Stephany Writes

Categories: Recurring Series

Five for Friday (v. 100)

1) Nose piercing

Engie has asked for more information about my nose piercing, so I’m here to answer that! It’s been almost two months since I got the piercing and the healing process has been fairly easy. The first night, my nose was incredibly sore but that healed after a day. Moving the piercing around in my nose was very, very painful (which I had to do twice a day to keep the wound clean, ack!) for quite a while (maybe a few weeks?) but now I can move it around easily. Two or three weeks after getting the piercing, I accidentally pulled the piercing out of my nose when I was washing my face (the stud caught on the washcloth and pulled clear out!). It was so painful to get it back in—and complicated since the stud has an L-shaped backing. I had to look up on YouTube how to put it back in!

Most of the time, I don’t realize the piercing is there—I often worry it has accidentally slipped out of my nose and slap my nose in a panic, making sure it’s still there. Engie asked specifically about sneezing. Let me tell you: Sneezing was terrifying for the first week or so after my piercing. I felt like I was sneezing a lot more than usual, and every time I sneezed, I was convinced the piercing fell out. But it never did! I don’t think it hurt to sneeze, but it just felt weird.

Lastly, let’s talk about the L-shaped backing. It’s something like this:

I was concerned about having something stuck in my nose at all times. Would it feel weird? Would I want to sneeze all the time? The short answer is that most times, I don’t feel it at all. But sometimes, it annoys the hell out of me. Every now and then (typically after a good sneeze), the backing will rotate around in my nose to where the bottom part is sticking out of my nostril. Not a cute look! So I have to rotate it back inside my nose and fiddle around with it for a while until it’s in a good spot where it’s not bothering me.

I think those are all my nose ring thoughts for now! If you have more questions, please ask! I’ll be able to replace the stud with a hoop very soon, and I am super excited about that!

2) TV Talk

Suzanne asked me to talk more about TV, specifically she said: “I want to know all the shows on your consideration list! And why TV shows vs. reality shows? I need more details!!!!” Well, Suzanne, I am so happy to oblige!

I feel that I approach TV shows the way most people approach reading. I usually just watch whatever people are talking about and I get my recommendations solely from other people. I have my comfort shows that I watch over and over again (Brooklyn 99, Parks and Rec, Gilmore Girls, etc.) and I also love watching reality TV, specifically competition reality TV. I love Big Brother, The Traitors, Survivor, The Amazing Race, Master Chef, The Challenge, Squid Game (the U.S. version at least), and most recently The Circle. I was all in on American Idol and America’s Got Talent and The Voice when those were more popular shows. In many of these competition shows, you have to think strategically and have a good social game to make it far. It’s exciting to see people get eliminated and exciting to watch the drama unfold. The drama feels low stakes and something so removed from, uh, reality that it’s not stressful. It’s just fun. Plus, I can kinda turn my brain off when I’m watching these types of shows since there isn’t a storyline to follow for the most part.

However, I want to be a more well-rounded TV watcher, which is why I made the goal of watching one season of a TV show every month. Since most TV shows these days aren’t the typical 26-episode run, it feels like a doable goal. But I’ve also fallen back on some of my reality TV habits, sigh. I keep a list in my phone of possible TV shows (and documentaries) to watch, although I usually just start the show that was most recently recommended to me when I’m in the mood for something new. Here’s my current list:

For the purpose of my goal, the TV shows I want to check off my list the most are Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Apples Never Fall, Lessons in Chemistry, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I’d also love to start working my way through either Everything’s Sunny or Jane the Virgin, but that feels like a big commitment. I also still need to watch the last season of Ted Lasso, ack! So much TV, so little time, as they say.

