Sycamore Press No. 19: Change of Address

Omg hi!! Briefly, I want to lead with the fact that my physical address has changed. If you've sent a mailpiece my way recently, I should still be able to receive it without issue, but please ask for my new address before sending any new snail mail. Thanks!!

On a related note, I now have a special little corner of my desk area set up which I am using specifically for journaling and writing letters! I am hopeful that this will see my physical mail output increasing (something I'm always talking about but not always executing on particularly well).

Anyway, there's lots I want to say about the move and about this past month in general, so let’s get into it!

“Think not, is my eleventh commandment; and sleep when you can, is my twelfth[…]”

— Moby Dick

(By the way, several people have asked whether my seat is a brick. Thankfully, it is not! It’s a cork yoga block. Isa likes to dig her claws into it.)

Life Updates: Moving Into Summer

Our somewhat last-minute move into some truly lovely and spacious new digs has been at the forefront of my mind lately and in many ways feels like a whole-life shakeup — even though we’re a couple of blocks away from our old place. On reflection, it was almost a surprise for me to remember that so much else has happened since my last transmission to you!

For one thing, we made time for a lot of travel into nature and saw so many wonderful birds. I also took a bunch of photos, which I’ve been thinking of some interesting things to do with. It was great to enjoy some time in the outdoors before it becomes prohibitively hot. With so much going on, these chances to clear my head with a night or two together sleeping under the stars were much appreciated — especially in retrospect, with the loading and unloading of the car well behind us, ha!

All this isn’t to say that work has let up though. Even though there’s a different vibe in the lab during the summer, I’ve managed to fit in a good number of imaging experiments, including some real successes! I’ve actually been putting some of these micrographs together for a poster I’m presenting at an upcoming conference. Let me know if you wanna see!

I guess the move has still been the biggest thing. I’ve got more space of my own here, so I’ve really been able to lean into my floor-sitting and floor-sleeping tendencies. This has also been a good opportunity to organize, de-clutter, and beautify. I really like the way my “enclosure” is looking and feeling lately.

The extra space has even facilitated a couple instances of hanging out with my local friends, including two tea tastings! I feel like there was a period where I was always having people over for tea and used it as one of my main means of socializing. But maybe my recollection is compressing a few disparate events into a seemingly shorter span because the setting and the people have such an association and a “vibe” for me. Either way, it’s something I hope to recapture!

Have things always been this cheery? No. The move has been a source of stress, financially and otherwise. All of this nonstop activity has, at times, taken my focus away from the work I’ve been doing for myself and my mental health. On top of that, my sleep hygiene has been in a particularly bad way. Now that things are quieting down a bit, though, I’ve been making headway in these areas too. Good stuff.

I guess I’ll also add that, in the time it’s taken me to finish writing this, I got a little bit of a trim! A haircut, that is. It’s the first real haircut I’ve gotten since starting to grow it out, and I’m honestly not sure whether it’s all that noticeable. (You’ll have to let me know when you see me next!) Either way, it feels good to actively maintain its shape and health as it grows longer and longer still. And I do really like the way it looks!

Art/Media Roundup: Musical Indulgence & New Strategies for Reading

This is an occasion when my musical discoveries and obsessions over the past month are so numerous that cataloguing them all seems impossible! I want to make a playlist or something. Public playlists are one thing I actually miss about Spotify… Anyway, don’t act surprised if I send you a mix CD of music you may or may not like out of the blue. And in the meantime, you’ll have to settle for this grid-shaped summary:

In other areas, activity has been a bit slower. I set Ulysses to the side for a bit, then started Kenzaburo Oe’s The Silent Cry, then started reading Moby Dick on my phone. More on that last point in a second, but that is the thing that ended up sticking. I do hope to circle back to Ulysses soon though. I recently picked up a book of annotations for it (thicker than my copy of the book itself!) as well as another interesting book that dissects Joyce’s work through a feminist lens.

Movies-wise, besides a viewing of Moon (2009) with some work people (no clue how that movie was chosen tbh, but I still can’t resist a movie where one actor plays Two Different Guys), we took in Friendship (2025). It was great to see a real comedy movie in the theater, and watching Tim Robinson do his typical thing for a feature-length duration alongside a strong supporting cast was great. Sad as it sounds, I don’t laugh out loud all that often in a given week, so it’s nice to be able to do it consistently for a good stretch. I crave more quality comedy in my life.

Oh, and I also read about five year’s worth of the webcomic Achewood, starting from the very beginning. That probably did get a few good laughs out me, now that I think of it. And, speaking of webcomics…

Webcomic & Blog Updates

I am thrilled to announce that I met my goal of publishing three new webcomic strips to the site in May! Do consider checking them out if you haven’t already. I’m hoping to release three installments in June as well!

I also wrote a blog post about how I’ve been reading Moby Dick on my phone. Making a little image for the blog page has emboldened me to post more, I think.

Reflections & Looking Ahead

Like many months past, this one has had a palpable feeling of, “so much better, but still not quite settled.” I’m trying to remember to enjoy the present moment too, but it’s hard to stop comparing to the past and fretting and strategizing for the future.

This time of year makes it especially hard to resist looking ahead. I always put a lot of pressure on my birthday, kind of the same as with the new year. I want my life to be a certain way in time for, for example, being 26 so I can say, “…but by the time I was 26, I had that figured out! I was happy and I was doing [thing] and [other thing] with [so-and-so] and [such-and-such]!”

Part of the reason for that pressure this year is that I want to have a birthday party for once! For example, I have a couple of, I guess, art pieces I want to get ready and displayed in the apartment. I’m pretty excited about their effect on the vibe. Anyway, I wish more of you lived close by! Of course, you’re invited to the party if you’ll around. Just holler. I’m hoping to get some details figured out and distributed soon. I want it to be very “me,” but in a way and to a degree that’s actually enjoyable for other people. I guess maybe striking that balance is part of the joy and the art of hosting!

OK, well, I’ll wrap because it’s getting late. Love you! Miss you! Talk to you soon!

—————————————————————N.