As it does every year, the first six months of 2021 have completely flown by. I am proud of myself that I have posted a blog at least once each month and I have a plan for the rest of the year (can I promise they will be posted on a regular schedule?…Probably not…but that’s why this blog is called “every so often!” lol). As we enter into the next six months of the year, I thought it would be good to document my biggest moments, a variety of my favorite things so far, and a look ahead at the rest of the year.
Career:
Desus & Mero: One of my biggest achievements of the year started out with being promoted from Production Secretary to Legal Rights and Clearances Coordinator for Desus & Mero in January and then LR&C Associate Producer in June. It was definitely a tough transition since the job was so different from my previous one and I cried a lot from stress, anxiety, and uncertainty the first few months. I am definitely a type A person so I felt very overwhelmed and put a lot of pressure on myself to do things perfectly. I was lucky though to have someone train me throughout that time so that, by the end of March, I felt a lot more secure in my role. It is definitely still challenging and I learn something new each episode, but I now feel like I am figuring out a big puzzle that involves a lot of problem solving. It is really satisfying when the day is over and the show comes together. Along with my new position, I run our intern program which I am incredibly proud of. Even during a pandemic, we were able to have interns join us remotely to have a mostly educational and practical experience with the show.
The Missed: Since December, I have worked on a short film that my friend Anita wrote with several of our closest friends here in NY. It has been amazing to see the project meet and then surpass our goal on our Seed and Spark campaign, confirm dates for our location scout and subsequent filming, see more friends get hired in a variety of positions, and receive updates on our cast members being chosen. We will have two days in October to film the project and I’m looking forward to seeing the vision come to life.
Health:
My goal has always been to be more consistent and especially during the first six months of the year I was working out about 4-5 days per week. As Pete and I started to look for apartments to move into in June and my job ramped up again, my workout regimen waned a little bit since I ran out of time most days. Now that we are moved in AND I am less than 4 months away from the NYC Marathon, I have become more serious about getting in my runs and attempts to do some strength training. It has still been a bit of a bumpy month but I am hoping it will all smooth out in the coming weeks.
Personal:
Last Sunset from our Park Slope Apt 
One of the First Sunset at our LIC Apt
New apartment: After a year in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Pete and I moved into our second place together but this time we are living in Long Island City. It was an incredibly stressful couple of weeks as we traveled multiple times to LIC to tour apartments, applied to two different ones, and finally landed on one. Once we got the apartment, we had to negotiate move in dates since our old place wouldn’t budge on a 6/30 move out date and the new leasing office insisted that we could only move in on 7/1. We emailed our new resident manager and thankfully he was kind. He allowed us to move in on 6/29. Then, once we had that settled, getting movers (a first for me!!) was another hurdle we had to persevere through since many places were already booked and the ones left were astronomically pricey. We ended up with a good company, but we definitely spent more that we probably should have. Even with all of that, Pete and I are relieved we got the apartment we did. We have organized and decorated it so it feels really cozy for both of us, it is very close to multiple subway options, and has good views of the city.
Personal Projects
This year, I really feel proud of my side projects that I have recieved positive feedback on. For the past 5 years, I have written and distributed a monthly listserve to William and Mary’s students, alumni, and faculty called The W&M Entertainment Newsletter. This past May after I sent the final one before I take my summer break, I was contacted by one of the college’s Swem Library archivists asking to submit my newsletter to their digital archives. I have no idea if anyone will ever look them up, but I am proud that all of the past and future editions will be available for people to browse if they want to. They chronicle not only my path in the entertainment industry, but they also highlight student, alumni, and faculty achievements which I love sharing with the W&M community. I am also really proud of this blog and the companion Instagram page. I am not consistent, but I have still released at least one blog per month and usually more which is a huge accomplishment when compared to prior years. The posts have included some delicious recipes and even inspired a reader to try a recipe that I posted. I have no idea if the blog will ever grow into a big deal, but it has been a lovely output for my thoughts and personal baking challenges this past year.
