Footnotes: The Bay Area, Funemployment, and Other Things I Loved In February

Surprise, surprise!

Hey, sometimes a girl wants to talk about more than just books! So, welcome to Footnotes, a monthly rundown of all my off-the-page side quests—places I went, the shows I binge-watched, things I bought, and more.

Made it to Raven Baxter’s house!

• A Black-owned business block party! I kicked off the best month of the year at the Paramount Studios for Fifteen Percent Pledge’s 15th Street Block Party. It was a fun weekend shopping, snacking, and celebrating Black entrepreneurs.

• I got laid off! I know, I know. You’re probably like, “And that’s a highlight?” Well, maybe not for my bank account in the long run, but definitely a highlight for my mental health. Frankly, this “company restructuring” couldn’t have come at a better time, and I’m (dare I say?) excited to rest and reflect on what I actually want career-wise going forward.

• A new personal website! On that “new beginnings” note, I’ve been working on updating all of my internet spaces. After going back and forth on whether I should do something more minimalist or be a little extra, I obviously chose to be extra. A sneak peek at the in-progress homepage of my website is below.

A work in progress!

• A weekend in Oakland/San Francisco. As a big That’s So Raven fan, of course, I had to go see Raven Baxter’s house! Other standout moments include walking half of the Golden Gate Bridge, touring Alcatraz(!), a very delicious oyster po’boy from The Cook and Her Farmer, and a visit to Marcus Books, the nation's oldest Black-owned independent bookstore.

  

  

  Still dreaming about that po’boy!

Chapter #58: How to Make Journaling Work For You

Chapter #59: That Time I Obsessively Stalked a Thrift Site For a Book

• Harlem (Amazon Prime): The series finale brought happy-ish endings for the four friends navigating love and life in New York City. I still have mixed feelings and wanted MORE for all the characters especially Grace Byer’s character Quinn, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t tear up a bit at the end.

• School Spirits (Paramount Plus): I’m soooo invested in Season 2 of this supernatural teen drama (following an eclectic group of ghosts haunting the halls of a high school) that TikTok keeps showing me fan edits of Milo Manheim.

• Captain America: Brave New World: As someone who finds pretty much every Captain America movie to be pretty meh (except for Winter Solider, because Bucky 😍), I thought this one was pretty good! Decent fight scenes, great banter between Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Joaquin (Danny Ramirez), and a too-short-but-still-amazing cameo! Is it the best MCU movie? No, but definitely not the worst either (*coughs* Thor: Love and Thunder *coughs*).

I’m a sucker for cute packaging and this flower-shaped fragrance (in Berry & Mandarin) from DAISE Beauty caught my eye during a stroll through Ulta. Also snagged this fun “mac and cheese” hat.

Standout lyrics, especially for the season I’m in:

'Cause when water ain't wine, sometimes it feels like it's final
But this life is mine, so I'm gonna do it right 🧡

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