How else can one get to know me better? Maybe by reading lots and lots about me and my average-ish week. If you’ve ever wondered what a chaotic mix of higher education work, high-protein meal prepping, cozy reading, and recovering from surgery looks like—buckle up.
Here is exactly what went down during a realistic week in my life blog recap from May 17th to May 23rd.
MONDAY
emails, elevators, and scalper sadness
This morning was hard. Like, really hard. Denver and I got back from being out of town at 10:30 PM last night, and of course, we had to make the bed, pack lunches, unpack bags, and prep for the week. I wanted to sleep so badly, but alas, duty calls.
I haven’t talked about it much here yet, but I had surgery almost a month ago. Navigating a post-op recovery timeline means I am currently unable to drive. Unfortunately for Denver, he had to wake up early and take me to work today at the ripe time of 8:00 AM.
Every morning, Denver listens to listens to NPR. I am rather ignorant about politics and world events – not because I don’t care, but because my anxiety skyrockets the moment I hear bad news. For the sake of my mental health, Denver just filters the news and lets me know what I absolutely need to know. He got me to work safely, and I grabbed my trusty knee scooter to scoot all the way to the elevator.
My job is in higher education and is usually straightforward, but right now I’m doing double the work. I’ve been covering a total of five separate colleges (and half of another!) since February, and the burnout is real. Today was just non-stop emails, phone calls, and being available for colleagues. On the bright side, I got to meet our newest hire today, which brought some serious relief. Help is on the way!
the great secret lair tragedy
Lunch was a bit dramatic, thanks to internet scalpers. Denver and I are avid Magic: The Gathering players (him more than me). He was in the online queue for the most recent MTG Secret Lair drop (Goblin Storm). It’s a pretty cool deck, even if it’s not my personal playstyle.
And… it sold out instantly.
Crap! Am I right? I learned that even when Wizards of the Coast tries to limit quantities, people always find a way around it. The lowest resale price for that Goblin Storm deck right now is $400. Scalping should genuinely be illegal.
On a better note, I picked up my college textbook from the library. The last time I remember being in there was for a tornado warning! It was a super simple process, and I’m ready to start reading ASAP.
For lunch, I ate my little sandwich, my little popcorn, and did a quick Alani Nu flavor review of the Strawberry Sunrise can I brought. It was alright, but I definitely prefer their slush flavors.
evening routine & cat drama
Denver picked me up, and I came home to cook Hamburger Helper. We watched an episode of Community while we ate. Honestly, that show has not aged well in some parts, but boy, does it still make me laugh. Denver decided to head out to Monday Night Magic at our local game store, but I had zero interest, so I stayed home to reset.
I deep-cleaned the bathroom, did a light tidy, folded the laundry I neglected yesterday, and prepped tomorrow’s lunches. In between chores, I sat down to play around with my Notion blog planner page to keep track of my publishing calendar and cycles. It’s an absolute work in progress, but it helps me see where my posts are at!
As I sat down to write, I put on the show High Potential. Right on cue, our sweet cat Aldo began screaming. He thinks 9:00 PM is 11:00 PM. For context, he gets fed twice a day: 6:00 AM and 11:00 PM. He eventually settled down, and I finished up my Anatomy of an Alibi book review and scheduled the graphics on Pinterest.
Then, I saw this meme that made me giggle:
For reference, I usually tell people that I was a theatre major so don’t ask me to do more than basic math and definitely do not ask me anything about science!
I feel like I haven’t been able to consume as much media as normal lately. Between Denver driving me around, not being able to hit the gym, and being buried at work, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
I ended the night with my post-op shower, inspected my incision, put on my Differin gel, and laid down. Aldo, fully aware that 11:00 PM was finally arriving, started his nightly song of “Meow Meow Meeeow” (which translates to “Feed Me, Peasants”). I checked my work email (a terrible habit) and read a few chapters of Red Rising until Denver came home and I drifted off to sleep.
