WO: Weekly Obsessions
Oh hello, 2020. We’ve been expecting you.
Between the resolutions and the parties and all of the holiday hoopla, it’s kind of incredible to think another decade is upon us and what the next 366 days will bring (thanks, Feb. 29)!
What am I most excited for? Possibly the Olympics, or following my 15-year HS reunion’s inevitable drama on Facebook, or meeting my reading goal of 100 books. Seeing my nieces grow, achieving new goals at work, moving back into a space of my own… the possibilities are endless, but it certainly won’t happen overnight.
I mentioned I’d be taking a hard look at the things that serve me and don’t, so I’ll also be stepping away from these WOs. It might be for a little while, or it might be forever.
But I’m excited about some projects I have in mind and to give myself the space to create those things — and share my progress with you, too.
Thank you all for reading and sharing your stories with me these last 8+ years of WO and 9+ of the blog. Lots of love — here’s to the next chapter!
WO: Weekly Obsessions
In case you haven’t heard, it is Jesus’s birthday and there’s no better time to spend with family, friends, and those you love. I’m doing just that with my friend’s family, who’ve graciously opened their homes to me the past two days.
However you spend the holiday season, I hope you find peace and joy during what isn’t always the most wonderful time of the year.
Spread love, lend a helping hand, do your part to make the world a better place. And if you can find some time to relax in there, too, that’s all the better.
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Truth be told, I just finished baking 4 dozen cookies and crashed into bed thinking “Ah, day is done.” And then my brain alarm went off like a GD nightmare siren as I realized it was, in fact, Wednesday and I hadn’t posted (again).
As much as I’ve enjoyed entertaining(?) you all for the last 8+ years of weekly picks, I’ve found it so much more difficult to keep up with (1) since my job changed to being a tastemaker for my company, and (2) since so much of my “free” time is spent catching up on the ~3h I’m out of SF for each day.
I’m so grateful for those of you who’ve stuck through it and continue to read faithfully, but I’m taking a long, hard look at all of my commitments — virtually and IRL — to better understand what serves me and what drains me.
This isn’t a farewell, per se, but a new chapter is on the horizon for Wittyburg, the site, and Wittyburg, the human. As that continues to shape up, you’ll be among the first to know.
Cheers to cookie fever and chasing your dreams!
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Hello, it’s December. Of 2019. The last month of the 2010s… how in the hell did that happen?
My brain cannot process this information, nor is it capable of looking ahead to the next decade (or day, or week, or month, or even the yeeeear).
Instead, I’m curling up to binge seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Google holiday card designs and basically avoid all sense of reality until the NYE ball (or other shoe) drops.
Blame it on the jet lag or lack of sleep or meeting marathons but I simply cannot werk any longer to deliver the goods tonight. Promise you won’t hate me for it?
Now, I’ll sashay away. Xoxo
WO: Weekly Obsessions
‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring: three nieces under 6, six adults, two dogs, a TV, an Echo, countless phones, this very laptop… To say I’m having sensory overload is an understatement. But I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
It’s my first time in Florida for Thanksgiving in seven years. The last time I was home for it, my dad was alive. We visited his aunt in the nursing home and her dementia had her believing I was my mother. I was scheduled to go the following Monday to Raleigh, N.C., for a job interview — but I’d just received a job offer from macys.com in New York City, instead. My brother and sister-in-law were newlyweds, without children. My grandpa was still alive and hadn’t yet reconnected with his sister, who would later become my Thanksgiving hostess while living in NYC.
While seven years doesn’t seem like that long ago, it’s clearly been one heck of a time for change in our family. We’ve had ups and downs and highs and lows and all of the normal everyday nonsense that comes with daily life and changing seasons.
So as usual, I’m thankful for this crazy circus I call my family. And I’m especially grateful to be in a position to come home for a few days, meet my newest niece, await the arrival of my SIL’s SIL’s son, and spend a few exhausting but fulfilling days with them in person. As much as I love SF and my life there, some things can’t replace the feeling of being home for a holiday.
