weekly retro #65: may the third be with you
anyone who knows me personally knows i LOVE a reset. it's my favorite word in corporate, it's my favorite part of a new month, and it's also a word that literally means nothing to me but a chance to reflect before moving forward.
this week offered me a reset on my ceramics practice. i had been off-routine for a few weeks with pumagreg's surgery and my work trip, so this week i was happy to be back and in a new class. it's a hand-building color expressions class where we're working with different colored clay bodies and coloring techniques and materials. i don't know if i mentioned this before, but in all the school i did, i didn't do much chemistry. as an adult, i've learned most about it at a practical level through cooking and candle-making, and now i am immersed in so much chemistry education through the pottery process.
even with ceramics and candle-making, i still pay a lot of attention to what's going on in the software industry. i've been thinking and posting a lot through this shift i'm witnessing in the reliability of software made by big companies. maybe we all are entering our handmade era! i have been studying and engaging in atproto, even making critiques that have helped course correct the community. i'm rebuilding jennschiffer.com to make it easier to share my art there, and i've been enjoying doing it for free and by hand.
i restarted a gym routine after a few weeks being off. i also went to aerial yoga with my favorite instructor from urban sadhu - she teaches friday night in the city. despite my bra breaking mid-backflip and my period starting, i had SUCH a good time in this class and still feel great from it 48 hours later. i think i'm going to have to move around my entire schedule to make this work, but it's worth it.
the weather has been really nice, and i'm excited for all the flowers to start popping up. we're just about out of the local tulip season, and local farmers markets are starting to pick back up again. i am very curious as to what that scene will be like as far as product availability and costs are because of the tariffs and cost of gas. i know farms are hurting, and i can already see it in our grocery stores.
since my last depressive episode i've made it a point to really avoid gluten. (note: i do not have celiac, and i don't want advice from anyone because i have a doctor who works with me on this). i have been avoiding it for awhile, but when i'm depressed i don't do a good job of it and when i have immense stomach pains and bloating, i both get more depressed and also feel like i deserve the pain - i know this makes sense to others with depression because i talk about this a lot with others going through the same thing. anyway, i started a sourdough starter so i can try making my own baked goods, which has already kept me focused on my goals to avoid gluten. it's also another opportunity for me to learn and use chemistry. i'll share the recipe i'm following once i know it works!
the week ended with a lot of walking around and catching up with my pal juan, moving my body, and then relaxing all weekend with andy and the shedding of my uterine lining. i'm trying to really enjoy the outdoors while we're in this early spring weather that's below my ideal 72 degrees, although outdoor allergies have not been making it easy.
things i enjoyed this week
- this breakdown of a very interesting scam on tinder is super interesting, and it should make everyone super skeptical of not just the safety of face verification - but also its efficacy of keeping you safe.
- speaking of my period, i have a heavy one because i have a copper iud and so period underwear has been a crucial component of my cycle management. the problem is they are often really uncomfortable for me and expensive. i recently bought some hanes socks and saw that they made period underwear now, so i bought a couple pairs and they are the most comfortable ones i've tried so far. if you have a brand that you really enjoy, i'd love to know for when these wear out.
- f.d. signifier, kat tenbarge and matt berstein had a great conversation here about clavicular. i've posted about people saying they don't want to know about him are doing a disservice to the children in their life and ignoring the systems that nurtured this kind of community. this conversation did a great job at paying attention to how this is just the usual patriarchal standard of beauty reaching white men during an era of livestreaming as entertainment.
as i wrap this up, i'm feeling a chill from the open window, it's a reminder that may has only just started. i'm feeling good, and i'm excited to get into another week of moving my body, talking to friends, and making pretty things out of clay. i hope this month is a good reset for all of you as well.
xoxo jenn
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