New Orleans Mourning

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The first in the Skip Langdon series by Julie Smith, New Orleans Mourning, indroduces the lead character.

Skip Langdon might be from a wealthy esteemed white family in New Orleans high society, but she’s worked hard to distence herself from that past and set her self apart. At first rebellious without direction, joining the NOLA PD changed all that. She started at the bottom and is making her own way and her own name. True, she’s still only a beat cop but she’s ready to prove she can solve a high profile murder that happens on her rounds. But it’s going to mean going back to the roots she’s been trying hard to leave behind.

I read the third in this series and I was excited to see how Skip got her start. I picked the books up initially by they were set in New Orleans and I’m always looking to be transported there. These books are some of the baest for that, in my opinion. More than any other books I’ve read, they feel like New Orleans. The descriptions and vibe, makes me happy and nostalgic for a town I love. They are an older series, this book was written in 1990, so there are some outdated notions, ideas and language. And things like interracial marriages, white washing, or colorism, might stull shock Skip. But the lead character feels like she could be a real denizen of Nola, too. Especially bc the city has a history of pioneering (mostly black) women, especially in the police force. Another way in which these books feel a little ahead of their time, or at least not behind it, is the take on queer characters. So there’s an interesting mix here of a little outdated and a little progressive. I don’t know if Julie Smith intended these themes to be prevalent or picked up on. I’m not sure if colorism, queerness, interacial marriage, and womanly bodies, female friendship, found families, and the general relationships between the various groups depicted were intended to start conversations here but they definitely could. On the other hand, these books can be read as fun, 90s, cop mysteries. I like that the series can do both and I intend to keep reading to find out what happens to Skip along the way!! I recommend the Skip Langdon series to those who like strong females leads, especially if you enjoy a bigger bodied heroine, readers who want to read books set in New Orleans, and people who like cop dramas and cop mysteries.

What is your favorite city for a book to be set in?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I never imagined that The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid could have lived up to the hype, but it totally did!!

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The famous, infamous, sought after Evelyn Hugo, star of screen and stage, fashion icon, volatile starlet idol, has been out of the spot light for many years. She rarely does appearances, she barely ever does interviews. So when Monique, an unheard of and often overlooked small time reported is given the task to interview her, Monique is surprised, delighted, and confused. What could be the real reason she was requested by the illustrious actress?

Man, ever since joining booktube I’d been hearing about this book and how much everyone looooves it. This isn’t the book that put Taylor Jenkins Reid on the booktube map, but it is the book that cemented her there as a goddess of the community. I’d seen other works of hers in little free libraries but never picked them up. I figured she could not possibly live up to the hype. Why I ended up grabbing this one, I’m not sure. When I read it, I was definitely surprised. I really really enjoyed it!! It made me tear up! It was complex, sweet, cold, interesting and well written. In this book, I feel that Reid has a way of grounding the reader in her reality and making them believe in the characters and be alive in her world. She spins enough reality, a splash of envy, treads of wish and wanting , and a dash of magic and wonder into a web that her reader easily falls into. Don’t misunderstand me, this book is a contemporary, not magical realism. The “magic” here comes from our own love of glamour, romance and misfortunes. This is a classic Hollywood tale with all the sequins and dazzle, hiding the pain and dishevelmant behind the scenes. It feels like a real story about a real actress. There’s a little bit of a mystery in this book, a very nice love story, some tragedy, and a lot of husbands. Unlike many of the contemporary books I read in 2021, this one didn’t feel too modern. It wasn’t trying to hard to have snappy dialog or “hip” characters. It felt how actual people might talk or interact or react. It was well balanced. It was fast paced and compellled the reader. Although it has multiple perspectives, both were interesting and I wasn’t rushing to get back to the one I preferred. The two voices were distinct. I would highly recommend this book to people who want to try a booktube darling, those wondering what all the hype about modern contemporary books is, readers who like fast paced and well balanced stories, readers who like Hollywood based stories or those who like a little romance in a book.

Have you read this book? Did it live up to the hype for you?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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Death at High Tide

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My husband spotted this one and I was glad to get a cozy mystery based in the Jersey Shore area where we live. Death at High Tide is the 2rd book in the Jersey Shore Mystery Series by Beth Sherman.

