011 // we're talking interiors
things keeping my mind right, my body moving and my heart full this november
After weeks of go-go-go, I’m so excited to be home and spend the next few months at home. While I had so much fun gallivanting around SF and peeking at the Fall foliage of NYC, I’m honestly so relieved to be home for the winter.
I’ve been thinking about what the colder months would entail for me, especially given the holiday season and a smattering of days here and there. This episode of Vibe Check really set the stage for me to think deeply about what I want for myself over the next few weeks. I’m thinking about winter as a form of hibernation, stillness, and reflection. adrienne maree brown used the words “mundane caring for yourself,” and I want that so bad, so I’ve illustrated what I want this to look like below:
It’s 6 a.m., and there’s a stillness that typically signals the light stirring of the day’s beginning. The windows are still slightly frosted, and the light starts to shift from a twilight blue into what will eventually be the sunrise.
A light jazz streams through the apartment, and warm light shines on your novel as you flip to what will be its end.
The scent of your second cup of coffee fills the air as you methodically pour your gooseneck kettle into a clockwise rotation, watching the ground beans rise and fall.
The crisp morning air hits your face as your feet hit the pavement through the quiet streets of the city.
There’s laughter behind you as your companions reminisce on how fast the year has turned, as you pick out another deep red wine to enjoy with the remnants of a warm and hearty meal.
These are the moments of solitude, reflection, and intentional companionship that I’m manifesting this holiday season. As I hold onto this thought for the next few months, here’s a sneak peek into how my November looked:
Now, the one thing that has truly occupied my mind with its processing power is Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis. I’ve been looking for any reason to talk about it, and I’ve already done a deep dive, so for this month, I’m just going to re-link it below. Give it a read, and let me know what you think.
immigrant eldest daughters stay in line franz kafka's metamorphosis will find you soon enough
I’m going to level-set with you all. Before I read Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, I thought I knew exactly what it was about. I was fully prepared to read a book where this guy turned into a bug and just went about his day. At work, walking through the city, talking to people on the street, he was a bug, and people just let him go on like that.
I’ve set a goal for myself. I’m typically very hesitant to set running goals for myself for two reasons: 1) I used to hate running, so I don’t want to pressure myself into moving away from my primary goal - learning to love it, 2) I don’t want to compare myself to past me (when I was faster) or people around me and online. I don’t want to be distracted from my own progress.
But I’ve had this goal for a while, and I’ve felt myself getting closer and closer to it, so I thought I’d share. I’d love to run a 5K in under 30 minutes consistently.
I have several reasons for this goal, but the main one is somewhat silly. I want to do this, mainly, because it will be extremely convenient for my workout routine. I work in the mornings before work, and typically, a person could get through a workout before work with no stress, but I work at 8 a.m. (which I love), which makes me feel a bit rushed for my workouts. And, a 5K in 30 minutes would allow me to get through my 10-minute warm-ups and cool down without stressing about time. It will, hopefully, clear my head enough to focus on intentional movement.
So that’s my goal, honestly; it feels trivial, but I’d love to consistently do a 5K [full stop]. We’ll see how it goes!
I teased a little bit of this in my post yesterday, but to reiterate here, I thought I would read way more over Thanksgiving break. I had a game plan, but the weekend had other plans. What started as innocent small business shopping and getting the apartment ready for a holiday party we are hosting turned into a bit of a hearth-cultivating moment.
We’re currently in the second cycle of our lease in our apartment, and last week, if you asked me if our apartment was finished, the answer would have been no. There were still several key pieces we needed in terms of storage, lighting, and other essentials. There was art collecting dust that yearned to be framed and put up. And while we love love love our library, it spent most of the year being used as storage for the wedding, so it needed a little more attention.
So last week, what started as an innocent clean-up, turned into:
a deep clean job
sourcing and finding new/essential pieces
art handling and preparing (if you will)
holiday decorating (side note: if you’re getting your first real tree, installing it took years off my life, but I hope to god that it gets easier every year)
While super busy, it was, to quote Miss Maggie, cup-filling. Honestly, we love it so much. There are still things that need to be done (I need to clean my desk; it’s giving eyesore), art that needs to be hung, and don't get us started on the bedroom. But, as I write this, we’re so happy with what we've accomplished so far. Here’s a peek:
(doormat from lavender, new silver lamp and 1 of 3 (!) leather chairs (not pictured here) from FB marketplace, two angles of our library, our first ornament on my first real tree)
(a stone + glass coffee two-piece coffee table from FB marketplace that was an absolute steal, and I’m in love with it. it also happens to be made in the Philippines. fun fact: we picked up the Clothing the Colony book at UP in the Philippines in their used book store. s/o ateneo de manila university press.)
Oh, November, how you’ve filled my heart! Literally a month filled with so much fun and unexpected surprises. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the winter months bring. Chat soon!
