1) I'm excited to see what the Book of the Month selections are for February, though I feel like the past few months have been a bit disappointing. Lots of thrillers (not a huge fan of the genre), and deep, heavy sorrowful books (which I absolutely don't need to be reading right now). Hope…

1) Got into work and my computer monitor wouldn't turn on. Many IT Crowd jokes ensued.

2) Thinking about abundance.

3) Have started in on a bit of Japanese grammar.

4) This weekend is a double birthday celebration for my mom and my uncle. Should be fun!

5) Still feeling a bit out of sorts, but…

1) I finally feel like I've got somewhat of a handle on the kanji I've learned so far. It really took me awhile to grasp how things work, but I'm finally getting more answers correct when quizzed than not.

2) A barrage of questions that don't need to be answered right away, asked w…

1) A friend of mine leaves for a trip to New Zealand soon, and this picture takes me back to my time there is 2001. Taken from a helicopter with a shitty film point and shoot.

2) Started a French show called "Black Spot" on Amazon streaming, and it's good! Sort of a cross between Twi…

1) Sleepy! I hate being this tired. It makes me feel so unmotivated, and I end up gravitating towards unhealthy amounts of Pinterest.

2) Gorgeous day outside - warm and sunny.

3) Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is stealing my heart. Such a charming book!

4) Shredded pork using the Instant Pot.…

1) Fun times with a good friend watching movies and playing video games.

2) Smuch finally seems likes he's doing better, and I am so thankful!

3) Watched Hounds of Love, which was extremely disturbing. Yikes!

4) A slow weekend. I love it!

5) My Wandrd Prvke backpack arrived today. It's har…

1) Today was insane. Morning doctor appointment for me, afternoon doctor appointment for Smuch. I feel like I've run all over the city today.

2) Introduced Dad to Broadchurch. He seemed to enjoy it.

3) I'm incredibly behind on my reading this week. Need to put in a few good hours to catch …

Not too long ago I sent off some film to my usual developers (The FIND Lab! Love 'em!) and was surprised to find that, when I got them back, there was a roll from Italy from - likely - a decade ago when I lived there (...I also lived there around '96/'97, but I shudder to think that the…

1) Trying to tighten up things in my portfolio. Feeling excited about the changes ahead!

2) Streets were an ice rink today, all over the city and suburbs. Numerous accidents were reported on the news. Glad to know my parents didn't have to go out in any of it.

3) Doctor AND vet appointments to…

1) Peanut Butter Cup Halo Top. Yum.

2) The soundtrack for Persona 5 is way better than it has any right to be, and just makes me want to play the game even more.

3) The weather here has been crazy. One day it's almost 60 degrees, the next its 30 degrees.

4) Playing with color!

5) Evenings afte…

1) Thirty days until I leave for Bali and at this point I feel like I'm trying to keep my head above water. There are SO MANY THINGS going on right now, and trying to plan for this trip feels a little crazy.

2) Facebook = Boring for me these days. Maybe one day down the line I'll regain in…

1) Sometimes I think I'm super lame for being such a homebody. I guess I don't have much FOMO (fear of missing out) and prefer a good book and nice cup of tea, but sometimes I think that my balance might be off a bit.

2) Smuch wasn't doing so hot today. Monitoring him and trying to get…

1) Thinking about color palettes and consistency.

2) Amazon Prime is streaming old episodes of Unsolved Mysteries, and it is glorious!

3) Brunch tomorrow! Looking forward to it!

4) Finally got my hair cut, and I feel 1000 times better.

5) Reading more of Hex. Feels a little bit slower in the middl…

1) Splurged on a Wandrd Prvke backpack today. It's definitely an investment, but I think it will solve many of my travel issues when taking camera equipment...which is...every trip. (...also, what is it with leaving out vowels in product names these days!?!) Anyway, I'm SUPER excited about…

1) This week, if I'm being honest, has been a blur.

2) Tomorrow is the CSO Friday Night at the Movies. They're showing Singin' in the Rain.

3) Chicken vegetable soup in the Instant Pot tonight. Perfectly warming on this chilly evening.

4) The energy in my home is off balance. That seem…

1) I feel like I'm constantly washing dishes.

2) What are my non-negotiables?

3) "Eyelids are just flesh curtains." This made me LOL. From the book "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine."

