Uh oh! I quit my job and have more free time for creative outlets and/or endeavors? Time for a R.E.P.O.R.T! Props to TikTok for making this trend that refreshingly doesn't make me miserable or brain-rotted, and for bringing Brittany Broski into my life who's podcast name I switched up to make this entry's title cute and fun! Missed you guys!
R: Reading
Since we've last conferred, I was gifted a Kindle for Christmas, immediately sweeping me back to my bookworm days of being a Nook user. Though I'm juggling two books right now, one digital and one physical, the Kindle one holds supremacy on account of it being a library book with a destined deadline for return or renewal. Such a beautiful thing to have a library card, let me tell you! It's just RIGHT to me, yknow, and I advocate for it heavily to each and every one of you readers.
Kindle: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Story by James McBride
Barnes & Noble's 2023 Book of the Year
Completely entranced by these intentionally-built characters in their intentionally-built world, and the richness of McBride's style albeit excessive at points has me eating up every page.
Physical: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Healing my Greek mythology trauma from cram-reading The Odyssey the end of summer before my freshman year of high school, Miller writes the simple-yet-profound way that will get me every! single! time!
E: Eating
Also due to my unemployment, my food schedule is ebbing and flowing back on track. Immediately starting my job moving to Denton didn't give me much opportunity to try out new recipes, or just formal meals in general, now having my own kitchen and no meal plan. In the past couple of months, I've fried spam for the first time, made egg drop soup, and found my new favorite Asian dish in the frozen section of Wally World:
InnovAsian's Crispy Honey Chicken, everyone. Here's me a week ago or so, soaking up this beautiful spring weather on my back patio for lunch time. Call it lazy, call it fate, call it karma, an air fryer and an empty stomach at a grocery store made this gal a jolly one with this find.
P: Playing
I could tackle this one from playing games to music to film, so I think I should stay on brand with media and do it all!
Games: I play Framed, basically Wordle for cinephiles, found on any browser online. You're given a frame from a film and you get six progressively more obvious ones until you guess what it is. I follow this with your average Joe word search app (I say this because I looked up "word search" in the App Store and picked the first one, so as long as yours has a daily one, it's good) and participate in a daily word search. Framed and word search are every morning, but I also enjoy a Solitaire hand when I'm real bored and/or don't have service.
Music: Since seeing Bob Marley: One Love, I've been on a completely shameless reggae kick. You can't deny the serenity and easy-flowing rhythm.
Upon her recent Grammy win, I've also looked into our modern jazz queen Laufey, along with up-and-coming pop princess Chappell Roan.
Same old, same old with Teezo Touchdown (who recently collabed with A24 on a Talking Heads tribute album) and Jean Dawson (who's new album drops this Thursday), and I've also been prepping for my concert this weekend for none other than Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks.
Film: As of this entry, I'm 55 films in this year! I'm in the process of re-organizing you guys' access to my Letterboxd logs for more consistency and beefing up this platform, but for now, I'll shout out some recent favs:
Dune: Part Two: Denis Villeneuve is a freak and we should be lining up outside his mother's house to thank her for her service to the film industry.
Reservoir Dogs: Got to revisit this one for my film remakes class, and Tarantino's directorial debut is a crystal ball of promise to his iconic filmography to come.
Blindspotting: Hamil-fans, Lafayette/Jefferson got some more things to say! Nuances ofTraining Day and Do the Right Thing make for a heavy watch, but heavy with needed commentary and writing that doesn't leave you for a bit after viewing.
Past Lives: I plan on doing an Oscars recap entry very soon, so I feverishly bite my tongue on all that I could say on this one, but talk about some writing that just WON'T leave your head post-viewing. Stay tuned.
Lord, could I go on and on, but we must move on.
O: Obsessing
Yes, it was the same day, but this about says it all. I got black Adidas Sambas and have been wearing my Zenni blue-light glasses pretty much everyday. Dark, but much more black shoes are more of a challenge for yours truly sans some black Converse, and the accessory of glasses has enhanced my average outfit. All in all, I feel I've been more conscious of my fashion, also what I feel is due to unemployment and my chronic exhaustion not fogging my brain to where I threw on jeans and a sweater as I rolled out of bed. Look cool, feel cool, kids.
R: Recommending
Speaking from an Apple Music user, but I'm sure you can access an easy equivalent on your favorite music streaming platform, I go to each of the artists above's profiles and select "Create Station," so you're not just listening to their entire discography straight through, and also exposing yourself to related artists to discover. Best thing I've done for my listening habits!
Elementary habit coming in: plan your outfit the night before! I find it has me looking forward to wearing it the next day, and given the day-to-day bad sleep that plagues us all, it gives you one less thing to worry about starting your morning.
Spring cleaning: although I do mean donating old clothes, changing sheets, or throwing out the stuff you don't need, you could also throw out...people you don't need. Spring is a season of rebirth, planting new seeds, and blaming the bipolar spring weather on our mood swings, when really they were because you saw that person on social media that triggers your nagging self-doubt for the rest of the day. Evaluate your feed sometime, and purge yourself of people you just don't care about keeping up with. Up to one's discretion, obviously morbid curiosity is human, but it's a worthwhile strategy I'm using MY platform to promote.
Lot more personal for this one, but I know I'll feel seen by the right peeps. For those who feel they need to be productive at all times lest they feel completely useless and taking up space: switch up your tasks! I have my academic tasks (assignment, textbook reading, film viewing for class, etc.) and pleasure tasks (reading MY books, watching an episode of one of my shows, film viewings, anything NOT pertaining to school that I wish to do), so I establish balance by going back and forth between something with a deadline and something to take my mind off of such. For example, after finishing this entry, I gotta study for two exams I have tomorrow, but for now, I'm enjoying my pleasure task. Hope this one reached the right folks.
T: Treating
Though my time at Dutch Bros has ended, my need for a treat every once in an all the time sure hasn't. Here's a spread of what I have been absolutely DESTROYING:
Pineapple coconut black tea
Scoobie Snack green tea (kiwi and white chocolate, trust) with a blue raspberry and coconut float
Laser Cat rebel (red raspberry and coconut, notice a pattern?)
Flapjack cocoa (salted caramel, vanilla, and white chocolate)
Nitro Golden Eagle cold brew (caramel and vanilla) with every fixin' ever (drizzle cup, soft top, and caramel drizzle)
Caramelizer freeze (caramel mocha)
That's all, folks! Great way of documenting the current favs, will definitely save me for the next end-of-year recap, and perfect excuse to get back in with you guys. More to come, and I just might mean it this time. If you made it this far, follow (to be changed) @momoneymomedia!! I plan on expanding my social media presence to spread the word of M-dubs to mo' peeps! Last month, I got to see Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at Bass Hall, and my mom and I share an affinity for Schitt's Creek, so to express my utmost gratitude to y'all, and if you know, you know: You're simply the best!
Cheers,
Mo
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