Silly Little Things vol. 4

the winter of our discontent

Does anyone else feel like this winter might be what ends them? It’s been so cold and snowy and icy that the 40-degree temps forecasted for next week will actually feel like a heat wave.

Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some things that are trying their hardest to keep me sane:

In this phase of unemployment, I’m thinking of things I can do to make myself look more attractive to recruiters in the hopes that I stop getting quite so many rejection emails. I’ve joined a bunch of groups focused on women in marketing and email and I asked one of them what types of skills might give me a boost, and a bunch of people said learning SQL certainly wouldn’t hurt.

So I’m learning SQL.

And it’s kind of fun??

I’m taking this Codecademy course and doing a module a day. This is definitely going to be super useful when it comes to manipulating data, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to look into it.

Oh man, the February book round-up is going to be so good. I really got into audiobooks this month, which is surprising. I’ve always been pretty ambivalent towards them, but a good narrator makes ALL the difference.

I finished James as an audiobook and I’m about 3/4 of the way through Project Hail Mary and couldn’t recommend them both enough.¹

I like to listen while I’m doing a paint-by-number, and this is the most soothing and delightful hobby.

I also just finished reading The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and wowow. Loved it. Pretty sure it tied my brain in a giant knot, but I’m not even mad about that.

I’m going to need a new audiobook to fill the void once I finish Project Hail Mary, so drop your recommendations in the comments!

We are in a season of television overload. It’s always feast or famine over here, and I have the worst time keeping track of all my shows as they’re spread over what feels like 82746 streaming services. It’s getting out of hand. Anyway, here’s what I’m watching:

🧑‍🦯Love is Blind - Obviously. Can’t quit this. The people seem to like each other a lot more than any of the couples in the last season did.

👩‍💻Severance - Watching this one week-to-week is tough on my old lady brain who can’t remember what happened yesterday, let alone last week in an episode of a highly cerebral TV show. Nevertheless, enjoying screaming, “BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?” at the TV every week.

🪷White Lotus - First, they changed the theme song, and then, gotta be honest, that first episode didn’t hook me. I’ll keep watching based on the quality of the past seasons and also, quite frankly, for the scenery that makes me feel like I’m on vacation.

I’ve also got the new season of Sweet Magnolias, Apple Cider Vinegar, The Gabby Petito doc and I’m sure a bunch of other things I want to watch. Good thing I have literally nothing else going on with my life right now! (Aside from my paint-by-number.)

I honestly haven’t been doing much shopping. Which, good for me. I did buy the aforementioned paint-by-number and replaced our glass mixing bowls with these ones, since our old ones were starting to chip. Also grabbed this spatula to replace a black plastic one we had, since I guess black plastic is now on the Bad For You list.

Other than this Substack, I’ve basically done zero writing. I’m getting slightly nervous that I won’t hit my writing goal for February, but I’ve still got a week. I have started fleshing out my outline based on my zero draft, so some progress has been made, but I need to re-focus here.

After writing that post last week about what I do all day, it was immediately obvious that I do very little to take care of myself and instead was just focusing on appearing “busy” and “productive.”

Since then, I’ve been focusing on doing all the things I imagined I would do if I had more time. Like reading all day, doing my paint-by-number, or taking an afternoon bubble bath. Or a NAP. I just say to myself, WWMHD (What Would My Husband Do)? And I do that.

It’s been so nice.

Obviously, things still need to get done here to keep the household running, and I still need to be applying to jobs, but the manic energy I had for, oh, the last two months? seems to be tapering off.

Which I’m sure means I’ll find a job any day now and will no longer be able to live my Life of Leisure.

Until next month,

Katrina

1. I’m linking the Audible versions here because I expensed my subscription and have credits to use, but if you’re not an Audible user consider checking your local library first, and then looking on Bookshop.org - they have audiobooks now!