Anne Hartaway has lived in Oceanside Heights her whole life. It’s convenient that her latest ghost writing job is currently in her town! Anne is not thrilled to be writing a celebrity memoir/self help book, but she is happy that she can do so from her ocean facing front porch. The actress she’s writing for is a total divva, super difficult, but Anne wouldn’t wish her dead! Unfortunately, that’s what happens and Anne decides she must find out what happened.

Anne stays on in her small town partly out of honor and duty, but I’m sure getting to solve mysteries is part of the reason she stays! Although she’s an easy going, mild mannered ghost writer, she sure does attract murders and trouble! I like that these cozy mysteries are fun and straightforward arcitypes of their genre with a jersey shore twist. I love that they are set in a fictional version of Ocean Grove NJ, where I have long visited and where I now live next door, in neighboring Asbury Park. Since these books are written and take place in the 90s, it’s fun to see some of the iconic landmarks and areas mentioned. And to see who things have changed over the years. It’s also interesting to see the area thru a cozy mystery lense, how things are described when they need to fit in with a cozy mystery plot. I really love to read books about places I know, visit often, or love. It’s fun to really understand where the books are set or how the events could have come to pass. The history of Ocean Grove and Asbury Park are very rich, so it’s surprising in many ways that there aren’t more books set here. This is a very silly but fun mystery series, pretty unbelievable but very readable. I would recommend this book to those who want to try writing cozy mysteries, this is a book that makes you feel like anyone can. I would also recommend this to people who like mysteries set near the ocean, readers who live in the area, and those who like summer mysteries.

What is you favorite geographical location for a book to be set?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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Convenience Store Woman

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

Another brilliant and unexpected LFL find, I really really enjoyed Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata!

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Keiko works in a convenience store, she has for the last 18 years. She’s good at her job, she does it well and she enjoys the benefits she receives: doing a good job, providing a service, good customer interaction, training fellow employees, making the store presentable. She is happy in her routine. But outside pressures, from her family and friends, are threatening her routine and pleasant existence. Why doesn’t she want a better job, a husband, a change?

I really connected with this book. I love to work in the service industry and find the jobs I do rewarding, fulfilling and important. I love to have a happy customer and a clean store. It is a valid and chosen career. I loved that the main character in CSW felt the same and it was heartbreaking to see her confused and unsettled by “well meaning” friends and family. Although this book doesn’t outright say that she is neurodivergent, it’s pretty clear that she is. I think we are not straight out told by this book is completely from her perspective and since she hasn’t been diagnosed in that manner and since she knows no other way to be, it doesn’t occur to her that people might see her state of being as being afflicted. I really enjoyed that, bc that’s true! We say nuerodivergant, but if that is the way a person’s brain works, that’s the way it works. Just because it is not statistically “normal”, doesn’t mean there is something wrong with that person. It was an interesting look and commentary on that fact. And on the idea that social norms don’t work for everyone. Not everyone needs a significant other to a “real” job to be happy and whole. It was interesting to see this contrasted with a rigid socially structured culture like in Japan. This is a story of someone who knows them selves well and fights to keep their identity. I would highly recommend this for people looking for stories about outisiders or characters who strike their own path, readers interested in stories where nuerodivergence plays a role, and anyone who has even been told a job they enjoy doesn’t matter.

Have you read this story? What were the major themes that you picked up on?

This book can be seen in my July 2021 Wrap Up.

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The Water Cure

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I put The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh in my video about 20 Books I Heard About in 2020 and Want to Read in 2021, and was so happy to find it in a Little Free Library a few months later!!

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Three sisters live on an island with only their mother and father for company. They are put through rigorous tests and exercises, taught to be always vigilant against the outside world and especially the dangerous and afflicted males of the world. When three men wash up on the shore, their world is turned upside down.

