letter no. 5
I have had a small increase in subscribers, I think due to a comment on the blog Cup of Jo and a collaborative post with my friend Eleanor. So, if you are new to receiving my emails, hello! If you can’t remember who I am or why you are receiving this, here’s a little bit about me. Thank you so much for being here!
As a teacher, I still use the academic calendar as my key marker of time passing. We have reached state testing, which means it is almost the End of the School Year. Because I live in the Pacific Northwest, this is not synonymous with summer, which begins, most years, after the Fourth of July. I have had the best year of my teaching career in terms of general vibes. I love my classes so much! I love being a small part of kids’ lives as they move through adolescence. Maybe soon I will write more comprehensively about What I Have Learned After 13 Years of Teaching. It’s been a few years — perhaps I should update my resume?
Since my last letter, I’ve been dealing with a decomposing rat in our HVAC system, celebrating Passover, and fretting over a significant change to our health insurance next year. In between all of that, I wrote about our spring break trip to LA and the question I currently live with. My friend Eleanor interviewed me about my personal style evolution, and I posted my five favorite outfits I’ve worn so far this spring.
Closing out with a short list of recommendations because what’s a substack without a few recs?
TV: Reservation Dogs (Hulu). Just as good as everyone says it is. Skoden!
Book: I’ve been making my way through The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark in an attempt to read outside my comfort zone. At first I didn’t *get* it, but I turned a corner about half way through and look forward to spending time with the Brodie set before bed. I can’t wait to watch the movie.
Song: Nothing groundbreaking here! I have “Espresso,” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Good Luck Babe!,” by Chapelle Roan, and “Guilty As Sin?” by Taylor Swift on repeat.
Long Read: “The College Student Keeps the Score” by Anne Helen Petersen. A very thoughtful essay that answered a lot of lingering questions about why it was so weird when I attended my belated ten year Homecoming in 2022.
Recent Realization: I’ve become a baseball hat mom! I’ve been wearing a Polo hat my brother-in-law got me for Christmas regularly. It really pulls the weekend looks together.
Hang in there, my friends! The flowers are blooming.
With love,
Lexie