How My March 2024 Went

Hello!

March seemed like it dragged on, but that was probably due to being sick the first half of the month.

Skipping ahead:

• books
• tv/movies
• music
• orders

Daily Life

March 3: After eluding it for almost four years, and thinking Stephen didn’t spread it to me, it finally happened. I had the mother of all migraines last night, and I took a COVID test and unfortunately tested positive. I thought the migraine was because of my cycle, but unfortunately not this time.

COVID timeline:

• Sunday, the 3rd: Intense migraine, bad sore throat
• Monday, the 4th: same symptoms
• Tuesday, the 5th: same symptoms
• Wednesday, the 6th: same symptoms
• Thursday, the 7th: woke up without a headache, throat is less sore
• Friday, the 8th: same as Thursday, with a cough
• Saturday, the 9th: coughing and have some phlegm + loss of taste mid-day
• Sunday, the 10th: same, taste is faint for some things but otherwise bland
• Saturday, the 16th: taste has mostly returned. finally could taste coffee

That timeline dragged on, but at least I’m back to normal!

March 4: Kylie and Zach got me some cookies from Crumbl since they have the Biscoff cookie again!

Louise also brought me some bone broth to soothe my throat, which I didn’t think I needed at first, but my throat killed me the first few days.

I have the best friends! I really liked the GUTS cookie. I definitely recommend whenever it comes to your city.

I stayed in, didn’t do anything fun, which was decent since it caused me to save money.

March 15: I cut my hair because it was getting too long and it needed to be cut. I had so many split and dead ends. It was super fun hacking off my hair! I cut off at least six inches, possibly more. I can’t wait to do it again, haha.

March 16: I visited Kelli in Clarksville for the day! We ate at Dock 17. I got brisket sliders and sweet potato fries, and Kelli ordered the brisket tacos with regular fries. The meal was less than $15, and it was so good! I highly recommend!

I’m not sure what the dipping sauce was for the sweet potato fries were. It tasted like icing and was super sweet. I just dipped my fries a little bit since it was too much for me. Still, I would get them again!

Next, we’ve been wanting to try this coffee shop with flights for ages, and it was amazing!!

I drank them too fast and felt a little sick, so I slowed down on my final drink, haha. They were delicious! The place rotates the drinks monthly, so this is about to become a monthly thing to do!

We hung out with Kelli’s dogs for a bit until it was time for dinner.

Here are Darby’s half sisters, Nala and Skyler!

Alexis met us for dinner at Royal Cuisine. I ordered lamb mango with some garlic naan. Kelli and Alexis both ordered chicken tikka masala with garlic naan.

The mango threw me off at first, but it was delicious! The lamb was excellent and so tender.

Back to Kelli’s we went! We gave the corgis so much love.

March 17: I had to help a neighbor since he had an emergency health situation. I took his dog, Oakley, out for a walk. He’s such a good boy! He’s the sweetest.

At 12:30, Stephen and I watched Dune, part 2.

For dinner, we went out with some friends to eat at Taziki’s. I ordered their special pasta salad. It legitimately was pasta and salad. Usually the kind I eat doesn’t have lettuce, instead just cucumbers and tomatoes, maybe some olives. It was really good, and I would definitely get it more often.

March 19: The Well’s new seasonal drinks dropped! I didn’t try them till the next day, Wednesday, because I took Darby to play with his friend, Luna, at the park, then I had some matcha with Louise at her place.

March 20: Darby had a great pay date with Birdy and Goose! Also, it was Goose’s 2nd birthday! He’s such a good boy with them. He and Birdy somewhat got to have their own time together. Of course, Goose, being the little brother that he is, couldn’t leave them alone for three seconds!

They played till around 12 PM, then we headed back home. Successfully, Darby was tired for a few hours!

Kelli was working in my area for the day, so she met me at The Well for coffee on her lunch break!

I decided to try Down by the Bay first. John the Gardener is a repeat seasonal and I remember liking it at the time.

It was clear that I really enjoyed it because I had it finished within 30 minutes!

March 21: My next seasonal drink was the Hundred Acre Woods. I am really enjoying espresso tonics. I only tried these at one other coffee shop. It’s not something I gravitate toward as my first choice, but I’ve never had a bad one!

March 23: We went to K&S to stock up on seaweed, noodles, and peanuts!

For dinner, we tried Teriyaki Madness, which is similar to Panda Express. Although I do love the Beijing Beef from Panda Express, Teriyaki Madness may be better given the portion sizes and the variety!