Phew, this was an unsettling one. In tone, structure, and subject matter, this book was unconventional, strange and often off putting. We are kept in the dark about many things and at the same time shown seems in graphic detail. The book is told in multiple perspectives including a conbined perspective or conciousness which takes some getting used to. I don’t usually like multi perspectives, but this really warmed for me, in part by the reader is kept off kilter in many aspects, but also bc the perspectives do not alternate each chapter. Sections are devoted to all parties, often several chapters at a time, or for whole sections. There is a lot of grief and violence, unease and manipulation in this book, but I still felt for each main character in their own way. There are some anticipatory elements to this book, which usually I really dislike, but bc the entire book made me feel off kilter, these were just another aspect of the overall discomfort of this book. All that being said, I really liked this one, and look forward to reading more of Mackentosh’s work. This could have felt like a Young Adult Novel, by all the main characters are in their teens or early twenties, but luckily, it did not go that route. It is a novel for adult readers and there are many adults themes and trigger warnings. If you do not want to read about child abuse, spousal abuse, cheating, grooming, infant death, or bodily harm or horror, this might not be the book for you. I would recommend this book to those who like plague books, dystopian stories, isolated woman tales and readers who like weird books.

Sophie Mackentoch has a new book out this year, Blue Ticket, I look forwarding to reading that when I find it. If you like a book, will you move tight to the next of the authors work, or do you file the info away?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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84, Charing Cross Road

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

A contender for my favorite nonfiction, and possibly book of 2021, 84 Charing Cross Road is not at all what I expected. More of a memoir told in letters, and Helene Hanff’s love letter to book lovers.

*this book did end up being my favorite of the year!! See that video here.

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Finding the used books surrounding her upper west side apartment lacking, Helene Hanff turns to writing to a renowned book seller she has heard about at 84 Charing Cross Road, London, England. A play write, screen writer, and scholar, her book taste are extensive and specific. She finds a match to her love of books and a friend with the attendants on the other end of her letters.

This collection of letters, spanning more than 30 years, become more than just requests for specific used books, and Helene becomes a friend and patron of the workers at 84 Charing Cross Road. Her unorthodox manner and style, practically unheard of at the time, endears not only the main book seller, but many of the other employees, some writing to her in secret. Through many letters, the reader learns her personality, as they must have on the recieveing end of her requests. As we learn more about her life, and generosity, so too do we learn about the individuals and family, friends and neighbors of the Charing Cross road book shop. Helene goes out of her way to care for her new friends, sending care packages and letters to spouses. Although the letters can be sporacdic, partly bc Helene was not terribly organized, and partly be she originally didn’t intend to keep them, one comes to love both sides of this unusual exchange and becomes invested in the lives and well being of all these seemingly disparate people. I particularly love the ideas and implications of community, family and shared love for people who may never meet. The times when letters go unanswered or months or year pass with no letter at all seem intolerable and deeply sad. But then a letter or a book will arrive and we are once again among friends. Some of the original authors of letters disappear, and we have no way of contacting them or finding out their further stories and it is heartbreaking. The relationships built in the slim volume will stick with me for a long time, and I have thought about this book so often since first reading it. I would highly recommend this book to all readers, partly bc it is a love letter to readers and books, partly bc it’s a delightful and easy read for fiction and nonfiction lovers, and partly bc it is a heartwarming and heartbreaking story of caring for our fellow human. I would entreat all to read this book.

I also read the sequel and continuation of this nonfiction story (much later in 2021) . It’s rare we get a sequel to a true life story, but with Helene we are that lucky!

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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January Plant Update

January was pretty cold, rainy, wet, and snowy. We went to the beach, looked to the sky, but there weren’t too many plants to discover, except under all the snow. They are dredging at one of our favorite beaches; Interesting to look at, not great for the environment. We got out to play and Irving came out in the snow, too! Check out more pics of the snow covered garden with the return of Mad Cat Garden, coming soon!

Big winter sky.

A pipeline of sand.

The start of a storm.

What it looked like later.

Snow child.

And back to the sky!

January was very…. January this year. We saw some plants, but it was wintery. Will feb be the same?

How was the first month of your year for plant observations?

Children of Men

One of my goals in 2022 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The last of three books I read for a PD James reading Vlog, Children of Men is her only Sci Fi. I was lucky enough to find this library discard copy in a little free library near my work.

