ve become quite the duo (both professionally and socially). Lunch was alright, but there were brownies, blondies, and chocolate covered pretzels for dessert, so Sue and I went back for seconds before returning to our desks. Successfully boarded my train to Boston, where I read, ate my sandwich — a mediocre hummus and feta number — and reflected Monday–Thursday in this newsletter. At 7:30 p.m., we arrived at Penn Station, and I was reminded of all the trains I used to depart in the underbelly of Manhattan. I know I say that I miss New York, but the degree to which I think about New York and what it’s become to me and who I was then (alllll those years ago… lol) is surprising. By May of last year, I was ready to leave it behind just like I wanted to leave home behind when I was in high school. My heart grew fonder for Philadelphia all those months I was away from it, and the same has happened to New York. It was raining hard when my train finally arrived in Massachusetts around midnight, and then that rain turned into heavy snow. The car barely hit 20 MPH as Matt and I watched it pile up on the highway. What a relief it was to turn into his driveway almost two hours later.

On Friday I got to sleep in a bit. Then I read and wrote before heading to Matt’s work for lunch — we had cheesesteaks with his colleagues, and then it was back to his house for the afternoon. I read while he did work, and then we caught up on our rest from the night before. We met up with a pair of his work friends for dinner. The four of us split some cheese and charcuterie, and Matt and I shared a mushroom flatbread and a chicken sandwich with hot sauce and tangy slaw. After a nice long meal out, it was back to Matt’s house for a nightcap and card game.

Saturday was a busy day of bopping around the North Shore — Newburyport, Ipswich, Gloucester, and Salem. We didn’t end up doing anything witchy in Salem, but I’d return just for the food, namely Notch Brewing and Bambolina. At Notch we split a sausage board, complete with sauerkraut, pickles, and mustard, and a warm pretzel. Then for dinner at Bambolina, Matt ordered ramen and dumplings from the Asian-influenced side of the menu called Kokeshi, and I got a grilled Caesar salad with fried chicken for my dinner.