April

12 Books

I read two books again this month. First was The Martian by Andy Weir. It is about an astronaut that accidentally is left behind on Mars when his team evacuates. The book is mostly written as his journals as he tries to find a way to survive until the next mission arrives. I loved this book. I couldn’t put it down!

Second was The Girl onthe Train by Paula Hawkins. This book is all the rage lately, and I did like it, but I was a bit underwhelmed given all the hype.

12 Recipes

This month I made potato curry! I liked it a lot. I wish I had a better photo.

12 Blog Posts

Click here to read all about the plight of the nearsighted – not of the glasses-wearer.

12 Ways to Meet People

I went to the Chicago Council on Science and Technology’s Speakeasy, which is a monthly talk they hold at a neighborhood bar. I really liked the atmosphere of it. I was running really late, so I came in at the last second, but I got the sense that people arrived early to chat. I think I’ll keep going to this each month and try to arrive a little early and talk to more people.

12 Small Steps Forward in my Career

I spent a few hours updating my profile on LinkedIn and generally trying to get a sense of how the site works. I am still not sure it’d be helpful if I was looking for a job, but I can see now how it might be a useful tool for staying current with what’s happening in my field.

12 Fun Events in Chicagoland

My friend Shannon and I went to Bottle and Bottega to drink wine and paint stuff. This is something I’ve wanted to try for ages. We had loads of fun.

12 Crafts and Creations

A new friend taught me how to make recycled cards! It’s super simple. We just cut out elements of old cards and mounted them onto new ones along with colored paper and stamps. I loved the way these turned out.

12 Pretty Things for My Apartment

After an exhaustive search (really, I’m pretty sure I looked at every bedspread on the Internet), I bought this lovely teal bedspread.

12 Things that Help Me Feel Good about My Appearance

As long as I can remember, I’ve had red spots and bumps on my upper arms. It never occurred to me that there was much I could do about this, but this month I found out it’s a common skin condition that is treatable. So, I started treating it. It’s not gone, but it’s better.

12 Grown-Up Things

I have a really bad habit of hanging on to things that I know are falling apart. Shoes that have heels so warn I can’t stand straight in them, or example. I have a “This is not great, but it’s better than getting stuck with nothing at a moment when I need something,” is the general mentality I have about it. While there is some logic to this, the habit has enabled my to avoid replacing things and instead make do with things I know are shabby at best, only partially functional at worst.

This is something a college student does. It is not something a grown up does.

So, this month I made a list of the things I own that desperately need to be replaced. I can’t replace them all at once, but I can do it a little at a time, and hopefully start feeling more like a grown adult with her life together.