Wishing you and yours the happiest of Turkey Days tomorrow, and if you are in need of love, don’t be a stranger! We have more than enough cheer (and food!) to go around.
Photo by Element5 Digital on Pexels.com
WO: Weekly Obsessions
Well, well, well. This week is markedly better, if not simply for the fact that it’s not last week.
Oh and possibly because I’ve been able to reprioritize some things and also take a step back to look beyond my ever-so-rare temper tantrum to just… breathe.
And celebrate. Why? Because the biggest project I’ve worked on in nearly 10 years is LIVE and needs your votes!
Tell us what your favorite book, movie, game, and app were from 2019 and your votes could help crown Google Play’s Best of 2019! How cool is that?
Click here to vote and share with your friends, too 📚🍿🎉
WO: Weekly Obsessions
I know this month is meant to be all about gratitude, and I’m fully aware of my privilege to even acknowledge that.
But.
This month has been a kick in the ass if ever I’ve had one.
Aside from a crushing amount of work in preparation for the holidays, my personal life also seems to have taken a swan dive south. And even as I type this, I stretched out on our couch only to knock over an entire cup of soda on our (thankfully washable) rug.
Sigh. I’m finding some comfort in books, friends, food, family, and soda wine … you know, the ingredients to any well-balanced life.
In the meantime, I find myself trying to get just 10 minutes of alone time where I’m not glued to a screen or answering someone’s questions. Again, I know I’m in a place of privilege that these are my biggest problems right now, but they’re problems nonetheless.
What do you do when you need to get away mentally — or do you just push through it? All advice is welcome! Namaste, friends.
Where I wish to be… photo by Jeremy Bishop on Pexels.com
WO: Weekly Obsessions
TFW you realize your scheduled post didn’t publish and you missed a Wednesday for the first time in 8+ years 😱😱😱
This week was my first “normal” one in more than a month, so naturally that means it’s been INSANE.
Working late, email oblivion, socializing, and a little bit of reading (I’m at 74 books for the year!) — what’s not to love?
But since my favorite holiday is upon us, I’m trying to put my positive / spooky face on and have my marvelous momma to thank for giving me some levity.
Whether it’s a parent, friend, partner, licensed professional, or some combination of these, I hope you each have someone (or a few someones) in your life whom you can turn to in peaks and valleys. It’s worth more than I can express in an overwrought week but the result is also a bit more sanity and not feeling alone. Who doesn’t want that?
WO: Weekly Obsessions
What happens when you’re in the middle of the woods with little to no cell service?
You likely forget your weekly blog post, among other things.
It’s a chilly 62• according to the weather report but my astute observation would register it more at somewhere around 30•.
Between hiking, biking, and busing our way through Yosemite, it’s been a week of nonstop adventure. All I know is, I can’t wait to have seven full uninterrupted nights of sleep in my own bed soon. Ahh, such luxury!
WO: Weekly Obsessions
This week’s obsessions are brought to you live from New York, where I was feeling super nostalgic and reminiscent until a torrential downpour today made me want to set everything ablaze and scream endlessly.
So.
Then.
Before I fall asleep for the third night in a row with my phone in my hand, my hair flailing about, and my feet hurting so good, I have these life-changing gifs and thoughts to share:
This week marks NINE years of Wittyburg.com. Yes, this stock gif has 10 candles but a girl can dream, can’t she?
The hotel I’m in this week is called StayPineapple, and they take their theme seriously. The towels, tiled floors, cabinets, water, mugs — you name it, and it’s got a pineapple on it. Such commitment! Such joie d’vivre!
As exhausting and infuriating this city that never sleeps can be, I will always be grateful for the chance to revisit and reminisce on my few short years living here. There’s a certain special type of person who can live here and love it — and to those folks, I salute you!
Wittyburg.com 