Question for anyone who might stumble upon this and who manages in the restaurant industry: do you have even a shred of work/life balance? Does it matter to you? How do you see your future playing out (eg will you work yourself to the bone until you die)? Anyway, I’m about to go to bed at 3:00 🥲

I’m nothing but a mannequin for all the sequins I can pack into one outfit. Tacky? Maybe. Ready for a Saturday night at my cabaret/restaurant? I think so 🤔 Sometimes the only thing getting me through is sparkling like a disco ball…

😭

What if these aren’t enough? What if people will see me differently? What if I flat out can’t do this job? How much better is 11.45 hours than 12? Why do I just need one day off when other people get two? I feel like I’m not strong enough for the realities of this job. How long do I keep pushing?

One more day til I return to work with accommodations from the doc which are stressing me out. Super reasonable stuff but I guess I still judge myself for needing “special treatment.” I mean it’s “consistent schedule, at least one 15 min break, at least one full day off a week.” Basic, right? But…

Important lesson: no matter what, I need a consistent 8 hours of sleep. Three nights of about 6 hours and I’m crying in the elevator as I’m listening to Messiah. Get a grip Belle

Crispy Roast Duck Recipe - Tasting Table This duck is slow-roasted and then glazed with a magical lemon-honey concoction that burnishes the meat a gorgeous golden mahogany.

Used this method the other day and the duck was perfect. I didn’t do the accoutrements, though. I dry brined for several hours first (would be great overnight) with salt, pepper, orange zest, various seasonings. Highly recommend.

www.tastingtable.com/642554/crisp...

(I don’t think I could truly go full housewife again. But fun to pretend a little before the 12hr days recommence)

Decorated the house for Christmas today (no tree yet). An obscene amount of candles, ready for the apocalypse. And then I made some truly weird but yummy acorn squash and leek croquettes to go with a cheese board/charcuterie. Husband’s comment, “I don’t make enough money for this.” Oh dear!

I remember having 5 channels on the TV and you took what you could get (which is why I have detailed memories of Good Times, thanks WBFF). Now it takes me half an hour to choose something I have already seen and I’m still not happy with my choice. Bring back the britcoms on MPT. Modern life is wild.

There was no reason whatsoever for me to wake up at 8:00. The indignity

First: cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, taking down Halloween decor, organizing the closet. Then: excruciating 2 hour massage, ibuprofen, muscle relaxer, candlelit epsom salt bath, silky jimjams. Savoring every moment of recovery before I go back.

All done by Robyn Jones in Ellicott City. Itching for the next one…

Cleaning up my brain by cleaning up the apartment. I feel like this is a solid use of my time. It also gives me a good excuse not to check my phone too often. Except for now I guess 🙄

I got buckets of approval on the dinner - even the highest of compliments: that he could not have done it himself. Now I shall never cook again, I have reached peak home chef, time to retire.

Look at that bird!

Look I’m just saying that if he’s emotionally intelligent, a harpsichordist, an artist, a loyal friend, an absolute hunk, a world traveler, the consummate host, and a gourmet chef… how much does it matter that dinner is people more often than not?

People of Bluesky. Let’s get to know each other better. What is your all-time favorite TV show?

Quote share your answer in gif form.

(This gif is everything)

I was gonna do slutty chicken but I saw the duckie and threw caution to the wind. Weird birds is a Wolf&Fox holiday tradition.

Dry brined duck with an orange/honey/tarragon glaze, berry bourbon sauce, and celeriac soup with duck stock, cream, and fried leeks. Oh and I think I’m making broccolini? The housewife life is creeping up on me.

Day 3 of emergency time off to take care of the ol’ noggin. Hard to break the habit of working 12 hours a day. I feel a need to be productive - like if I push hard enough I will get a good grade in life. Maybe I should embrace the idea that there is productivity in self-care. Ugh!

Also this

There is definitely murder and gourmet people eating. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Correct! It’s a very sexy show!!

Hannibal why are you doing this to me

Looks like I just post about how depressed I am, what a bummer! Today I polished silver for three hours so that’s gotta be more interesting

I find myself being tempted to deep dive into a new fandom and DEAR GOD I do not have the time

Taking a couple days off to get my head on straight. Must find balance between productivity and rest. So I slept until 2:00 and now I’m cleaning out the last carload of stuff from my old house (moved out in 5/21, last pickup 10/24).

I think a lot of what I’m dealing with is grief.

As long as profit is the point, can any company operate 100% ethically? And what percentage is acceptable? Or at what ratio do we say, enough is enough?

I do tend to struggle in spring and fall - I’ve read that people with bipolar disorder have difficulty with those seasons.