Every November, Laura Tremaine hosts a linkup called One Day, in which everyone posts the minutiae of their day, the stuff that normally goes undocumented. I’ve learned that these are the kinds of things you look back on and see how much in your life has changed (or not). While One Day is meant to happen on Instagram throughout the day, I prefer to post it all here as a photoessay!
Past years: 2013 // 2014 // 2015 // 2016
Thursday, November 9, 2017
6:15 am: My radio alarm goes off (for the second time) as Kesha’s “Praying” is starting. I love that song, so I let it run, then turn the light on and commence my morning phone check. After about a week of gloom, today is supposed to be sunny! Rufus leaves the laundry basket he’s been sleeping in and joins me for cuddles. I suddenly remember today is One Day and snap some pics before getting out of bed.
6:45 am: I start the coffee and am happy to see the sunlight for myself! (But not happy to keep seeing these piles of landscaping rocks that I excavated from my patio beds. I have nowhere to take them and have listed them for free in several online groups, but no one is willing to pick them up on nights or weekends. ?)
7:20 am: Hurriedly putting my face on. This is the Makeup Revolution Salted Caramel palette. I like it a lot. Oh and here are my current everyday hair products. A fellow curlyheaded friend recently asked about my routine, and after I told her (over multiple texts), her response was, “Oh wow.” LOL.
7:40 am: My breakfast on weekdays is a pack of BelVita breakfast biscuits eaten in the car. I’m NOT a morning person and am always struggling to get out the door. I think about how when I was a kid, I instinctively got up earlier than necessary to allow for a slow ease into the day. I need to figure out how to do that as an adult. Having a real breakfast would be nice.
8:05 am: In the office, plugged up and ready to go. I looooooove my widescreen monitor. Most of my co-workers have two monitors, but that confuses me. On this one I can see two pages side-by-side and that’s good enough for me.
9:35 am: Current lock screen.
10:00 am: Switch from coffee to Crystal Light. This Java Sok is one of the most useful things I’ve ever bought. I was tired of my cups “sweating” everywhere and found a cozy large enough for a standard drink cup. Also, I bring my old-man pill sorter to work when I’m running too late to take them at home. Current dailies: women’s multivitamin, fish oil, evening primrose oil, St. John’s Wort, and Allegra. Plus a probiotic that has to be refrigerated (ladies, I highly recommend it).
11:35 am: Since I can’t take pictures of my actual work, here’s the other side of my cubicle. My morning has consisted of problematic e-mail issues, transaction research, and explaining the same things to the same clients multiple times. In other words… Thursday.
12:25 pm: Outfit of the day: Uniqlo long-sleeved tee, Delia’s Morgan skinny jeans, favorite over-the-knee suede boots, Hilton Hollis silk scarf that I won in a raffle a few months ago. Pose by emoji.
12:40 pm: I’ve been doing twice-a-week lunchtime workouts at my company’s fitness room (or, as I call it, the exercise closet) for over ten years. I prefer the AMT machine (most efficient calorie burn) and I always watch How I Met Your Mother reruns, unless it’s an episode I’ve seen too often.
1:20 pm: THE SAGA (of my lunch) BEGINS. I go back to my building and eagerly heat up my Healthy Choice meal, only to drop it on the floor when the steam scalds me. The plastic seal inexplicably flies off and my lunch is ruined. Luckily for me, we’re having Food Truck Thursday today…
1:30 pm: After cleaning up the mess, I rush out to the food trucks and attempt to order tacos, but am told they don’t take cards. Just as I’m on the verge of hangry tears, she says the Merge Memphis Eats & Treats truck takes cards and still has food. I get a Turkey Bacon Ranch grilled cheese, inhale it in five minutes, and all is well again.
The sandwich was supposed to be more in the picture, but I was afraid I’d drop it too.
2:05 pm: One of our high-ranking lawyers is in town and has brought Muddy’s cupcakes! I get a Tomboy (chocolate with peanut butter frosting). I also go next door for my favorite drink from our free magical Coke machine.
