Loving… our blog book club! Engie had the fabulous idea to re-read the beloved classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, and invited all of us to join her! Every Monday, she publishes a discussion post and it’s been so fun interacting with other people who are reading right along with me. It’s interesting to see what is sticking out to other people that may not be sticking out to me! I also love the very slow reading pace that Engie set up – just about 50 pages a week – so it doesn’t feel too overwhelming.

Loathing… that my plantar fasciitis pain is back. It went away for a few months due to nothing I did at all, but I’ve started having that sharp heel pain on my right foot again. I’m wearing my plantar fasciitis slippers around the house again, which definitely helps! I also need to start doing strengthening exercises for my feet, but I’ve been lazy about that.

Reading… my dear friend Mikaela’s book, which is about her daughter’s cancer journey. She spent the past 8 or so months working hard on the book during our weekly writing sessions, and I was so delighted to be one of her first readers. Right now, she’s in the editing stages and figuring out the best way to format her book, and I just can’t wait to see the final product when it’s ready. She has such a beautiful way with words and I think this is a book that will touch a lot of people.

Watching… Abbott Elementary. I watched and loved season 1 and wanted to wait until the entirety of season 2 had been released on Hulu to catch up. I’m 6 episodes in and loving it so much!

Listening to… Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). I came into my Swiftie fandom around the time she released 1989 and have barely listened to her earlier albums. But since she re-released this album, I decided to give it a listen and it’s such a vibe. I’m still trying to decide which one of the new songs she added to the album is my favorite!

Anticipating… taking a blogging break in August. I’ve done these month-long blogging breaks in the past and they always rejuvenate me. I’ve been feeling a little burned out with blogging lately, so I think I need this time away for a bit to feel excited about blogging again.

Thinking about… climate change. There have been so many news stories about record-breaking heat and rising ocean temperatures and climate change panic. Are we too late to save the planet? I don’t want to think about that. But things feel more and more dire as each year passes. And it feels hopeless because the people who are in charge aren’t listening to the scientists who have been telling us for decades that things need to change. It’s scary and frustrating.

Buying… new skincare products. I needed a new nighttime moisturizer as well as a retinol serum. I have yet to find a nighttime moisturizer I love, so here’s hoping this one from Neutrogena makes me a believer. I’m also trying out CeraVe’s retinol serum to see how I like it. (I really need to get a prescription retinoid because that’s the gold standard for anti-aging treatment, but ugh, I am just too lazy to go to a dermatologist for this.)

Grateful… for the growth of Silent Book Club. We had nearly 50 people at our last meeting! We usually have 15-20 people so this was a huge increase. It was mostly due to a viral video talking about different Silent Book Club chapters around the country, which our chapter was a part of, and it caused our group to double in size. How crazy is that? It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest, but I’m happy that the group is growing, too!

What are you currently loving, watching, and anticipating?

anticipating recording podcast episodes with Bri over the next few weeks. (We haven’t recorded in two months!)

researching tours to do in Charleston for my mom’s birthday trip in July.

buying a new set of Mixtiles when they were having a great sale—16 canvas tiles for $100. (My mom and I went in together, so we each got 8 tiles for $50!)

thinking about my upcoming move and the fact that it’s only 5 months away! I am so excited to move, you guys. So. Excited.

reading The 1619 Project very slowly. I read one chapter every day or so. It’s dense and heavy, but I’m learning so much.

happy to report that my family member is responding well to cancer treatment. He was on a regimen of chemo and radiation and the radiation worked so well, he doesn’t have to do it anymore!

excited every time I see a blooming crepe myrtle tree in my neighborhood.

using the Pomodoro productivity method as I’m working to make sure I stay on task throughout the day (my focus has been terrible lately).

committed to getting into a better nighttime routine, especially as my psychiatrist was quick to point out that having a soothing nighttime routine could be helpful for my anxiety. (Imagine that!)

