Happy October; here’s September’s recap! The month started off great, but it went downhill the last week due to an eczema flare-up.
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I am hoping and praying for cooler weather because it’s still in the 80s, and I am over it.
Daily Life
September 2: Stephen and I took the bus downtown to hang out at Fifth + Broadway.
Mainly, I wanted some more Elixr coffee and to get out of the apartment for a little bit.
Stephen ordered a burger from Pharmacy, and I went to an Indian restaurant called Saffron, and this is my favorite meal so far!! The hakka noodles were so addicting, and they gave me four pieces of garlic naan! I expected one order to just have two pieces, so this was an amazing surprise. It was just as good heated up for later! I ate the noodles cold for dinner.
After eating lunch, we went to Elixr.
I ordered the iced strawberry oatmilk latte, but mine wasn’t pink like other people’s was. It tasted like red bean mochi to me. I liked the pink peppercorn drink from last month, but this one was still good!
I don’t know what it is, but every time I take the bus with Stephen, some little slip-up happens. It was fine getting downtown, but going home, the bus we were waiting for got into a small accident. We didn’t know this at the time because the app didn’t update the bus’s route, so we waited out in the hot sun for like 20 minutes, then we headed essentially back to Fifth + Broadway, only we were a block away, where another bus stop was that we could’ve waited at.
There was some construction going on downtown, which threw off Stephen, my navigator. The place we waited initially was several blocks away, like a 10-minute walk, and I did not wear the best shoes for that much walking, so I wound up with blisters and gritting through the pain.
We ended up waiting at the bus station, where we finally made it onto the bus to go home. After getting to the closest bus stop to our apartment, that was still a painful 8-minute walk. Needless to say, I was not on my feet any more that day.
A photo on the way to the stop where we waited 20 minutes in the sun. My patience was still intact.
This is an oldish outfit, maybe two years old, from Lizard Thicket Boutique, and I got so many compliments on it! I wore healed shoes because it’s slightly too long to wear flats. It is so cute, and it’s really flowy, which is why I chose to wear it on this day since heat has been brutal.
September 7: I’ve been wanting to try the new sandwich and milkshake at Chick-fil-A, so we had that for dinner! I didn’t know if I was that big of a fan of pimento cheese (and I’m not the biggest fan of honey, but I will eat it in some things), but the combination of that, honey, and jalapeños really leveled up the spicy chicken sandwich!
The honey and the jalapeños are the perfect sweet-and-spicy combination! I will definitely order it again. I don’t think I’d like pimento cheese by itself since it’s made with the cheese I’m not as crazy about, but it worked for this sandwich.
As for the caramel crumble milkshake, it’s expectedly super sweet, but I enjoyed it!
I evidently did not take a photo of my milkshake, but here is my sloppy (and not appetizing) photo of the sandwich:
My apologies for not selling you on this sandwich with a better photo, but I will be ordering it again.
September 8: Louise and I took our dogs to the park for a short walk, then she and I went to The Well for coffee and lunch.
I got an iced Cuban and curry chicken salad, and it was so good! I didn’t finish it all, so I had a few bites to take home with me. I’m not the biggest fan of dried cranberries, but they were really good in the salad.
September 9: I went to Boots & Good Co. to switch up my scenery and do some work files.
My iced Snickerdoodle, of course, and I tried the bacon and cheese egg bites. They were good, but I think I prefer the veggie egg bites.
September 14: A cute photo of Darby and Pepper hanging out.
September 15: Kelli came to hang out with me for a little bit! We went to the Cheesecake Factory and the Cool Springs Galleria.
I ordered the Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, which the waiter told me it was the hottest dish on the menu. 😎 I rate it like a 3/5. When it’s Indian hot, then we’ll talk, but I feel like when it comes to Italian pasta, I will not hesitate!
Kelli ordered a less spicy dish: Spicy Chicken Chipotle. She can’t handle a lot of spice, but this dish had the perfect amount of it! Since the restaurant is in the Galleria, we walked around afterward and window shopped. Then, we needed some coffee.
I randomly chose Southern’s Coffee, and it did not disappoint!
This location was a little trailer that has a drive-thru, or you could walk up to it and order on the other side.
We went big and got 32-ounce drinks! I really wish I lived closer to this place. I’d be here so much! I’m still thinking about this coffee, almost a month later.
September 17: Darby had a corgi meetup at the SandBar! The turnout wasn’t as big as the one in May, but there were a lot of corgi furriends! He was insistent about saying hi to every single dog. My feet were tired.
Darby got to meet little Waffles for the first time! She was only like 12 weeks old in that photo. I think he’d get along well with her.
He was worn out and almost fell asleep on the way home!
September 19: The Well has new seasonal drinks! Since the Roger the Shrubber is a repeat, I decided to try the Captain’s Tonic, and I really liked it! I’m not a fan of PSL or mocha, so I may skip the other two.
September 22: It’s Mason’s 13th birthday!! I cannot wait to visit him in a couple of weeks!
