Five Things Vol. I

This is basically an old school blog post - no plan, no theme, no neatly packaged message - just the first five things that come to mind. Consider this a brain dump or a stream of consciousness diary entry in its truest form. Relevance? Optional. Coherence? Debatable. But honesty? Guarenteed. So here we go - five thoughts, from the meaningful to the meaningless and everything in between. Ready, Set, Go!

1. GMAT

I did it - I signed up for the GMAT. After months (okay, years) of thinking about going back to school, I finally took the first real step. I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be applying or how the rest of it will come together, but I’ve known for while that this is something I want to do. I scheduled the test for September 26th, and I’ve already bought (and actually opened!) the study materials. It’s both overwhelming and exciting, but mostly, it feels good just to start.

2. Red Light Mask

Lately, I can’t scroll for more than five minutes without seeing someone in a red light mask, glowing like a futuristic robot and swearing it’s changed their skin. I won’t lie - I’m tempted. Everyone seems to be raving about how it boosts collagen, evens skin tone, and basically grants you eternal youth. But do they really work? Like, is the difference actually noticeable, or is it just an expensive LED hype? I’m getting closer to my thirties and skincare feels more important than ever, but dropping hundreds on a mask feels like a commitment I’m not sure I’m ready for.

3. Chili’s

Chili’s is seriously underrated - and I think it’s making a quiet comeback. It’s the kind of place that’s low pressure; easy to walk into without a reservation and doesn’t expect you to dress up or overthink the menu. The food is solid, the portions are generous, and the prices? Honestly unbeatable. Ryan and I went last week for a simple date night, ordered full meals, shared a molten lava chocolate cake, and were out the door for $35 including tip. In a world of overpriced everything, Chili’s just hits the spot.

4. Lavender

The garden is officially waking up and I’m getting things going for the season, but I’m especially impressed with my lavender plant. It somehow survived the winter and came back thriving. It’s full of blooms and smells incredible, but it is growing in this wild, chaotic sideways fashion. Probably because I didn’t prune it… Which raises the question: how do you even prune lavender? Clearly, I’m a novice gardener. Still, it’s doing its thing and now I’m wondering what should I do with all these fragrant blooms. Should I dry them? Make tea? DIY lavender infused oil? Open to any and all ideas - because this plant clearly came to perform.

5. Electric Can Openers

I was making a tuna sandwich for lunch the other day, twisting open the can like usual, when I suddenly thought of the old electric can opener from my grandparent’s house. Can we take a minute to question the existence of electric can openers? Like… why? Of all the kitchen gadgets taking up precious counter space, this one feels the most unnecessary. A manual opener gets the job done in seconds. Unless you’re opening cans in bulk or have mobility issues, I genuinely don’t understand the appeal. It’s the most dramatic solution to the least demanding problem.

All is well,

H