3) Closet organization

I wanted to share some photos of my newly organized closet! This was a labor of love and now that it’s complete and everything is in its rightful place, I feel such a sense of calm when I step into my closet. Here’s the left side of the closet:

The brown basket holds all sorts of paper goods—planners, journals, etc. And then I have an empty space where I can keep all of my “worn but not dirty” clothes. Right now, my “worn but not dirty” clothes include some workout clothes that I’m wearing on my walks (officially time for shorts/tanks for my walks), a pair of jeans, and some cotton shorts and a T-shirt that are my current “lounge clothes.” Near the end of the shelf, I have some things I need to frame/hang up, my current stack of books that will be donated to LFLs in the future, and my file box with my “deal with it later” bin sitting on top.

Right underneath this shelf, I’ve moved a four-cube bookcase. It gives me a bit more shelf space to play around which, which is nice. Going clockwise, the first bin holds extra coloring books/supplies, the second bin holds additional sheets, the third bin holds an extra quilt, and the fourth bin holds gift bags/gift supplies. On top of the shelf, I have some free weights (probably need to donate those…), backup paper towels, and a tiny basket with some backup scents I got from Bath & Body Works (mostly hand sanitizer, Wallflower refills, and car air fresheners). I also have a cat scratching pad that I need to give the girls!

And lastly, we come to the right side where all of my containers are stacked up! These are labeled on the picture but do not have actual labels on them, which is something I’d like to do in the future. Thankfully, they’re clear containers so I can see everything in them but labels would be a nice touch, I think.

4) Bloodwork results

I got my bloodwork results back and things didn’t look great. My cholesterol remains high (just a few points above normal, but still) and my triglycerides are very, very high right now. I also scored just a few tenths of a point below the threshold for diabetes when it comes to my A1C and my glucose was also pretty high. None of this is all too surprising for me, as I continue to struggle with hypoglycemia issues and I know I haven’t been following a super healthy diet. It’s also a wake-up call for me that I really need to focus on lowering my sugar intake, getting more exercise, and adding more fruits and veggies to my diet. Thankfully, I have a dietician who can help me with all of the above! We had an appointment yesterday and before the appointment, I forwarded my bloodwork report to her so she could take a look and help me make a plan of action. We’re going to increase our appointments to every other week and work on ways to clean up my diet so I can get back to a normal range. In six months, I’ll get my bloodwork done again and hope to see the numbers trending in a better direction. Right now, we’re focusing on cleaning up my breakfasts (goodbye sausage egg McMuffins and sugary cereals from my childhood) and making sure I try to add a fruit or veggie to every meal. So, I can have that frozen pizza but let’s add a side salad to it so I still get some of the green stuff. I’ve also decided to join a gym! My mom has been asking me to join Crunch Fitness with her for a long time, so we’re going to do that next week. I’ll have a built-in accountability buddy and my goal is to get to the gym twice a week for a workout that raises my heart rate, as these walks I’ve been doing—while good for my mental health—aren’t doing much for my physical health.

5) Weekend plans

It’s going to be a busy weekend around here. Today, I have a hair appointment in the afternoon and then I’ll probably come home, take a nap, and then order takeout and watch the Love is Blind reunion. Tomorrow, I have all the things! It starts with a writing date with Mikaela, recording two podcast episodes with Bri, and then heading over to my mom’s to celebrate Chip’s birthday and do game night with the fam. And Sunday? It’s a day with zero plans. I will likely sleep in, do some grocery shopping, and try to get some chores done. Exciting stuff!

What’s a TV show on your to-be-watched list?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in February

Loving… our Instagram Reels for the podcast. Bri’s husband, Sean, had the amazing idea that we should be doing Reels to go along with our podcast episodes, and he even offered to make the Reels for us. (It’s something he does for his job, so he’s familiar with the technology.) So on our latest episode (about attachment styles!) we filmed ourselves on our phones while we recorded the podcast and then sent the recordings to Sean and he was able to create two very fun Reels from them. We posted our first Reel last week and it’s so good! Sean did such a great job. Our next Reel will be posted this week. 🙂

Loathing… scalp psoriasis. I finally scheduled an appointment with my dermatologist to talk about a new treatment regime because what I’m currently on is no longer working. What’s been happening is that my scalp gets these dry skin patches in two separate areas (the back of my head, right above my ears) so I use my steroid treatment, which is seeming to over-correct the problem. It takes away the dry skin but leaves me with inflamed spots that are so, so itchy. I’ve been slathering my hair with a specific psoriasis cream and it helps a little, but not as much as I’d like. Hopefully, my derm can help! My appointment isn’t until early next month but I was put on their cancellation list so I’m crossing fingers and toes I can get in with her this week.

