WO: Weekly Obsessions
It’s 8:45pm PT and I’m still working away on volunteer stuff. I know, I’m a really good person.
But I’m also really tired. And really excited for the next few days to be over already.
Even as I take a quick break to post this, I can barely keep my eyes open. This is after three coffees this morning, mind you.
So without much fanfare, I apologize for my lackluster posts as of late. And I swear from the bottom of my little Witty heart the wait for decent content will be worth it.
Xoxo and thanks for hanging in there with me!
WO: Weekly Obsessions
I need to level-set with y’all — and apologies for the corporate jargon (of “level-set” and certainly not “y’all”).
Can we agree that a move, even if it’s three blocks from your current residence, is all-encompassing? …OK, good.
Every spare minute of my jam-packed days and nights and weekends has been devoted to purging, packing, logistics, and more. I’m not looking for pity by any means, but I hope it explains why I’ve been a little more distracted than usual.
For example, I had to be told it’s National Siblings Day. Thankfully my one and only sibling is not a participant. That’s not for lack of love; he and I share the same philosophy.
Controversial opinion alert: If it has to be said on social media to acknowledge its existence, it’s likely not as strong as you make it sound. That’s not so say we haven’t posted for birthdays and anniversaries and important moments, but we also don’t hold it against each other if we’re not blasting it to the interwebs.
“But Witty, aren’t you posting about it now, and therefore, contradicting yourself?” Good point, reader. I am, in fact, posting about the “holiday.” But I haven’t said one thing about my brother to honor his existence or thank him for leading me or appreciate his bringing two perfect angel-face nieces to my life. See?
In any event, I hope these ramblings have resonated in some sense for you tonight. I’m half blaming it on moving brain and half blaming it on the crazy, impatient, stubborn, incredible big brother I have to look up to every day.
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Do you ever have those weeks where it seems like the universe is against you and you’re embodying Murphy’s Law and you just can’t catch a break? I’m sure I’m not the only one here 🙋🏼♀️
Don’t get me wrong; I’m still gainfully employed and have a beautiful apartment awaiting me and food on the table, etc. But all of the “adult” things I don’t want to deal with seem to have combined into on full-fledged, forceful clusterf—.
When I’m in this sort of funk, I turn to puppy videos and shameless pop music. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this playlist of pop songs, with the featured video a true d-o-double-g masterpiece.
Please enjoy while I cry with happy tears and use the bubblegum jams to lift me up and put on my big-girl pants.
Witty Rewind: March 2019
I thought it’d be fun to capture each month’s activities and milestones in a series called Witty Rewind. It may not be for posterity’s sake, but I hope you’ll enjoy looking back at the previous month with me.
I told myself I’d try a “clean eating on weekdays” approach in March but I most certainly did not. Instead, I started on the 1st with a Mexican fiesta lunch, spent mid-March in San Diego (Mexican food capital of California) and ended the 31st with a wine-and-tacos apartment purge party. Noticing a theme? Ay dios mio. [🌮 eaten: ~20]
Despite having plenty of time to devote to reading on the shuttle and quick flights, I found myself not able to power through any reads the way I normally would. (For context, I can usually get through a book in 2-4 sittings, and a few days’ time.) That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my March picks, but I do think I was considerably less motivated with my brain on overdrive in work summits and commitments. [📚 read: 3.5]
Some highlights from the madness that was this past month:
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- Bowling with dear friends who moved to New York last year
- Celebrating a housemate’s birthday with incredible Cajun cuisine
- Meeting lots of inspiring and empowering women through Junior League of SF
- Attending a newcomer summit for work + getting uplifting insight
- Looking for a new apartment with a current housemate
- Catching up with a longtime friend during her stay in SF before she moves back to NYC
- Checking out a crystal fair (really!) and somehow buying only jewelry
- Hosting my fave former writer for lunch at my new(ish) job
- Happy hour-ing with other former writers and getting the tea
- Helping another former writer with her portfolio
- Spending a week in San Diego with my family
- Experiencing DisneyLand for the first time and seeing my nieces go wild
- Attending a global summit for work + meeting tons of colleagues face-to-face
- Exploring the Exploratorium 😉 and its After Dark series for the first time
- Celebrating a handful of close friends’ birthdays with drinks, dinners, brunches galore
Six people looking at the camera = a Christmas miracle
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Coming off a week of work + play in San Diego, I am nothing if not tired. So it’s perfect timing for a week-long work summit, don’t you think? I’m grateful I’m not jet-lagged like my colleagues from Europe and Asia, but I am in need of more coffee than usual for this marathon event.
