April REPORT: Month in review
Golden Girls, fresh flowers, and other alluring alliterations
April showers! May flowers! Austin Powers! (Okay, not that last one.)
I’m tired and I’ve been writing around the clock, so forgive me for the shorter-than-usual intro, but here are some things I heartily recommend after a lovely April.
Reading: GRETA & VALDIN
If you loved Schitt’s Creek, Sally Rooney’s Normal People (the book, not the TV show), and/or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, then you absolutely have to read this New Zealand novel by Rebecca K. Reilly.
The alternating first-person chapters tripped me up a little bit at first, but beyond that, I was immediately captivated by the witty, honest dialogue and the messy, tender depictions of love both familial and romantic.
Razor-sharp and hilarious and heart-wrenchingly real. I left this book feeling like these characters were people I knew and loved and held dear.
Eating: WAFFLES
Finally in my Leslie Knope era: My partner got me a waffle maker and I’ve taken it upon myself to find ways to use it to waffle-ize everything.
Savory waffles: Omelette waffles! Hash brown waffles! Rice waffles! Mac and cheese waffles! Black bean waffles! Falafel waffles! Leftover stuffing waffles!
Sweet waffles: Brownie Belgian waffles! Cinnamon roll waffles! Churro waffles! Chocolate chip cookie waffles!
Surprise Applebee’s ‘app sampler’-inspired waffles: Mozzarella stick waffles! Fried pickle waffles! Jalapeño popper waffles! Onion ring waffles! Quesadilla waffles!
You have no idea the pure, unadulterated joy this silly little kitchen appliance brings me. Small pleasures, my friends.
Playing: GOLDEN GIRLS
I’ve grown weary of my usual background TV shows as of late, and I won’t begin my annual Gilmore Girls rewatch until after Labor Day, so on a whim I decided I’d start playing another infamous GG on TV while I worked instead.
I’d only ever watched a few random episodes of Golden Girls here and there as a kid. Rewatching the series chronologically now is like looking through a window into the past, frozen at a very specific moment in time (/culture/the world) that for the most part feels so different from the way things are today… and yet in other ways, remains surprisingly similar. Like, fashion trends and hairstyles may come and go, but apparently fuckboys and mother/daughter tensions will outlive us all.
The show warms my heart and makes me laugh out loud in equal measure. It reminds me of the way my mom, Nana, and I gossip and rib each other when I’m home and makes me feel like they’re in the room with me—which is something I’m always grateful for when we’re actually thousands of miles away from one another.
Obsessing over: MY MANUSCRIPT
April was another heads down, get the work done month for me as I wrap up the manuscript for my first book, which is due at the end of May—so to say I’ve been (and I’ll continue to be) obsessing over that work would be an understatement.
I’m starting to discuss color palettes, cover design, and the overall look and feel of the book with the design team at Lonely Planet and I can’t wait to share those updates as we start to finalize things in the coming months!
Recommending: EMBER MUG
During her recent visit to Amsterdam, my sweet friend Maria surprised me with an early birthday gift inspired by one of my past posts, 12 things on my wish list right now: the coveted Ember mug.
It’s one of those things that’s juuuuust expensive enough that I’d never buy one for myself, which makes it quite a brilliant gift idea (cough, reminder that Mother’s Day is in two weeks, cough).
All I had to do was set my preferred drinking temperature in the app on my phone and from that moment forward, every time I’ve reached for my coffee, it’s been exactly as warm as I’d like it to be. That might not sound like a big deal, but for someone who forgets to eat/drink/get up to pee when in hyperfocus mode while writing or working, it makes a huge difference.
Treating myself to: FRESH FLOWERS
My month has been reminiscent of the famous Claude Monet quote, “I must have flowers, always and always.” I haven’t been without fresh tulips from the market since sunshine returned to Amsterdam in mid-March.
And I mean, those bouquets are only €3.99, so it feels like it would be silly not to constantly have them on display in vases around the apartment.
What’s in your April report?
Even if you’re not someone who enjoys “journaling” per se, this kind of guided reflection is a fun way to think about how you’ve been spending your time and energy lately. So, what have you been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating yourself to in the past month? I’d love to know!