Three Things Thursday (v. 11)

Three things that made me happy this week

1) Having Monday off – I’m really glad Juneteenth is now considered a federal holiday and that my company gives us the day off. (We don’t get all federal holidays off – only the big ones, like Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, etc.) It was super nice to stretch out my weekend with an extra day off.

2) Facetime calls with Mom – They’re always my favorite part of any day!

3) A gloomy, rainy Wednesday – I love these rainy days, especially working from home. I can be cozy at home and enjoy the rain and the dark thunderclouds.

Three podcast episodes I listened to yesterday

1) The Secrets of Hillsong on Good Christian Fun – This episode was so much different than their typical episodes, as it was just Kevin and Caroline and they had a really in-depth conversation about the Hillsong documentary and trauma in the church. I like that they came at this subject in such a respectful manner. (GCF is a comedy podcast so it’s usually all about jokes and giggles. I appreciate they didn’t try to make light of this documentary!)

2) Large Language Models and You on Stuff You Should Know – I was super excited about this episode that discussed AI and tools like ChatGPT. I loved the way Josh and Chuck explained how these tools came to be so smart. But the end of the episode about the future of AI and how it’s going to affect jobs was just so depressing.

3) The Wedding Singer Deep Dive on The Popcast – What a fun episode! I’ve never seen The Wedding Singer (can you believe it?) but I loved this fun deep dive with Knox and Jamie.

Three books I just added to my Goodreads TBR

1) Ander and Santi Were Here by Jonny Garza Villa, based on a recommendation from the Currently Reading podcast

2) The Whispers by Ashley Audrain, another Currently Reading rec (Ashley Audrain is the author of The Push, which I didn’t love as much as others seemed to, but I’m willing to give her another shot)

3) The Love We Make by Harper Bliss – a friend I follow on Goodreads gave this romance 4 stars and I’m always looking for great f/f love stories so I want to give this one a try

Three things I want to do in Charleston

1) Take a ghost tour – The best ghost tour also functions as a history tour, as you get to experience the way the city looked and functioned many, many years ago.

2) Visit some indie bookstores – I will be right next door to Blue Bicycle Books and within walking distance to Buxton Books so I will try to temper my enthusiasm.

3) Visit a plantation – I have decided that my mom and I will visit a plantation in Charleston. After much research, I believe McLeod Plantation will be a good choice, a place that center the voices of enslaved people and their history, and doesn’t glorify the free white people. There are more popular plantations but one of the tips I saw when I was researching how to visit a plantation in a respectful way said to stay away from any plantation that offers up their space as a wedding venue. From what I’ve seen, McLeod Plantation doesn’t offer that (they don’t even have their own website), so it seems like the best option.

Three things I say to my cats every day

1) “Lila, are you my best friend?” Sometimes, she’ll answer me with her high-pitched meow that sounds like “YEAH.”

2) “There you are! I missed you!” Eloise is usually never far from my side but she needs her alone time once a day. (She usually hides under the quilt on my bed.) So when she reappears, I give her lots of attention.

3) “No, it’s too early for yum-yums.” Yum-yums are what we call treats and it never fails that they think they’ll get their first portion at 9:30 am. No ma’aams!

Three recent Amazon purchases

1) This shirt that I will wear this weekend at the Pride Street Festival ($19)

2) This anti-scratch tape that I hope will deter Eloise from scratching up my new bed, which she seems to believe is just the largest scratching post ever ($14)

3) This headband organizer that will finally allow me to display my headbands in a pleasing way ($12)

Three shows I’m watching next

1) Queen Charlotte – I have heard so many rave reviews about this Bridgerton series, but I haven’t sat down to give it a watch yet. Sometimes, the anticipation is half the fun, right?! I’m planning on starting it soon, though.

2) Ted Lasso, season 3 – Once I finish Queen Charlotte, I’ll finally re-download AppleTV so I can watch the final season of Ted Lasso. I’ve heard mixed reviews, so my expectations are definitely a bit lower going in.

3) Daisy Jones & the Six – I can’t believe I haven’t watched this show yet. I loved the book and was super excited about the show, but the resulting buzz has been a bit lackluster. I want to at least give it a shot!

Three movies I’ve seen more than 10 times

1) The Princess Diaries – The summer after 8th grade, I watched this movie every. single. day.

2) Clueless – It’s a cult classic! The perfect movie to watch on a girls’ night in.

3) Tommy Boy – Growing up, this was my brother’s and my favorite movie. We still quote it incessantly!

Three apps I used the most yesterday

1) Happy Color (2 hours)

2) Overcast (54 min)

3) Messages (36 min)

Three plans I have this weekend

1) Record the final episode of season 5 – We just released our first episode of the season, which is all about travel. It has been a lot of fun to reminisce about travel experiences this season.

2) Attend the St. Pete Pride Parade – This will be an all-day event and I am trying to prepare myself for a big day. It’s my first-ever Pride parade and I’m really looking forward to it!

3) Attend the St. Pete Pride street festival – This is an event that my girlfriend’s whole family loves attending, so I’ll be going with them. I’m very curious to see what it’s all about!