Reading… three books. How to Be Yourself: Quiet Your Inner Critic and Rise Above Social Anxiety by Ellen Hendrickson, which has been chock-full of helpful tips. Alongside that, I’m reading Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks, which has been a fun contemporary romance so far. And on audio, I’m listening to The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. What am I not reading? My Brilliant Friend. I tried, you guys, but it was just a slog for me and I finally gave up.

Watching… The Circle. When we did our PowerPoint night for book club, my topic was “Book Club’s Reality TV Futures,” and I paired each book club member with a specific reality TV show to go on. For my own reality TV future, I gave myself The Circle. The premise of this show is that all of the contestants live in a beautiful apartment (ALONE!) and communicate with other members using a voice-activated app. You can choose to play as yourself or as a catfish. And every few days, everyone rates each other from their favorite to least favorite. The top two players are the “influencers” of the group and can choose who of the remaining players to “block.” It’s a game of social skills and strategy, but you get to do it all while living by yourself and not having to be around people 24/7, which sounds like the perfect fit for me. (And you are allowed to read during your downtime, so just think of how many books I could get through!) Anyway, I blew through the first two seasons this month and I’m hooked.

Listening to… “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan. He has really blown up recently and I started hearing about him all over my Instagram feed so I decided his newest album (released in 2022) would be my February album to listen to. I really, really enjoyed it! He has such a great voice and I love the soulful nature of his songs.

Anticipating… The Popcast Live! The Popcast is my favorite podcast and I have been dying to go to one of their live shows. This year, when they announced they would be in Chicago in June, I immediately texted Kim to find out if she had the weekend open. She did and we made plans to go to the show together. I AM SO EXCITED, YOU GUYS! Not only will I get to see my favorite podcasters in person, but I’ll also get to spend time with one of my all-time favorite humans, so it’s a win-win for me.

Thinking about… eliminating Ubereats (and other food delivery) from my life. I love the convenience of food delivery, but it’s rare for me to actually enjoy the food (it’s always better straight from the kitchen to your table at the restaurant!) and it’s gotten so expensive lately. It’s easy to spend $35+ on one order for one person, and that’s just ridiculous. I would like to use it very sparingly and just for special occasions—like ordering lunch on a day filled with meetings. I’ve finally come around to the reason so many of you don’t use these food delivery services. It took me a while to get here, but I made it!

Buying… new skincare products. I’ve been using Paula’s Choice products for a long time now (a few years, at least) but I really haven’t noticed a big difference in my skin. My main problems are oiliness, redness, and uneven skin tone. I also deal with hormonal acne, but there’s not really a skincare product that can help with that unfortunately. After doing some light Internet research, I settled on giving La Roche Posay a try. Their products are seemingly very helpful for people with skin tones similar to mine, so we’ll see! It can’t hurt to try, right? I’m going to replace my cleanser, toner, serums, retinol, and moisturizer with LRP products. I’ll keep using The Ordinary’s niacinamide product (since it doesn’t appear LRP offers this treatment on its own, womp). I’m hoping to do a follow-up post in a few months about my skincare routine—a lot has changed since that original post.

