Here’s a recap of my May 2024. Captivations is a monthly feature with links, stories, and news that captivated me. It’s also a monthly update/recap of what’s going on in my world.
May Recap
My May was about dinner parties and friend meet-ups! I’m looking forward to summer because it’s usually a slower season. Every month I have to remind myself of this graphic. Monthly progress seems small but the progress in a year is great! Keep going.
Sign Bar is a place in far East Austin where all old signs from closed businesses have gone to be displayed. The bar is full of nostalgia and when I visited, we looked around asking each other if we remembered the businesses. Above is a photo of it from the entrance.
Top 10 Albums of All Time
Created by Apple Music’s experts, this list of the top 10 albums of all time represents records that have made an impact, separate from the streaming numbers. How many of these albums have you listened to?
Ayo Edebiri
If you’ve been here for a while, you know I’m a fan of the show The Bear. One of the main actors, Ayo Edebiri, seems similar to her character in real life, based on this Vanity Fair feature. It’s interesting to see people thrust into the celebrity world.
Michelin Stars
Michelin has been in the news recently, from giving its first star to a Disney park restaurant to bringing the list to Mexico. I’m lucky to have been to the highest-rated (2 stars) Mexican restaurants – Pujol and Quintonil.
What is it all for?
I recently watched Killing Eve’s final season. If you haven’t seen Killing Eve, I recommend only watching season 1 as it goes downhill from there. But in the hopes of improvement and closure, I watched season 4. This scene (video below) was good! It speaks to the eternal human question – what is it all for? “All you can do in life is try to find some joy in the little things.” And also, finding the people who know and love and finding community in them.
How to Dispose
There’s a chance, you have old pills you need to dispose of, and did you know it’s better if they’re not in a landfill? In Austin, this is the website to find the nearest place to dispose of them, or if you’re outside of Austin, check out the DEA’s website.
The Prosperity Paradox
“The more money we accumulate, the more money we think we need.” Isn’t that an interesting paradox? Thinking about this as someone who comes from an immigrant family, who wants to retire early, who experiences inflation, the statement is true. The mindset needs to be enough or you’ll never be satisfied.
Rick Steves
On our trip to Spain over 10 years ago, we joked that Rick Steves was our fifth travel companion because his guidebook was always present, providing information about a historical site or leading us to the next restaurant. This feature on Rick Steves gives some insight in the man behind the media empire that helped so many people travel Europe and beyond.
How to Be Happier
Through research, this list of 23 things to do to be happier was compiled. I can vouch for the ones about hiking, exercise, and more positive thinking. So many of the tips are about hobbies and finding ones you enjoy and being consistent with them. I like to think this blog is one of my longest-standing and enlightening hobbies!
Anniversary Traditions
Marriage maintenance is an ongoing task! I like this list of 5 fun traditions to come back to.
5 Things I Love Lately
- Cooking from the Woks of Life cookbook
- Rain
- Dinner parties
- Live music
- Strawberry season
P.S. Did you read all the new posts from this month? See them here:
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