Well it’s happened again. Another week over, and very, very little accomplished. Sometimes people ask me what I did today, and I’m like, “nothing!” and they look at me like surely I’m lying, I must have done something. What am I hiding?!

But that’s the thing about being burnt out, and having your nervous system completely shut down and/or caught in an unproductive loop: nothing happens. Nothing can happen. I’m lucky to do be completing the bare minimum… feed myself, feed the beasts, basic personal hygiene and skincare, stay hydrated, etc. And then beyond that… 🤷‍♀️

I’ve been reading a lot lately. Long hot baths, the only light in the bathroom coming from my bloopy purple lava lamp from my childhood, just vibing with my little library ebook and some ambient music. On the days that are sunny, I mostly stay in bed and scroll and read and do some light work on my iPad. The days that are overcast, I’ve been able to get a bit more done here and there, but the productive hours have been few and far between.

I’m trying to convince myself that this was my last week, my last month, of taking an impromptu “sabbatical”. I like calling it that because it sounds a bit more posh, a bit more intentional and less… dysfunctional.

I’m not sure if I mentioned it but I got my bloodwork back from the doctor’s just a day or two before I left for Vegas. The consensus? Something’s wrong! 😅 Nobody can entirely say what is wrong, not yet at least, but, something. Sometimes when you’re dealing with chronic illness, that minimal amount of acknowledgement is enough. But the lab results were assertive enough that my doctor is going to be referring me to a rheumatologist. Any day now… (the last referral took 3 months).

The downtime has been productive in that apparently, I needed the rest, the time to reset, and I’ve been taking it. 48 hours in Las Vegas may have been exhausting, but it was also mentally stimulating and rewarding in its way, so I’m counting it as part of my relaxation efforts.

Now, as this email is beaming out to you, I’m slowly making my way back into civilization from a little camping trip. “This will fix me,” I insist on Friday night as I type this. It’s a blue moon this weekend; we won’t have another calendrical blue moon until December 31, 2028! I don’t know about you, but I find that sounds mighty auspicious. What a time to set some intentions! To manifest! To be in the woods and maybe do some moon magick?! Though, the campground are fully booked this weekend, so… probably not going skyclad, as it were. 😉

Since I did just this side of nothing (“nothing” a.k.a. the bare minimum) this week… and since I’m typing this on Friday night before leaving at noon on Saturday… and I still haven’t packed… this is a another short email. Short-ish. Have I ever been capable of brevity, in these missives? Hardly.

Next week I do intend to get back to a more usual format, and to wrap up a few loose ends from the month. All in due time. But for now—right now, as this is being sent—I’m busy touching grass.

☑️ Done and Done - Started the week with a good bookstore-coffee-and-lunch afternoon catching up with a friend. Took a couple baths. Made it to the gym for the first time in weeks (and didn’t get dizzy this time). Irma had her own vet appointment for some bloodwork. Also: I have a functioning ceiling fan again! After a year and a half! But they still have to come back and replace the down rod with an extension at some point! Plus wrapping the week up with a mini camping trip.

📋 Coming up - I literally have nothing on my calendar this coming week! I went through about two weeks ago and deleted a bunch of recurring blocks that were giving me the anxieties. Apart from the occasional recurring tasks for Tuesday’s monthly Cleaning Day… idunno! And I like it that way.

📺 Watching - After seeing far too many spoilers thanks to my Instagram FYP algorithm*, I finally watched Apex (2026) before the full plot was spoiled for me (*I’m a sucker for Charlize Theron, what can I say). The movie felt both rushed and concise… I could have used a little bit more downtime to really emphasize the more tense scenes, and I got a bit tired of the drone shots. But still, a reasonable movie to watch before going camping lol.

👾 Gaming - The wonderfully twee Steam game Tiny Aquarium, which I’ve written of a few times in the past, is now available on mobile! I didn’t see an easy way to sync it with my Steam tanks so I’m not sure if that’s possible or if it’s a standalone experience. But, if you’re not on Steam but you do want a tiny pixelated aquarium on your phone (and I do!) well, lucky you.

☕ Drinking - Thankful for my supporters who are keeping me adequately stocked in matcha powder and chai teas, as those have become my go-to midday pick-me-up in recent weeks, with alarming justified frequency.

I don’t know about you but I’m convinced—convinced—that June is going to be an… easier month. Am I delusional? Likely. But like I said, I’m trying to manifest that ish… maybe instead I should say, “I can’t wait to tell you about how great my June is!”? 🤞

Best of luck out there gang. Remember to leave the campsite better than you found it—advice I think is applicable to almost all things. And make sure to fully extinguish any open flames before walking away. Neither one of these pieces of advice apply to cop cars or related vehicles, however.

xox,