Fall weather is finally upon us! In these stressful times, I find nothing more relaxing than inhaling my favorite scents, including lavender and cinnamon.
So, I thought it would be fun to create an autumn playlist inspired by some of the scents of fall. So brew your favorite flavor of coffee or tea and drop some essential oil in your diffuser while chilling to these tunes!
1. Lavender and Velvet, Alina Baraz. To be honest, if Alina Baraz’s voice were a scent, I’d bathe in it.
2. Tea & Poetry, Hello Harry, Thomas Garcia. Autumn is the best time for sipping tea and writing poetry while wrapped up in a cozy blanket.
3. Coffee, Sylvan Esso. “Get up, get down,” and smell the warm coffee.
4. Mint, Qveen Herby. Money mint? Peppermint? I’ll take both, please and thank you.
5. Cinnamon, Hayley Williams. Some spooky vocals from out fave Paramore gal.
3. “the 1” by Taylor Swift. Read a comment somewhere saying this whole folklore album hits different when you’re in a committed relationship and I couldn’t agree more.
I waited longer than I wanted to before posting this because I couldn’t find the right words to write for this last installment of the Quarantine Diaries.
So instead of reaching into the void for a blog post I ended up with a poem.
I hope this poem, titled “I Feel Everything”, resonates with you.
Remember, you are not alone in your feelings during this pandemic.
*I received these products complimentary from Utama Spice for testing purposes. All views are my own.
It’s been a little while since I last made a blog post, mainly because I’ve been a bit moody (as we all are during these crazy times) but also because I’ve been working on some fun new video content!
Utama Spice, a company that creates natural aromatherapy products, was kind enough to send me one of their wood-base diffusers to review on my blog.
They also sent me a bottle of their Fresh & Tingly Mint Liquid Soap, which I’m giving away over on my Instagram,** so be sure to check that out as well after watching the unboxing!
I really don’t have an excuse for not having this favorites post done before the 10th so I’m just going to skip any nonsense explanations and get right to it.
Now that all the red, white, and blue is over for a little while, I thought it would be nice to throw a dash of yellow into the mix this summer to mellow out all the craziness going on around us.
Partially inspired by Washed Out’s Mr. Mellow (but more so by my love for the color yellow), I present to you 15 songs to help you continue calmly grooving through whatever comes your way during summer 2020:
1. Hard to Say Goodbye, Washed Out. Well, looks like you won’t have to, because we’re just getting started 😜
2. Yellow Flowers, Goldroom feat. Mereki. Say hello to all the sunflowers and daffodils and black-eyed Susans.
3. Bittersweet, Yellow Claw, Sofia Reyes. Satisfying in more ways than one.
4. Sunlight, Bag Raiders. It’s true. Don’t let anybody tell you differently.
5. Adore You, Harry Styles. NBD, just walking through active flames for an adorable person.
6. Waves (Tame Impala Remix), Miguel. Just ride it.
7. Rico, Wild Front. “Drive all night.”
8. The Other Side, Native Spirit. Let you heart sail through this beat.
9. Genius, LSD. Only a mellowed out genius could do such a thing.
10. Freestyle, Electric Guest. Taking it as it comes.
11. Amarillo, J Balvin. A mellow heart-thumper to pass the time.
12. Cala Banana, Satin Jackets. Chiquita is callin.’
13. Paradisco, Les Loupes. Put on your finest sheer blouse and let the summer breeze embrace you.
14. Night Time TV, Fenec Soler. When it’s midnight and you’re feeling in no way ready for bed.
15. Taste (Moon Boots Remix), Rhye. Play it one. more. time.
After spending most of the spring in quarantine with my parents out on Long Island, I have returned to the Isle of Manhattan. I thought I’d be excited to be back, but of course, nothing can be bliss during the retched mess that is 2020.
My dad offered to drive me into NYC on his way to work a few days after my birthday so I wouldn’t have to sit in any germs while riding the LIRR. We made a few stops in Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan before heading uptown and boy, was I SHOCKED at how many people were ignoring the rule about face coverings during this pandemic.
In Brooklyn, I saw several people wearing their masks under their chins or not at all. I was hoping this was just going to be a rare case of Brooklyn bad-assery, but no. As my trip into Manhattan continued, I saw more and more people wearing masks incorrectly or not at all.
Fast forward to a week after being back in New York City, and I come across a nurse from a nearby hospital wearing their mask under their chin. IF A NURSE CAN’T FOLLOW THE RULES HOW CAN WE EXPECT TO EVER GET RID OF COVID-19?! HOW?!
As cities begin to reopen, streets and indoor spaces are bound to become crowded again, especially in places like NYC. I went out for a walk in Highbridge Park a few days ago to take some photos for the next DSLR Diaries, which should be fine as parks are large outdoor spaces where social distancing is fairly easy. However, I saw a woman holding a large arrangement of balloons and a Spider-Man birthday cake at the park and lost my mind.
I could have sworn gatherings were prohibited in parks during Phase 1 of reopening. Did I misread that memo?
I really hope whoever was supposed to attend that birthday party politely declined, explaining why she was standing alone with the cake and balloons.
In all seriousness, I know the warmer weather is making it super uncomfortable to wear a mask. I totally understand. Wearing a mask in temperatures over 75°F should be considered an Olympic sport.
And by all means, go protest. Go for a walk in the park. Have a virtual birthday party. Take a road trip.
But if we don’t want coronavirus cases to spiral out of control again, we have to follow the rules. Wear your mask, wash your hands, and follow your city’s recommendations for a safe reopening so we can go back to enjoying a normal life again sooner rather than later.
Just please stop wearing your masks under your chins. It’s utterly pointless.
If not, please do not come back to this blog until you have completed one of the aforementioned things.
#BLM
The world better not experience a week like the last week of May 2020 ever again.
Despite all the ways May went wrong, I was still able to find some amazing things last month that’ll put a smile on your face, if only for a few moments.
