10 Things Vol. 4

1. I just read my November horoscope and the first line says “Surrender to the productive homebody vibes this month.” Consider it done!  It also says my month is all about balancing rest with ambition which is honestly the most spot on horoscope I ever could’ve imagined.  I have a lot of things I want to accomplish in November between doing work on our home, setting aside time to invest in the hobbies that make me happiest, and I’m also toying with the idea of a new project.  All of these involve spending productive hours at home!

2. I mentioned in my last post how obsessed I’ve been with Taylor Swift’s Midnights and I just read that Taylor just made history by being the first artist ever with the entire top 10 on Billboard Hot 100.  So cool!

3. Also on the media front, I recently read a couple of books I’ve really loved and it inspired me to start writing mini-reviews again on the blog.  My first one is already posted (here), but expect another with some romance reads in the near future.

4. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Andrew and I are spending our weekend repainting the den.  We painted it a really lovely earthy green color within the first few weeks of closing on our house and I thought I liked it, but this first week living with it, the less I like it! I should’ve followed my gut and stuck to a blue and white color palette, but I guess that’s the price I pay for going outside of my comfort zone.  I feel like the green doesn’t flow well with our adjacent rooms and I really think painting the room white will make it feel brighter and bigger since it doesn’t get too much natural light.  I also think it’ll be easier to do now before we get a couch.  Sorry Andrew!

5. Another weekend goal is that I really want to clean out my closet and pair down.  I have an unbelieve amount of clothes (which I’m sure is no surprise if you see my monthly purchases posts).  Part of my problem is that I like too many things >.<  I really want to get my closet in a place where I can pull out any item and it’ll 1) match with everything else in my wardrobe, 2) fit me, and 3) feel comfortable to wear for a full day.  I really need to try on every piece of clothing to make this happen, but that’s why it hasn’t yet. I haven’t had the time and I’m too attached to things I might need for some unknown future event.

6. I watched a really interesting YouTube video this week by Mina Le (probably my favorite YouTuber of all time).  She did a deep dive on celebrity gossip dating back to its roots and how it’s evolved over time and through many mediums.  I found it particularly interesting since I used to be obsessed with gossip magazines in college (I bought Us Weekly, Life & Style and In Touch every single week!) but I totally fell off of paying attention to celeb happenings as I got older.  Then I noticed that my library has copies of Us Weekly available digitally and one of the cover stories was about BravoCon, so I checked it out for old times sake.  I learned that I am not at all up on who’s popular these days but it was still fun to flip through! And as a side note, I started reading Anon Pls. by Duexmoi, the celebrity gossip instagram account, and it’s been a blast so far!

7. Speaking of the library, I’ve never used my kindle more than I have since I started commuting.  I feel like I’m finally getting my money’s worth on this investment, and I’m also utilizing my library much more than I have in the past.  It’s working really well for me and I’m hoping to stick with this system for years to come.  I’m saving a lot of money on books I would’ve picked up physically and the headache of getting rid of the ones I deem unworthy of keeping.  I hate to admit it, but there’s no doubt that YouTube had a huge influence on the way I acquired books over the past couple of years and it feels good to take a step back and make more intentional choices for myself.  

8. I mentioned that I hadn’t really been in the Halloween spirit this year so on Andrew and my annual Halloweekend, instead of binge watching Halloween movies (plus we had already watched some of our favorites earlier in the season), we decided to check out the tv show Castle starring Nathan Fillion.  Both of us are loving it! We just started season three and it’s the perfect mix of humor, murder, and the will they/won’t they chemistry between the leads.

9. Last weekend, we had a celebration of life party in honor of my dad’s parents and it was truly the perfect way to honor the lives of such incredible people.  My grandfather passed away on All Saints Day (very fitting) and since we weren’t able to do anything for my grandmother when she passed over Covid, we thought a combined celebration would’ve made them both really happy.  We gathered with about 60 of our closest family and friends and reminisced over drinks and hors d’oeuvres.  Since they both lived long and happy lives, it felt more appropriate to celebrate than to mourn. I really loved how everything turned out and I can see this becoming a trend within my family.  

10. I’m always an overly cautious person when it comes to pretty much anything in life but I’ve been especially guarded this week.  It probably sounds crazy since things are finally calming down and Andrew and I are establishing our new normal but it’s almost like I’m too nervous that something new and stressful could arise at any moment and shake everything up again.  I’m really eager to go back to enjoying the things I love, but I’m also a bit uneasy and not wanting to dive too deep just yet.