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view from a spot on Angel’s Rest - taken on olympus XA - kodak 400

I have been trying to notice the humanity around me. The workers at the paper warehouse decorating their computers, the ‘sticker exchange’ plastic cup on their desk. Talking with them about the pop up book from one of the manufacturers that they found collecting dust during Covid. Thinking about them working at a paper warehouse during covid. Wondering what that was like. Glad that they, seemingly, got to keep their jobs.

Thinking about the little girl with her hand drawn ICE OUT sign poking out from the door on her apartment porch, halfway in, halfway out, watching the protesters march past. Thinking about the tear gas seeping into her home. Thinking about the protest sign my friend made for me falling off of my bike as we hurried away from the descending clouds.

Thinking about the woman at the community center who told me her name was Denise but I called her Diane when I tried to confirm her name, and her saying, “why does everyone want to call me Diane?” and how at the time I was in such a hurry that I didn’t really talk to her, look at her, and how that felt wrong.

Thinking about the lifeguard that works on Tuesday nights at 7, who plays Sufjan Stevens. Swimming with my eyes open and still hitting my head at the edge of the pool during backstroke. How quiet it is underwater. The guilt of our varied escapes.

Thinking about a mysterious blue stain on my favorite tote bag. Thinking about how I left my car unlocked when I was sick for almost an entire week and someone used it as shelter but left it intact. Thinking about how my friend called me while I was sick and we talked for almost an hour, how I confessed to her, the relief and fear of that all at once.

Thinking about the group of singers in the community choir on Monday nights, so happy to be singing, holding white mugs of tea, calling each other by name.

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lichen cyanotype from the OR coast

I really like these round-up style posts. I enjoy reading them from others so why not compile my own? I may post inconsistently but whatever. I am trying to give myself permission to do what I want and do the best I can. I follow an adapted REPORT format (Read/Entertain/Projects/Obsessing over/Revisiting/Trying). I reserve the right to change the meaning of each letter to whatever makes sense and to post what I want when it feels right. (And you should too!)

Maybe you will find it interesting or maybe not! I will still be posting essays, too, as they’re worked through. But the thought of writing something low stakes (like this) and with low editing pressure really appeals to me. It’s what my teenage self would have done.

Read:

• Open Throat by Henry Hoke — a novel written from the perspective of a mountain lion in L.A. I didn’t love this one but read it to see how someone might take on an animal’s perspective. It was interesting in that way and a quick read, a good start my 2026 reading goal.

• Macguffin No. 14 (the letter) — completely and totally obsessed with this magazine and wish I could subscribe to it! A macguffin is defined as “an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.” Each magazine is centered around a topic and all the articles revolve around that topic. Fascinating to read and scratches the learning itch.

• Currently reading: Emperor of Gladness (ocean vuong), Wuthering Heights (bronte), Macguffin No. 15 The Stitch

Entertain:

• Films, in order of most loved to least loved: No Other Choice, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Testimony of Ann Lee

  • I am trying to stay updated on Letterboxd. I honestly don’t know a lot about film so I hope to educate myself about terminology this year, too.

• Podcasts: Articles of Interest series on gear - this lives up to the hype for sure!

• Projects:

  • Mostly fiber arts listed here, but I have some other things in the works that aren’t listed here - stay tuned on that!

    • Finished: Rue x Hurry Home Coat. I work so slowly but whatever. I don’t think I am going to suddenly become a person who produces anything quickly and I don’t really want to be.

    • Check out this free FPP pattern from Spaghetti Western Sewing - ABOLISH ICE.

dried seaweed + the quilt coat in her glory, but without the added pockets

Obsessing over:

• Filet crochet: I told myself I wouldn’t learn a new craft this year but I couldn’t resist. Crochet is fast for me, easy to access and carry around, and filet crochet is just challenging enough. It’s really cool and I see a lot of versatility in its application. I got excited about it initially when I found this photobooth picture frame pattern.

Revisiting:

• I started taking swim lessons! I know how to swim, but learning the strokes, better form, and being in the water 2-3x a week has been altering for me. 10/10 recommend. I LOVE BEING IN THE WATER.

• The Artist’s Way: The last time I did TAW was in 2023. I hadn’t really been writing since Covid took over and I wanted to get back to it. That initial bout in the TAW is what made me start this Substack, write enough new work to apply to the IPRC portfolio program, and start writing consistently again. The book has it’s downfalls but on the whole I recommend it. Morning pages are truly life changing. Doing it in a community group setting this time around feels like weekly therapy and I have been really enjoying talking with others about the experience and having some accountability. I think I am actually vastly underestimating the impact the past few weeks of going through the book again has had on me. More on that later.

Trying:

• Mail Club: I got excited in December when I had a lot of project finishing energy to start a mail club and before I distanced from instagram I decided to gather some addresses for a mail club! I have no idea what it will look like yet because I am not sure what my capacity is but as a general mail club subscriber, I feel really excited about the potential of this project. If you want to sign up and haven’t already shoot me your address! I am aiming for the first batch to be sent out in early April.

more lichen