days in my life | columbia chronicles

Hi friends! I wanted to do this in the style of @kimberly on TikTok–her brutally honest days in my life.

Here’s a few days in my life as someone who’s trying to cherish these days she’ll know a part of her will miss someday.

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Thursday April 11, 2024

I sleep in this Thursday, but it’s one of those days where I’m fighting anxiety. The emails are not good, and things I thought were set in stone weren’t.

I take some time to read Acts, and Stephen’s story is so powerful!

This Thursday, I had to prep for heading out to film some museum footage for my video class, and I was so lucky to have a friend, Zee, to help me.

Before I needed to head out, I attempted to work on my part time job.

I love that it’s spring. Lately, it feels like everything is blooming. I remember a season of my life, two years ago, where it felt like everything was blooming but my life. The tulips are a reminder: good things are coming.

In the midst of running around the Upper East Side’s Museum Mile, I headed off to find a coffee shop. I hop inside of Au Pain Quotidien. I have a hot matcha (even though I’m pretty sure I ordered it iced), and a delicious chocolate croissant while reading a nun mystery novel. I lingered here. It was nice, while the rain drizzled outside, I read and munched, and it was lovely.

Later that evening, I traveled to Harlem to go to a book talk. I got to see my literary essayist queen Leslie Jamison with two of her published students, and it was so literary! I got chills! It made me feel like here is where I’m supposed to be. Writing, thinking about writing, discussing writing. I finished Splinters by Leslie Jamison and requested A Hearing Test by Eliza Barry Callahan. There’s a line in Emmeline Clein’s book about wanting the book to be a love letter, a life boat, and teaching her to swim. (And Leslie Jamison liked my tweet on Twitter!!!)

I feel like a part of me needs more time and space to consider a world in which I consider writing seriously. 

I did some late night editing because my story was due the next day. This is probably one of the most frustrating parts of grad school: the random, last minute deadlines you can’t plan for that mess up your sleep schedule.

I’ve been listening to All Now, The Staves’ new album, and it’s such a fun vibe for a folk album. If you’re looking for new music, I do recommend it!! Remember when I wrote about my dreams where my teeth kept falling out, there’s a lyric in the new record about it.

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Friday April 12, 2024

On Friday mornings, I have business class. We talk a lot about how to pivot the business models of journalism so we can actually be profitable.

This day is delightful because Karen is in town!!! Her boyfriend Denzel is in town visiting a seminary. We eat lunch at Zaat, a Mediterranean place nearby, and the owner is kind. We were soaked by the absolute downpour but when the sun returned, we headed to Soho via the 1 train. They head to the Hoka store and I to a library to drop a book off. 

We stumbled around t0 the Harry Potter store (which was nice to see after watching all the movies!). We checked out a few shops and then I tried a blueberry matcha at Blank Street Coffee. It’s better than I thought it would be, and we rested here for a moment before heading to Union Square, one of my favorite places in the city. 

I made them stop at Books of Wonder, which had such a full collection of YA books. I even saw the Anne of Green Gables series. We paused at Tompkins Square Bagel, and I saw this lovely artwork.

We stopped and smelled the flowers. Mostly the tulips 💐

I finally learned that Union Square is actually Civil War related (something I never really bothered to ask. Thanks, Denzel.)

At home, I was too exhausted to watch the first episode of season 11 of When Call the Heart. I did watch Faith and Friends with Georgia Brown and it was delightful. I stayed up way too late but that’s life.

Here’s to the delicious pastry (chocolate croissant), the moody song that reflects dreams I had a year ago, and flowers! Hope your days are glorious and blooming!!

Signing off,

Gigi