Month: March 2015

2015 Q1 Report

~ brixton ~ Leave a comment

It’s March 31, which means it’s time to revisit my specific and measurable resolutions for 2015.

Run a marathon: Tabled for 2015. I really had my heart set on this goal, but after a lot of conversations, the decision not to train for a marathon came down to logistics and lack of sleep. Next year. Next year!

Read 12 non-parenting books: 0 completed. Also 0 started.

Complete 12 more items on my Chicago Bucket List. No progress, but it’s been a loooooong winter with a tiny baby.

Keep a journal. Success! I have written in my journal at least every few days since the beginning of the year, making notes about each day even if I didn’t manage to write ON that day. There’s a lot of complaining about lack of sleep.

Reduce debt. After some serious consideration, I decided to reprioritize my financial resolutions in favor of paying down debt before building savings. Credit card debt ticked up nearly $4K in January with the last month of a halved paycheck plus needing to prepay for vacation and work travel. My tax return plus reimbursements from work took care of that; in total, credit card debt is down about $1K since the beginning of the year. Additionally, I increased my payments to my student loan by 50%, putting it on track to be paid off in the next two years.

Rebuild my savings. Tabled. It makes me anxious to not be putting money in savings each month, but eliminating debt is a higher priority.

Take better care of my skin. Success! I have moisturized every day since the beginning of the year. Now to see if I can do sunscreen…

Start flossing. Success! I have flossed every day since the beginning of the year. I don’t see my dentist until mid-May, but hopefully he will be impressed.

the hardest part

~ brixton ~ 2 Comments

Very often now I read something about parenting or being a parent and find myself nodding in recognition. How hard it is. How wonderful it is. How fleeting it is. How you don’t really understand until you do it. All of these things are true, except when they’re not.

And then sometimes I read something and it feels so sharp and so true to where I am right now, in this specific moment of parenting that I find myself leaving the tab open, the page pulled up on my phone, the book laid face down with a breaking spine on the table.

I read this excerpt from this post today, and got tears in my eyes because that was me at 6am this morning, lying warm and cozy in bed between my sleeping baby son and his sleeping father, needing to get up and start my day, but with an equally urgent need to stay right there.

But then I lie beside my sleeping six month-old son and he instinctively rolls towards me. He holds my hand as he nurses. I stare at his face and think, “Please don’t grow up. Please. This moment needs to last for the rest of my life.” My heart wants two things at once and I suspect it always will.

Thanks to Coffee + Crumbs for this moment of recognition, of knowing I’m not alone in wanting everything all at once.

Living History: The John Feathers Map Collection

~ brixton ~ Leave a comment

I almost never click through to watch videos on YouTube*, and I almost never share things about libraries (despite having worked in them for the last 7+ years) but this CityLab article about a treasure trove of hoarded maps led me to start watching the associated short film. Take a few minutes out of your morning to enjoy one man’s obsession and the goosebump moments it’s provided for others.

*Unless I’m having a bad day, and then I search for “mama cat carrying kitten”