Night, night.
I'm exhausted, y'all. *Chapter 37*
I’ve saved my essay writing for Sunday night. Better than Monday morning but still not my favorite. It reeks of ‘the paper’s due in an hour’ and I hated school. After DeeJay’s on Monday (a total success I can’t wait to tell you about), getting my latest podcast ready and published (go listen if you haven’t, it’s magical), and spending today outside with my mother at a huge Atlanta art festival (so much fun, I’ll never get over being neighbors with my family), I feel like I’m either coming down with something or the pollen has once again gotten the better of me. I’m freaking beat.
Still, I came home and melted 2 pounds of strawberries with some sugar and lemon and attempted my first batch of jam. The mixture was supposed to boil to 220° but after 45 minutes I became too afraid of it scorching and took it off at 200°. We shall see what a night in the fridge does. I’m happy to report that the sterilized mason jar did the little *POP* and is sealed so at least if we have runny jam, it won’t be moldy.
Normally, I save the ‘catching up’ portion on an essay for the last few paragraphs. Today, I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m feeling a bit nauseated and headachey and truly cannot wait to take an everything shower.1 Any attempt at deep reflection is going to come out as nonsense, I already tried and relegated those rambles to my drafts folder. Instead, I’m just gonna gush about the week.
DeeJay’s was absolutely perfect. The space. The guests. The food. Everyone who worked with us. It was so awesome. At one point, my family was sitting next to Alan’s family, mingling with my work friends, everyone was laughing and chatting and eating and drinking. Betsy made punch and served it in tea cups, I mean c’mon!
All the amazing footage from DeeJay’s by MyyT Shots Photography.
We were completely booked up and it was packed but we were still able to squeeze in some walk-ins. A Delta flight attendant who’d just landed in Atlanta and thought she was coming to Little Bear (the restaurant that hosted us), sat down at the bar confused and ended up leaving with a new friend, the other solo girl sitting next to her. Two guys from LA who wandered in having no idea we weren’t a regular restaurant, had nothing but praise afterwards, telling us they loved the vibe (truly all we cared about) and the food. Ugh! I’m still so pleased and grateful and simply beside myself with joy over it. We can’t wait to do it again. And I can’t say enough about the generosity of Little Bear for letting us use the restaurant. A true example of paying it forward we hope to be able to practice ourselves one day.
Alan and Betsy and all our friends who helped made such an amazing team. It’s really something else to fully trust the people you’re working with. To watch someone pick up where someone else left off. Seamlessly. Wow. Just wow. Alan’s main goal in life is bringing people together and getting them hyped. He loves nothing more than to clap for someone, cheer them on and make them feel like they’re the most special person on earth. It’s his gift, spectacularly special, pure and unique to him. To see him in his element and to feel the whole room respond to his enthusiasm. To be surrounded by community all mingling with each other and having a good time. To raise a little money for and also highlight the vegetables from our beloved farmers. It was nothing short of magic.
The next day, despite mild hangovers, we are on such a high. Blissed out happiness. It was honestly kind of overwhelming. I had to talk myself out of feeling embarrassed for being so giddy. That goofy kind of happy. Anyway, it was really a dream.
And then mid-week I shifted gears back to Substack-land to get a very special podcast edited. I love the Lady Farmer episode that came out last Friday. Not only are Mary and Emma cherished friends, they’re magical humans and that shines through in the interview. Although, I felt a little cringe at points re-listening to myself, I found a new program (Descript), thanks to the Lady Farmer ladies (who have their own amazing podcast, The Good Dirt, and know everything about editing) that easily let me cut out some of the more squirmy moments of mine. This podcast felt like a shift, more polished and professional. Like I’m getting the hang of editing and even interviewing. I’m excited to continue getting better.
Next weekend, we are heading to my cousin’s wedding and I’m thrilled to get dressed up and treat it like a vacation. I’ll film my next cooking video when we return with a very special guest (it’s Alan) which should turn out fun and funny. Figuring out how to film two people with one phone should be interesting but we’ll make it work.
Before I begin to ramble on like I would in a diary, I’m gonna go ahead and wrap this up and get in the shower. But before I do that…
READING
On the Floor from The Isolation Journals. I could link her stunning writing every week but this one in particular about resting, I truly loved.
WATCHING
I am no longer ashamed to say that I am a Traitors fan as I’ve now had two friends confess to watching it based on my suggestion. Guess what? THEY LOVE IT. I’ve started America and already feel like I’ve made a mistake and should go back to Australia or New Zealand because American reality television is so mean!
LISTENING
Well, duh, of course listen to my latest podcast. Also, Normal Gossip has a new season!
Well, I hope this LiveJournal-esque entry at least delighted you in the slightest. I’ve started several drafts for essays that deserve thought I’m not capable of giving tonight but will hopefully have the energy for next week.
As always, thank you so much for being here. Happy almost May!
xoxo.
In case you don’t spend as much time as I do scrolling “clean girl” YouTube, an “everything shower” is one where you go all out like you’re at a damn spa. Hair and face mask, you shave (if you shave), wash your hair, exfoliate, luxuriate, moisturize, feel like a queen. I used to call these pamper evenings, but Gen Z has taught me that’s not what we call it anymore.
Weeks like that make for great memories and when the shitty weeks happen, you can anchor on another good one like that happening again soon.
37 is my favorite number!