Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T
Hello and howdy! Welcome to the third edition of Mattie’s Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T and goodbye to January.
I would say that we had a crazy week, but I’m sure everything is just gonna feel a little crazy from this point forward. But that’s life and as Matthew McConaughey says in Dazed & Confused, “You just gotta keep livin’.”
No special spiel this week - on with the R.E.P.O.R.T!
R - READING
So… I’m only [barely] halfway through Iron Flame right now… But that’s okay because I did pick up my copy of Onyx Storm [but more on that later…]
Why am I so off track on my reading? Actually, it’s because I’m reading. Recently I picked up a copy of Mutual Aid by Dean Spade; a short read that covers exactly what it says on the summary, “Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)”. Originally published in 2020, the themes of this book were not birthed in reaction to the pandemic or global social movements occurring throughout that year, but a wider observation of culture and history.
I’ve never been a highly social creature [unless one of my special interests is involved] and have often found myself confused in life by trying to interpret how a person breaks into a community. I’m no lone wolf, but I am comfortable with loneliness. This book reminds me of the importance of a community, not just to socially be one’s self, but for the survival of the human race. A timely reminder, I suppose?
Regardless, I would encourage everyone to read this book, and I know you can do it because it is such a short read. More on reading later…
E - EATING
Last summer, I visited my mother and company for a few weeks before heading up to my summer camp job. It’s always a little hectic when I visit because of my gluten-free lifestyle. Especially because I will come home and beg my mother to make all my childhood favorite meals and southern cuisines… without gluten. But during the summer, she introduced me to a high protein Dutch Baby Pancake… and I fell in love! Yet in my daily life, I do not have all the ingredients [or $$$] to purchase the special mixes and protein powder she used. So, like my mother would, I made my own recipe to make on the fly!
For my Dutch Baby/ Oven Baked version, I mix together Kodiak Gluten Free Flapjack mix [or any GF pancake mix I have on hand] with an addition scoop of PEScience Gourmet Vanilla Protein Powder, egg whites, and milk. Then I sprinkle in some dark chocolate chips or blackberries, bake, and top with maple syrup!
P - PLAYING
I like music that tells a story, so I will find or curate a playlist within a specific genre or theme to kind of build my own musical [please tell me other people do this too] and it either inspires or reflects my mood for the day. This week, I’ve been listening to a lot of 80s music; crafting a blend of soft rock, pop, and easy listening hits of the decade. Check out these tunes!
And So It Goes by Billy Joel
You Can Do Magic by America
Father Figure by George Michael
O- OBSESSING
Big joys can sometimes leave large holes for us to fill. Life feels stagnant and you stumble a little but, trying to plan or uncover the next exciting thing in life. But just as we create so much space for big things, we still have space to appreciate little things. And right now, I’m learning to become obsessed with the little things.
My recent little obsession is a silly cat I get to see when I’m at work. Her name is Kander and she’s the resident cat at my work. Most days, I catch Kander when I’m entering or exiting the building or taking lunch. I love cats, I always have, and always talk to my dad about getting a cat whenever I have space to. Kander likes to lounge in the sun, keep tabs on the campus grounds, and chase lizards. Most importantly, Kander loves a good pet and ear scratch. So this report is for you, Kander <3
R - RECOMMENDING
This comes from a place of love and self care… but I recommend getting off the damn phone. When the TikTok Ban was looming over our heads, I used the excuse of losing it as a reason to doom scroll way past my screen time limits. It lowkey wrecked my sleep schedule, causing my meal times to get thrown out the window, and it affected my entire week.
But I’m not punishing myself or going cold turkey. Instead, I’m choosing to hold myself to my screen time limit, and then taking it down every week by fifteen minutes. This, along with silencing my social media notifications, removes so many negative emotions from my daily life. So take your time back - time is money.
T - TREATING
As I alluded to at the start of my R.E.P.O.R.T, my treat this week was a little shopping gift to myself. Not only did I purchase my copy of Onyx Storm [Deluxe Edition], but purchased many, many books to pile onto my TBR. Some of these books were off of banned books lists and others were calling out to me. Before I list of the titles, I must say that it is terribly obvious that I have a love for classics and greek mythos inspired stories. The links will take you to the Storygraph page for the recommended books. Storygraph is an alternate to Goodreads where I’ll be tracking my reading for 2025. Here are my some of my book purchases:
Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Babel by R.F. Kuang
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Hera by Jennifer Saint
That’s all for this Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T! Thank you for spending a few moments here today – I hope you learned something or felt something resonate with you in this post. Stay safe until next time and keep your eyes opened from something new popping up soon!
Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day
American Red Cross - Disaster Relief Services
To help people still displaced by the North Carolina Hurricane + LA Wildfires
Banned Books Masterlist - Vonnegut Library
If you’re looking for something new to read, try a Banned Book!