Grateful for… a doctor who listens to my concerns. I went to see my primary care doctor last week, and one of the reasons for that visit was to see about getting a referral for a colonoscopy. I’m not having any symptoms that make me nervous, but my grandma had colon cancer and I read an article about how people in their 30s are getting diagnosed with colon cancer more often, so it scared me. Unfortunately, my doctor can’t just give me a referral due to “anxiety,” lol, but she did walk me through the protocol she would need to go through to get me that referral. And I learned that I am not at increased risk of colon cancer! I always thought I was, but guidelines have changed recently. Now, you have to have a first-degree family member who was diagnosed (my grandma is second degree, so she doesn’t count) or a second-degree family member who was diagnosed under the age of 45 (grandma was in her mid-60s) or multiple family members diagnosed with colon cancer (so far, it’s only been grandma). So not only did my doctor walk me through the guidelines and protocol for colonoscopies, but she also really assuaged my fears! Now I can confidently wait until I’m 45 to get my first one, and I’m not too upset about that.

What are you currently loving and loathing?

Categories: Recurring Series

Snapshot of My Day: Monday, February 19, 2024

Time I woke up: 6:59 a.m., one minute before my alarm was set to go off. Ha!

First thing I did upon waking: After a quick pee, I got Chip and Lucy out of their cages! I was on dog-sitting duty this weekend (my mom and stepdad arrived back in town yesterday), which meant sleeping over at my mom’s place. It’s always fun to wake up with Chip and Lucy because they’re always so happy to see me!

Today’s weather: Very cold this morning (low 50s, lol) and then it warmed up to 63 in the afternoon. And it was sunny, which was a nice break from the two days of nonstop rain we had this weekend.

Something I spent money on today: Groceries! I took a pit stop at Publix on my way home from dog-sitting to pick up some groceries for the week.

An out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened today: Working in two separate locations! I was hoping to do a lot of work from my mom’s house on my Chromebook but I literally couldn’t remember the passwords for any of my accounts. We have everything stored in LastPass, but I couldn’t get it to download correctly and finally called it quits after a few failed attempts to log into my work email. I hightailed it over to my apartment where I worked for most of the morning, and then I grabbed my work laptop and went back to my mom’s for a few hours in the afternoon to work. It was a weird Monday!

Last thing I read (not on the Internet): Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks

Last thing I read (on the Internet): This Reddit thread about Taylor Swift and the cease-and-desist letter she sent to the guy tracking her private jet usage. (I love TS, but this is not a great look for her.)

Last text I sent: “No problem. They gave me extra snuggles.” I sent this to my mom!

Last text I received: “Long drive.” It took my mom and stepdad five hours to get home tonight, so they were tired!

Last website I visited: Goodreads, to grab the author of the book I’m reading.

Last show I watched: The Circle. I’m obsessed.

Last podcast I listened to: An older episode of Behind the Bastards. I’m going through the archives!

Last thing I said: “I can hear her… but I can’t see her.” I was in my bedroom and I could plainly hear Lila snoring somewhere, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. (I’m guessing she was under my bed.)

Last thing I ate: An ice cream sandwich!

What I was doing an hour ago: I was talking to my mom on FaceTime!

What I will be doing an hour from now: Most likely, I will be curled up in bed with the cats, either reading or trying to fall asleep to an ASMR video.

Current whereabouts of other members of my household: I’m sitting at my dining room table. Lila and Ellie are playing chase around the apartment. They keep hiding around corners and then popping out when the other cat prowls near them. It’s very cute!

One thing I crossed off my to-do list today: Honestly, I didn’t get much done today, especially work-wise. I find it hard to get into a groove when I’m moving from one location to the next. But I am glad I got my grocery shopping done for the week, so there’s that!

Snapshot of My Day is inspired by Torrie at To Love and To Learn

What was your weather like yesterday?

Categories: Recurring Series

TGIF (v. 60)

The high of my week was spending Valentine’s Day with Bri! Thankfully, her husband doesn’t mind that I steal her for the evening so she came over to my place for cheesy bread, pizza, and a fun 90s rom-com (Never Been Kissed). It was a lovely, low-key evening with my favorite lady! I couldn’t ask for anything better.