hoping that my mole removal on Friday goes well and the residual pain is minimal. I remember the area hurting a lot the last time I got a mole removed once the numbing agent wore off, so I’m prepared for a bit of pain.

loving my new bed. Every time I climb into bed, I am so, so happy because my new bed is so cozy and comfy. I waited so long for a new bed and it was well worth the wait!

needing to replace my running shoes. I honestly can’t remember when I bought the shoes I currently wear, but the soles are completely worn down and it’s really time for new shoes.

proud that I have managed to work out almost every day in May (I took Mother’s Day off because I had a killer headache when I woke up). There’s something about the idea of doing something every day that keeps the excuses away.

relieved that I finally sold my old bedframe. It’s been on Facebook Marketplace for a two weeks now and I’ve had to reduce the price a bunch, but didn’t want to reduce it any further. I should have it off my hands today!

loathing dealing with grown-up issues like having to find out why my water bill is 4x the amount it usually is (pretty sure I don’t have a leak, so it’s concerning)

watching Happy Endings. (I put it aside to watch Love is Blind and Master Chef, but now I’m back.) I started season 2 this week, and it just keeps getting better and better.

preparing to do an Enneagram training with my department at work. I am super excited to introduce everyone to the Enneagram and find out the numbers for all of our managers and our writers. I truly do feel like the Enneagram can be such a powerful tool, as it teaches you so much about your personality, motivations, and fears. And it’s very useful in a work setting, too! I’m looking forward to helping everyone discover their Enneagram number.

listening to the “Goodbye Michael” episodes of the Office Ladies podcast. I put off watching these episodes of the show because they were just going to make me sad, and they did, but I’m glad I powered through, especially so I could listen to Jenna and Angela talk to Steve Carrell about his time on the show.

anticipating a few nights with the dogs next month while my mom and stepdad are on a cruise

researching brunette hairstyle colors as I’m making my triumphant return to brunette soon

buying new Airpod Pros, as they were on sale for $200 and my old earbuds were continuously failing me

thinking about cleaning up my eating and how to do that in a way that doesn’t feel like punishment

needing to restart my AppleTV subscription so I can watch season 3 of Ted Lasso!

happy to be back in standard time. I love a late sunset!

excited for the Taylor Swift concert in just a few weeks! It’s going to be an epic night.

wondering if it’s time for me to “graduate” from therapy. I think I have gotten exactly what I needed to get out of it at this moment in my life, and I can move forward with the tools I was given.

embarrassed that I put in a maintenance request for what I thought was a broken garbage disposal… turns out, I just had two measuring spoons stuck in the disposal that were causing it to not work.

hoping to visit Charleston this summer… doing some light research to find out if it’s feasible with my budget

loving our book club experiences this year. We are doing so many fun things and more to come! (I’m considering an escape room or axe throwing when my month to pick the activity comes around.)

wanting some summer clothes that fit my body well and make me feel good. I placed a big order on Old Navy over the weekend when they were having a 30% off sale, and I’m hoping everything I ordered fits me well.

writing podcast outlines and blog posts… but no fiction. I keep wondering when I’ll get the urge to go back to my novel, but it just isn’t happening.

loathing Ron DeSantis. He’s the worst and the way he is making life so much harder for teachers, trans kids, queer people, and girls is so frustrating. Why do these Republican politicians think queerness is something to go after when there are so many bigger issues out there?

watching Happy Endings. It’s such a travesty that this perfect show only has 3 seasons, but when I realized it was on HBO Max, I knew I had to dive into a rewatch. At least it’ll be a quick one?

preparing to start planning for the next season of the podcast! We’ll release season 4 over the next 6 weeks and then take a few weeks’ break. We’ll probably take a month off recording episodes and then get back to it sometime in May so we can release season 5 at the beginning of June. Whee!

feeling giddy about a budding relationship (it’s in its early stages, but there have been lots of fun dates and excitement so far!)

What are you currently anticipating and watching?

