Oh Hi (+ Life Updates)

Whenever I’ve talked to someone over the past month-ish, one of my life updates has been, “I think I’m almost ready to start blogging again.”

What that means is:

• I miss connecting with my invisible internet friends.
• I miss actually dedicating time to sorting through my bajillion thoughts in a productive way.
• I miss stopping to take too many pictures.
• I miss writing in general.
• I miss the routine of blogging.

It also means:

• I’m not sure how to start blogging again.
• I’m not sure why I stopped.
• I’m not sure how to discipline myself to actually write things down.
• I’m not sure what to take pictures of.
• I’m not sure how I used to blog remotely consistently when I went to school full-time. It takes a lot of time, and I have all the time in the world right now.

But alas, because I want to come back, I’m going to. It’s good for me and I love it. So, why don’t we catch up a little bit first?

Getting back to you

It was brought to my attention by a friend of mine (hi, Hayley) that I ask for a lot of advice here and on my Instagram stories and then I never update you on how that advice worked out. Let’s change that.

Eyeliner

I asked for an eyeliner that doesn’t bleed onto my browbones or smudge under my eyes. I used Clinique for ages because that’s what my mom used, and it never stayed put for me. I got a recommendation for Tarteist Double Take and I love it. I almost exclusively use the liquid/marker end, which surprises me because I’m a makeup novice and I have no idea how to do liquid eyeliner, but this is insanely easy and it doesn’t bleed. I’ve also used the crayon, and while I think it’s harder to apply (it doesn’t glide the way liquid does, but it’s not bad at all), it also stays in place.

Selling clothes

I ranted on my stories a few weeks ago about how it’s been impossible to get clean-out bags from ThredUp for almost a year now because they’re always backed up, and I have a ton of clothes I want to sell. The most common response I got on Facebook and Instagram stories was to get a Poshmark account and sell them on there. Ugh. I wish.

I sold one item in about a day and have since had people ask for more details and pictures and then never get back to me. I think the problem is that so many people actually put effort into their Poshmark accounts (modeling, styling, curating boutiques, blah blah blah), and while that probably yields good results for them, it makes it harder for the casual seller. I’ll probably end up going to Plato’s Closet and getting $2 for all of my clothes. Unless you want to buy something from my Poshmark account. 

Also, I’m just confused about how I ended up “following” 120+ people on Poshmark when I didn’t follow any of them. 

Music accounts

I was given the responsibility of deciding what music service my family uses this year (what a job, right?). I basically got unanimous “Spotify” responses, but here’s the thing: I don’t get it. I mean, I do get how to use Spotify, but I don’t get why it’s so much more popular than Pandora. Oh, except for the fact that you can’t use Pandora abroad unless you’re using data and not wi-fi. But in the US, I don’t get it.

I still have a free Spotify account that I use to find new music/stalk people I think have good music taste, but Pandora Premium lets you listen to stations, build playlists and listen to other people’s playlists, and have multiple people listening to the same account. Plus, I’m more used to the Pandora interface after all the years my family has had Pandora.

Groceries

No shame, I am a little bit of a grocery snob. I like the brands I like and the products I like, and about half the time, I really don’t want to hear that the store brand is the same. Sorry.

But I’ve also never paid for all my own groceries and figured it would be a good time to evaluate where I buy my stuff. I’ve seen lots of recs (and some great promos) for Thrive Market (which I’ve used for free before and liked), but then I found Vitacost through Nancy and I’m thinking that’s where I’ll try to get most of my pantry staples, whether they’re Vitacost’s generic brand or my preferred brand. I added all the same items to both a Thrive and Vitacost cart just to see the price differences and Vitacost was slightly cheaper, and it doesn’t have a yearly membership cost. Both were way cheaper than any store I shop at, though.

Also, I’ll probably buy most of my meat through ButcherBox. That basically leaves me to buy nut milk, butter, eggs, fish, produce, and kombucha (#treatyoself… but should I learn to make it myself?) at grocery stores.

I like to think doing some grocery shopping online will slow down my impulse buys, and if it doesn’t, it’ll make it a little cheaper. I’ll also probably share way more details on this when I’m actually doing it and not just planning it.