Stephen ordered the teriyaki chicken and teriyaki steak with rice and veggies. I got the hot versions of orange chicken and teriyaki steak. I love all the veggies they give you!

I will say, I think Panda’s noodles are better, but these were pretty good, too.

You can use my referral code: STEG13H6176 to get a deal! Always download the app first. Wish I had before ordering for the first time!

March 24: Darby’s first pack walk! I used a belt bag that has a pocket for a water bottle. None of mine would fit, so I quickly went to TJ Maxx to buy one.

The one I ended up buying looks like Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck perfume bottle. It’s pretty and the perfect size!

Also, how cute are these cups!?

We only knew Taylor and her corgi, Dobby, from our normal corgi group. There was a designated dog that was intended to be the caboose, but I just knew beforehand that Darby would be the last one to walk, and he sure was.

I felt bad because there was a small group that stayed with us while everyone else was like 50 feet or so ahead of us. I am quite proud of Darby! We walked 2 miles. He did roll over once before it was over, but he persevered!

Afterward, Taylor and I met at Hanna Bee Coffee to brainstorm some coffee ideas. It was so cute inside! Darby and Dobby captured the attention of a few people.

Aren’t they cute!?

I ordered an iced Cotton Candy Latte, and it was really good! It was certainly a fun drink.

Dobby acted way better than Darby, no surprise. This was his first time in a coffee shop. I figured a 2-mile walk would cause him to chill out, but he still wanted to bark at every new human that walked in, out, or around the coffee shop. We need a little more practice, but we’re getting there.

March 26: I wanted Darby to have a little Easter egg hunt, so I purchased some eggs at Target for $1! I went for the iced shaken brown sugar oat milk espresso as well. That’s such a mouthful. It almost makes me not want to order it because I forget the name as soon as I’m ordering.

I found some bully sticks for a decent deal! I gave one to Darby and it lasted him like 30 minutes. I wish it lasted longer, but that’s better than others I have tried!

March 27: It was such a pretty day!

I ordered a John the Gardener from The Well. I liked it, but it’s not my favorite and I took my time drinking it compared to the other ones.

Lavender, I can take it or leave it in my coffee, I’ve decided.

Darby has been wanting to just hang out and sniff whenever we’ve went outside. If only we could do that for hours!

Hopefully I can get him to hang out with me on our outdoor picnic blanket, then maybe I could work outside and he’d just chill. Realistically, he wants to sniff and wander, and the scary red wasps and other bugs would chase me away. He also would run off if he saw another dog, so I’d have to be on guard the whole time and watch him, but we’ll work on that.

He’s doing much better, but he still has the immediately urge to take off running toward another potential friend.

March 29: He did not want to leave this spot, which I don’t blame him because it felt so nice in the shade. So, he got to be the dog greeter and stare at cars going in and out of the complex!

Craved a frappé, used some points that were about to expire for the month to get a free one!

They remind me of my pre-coffee life. I’d get these a few times a month.

March 30: Darby was extremely needy this weekend. He wanted to play constantly, but I needed to repot some of my succulents. I also separated the Echeveria Horizon mother plant and her babies that were on the stem!

Now I have two I need to sell one day!

The succulents are just minding their own business, then there’s Darby.

In the evening, we went on a walk with Kylie and Spud at the park! That tired him out a little bit, thankfully.

I finally tried the Buldak fried rice. It was a pleasant surprise to see that it came in two packs inside the main bag! It was really good, definitely recommend.

The heat is about the same as the noodles. Tofu would and an egg would be perfect with this.

March 31: We went to the dog park to meet up with Kaitlyn, Honey, and Waffles!

Kaitlyn made Darby some Bark Budder pancakes and gave him some jerky!

He hasn’t tried the meat stick yet. The pancakes were chewy and he bit off little bites at a time, but he liked them! We have one left that he’ll get soon.

Books

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This was the worst month of books I’ve ever had. A little disappointed, but hopefully I can make better book choices now that my local library location is open again.

• The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib
  • synopsis: The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.
    
    Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.
    
    Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting, intimate journey of a young woman’s struggle to reclaim her life. Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.
  • content warning: eating disorder, self-harm
  • genres: mental health, realistic fiction, mental illness
  • rating: 4
    • So, this was a bit of a tough book for me to read based on my own struggle with food sometimes. I am envious of people who read this and don’t share similar thoughts as those struggling with an eating disorder.
    • I enjoyed Anna slowly take control of her life again, though I did feel like being in the facility for five weeks was a bit too soon, but maybe the author wanted it to end on a more hopeful and ambitious note.
    • Everything I worried about happening didn’t, thankfully. It would have been a little more cliché if it did.
    • I wish her name wasn’t Anna, but that’s a minor thing.
    • The staff seemed a little too trusting when it came to her leveling up and not having to stay at the facility 24/7 within a short span of time.
    • I enjoyed the health reports that showed Anna’s weekly progress, and I feel like I got enough of a glimpse of what Anna’s new life was like compared to her previous one with her husband and family.

• Come With Me by Helen Schulman
  • synopsis: From Helen Schulman, the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller This Beautiful Life, comes another “gripping, potent, and blisteringly well-written story of family, dilemma, and consequence” (Elizabeth Gilbert)—a mind-bending novel set in Silicon Valley that challenges our modern constructs of attachment and love, purpose and fate.
    
    “What do you want to know?”
    
    Amy Reed works part-time as a PR person for a tech start-up, run by her college roommate’s nineteen-year-old son, in Palo Alto, California. Donny is a baby genius, a junior at Stanford in his spare time. His play for fortune is an algorithm that may allow people access to their “multiverses”—all the planes on which their alternative life choices can be played out simultaneously—to see how the decisions they’ve made have shaped their lives.
    
    Donny wants Amy to be his guinea pig. And even as she questions Donny’s theories and motives, Amy finds herself unable to resist the lure of the road(s) not taken. Who would she be if she had made different choices, loved different people? Where would she be now?
    
    Amy’s husband, Dan—an unemployed, perhaps unemployable, print journalist—accepts a dare of his own, accompanying a seductive, award-winning photographer named Maryam on a trip to Fukushima, the Japanese city devastated by tsunami and meltdown. Collaborating with Maryam, Dan feels a renewed sense of excitement and possibility he hasn’t felt with his wife in a long time. But when crisis hits at home, the extent of Dan’s betrayal is exposed and, as Amy contemplates alternative lives, the couple must confront whether the distances between them in the here and now are irreconcilable.
    
    Taking place over three non-consecutive but vitally important days for Amy, Dan, and their three sons, Come with Me is searing, entertaining, and unexpected—a dark comedy that is ultimately both a deeply romantic love story and a vivid tapestry of modern life.
  • genres: sci-fi, domestic drama, coming of age, fantasy, thriller
  • rating: 3
    • Looking back, I’m surprised that I finished this book. Half the time, I barely knew what was going on based on the character going off on a tangent about something. I expected the multiverse simulator by Donny would play more of a role in this whole story, but it was only in like two or three scenes.
    • Amy had a weird thing with her son. I cannot imagine putting on his gross, smelly shirts and go running in them.
    • Jack and Lily seemed cute, but their relationship was a tad bit much considering they’d have Lily eating dinner with them over video call.
    • I did not care a bit about Dan and his story line. Maryam was an enigma. She’s the kind of woman I want to be, but I’d be fine with just being her friend.
    • I felt sad for the kids in this story, especially the twins. Amy and Dan didn’t seem like the best parents, and I think I’m mostly blaming Dan because he told his kid that he didn’t know how to be one of his son’s dad.

• Mistakes We Never Made by Hannah Brown | Pub date: May 7th
  • synopsis: An epic coastal road-trip gives two lifelong rivals a second chance at love in this debut novel from The Bachelorette star and New York Times bestselling author Hannah Brown.
    
    Two former debate team champions who almost fell in love years ago are now stuck together on one wild wedding weekend. When bridesmaid Emma first sees groomsman Finn, she’s reminded of all the mistakes she almost made with him—the date, the party, the kiss, that one night on the rooftop in New York. Each ended in heartbreak, and she would have been happy never to see Finn again.
    
    But when the bride runs away, and both Emma and Finn are tasked with bringing her home in time to walk down the aisle, they end up on a whirlwind road trip down memory lane… and might just fall in love along the way. 
    
    Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, MISTAKES WE NEVER MADE reminds us it’s never too late to risk falling in love, because being true to your heart is never a mistake. 
  • genres: romance, enemies to lovers, chick lit
  • rating: 3
    • I’m a Bachelor fan, so I thought I’d give this book a shot by a previous bachelorette because the premise intrigued me.
      • There are some little nuggets that reflect the author in the story [going “Hulk” on people, moving a podium during a debate, iykyk].
    • Oh, man. I was enjoying it for the most part, but it is an enemies-to-lovers trope. That + cheating + miscommunication = I started liking it less.
      • The first miscommunication situation I will pass since the characters were young and all that, but in the present timeline, they were late 20s and Emma was still acting like she knew what was best for everyone, which that’s something Emma realizes she does, but it was annoying when people always assume.
    • Sybil running away from her own wedding: okay, that’s fine, but when she ends up back where she’s supposed to be, there’s no explanation, just that she needed time for herself. Not to mention, she just up and left a couple of days without telling anyone where she was going and why. I think she needed to give a better explanation.