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It’s been 30 years since it was discovered that no new children were being born. Theo has settled into the end of his life, he teaches adults in college, he loves his flat, he only sometimes regrets his lost loves. He is comfortable and not looking for excitement before death. He is not expecting to get thrown into conspiracy, and possibly change the course of the human race.

This books starts on Jan 1 2021, and I almost wish I had started reading it then, too. But I’m happy that it was a coincidence that I did end up reading it sometime in 2021. It’s also about a global phenomenon that effects all humans, so reading it in 2021 was timely in that way, as well. As I mentioned this is PD James’ only sci fi. Written in the 90s, It was made into a well received movie in the 2000s. I really liked the idea of how each nation, focusing on England, would deal with a global health crisis. This book is quite English centric, perhaps satirically stating that England would handle this issue far better than other nations. But behind the national inovations, comforts and conceits there are dark forces at work, to keep the peace at least from a outside perspective. Under the stoic sheen of a well organized country and world dying naturally, PD James does a great job at keeping an undercurrent of uncomfortableness and unease. I don’t love tense anticipation in stories, but this was more of a proclaimed foreboding. This is a story about the salvation of the human race, but also of one man and the idea that self possessed determination can change the course of a life. One can decide to live, or resign themselves to death. This book tackles that in an interesting way, depicting a resistance to action with a long interlude in the middle of the story. This book and story have certainly earned a place in sci fi history and it’s easy to see why this is a modern classic of the genre. I would highly recommend this to PD James fans, bc it is so different than her well known mysteries. But there are glimmers of her more more traditional work. For instance the flat of our main character is pretty much identical to a flat described in The Private Patient, the last of the Adam Dalgliesh novels and written nearly 30 years later. I would also recommend this book to sci fi lovers, those interested in the classics of the genre, people who like end of the world stories, or readers who want to read about global pandemics and their geopolitical repercussions.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? What is your favorite classic sci fi story?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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Call Me By Your Name

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I was looking around for another book featuring queer writers or characters for Pride month and settled on Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman. I had heard of the book and the movie, but never seen the latter.

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Elio is used to his father’s university students joining them for their summers in Italy. The students help his father with his work, study and work on their own writing, lounge by the pool and visit the village. Elio doesn’t often interact with them. But the year Oliver is on exchange, Elio takes notice. An at first timid and distant relationship soon blossoms into something new and strange. This coming of age and coming out story is to told in the sweeping and majestic thoughts, feelings and emotions of a teenage boy.

I had heard of the movie with Timothy Chalemet and Arrmie Hammer, heard that this was a queer love story of two young men in Italy over a summer. I had also heard that there was some controversy over the age gap and potential grooming/exploitation. I was interested to learn that Aciman was an Egyptian author, the first I have read from, I believe. And I was excited to read this divisive queer book. I found it on audio, read by Hammer. He had recently fallen under another shadow in the media, being accused of potential abuse and cannibalistic tendencies. But I really enjoyed his performance and voice acting. I might still be torn on the age difference in this book, as it is a little too far and the young portion a little too young to be entirely comfortable. And I was quite shocked with the graphic sexual descriptions and content in this book. It was much steamier than I had anticipated. It was the kind of audio book one wants to make sure others don’t hear snippets of ideally or out of context, unexpectedly. All that being said, I really enjoyed the book, the love story and it’s, to many readers, unsatisfying ending. There has recently been a sequel written, but personally I would not like to read it and have this story extended. I quite liked the ending and feel satisfied with the story as so and would not want to learn something I may not like. This book reminded me a lot in subject and in tone to a movie from the 90s I equally like, Stealing Beauty. It gave me the same longing, vacation, wishing for love, vibes that that movie does. The infinite possibilities of summer, the wistfulness for summer love. I would recommend this book for those interested in reading something in that vain, those who want to read more m/m romances, readers who like queer books, but in all those categories, only those who can handle explicit sex scenes in books.

What is your favorite queer centered book?

This book can be seen in my July Wrap Up.

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Regularly Scheduled Programming

In 2016, I started looking back and seeing what posts I used regularly and making a list. Every year, I look back for my own memory, mostly, but you may want to take a look back, too! I’m late to this article this year, but I think this year it’s especially important to log this info.

