Crying in my kitchen
Hey,
Did you get Monday off? It was a holiday in most, if not all of Canada. A long weekend meant trying to do a few more things than normal. We went to go see Black Widow in theatres! It was pretty fun to be out in the world again, like normal. There were only 6-8 other people in the theatre (all couples) and spread out among 2-3 rows. As soon as the movie started, I totally forgot about the worsening global pandemic. There was no Delta variant or Lambda threat, only Scarlett Johansson kicking ass.
The heat this summer has been increasingly toxic here in Calgary. Coupled with the forest fire smoke, I’ve had good reasons to stay indoors as much as possible. Despite that, I’ve managed to have a few “new” experiences in this post-glasses world. I went for my first swim post-surgery with non-prescription goggles! It was underwhelming and worse than just having prescription ones. I also got my haircut today and for the first time ever, I was able to see what was happening. This explains a lot about my past haircuts…throw in the movie and it was quite the week for my fresh pair of eyes.
I have also started to try to sort out a morning routine for when I return to work. When I actually wake up on time (10-15% of the time), I’m able to do a lot before 9am. I’ve started incorporating a short full body stretch in the mornings featuring a rotating cast of YouTube videos. It’s one of the few times in my life I’ve been making time to stretch and focus on something other than to get faster/stronger. Hopefully any progress I make stands up to the test of reality!
Tomorrow (Thursday), I’m taking a little getaway to Edmonton for a week. It’s far enough away to give me some head space from my usual routine and will allow me to focus on figuring out a few things that I want to. It’s also boring enough that I won’t be too enticed to explore beyond the few bookstores and restaurants I’ll make my way to. Next week I’ll let you know how my soul-searching has gone and if I’ve levelled up into Steven 2.0 yet.
What I’m Reading
I did a great job this week supporting independent book stores. Aside from the one book I picked up from Amazon (Tools for Ideas), I also bought four more from a local shop.
I started reading Crying in H Mart immediately and it is just devastating. After two days, I’ve almost finished it. I was reading it on Monday and needed to take a break because I was crying so much. I went to just lay in my bed and close my eyes, trying to take myself to a better place. It’s a memoir of Michelle Zauner, also known as indie artist Japanese Breakfast, where she recounts losing her mother to cancer. She is fellow half-er so I feel a sense of closeness in that regard, and the different elements of upbringing that happen with an Asian mother and a white father. She is a beautiful writer and describes so much Korean food that I was hungry for half of my time reading. I highly recommend it if you like a heartbreaking but delicious read.
What I’m Working On
Last week I mentioned Stumble, the iOS app I made and am redesigning. It’s 95% done and am hoping to send it to a few friends for some design feedback today or tomorrow. I just need to finish a tricky transition/animation that I’ve been putting off.
Aside from that, my latest project has been homemade bubble tea. In a ridiculous attempt to try to make bubble tea healthier with sugar alternatives and reduced caffeine, I’ve ordered some ingredients. My hope is I can have more bubble tea, for less. Sometimes, you really can have it all.
In the last week however, I’ve only had two experiments making BBT. The second was better than the first, but I have a long way to go. I’ve been keeping notes and making adjustments each time. I’ve also ordered bubble tea about 4 times since buying these ingredients. It’s all for research, of course.
See you next week,
Steven