Spring>summer mental health check in

kateLeave a comment

Summer turned on over the weekend. It miraculously happens every year during Memorial Day weekend. Our chilly and overcast days became hot and sunny overnight.

Incidentally, my mood also made a major switch. I felt GOOD this weekend. Like, the best I have in months. I felt happy and had plenty of energy to do a bunch of stuff on what would normally be a lazy weekend day. It’s all tied to the sun, I’m sure. I feel like an extra fussy houseplant. I need plenty of direct sunlight or I wilt.

It really makes no sense that I live in one of the top 10 cloudiest states in the US.

The nice weather has meant I’m spending a lot more time outside, which is a mood booster for me even in less sunny weather. I’ve been either going for a run or a walk every day this month, and spending tons of time out on the front porch reading, scrolling on my phone, or just hanging out with a cup of coffee.

This is good for me. I need to keep it up so I can get the most out of these short summer months.

Some things about me

kateLeave a comment

I’ve always liked doing these little questionnaires since back in my Livejournal days. They’re fun and informative! Here are some things about me:

  1. Do you have any phobias? I’m afraid of butterflies and moths
  2. Do you have any piercings or tattoos? Pierced ears and septum. No tattoos.
  3. Do you have children? No and I don’t want any
  4. Do you speak any different languages? Spanish, rustily
  5. Have you ever met any celebrities? I met Michelle Obama once and it was incredible. 
  6. How are you feeling right now? Sleepy
  7. What did you last eat? Veggie burger and lime La Croix
  8. What’s one goal you would like to accomplish this year? Launch an Etsy shop for printable planners
  9. What’s your favorite dessert? Cannoli
  10. What’s your favorite drink? Coffee
  11. What’s your favorite snack? Popcorn
  12. What’s your favorite season? Summer
  13. What’s your favorite TV show? Adventure Time
  14. What’s your star sign? Capricorn
  15. What’s the last song you’ve listened to? Smidley – Under the Table
  1. Cookies or cake?
  2. Cat or dog?
  3. Pancakes or waffles?
  4. Hot chocolate or coffee?
  5. Morning or evening?
  6. Text message or call?
  7. Library or museums?
  8. Summer or winter?
  9. Book or movie?
  10. Tea or coffee?
  11. Chocolate or vanilla?
  12. Comedy or horror?
  13. Painting or drawing?
  14. Reading or writing?
  15. Introvert or extrovert?

What I read in April

kateLeave a comment

I’m doing surprisingly well in quarantine, but one thing I’m really missing—that there isn’t a good substitute for—is the library. I can still see friends and family through zoom, and I like cooking enough that I’m not really missing restaurants just yet, but there’s a hole in my life where the library used to be.

I can’t read a book on my phone or computer. I just can’t do it. So even though my library lets me check out ebooks for free with Libby, it’s not helping. I’m trying not to buy more books at this point either. I’d end up spending all my money and would quickly run out of storage space since my book shelves are already stacked.

So I’m stuck with actually reading the books I own. Which happens to be quite a lot. The problem is, I bought most of those books YEARS ago and let them gather dust until I eventually lost interest. A LOT of them are written by long-dead white guys, which doesn’t exactly spark my interest like it used to.

One thing I do like about those old dead white guys is the way they use language. Here are some choice quotes from what I read in April.

Walden

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.

from Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

thestranger

I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world.

from The Stranger by Albert Camus

saul-bellow-mr-sammlers-planet

Everybody needs his memories, they keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.

from Mr. Sammler’s Planet by Saul Bellow