Okay, for the last year I have watched Soft White Underbelly videos on Youtube to help me fall asleep. The subjects and topics range from trick to white-collar criminals. A majority of the videos are shot on Skid Row in LA or the tenderloin in San Francisco. This video here is such a gem. I played it from start to finish on Sunday as I was picking up my apartment. A few times, when Frenchie was speaking, I had to stop what I was doing to fully process what she was saying. I guess my call to action is to subscribe to the SWU and listen to Frenchie’s interview.
Category: Life
Wake Up/Wind Down Podcast
I have been listening to this podcast episode the last few nights while I soak in a bath. Since getting my first round of the Moderna vaccine, I found my energy level to take quite a dip around 7 PM. I haven’t experienced any adverse effects from my first round just a bit of lethargy. A new habit of mine is listening to the Wake Up/ Wind Down podcast while I walk to work in the morning and a few hours before heading to bed. Each day you can expect a new episode in the morning to wake up and one at night to wind down. What a concept! Love it!
This particular episode resonates because this year has been frustrating and I haven’t always managed the way I express and experience frustration very well. And learning to express frustration is an important tool. Take a moment and treat yourself to this gem of an episode. And remember, A really great way to create a pause is mindfulness.
Photo dump!
Instagram Saved
Hello, September!
So far, there’s a lot to love about September. The month began with a pep in my step feeling hopeful and excited about life and the possibilities for unexpected magic and adventure. With a camping trip to Rincon Beach in Ventura coming up, it’s easy for me to focus on what’s ahead and use the future to propel me forward. And yet, I am working on appreciating the day while I’m in fully in it. All twenty-four hours of taking the day as it comes.
While I walk, I call close friends and family to catch-up or vent about current struggles and frustrations. Immediately I feel better once I’ve expressed a bit of the heaviness that lies on top of my chest. Talking feels like a re-set and chance to try again at mastering my reactivity to life.
Each day, I to try face fear head-on and give myself grace when I avoid putting myself out there. I try to do something kind like mailing a book to an old friend or texting a college teammate/roommate whose pregnant and alone because her husband is in the (NBA) Bubble to catch up. I splurge on craft beer on Tuesdays because there’s comfort in routine, especially in a pandemic. I seek a culture that inspires me to accept the moment and dream big.
I am currently reading and almost finished with the Alchemist. The last time I read this book I was in the thick of my Saturn Return and dreaming about finding a job and moving to Washington. Four years later, I’m in Washington, and ready hit re-sit on my career. I know it’s time to keep pushing myself to go after things that feel exciting and aligned with my Personal Legend. Why not keep pushing for excellence and focus on attaining a career that could change and fulfills my life purpose.
This is the fourth week that I have managed to sit down with my laptop and crank out something creative for this blog. Each week, I feel excited to pick something new to write about and to see what my fingers type. I am currently working on passing a Beer Serving Certificate. In all honesty, I did not pass on my first attempt today. That’s okay. I’ll study more and get in next week.
Hopefully, by next Tuesday, I’ll have a certificate to share and a new minimal modern updated resume. I’m also working on dropping a few lbs to fit into a pair Topo Design shorts and work pants I bought on sale that are none refundable.
Here are a few of my favorite pictures and things that happened from September 1-8:
- On a particularly rough day after getting off of the phone with a friend, I found two free rubber plants on while ona a walk with Luna (my dog). 10/1/ moment!
- Rented a Gig car and took Lu to our favorite dog park to have a swim on a hot end of summer day.
- Found a cute grafittie that reminded me of Basquiat.
- Realized my Bird of Paradise is thriving and I am a solid plant mom.
- Gorgeous summer “urban hike” sunset walks around the city with Lu.
- A visit to Mount Rainier National Park!
- I finally got the righ low light, candle and plant combo that gives my place a cozy feel.
Happy International Dog Day!
Happy International Dog Day!!!! Especially, to those lucky pitty owners who jump through a few extra hoops to take care of a “banned breed” pup. If you know, you know. Here’s a list, in no particular order, of my favorite things about having and taking care of a 70-pound 4-legged bestie for the past six years:
– An adventure buddy to join you on road trips, hikes, and late-night runs in the city.
– Cuddles, snuggles, and da love when you get home.
– Walks on walks on walks on walks.
– Introducing me to new people at breweries.
– Being able to put her in a sweater when it’s cold.
– Waking up a few times a night to let her back under the covers.