Why is that you may ask? Well in 2021, I pretty much didn’t post on my blog. If we looked back and did the calculations (I have not actually done that), I would have posted less blogs posted than in most of the past years. If these are my regular series, but I haven’t posted many of them this year, do they still count? How do we look at what series I stuck with despite being scarcely here? Which count and which don’t?

Below is a list of everything that I would consider a regular series. I’ve starred the ones that were more relevant or more often posted in 2021.

There are several series that are more usually updated, at least monthly and/or weekly:

Month in Review - A review of each month and my favorite instagrams for that month. *

Monthly Plant Update - A review of all the plants I've observed for each month. *

Mad Cat Garden - We started our garden a few years ago, but it’s become a great blog feature.

On My Mind On Friday Morning - A few things I've noticed around the internet, and life, recorded on Friday morning. *

Book Reviews - What I've been reading.*

Weekly Video Round Ups - Here I put the collection of videos from my BookTube each week. *

6 More Months of Zero Waste - In this series of posts we tackle moving to a more zero waste lifestyle. We will be taking a break (kinda) on this series up for at least the first six months of 2021.

Bullet Journal - I've been keeping a BuJo for several years now, and I like to check in about once a month.

Mad Cat Capsule - In 2017, I started keeping a capsule wardrobe, follow my progress here.

Zero Waste - 2017 also marked the start of my zero waste, plastic free journey. I post thoughts, ideas, recipes, and goals. 

Something Nice - Don't you love it when nice stuff happens? 

Something New - Something new I've learned or done. 

.Tattoo Story - To remember my tattoos and why I got them, I record it here.

Recipes - I want to include more recipes, specifically zero waste recipes, here.

Definitions - Some terms that I and other bloggers use but might be new to you. Here’s where you can learn more about all the things we talk about on MCQ.

Product Review - This is where I record reviews of products I have tried.

Monthly Goals - I have been trying to achieve several monthly goals so taht they can eventually become regular habits.

Pandemic Pantry - Originally started to showcase how to use up items druing the worst of lock down, I have taken aspects of this practice into daily life.

Homeschooling - In 2020, I started recording my homeschooling history. I would like to expand this series more in 2021.

Tattoo Story - The stories of my tattoos.

Joy of Using Up - This has been an off and on series, but I find myself gravitating to it more and more.

A Week of Books - Here I post even more book reviews to catch up and keep on track!

Sewing/Quilting - I would really like to bring back weekly sewing posts, but so far I’ve made it about one monthly.

Shelfie - Just pics of my home. (this one is an old series, but something I would like to bring back monthly).

There have been quite a few series that have fallen by the wayside, some I would like to bring back, others that might be gone forever.

Art and Nature... - Art and nature go together. I like to write about it here. 

Zoo at Home, Zoo Abroad - We love to visit animals, zoos, aquariums, etc... when we can.

Travel - One of my long standing goals is to document my travels.

Life Admin Day - This is where we check in on some admin goals we need to achieve, then see if we do achieve them.

Off Season - Notes on places I've seen, been, or explored and why I like them better in the off season. 

What I Eat in a Day - I love to eat, love to know what people are eating, love to share!

Habit Shift - Here I talk about the habits I love and those I want to make

So we can see that really only a few of these actually made in to be reoccuring series this year. And scrolling back through a year of posts, it’s easy to see what some of the issues, distractions and priorities were were. My booktube definitely was part of the reason the blog was not as loved in 2021. But also, I’ve been having lots of difficulties with the squarespace interface almost all year. Those issues not only derailed my being able to actually post, but frustrated me to the point that blogging become unpleasant and upsetting. Although those issues and frustrations haven’t ceased, I have developed some workarounds that have made posting a little easier.

It’s always nice to look back, see what series and posts make a regular scheduled programing on the blog and to reflect on what I love to post. Of course that makes me think of the year ahead and what posts will be like going forward.

Do you have a series on Mad Cat Quits that you enjoy? One that you missed in the year of 2021? One that you would like to see added? All feedback is welcome!

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My friend Noah was getting rid of some books before they moved and I spotted Carrie Brownstein’s memoir, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl.

