February Edit: Tokyo Takeaways and Just A Little Bit More
Everything I ate and became obsessed with (between trips) in February
February was mostly just a lot of travel by plane, train, and car. It was a lot for this introvert who is pretty good at faking being an extrovert and making all these plans as if I were one.
But I had a good time and got better acquainted with my limits, especially regarding crowds (oh, Tokyo...) and personal projects. I returned home from each trip to seemingly a hundred things that needed to be worked on before I could move on to the next thing. And each time, I was in the air (or in the car) again before I could mark them complete.
I believe March will be different, though, and I'll be settled enough to move the needle on it all. And then I can move on. For now, let me show you what little bit I was up to in between trips and tasks.
I'm still bad at sleeping, but I bought yet another thing to try to be better. This time, a magnesium powder supplement. It's been helping me relax.
My co-working space (which I'm writing this from, by the way) launched a real newspaper for members. As someone who still reads print magazines and thought I'd work in print journalism, it brought me so much joy.
I discovered Olivia Rubin, another colorful clothing brand to throw money at.
I'm still obsessed with Oat Haus granola butter—so obsessed that I couldn't wait for my order to arrive in the mail and got a jar from Publix to hold me over (maybe the word I'm looking for is "addicted"?).
I've been pinning a lot of colorful home inspiration like this.
I'm still doing Russian manicures at home and learned how to do extensions by copying the nail artist who did my nails in Japan. I ordered a few things from Lisa Kon to upgrade my DIY nail game, but I'm most excited about this gold liner painting gel.
Bookshop.org launched eBooks, which has been super helpful as I try to untangle myself from the Amazon ecosystem as much as possible.
Almost everything I ate that is worth reporting on was eaten in Japan. My favorite dishes for the whole trip were one of the curries: the katsu curry at Coco Curry House or the hamburger steak with cheese fondue sauce from Maji Curry (I still can't choose).
We did two food tours with Ninja Tours (Best of Izakaya Tour in Shinjuku and Tsukiji Fish Market Day Tour) and had a lot of fresh, delicious fish—among other things—on both.
My favorite ramen in Tokyo was between the Tonkatsu ramen at Ichiran (Shibuya) and the duck ramen at Manchiken. Ichiran is a chain, but apparently, chains in Japan become chains because they're very good.
I ate out a few times in Atlanta, as usual, but Paya Thai Kitchen in Westside Provisions (my old stomping grounds 🥲) was the most memorable. It's been open for less than a year. I tried their shrimp kanom jeeb and short rib with massaman curry. I can still taste the short rib if I think hard enough.
I cooked nothing of note! Didn't have time! Wasn't in town! Didn't have sufficient serotonin flow!
Shark Heart was one of the most memorable things I read in February. It's a weird little book about a couple who is enjoying their new marriage until the husband finds out he's transforming into a great white shark. It's so much more than that, though. I cried twice. Here's my review!
I finished reading the memoir A Well-Trained Wife (and had many thoughts and feelings to work out in my review).
I also finished The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois (finally!), and now I'm behind on my reading goal. I haven't reviewed it yet because how do you summarize your thoughts on an 816-page book? I loved it and thought it was an epic story, but it might get 4.5 stars just because no work of fiction needs to be that long, in my opinion (is that petty? LOL).
This podcast episode on ADHD and avoidance behaviors made me feel a tiny bit better about the things I didn't get done in February. I need to have the "It's Not Laziness!" part of the title tattooed on my wrist.
Hope Tala's new album came out at the end of February and I love it.
As many people have recently, I discovered that I like Doechii's music and wished I'd found her sooner. I've listened to her most recent Alligator Bites Never Heal album and some of her older music, too. And the song Anxiety, which was hard to miss because it's all over social media. It's also just relatable (unfortunately).
My favorite band, MUNA, teased on Instagram that they're working on their fourth album. I ran their music into the ground (as I tend to do) and took a break from it, but I started listening again in preparation for the new stuff.
People have started demonizing the em dash and associating it with AI, and I'll never forgive them / The birth order theory and relationships (apparently, my oldest daughter + youngest son combo has the lowest divorce rate) / This look on Doechii at Paris Fashion Week / This bite-sized poem (I cried)
Thanks for reading!
