Hi, and Happy New Year! January felt like a year of its own, and the beginning of February has felt like a real shot at starting over—starting with this newsletter series. As usual, I had a lot to say and share but lacked the brain function necessary to publish this monthly.

However, I'm typing this from a cafe in Japan because I'm recommitted to doing the things I want to do, even if they can't be done perfectly or exactly how I pictured them. We're cutting scope, people! Even if this newsletter doesn't have the same sections every month, it'll have something, and I'm finally starting to believe that's better than nothing.

I hope something you find here will be as fun, interesting, or helpful to you as it was to me.

  • Having a bit of a bout with depression is usually terrible for budgets, but not in my case. I didn't shop much in January, but I did take advantage of an annual plan deal for my co-working space membership (which has been great for my mental health by getting me out of the suburbs even more than usual).
  • I discovered Word Smarts. As a word nerd, getting emails about things like, "Who Is “Pete” in “For Pete’s Sake”?" and "Why Do We Say “Dressed to the Nines”?" brings me great joy.
  • Almost everything I bought in January was an ADHD brain hack of some kind, including this Brick device that creates a physical barrier between me and distracting apps on my phone.
  • I also bought this clothing rack as another hack to help me plan outfits and, therefore, get going in the mornings quicker and easier. It felt like a potentially stupid purchase (and I bought it with a gift card, in case it was), but it's actually helping.
  • OK, I did buy a bunch of pins. This one, with a quote from Audre Lorde's poem, New Year's Day, is one of my favorites from the bunch and felt especially appropriate right now.
  • I cooked more food than I ever had for a party in December and was burnt out on cooking for much of January, too. I primarily used Rick Martinez's Mi Cocina cookbook for the party because I love a theme. The crowd favorite was the Caldillo Durangueño (braised oxtails with roasted poblanos and tomatillos), but my favorite was the Morisqueta Michoacana (slow-cooked pork with roasted tomatoes and guajillos).
  • My pho intake was up in January. I went to Pho Dai Loi and Saigon Cafe.
  • Hyperfixation foods: parmesan Goldfish and smash burgers. Surprisingly, the most memorable smash burger was from Patty & Frank's (I don't have high expectations for most food halls in Atlanta).
  • It was also a good month for making Alison Roman's Dilly Bean Stew with Cabbage and Frizzled Onions.
  • I spent most of January reading the 800+ page book The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois. It's excellent, but I'll have to report back because I still haven't finished it.
  • Because of the aforementioned big'un—and despite taking breaks from Love Songs to read a few book club picks and others—I didn't finish many books in January. But the most memorable was Ta-Nehisi Coates' latest, The Message, which reminded me of this quote. Here's my full review.
  • I also started the memoir A Well-Trained Wife in January and will take it into February. And yes, it's making me very mad.
  • I haven't read it yet, of course, but January was when I found out Roxane Gay has a new book coming out in March. Despite having the word "portable" in it, it's 672 pages, which I find hilarious.

I dug up my old StrengthsFinders results, and my top one was Input...is it possible to have too many opinions? / The concerning amount of snow New Orleans got in January / Is it insomnia, anxiety, or just a temporary shortage of self-discipline? / The way Richard Hays chose to spend his last days / Is Hapeville lowkey the place to be? / The long skirt girlies in Japan who are inspiring me to be a long skirt girlie

Thanks for reading, friends!

From @readalittlepoem.