Musings
Each day since the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, feels so heavy, my movements slowed down like I’m wading through mud. What should take two minutes takes twenty. It’s getting harder and harder to compartmentalize, put a smile on, and go about life. This year alone we’ve had to watch a war in Ukraine, women lose control over their bodies and access to safe abortions, and powerless children get dropped off at school to never come home (just to name a few). I urge you to donate anything you can to Everytown for Gun Safety. I also urge you to call/email your Senators and encourage them to support gun control acts. I cried, I donated, I called, I emailed. I wanted to share who you can call if you live in Indiana and a sample script. You don’t have to speak to anyone, you just choose the option to leave a message (took me 2 minutes). You can repeat this on a daily basis.
Senator Todd Young (R) 202-224-5623
Senator Mike Braun (R) 202-224-4814
“Hello, my name is [insert name]. I’m a constituent from [Town, State, Zip Code]. I don’t need a response. I am concerned about the lack of a senate vote on The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, H.R. 8 and The Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, H.R. 1446. I strongly encourage Senator [Young/Braun] to please support a vote and the passage of these two acts. Thank you for your hard work.”
I wouldn’t have had the brain space to write about anything else for May, but the rest of this post was already written, so I’m going to share what I had ready.
I did spend the end of May in California doing many of my favorite things from where I used to live (coffee at Better Buzz, seafood at Encinitas Fish Shop, neighborhood walks, reading on the beach). And my cousin got married in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains. It was a beautiful time with family and new friends, and I cannot express how happy I am for her! I’m sharing this post from Mendocino where I am currently, and I’ll be in Yosemite later this week. For now, here’s a few photos from my time in Cali so far 🙂
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off (HBO Max)
I don’t even play video games (never been a skill of mine) but somehow as a young girl in the 90s/2000s, I found myself playing the Tony Hawk game on Playstation haha. That’s how big it was. This new documentary about his skateboarding career and life was incredible. I love learning about people who are the absolute best ever at something, to see the passion and madness that has to exist to get to that elite level. Tony also did the Armchair Expert podcast to discuss the doc, and I really enjoyed that conversation as well!
YouTube
When I saw on Instagram that Kara and Nate were headed to Panama (a country I recently visited and fell in love with in December last year), I couldn’t wait to see what they’d get up to. I thought for sure they’d do luxurious sailboat life in the San Blas Islands like I did… but it’s Kara and Nate so of course not haha. If you haven’t seen any of their videos, they mostly lean towards doing adventurous challenges/ things that require a lot of physical fitness. So, no sailboat life for them in Panama.
Instead they were spending 6 days on a deserted island trying to survive. The first 3 days were spent with experts learning critical skills like how to start a fire which you can see in video one. And the last 3 days they were truly alone. They did a lot better than I expected! Would you ever take on a challenge/trip like this?
Even though my sailboat trip was considered luxurious, I still think being out in the islands with no access to wifi or creature comforts (like showers) helps to disconnect from the world on our phones and reconnect with the actual earth and people you’re physically with. I left feeling so rejuvenated. I’ll always highly recommend taking any trip that lets you do that. Kara and Nate just did it to the extreme lol.
Podcasts
Potterversity
So I’ll admit that this is the nerdiest podcast I’ve ever listened to, but I’ll never apologize for loving Harry Potter! lol. This podcast takes an academic approach to discussing the beloved series, like how scholars talk about Shakespeare and other dead authors’ works. There’s always interesting points to mull over because I’ve never thought about Harry Potter like this before. Not to mention being a woman in STEM (lol), I never had to take literature classes or discuss any other books in this way.
The episode I want to highlight is from Dec 13, 2021, called You Can’t Over-Nerd Here. The hosts and guests are kind of just riffing on a lot of topics that came up at the Harry Potter Academic Conference at Chestnut Hill College (I said this was nerdy). My mind was kind of blown when they started discussing an essay they heard about media and social media “mirrors” in the wizarding world.
Ok, so think about the Mirror of Erised. How it reflects a life back to you that you most desire. How you can get lost staring at it. How Dumbledore has to peel Harry away, warning him about wasting away in front of it. He says, “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
Now think about social media (I’m imagining my drug of choice, Instagram). Can’t we think about it as a Mirror of Erised of sorts? How we spend hours looking at it, at things we want, whether that be clothes or friends or travel, etc. How we curate ourselves online to reflect a certain way we desire to be seen. Aren’t we all a little lost in the world of social media?
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” How does the role of social media hinder authentic, real life experiences and connections? Do we forget to live because we’re too caught up “doing it for the ‘gram?” Do you want something because you want it? Or did you see something on social media? Did you see a reflection in the mirror that you are chasing, if you will.
Separating our lived experiences from our online personas is murky business and something that doesn’t get spoken about a lot. It’s definitely something I think about, but clearly I have more questions than answers. It’s fascinating, and this Mirror of Erised comparison is something I want to think more about and discuss with friends. I’ve been thinking about “the internet” a lot lately and might write a separate post about how it intersects with travels and new frontiers. So yea! Any thoughts on the topic are welcome!
Girls Gotta Eat
GGE is a podcast I listen to every single week. Ashley and Rayna are so funny and open, and I always find value in the guests they bring on and topics they share. I recommend every episode but I have to highlight the one from May 16, 2022, with Mary from Selling Sunset!!
Younger Men, Friend Breakups, and Exes with Selling Sunset’s Mary Fitzgerald
I don’t watch much reality TV but I did get onto Selling Sunset when it first came out and have been watching ever since (almost cried an actual tear when Jason was getting choked up on the reunion). I think what Ashley and Rayna said about it recently is spot on– we want less stupid Christine drama and more actual life from everyone else. They mentioned Mary specifically, how we just get hints of her relationship with Romain. Their fertility conversations and chats about finances always leave us wanting more, and the show producers never follow up, instead focusing most screen time on Christine. Yawn.
So it was totally wonderful to hear from Mary herself, and Ashley and Rayna ask all the questions we’ve been dying to know more about. If you watch the show you will absolutely love this interview!
In Case You Missed It
Blog Posts
5 Days in Mexico City: a First-Timer’s Guide
It’s somehow already been 2 months since I went to Mexico City, a place I’d been wanting to visit for so long. Between the cuisine, art, culture, language, architecture, and views, it is an incredible destination and I’m so excited to share everything I got up to! Did you know Mexico City is the second largest city in the Americas (Sao Paulo, Brazil is first)??
I had some things to say about attending the famous festival as a “normal” person, aka not an influencer. I also wanted to share all my looks and what products made them possible!
YouTube
Earlier this year I started a YouTube channel, travel-related of course! I’m sharing destinations in a series of slow-paced, soothing, throw-on-in-the-background-while-you-eat/work out/chill/etc. walking tours. So far I have videos up from Chicago, Athens, and Santorini. The newest upload (with my most views already!) is from a Greek island called Naxos. Get lost with me in the winding streets of Old Town and see the epic view from Apollo Temple.
I’m now up to 27 subscribers (haha)! It would mean the world if you subscribed 🙂
Walk With Allison in Naxos, Greece
Words
Sometimes loneliness is the only rest we get
And the emptiness actually lets us forget
Sometimes forgiveness is easiest in secret
So just hold on.
–“Hold On” by Adele…listen to her sing it for the full impact of these words 🙂