sure. wait. what?

November passed by quietly like a soft sigh.

The city was draped in snow for most of the month. I despised the cold, but I did find solace in the beauty of the snow-covered trees, their branches sparkling beneath the glow of streetlights.

The trees pictured above were behind a giant pile of snow in the middle of a parking lot. The frozen branches looked enchanting, like something from a dream, while below, the world trembled in disarray. Winter, I suppose, is both graceful and grotesque.

Since 2024 was coming to a close, I decided to use up whatever’s left in my work benefits. L and I met with a dietitian for the first time, just for kicks. I didn’t learn much beyond what Google had already taught me. Eat more fiber, drink more water, get moving. It felt almost too simple — or maybe my concerns were that simple. My insurance covered most of the bill, so it was fine.

In November, I fell in love with barre. I realized that among all the workout classes I had taken, barre was the one I found the most enjoyable. It’s the perfect balance between cardio and strength training, at least in my opinion, and I always feel good after every class, which I think is most important.

I had tried every barre studio in the city. They were all okay, and nothing stood out as particularly shitty. Some classes were more dance-y, some were more intense (no breaks at all!), and some were more focused on flexibility.

The studios themselves were all fairly similar, except for that one studio I visited which reminded me of the ballet studio back in my high school. It was huge, like an actual dance hall where students could rehearse dance performances.

If I wasn’t out doing barre or at work, I was just chilling at home. Some days, L and I would go out for meals. There was this Vietnamese fusion restaurant that I thought was really good.

We also went to the mall once to get some errands done, and I saw this funny message on a coaster in one of the home goods stores:

There was also this one Friday when my friends and I worked from E’s house and we ate sooo much carbs. We ordered different types of bread and pastries, then for dinner, I drove everyone to my apartment to cook chicken alfredo (more carbs!). It was a fun night, which now, I realize, turned out to be E’s going-away party.

(I remember last summer when E and I went to the Reservoir and she slept under the trees while I read Alexandra Chang’s Days of Distraction. I remember telling her that she reminded me of the main character’s dilemma, except E’s partner was moving countries, not just cities. I guess I now know what E ended up doing.)

Oh, oh! I also had my year-end performance review at work in November. My boss said that he had envisioned my role differently when he wrote the job description, that he hadn’t expected me to catch on so quickly, and that I was doing way more than what he thought I would be doing at this time. Fingers crossed I get a big bonus next year, though I won’t hold my breath for it.

Other than these small spikes in my life’s Fun Meter, November was quiet. I am not complaining.