Hiatus Has Ended
Hey everyone! It’s been a while. It’s been actually 2 years and 8 months. That’s nothing to scoff at! Within that time, infants have become toddlers, relationships have become marriages, and Drake has become a joke. Crazy stuff.
I missed writing about my life and the things I appreciate in it. Today (9/11) is my 29th birthday, so it feels appropriate for me to revisit this artifact. I don’t feel 29. I don’t even look 29, apparently. Some folks have told me I look 26. Others have asked me what I’m studying in college. Others have told me I look good for my age, and they mean well, but I think this phrase only works once you’re past 45 to begin with.
I take my birthday pretty seriously. Actually, it might be more accurate to say I take many things pretty seriously, and birthdays are one of them. They’re life checkpoints where I get the chance to look back at my year, at the choices I’ve made that led to now, and decide how I want the next year to look. I read through old journal entries, revisit my favorite experiences of the past year (joining a dodgeball league, solo traveling to Ireland, attending Third Nature Summer Camp, etc.), reflect on the state of my friendships, and chart out how I want the next year to look. No specifics necessarily, but I imagine that I’m starting from scratch and have the freedom to put together an ideal life. In fact, I write this newsletter to you from smack-dab in the middle of this process. Hopefully, I’ll have the time to write more thoughtfully about my experiences and insights in a future post, but I’ll keep it tight for now.
By the way, if you’re new here, here are some of my older posts that some people thought were pretty cool:
Some Life Updates
I got a short story published.
I know, I know! Many years ago, in this very newsletter, I proclaimed my goal of getting a story published. I did it! I’m so so happy about it because the story is something pretty raw and realistic that I pored over. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly flowery or surreal like some of my other fiction work. But it’s honest.
It was accepted by Eastern New Mexico University’s literary magazine El Portal, to whom I’m so grateful. Unfortunately, they’re print-only (i.e. my story’s not available on their website), and to be fully transparent I’ve encountered a few setbacks ordering copies from them. If you’d like to request a hard copy from them, that would be amazing and brave, and you can do so here. Otherwise, you can read the Google Doc of it here. Would love to know what y’all think!
I started watching Naruto
This has been pretty awesome. I’d say this has even been a top 10 life decision. I think if you’re feeling a little bit lost or cynical about life, watch Naruto. I’ve never watched it and was hesitant to start because it’s like 13939480293 episodes long and many of them are filler (meaning they don’t advance the plot and really exist just as buffer for the browbeaten animators to keep pace with the source content). But then I started, and I was like, “Shit. This is so good. I mean, it’s not groundbreaking cinema, but it is about friendship, being accepted by your community, the value of hard work versus natural talent, the precarious geopolitical dynamics that arise when distant societies raise child soldiers, etc. And of course, there are so many absolutely iconic badass hardcore heart-wrenching rip-roaring mind-blowing skull-shattering asthma-inducing fight scenes that I’ve watched on repeat until I want to scream or cry. This is awesome. Hey, mom, are you listening??? Um, this is extremely important???!? Okay fine, love you too.” Hangs up, smashes Hulu’s next episode button for next 3 hours.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: I’m still watching Naruto Shippuden and am only on episode 40ish or something. Pleaseeee do not spoil any part of the show for me! But of course if you watch the show and enjoy it, or have any recommendations, please do reach out!)
I got a Ninja Creami
This has also been a pretty sweet trend. No pun intended, heh. For those out of the loop, the Creami is essentially a giant kitchen gadget that makes ice cream for you. Well—it doesn’t make it make it. You have to mix ingredients together (milk, sweetener, protein powder, flavor enhancers) in these special canisters that come with the device and then pop them in the freezer overnight. The next day, you have to let the canister thaw for 15 minutes or so (I run it under hot water while gently caressing it and whispering affirming words, but that’s really up to you) before you can put it into the device and run the Ice Cream function. Upon which the Creami then drives a rapidly whirring blade deep into the canister for like 2 to 4 minutes or so, and you stand there patiently drumming your fingers on the countertop. You are then free to stare at the empty spot on your kitchen wall that you have yet to populate with artwork that you know you’ll soon get bored of, but just before you can contemplate your sense of interior decor, the blending will complete and the frozen mixture will have progressed into a curiously crumbly texture. You then add mix-ins (cookies, peanut butter, etc.) and rerun it, maybe add a splash of milk, and then voila! You’ll have a new healthy addiction for the rest of your life.
I quit drinking
This was a big one! I quit at the beginning of this year. Last year, I had already reduced drinking pretty naturally as I enjoyed it less and less, so starting this year, I figured why not just amputate the habit altogether and see what happens?
After a week or two, I started feeling better. Suddenly, much more time and energy was available to me, and, combined with eating healthier and doing more physical activity, I got in shape. I realized with some frustration that everything they tell you about how to become mentally healthy is actually true—getting good sleep, drinking less, eating better, exercising, listening to your body in general—very annoying that these platitudes are worth listening to. It’s been eight months now and I can’t imagine going back to drinking.
I respect everyone’s decision about drinking as these things are personal. If you’re on the fence about it and have any questions, I’m happy to help however I can! I know the sober-curious movement is trending right now and I think, with how much alcohol is interwoven into the modern lifestyle, it can be invaluable to learn what to expect in advance! Plus, I’ll be honest: since I already wasn’t drinking much, it wasn’t difficult for me to take this step, and I realize that may not be the case for everyone! Happy to share some perspective if I can.
Thanks for reading. I’m hoping to pick things up again with this newsletter. Maybe I’ll write consistently; maybe it’ll be a blue moon situation. We’ll just have to wait and see!
Babe wakeup, churr just dropped
So glad you’re back!!!