– Watching her tongue wag on hot days.
– Figuring out ways to get her to drink water on hot days.
I love Luna. She is my family. My daughter. She keeps me safe. Thank you Luna, girl.
❤
Missing Ventura….
I miss sitting in the backyard of my parents’ house in Ventura with my sisters as we watch our pups play together. Enjoying the California sun and sipping Chief Peak beer from Topa Topa. I miss running and surfing at C-Street. I miss hiking Arroyo Verde at sunset. I miss eating menudo on Sunday mornings. I miss a life that I created for myself out of necessity when COVID hit in March. A life that I thought I had outgrown and grew tired of four years ago when I decided to move to Washington State for something new at the tail end of a tough Saturn Return.
I returned to my apartment in the Seattle neighborhood of Capitol Hill and to my job as a Director at a school at the end of April. I have tried to pick up my life since COVID hit, but the difference from when I left-off to now in this “new normal,” makes it easy to romanticize the initial shelter in place moment of COVID. You miss what you can’t have and familiarity breeds contempt is at the forefront of my thoughts.
My younger sister thinks it’s only a matter of time until I return and maybe she is right. I do not know.
Welcome Back!
Welcome back, Jessie! I’m so sorry blog. I have neglected you and wasted time on other sites that shall not be named when I could have used my energy and creativity on a site that you know I pay to retain, oof. No judgment though, we are in a pandemic and one must be kind to themselves.
I am currently sitting in Optimism Brewery. Table E31 to be specific. My reservation was for 6:30 p.m. for a party of one (dogs don’t count). I am embarrassed to admit that Optimism’s online beer-ordering system required three more clicks than I was prepared to see through. I sat for a good 15 minutes before realizing I played myself and gave it another go and ordered a Hazy IPA.
It’s 7:31 p.m. I am escaping the heat, a whopping 75 degrees, by using Optimism’s cool concrete floors and fan. This blog, A Little Bit of J, now has a new theme. I wrote some content, yay! You know, a change of scenery makes all the difference.
That’s all I have in my tonight, folks. I’m gonna enjoy another round then walk home with Luna (my big-headed pitbull) and get ready for another day in Trump’s America, oye!
-Jyessie
8:03 p.m.
Seattle, WA
Spring. Break. 2018
Spring Break
2018
A little staycation never hurt nobody. My goal for the week was to live like a Bellevue housewife. Mission Accomplished.
Haley made us breakfast at the Tree House in Monroe. We wanted to catch up before she leaves on her trip to Cambodia. We hung out from around 9 AM to 3 PM. I left right before Paul and Bell came home from work and school. This was the day the Tristan Thompson cheating stuff dropped so we had lots to discuss. If this isn’t housewife vibes, I don’t know what is.
I managed to find some deals at Target that allowed me to give my rather plain and boring bathroom decor a much needed earthier facelift. Thanks to a frond leaf patterned shower curtain and bath matt, my bathroom feels a bit cozier and lived in.
I drove into downtown Bellevue to check out Fika House cafe and Bellden Cafe.
I ordered a matcha latte (unsweetened) and a waffle. The presentation was good. The taste was standard, not bad. Not mind-blowing exceptional, or new in any way; seemed to be built for tenants who live in the apartment complex above. Other than that, not anything I feel like I need or want to try again.
Next, I checked out Bellden coffee which was a short walk from Fika House. The drip coffee wasn’t too tasty. I drink my coffee black so I like something on the bold yet smooth side. This place was spacious and made sense as a workspace; they have private rooms to work in, if needed.
I managed to paint acrylic on canvas. Finish a book (A Little Life). Work from home. Meet a new friend, downtown. Hang out with Bothell brothers. Take baths, sometimes a couple a day, to help with soreness and get me into a space to meditate.
I worked out a couple of times, still sore from squats. Lots of walks around the park with Lu. A few naps.
I started an interesting course I found after listening to an episode of That’s so Retrograde featuring Lacy Phillips who is something of a manifestor extraordinaire. I’m not going to talk too much about this since it’s fresh and I’m really into it. (More to come later).
All-in-all, the weather was typical gloomy, wet, cloudy, rainy PNW stuff but I made the best of it. I spent the majority Monday outside on a brewery patio taking advantage of the 60-degree weather. It was the perfect day.
Until next time,
Jessie Cherrelle
A Summary of this Past Week
A little bit of J 