Category Archives: Things I Learned

Pink, purple, and blue flowers with green leaves.

6 Things I Learned in March and April 2019

Things I Learned, , , , ,

It’s finally feeling like spring here– in my body and out in the world.

So taking inspiration from Modern Mrs. Darcy, here’s a list of things I learned in the last two months.  

1. I have to kick FOMO to the curb. Yeah, JOMO has been part of the social vernacular for a while, but I’ve only truly started to work on becoming a fan of the Joy of Missing Out recently. I don’t have the spoons to do everything I need to do, let alone want to do, so why not pick a few things and celebrate those?

2. Knoxville has a welcoming LGBTQ+ community. That’s not to say it’s thriving like Toronto or NYC, but it’s doing just fine, thank you very much, — especially in certain parts of town; I wish I’d had more time to explore.

Be sure to check out Wild Love Bakehouse. The cafe miel is delicious, and the pastries are flakey, but the gay friendly atmosphere is what I love best about the place. My boyfriend and I went for breakfast and ended up staying for hours because we made new friends.

3. Old Bay tastes amazing on cheddar popcorn. And a lot of other things. According to this meme on their official Instagram, I’m very Maryland, especially for a Canadian. How about you?

4. We forget more of what we read, than we think we do [The Atlantic]. Keep of a book of books, or “Bob” to help you remember. Says Pamela Paul, “Bob offers immediate access to where I’ve been, psychologically and geographically, at any given moment in my life… Each entry conjures a memory that may have otherwise gotten lost or blurred with time.”

5. Always put verbs in to do lists to make your list more motivating and less overwhelming. I learned this from a podcast Sarah Von Bargen was on, and I wish I could remember which one it was. She also says to measure progress on your to do list, not just how fast tasks are completed.

6. If I’m having a rough self esteem day, it helps to listen to music that pumps me up and lifts my spirits. Drop-dead Knockout by Sinclair is my absolute favourite lately. They’re a queer artist from upstate New York who opened for Kacey Musgraves on select dates of her Oh What a World tour, and I had the pleasure of meeting Sinclair in Knoxville. One of the highlights of my trip, for sure!


Listen to Drop-Dead Knockout by Sinclair here.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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What have you learned this spring?

5 Things I Learned In June

Things I Learned

Key West Lighthouse. By Cristo Vlahos.
Key West Lighthouse. Image by Cristo Vlahos.

I’m feeling inspired by Modern Mrs. Darcy to share a few things I learned this past month.

As a frequent (as frequent as possible, anyway) traveller and avid reader and writer, I love discovering new things, whether through conversation, books, movies or museums. So here are a few of the things I learned this June.

1 Key West, FL (which has been on my must-visit list for a long time!) is closer to Cuba than it is to Miami. Mind. Blown.

2 Apparently Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is very common in women. I am one of many living with this embarrassing, painful condition. At least we’re not alone.

3 Tammy Wynette and George Jones lived not far from where I am right now, in Lakeland, FL.

4 Cat Wine is an actual thing that exists. I’m tempted to make a cat pun, but I’ll leave that to the company’s purrfect marketing team.

5 Sometimes it’s better to skip ‘sorry’ and say ‘thank you’ instead.

What did you learn in June?