While researching for a presentation I’m giving tomorrow, I was reminded of this classic Yuletide favorite. I loved Parks & Rec, naturally, and Nick Offerman (AKA Ron Swanson) is the perfect person to watch by the fire, sipping his whisky.
Please enjoy and look forward to some full-fledged obsessions — plus other posts — coming soon!
You may need to verify your age before watching.
WO: Weekly Obsessions
This week our little Witty family finds itself in San Diego (insert Anchorman joke here). It’s been fun so far seeing my nieces light up with excitement over everything from the donut shop to the hotel room sliding glass door. It’s not been the best to see them freak out over sharing and pushing elevator buttons buuuut you win some, you lose some.
- The Donut Bar: Don’t let the simple name fool you. This sweet shop offers fun, festive donuts and a ton of drinks on tap (including rich chocolate milk). It also happens to be a block from our hotel, making it almost impossible to resist. Somehow, we’ve only managed to go twice so far 😉 And, compared to SF prices, they’re a good deal for the size of the sweets.
- The Taco Stand: I won’t give San Diego points for naming creativity, but maybe their businesses just benefit from Google search terms. Right next to The Donut Bar is this fan favorite of locals and visitors alike. I tried the nopal (cactus), fried fish, and shrimp varieties, and 2/3 were truly perfect. We’re heading to the La Jolla location for sunset on Friday, so I’ll be sure to report back about round two.
- Muppet Babies: One of the benefits of being around kiddos is learning about all the stuff they watch. I had no idea this classic cartoon was redone for Disney and featuring an all-new (to me) character, a penguin named Summer. Fozzie still has awful jokes; Kermie is still helpless without my fave, Miss Piggy; and Animal is still my younger niece’s spirit… animal. Gonzo rounds out the crew for ridiculous adventures and antics.
- Disneyland: A second benefit of kid time is seeing the
worlder, land, through their eyes. Even though they’re already experts at Walt Disney World, they got to experience a whole new (to them) park and distinguish differences between the two. From the classic It’s a Small World and Thunder Mountain Railroad to the Star Wars area, infinity and beyond, they had an absolute blast.
Images courtesy of: Yelp, Trip Advisor, Amazon, Disneyland
WO: Weekly Obsessions
For the first time since my dad died in 2013, his birthday falls on a Wednesday. To say I’m obsessed with anything but his memory today would be absurd.
I’m grateful to have an understanding boss and team so I could work from home and sort my feelings away from a cubicle. I had plenty of meetings to keep my mind occupied, but it inevitably drifted many times today to how he would be celebrating.
Slick Rick was larger than life in many ways. He was not the most patient or affectionate father, but the values he instilled in us were exactly what we needed (even if we didn’t know it then). My brother and I inherited his work ethic, commitment to community, quick temper and affinity for wrestling. Our mom loved him throughout 33 years of marriage and countless ups and downs.
Dad’s stroke in 1995 changed our world overnight. He wasn’t expected to live, let alone recover. He took that prognosis head-on and regained his ability to talk, walk, write and drive — while being permanently paralyzed on his dominant right side.
Growing up with a handicapped father taught me a lot about how cruel the world can be and how much life can change in an instant. We didn’t always get along, but I’ve lived every day of adulthood trying to make him proud and see the result of his parental guidance.
It hasn’t gotten easier to keep his memory alive these past 5.5 years but I’ll keep honoring him in big and small ways as long as I can.
143 always, Big Guy ❤️
At my brother’s wedding, November 2012