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Carrie Brownstein is one of the forerunners and creators of the post punk girl band Sleater Kinney. She is an actress and comedian also well known for Portlandia. In Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl she shares moments of her childhood, creating her dream band, her thoughts on growing up queer and her struggles with anxiety and mental health.

I was never a huge fan of Sleater Kinney, but I was indrotuced to them by an ex who was. Much like my favorite post punk band, Sleater Kinney contained an introverted but luminescent member who people of a certain ilk were drawn to. In Sleater Kinney that was Carrie Brownstien. Lovely, queer, quiet but Carrie wrote my favorite song from the group. She titled this memoir after that song. I was very interested in learning more about her relationshio to the band, growing up in Olympia Washington, and growing up queer. And while this memoir does relate many of those things, as well as her relationship with her mother who suffered from a severe eating disorder, her father coming out as gay later in life, and her struggle with mental health and anxiety, this book is mostly about her time and experiences with Sleater Kinney. This memoir is weirdly impersonnal, holding the reader at arm’s length at all times. How Brownstien felt about many of the elements in her life is told in a clinical or separated way, and one never feels like you know the whole story, even from her perspective. She is holding back from connecting with the audience and with telling her truth. I enjoyed this book, but it left me not much more educated about it’s subject than I was before reading it. I would recommend this book to readers who like band memoirs, especially those who like to hear about each album of a band and how they were conceived, or fans of the band Sleater Kinney. I would not suggest this book for those who like in depth memoirs, or fans of Portlandia.

What is your favorite book about a band? Or what is your favorite memoir?

This book can be seen in my June Wrap Up.

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The Nickel Boys

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

For most of 2021, I thought The Nickel Boys would be my favorite read of the year. I read so many amazing books but it still made my top ten.

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Elwood Curtis’ life is changed forever when he is sent to The Nickel Academy, a reform school for boys in 1960s Florida.

* editor’s note: This book is reviewed out of order. Usually I post books in order that I read them. This is one of my favorite books of the year, but I struggled to review it and so it is later in my reviews and out of order.

Based on true places and events, this was a beautiful and heartbreaking book. It was a short novel but definitely is well defined and well paced. It was also a brutal tale of racism, prejudice and hope in the heart of the civil rights movement. Made more sad and poignant bc we know many of these true stories exist, this fictional account really emotionally involved the reader. I loved that the story unfolded in a way that kept me guessing, and broke my heart but was also ultimately uplifting. I cried at the end of this book, for the characters but also that we live in a world where reform school existed and still exist. I read this only weeks before hearing of the bodies uncovered in Canadian reform schools where indigenous children were imprisoned, tortured and killed. And to know that those injustices still run rampant, it’s defintatly a tough read. I would highly recommend this book tho, if you, as a reader, can handle the difficult subject matter. The writing is compelling and characters endearing. I think this is a good book for those who know some of this true history and are looking to hear fictional stories of that time, or those who want to learn more but aren’t ready to start with the more graphic true accounts. I would recommend The Nickel Boys to readers who like historical fiction set during the civil rights movement, or people who like southern American tales.

This book is featured in my March Wrap Up.

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Best Nine 2021

I always really like to get my best nine on instagram each year. I’ve been doing it for the last 6 years. Ever since we moved to Asbury Park. This year I couldn’t get the bestnine website to work. I tried multiple times starting in december to get them to generate my grid. And it just wouldn’t do it. Luckily, 2021 was not a banner year for me and insta. Or unluckily. Either way, I sat down the other day, looked at every insta post I did and found my most viewed nine posts. And made my own grid.

2021

This grid has some interesting aspects but most notable is that this is the first grid with no cats.

In 2022, I hope to post more on instagram again. As of today, I haven’t actually posted at all this year, yet. But I have been taking photos every day. I’m trying to figure out a way to post on insta without actually going on insta. One idea I’m working on is a 365 photo project. Another is getting a insta feeding app so that I can schedule my posts but not actually be on the insta app.

Although I love insta in many ways, I find that is can be depressing to see certain real world events unfold there, and it’s a giant time suck when I get stuck in endless scrolling.

I’ll be excited to see what 2022 brings in pictures.

Here are all the past years:

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015