vol. 97, on becoming competent
It’s nice to think there’s potential progress to be had in every decade of life.
Recently, I was telling Eli that I started to feel like an adult at 27. I stopped careening from one life catastrophe into another. I paid off my student debt, built some savings, bought silverware, and figured out generally how to care for myself. I’m slowly approaching 37 and am now starting to feel like a truly competent adult. I know how to throw together a nutritious dinner, don’t internalize weird interactions (most of the time), and letters about insurance or taxes don’t send me into an anxiety spiral. Yet, I still haven’t figured out how to schedule my travel for maximum sanity and enjoyment. I’m in a loop where I say yes to every trip, hop from airport to airport, burn out from photo deadlines and early morning flights, then say no to every trip to recover, stay home for a stretch, get bored, and then I go back to yes again. Perhaps at 47, I will unlock this next level of competence and happiness. It’s nice to think there’s potential progress to be had in every decade of life.
Anyway, I’ve been -
Slowly figuring things out. For example, this pre-flight stretch series has helped me arrive at my destination without feeling like a frozen block of aches and pains.
Trying to share notes from trips before I move on to the next thing. Here are a few of my favorite Ireland hotels and dinner spots.
Delighted that this story I photographed for WTTW on the process of making a loaf from farm to bakery is out in the world.
Scooping up this hot sauce after watching this super charming day in the life of a hot sauce maker. I also really loved this video on Japanese school lunches.
Making bigos at home after trying the Ukrainian version in NYC at Veselka.
Recommending Fong On in NYC for some savory tofu and sweet rice cakes. There’s also an interesting NY Times video on the shop and owner.
Weeping a bit after reading this 9/11 commemoration Atlantic piece (I feel like this description does not do it justice, but I do highly recommend it) and listening to the longform podcast interview with the author, Jennifer Senior.
Obsessing over Korean skincare products that don’t irritate my relatively sensitive skin. I’ve been using this mask and lip balm, and I just scooped up this serum.
Diversions is a newsletter I’ve been writing on and off since 2014 with random thoughts I’ve been stewing on and links I’ve been sharing. These days you can find diversions on substack.
Till next time,
Sandy Noto