notes on work, aging up
Work, work, work.
ON THE WAY THERE
- When I get on the subway, I do almost a swing around the pole to land myself in the seat next to the door, the one that has the plexiglass you can lean on.
- In taking the same route every day at relatively the same time, the strangers around me have become familiar faces, yet still unfamiliar people.
- Some mornings, I get smacked with humidity, heat, and cigarette right as I make my way out onto the street. Today, the air was cooler, and I smelled a mix of Tim's coffee from the person in front of me and diesel. It was honestly refreshing in a weird way?
- Most of the time, I am running a little late, just enough to hear the 9AM bell ring at the cathedral right as I walk by. Oops!
- One of the restaurants I pass is run by students from the local college, and you can watch them do the morning prep from the street-side windows. I've made awkward eye-contact once or twice..
THERE
- On summer Fridays like this one, the office is dead silent. Not even the regular Fridayers are in, so it's kind of lonely here!
- Another virtue of Friday is that I don't have to wear "professional" clothes, it's the classic casual. Honestly I really enjoy dressing up for work, but when I've gone through all my button downs through the week it's nice to wear something else for a change.
- I've forfeited making coffee at all at home now as the work coffee machines are just 100x better. I've recently transitioned off the cappuccino onto straight coffee, as I think all the foam and espresso was just doing too much for me. Sometimes a good black coffee is all you need.
- It feels so nice to be able to clock off work and not have it haunt me, unlike the school work. I think having a chilled work pace right now is warming me back up for September, but man is it nice to have such a clear divide between work and fun (although I do find work very fun)!
THOUGHTS, NOTES
August 1st. It's now my birth month, which always seems to sneak up on me. It's at a somewhat awkward time in the year. Past halfway, but it still feels like an ending or transitional month when faced with the academic year. I've been reflecting lately on all that I've done at 18, and sitting back, this has been an absolutely wild year for me. I want to write about it more later, but still, the person that I was coming into this month last year bears little resemblance to who I am now.
I still am me in the fundamental ways, but I think going to school brought out many aspects of myself that were too scared or underdeveloped to light. The biggest surprise I've had for myself that I've actually kept up with my resolutions for myself!
Jan 2, 2025
I hope to continue onwards and upwards w/ my piano playing. My hands are not nearly as dexterous as they used to be, or could be given the proper time & effort ... It's something I can use in pursuit of my art, but it's virtually immune from the perils of monetization or burnout.
Another thing I cannot, WILL NOT ever end is subway sketching, or at least sketching my environments.
Apr 26, 2025
MANIFESTO FOR THE SUMMER:
- To keep my room & spaces clean, tangible and intangible
- To take a bike ride or a walk (10000 steps) every day (if it's rainy I get a pass)
- To create one thing every day, no matter how big or small
I'm extremely happy to say that I've honoured my own wishes throughout this year. While I have missed a few bike rides here or there, and have had ebbs and flows in the cleanliness of my spaces, in spirit it's all there.
Most importantly, I have created one thing every day. An art piece, a (non-work) email, a journal entry, a blog post. That has absolutely been what has propelled me upwards this year. I'm sure I can keep it up!