4) Mum is coming into the city on Friday - which is a surprise - so we're making pl…

1) For the life of me, I can't figure out how to return something to Land's End. When I called - as they direct you to do on the return slip included with the order - a woman told me that I had to do it by mail, and that they can't do exchanges by phone. But the return slip is set up f…

1) Tough start to the day. Tired and dragging my feet.

2) I really could spend the rest of the days of my life the way I did today - playing great music, meeting over food and drinks with friends, and just generally enjoying the most simple things in life.

3) Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt became avai…

1) Nausea and dizzy spells. Ugh. Can't wait to see my doctor.

2) Meeting a friend I haven't seen in a long time at the arcade bar. Excited!

3) My Lyft driver to the arcade was a hilarious woman from the South Bronx blasting freestyle in her car. I told her it reminded me of the music at th…

1) Woke up early to give Smuch his meds. He still seems to be doing well.

2) Continuing to read William Hayashi's "Discovery." I'm reading at a glacial pace, but I'm enjoying it.

3) This photo makes me miss Arizona's landscape. Incredibly gorgeous part of the country, and…

1) Glad to see the end of what was a long week! Also happy to say hello to the beginning of a long weekend!

2) I have a packed weekend and I'm so excited - lunches and brunches with people I love, music rehearsals, drinks with friends - feeling so lucky to have so many great people in my life.

…

1) Picked up a new prescription for the furball. Different pain meds. Hope they'll work just as well as the other ones do.

2) Crazy day at work today! So many people in the office.

3) I feel like blogging is making a comeback. Not that it ever went away. But I think that, overall, people are l…

1) Found an all-day bike tour to take in Bali, and I'm THRILLED. It sounds amazing - pedaling through rice paddies, visiting homes and villages, coffee tasting...I can't wait!

2) Speaking of Bali, picked up a book today called "The Birdwoman's Palate" about an epidemiologist …

1) Finished learning all of the hiragana and katakana in Japanese. There are still confusing bits here and there - particularly with dakuten, which are little symbols that change the sound of the kana on which they reside - and I'm slow as mud with reading, but overall (shockingly) things are …

I'm a big reader, and I love looking over what I've read in the past year and thinking about which books I most enjoyed. In 2017 I had the goal to read 30 books, and ended up reading 57! I feel like 2017 was when I really, truly reconnected with my love of reading.

So here are my favorites …

1) Another vet visit. My anxiety levels were through the roof, but Smuch is doing so much better. Feeling so relieved after the exam.

2) Self-care! Self-care! Self-care! (cheer with me)

3) Looking forward to seeing many friends this weekend after having to postpone.

4) I'm really hard on mysel…

1) More reading and monitoring. Smuch seems to be doing a little better today. He even went up and down the stairs a couple of times (crazy cat!).  Maybe the pain meds are starting to kick in.

2) Started watching The Five on Netflix. I'm a sucker for British crime dramas.

3) Indian Butter Chic…

1) Had a productive discussion with my vet this morning. Tests show heart disease and there may also possibly be some neurologic issues. I have another appointment on Monday to get a second opinion and talk about next steps and/or options. I feel a little better knowing that I have another appoint…

1) Terrible morning. My little furball was unsteady on his feet, having trouble walking. Vet ran a battery of tests. Should have results in the morning, but my heart is heavy and it's hard for me to think about anything else.

2) Doodling in my bullet journal today helped alleviate my anxiety a…

1) When it's -5 degrees outside, why would you not turn the buses heat on?? My commute this morning was miserable.

2) I started working on Japanese again from the ground floor, re-memorizing hiragana. It's fun, and maybe this time around I'll get a bit further.

3) So SO tired. Actually…

1) The life of a photographer - open the fridge, see shelves lined with film. My supply is low though.

2) 100 books this year. Can I do it?

3) Sleep was good last night. Magnesium is a gift!

4) Midwestern winter grey days fail to inspire me, but the best artists don't wait for inspiration. Got…

1) Night before work insomnia is the absolute worst. Doesn't matter how tired I am, I'll be awake. Speaking of which...

2) I'm making sleep a priority these days, and pulling out all the stops: magnesium, sleepy teas, essential oils, warm baths, etc. I didn't prioritize this for mo…

1) Didn't wake up feeling as refreshed as I would've liked. Woke up around 2:30 am, and had trouble getting back to sleep. What's that about?

2) Landed on my word of the year, and it feels like the perfect fit! I'm not sure if its bad luck to share the word, so I'm keeping this…