Well, if February felt quick, the four months that followed lasted all of five minutes. Which is how you find me, in the near-exact middle of July, deciding it’s time to check back in and think some thoughts online.

Completely ignoring the raging dumpster fire that is this nation, the first half of 2025 has been rather dreamy – particularly in comparison to the six months that preceded it. Instead of walking through the last however-long sequentially and all of the delightful things that did happen, I’m just going to round-robin my way through some of the sources of joy because this is my slice of the internet and that’s how I want to do it.

Kevin-ing

Let’s lead with Kevin.

Last I wrote, I thought I hadn’t mentioned him here, but turns out I had one time in passing. If you’ve talked to me at any point since August 30, 2024, you know this tabby ball of meows deserves far more than a mention in passing that was so short I didn’t even realize I did it. Here is that more.

Full disclosure, cat people of the world: it wasn’t until I met Chevy that I really understood why people loved cats. I was born a dog person and knew no other way to exist. What can I say – I like my affection obvious, so visceral that it knocks you over when you come home from work because the affection is a dog that is jumping on you. Chevy changed that. I loved Chevy and Chevy loved me. But Aaron was always her Person, and she loved no one quite as much as she loved her Person.

Kevin is not perfect. He is needy (we call him special needy) and really doesn’t like it when you play bongos on him. He is a LIAR about having been fed, has a propensity to CONSUME SILICON that had never before been seen by our vet, and for a nearly 15 lb cat he has the meow of a thirteen year old girl from the Valley. But Kevin has decided I am his Person, and dear reader, let me tell you, this is a first time experience for me and I cannot.

He waits for me to wake up in the morning. He meows at me when I get home. He comes and lays on my chest, getting so close to my face it’s like he’s an infant trying to get that newborn skin-to-skin contact. At night, he sleeps tucked into the crook of my elbow with his chin resting on my forearm. He is The Worst in many ways (usually when he is lying about the fact that he hasn’t been fed), but PAPA I LOVE HIM. He has been no small source of silliness and laughter (and annoyance) and joy since he waltzed, shouting and underfed, into our lives last August. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Goal-ing

Of all of the goals I hoped to achieve when I set up my beloved intentions last January, the one I had the least faith in being able to achieve was, obviously, finding movement.

PEOPLE, SHE HAS FOUND MOVEMENT.

For the first time in twenty years, I am enjoying RUNNING. I have been running three times a week for eight weeks and it has been…delightful? I won’t be that person that instantly makes their chosen form of exercise their personality (even though here I am, blogging about it at the first opportunity) but what I will say is this: regularly moving around really is the best way to appreciate my silly little body. You simply cannot go wrong with movement. So, find your movement!!

And if you think it could be running – or even if you don’t think it could be running – highly recommend investing $5.99 in the Couch to 5k app. Grab a pair of headphones and pretend you’re on The Island with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson, listening to the dulcet tones of an apparently omnipotent woman telling you “Great job deciding to move your body today!” or “Begin your workout now!!”. It also tracks your runs/steps/distance, and genuinely starts from a place of no experience. It may feel silly running for sixty second then walking for ninety seconds eight times in a row, but it truly is effective.  

Not Work-ing

Sadly, no, this does not mean I have been off work for four months. Rather, not work-ing refers to an intentional, personal switch in focus from on work to on not work.

Not work-ing is caring far more about not-work things in your life than the work ones. Reading more. Planning trips. The aforementioned movement. Kevbo. Motorcycle rides. Family, friends, relationships in general. I don’t dwell on my work stress anymore. She is the secular version of letting go and letting god and it is golden.

Highlights of not work-ing: annual trip to the Bay Area to see friends and Aaron’s family in June, having friends come to stay this past week, hosting floovies (the act of watching a movie while eating food that matches said movie), getting my Italian paperwork up-to-date, making future long-term plans.

Inspo-ing

Last weekend Aaron and I saw F1: The Movie and no, it was not the best movie I’ve ever seen. But it WAS the best movie theatre movie I’ve seen in years, and I had truly forgotten just how good a good movie theatre movie experience can be. I am actually debating going to see it again while it’s in theatres because guys, it was just so PRETTY AND FUN. A++ soundtrack, score, cinematography, Kerry Condon, unexpected shots of England. Brad Pitt is the worst but Javier Bardem is not. These days, I take what I can get. I’m okay with a really good movie experience being inspiring.

Writing???

HECK YEAH I WROTE WRITING.

Last but not least, I have started a new something which may or may not go anywhere other than an amorphous Word doc of indeterminate size and shape.

And that, my friends, is wonderful.  

So there you have it! Some absolutely made-up gerunds to sum up the last four months. Sorry guys, as they say: you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.