Oh hi there, Hart Beat. It’s been a long time. In fact, it’s been three weeks since I’ve checked up here on Hart Beat. That’s a long time especially since I thought I would write here every week or so. Shwoopsie, sorry about that my love. What have I been doing instead of sitting here, writing to you, you may ask. It turns out a lot of things and also, a lot of not things. I spent a week in D.C. and Virginia which was amazing. On top of biking 250 miles through the Virginia Blue Ridge mountain range, I got to see two of my best friends in D.C. It was overall just the trip that I needed and I am forever grateful for everyone that helped me get there.
Other than that week in D.C. what I’ve mainly been doing is sitting in this very chair, writing the book that is now 70,000 words (!!!) and working weekends at a local cafe serving leaf peepers and the like. It’s not bad Hart Beat but the other day it occurred to me that it’s been almost exactly six months since I left New York City. For someone that called that devil of a city home for five years, it’s been a hard adjustment not waking up every morning in the concrete jungle. There are so many things I miss; the shaky conductor voice on the R train, j-walking while not giving any fucks, a properly made old-fashioned, but most of the time I miss my friends, the women that I haven’t seen since I left. I’d love to visit you all soon but to be honest, I can’t go back to that place for a long time yet I think. There’s too much there that I don’t want to remember quite yet.
Anyway, on a happier and less self-reflective note, I thought I’d share some things that have genuinely brought me joy these last few weeks. The post was supposed to only be about these things but I guess I had more to say. I guess that’s life when you write for eight hours most days. I highly recommend any and all of the things on this list and would love to hear the things you’ve been loving Hart Beat. Especially happy things. We all need more of that right now.
- The new Miley Cyrus album. YES, IT’S AMAZING AND DIFFERENT AND THAT’S OKAY. I especially love the song She’s Not Him and I have been listening to it in my car all week. La la la la la la la.
- Re-reading one of my favorite book series. Other than The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants there isn’t another book series that I love so much other than the Sloppy First/Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty. If you haven’t read all five books then you should. And if you are Marcus Flutie reading this please give me a call.
- This new denim wrap shirt from Madewell which makes me feel like the blasé 70s chick I’ve always wanted to be.
- Getting back into figure drawing, something I used to do in college. There’s something about tuning everything out and just drawing that brings up so many thoughts. It’s like cheap therapy. Luckily the Berks is an artsy enough place to have plenty of options.
- Re-watching New Girl and trying to figure out why Shmidt isn’t considered the best character on TV right now (followed closely by Winston btw.)
Anyway, that’s it from the land of Hart Beat. I’ve got to get back to writing less instantly gratifying work.
P.S. The photo up top was taken by a good friend of mine Catherine O’Donnell. She is currently living all our best lives at culinary school in Paris and I’ve been vicariously living through her Instagram. If you like blogs, food, and Paris (come on of course you do) you should check out her site Foodstuffs. If it doesn’t make you want to up and move to Paris I don’t know what will.
