September 12, 2019
Notes from Summer: Virgo season is really doing it for me. I’ve been packing a lunch and making dinner for myself everyday, cleaning on the weekends, and there have been other happy things in my life besides Fire Emblem. It’s cool.
Notes from Jillian: Somehow, Virgo season is having the opposite effect on me. The only thing I want to do is lay in bed and watch Sailor Moon for hours, sorry! That said, I’m really excited about some of the things I’ve been working on lately—and I can’t wait to share them with you soon.
I’ve been screaming about this book to anyone who will listen since I read it earlier this summer. I just reread it this past week & it remains stunning, stunning, stunning. Aracelis Girmay has a powerful hold on language, specifically, I am obsessed with her syntax?! Literally I am never more in awe with the way someone arranges a sentence than her. You can read one of my favorite poems from the collection here and buy it here!
– Summer
Last weekend, I went to Portland for XOXO, an annual conference that I love very much but that is very hard to put into words. XOXO is for people who make stuff and people who like the stuff that people make. It’s three days of fun and inspiring talks, game demos, live podcast tapings, karaoke, and getting to know people in a creative and welcoming community. If you have the opportunity, go.
– Jillian
I’ve been baking a lot more than I ever have, which means I’ve been listening to “What’s Inside” an INCREDIBLE amount. This is Sara Bareilles’s concept album for the musical Waitress. I love the original cast recording, but this version is mellower, gentler, and there’s really nothing better than Sara Bareilles harmonizing “sugar, butter, flour” with herself as you mix ingredients together. Listen to it on Spotify.
– Summer
When I was in college, I used an app called Coffitivity to help me focus while I wrote my assignments. Something about the jumbled, warm sounds of a typical coffee shop atmosphere helped me get in the mood and get my work done without distractions. Today, I’m using the new Dark Noise app, which has a coffee shop soundscape that reminds me of Coffitivity, along with plenty of other noises like rainwater, waves crashing on a beach, and plain old white noise. It’s simple, feels nice to use, and helps me get stuff done when my brain just doesn’t want to work.
– Jillian