the 23rd week

My first real rosetta. It's not the prettiest, but it'll do.

Monday. With Thanksgiving Break over, I put in a solid 9 hours. I dreamt about my friend Mandy K. In the dream there were zombies running around and we were in a car someplace headed north. And that was that. After work I went to The Anchor for coffee and did some writing. When I got home I watched "The Walking Dead" with the usual Monday night crowd (Blake, Amos, Brandy, Ams, Mandy, and sometimes Andy). The rest of the night was spent just hanging out and drinking coffee.

Tuesday. At training I poured my first rosetta. It was pretty exciting, and almost entirely a fluke, but it paid off and I started cranking them out. Later in the evening I talked to Mandy K. She updated me on her life and I did likewise, and the conversation lasted about an hour, but it only felt like ten minutes. That's usually how it is with her.

Wednesday. Bonbonerie (a Cincinnati bakery) delivered us a basket of goodies; I was particularly fond of the iced sugar cookies in the shapes of Christmas trees and frosted windows and even in the shape of Santa's head! After work I ran some errands in Florence, and then I went back to work for a mandatory store meeting. You know how those go. I took Emily to her car afterwards, and gave Tiffany a lift to her mom's (since she lives right across the street). "You're the only one at work who doesn't get grumpy sometimes," she said. I told her, "That's because I internalize it." And then I let loose in my nightly journals, and afterwards I feel quite better. I picked Mandy up from Cincy State, and she taught me how to make the best oatmeal I've ever had, with brown sugar cinnamon and walnuts. 

Thursday. Woke to a blanket of frost, clear skies, and warm weather (50 degrees). Birds were singing and a car wrecked itself into a house off Wilder. I did coffee and O.J. at The Anchor before a decent close with Amos. Today I was "officially" certified as a barista (5 months late simply because, well, we forgot about it). Isaac came over after work, and I started watching HBO's WWII in HD. It's incredible. 

Friday. I went to The Anchor before closing with Stephanie; Amos wasn't there because he, Blake, and Isaac went to North Carolina for the weekend. When I got home I hung out with Amos, and when Mandy came home she joined us, and then Andy stopped by and hung out with us, too. They made a Kroger run and threw together puppy chow made with nutella. Dinner was spaghetti with homemade garlic bread, and we watched "Frisky Dingo" and "Archer" and then half of us (me and Mandy) passed out on the sofas by 11:15. We're partiers, that much is for sure.

Saturday. Andy and I got Dusmesh for lunch, and then Tyler came down from Dayton. We made a Chipotle Run (I just had oatmeal for dinner), and then got U.D.F. ice cream. Andy came over and we made coffee from Maui, and we all hung out late into the night.

Sunday. I made a Hawaiian-Costa Rican blend coffee upon waking, and Tyler, Ams and I had lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery. I had the nachos and their new scotch ale: so good, quite potent, and I got more than a little buzzed. I ran into Cat on the street, and then we got free coffee at Carew, courtesy of Hartman and Gina. Well, Ams and Tyler got coffee; I just had an iced soy chai. Tyler headed home, and I ran to Clifton for a bit and then spent the cold and rainy evening listening to Bill Calahan, burning incense, and relaxing in my room. Once night fell it was still raining and misty, with the streetlights glowing like orange orbs suspended in the drizzling fog. "It's creepy," Mandy said. Yes, Mandy. It was.