So real. Throwing down quarantinis nonstop over here!
(by Grace Farris)
Category: Life
The Week in Passing
Happy weekend! Can’t believe it’s yet another week in the books. It feels so strange that on any given day I feel aimless and not in the mood for any more books/Netflix/walks/quarantine activities, and yet the week as a whole just zooms past. I guess I’m not complaining…every week that passes is a week closer to normalcy 🙂
The highlight of my week was taking part in this online trivia night. This week was my second time joining and it’s a ton of fun! The trivia is a good mix between easy and challenging questions, the host is a lot of fun and changes up each round, and I’ve really been looking forward to Monday nights because it’s such a blast! It streams weekly at 8pm ET if you’re interested too.
What I’m reading
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo – I’m around 15% in and honestly not sure if I’ll continue…it’s a very different style than I’m used to and none of the characters have really caught my attention so far. I haven’t read a lot of works by Black authors before so the perspective is refreshing, but story-wise, I’m kind of bored with it.
- Other than that, reading has been slow this week. There are a LOT of books around the house that I never read, so maybe I’ll pick up one of those. Just so uninspired lately!!
What I’m watching
- The Bon Appetit Youtube channel! I’m OBSESSED with the videos they put out and the cast of personalities on the team. Brad is pure chaos, Claire is an anxious perfectionist, Molly is Cali millennial to a T, Alex is charming and gets along with everyone, Sohla is sanity incarnate, and so on. My favorite video is a recent one where Brad and Chris tried recreating Andes mints. As one commenter put it, “Brad’s golden retriever energy, and Chris’s unreasonably expensive cat energy is giving me life” and I can’t think of anything more accurate 😆
- Yale’s online course The Science of Well-Being, informally known as the happiness course. Usually I’m not interested in vague concepts like this but I’ve been hearing about and seeing this everywhere so I gave it a shot. And I’m glad I did – I’m on week 2 currently but there’s already been some really good information about what does and doesn’t make us happy. The Cut also wrote a great article summarizing the main points of the course.
- Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu is really good. I just finished episode 4, and the pacing and acting are both amazing. I didn’t read the book but I’ve seen reviews that say while the show made some notable changes, it still really holds up to the original material. Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington seriously carry the show!
Home workouts
I never thought I’d say this, but I haven’t been outside in literally a month. A MONTH! We’ve been fortunate enough to get our groceries delivered, and I haven’t left the house even for walks. The Nike Training Club App has been a godsend in terms of keeping me active. It has hundreds of different workouts that you can filter by length, body area you want to target, equipment you have, etc, and every workout has videos of all the moves. It’s also super sleek and easy to use (and makes you feel like a badass for exercising with them). Best of all, everything is free, even the premium content! This is not an ad, I just really love this app 😆
Around town
And finally, some links from around the web that made me smile this week…
- Can you believe the photo above is actually a painting? Elizabeth Geisler is insanely talented. I want to feel as tranquil as this water looks.
- Absolutely love love love this directory of female artists! So many styles, ethnicities, and body shapes represented.
- This dad’s voice recognition was accidentally on while he played tuba. An oldie but I laugh every time.
- Posters as art. So bright and colorful!
- What a cute Twitter account dedicated to bodega cats.
- The Getty Museum challenged people to recreate famous artworks – so creative.
Have a peaceful weekend.
(art by Elizabeth Geisler, Mia Coleman)
The Week in Passing
How was your week? Mine was very up and down. Some days were good days and I felt energized enough to put on a dress and a little makeup for no one other than me. Other days were a little tougher – being cooped up and only able to see the perfect weather outside has made me so restless. I want to be out there, maybe at the local farmer’s market picking up a cheese for dinner, or passing by the local dog park and hearing all the happy barks. Instead, indoors me has been kind of sad and mopey. Some days I wear my glasses all day instead of putting in contacts (my form of sweatpants), and on Wednesday I straight up crawled into bed at 2pm and took a 2 hour nap. In the middle of the workday! (I did feel great afterwards)
Happy to say I’m still reading though, and a few more things I’ve been up to this week…
What I’m reading
- Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens – A fun, light read and I can see why so many people loved it. I’m looking forward to the movie adaptation!
- The Four Tendencies, by Gretchen Rubin – This book has made me feel understood in a way I’ve never felt before. Definitely getting a good review from me.