2:30 pm: Another view of my cubicle. Meanwhile, my friend Ashley notifies our group text that she just closed on her first house! She’ll be living only a few blocks away. I’m very excited!! ♥
3:00 pm: Annual one-on-one meeting with our visiting attorney.
4:30 pm: News breaks that over SEVEN YEARS after his murder, police have found the gun that killed former Tiger and Grizzly Lorenzen Wright. For various reasons I have unusually strong feelings around his case, so to me this is huge. Hoping for answers and justice for his family.
5:05 pm: I’ve left work via these scary stairs for sixteen years and haven’t fallen down them yet. Knock on wood.
5:10 pm: My low tire pressure light is on AGAIN. One of the tires gets low almost weekly. I had to buy an air compressor. My dad, my boyfriend Taylor, and I have all inspected the tire and don’t see anything wrong. Yes I’m listening to Moana on the way home. This is pretty much my 2017 anthem.
5:25 pm: Taylor calls to talk about our days. I often go to trivia on Thursday nights, and sometimes he comes with me, but tonight I have to run and he has more work to do.
6:15 pm: Three weeks left until the St. Jude half-marathon. I already did my long-short run on Tuesday, so I only have to do four miles tonight. Running in the dark in Midtown without falling OR getting hit by a car requires a lot of gear. (I still trip and almost fall twice on this run.) Instead of my main running playlist that has almost 400 songs, I indulge in my Essential Running playlist with only my favorites on it, and am rewarded.
6:30 pm: I vary my routes as much as possible, but I love running past the House of Mews! Usually the cats are all in baskets in the window, but tonight they’re further inside, so I go to the door to snap a quick pic.
7:05 pm: I have run the first sub-11-minute mile of my life, and almost made it to two!!! On my last downhill I also saw that I was briefly sub-10. I FEEL AMAZING.
7:40 pm: After my shower, I hear Rufus meowing but can’t find him. I remember I put my hat away in the coat closet and check there. He flies out. Cats. Go fig.
7:45 pm: This flyer was on my front door essentially notifying me that my electric bill is going to go up. Whatever, time to cook! I decide to throw together a hash of sorts. I cook some ground venison (provided by my dad and brother), throw in some spinach and frozen roasted potatoes, and add chopped parsley and some Parmesan cheese. There, I gave you a recipe in under a thousand words, proving that I’m not meant to be a food blogger.
8:00 pm: I know it’s So Bad For You to eat dinner this late, but when I’m training, there’s not much I can do about it. As I chow down I read this week’s EW, seen on my nightstand earlier. CANNOT WAIT for I, Tonya. I was at the perfect age to be transfixed when the Tonya/Nancy feud happened. There were lots of leftover cupcakes at work, so of course I brought one home. It’s an excellent, clove-heavy carrot cake.
9:00 pm: Putting away some laundry while watching this week’s Mindy Project. This has been my favorite current show for years, supplanted only recently by This Is Us. Next week is the finale and I am NOT READY. I’m also enjoying some Honey Clementine votives. Taylor used to work for Yankee Candle and is very generous with his supply.
9:30 pm: I’ve completely redone my guest room/office since last year’s One Day, so here’s a pic of my IKEA Hemnes bookcases, and the corner of my desk. This is only a fraction of my library, mostly my childhood and teenage books.
9:45 pm: Feeling much less amazing now. Compression socks on, feet up, purr therapy applied.
10:15 pm: Channel 3 with the truly breaking and up-to-the-minute news. I’m pretty loyal to Channel 5, but they’re showing Thursday Night Football right now. Time for the evening beauty routine. I put the Mederma on acne scars and any other scars that are currently bugging me. It really works.
10:35 pm: My Jimmy Fallon love is well-documented and I still watch him sometimes, but these days I’m turning to Colbert to recap WTH happened today and help me laugh about it.
10:45 pm: I can no longer keep my eyes open. Good night!
Yay for Young the Giant! They’re one of my favorite bands. And that particular song seems quite appropriate for running. It’s cool to see all the details that make up a day, thanks for sharing them. :)