Habits

Diet Coke

Guys, I mostly don’t drink Diet Coke anymore. It came about because I was talking about some skincare/household products being less-than-awesome for your health, and my dad was like, “You know what’s bad for your health? Diet Coke.” Well, duh. Point taken. And then I basically went cold turkey. 

I say “mostly” and “basically” because when my stomach is super upset, drinking it feels strangely helpful. And as I write this, I’m laying on the floor and drinking Diet Coke because my stomach is not feeling so hot. That said, I notice that I desperately crave sugar and more Diet Coke when I drink it, so let’s just say my eats yesterday were heavy on the sweet stuff. It’s a good reminder of why I (mostly) stopped. Edited to add: Yeah, today my stomach feels a thousand times better and I just want some veggies and meat. And avocado, always.

If I’m really looking for something different than tea and water, I’ll have some kombucha, a matcha latte, or a golden milk latte.

Do you want those recipes?

Meditation

I’ve been meditating regularly since the beginning of the year. I don’t hate it like I used to, and I actually look forward to practicing it. In my best stressed-out moments, I meditate and feel a bit better. And sometimes I still spiral into a small panic. But sometimes I meditate, and I prefer to focus on those times.

Do you have a meditation practice? Do you want to start one?

Reading

I was going to read 52 books this year. I guess I still might, but I’m at about 5 right now, if I remember correctly. No good excuses here. Reading feels like an evening activity to me, and my evenings are spent watching hockey, Game of Thrones, This is Us, or Grey’s Anatomy. It is what it is. I have a few books going, but my progress is slow. I guess I would prefer to do it and enjoy it than force it, though. So, that’s where I am there.

Right now, I’m casually reading Lilac Girls, The Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, and Milk and Honey. What are you reading?

How I spend my time

I don’t even know, really. Days go fast and I’m never sure that I actually did anything. I work out in the morning, maybe run an errand or three, walk Pippa, make dinner, eat dinner, and then it’s night. Who knows where the time goes.

It really is getting better, though. Just not today, really.

In all honesty, I was going to be cleaning the house when I actually was writing this. I do the cleaning once a week in exchange for a large amount of anxiety from Pippa, who hates it when I’m wandering around the house, and a small amount of money. Instead, I’ll probably be cleaning as you’re reading this because I was not feeling it yesterday. Yesterday was a lay-around kind of day.

Other things I do include:

• Teaching private yoga on Sunday mornings. I love doing this. I get just a little nervous every time, and then I fall into the flow and just love it every time. Last week, I lost my wallet the night before and was hardcore panicking before the class, but I managed to cover it up and teach normally. Proud.

• Figuring out how to teach more. I got my Spinning Instructor Certification and I have my 200 RYT, and I know the answer includes applying at studios, talking to gyms, and auditioning, but I still have some complex that I’m not skilled/practiced enough. Tell me to get over myself.
• Assistant-coaching Girls on the Run. I knew I wanted to do some sort of volunteer work in all this time off, and what better thing to volunteer in than a confidence and running club for elementary school girls? This was the first week, but it was fun, and I look forward to the next nine weeks.
• Baking sugary things for my parents to take to work. Self-explanatory, but their coworkers love me.
• Proctoring college admissions tests. On the Saturdays they’re offered, I go to my mom’s school and proctor ACTs and SATs. It’s early on Saturday mornings and it’s not terribly fun, but it’s a small commitment, easy, makes money, and someone’s gotta do it.
• Doing minor tasks that suddenly feel very important. Today this included updating my LinkedIn profile, which I haven’t looked at for months, and I doubt anyone else looks at. A few days ago, it was looking at templates for email newsletters. Sometimes, it’s doing investment research or adjusting my budget for my future life. Others, it’s getting rid of clothes I’ve had since middle/high school or making a new workout playlist. 

And that’s me, right now. I should probably get my dog outside because I don’t think it’s snowing anymore. It got really cold here all of a sudden, and I’m not that okay with it. This is February weather in March, and I’d like it to go away.

Your turn:

What are you reading? Drinking? Doing? Buying? Looking forward to? I want to know!