friday cool/dumb shit v9

things to put in your mind and things to put on your body

Next week is my birthday and I really wanted to share all the stuff that’s on my wishlist but then I didn’t want it to sound like I’m asking for things??? idk anxiety is weird. So once again, this is all stuff I am reading / listening to / consuming / doing. No affiliate links.

1. This article on not being a mom was fantastic. I’d never wish my kids away and I do not have regrets, but I sometimes wish I had found more writings like this when I was contemplating children.

1. A beauty item I am loving, but can’t be sure it “works” as advertised, this lip stuff. Found first through TIBAL, who I think uses something else now for “plumping.” But I am loving the ritual, the luxury feel of it, using the little wand thingy, and as I said idk about plumping but I used to struggle with dry lips overnight especially if it’s dry in the house and because we run the ceiling fan at night, and I never wake up with dry lips even when I’m sick and mouth-breathing through the night. More than you ever wanted to know about my lips at night??? I found mine in the samples/small stuff when waiting in line at Sephora, and much like with my children, I have no regrets.

2. No link for this one but a thing I’m enjoying lately is coffee on weekdays with friends. Now that Charlie is out of school and the way our mornings go, I sometimes struggle to get out of bed and/or get going with my day (a privilege, it must be said). Sometimes I need the extra chill time, but a lot of times I end up annoyed with myself on the time I should have spent doing literally anything else. Coffee first thing in the morning with a friend has been a nice incentive before beginning work. Plus, what a lovely way to start the day.

3. Another article to read from the New Yorker on “gentle parenting.” I found it though-provoking and interesting and it made me laugh and maybe even tear up a little bit. One woman’s perspective on gentle parenting, and like, why try it.

4. I’m trying to up my leg-shaving game lately and have been reading every blog post I can find about all the tips. Most of them end with abandoning shaving for laser which I will absolutely be doing, just not yet. For now, a thing I’ve added this week is this after-shower wet lotion. Like, you put it on while your skin is still wet. I love the result, but not super sure about the ritual of doing this and then drying off? It’s weird. But a lot of other lotions and body oils have been giving me razor burn and this doesn’t.

5. New-to-me podcast I’ve been loving is Duped: The dark side of online business. Very niche! But the eps are very good, and this one on The Manipulation of Manifestation / spotify link / apple link was really good, and I felt related to more than just small business owners. If manifestation babes make you cringe like me, you might enjoy, or if you’re curious about manifestation babes and want to hear what to look out for - you may enjoy. Hat tip Alisha (fellow writer + community leader) for putting me onto it!

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forgot to make a listicle joke

I need y’all to know that every time I go in search of a photo to share, I am lost. I lose SO MANY MINUTES scrolling and scrolling and laughing and rolling my eyes. I’m not sure if I can keep this up because so many of the photos are either just dumb, or they’re only funny to me, or it’s less funny when I block people’s faces for privacy, and so it’s like I’m just sharing photos of me looking cute when I was younger??? That’s a little self-gratifying and serving no other purpose. So we’ll see. For now, here’s a pic of me, first year of being an adult post-graduation, with a guy I was seeing who said he was divorced but wasn’t!

had the same name as my dad. yes it was weird.

anywho!

Next week’s memoir is already written, more about the modern midlife crisis and what it really is, in the context of a friend who submitted her story to me (and by “submitted” I mean I texted her and was like CAN I TALK ABOUT YOUR LIFE STORY FOR THE NEWSLETTER and she graciously emailed me a bunch of details about it). I can’t wait for you to read it.

If YOU want to submit a story about following your dreams, having your own midlife crisis, or any opinions of yours on the topic to be shared here, you can submit your shit here. I think my hope is to share more of these regularly if not every week, and slowly prove to myself (and you all??) that if we are having more fun and doing things we like to do and not NOT doing things we like to do because of OTHER PEOPLE, we will be both a) free of needing a midlife crisis to shake things up, and b) happier!?!? Let’s find out.

Apropos of nothing, it’s 6 sleeps until my birthday!

kbye!