Staycation is over. Happy Monday! *grits teeth*
I am fine with going back to work. It’s not like I have to “go back” to anywhere anyway. I am thinking I might go into my office later this week (people have been dropping in on and off, solo, to take advantage of the solitude) while I still can, as I expect that there will be more coronavirus restrictions in our future. People in Ohio are being just as dumb as people everywhere else so I am sure we will catch up with Florida and Texas eventually.
We picked up our dogs from camp (why we call it “school” when they only go during the day and “camp” when they stay overnight at the same place, I am not sure) and it seems like everything was fine. There were no bad remarks about either of them on the Notepad Of Doom at the front desk so I guess their stay was uneventful.
I don’t know if you’ve ever sent a dog to overnight camp, but a consequence 100% of the time is that they stink to high heaven upon returning. In the car on the way home, my husband said “You guys smell like puke” so after dinner each dog got a bath and they’ve both been sleeping pretty much ever since. As a bonus they smell like vanilla honey puppy shampoo, something that I’m sure will be short-lived, but it is nice for the time being. The puppy for whatever reason usually smells like a hamster cage so this is a nice change.
I did miss the dogs while they were away but it was also nice to just exist and not be constantly tending to something. It was also nice to sleep uninterrupted and not be followed to the bathroom, which is more my older dog’s hangup (the puppy doesn’t really care where you are going). If you shut the bathroom door in the big one’s face he will just push it open so if you truly want to be alone you have to actually lock him out. When you open the door, he will be sitting there looking at you reproachfully. WHY CAN’T I BE WITH YOU ALWAYS.
On July 4th we sat outside after dark and listened to all the fireworks. We could see a few colorful flares over the treetops but mostly it was just noise. Frankly, it sounded like grainy early-aughts CNN footage of Baghdad. It always has, I suppose, but in 2020 it “just hits different” as they say on Twitter. Although I enjoyed my weekend, our pool day and Hot Chicken Takeover with family, this holiday felt kinda gross to me this year. Sorry to be a wet blanket lefty pinko but I don’t have any WOO HOO AMERICA left in me at the moment. I mostly like the people and the concept, but the execution has been shitty.
In closing, the food part: I highly recommend that Smitten Kitchen corn salad, although if you don’t have Tajín I would not necessarily bother buying it if it isn’t readily available to you. Chili powder, lime juice, and salt will work just fine. Also, if you just buy the Whole Foods frozen fire-roasted corn you don’t need to bugger around with grilling corn, which is always just kind of a pain.
It’s supposed to be in the 90s all week this week which means I won’t be touching my oven in any way, other than to use it as extra counter space. As I told a friend yesterday my brain is already Swiss cheese from heat madness and it’s only been in the upper 80s, so turning on any heat-producing appliance is not a look I’m trying to cultivate at the moment. Carry out and salads it is!