5 min read

April/May in Retrospect

Remember in March when I said I'd write here monthly? You don't? Well, good. Because I definitely never said that. Maybe I was just busy with life and spending time away from my precious screens (less true) or maybe I was crashing out and avoiding my good-for-my-mental-wellbeing goals (more true). Whatever the reason, I'm back and earnestly making an effort to get back on the horse. I took May pretty easy, so fitting in some reflections on April feels fitting anyhow.

Me the last few months; actually fine but panicking for no good reason.

My goals and how they shaped up in the last two months

  • Exploring more literary genres – I read less than I did in March, shelving three books each in April and May. That said, the spread in genres felt diverse enough for me, so I'd consider it a win 🙂.
    • Babel by R.F. Kuang, a dark academia fantasy about a young translator caught between loyalty and revolution. Though the story wound up feeling a little longwinded in parts, the mechanics around magic and its exclusivity were compelling and original.
    • Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton, the story of a disposable clone assigned to dangerous missions who begins questioning his fate when he meets his unexpected successor. I read this after having seen Bong Joon Ho's film adaptation knowing that the source material was different in many ways, but I still hoped for an equally entertaining storyline. Unfortunately, the story didn't really expand beyond its main plot line.
    • The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, a heartfelt, witty collection of essays reviewing aspects of human life and the modern world. I really enjoyed this read! It offered deep dives into topics I’d never think to research on my own, but I often found myself sharing bits of trivia that stuck with me for one reason or another. Ultimately, I finished the book feeling a bit more hopeful about humanity.
    • Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez, a romance sparked by a chance encounter and tested by long-distance hurdles and family obligations. I’d been looking forward to this release, and like many modern romances for me, it was an easy, enjoyable read and a welcome escape.
    • Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, a melancholic and intimate exploration of love, grief, and connection between two men drawn together in the wake of a father’s death. Rooney's writing style takes getting used to but feels worth pushing through. Her stories read kind of like an A24 movie, and while this one was admittedly a bit of a slog for me to get through, I still found that there were parts of the book that made me like it enough as a whole.
    • Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, a tale of rival writers turned unexpected love interests. This story felt like a slight departure from Henry's typical themes and style, but it was a fun and quick read.
  • Being consistent with writing/journaling – Okay...so, I did actually say I would write here monthly. But I'm catching up now and that's good, right? I also said I'd journal in a physical notebook as much as possible (well, what I actually said was "...record things ... on a (hopefully) daily basis"). I wrote all through April, but I think it burned me out feeling like I needed to record everything so often, and I fell off of it in May as a result. Maybe this goal could be readjusted to the simple of act of writing more — whatever that looks like for me at the time. Overall, I'd say that this goal is moving in an okay direction with room for improvement.
  • Taking time for creative endeavors –
    • In April, I painted portraits of my friends' dogs and made them into ceramic-inspired fridge magnets as a small handmade gift. I haven't worked with gouache or clay in a long while and this was a nice way to get back into it. I love how they turned out.
    • In May, I made a more concerted effort to transition into using Apple Music and leave Spotify (save for the shared playlist my sister and I share that I contribute to when I'm on desktop) — this inspired me to make all my playlist covers pretty for once. I was limited to using Figma, but found joy in working with the limitations and designing things for the hell of it.
    • I also managed to squeeze in a fun manicure for myself in May — a recreation of this set by a nail artist @allycoolcattt.
  • Less meals out – I'd say the last two months were successful in this regard! We cooked more and had a better scope for meal planning that set us up for success.

Things that brought me joy

  • A chilly Denver Zoo date – Dan and I checked out the Denver Zoo's lantern displays while we could and somehow managed to get tickets for the one night that wound up being cold and snowy. We bundled up, had mini donuts, spotted some critters, and enjoyed each others company. Bonus points for it being an adults-only night!
  • Solo lunching – Despite being a pretty solitary person, treating myself to a solo lunch date is a rarity. At the time, MAKfam was only selling some lunch items on particular days and during a set timeframe, so I carved some time out to try a few things I'd been eyeing. I enjoyed some people watching, a podcast episode of Las Culturistas (via my airpods; I'm not a crazy person), and a suuuper good meal.
  • Palia – I gave this game a lot of my time in April, though I’ve since petered out on playing it. Still, as someone who loves simple, goal-oriented game mechanics, Palia really hit that low-stakes gaming itch I'd evidently been craving since the start of the year.
  • A movie date with friends sat several spaces from one another – Dan and I caught up with our friends and watched Sinners with them. The theater was packed so our friend grabbed us the only available seats which split the party up by unoccupied wheelchair spaces. The movie was fun, the seating situation was memorable, and we spent some time after grabbing gelato and catching up on life.
  • Hacks – I mentioned what I was watching in March, so it's only fair that I callout Hacks. I love this show, I love these characters, and season 4 didn't disappoint—it held my attention and sanity all through April and May.
  • Cute and functional stationery – Having cute writing tools takes me back to the days where the Sanrio store was still something you could find in the mall. Maybe acknowledging the joy that these things brings me will serve as yet another reminder to write more. Fingers crossed.