OTM #30: Suit

I think I must be sleep deprived, because I’m at a point where I think a person walking down the street in a suit is a Succession character. It’s coming to that point of the semester, though; everyone is tired and checking out, ready for summer. I’m first and foremost ready for spring, though, something we are apparently in currently yet the nasty wind and flurries has me begging to differ. I think it’s funny how much I allow what I’m watching to imprint on my life; in many ways, making fun of the professionalism in Succession has helped me lower the pressure of professional work settings and interviews. The less seriously I can take things, the easier they will be to overcome, and that’s really motivated me over this semester. Failure is vaguely exciting and moments of stupidity (such as above) bring me a joy that I can’t quite explain – either way, everything is fun when you find a way to make it less serious. I hope you are all powering through the end of the semester!

OTM #28: Time Change

So there I was, playing mobile games like a loser at 1:59am that fated Daylight Savings evening. I was deluded enough to believe that I was gaining another hour, that time would move back for me – but I could not have been more mistaken. It was a moment of downright shame as I watched the clock jump from 2 to 3; I had been successfully navigating independent adulthood until that very moment. I let myself slip, I forgot. Of course, it’s not that serious, but to that tired version of myself, it felt like life or death. After sleeping off the silly mistake, I realized that I was not the only one who forgot or didn’t remember how the time change worked; maybe I am a proper adult after all, I thought. It’s fine that I forgot. I can just sleep early the next day. It’s funny how serious things can be taken sometimes. Have a great week everyone!

OTM #27: Reminiscing

There’s always something odd about revisiting media you liked in middle school. I picked up reading “Homestuck” for the first time in about eight years, and I almost felt the puberty-acne reforming across my face. My mind and body transported to my middle school’s halls, where I would scramble to my locker in-between classes to secretly read just one more page on my phone. As I read, I could even smell the notebook paper I’d draw the characters on as a kid. I have so closely tied this webcomic with every scent, sight, and feeling of uncomfortable adolescence, but despite this discomfort, I was glued to the screen as I reread it. I found myself recontextualizing, finding a way to integrate it into my adult life instead of sulking in the past. Homestuck is just as fun as when I was younger, it turns out. I felt my consciousness transporting into some plane transcending space and time, chatting with my younger self and saying, “Hey, you actually have good taste, and that’s really shocking because all I can remember about you is how sad and cringeworthy you were.” I learned to appreciate that younger Katelyn a bit more. Media has helped me through a lot, and I’m grateful that I’m able to look back and see how much I’ve grown via this silly webcomic. Have a good week everyone!

OTM #26: Caffeinated

Walking is one of my favorite things. I just got over having COVID this past week, and I think an extremely long walk was exactly what my body needed after the long rest period. I wasn’t that eager to walk in the first place, but sometimes coffee just has an insane effect on me – I think it’s funny how things in our bodies can change so quickly just because of different substances. I was shaking even after the walk, my body tired and asking me to lay down yet simultaneously twitching and shaking with vibrant energy. Despite that dissonant discomfort, it felt good in a way. It is grounding to feel my body at work, to gain awareness of my internal systems reacting to what I’ve fed them. After a week of illness, it felt like I was being Frankensteined back to life. It felt good to be out in nature, moving my limbs back and forth, back and forth. This week, it feels particularly good to be human. I hope you’re all hanging in there with midterms and looking forward to break!

OTM #25: Windy

I’ve had mixed feelings about the weather lately. It looks so sunny and beautiful from the comfort of my apartment, but the moment I round the corner of my building, I’m bombarded with high winds. I walk forward with cartoonish resistance, hoping I’m not going to fly backwards and break every bone in my body. It’s the type of wind that’s so cold, so strong it makes me sweat. It’s so lovably Michigan. I feel like my hair will look like Doc Brown or Albert Einstein when I get to class (of course, it never does). 

I really love how walkable Ann Arbor is, though. Nothing gets me to pay attention to the weather and nature around me like this city, having to prepare for each day out. I take a lot of walks even in this temperature just because it gets me in tune with myself, with the world. There’s nothing as grounding as taking a walk, even if the wind is relentless and the air makes your nose run. Maybe a nice nap under blankets would be nice, too. Enjoy the week and thanks for reading!

OTM #23: Run

I used to run every day in high school. I was on the cross country team all four years, and the track team for like, three. It was hard, yes, but it was really cathartic and cleansing for me, too. I love the feeling of running, the ability to be in tune with my body. Once it gets really intense, my brain feels full – full of joy, of adrenaline, of stress – it’s a magical combination of emotions spurted on by physical activity. I never fully fell out of running after graduating, but coming to college definitely made it harder. I lost my motivation to do it every day, I didn’t have a coach or events to look forward to. But I’ve never stopped; as of late, I’ve been getting super into it again. My apartment building has treadmills that I’ve been getting on almost every day of the week. And I’ve noticed how much harder it’s gotten – running, I mean. I used to be able to crank out six miles easy, but now I’m struggling to finish three. Sweating feels good, though. I feel like I’m sweating out schoolwork, stress, societal pressure. I love it, I can’t get enough. I have shin splints right now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way (despite these being a bad thing). I guess what I’m trying to say is, hobbies are cool; nowadays there is so much push to monetize every single hobby, but running is one that I’ve kept beautifully sacred to myself. I think it’s important to have those.