Feeling… much less anxious. Hooray! I started my new regimen of 30mg of Lexapro in early January so I’m finally over that 6-week hump of waiting for the dosage boost to kick in. I have had so many nights where I think to myself, “Hey! You’re not having any anxiety tonight!” I’m still having small moments of panic, but they are usually caused by something (like my mom not answering her phone, lol). But the unending weight of anxiety is not my constant companion anymore and holy fuck, that feels so good.

Watching… season 3 of Brooklyn 99. I’m doing another rewatch because apparently, it’s all about comfort TV for me these days. Problematic glorification of cops aside, I love this show so much. It makes me laugh and makes me feel good.

Listening to… Sounds Like a Cult. This is such a fun podcast! Amanda Montell (who wrote the book Cultish) and her friend Isa sit down every week to talk about a different mainstream “cult.” And most of these cults aren’t true cults, but rather pop culture phenomenons that can be a little cult-like. For example, fraternities and sororities, flat earthers, astrology, Disney adults, etc. I recently listened to an episode about Trader Joe’s that was enlightening about the company’s corporate practices. Anyway, give it a listen if you care!

Grateful… that I didn’t break my neck when I slipped and fell getting into my tub to take a shower last week. Ugh, I felt like such a dweeb falling in the shower. I ended up banging my knee and shin really hard against the edge of the tub. It was so painful! I was really worried I had done something awful to my knee. Thankfully, it’s fine but a nice, 4-inch bruise has bloomed and it’s very sore and painful to the touch. I’m taking things easy while I heal and may invest in a non-slip mat because apparently, I’m too geriatric to be taking a shower on my own.

Anticipating… doing time logging next month! I did my first time-logging week last year and it was really interesting to see where my time goes during a typical week. I set a reminder in my phone to log the same week in 2023, and it will be interesting to see how things compare! Be on the lookout for the past sometime in late March or early April.

Loathing… that it’s already getting hot here in Florida. The high on Saturday was 83! When I got into my car in the morning, the temperature inside was 98 degrees. That is unacceptable for the end of February. I am not ready for shorts and tanktops and pool parties just yet.

Thinking about… how to use my wellness reimbursement. This year, my company has given us $500 to use on all kinds of wellness-related products. From Apple Watches and massage memberships to books and audiobook subscriptions. I am very tempted to spend my entire $500 on books alone, but I’ve been trying to think about the best way to use this reimbursement. One of my colleagues got a Peloton bike and between a sale they were running and the reimbursement, she’s only paying $700 out of pocket for the bike! Can you imagine? And they were also offering no-interest financing for a year so she has the entire year to pay that $700. I’ve also been thinking about seeing a nutritionist, so that’s another option. What to do, what to do…

Needing… to figure out my necklace storage options. I recently bought a new jewelry organizer (different than the one I had a few months ago, which wasn’t working for me) and I love it for the way it holds my earrings, but it doesn’t have enough spaces for my necklaces (nor are the spaces tall enough to hold my longer necklaces). So I guess I need a separate jewelry organizer for my necklaces and Antique rings. I love having them displayed since that helps me see what I have and make sure I’m not wearing the same few necklaces over and over again. How do you keep your necklaces organized?

Buying… breakfast every Friday morning. This has become a new little treat for me that I am loving. I already look forward to Fridays, but now I look forward to them even more! Most Fridays, I stop into Einstein’s Bagels for an everything bagel and an iced vanilla latte, but I will admit that I have been known to get a sausage egg mcmuffin from McDonald’s some Fridays. It’s my favorite breakfast of all! (I eat like a child.)

Loving… being able to check in on my cats when I’m out. I love having a pet camera to do a quick peek on the girls when I’m not home. I can get anxious when I’m away from them, just worrying that I left the straightener on or something silly like that. So it’s nice to see that a) the apartment hasn’t burned down in my absence and b) the girls are just fine.

What are you currently anticipating and watching?

