A little bit of this and that.
My top five buys of the year (so far), poetry, and a pandemic look back
After an unexpected Substack slumber, hello!
March kicked off with a surprising pitch opportunity, so there’s been a flurry of portfolio sprucing (and fretting) behind the scenes over here. I’ve got some new Deep Dives in the works, but while I finish ‘em up, let’s nibble on a little sampling of this and that instead. A true newsletter buffet!
On today’s plate:
Lockdown, five years later (!)
My top five buys of the year thus far, plus some meh buys
A poem to brighten your day
Honestly, I cannot believe we’re nearing the end of Q1 2025. How are we halfway through March? And on that note, how has it been five years since the pandemic lockdown?
Do you remember where you were when your city called it?
I sure do. I’d lulled myself into naiveté during late February and into early March, when “coronavirus” was all anyone talked about yet it felt like it wouldn’t happen here.
On the day lockdown was announced in San Francisco—Monday, March 16, 2020—I read the report with dread while standing in my demolished kitchen, which at that very moment was slowly being put back together (much like the rest of our condo, which we’d begun renovating just after the new year). That Monday, the cabinets were getting installed. What started as an exciting, triumphant day became a series of goodbyes, as I realized I wouldn’t see the contractors for at least another month.
Someone from the crew returned later that day to drop off plywood, which became the unlikeliest of countertops for the next six weeks. The kitchen had no running water. No oven. No cooktop. Not even a microwave, though I borrowed one from our building manager the next day. Along with the Instant Pot someone sent us as an early baby gift, we managed.
Oh, right, did I mention? On March 16, 2020, I was six weeks pregnant.
I used the Instant Pot like a hot plate and figured out how to bake eggs in the microwave (photo evidence below). We ate a lot of soups and stews. In the beginning, we washed all our dishes in the tiny sink of a half bathroom, celebrating when the other bathroom was finished so we could use the bathtub instead.
My husband jokes that the shutdown was a good thing for him, because he ended up working from home until the end of 2021—nearly a two year paternity leave instead of the two week one he would’ve gotten otherwise. I’m thankful for that too, and for the fact that I didn’t have to have a baby shower.
Five years on, I also look back and give myself so much grace. Very few people ever saw me pregnant. When the world reopened, I emerged with a baby, the old me gone. No one in our family met our daughter for ten months after her birth. Everything felt so uncertain. I thought I knew anxiety, but that era revealed its unrelenting force—to me, on me.
And we had it good! Inarguably good! Easy, even! What a wild, shitty time for all of us.
Here are some other things I remember about that time:
Taking walks by the creek in the evenings, and hearing the banging of pots and pans at 7pm to thank healthcare workers.
Standing in line behind a man at the grocery in March, and how he tenderly said to the cashier through his mask, Thank you for being here. The look she gave him in return, and the way she said, Oh sure. I mean, I don’t really have a choice.
FaceTiming my husband from every ultrasound appointment, and his excitement at seeing the screen (though he admitted to me much later he could never really see anything at all).
On that note, the doctor’s appointments that year are seared in my memory. Only women in the waiting room, all of us spaced several chairs apart and more than a little freaked out, yet this odd sense of solidarity for going through pregnancy during the most bizarre time.
All of these memes. I watched the “I’m not a cat one” again yesterday and ngl, it’s still hilarious.
The piano music we listened to every day to calm our nerves.
Here is a total non sequitur, unless you equate pandemic with an increase in consumer spending, which, sure.
I was thinking about the things I’ve bought and loved this quarter, as well as bought and side-eyed, and decided to put together a list of my top five favorite purchases of the past three months, along with four honorable mentions, and two dishonorable mentions.
Let’s do it:
1 / Loftie Clock — I wasn’t sure about spending so much on the new alarm clock, but you know what? I love this thing. I like the many sounds you can choose from, I like the display, I like the nightlight, I like everything about it. They offer a bunch of paid features and an app, all of which I’ve ignored and the company hasn’t bothered me about it. I heartily recommend this puppy. If there’s one thing I don’t like? Hmm. I guess the initial setup was annoying (since you do need the app for that), but once it’s done, you’re golden.
2 / Beats headphone ear pad replacements — I have a pair of Beats Solo 3 headphones which I use less frequently since getting AirPods a couple of years ago. But with a recent ear infection (don’t ask), I pulled the Beats out of my desk drawer only to discover the ear pads were flaking and falling apart. I assumed this was some planned obsolescence thing and thought about taking them to the local electronics recycling spot. But then I thought, This is so effing dumb. Why can’t you just replace the ear pads on these otherwise perfectly fine, expensive headphones? Well, YOU CAN.
3 / Toys for my kiddo that are fun for grownups too — I always wanted a marble run set as a kid and it just never happened. So during a recent toy refresh, I was stoked to add this to my daughter’s room. We both also really like this “IQ Wave” puzzle game, which has kept her occupied for literal hours, and is challenging for adults too. It’s a perfect size and great for travel! I could see it being the type of thing we pass around on a flight or bring to restaurants.
4 / Levi’s Wedgie Denim — I have tried so many brands of denim but for my money (literally), I think Levi’s are the best value on the market. They regularly put their denim on sale, the jeans are well made and never too stretchy. Plus, I appreciate the shorter inseam options (necessary for a short gal like me). I am partial to the “Wedgie” fit denim, but classic 501s are great too. I bought a pair of white 501s and another pair of wedgies in a darker wash back in February.
5 / Ember mug — Technically a Christmas gift but not put into service until 2025. Also, life-changing. I will nurse a cup of coffee for four hours, and microwave it just as many times. So I love that this keeps coffee or tea hot all day. I keep the charging coaster on my desk, and sip a piping hot beverage right up until lunch time. If I had to do it all over again, I’d get the 14oz size, not the 10oz.
Honorable Mentions:
The gym membership I started in January.
This Skinceuticals CE Ferulic dupe. I haven’t used it long enough for the ringing endorsement, but so far I really like it.
Cayumas shoes, as discussed here. Technically purchased in December, but the more I wear them in 2025, the more I like them! Check out the Boheme style.
Ghia, because we’re drinking a lot less around here. It’s so good with club soda and lime.
Dishonorable Mentions:
Athleta Interval Stash High Rise 7/8 leggings in Olive. I loved the fit and feel of these. They’re squat-proof and felt great during my workout. What I don’t love is that the seams started coming apart after a single (delicate cycle!) wash. Based on the reviews, this is an ongoing thing. Athleta is trying to make it right by sending a replacement pair, but given how widespread the issue seems to be, I don't have high hopes.
U Beauty. Bought two hero products and honestly y’all, I just don’t get the hype, especially for the very high price point.
Moana 2, paid to rent digitally for family movie night. I dunno. This one felt like it needed to be baked a bit more. Shoulda waited for it to come out for free on Disney+!
I came across this poem the other day and loved it. Be sure to click here to read the full thing—whew, the end!
I have been thinking about living like the lilies that blow in the fields. They rise and fall in the wedge of the wind, and have no shelter from the tongues of the cattle, and have no closets or cupboards, and have no legs. Still I would like to be as wonderful as that old idea. But if I were a lily I think I would wait all day for the green face of the hummingbird to touch me. What I mean is, could I forget myself even in those feathery fields?
— Click to view the full poem “Lilies,” by Mary Oliver, first published in The Atlantic, 1988 (gift link)
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Image Credits: Europeana, Annie Spratt, Gryffyn M, Victoria Aleksandrova, Annie Spratt