Friend and I had a thoughtful conversation about our mutual hot friends. I think it’s a perfectly normal thing to talk about. Beautiful things deserve to be admired and shared after all.

Now I’m left reflecting on all the aesthetically pleasing people in my life. It’s nice realizing how many quietly stunning people you’re surrounded by. Highly recommend having this conversation with someone you're close with.

Lately, I’ve been chronically burnt out — but I’m happy to say I’m finally starting to crawl out of it.

What’s been helping? Forcing myself to just... do stuff. Stuff I maybe wouldn’t normally try, but deep down I know I have the potential to thrive when I challenge myself a little. I feel so much better creatively right now. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Sewing – I made a bunting banner for my zine tabling events out of recycled fabrics! I really love how the scrap fabric look gives it this DIY, vintage-y flair. I’m so happy with how it turned out. I’m even considering making another one just for house decor.

Messing with my typewriters – Cleaning them up, taking them apart, putting them back together — it clears my head in a way few things can. I think everyone needs some kind of technical, hands-on project to get lost in.

Running – I never, ever regret going for a run (except maybe when I wake up sore all over the next day). But that post-run rush? Unmatched.

These small habits have really helped me feel more like myself again. I’m hoping to stick with them — and keep building from here. What are some things you do to get out of a creative rut?

It’s my motherFUCKING BIRTHDAY!!!

I’m officially 23. 23 is kind of a lame number. I blame blink-182 and their famous “What’s My Age Again?” for setting the tone. Great song, but we need justice for 23-year-olds everywhere.

22 was great. It was the year I really started to feel like an adult — and I’ve got the gray hairs to prove it. I traveled, I laughed, I cried, I lived. Fully. Maybe that’s the big takeaway from the year: to live and to be, whatever that means.

I don’t have anything super profound to say right now because I’m full of mussels and sleepy off birthday cupcakes. But cheers to 23. Let’s see what happens next.

That other blog post has me thinking more about tastes in music, and I’m feeling bold enough to tell you that I stalk people’s Spotify accounts. Regularly.

I even tweeted once, “creeping through his spotify y’all how cooked am i” — and my friend replied, “VERY 😭😭😭” — like, okay, fair. I know it’s a little weird. But in my defense, it’s basically the same as scrolling to the bottom of someone’s Instagram feed to see what they were up to in 2015. So actually? Not weird at all.

Lately I’ve been getting a kick out of people’s 2024 Playlist in a Bottle, just snooping through what they were listening to that year. What about you — what were you listening to last year?

A friend and I have wildly different tastes in music which I think is pretty cool! They've got good taste but I wonder if they think the same of mine. Probably not.

However, we've discovered that we’re both fans of two of the same albums. Thing is, these albums are gut-wrenchingly sad. Like, "Top 10 Saddest Albums of All Time" levels of sad. It makes me feel a little heavy knowing this person has probably listened to them during some tough times.

I usually only find myself listening to them when it’s rainy and bleak outside — and playing them on vinyl just amplifies the moodiness tenfold. I’ve always wanted to host a vinyl listening party, so would it be too much to ask for a rainy day where we can listen to them and allow ourselves to be sad together?

Welcome to the blog. Here's a test entry for you to stare at. Tags don't work right now, but will once there are enough posts to warrant having them!

Here's a breakdown of each "column:"

Random Thoughts: Self-explanatory, likely the bulk of content here...
Reflections: Hopefully more insightful reads about life, etc.
Reviews & Recommendations: I find myself accidentally recommending media to random people. It's probably a bad habit. These posts are a place for me to do that while being less annoying about it.
Newspaper Clippings: Quotes, lyrics, and pics that I find cool.

Have a nice read!