My Top 5 Lists:
Movies:
- In The Heights
- Minari
- A Quiet Place 2
- Soul
- Sound of Metal
TV:
- Mare of Easttown on HBO Max
- The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu
- Blown Away on Netflix
- Bate’s Motel (an old show so it’s not on streaming platforms anymore)
- Trashy reality – Marriage or Mortgage on Netflix and Married at First Sight on Lifetime
Books:
- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
- The Answer Is...by Alex Trebek
- Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
- Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta
- The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Misc:
- Joggers – I got my first pair last September and I still can’t get enough of them. I have a bunch of affordable pairs from Old Navy in different colors from black, blue, and coral. My absolute favorite and comfiest pair are these from Athleta which are more expensive but definitely worth it!
- Trader Joe’s – I can’t stop looking at Trader Joe’s related Instagram profiles and watching the @TraderJoeList’s youtube videos which are just a round up of what she buys. I’ve always loved grocery shopping but my level of joy recently has really increased. Maybe it’s because the grocery was one of the few places I would go during the depths of quarantine that it feels like a fun excursion still. In the near future, I hope to write a blog about some of my favorite items!
- Ticket To Ride – One of Pete’s friends introduced us to this board game and I am obsessed. We bought this version of the game at Target which involves making railroads around America. They also have Germany, Europe, New York, Amsterdam, and a variety of different countries and each one has a few different rules from the others to make each one unique and fun.
- My Apple Watch – For Valentines Day, Pete got me an Apple Watch and I don’t think a day has passed since that it’s not on my wrist. I love that it syncs with all of my Apple products, allows me to easily read my texts even without my phone close, and it’s easy to set up for different workouts and switch between songs.
- Audiobooks from the library – I have gotten into a routine of reading novels in paperback or hardcover, but I prefer to read most self help, advice, and biographical books or memoirs as an audiobook. Especially if the book is written by a comedian or interesting actor, I feel like I am listening to a podcast which I enjoy listening to on my commutes in and out of work. PLUS, since they are easy to get through the Libby app on my phone, all the content is free! Libraries are the best!
A LOOK AHEAD
I am a self proclaimed perfectionist and overachiever so here’s my “short”…(okay it’s kind of long) list of goals/plans I have for the rest of this year:
- Properly train and prioritize the NYC Marathon so I run it safely and healthily in November (this also involves working on maintaining a better diet and sleeping habits).
- Finish the pre-production stage for The Missed, move into the production period, and then subsequent post-production phase in mid-late October.
- Become increasingly more comfortable with my position in Rights and Clearances on Desus & Mero.
- Maintain this blog – no matter when they are exactly posted – I want to have twelve baking challenges and at least twelve lifestyle posts even if some months are packed with posts and others only have one.
- Send out the W&M Entertainment Newsletter from September to December.
- Read at least six more hard/paperback books along with my audio books.
- Maintain my bullet journaling and journaling habits.
- Travel to CA to see my sister Heidi and then celebrate my friend’s bachelorette party.
- Host the 4th Annual Apple Day Celebration – it will have to be earlier than usual but it will happen.
- Travel to VA in September for a family reunion and in December for the holidays.
- Travel to Boston in October to celebrate my friend Meredith’s wedding.
- Travel to PA for Thanksgiving to celebrate the first big holiday at my sister Beth and bro-in-law Mark’s new home.
- Try to completely learn how to play and sing one song on my ukulele.
- Spend time with my friends as we slowly return (safely) to the events and activities that we used to do together pre-pandemic.
- Even with all of this going on in the next couple of months, find time to relax and practice some self care as well as make time for Pete and I to just relax together (the past few months have been jam-packed and so busy!).
- ***I MAY want to try some kind of vlogging later this year. I don’t know if I’ll actually post it or just keep it as practice as a fun way to chronicle a couple weeks of my life.
Cheesy NY Street Inspiration (That I Love to Find) 
Another sunset at the LIC Apt
I’m looking forward to seeing how much of this list I actually accomplish. It really is a pity that sleep is so important and there’s only 24 hours in a day! I’ll see you later this year for another check-in like this in late December. Let me know how this year has been treating you and what goals you are hoping to achieve by the year end. Cheers to getting through the past six months of 2021!
every so often... 
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