TUESDAY
rain, venting, & a dinner fail
Waking up Tuesday was much harder than Monday. I’ve always been a light sleeper, and healing from surgery while wearing a massive orthopedic boot to sleep makes me so restless. The good news? I can stop wearing it to bed soon. Not super soon, but sooner rather than later.
The weather was grey and gloomy all day. Thankfully, that meant my little cubicle space wasn’t burning hot for once. I spent the day drowning in emails again. I tried the Cosmic Stardust can for today’s Alani Nu flavor review — 4 out of 5 stars! It tastes exactly like grape soda or a grape Jolly Rancher.
By lunchtime, I was beyond tired, anxious, and honestly in a terrible mood. I sometimes struggle with imposter syndrome, worrying that people don’t like me, or that I’m not a good worker, especially on days like today where I felt slow and noticed a few fixable mistakes.
I called Denver at lunch just to chat about nothing. My sandwich was a bit different today: swapped the mayo for Dijon mustard. Put some lettuce on that b*tch and it’d actually be pretty damn good! I added a Nature Valley granola bar to try to bump up my calories, but I still felt off.
By the end of the day, I was at my wit’s end. I finally did something hard for me: I went to my supervisor, admitted I was overwhelmed, and asked if I could redistribute some of my workload until the new hire is fully trained. She said yes! It takes a lot for me to admit when I’m struggling, but it was absolutely the best thing for my mental health.
dinner & tv reviews
I made chicken parm for dinner and learned a valuable lesson: I didn’t pound the chicken thin enough. Denver didn’t love it, but I made sure a better piece was packed for his lunch tomorrow.
While eating, we watched The Boys. I don’t know what happened, but this show has seriously fallen off. This final season kind of… sucks? Episode 7 was doing way too much. The fact that they are showing the series finale in theaters when the quality has gone downhill is mind-boggling. But hey, they’ve made their money.
Afterward, Denver played Marvel Rivals while I did laundry, watched more High Potential (and totally cried during Elliot’s talent show performance – what a cutie!), and read more Red Rising. My sister and I also locked in plans for Friday!
WEDNESDAY
micro-transactions & mtg losses
I am a morning person, I swear, but the gloomy weather caused me to oversleep today. Denver dropped me off at work again. Campus orientation is currently underway, and it reminded me of how much big universities love their micro-transactions.
While trying to catch up on tasks, I put on Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard. I actually knew about this true crime case long before Lifetime got its grimy little hands on it, but Emily Osborn was in it, so that was cool.
Lunch was a disaster! I put way too much mustard on my sandwich, which made it completely nasty and gave me a stomach ache. I pushed through and spent some time revamping old blog posts. I try so hard to stay positive, but days like today make it tough.
Later, we had a quick team meeting and I helped train our new hire.
For dinner, we ate Hamburger Helper again. At this point, I should honestly be sponsored by them. Afterward, we met up with some friends to play a Magic the Gathering commander deck tournament. It was super fun, but I lost literally every single game, which was a little sad. When we got home, I knocked out some chores, showered, and wound down by reading Snotgirl Volume 4 and Red Rising.
THURSDAY
YA GIRL CAN DRIVE!
Yep, woke up late and arrived at work late again. Great. I grabbed my daily caffeine fix, and to whoever said the new reformulation of the Cherry Slush flavor is ass… I hate to say it, but you are 100% correct. My official Alani Nu flavor review for this one is a hard pass. It’s not it.
My morning consisted of answering emails, processing forms, helping the other specialists with questions, and tackling a new cold-call campaign. I absolutely hate making cold calls (as does any sane human being).
During my lunch break, I managed to finish writing my Wuthering Heights film adaptation review and updated my blog’s About Me page.
But the absolute highlight of my week happened after Denver picked me up. The rain finally stopped, and I decided to see if I could handle driving to the mailbox. I did it! No pain! Ya girl can officially drive again! A major milestone for my post-op recovery timeline. Freedom tastes so sweet.
an evening at the stockyards
Denver had been debating whether we should go to a local monthly photo walk. Since I’m still semi-non-weightbearing, it seemed risky, but we decided to go anyway. We walked around the Stockyards, and people looked genuinely shocked to see me out and about hustling on crutches! Denver got some incredible photos.
