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Side Bar: A cultural smorgasbord
May was super busy, super fun, and boy did it cost me. More on that later! This month was sort of the calm before the storm because summer kicks off some serious and important engagement events. It also marks the first month since December where we did have multiple huge community events (just one, so not so bad!). I leaned into it by attending a ton of cultural events that always makes me so proud to call this city home. First, with a Cinco de Mayo celebration hosted by the Mexican consulate—who confirmed this is not a holiday celebrated in Mexico but that it exists in the imagination of Americans…
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Side Bar: Finding the Point
Ok, it feels slightly silly to do this when idk if we’re close to war. Again. On one hand I want to just throw everything in the air and say what is the point. And really, what is the point? But I also naturally am inclined to push back against that type of fatalistic attitude. It’s easy to stop doing routines, self-care, or working towards goals when things get tough but I prefer to keep at it (or maybe ignoring all the bad is my way to cope! Lol). Either way this is a no judgement zone! So welcome to March! It’s actually my favorite month because it’s my birthday…
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My Nightstand Routine
The thing about me is that I love routines. And routines within routines? Omg, forget it! I think the stability of it really scratches some itch in my brain. So of course, I have a nightstand routine that I totally recommend. What is a nightstand routine? It’s simply items I keep on hand that I use before bed but if you’re a night owl, like me, then little things that help my brain underscore that it’s time for sleep help me not just scroll on my phone until 1 am (which of course I never do 😬). Here is what I keep on hand: St. Jane’s Body Serum. This…
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Side Bar: We’re Back!
Hi, remember side bar posts? Where I share a bit about general things happening my life to keep things fresh and interesting?! I barely remember that. Frankly, sheltering in place and then working during a pandemic meant things were pretty boring. How many virtual zoom meetings could I talk about?! But things are feeling more “normal,” and being tripled vaxx’d (yes, booster included), I feel so much better going out to community (a job requirement) and not just staying at home. October included a trip up north, which was nice—minus having to evacuate a theatre because of a shooting—thankfully we were far from the danger! I spent most of the…
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Holy Grail Products
I mentioned before that I always wear makeup if I’m stepping out of the house. I’m sure there is plenty to flesh out there as to why I feel the need to do this but instead of getting introspective it’s much more fun to share my fave products! Putting on a full face is super easy for me because I’ve been able to find key items that take away questioning (i.e what type of mascara should I use today?) and give me the results I like. Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Supercharged Complex Synchronized Recovery. A mouthful of a name but all I know it is as the…
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Sidebar: So this is Adulting…
Wow, January was ridiculously long, was it not? I mean was it just last month we feared entering a serious war? What is this life even? One thing I’ve done to keep myself semi-sane is to keep focused just on local news. I know it’s a little bit like head in the sand mentality, which isn’t great, but I just can’t consume all this news all the time. Plus, local news is really pertinent to my job so it helps two-fold… Speaking of work, I made it to the six month mark! I can say that I finally, truly feel steady about what I’m doing and have found a rhythm…
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Side Bar: March Madness
Truly, Madness. It was a whirlwind of a month with E moving and getting everything prepped for that, but here are the highlights: Vacation in Puerto Vallarta. I mean, Mexico is beautiful, the beach is amazing, food is delicious, and you can’t beat sitting just a few feet away from the water while drinking fruity cocktails all day. 2. At the beach I read White Fragility: Why it’s so Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Robin DiAngelo and it is a must read. I have recommended it to so many colleagues and took so many notes—eye opening and had me yelling “aha!” at the beach because it…
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Sidebar: It’s Cold AF
I can’t believe January is over. It felt like it lasted forever, which I think January usually feels long but also had a super busy time at work that just made this month dragggg on forever. What didn’t help was that my two best friends at work left. #everybodyleavesme. I have only one left and that makes me super sad. So I had two going away parties to attend, one at the beginning of the month and one about a week ago. They have moved on to bigger and better things, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it lol. Work in general has been steady, but…
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Side Bar: Summer Nights
July can’t be over because that means I only have one week with interns left. Waaaa! This summer has been nothing if not productive. If I play my cards right, I will have filed TEN applications this month, which is unheard of (for me)! Ok but other than filing cases, July was like perfect Chicago summer for me. July included some fun at the beach My best friend visited from Tx and I got to hang with my baby buddy Lincoln! Hung out with my prima (who’s going back to Tampa soon 🙁 ) She finished her semester and will be going back for the fall semester in…
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Sidebar: Netflix and Dread
Only three years, 11 months, three weeks, and two days before the next inauguration. And it can’t come soon enough. What’s always supposed to feel like a fresh start and clean slate, has been mostly a month of dread. I’m almost always anxious about these new policies, “leaders,” and what it will mean to my community. And if I’m being real, what it means to my potential employment because the federal funding for legal aid is potentially on the chopping block. I know I’ll survive these next four years, but I don’t envision that it will be easy. On a much more positive note, I’m not taking lying down nor…