The low of my week was having an allergic reaction to the topical anesthetic I got for my dental filling. Yesterday was quite the day! First, I had to get a filling in the morning, which was not a fun experience but I got through it and everything felt fine. The right side of my mouth was super numb, but that’s to be expected. What I did not expect was for the right side of my upper lip to balloon three times its normal size over the next few hours. It started to feel alarming to me—even after icing it and taking Advil, it was still puffy and stung when I touched it. So I called a dentist and they asked me to to get it checked out. The dentist affirmed that I was not dying, but was likely having an allergic reaction. I could take Benedryl but my body doesn’t react well to that medication (it makes me very loopy), so I’m just taking ibuprofen and praying I wake up with a normal-size lip.

One nagging task I marked off my to-do list was scheduling a doctor’s appointment! That had been on my to-do list all of 2023, so I’m very proud of myself for finally getting it done. My dietician really wants me to have updated blood work done (and so do I!) so that put a fire in my belly to schedule that appointment. Plus, I have some pressing concerns that I want to talk to my doctor about. My appointment is Tuesday morning, so hooray!

I’m currently reading three books. On audio, I’m a few hours into A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson and I’m very much enjoying it. I’m also reading The Art of Scandal by Regina Black in print, and I can’t get enough of it. So good! And, of course, I’m slowly making my way through My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante for the Cool Bloggers Book Club. I don’t love it so far, but I’m trudging through for the book club discussions.

A blog post I loved was this one from Nicole, since she started a discussion about hobbies based on our podcast episode about the subject! It was so fun reading through the responses of people ruminating about what makes something a hobby (is reading a hobby if it’s something that feels more like a necessity for you than something you do “just for fun”?) and what kinds of hobbies people have. I love that our podcast—and Nicole’s always eloquent words—sparked such an interesting discussion!

A podcast episode I enjoyed was How We Rate Books on Sarah’s Book Shelves Live Patreon feed. I found this episode so fascinating as Sarah and her two guest co-hosts Susie and Catherine had a long discussion on their rating systems, what makes a book 5 stars, DNF-ing books, and so much more. This was a gold mine of nerdy bookish talk and I couldn’t get enough of it!

The best money I spent was on new underwear. How exciting, eh? I always like to refresh my underwear drawer once a year—and by refresh, I just mean throwing out any underwear that has holes or is losing its elastic and buying a few new pieces to replace what I got rid of—and it was time to do that, considering I was having to do emergency laundry at least once a week. (Emergency laundry = I’m down to my last pair of underwear!) I’ve also realized I’ve reached the “underwear is for comfort, not style” phase of my life. I want full coverage!

My plans this weekend include dog-sitting for the pups! My mom and her husband are taking a quick weekend trip so I will be on Chip and Lucy duty, and I am very much looking forward to it. I love hanging with my besties! I am also recording a podcast episode with Bri (and a special guest!) on Saturday morning and doing a writing date with Mikaela afterward. It should be a good weekend!

Do you replace your underwear regularly? What are your plans this weekend?

Categories: Recurring Series

Currently in January

Loving… my nose piercing! I finally did it, friends. I got my nose pierced. I went with Bri on Friday night and now I have a delicate little stud in my nose. I love it so much! I am hoping to get a hoop in a few months, once the piercing has healed fully. I’m going to be completely honest and tell you that this piercing hurt like hell. I mean, duh. They’re stabbing a needle through my nose cartilage, of course that’s going to hurt! But whew… it was painful! I teared up a little from the pain but managed to hold myself together. Is it more painful than a tattoo? I mean, I’m willing to get more tattoos but not sure I’m willing to get more piercings so take from that what you will.

