farewell, october

alexandra:

october is over and i’m sad it never got lower than 70ºF (for the daily highs). SIGH. it is currently 90 as i type; is it even autumn?!! anyway, this past month has been mostly about subtle changes and the constant pursuit. it wasn’t the best (and low key felt like mercury was in retrograde for me!!) but we survived.

it really wasn’t so bad – just frustrating at times. in september i was really excited because i got a film camera and it was my CHILD. but then it broke. so that was,, unfortunate and expensive to repair. in the same week, my imac broke. which was also,,, unfortunate. then our power went out, in typical california-is-on-fire fashion. but it’s fine, i swear!!!

the Big Thing was that i started a graphic design program at parsons!! i’m a college student?!! who would’ve thought? (not me lmao.) i haven’t really told anyone. (i realize with many Big Things, i don’t like to announce it) so to the people who actually read these monthly recaps, you’re special and you know. WOOT. does this mean i’ll move to nyc? who knows. i can do the entire program online – which is what i’m doing at the moment – but i still want to move to nyc so…. we shall see.

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i also started composting this month and tried a zero waste week, which i’m very proud of. now i’m overly aware of the waste we produce. :))) towards the end of the month, i got a chance to watch the mariinksy ballet perform balanchine’s jewels and I HAD ZERO CHILL. i’m honestly tearing up thinking about it. jewels is probably my favorite ballet. I’M EMO.

madeline:

october was the month of college apps. i wrote so many essays this month and thought a lot about my future. my huge early decision deadline is november 1 (basically when this post will go out), and hopefully i will have submitted everything a few days before then! fingers crossed that things work out for me. I’ve been surprisingly calm about this whole situation thus far, and i hope it can stay that way.

i am also in the thick of cross country season right now. honestly, i feel like i haven’t been running enough miles each week, but maybe it’s for the better with college apps and all the work i have. anyhow, the autumn weather has been gorgeous for running lately; all the leaves are changing colors and the air is crisp. my parents came to visit me in new hampshire mid-october, and we went up to maine for the weekend. it was SO nice to do nothing (not even homework) for a day or two.

october was about slowing down and being grateful for the current moment. this was so difficult for me at times–i wanted the month to be over already and to be done with apps–but ultimately rewarding.

priscilla:

october was so hectic…. with midterms, nonstop assignments, constant club activities, and more, i kinda feel like i had no time for myself this month :(( BUUUT i did get to hang out with friends a lot!! and i’m definitely glad about that haha

brief updates:

• i started working in a psych lab! i haven’t been doing anything crazy (basically just administering experiments) but honestly it’s been a bit tiring/time-consuming… still grateful for the opportunity to learn and work with postgrad researchers/students, even though it’s kinda intimidating hahah
• i ate lots of pancakes (and by lots, i mean LOTS)! my friend and i started a thing where we make pancakes together every friday morning and it’s been great!
• i cooked! (…..like, twice)
• i went to the high line for a photo walk with the photography club and felt like a real photographer for the first time
• i! cut! my! hair!!!

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media consumed

alexandra:

i bought so! many! concert tickets this month. honestly went from not going to a concert since i was literally 7 to buying four tickets in a span of a week. and because of that, i was listening to SEVENTEEN’s album, an ode, A LOT. as well as taylor swift’s lover because i got LOVER WEST TICKETS !!!! 88rising also released their new album and i’ve been BOPPIN.

haley:

ok so i’m in an intro to film class where we watch a movie every week and i finally saw get out!! i don’t usually like horror movies but THAT. MOVIE. IS. GENIUS. ugh. so many plot twists and crazy mindfucks i absolutely loved it!!

madeline:

AUDIOBOOKS! are the savior of my life right now. i’ve been relistening to the Raven Cycle series in preparation for Call Down the Hawk, which releases very soon. I also began reading The Poppy War, and i’ve super enjoyed it so far. asian fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favorite things. i started Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House a couple weeks ago but haven’t managed to make much progress on it…it might be a few weeks before i can find the time to read it again.

i’ve been listening to three main music artists right now: phoebe bridgers, lucy dacus, and julien baker (aka the ladies of boygenius). i’ve realized that boygenius is my favorite album of all time, and i can’t get enough. in general, i’ve been loving acoustic indie music lately, the kind that really makes me feel things. if you’re interested i have a collective phoebe/lucy/julien playlist that contains all their songs:

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foresights of november

alexandra:

november is going to be very hectic. performance season for my ballet studio is upon us and idk if i’m ready. (spoiler: i’m not.) then, i have an appointment to take my wisdom teeth out and i’m definitely not ready for that. after is a week of thanksgiving, then CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE. here are some things i’m hoping to accomplish:

• survive performance !!
• keep up with assignments
• continue growing & learning (languages & coding)
• consistent creative content
• prioritize your health & yourself

madeline:

i want to enjoy the rest of the beautiful new england fall!! i’m looking forward to running more miles and the prospect of track season. but most of all, i’m excited to go back home for fall break and see my family + our dogs. i’ve been so busy that i haven’t gotten to talk with them so much, and it will be SO nice to hang out during thanksgiving.

priscilla:

i’m pretty excited for november because we have two breaks – fall break (this weekend) and thanksgiving!! i’m visiting a friend in boston for fall break, and she’s coming to visit me in new york for thanksgiving and i can’t wait :))) i’ve never been to boston and i also haven’t seen my friend in over two months so i’m really really looking forward to to the trip!

school hopefully won’t be too bad next month, since most of my midterms are over, so here are my goals for november:

• manage my time well (as always, this is a struggle….) and update my bullet journal regularly!
• set boundaries for alone time – i feel like i’ve been scheduling all my free time and never leaving any time for me to do things alone, so that’s definitely something i want to work on
• listening more – i tend to talk a lot haha but i also really enjoy listening to people so i want to find a better balance

how was your october? what are your november plans? let us know in the comments!!