August
There’s always a breeze that picks up shortly before it rains in Paris. We had our first chilly, end-of-summer morning this past week and as I watched the leaves swirl about, I found myself craving rain.
Rain was something I complained about a lot living in Vancouver. To the point where I now know that about 46% of a year in Vancouver is actually spent in rainfall. Even for a homebody like me, that’s too much time trapped indoor.
Throughout the heatwave, I have actually caught myself scrolling for rain on more than one occasion. Mostly because it means the heat will also break. I probably sound pretty biased when I say even rain is more bearable in Paris, but it really does seem to be a lot more sporadic and short-lived than the month-long spells we sometimes get in Vancouver, so I’m much more of a fan.
I’ve been trying to make note of these little changes: craving rain, wanting to learn again, feeling more creatively inspired. I know that Paris is a temporary season but I’m seeing it as a opportunity to learn about myself in a new environment while also craft who I want to be in my next chapter. I keep coming back to the thought of life design—how lucky we are that we have the freedom to choose who we want to be and how we want to live. That’s what I want this season to be about.
One of my favorite new rituals here are Wonder Days. They’re days I just bring my iPad Pro, a notebook, and maybe a book or magazine to the cafe so that I can read and chase my curiosities. I’ve been starting on Substack, and then when an idea or topic gets sticky, I switch to googling. I want to get into the habit of creating more than I consume, but for now I want to at least make my consumption time more intentional.
This is the first Wrapped post I’ve written a while (oops) but I’m happy to be refreshing my writing routine as well. Hopefully we won’t be missing anymore.
Loving
Keeping a PKM system
Keeping a PKM (personal knowledge management tool) has gone hand in hand with my weekly Wonder Days. I’ve been tweaking my PKM on and off for the last couple of years but I think I’ve finally found an Obsidian set up that I want to stick with.
Espresso Display
I wrapped up quite a few video projects this month and my Espresso Display Pro has been standing out as my favorite work companion. I was really noticing the neck and shoulder pressure from laptop use again.
Garmin with Natural Cycles
My third Ultrahuman ring has officially died on me so I think it’s time I take a break from ring wearables. The battery just doesn’t seem to last no matter what I do. The same goes for Oura so I don’t think it’s a brand issue fortunately. The feautre I used the most was the cycle tracking but I discovered that my Garmin Forerunner 570 can track body temperature deviations and integrates with Natural Cycles so that’s been my replacement solution for now.
I’ve used Natural Cycles before with my Oura ring and thought it was a great app so I’m not mad about the new set up. I have my watch on all the time anyways.
Consuming
Slanting Towards the Sea
I flip-flopped between questioning certain parts of this book and really enjoying it but by the end I knew it was going to be one that I thought about often. The way that Lidija Hilje wrote the characters made them feel oddly realistic—Ivona’s self-aware thoughts yet still falling prey to her own patterns and feelings was the most relatable written experience I’ve read in a while. I fleshed out my thoughts on the book a little more in my digital garden but overall this one lived up to the hype.
The Incendies
In a totally different way, Incendies also lived up to every shining review I’ve ever heard. Please read the trigger warnings for this one before you watch it!! but it was well worth the watch for me.
Tuner
Tuner was a more lighthearted watch after Incendies but I ended up loving it as well. While there aspects to the MC that felt a tad annoying at times, I really enjoyed how the story structure played out.
Repeating
Another 13
I stopped wearing Another 13 for quite a while but for some reason decided to reach for it again this summer. I swear the scent changes on me but this summer it’s been wearing as a peppery skin scent which some how melds with the Paris heat perfectly.
Caudalie VinoPerfect Serum
I’m officially on my third bottle of the VinoPerfect serum so I can safely say it’s a bit of a holy grail. It is a product you have to be patient with (it’s not magic) but I do notice that my post-acne marks fade a little quicker when I use it.
While it’s not a repeat (yet), I am nearly finished with my first tube of the Caudalie VinoHydra Moisturizer as well and I’ve loved it as my summer moisturizer. Will keep you posted if it also works when the temperature drops.
Snapping
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Angel xo