sure. wait. what?

Winter arrived in November like snowfall, quiet and calm, but with a luminous presence that’s impossible to ignore. 

Money

Savings Bucket	Savings Goals Met %
Long-Term	28%
Travel	0%
Gifts	100%

I forgot to do my usual deposits. Yoikes. 

Fitness

Exercise Days	3
Hike	1
Walk	1
Run + Weights	1

Another yoikes. 

Reading

I read two books: Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda (translated by Heather Cleary and Julia Sanches) and The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. Definitely not yoikes.

Reservoir Bitches is a collection of short stories about women whose lives are contoured by violence and moral ambiguities. Every story feels a live wire. The voices are angry and exhausted, yet despite the vulgarity of the book’s subjects — abortion, femicide and other everyday brutalities — it still manages to feel both tender and propulsive. Abante, babae! 

The God of the Woods was truly enjoyable. Here, Moore delivers a furious critique of old money by braiding a missing-person mystery with the corrosive truth of American class inheritance. The novel deftly exposes generational rot not through melodrama but through the contrast between those who own the land and those who work it. I had some misgivings about the plausibility of certain plot turns, but the conclusion still landed for me. What a great read.

Social

I learned how to play mahjong in November, thanks to R and R who invited L and I over for mahjong night.  

I also hosted a last-minute gathering at home during one of my days-off. I told my friends we could meet at a restaurant too, but they all preferred a more casual hangout so, ya.  

And then I got invited to another gathering at a different house. ‘Tis the season, I guess? We caught up, played board games, munched on some snacks — nothing wild.  

Firsts and Finds

L and I put up a Christmas tree in the living room. We considered getting a real tree but ended up with the lower-stakes option of just buying a fake one. 

Another first was hiking in November. My friend wanted to “avoid the tourists” — her words, not mine — so she chose a trail that was relatively quiet. There was no snow that day, thank god. 

Fails and Flops

Nothing I can think of. Yay? 

Looking Ahead

R and R’s bunnies are staying over at the house for a couple weeks in December. This will be my first time taking pet-sitting in-house. Hopefully not yoikes.