Quick Tip for Visiting the Stockyards: Wear comfortable shoes, watch out for the uneven cobblestones, and if you’re on crutches like me, take it slow!
Afterward, we hit up the nearest Texas Roadhouse. Denver got a massive 16oz sirloin, and I ordered chicken tenders with a side of veggies. Let me just tell you: veggies and fried chicken tenders do not belong on the same plate. But hey… health.
FRIDAY
road trips, blog goals, & a cat emergency
Friday means official half-days at the office! I was out the door early and wrapped up work by noon when my sister picked me up.
We originally planned to just grab lunch, but she unexpectedly had to drive to Tulsa for work. Instead of canceling, I jumped in the passenger seat for a spontaneous 4+ hour road trip! It turned into a mini girls’ trip. She blasted her rave music, I vibed, and I used the car ride to work on some upcoming blog posts (including a Taylor Swift post and a round-up of my recent DNF books).
I also checked my blog analytics and noticed my views are a bit low right now. I’m actively reminding myself that numbers don’t define my self-worth. As long as I am having an amazing time writing, that’s what matters. I am a writer, period, and that is pretty cool.
(Side note: I am currently experiencing the ultimate blogger dilemma. I desperately want a beautiful paid WordPress theme, but I don’t want to shell out the money for a business account for a hobby. The struggle!)
When I got home, Denver and I had (you guessed it) Hamburger Helper for dinner while watching the finale of The Boys. Wow. I have thoughts, and absolutely none of them are good.
To cheer ourselves up, I drove over to Crest before turning around and heading to Target. Look at me, executing a two-stop driving trip!
I finalized next week’s meal plan, placed a Walmart grocery pickup order, and thought the night was a success…
the “blanket spaghetti” incident
…Until Aldo decided to eat “blanket spaghetti” (fuzz/strings from a blanket). It sent us into a total spiral. Denver was frantically calling emergency vets while I tried to finish the laundry in a panic. He ended up being fine, but we stayed up way too late monitoring him.
SATURDAY
photoshoots & farewell parties
I usually wake up around 9:00 AM, but today I slept in exceptionally late. Healing is exhausting! Once I finally dragged myself out of bed, I went and picked up our Walmart grocery order before eating my leftover chicken tenders from Texas Roadhouse for a glamorous brunch.
We didn’t do a whole lot today. We had a couple of casual outdoor photoshoots where I practiced walking around on my crutches. Everyone we ran into was pretty cool, but man, getting around on uneven ground is tough when you’re still early in a post-op recovery timeline.
Afterward, we headed out to a friend’s “see ya later” party, then came home to knock out some house chores and spend a little time tweaking things on the blog.
SUNDAY
sam’s club & 3 am magic
Sunday was a lot less boring than Saturday! My granny took Denver and me to Sam’s Club, and honestly… I am heavily contemplating getting a membership now. I don’t usually buy things in bulk, but the gas savings alone? Plus that $5 rotisserie chicken? Yum! We didn’t buy a ton, but I am so appreciative of my granny for taking us.
After getting everything unpacked at home, we immediately turned right around to go to another farewell hangout for the same friend. We ate burgers, which were incredibly yummy, and then came home to crash for a much-needed hour-and-a-half nap.
Once I woke up, I spent some time tinkering with my Katara Magic the Gathering commander deck. Later, we went over to a friend’s house to play a few games of Magic. I lost literally every single game… My Angel deck stood no chance against their high-powered decks but I still had a ton of fun.
We ended up grabbing McDonald’s for dinner afterward, which was honestly gross and put me way over my calorie goals for the day (sad!). We ended up staying up until 3:00 AM playing Magic, which was absolutely crazy, but Denver had a blast. I am one sleepy girl!
Let’s Chat
What does your average week look like? Are you an Alani Nu fan, or do you stick to coffee? Let me know in the comments below!
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