Loathing… this upcoming political year. I’m not excited, friends, and I know that’s a sentiment shared by so many of us. It’s obvious that Trump is going to be the Republican candidate and it’s terrifying to think he could be back in office in 2025. I am not looking forward to all of the political ads and texts and mailers. Or the debates and fights and spats. Recently, I started listening to Pantsuit Politics, which I heard about for years but I was committed to my Pod Save America bros and didn’t want to listen to two different political podcasts. But I needed something that was a bit more hopeful than PSA can be, and PP has definitely delivered in that regard. You can feel their anger at times, but they also deliver the news in a much more straightforward way that I need right now.

Reading… Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, which is the second Christie novel I’ve read (I read And Then There Were None a few years ago). I think I’m going to watch the movie after I’ve finished this mystery. I don’t know if it’s a great adaptation, but I think it will be fun to see it captured in film. (I’m also still listening to Cover Story by Susan Rigetti, which is riveting.)

Watching… The Traitors! I am so glad this series got renewed for a second season. If you haven’t watched the show, I highly recommend it. The premise is that a group of people are brought to a castle in Scotland to participate in a reality TV show. A handful of those people are chosen to be “Traitors,” which means they “murder” one contestant every night. The rest of the group are known as “Faithfuls,” and they must work together to figure out who the traitors are. But if any traitor makes it to the end… the $250,000 is all theirs. It is a game of intense strategy and social skills, and it’s so fascinating to see how the game affects people differently.

Listening to… Guts by Olivia Rodridgo. I have a 2024 goal to listen to one new album every month, and I started with a great one! During my first listen, I was kinda “meh” on it and wondered if I just couldn’t vibe with a Gen Z singer, but I gave it another few listens and I’m loving it actually. Her songs are just fun to sing along to, even if I can’t totally relate to the words anymore. Heh.

Anticipating… some really fun plans in February! I’m going to a strawberry farm market with friends this weekend, have my annual Galentine’s date with Bri, and I’m doing a game night with friends later in the month. Plus, there’s the Super Bowl and restarting family game night once football is over. And Bri and I are finally going to get our moms behind the mics for the podcast, and I’m looking forward to that. It should be a really good month!

Thinking about… routines. Developing a regular daily routine has been a constant struggle for me, as is well-documented on this blog. I really want 2024 to be the year where I finally figure out a daily routine that works for me. Is it starting my day with a long walk (even if it’s dark outside)? Is it starting my day on the couch with coffee and games on my phone to slowly wake up? Is it hopping onto my computer early to clear out emails and set my to-do list before starting my morning routine? Honestly, all of those sound nice, ha! It’s a work in progress.

Buying… not much these days! I have a few things in my Amazon cart (a new computer bag, a sling purse, a kitchen organizing rack) but I haven’t pushed purchase on anything yet. And that’s because I am only allowed to buy things from Amazon if I earn an A or B average with my weekly habits. Sometimes, you have to treat yourself like a 5-year-old with a sticker chore chart in order to get things done. On this habit list is taking five walks a week, taking my meds regularly, doing my skincare routine morning and night, doing one 15-minute standing session per day, and get to bed by 10:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. I have yet to earn an A or B, so I’m a work in progress but it just means it’s going to be really exciting when I finally do get to buy something special from Amazon!

Grateful… to have graduated from therapy! I have felt ready to end this round of therapy for a few months now, but kept scheduling appointments because a) I’m an Enneagram 9 and didn’t want her to be mad at me for ending our sessions and b) I wanted to feel really, really sure it was time. I am not someone who needs continuous therapy. I like going when things start feeling unmanageable and my usual coping skills aren’t working anymore. I have been seeing this particular therapist for almost two years now, and I finally feel in a good spot to handle life without these regular check-ins. I know my anxiety—and especially anxiety about my mom—will always be a part of my life, but I have better insight around why I have this type of anxiety and how to challenge it when it occurs. I will still see my psychiatrist regularly (I have those appointments once a quarter) but it feels good to be in a stable place after feeling so unstable in 2021 and 2022.

What’s something you’re grateful for today?