Feeling… excited for the holiday season to really kick into gear. I’m looking forward to buying presents, wrapping presents, and making my family members happy. I can’t wait for more peppermint mochas, cooler weather (PLEASE, FLORIDA?!), and holiday movies. I’m ready for the annual visit to Robert’s Christmas Wonderland, a dazzling Christmas store filled with holiday delight. I want to drive around looking at Christmas lights and enjoy a little post-Christmas shindig with my book club girls. The holiday season is when I come alive.

Watching… lots of Netflix reality shows. I watched the new seasons of Nailed It, The Floor Is Lava, and Love Is Blind this month and loved them all. Nailed It gave me lots of laughs, TFIL was just silly and the kind of distraction I needed, and, of course, LIB is the ultimate in messiness. I love that show, even though it makes me cringe!

Listening to… If Books Could Kill. When the host of one of my favorite podcasts, Maintenance Phase, said he was starting a new podcast where he and a co-host dissect and criticize popular books, I was down. Plus, his co-host is Peter Shamshiri who I’ve recently gotten to know and love from Peter’s other podcast, 5-4. (His voice is like butter.) This podcast has been a huge bright spot in my life lately. So far, they’ve talked about Freakonomics (a book I loved, but am now horrified when I realize how terrible the book is), Outliers, and Bobos in Paradise. The podcast is hilarious, filled with research, and just fun to listen to.

Grateful… for so many things, but I am mostly grateful for my family. I am grateful to my stepdad for cooking us a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. I am grateful for my mom and the close bond we have. I am grateful for all of my pets and the love they lavish on me. I’m grateful for my brother and the love and support he always provides. And I’m grateful for my nephews and the privilege of seeing them grow older.

Anticipating… putting up my Christmas tree when I get home from my cruise. It’s been so nice to have a little slice of that Christmassy feeling with my decorations but I am so ready to get out my tree and enjoy the glow of the tree lights at night. I can’t wait to add all of my ornaments, put up more lights around my apartment, and really dive into Stephany’s Christmas Wonderland!

Loathing… nighttime anxiety. I thought switching my anxiety meds from morning to nighttime would help with the rising panic I start to get when the sun goes down, but it hasn’t had the dramatic effect I had hoped. (It’s been a few months.) It’s something I want to talk more about with my therapist to find some different coping skills, but I may also look into some CBD gummies and try the free d9 gummies if this will be effective for me. Anything to help me feel better at night!

Experimenting… with guided meditations as I go to sleep. Usually, I turn on ASMR videos on Youtube to help me fall asleep, but one night when I was having some pretty rough anxiety, I decided to search for “guided meditations for anxiety” on Youtube and found a lot of great options. I’m a newbie when it comes to meditation, but I am hoping that by allowing myself 10-15 minutes of slow breathing and listening to someone else guide my thoughts, I will find it easier to fall asleep at night.

Thinking about… doing Project 365 in 2023. Project 365 is a photo project where you take one photo a day for the entire year. I’ve done it twice already and both times, I would post the photo to Instagram every day with a caption. It’s a lot of work, especially on those days when nothing special happens, but I also love looking back on the photos and challenging myself to take a photo of the big and small moments of every day. I’m still debating if I’m going to do it.

Buying… fun gifts for San’s Secret Santa Mug Swap. This is the first year I’ve participated, despite knowing about it since its inception! But I get very overwhelmed about mailing packages so I just decided not to participate. But the peer pressure got to me this year, so I signed up and had a delightful time shopping for my partner. I mailed out my package on Friday and I’m excited for my partner to get their goodies!

Loving… peppermint mocha season, painting my nails, Snickers Christmas trees, when Lila shows me her belly, curling up on the couch with a good book, time off work, NaBloPoMo 2022, the ability to cruise again, the way Ellie meows at me and then runs to my room when she wants me to sit on the floor and pet her, Christmas decorations, and pine-scented candles.

How are you currently feeling?