“When December is over,” reads the note in my journal, “I just want to chill out and read books with a tea latte.”
Lol.
I usually absorb books in one big gulp—sit down and go all the way through.
Lately, I’ve been picking up a story and just reading a snippet at a time.
Everything this past month has come in quick bites.
I’m doing a lot more running out the door than cozying up on the couch. There are these bursts of activity: A friend’s storytelling birthday party! Hadestown at the Pavilion with a friend! A dinner party! A clothing swap!
It’s really nice to be a guest after hosting my 10-person family for Christmas.
January is kind of the best time for gatherings, too. No one has cool vacations or plans, and we’re all dying to get out of the house.
It’s a treat to shed your jacket and boots and slip into a room full of chatter and warmth. Time is suspended, a brief festival.
Lest this make my life sound incredibly buzzy and glamorous, just know that I also spend a lot of time just…sitting around on my couch. And I ate rotisserie chicken yanked from the carcass, direct from the plastic clamshell, for two meals in a row. (Another reason being a guest is the best: someone else cooks).
Here are tastes of good things:
Extra Hand
I bought this cake-print Baggu on a whim. (Christmas shopping, local art store, cute print).
I have reusable bags. I didn’t think I needed another one. But I use this WAY MORE than my trusty Trader Joe’s bags. The included stuff sack is genius. The whole thing folds down and tags along in my coat pocket. I have moments at store checkouts where I remember, fish it out, and feel ultra prepared.
Another great thing: winter coat pockets in general. Like a purse you never forget to bring along!
Rooting for the Eagles
It’s eagle breeding season in South Dakota, so they’re lingering in the area like singles at last call. On my lunchtime walk, I spotted one perched in a grubby tree, looking solemn and lending gravitas to my neighborhood. Look up! It might make your day.
Recreational Reading
I’m making my way through the 2025 Tournament of Books shortlist. The vibe is best encapsulated with this: the grand prize is a live rooster for the winning author.
I’m not set on finishing everything by March, but it’s a nice little challenge to push my reading choices a bit.
Here’s what I’ve read so far:
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Read in one long evening, feeling antsy and seeking a non-phone distraction. Why not be kept company by a sensitive alien faxing her observations on humanity to her home planet? The book is the perfect amount of strange. And very human, actually.
The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck
I had to pause between the short stories in this collection to catch my breath. I’d speed through each story to get to the crux of each. So much tension builds up quickly and it’s a relief once you know you’ve gotten to the most intense part. I cared for these characters and wanted good things for them. They get complicated things.
The book is set up in pairs of linked stories, like a little game to look out for amidst the action. It’s a world of birds, music, and the woods, but all of the stories felt distinct.
The Book of Love by Kelly Link
Currently making my way through this one. It’s a story told at a tilt. Strange things abound: teenagers who are not quite alive and magic that is dark and always leaking around the edges. I’m a little nervous about it getting too creepy, but I’m working on enjoying the strangeness instead of worrying too early.
Reading to be reading, not to complete something!
Seaweed is for Lovers
I tasted this Nori sour cream dip at a friend’s dinner party featuring Eric Kim recipes, then made it to contribute to the spread at a clothing swap within the week.
I knew I liked it, but it’s a little risky to bring dip that comes with an “it smells fishy” disclaimer. But the crew enjoyed it! I texted the recipe to a requester, a sure sign of a winner.
Bring a thing you want to eat to the party! Others might like it!
And if it fails, you just get more of the delicious thing to yourself.
Not Chill
My natural state tends to be future-focused, full of plans and imagined outcomes. It’s interesting to have a month without much space to sit down and think.
I’m in the middle of the story, busied with the plot.
It’s good so far.
I hope you see some eagles and read something good in February.
(What are you reading these days? I’m always looking for recs!)
💙, Ten
Elsewhere
Tile as quilt!!! Giving me ideas for a pesky gap between floorboards in my kitchen.
I have found the worst word: phygital. (In ref to physical/digital marketing. Of course marketers coined this abomination).
I just made these salmon crunch bowls—tons of flavor, would recommend. Came together in 41 minutes, 52 seconds. I timed it to show myself cooking doesn’t really take that long and then it kinda took long.
The co-op has pomelos and I bought one because I felt like I needed to round out my purchase of two (2) bags of chips. First pomelo, won’t be the last. Mild and sweet and delish.
I put on The Fall Guy and cleaned my room. A good combo. The soundtrack is full of songs I forgot about, but are really obvious and fun all strung together.
I adore these animations! So, so fun and love to see you experimenting. I similarly tried out the salmon crunch bowl recipe with the promise it would be a fast meal, and fast it was not! (I did the paid subscription to What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking for a month or two but ultimately unsubscribed because all the recipes felt like too much effort lol.) Also, I'm currently trying to read A Gentleman in Moscow for the third time. I'm not sure why I have a hard time getting into it because everyone says it's such a lovely book. Third time's the charm?!