• Watching You by Lisa Jewell
  • synopsis: Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.
    
    As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.
    
    One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.
    
    Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…
  • genres: thriller, mystery, suspense, crime
  • rating: 1
    • Lisa Jewell is an author I enjoy, but this book was not it.
    • I don’t want to type it all again, so here’s my Goodreads review of it that sums it up.
    • Also, the main female character, Joey, is not really likeable. Only Jenna, a teenager, was to me in this whole book.
      • tl;dc [too lazy, didn’t click]: Tom Fitzwilliam, throughout the book, appears that he is interested in young girls. Well, the female MC is 26 and he’s like 51, but we’re talking much younger, like teenagers. One teenage girl found him creepy.
        • Oh, but that’s just a big red herring and he’s fine! He started dating his wife when she was 19, while he was 35. He was an English teacher at her high school, but evidently not hers and so he didn’t know her, but she knew of him.
      • Tom did questionable things, so he’s still icky to me.

• The Breakup Tour by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
  • synopsis: A rising-star musician has a second chance at love with an old flame she remembers all too well in this swoony romance from the acclaimed authors of The Roughest Draft.
    
    Riley Wynn went from a promising singer-songwriter to a superstar overnight, thanks to her breakup song concept album and its unforgettable lead single. When Riley’s ex-husband claims the hit song is about him, she does something she hasn’t in ten years and calls Max Harcourt, her college boyfriend and the real inspiration for the song of the summer.
    
    Max hasn’t spoken to Riley since their relationship ended. He’s content with managing the retirement home his family owns, but it’s not the life he dreamed of filled with music. When Riley asks him to go public as her songwriting muse, he agrees on one he’ll join her in her band on tour.
    
    As they perform across the country, Max and Riley start to realize that while they hit some wrong notes in the past, their future could hold incredible things. And their rekindled relationship will either last forever or go down in flames.
  • genres: romance, chick lit
  • rating: 2
    • Riley seemed shallow and arrogant, and you can definitely tell Max was written by a woman, if that isn’t obvious already.
    • Super cheesy, disliked the miscommunication.
    • Riley’s thoughts are like, “Sure, I can play this sold-out show in this huge arena, I’ve won X amount of awards, I’ve met/dated this famous person, yet I can’t [something involving Max and being honest].”
    • Also, Riley’s schtick about even if she gets dumped/heartbroken, she can write a song about it.
      • This book is dedicated to Taylor Swift and Swifties, yet I find that offensive since that’s what the media says she does. No, Riley’s character seemed like she sought out these situations to place herself in so she has new material.
      • I saw this book on Instagram and wanted to give it a shot, but I really wanted to mark it DNF. I stayed strong, though!

• Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen
  • synopsis: This charming fated-love rom-com about two star-crossed lovers will appeal to readers of Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, and Sarah Adams.
    
    Just a date . . . or a twist of fate?
    
    When it comes to love and art, Rooney Gao believes in signs. Most of all, she believes in the Chinese legend that everyone is tied to their one true love by the red string of fate. And that belief has inspired her career as an artist, as well as the large art installations she makes with (obviously) red string. That is until artist’s block strikes and Rooney begins to question everything. But then fate leads her to the perfect guy . . . Jack Liu is perfect. He’s absurdly smart, successful, handsome, and after one enchanting New York night—under icy February skies and fueled by fried dumplings—all signs point to destiny. Only Jack doesn’t believe. And after their magical date, it looks like they might be lost to each other forever . . . until they’re given one more chance to reconnect. But can Rooney convince a reluctant skeptic to take a leap of fate?
  • genres: romance, chick lit
  • rating: 5
    • What a palate cleanser after this month’s book reads have been flops for me!
    • Jack is the grump, Rooney is sunshine for the trope. I’m not a fan of this trope, but their dynamic didn’t bother me.
      • I didn’t care for Jack being super reserved at the beginning, but I’m glad that he opened up and let loose as the book progressed. He wasn’t as rigid as he came off to me.
      • I’m a believer in the red string theory, as is Rooney, and Jack is the scientific guy who doesn’t believe in it.
      • This was a cute book and not super cheesy. It had its moments, but I ate them up.
      • Thank goodness for a 5-star read, especially after all of these books this month.

• Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
  • synopsis: Bearded, bad-boy barber Knox prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Unless you count his basset hound, Waylon.
    
    Knox doesn’t tolerate drama, even when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.
    
    Naomi wasn’t just running away from her wedding. She was riding to the rescue of her estranged twin to Knockemout, Virginia, a rough-around-the-edges town where disputes are settled the old-fashioned way…with fists and beer. Usually in that order.
    
    Too bad for Naomi her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Now she’s stuck in town with no car, no job, no plan, and no home with an 11-year-old going on thirty to take care of.
    
    There’s a reason Knox doesn’t do complications or high-maintenance women, especially not the romantic ones. But since Naomi’s life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help her out of her jam. And just as soon as she stops getting into new trouble he can leave her alone and get back to his peaceful, solitary life.
    
    At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.
  • genres: romance, chick lit
  • rating: 1 – DNF
    • My goodness, I could not dislike a book any more than I did this one.
    • I made it 52 pages instead of the usual 100 I force myself to read before DNFing a book. This was just awful. I was not going to put myself through it any longer.
    • People like Knox? He’s manipulative, abusive, and flat-out rude. I didn’t make it that far, but he’s also sexist and reeks of misogyny. I’m definitely missing out on this great love story!
    • He literally grabs Naomi’s arm as she’s walking away from him to get her attention. Then, he takes her coffee to manipulate her to get into his truck. Major ick, and totally not okay.
    • Oh, Naomi’s twin sister has a child that she didn’t even know existed, and the sister named her “Waylay.” Seriously?

Honestly, I probably shouldn’t even link the last few because I didn’t enjoy them, but perhaps you want to give them a try!

I’m in a bit of a reading slump now and not in the mood to read. Hopefully that will turn around soon.

TV/Movies

Valentine’s Day — (2010)

premise:

Valentine’s Day is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. The screenplay and the story were written by Katherine Fugate, Abby Kohn, and Marc Silverstein. The film features an ensemble cast led by Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Héctor Elizondo, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Carter Jenkins, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah, Taylor Lautner, George Lopez, Shirley MacLaine, Emma Roberts, Julia Roberts, Bryce Robinson, and Taylor Swift in her film acting debut. It tells different love stories that occur on Valentine’s day.

Wikipedia

3-Body Problem — (2024)

premise:

Ye Wenjie is an astrophysicist who sees her father beaten to death during a struggle session in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She is conscripted by the military because of her scientific background and is sent to a secret military base in a remote region. Her fateful decision at the base echoes across space and time to a group of scientists in the present day, forcing them to face humanity’s greatest threat.

Wikipedia

Resident Alien — (2021)

premise:

After crash-landing on Earth in a small Colorado town, an alien sent to wipe out humanity kills and takes on the identity of a vacationing physician. He is asked to do an autopsy on the town’s doctor, who has died in unknown circumstances, and eventually takes over for the doctor at the town’s clinic. He wrestles with the moral dilemma of his secret mission, while also dealing with the mayor’s young son, who can see his true alien appearance.^[8] He develops compassion for humanity over time and ends up having to defend them from other extraterrestrial threats.

Wikipedia

Brooklyn Nine-Nine — (2013)

premise:

Set in the fictional 99th Precinct of the New York City Police Department in Brooklyn, Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows a team of detectives headed by the serious and intellectual Captain Raymond Holt, who is assigned as their new commanding officer in the pilot episode. The station’s exterior is based on Brooklyn’s 78th Precinct.

Wikipedia

Oh, and I watched the Eras Tour Concert Film again. I need all the acoustic songs because they are wonderful. I’ve been obsessed with the mash-ups she’s been doing! I can’t wait to tune and see what will be played on the next leg of the tour.

Music

Mentally preparing myself for The Tortured Poets Department dropping in April. There will be a lot of emotions and feelings.

Orders

March 24: I was worried at first because my succulent order arrived in Nashville the 19th and was supposed to arrive by the 21st. It didn’t move until that Saturday, but it finally arrived!

• Variegated Pachyveria Tolimanensis 
• Pachyveria Sweet Symphony (gifted for being shipped late)

The Sweet Symphony needs a lot of TLC because it is badly etiolated and looking sad.

That’s all for March!

Did you do anything fun?