Summer 2024 Hiatus

Summer memories, although yes I realize summer is not quite over yet.

Sep 10, 2024

I'm writing this newsletter on Saturday morning, a little before 6 am, because I can't sleep. I've been up since 4:15 am just vibing.

I've recently found that my sleep quality is low on the nights I don't wear my Oura ring to track my sleep. It feels almost as if I'm playing a silly game with myself. Nevertheless, I'm pleased to be back here writing after an unplanned summer break. I didn't intend to take a break, but sometimes, you need to step back from things. And, I'll be honest: in the past few months, I've been experiencing a mild case of imposter syndrome when writing this newsletter. I subscribe to so many newsletters (92, yes, I know, excessive) and read so many books that sometimes I have nothing to write about or nothing interesting to share. However, I intend to get out of my head and do my thing.

Nonetheless, my summer hiatus has been lovely.

I got to watch my little cousin compete in the Olympics, I had so much quality time with friends so many laughs with friends and families; and with those things, I have discovered some things about myself, including:

I'm not too fond of French 75's.
Drinking after 35 is for the birds, literally.
I love Peaches.
I can never think about my newfound love of Peaches without thinking of “Peach” by Novel, iykyk.
Although I thought I liked it while it was on "Girls," it is an overly annoying show. All the girls are annoying.
I no longer enjoy reality TV.
Having a simplified system is the best system for me. Thus, I am using Superlist and Apple Notes for my life.

Additionally, I have been on a baby hiatus from podcasting for the past few weeks.

Andrea Brown

and I concluded our first season of Creative Canvas podcast and now have 20 episodes under our belt, which fascinates me. It's the consistency that, for me, flips hair. I think from recording so many episodes, I have learned a lot about my creative process and found things that I can apply to other areas of my life, including:

Be like Nike and do it. This means moving out of your text thread, Notes app, Google Doc, or Notion Doc and starting something.
When recording, having a structured outline is necessary.
Things take time to grow.
Social media is your best friend when done right.
Feedback is necessary. This is honestly the only way you can grow.
Just because so many people are doing something doesn't mean you shouldn't try it if you want to.

Yes, this summer has been great, but I'm ready to see her go. I am so looking forward to falling for many reasons: the weather, my birthday, the election, my parents being closer, and silk press season.

Since I've been out in the weeds, I have included a roundup of things I loved this summer. Initially, I planned also to include things I didn't enjoy, but there was only one: this book, so yes, let's get into it.

things I read and loved this summer:

I went to the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival and was completely overwhelmed by the number of people. However, I went to hear author James McBride, and now I’m an even bigger fan. I have enjoyed his writing since I read The Color of Water in high school, which is still hands down one of my favorite books ever. After hearing him talk, I need to go back and re-read some of his other books.
I read Grown Women by Sarai Johnson and loved it.
I also read How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving by David Richo and thought it was interesting. I would suggest it if you want to open up in some of your relationships.
The People Who Quit Dating for The Atlantic
How to Make Friends as an Adult—at Every Life Stage for Time
Ina Garten And the Age of Abundance for The New Yorker

things I listened to and loved this summer:

Rae Khalil's album, specifically this song. JAMMING.
I discovered Lizzie Berchie on Spotify and have been obsessed with her album Under the Sun and this song in particular. It's perfect.
I love the Sabrina Carpenter album. I can't stop listening to "Good Graces." I love my pop girls.
I also loved the debut album from Catpack. Amber Navran from Moonchild is in Catpack.
I went down a Japanese Soul rabbit hole and ended up here, Yumi Matsutoya's "Kanashiihodo."
I enjoyed this Balanced Black Girl podcast episode on de-centering men in relationships.
Although my summer playlist is coming to an end, I still love it. I also really love my lover girl era playlist.
"Mutt" by Leon Thomas is such a good song.
Two great podcast episodes on dating and relationships, the first on "Whoreible Decisions" and the other on "On Purpose with Jay Shetty."