I took Darby to the park because he’s been whining at me due to boredom, so we went for a walk elsewhere! I think his weight loss is going well, though we haven’t weighed him.
Afterward, I discovered that Sweet Sofia’s now has churros on their menu!
I also tried the strawberry agua fresca for the first time, and I am obsessed! I’m going to need it in the largest size next time. It was so good!
September 23: My friend, Kaitlyn, who is Honey and Waffles’ mom, invited me to the dragon boat race downtown! She took Honey to the groomers, so it was just Waffles with her.
Isn’t she so cute!?
Kaitlyn mainly came for the food, and I’m always down for that!
The sandwiches are from Egg Drip, and the bobas and dumplings are from Mama Yang and Daughter. I got a brown sugar boba! we split the pork dumplings and sandwiches to share. It was a bit messy, but we made it work!
I didn’t care for the cheese in it, but it was good still!
We didn’t see any of the racing, but we did sit on the picnic blanket briefly and hung out until it was time for her to pick up Honey.
September 24: Stephen and I went to The Well for coffee! He tried the Black Cat, and I ordered the Roger the Shrubber. He was not a fan of the charcoal, and I tried drinking it later, but I didn’t like the mocha. The charcoal is interesting and certainly a choice.
Bummer he didn’t like his coffee, but now we know!
September 25: We’d went to Sprout’s after getting coffee yesterday, and this meal caught my eye:
It’s Korean rice cakes, tofu, sweet potatoes, and lentils. I was not a fan of whatever dressing/sauce that was. It tasted like radishes with a mix of shrimp sauce. I also added some kimchi, and that was a good pairing.
Also, it’s been a rough week for me. I had a weird eczema flare-up that started on Sunday evening, though it didn’t fully hit me until Monday. My arms, legs, and (started on Saturday) upper chest/neck area started breaking out. I haven’t had a flare-up since senior year of high school in the wintertime, and it was only on my lower back.
I may make a blog post later so I can remember what to do if/when this happens again.
Stephen brought home Crumbl Cookies because they had the cookie butter cookie last week! It hit the spot, and he left the ~sweetest~ note on the box.
September 29: Kylie and I typically get the cookie butter Crumbl Cookies together, but I was unable to go. Kylie nicely got me a cookie and dropped it off! Weirdly enough, they didn’t add the cookie on top, but it was still consumed within days of receiving in.
I’ve been buying tons of gauze and different creams and lotions to calm it down. As of writing this (October 1st), mainly my upper chest/neck area is the only place really bothering me, though I have coated myself in moisturizers and creams for the past week. I’m a gross, greasy mess right now, but hopefully I can get past this.
I have barely left the apartment, so that’s all for September!
Books
- Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin
- genre: crime, mystery, science
- rating: 4.5
- I have never heard of this author, but the premise intrigued me, and I really enjoyed it! My favorite thing about this is that it has random scientific facts because Vivvy is an astrophysicist.
- I honestly didn’t know how this story would end, but I think I’m satisfied with it!
- There is a weird love triangle, but it was subtle and resolved without any real fuss.
- Vivvy was wanting to put her psychic abilities in the past, and I like that she didn’t do the stereotypical stuff that psychics do, although her mom did.
- I probably should’ve figured out who Lizzie’s kidnapper was sooner, but I honestly didn’t.
- Something Wilder by Christina Lauren
- genres: romance, young adult
- rating: 3.5
- Christina Lauren books have been a hit or miss for me. This one wasn’t quite a hit, but it also wasn’t completely a miss. I feel like they miss the mark on making the female MC ~not like the other girls~ (still not over the annoying character Hazel in Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, which wasn’t even a guide!).
- Lily’s stiffness and rudeness came off wrong to me in her efforts to keep herself at a distance with Leo.
- Terry was incredibly annoying, and I’m glad he is a minor character.
- This is the unlikeliest friend group, so it was not really believable they would take a trip together every year.
- The treasure-hunting aspect of this is fun and fresh, so it is not solely about romance and what caused them to be apart. The miscommunication was cleared up early on in the book, thankfully.
- I’ll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman
- genres: time travel, science fiction, mystery, thriller, coming of age, mention of animal death
- content warning: intense bullying, racism, homophobia
- rating: 4.5
- I am not a fan of pop culture references, the bullying scenes were a little too much, and the two timelines could’ve been distinguished better at the beginning. The multiple POVs didn’t keep my attention, but after finishing the book and seeing how things come together, I loved it!
- The Instagram link won’t embed, but you can find the review here.
- Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
- genres: fantasy, romance, mystery, crime, magical realism
- rating: 3.5
- A close-knit community on an island scared off a mom and son due to an unsolved murder of an 18-year-old girl.
- I think the characters need more depth because after reading this a week and a half ago or so, I couldn’t tell you about them. Overall, this was a big grudge that was held for years by a bunch. ofolder people in a community.
- The pace was slow and suspenseful, and I forgot who some of the people were since there were multiple chapters with different POVs.
- The chapters were short, so it was quick finishing it.
- Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica
- genres: thriller, mystery, suspense, crime
- rating: 3.5
- This was a better Kubica book, but I’m not for sure if she’s for me or if I expected more since it was hyped up.
- Are you kidding me? I find that the big reveal was unlikely.
- I did expect one character to turn out to be more conniving and sinister based on how they were being described.
- The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
- genres: thriller, mystery, crime
- rating: 3.5
- My sister lended this book to me and enjoyed it, so I got around to reading it! It was a short, quick read.
- You’ve got blackmail, cheating, and a mystery of what happened to a baby!
- I think I feel bad for the couple, but what a crazy way for it to all pan out!
- The ending seemed unnecessary, and it’s a bummer that the couple couldn’t be happy after everything.
- Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney
- genres: thriller, mystery, suspense
- rating: 4
- Alice Feeney books will forever be the fortune cookie books to me. It throws off the tone and it doesn’t work for me, but I enjoyed the story and twists!
- The premise hooked me, and it didn’t take me long to read! However, it’s a book I could put down and not itch to pick back up and finish right then.
- It’s interesting to see how all of the characters were connected.
Music
Guts (2023) –– Olivia Rodrigo
I listened to this album on the 9th, and I think I like it better than Sour! Admittedly, I didn’t like her singles “vampire” and “bad idea right?” as much as the other songs on the album. Though, I think I am warming up to “bad idea right?” weeks later.
I feel a little old for some of the songs, but they are fun and I would’ve really related to them whenever I was her age!
I think the production is a little over the top for “all-american b*tch” because I can’t hear or understand her. Also, the “ahh” at one part ruined it for me and sounds like nails on a chalkboard.
Songs that stand out:
- “teenage dream”
- “making the bed”
- “logical”
- “get him back!”
At first, no matter how much I listen to “the grudge,” it didn’t stick with me, but it’s growing to be a song I gravitate toward.
a beautiful blur (2023) –– LANY
Initially, I didn’t love this album as much as previous albums because the songs didn’t have as much emotion as some of their previous albums, but I think this one will grow on me!
Songs that stand out:
- “‘Cause You Have To”
- “XXL”
- “No”
- “Home Is Where The Hurt Is”
Still listening and deciding if my ranking changes.
TV Shows and Movies
The 7 Lives of Léa (2022)
This series is in French, but it’s well worth watching. Based on the novel, Les 7 vies de Léa, by Charlotte Sanson, this is the Wikipedia synopsis:
In June 2021, while at an outdoor party by a river, teenage Léa stumbles upon skeletal remains. She wakes up the next day, thirty years in the past (to the day), inside the body of a young man named Ismaël. The following day, she awakes back in her own body and realizes it was Ismaël’s body she found by the river. The process repeats each night for a total of seven days, with Léa inhabiting the body of seven different people on consecutive days in June 1991, all of whom are in some way connected to Ismaël during the final week of his life. Léa tries to prevent Ismaël’s death.
Seriously, this is such an underrated show. The people she wakes up as (including her parents) are all unexpectedly connected, and Léa finally discovers the truth, both past and present.
The Menu (2022)
I have a list of movies I want to watch, but I never seem to be in a movie mood.
genres: comedy horror, satire, dark comedy.
Synopsis:
Rich people go to this island to experience this world-renowned chef’s famous menu. Chef reveals that everyone will die that night after the meal.
I had no idea how this movie would play out, but I found it to be pretty good and suspensful!
Anya Taylor-Joy’s character, Margot, wasn’t meant to be at the restaurant, but her date, Tyler, was dumped by his ex, who was previously supposed to attend this dinner.
Orders
It is Christmas in September for me! Literally, and my next birthday and possibly next Christmas, haha.
September 13: My new obsession and hunt for opal rings have been fulfilled for now! I went a little overboard, and thankfully Stephen loves me and did not kill me for this impulsive decision, and I bought some vintage opal rings from a few Etsy sellers!
The first one I found, and last one that I ordered was this one:
I tried taking photos of it in the shade versus sunlight. I am absolutely in love!! I was incredibly conflicted, and I actually purchased two rings before having regrets about not getting this one.
Since they’re vintage and like one of a kind, I would’ve been upset with myself if this was purchased by someone else.
Also, my high-quality matcha from Breakaway Matcha arrived!
Look at how dark the cold brew is:
I added some milk to it. Based on my first drink, it is good!
September 14: Alexis and I ordered some friendship rings from Linjer, and they arrived! The stones are London blue topaz.
I love how it changes colors! No filter needed.
September 15: My other two rings arrived!
In action:
Vintage Opal Ring 14k Gold Diamond Description:
- Ring face measures 10.3mm top to bottom – Sits off of the finger when worn 5.8mm
- CONTENT: 14k Yellow Gold w/ light Rose undertones, Genuine Opal 7.9mm x 3.8mm, 2 Genuine Diamonds 1mm each
My final opal ring:
The left stone has a bit sparkle to it than the right!
In action:
All three together:
Now that I have quelled my opal search for now, I will save and purchase another type of opal ring later on. I delved into the opal’s history, and it is incredibly fascinating!