What I’m watching
- The Crown, Season 1 – I’m super late to the party but I finally picked it up and am really enjoying it! Currently on episode 6, in which Princess Margaret’s potential marriage causes a national scandal and is now hanging in the balance. There’s so much great acting, and I can’t get over how much Matt Smith (of Doctor Who fame) looks like the actual Prince Phillip back in the day.
- New Girl, Season 2 – I’m always watching through some sitcom or other – I like turning it on during dinner/after work and be guaranteed some laughs. Currently it’s New Girl, which is so underrated in my opinion. The cast is hilarious! Cece and Schmidt better end up together in the end.
Animal Crossing
Almost a month in, my obsession with this game is finally waning 😆 I’ve completed the main objective now (inviting a famous musician to play on my island), so from this point on it’s self-directed and more about polishing up my island and making it look nice. It’s still fun and adorable.
Around town
And finally…just several fun links from around the web that made me smile.
- I love these Trader Joe’s reviews. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss the chaos of shopping at TJ’s!
- Getting very excited about the upcoming Dune movie.
- What Sex and the City would look like today. I’ve only seen clips of the show before, but these modern-day scenarios are perfect.
- Hello, 911? Made me laugh.
- Great book recommendations based on books you like.
- Sums up my current eating habits 🙂
Have a lovely weekend ahead.
Notes from Quarantine: Week 6
How are you?
This pandemic is affecting all of us differently, and I hope with all of my heart everyone is safe and healthy, no matter where you are. Be gentle with yourself during this time. It’s ok to be anxious or stressed.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in quarantine for 6 weeks now, going into week 7. The virus has hit NYC hard. My office started WFH a little earlier than most, which was reassuring and appreciated, but also means I’ve been stir crazy a little longer than most 🙂 I’m not usually an anxious person, but these days I always find myself stressed about something, so I’ve been trying to take my advice and be generous and gentle with myself. Like giving myself a break from my constant need to be productive. Letting myself feel any anger or frustration or anxiety. Even binge-playing Animal Crossing for hours (does anyone else here play? Let’s be friends!).
While everyone seems to be baking bread or doing plenty of quarantine cooking otherwise, I’ve picked up yoga. I’d never particularly enjoyed it before, but now I’m finding my daily practice incredibly soothing and meditative. I’m hoping to continue it even after our lockdown lifts.
Some quarantine reading…
My reading has been a little distracted lately, but four books I’ve finished are:
- Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah – Really enjoyed this! I wrote up a review here.
- The Starless Sea, by Erin Morgenstern – So, so disappointing.
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottlieb – This was a great read. I like reading her columns in NYTimes and The Atlantic, and her book was hard to put down.
- No Time to Spare, by Ursula Le Guin – Le Guin’s writing never fails to impress me. This was my first exposure to her nonfiction work and she’s a startlingly lucid, eloquent writer!
Have you read anything good recently? I’d love to hear any quarantine routines you’ve started as well.
(Photo by Richard Foulser)
WORD.
This month has felt SO. LONG. Thank god it’s finally the last day of January because I am SO ready for February aka BIRTHDAY MONTH!!!
Snowy Saturdays
It’s a snowy and freezing afternoon here in NYC, and I’m so happy to be curled up inside where it’s warm! I lit a toffee pumpkin scented candle that’s making the room smell absolutely delicious, have a cup of peach green tea steeping, and the rest of my day is wide open – I’m super content and happy.
I just finished reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and am continuing with Uncanny Valley by Anna Wiener. Think I’ll read until the end of the afternoon, and then catch up a little on work, clean/organize the apartment, and do some general planning for the next few months.
Hope everyone’s having a good long weekend!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I can’t believe it’s already 2020 and a new decade! The past week in London has been amazing, but I’m ready to start off this year already. My resolutions include:
- Reading: Finish 24 books, with at least 4 of those counting towards my Harvard 100 challenge
- Career: Switch paths altogether and find a job in a new industry that I genuinely enjoy
- Fitness: Run a half-marathon
- Social: Respond to texts and other messages within 24 hours
I’ll check in at the end of the year to see how I did on these 🙂 Hope 2020 starts off well for everyone!
P.S. One of the best things about NYC during winter is the department store holiday windows. I make it a point to go see them every year – Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Saks 5th Ave, Macy’s – and the one above is part of this year’s Bergdorf Goodman exhibit. It was my favorite this year!
Mossflower Cove 