Some Things, Vol 3
Sheet masks, juice boxes, katsu curry, and fighting the urge to throw my Apple Watch in the East River.
Welcome to Some Things—a feature I’ve introduced to satisfy my urge to share little tidbits of what has happened and is happening in my world.
I publish these whenever inspiration strikes. Sometimes they’ll recap a specific period of time or event(s) in my life, and other times they’ll just be a collection of things I’ve been enjoying, doing, listening to, eating, watching, or thinking about—no particular timeframe, just whatever feels worth sharing. They’ve been monthly so far, but don’t hold me to that!
And just like that, the first quarter of 2025 is behind us. As March winds down and we enter both April and Q2, I’ve felt like I’ve oscillated between that slow and sticky winter energy and the more active one that spring invites in. That mirrors what the weather was doing throughout the month as well.
Some things I wrote
I talked a lot about shifting seasons in a recent essay, but the ~vibes~ in that one seem to be a theme for me throughout March. Slow down but also speed up. Hibernate but also come back to life. More of that.
March asked me to slow down quite a bit due to being sick—one illness that took only me down, and one that took down the entire house. I wrote about it at length, but when I look back on March it is absolutely a main theme.
I wrote about my digital detox, which started in February and finished in March. It was truly a bit life-changing for me to go through this and examine how I rely on the internet and technology as a distraction, to ‘wind down,’ etc.
Since finishing my detox, I’ve spent some time (maybe too much time) on the Substack app. I wrote a lot of Notes—some funny, some serious, some seeking community!
I also wrote some copy for my ‘first client’ (
who writes and who is also my husband, hehe). I copyedited his first article for Substack, something I’m really proud of him for doing. It was really fun editing something while trying to maintain his unique voice.
Last week, I wrote about an experience I had doing something that I found mortifying, cringey, and embarrassing—that I also absolutely knew I wanted to do. I really appreciated the comments and discussion—I even wiped a tear away in a coffee shop while reading one of them.
I wrote a lot of drafts of essays I hope to publish in April and beyond. Stories about a weekly toddler music class that is fun and chaotic (in the best way), on lying to myself about liking black coffee for so long, an ode to my time in the Bay Area, idealizing my life if I were to be a stay at home parent (and whether or not that idealization is fair), the price of eggs, and some other works in progress.
I’ve stuck to my morning pages for most of the month of March. I missed a few days—some from being sick, and one because I was just enjoying my Sunday. The bigger shift is that I’ve gotten much less precious about maintaining a ‘streak’.
I spent some of my time in March sending out pitches to various publications. I haven’t gotten a single response back to any of my pitches and that’s okay. It’s been really fun to dream up different topics based on specific call-to-actions and if anything, I have some new essay ideas.
I’ve been writing almost daily poetry, which isn’t something I’ve talked about with anyone at all. Right now, they all just live in a single note in my phone. April is National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) and I’m planning on continuing this daily habit in a really targeted and specific way. I have no idea if I’ll do anything with any of it, but so far it’s been nice to have a bit of writing, besides journaling, that is truly for me.
Some things I enjoyed
A friend got me (and Devlin) this Dr. Jart sheet mask. I like sheet masks in general, but this one feels like it took everything to another level. They’re like, $16 each, but I have a few in my cart—the trigger is waiting to be pulled.
We enjoy eating Japanese curry for dinner every now and then, typically using the Golden Curry cubes as a base. At the beginning of the month, he made a batch with chicken katsu which was delightful. Then, a few weeks later, he took it a week further—he made the curry from scratch! One of the better things I ate last month.
I saw a twelve pack of ‘Orange Cream’ Coke Zero and I couldn’t resist. It’s wildly tasty, and I’ve been ruined. I’ve noticed an increase in flavored sodas, and I’m sure there is an essay that’s waiting to be written, titled: “How the increase in flavored Coca-Cola’s can be used to predict the economic downturn” but I don’t think I’m the one to write it. If you are the one to write it, please give me a little shout out in your intro.
Some things I went to
I also went places! Notably:
March has been back and forth with the weather, but there have been many days where it was staunchly playground weather, which has been fun. I’ve enjoyed watching my son get more and more confident, (re)connecting with some playground parents, and just getting some quiet outdoor time.
I’ve been meeting up with other writers—to write with, to pick brains, to learn about what they do, etc. I’ve found the experience to be really validating, even when the tales lean more cautionary (work-sponsored health insurance is really valuable, and I very much appreciate mine at the moment).
The Macy’s in downtown Brooklyn is closing (or has closed? status unclear, to be honest) and they are selling everything—mannequins and fixtures included. While the clothing and shoes got cleared out awhile ago, I kept hearing about how the jewelry counters were still selling off their stuff, so I stopped by one day to take a peek, telling myself I could buy a pair of gold hoops if I saw them (and only that). I found my hoops, and bought them for 80% off plus an additional 40% off.
It was a bit dystopian as well! An end of an era.
Some things I stopped worrying about
I stopped working out in March, and I’m very not worried about it. Working out and movement will always be there for me, but right now I’m prioritizing some other aspects of my life. Between getting sick and having to catch up from that to spending the time between parenting and work in the mornings writing, my typical workout time just hasn’t been found. Nor have I had much of a desire. I still walk, though again not as much as I have in the past, and I stretch when I need a stretch, but largely March was fairly physically inactive. I’m slowly starting to get the itch again, just this week, and I can only imagine the weather is to thank. I’m starting to dip my toe in slightly longer walks and even did a very simple bodyweight circuit a few days ago, just to remind myself what it feels like to move. I’m letting myself ride this wave and am taking it a bit more slowly.
When I am walking and whatnot, I’ve stopped worrying (or caring?) about tracking my activity. I’ve gotten terrible at charging my Apple Watch and Oura ring, and overall have been enjoying being a bit disconnected from this biometric data for a bit.
I’ve stopped worrying about being a ‘perfect’ parent in terms of what I let my kid consume. We bought a five pound bag of chicken nuggets at Costco and have been giving them to him on more than just special occasions. I’ve been giving him some more bites of things that we’re eating, even when they contain sugar. We even introduced, *gasp*, juice boxes. The extremists will say there’s no need for any of that, especially under two—in theory I agree, but I also know that we’re not on this Earth to only consume what we need to survive and that’s a lesson I’d like to teach as early as appropriate—I feel like we’re there.
Similarly, we are starting to take a similar approach to TV. When we were sick we watched a lot of it, and I’m starting to think a little Bluey here and there isn’t the worst thing. Like food, I am trying to focus on balance and moderation over extreme restriction as that only leads to rebelling and a hyper-fixation on it all. Last Saturday, we watched three episodes of Bluey just because. An episode is seven minutes—he’ll be fine.
Some things I’m still doing
I’m still eating Pad Thai whenever we get Thai takeout <3
I am caught up on One Chicago, as of this week. Yes, that’s right, that means I now need to wait to watch Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med. Which means I need a new procedural (…or does it…?). I do have some other shows to catch up on, and am trying to watch less TV, but we’ll see how that goes.
I’m still here, writing, trying to hit about four essays a month—this feels very similar to a ‘once a week’ goal, but allows me to give myself a little bit of grace when I inevitably get sick or can’t find the time.
As we head into April, I’m very much looking forward to warmer weather, seeing the cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and longer walks. I’m looking forward to wearing spring clothes and finally retiring my calf-length puffer for the season.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time.