What Helped Me Survive This Week
Girl hobbies: Eating market fresh fish and applying retinoid cream
I’m currently hold up on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The wind is whipping and the el niño is el niño-ing. My neg thought cycle in my head this week: I am uninteresting. What do I even like? Do I have any interesting hobbies or interesting interests? Is this newsletter interesting? idk
On TikTok yesterday I saw someone posting about “Girl Hobbies” which are activities like - Taking yourself out for a treat at a coffee shop, Skincare routine, Online and vintage IRL shopping. I absolutely support this. How many times can we all say that “hiking” is our hobby?? It’s really just walking on grass and rocks.
Oh yeah, I’m in FL because my parents are having some health issues and I’m holding it down the best I can. Shuttling my dad baggies of Swedish Fish and Red Vines to his hospital room and making sure my mom is taking mid-day naps and eating carbs.
What Helped Me Survive This Week
The activity of mapping out a 15 week exercise program that culminates with me completing a half-marathon in the Catskill mountains that will serve donuts at the finish line. I use Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 method. Look how cute it is (ask me for a copy I have it on Notes app).
Week 1 - Jan 1 2024T: 2.5M ✅
W: 30min XT ✅
TH: 2M ✅
S: 40min XT ✅
S: 3M ✅
The actual runs of the training program on Emerson Point Preserve. Parts of the preserve include “temple mounds” created by the indigenous Tocobaga people with discarded bones, shells, fish, broken pottery. It’s a beautiful jungle-y place with cool birds too.
Eating Grouper Once a Day. If I lived here I would start a Market Catch Grouper blog and catalog the best blackened grouper (and 2 sides) of Manatee County. Always order it with coleslaw. There needs to me another blog just for coleslaw. Sweet potato or regular fries accompanied with an unsweetened iced tea with lemon in a giant plastic vessel. I’m the Keith Lee of Grouper Reviews
The Lucky Pelican - $34 🐟🐟🐟🐟 (4 out of 5 groupers) It was fresh and they had sweet potato fries. Coleslaw was good, needed more.
Milo’s on the Manatee - $22 🐟🐟 (2 out of 5 groupers) It was FROZEN. A rubbery dish. Price reflects this I suppose. Later I learned you have to ask if the fish is fresh.
Pier 22 - $36 🐟🐟🐟🐟 (4 out of 5 groupers) Also very fresh. Fries lackluster, coleslaw okay, needed more. Who is serving a 1/3 cup cole slaw??
Celebrity Book Club with Steven & Lily. I love all founder content, this week they discuss DryBar founder and CEO Alli Webb’s Memoir ‘The Messy Bits?’ something like this. I am calling myself friend of the pod because I often live-text Lily reactions while I’m listening. I feel like this newsletter is a bit like Alli Webb’s memoir, is it a journal entry? is it business advice? We don’t know.
Tretinoin the skin care to end all skin cares. I finally got it. I’m on 0.01% so don’t mess with me. Forget botox ladies. Also Aquaphor. I’m one week in and I’m into the results - or the promise of results. My skin is happy.
And that’s how I’m getting through the week without sun in Florida. Tune in for next week’s newsletter – not sure what it will be but I’m sure we’ll all enjoy it.
