Good... And Good for You

Real Talk: I 100% adore my 8-year-old niece, but it’s hard for me to talk to her about her favorite TV shows. Because it makes me feel too morally superior. Listen, kid. I grew up during the era of “infotainment.” So my favorite shows taught friggin’ life skills. I’m talking “This Old House” and “Yan Can Cook” and the unsung HERO of them all “ Square One TV .” What I’m saying is, when I was your age, I could build a house, cook a four-course meal, and solve ANY math-based crime!! (#mathnet) What crimes can YOU solve??? And why are you crying?? Why is your mother shaking her head at me?? Where is everyone going? Why am I all alone again? Author’s Note: I can no longer build a house or cook.

I’m not a hiker. I mean, I'm a hiker on the most basic level where "hiking" is walking on dirt. But I’m not someone who puts effort into hiking. What I mean is, there are people who travel and camp and have gear and go through a lot of effort to… walk on dirt. And I wish I was that person. I wish I had a mantra that involved the word “adventure” instead of a mantra that involved the phrase “just don’t spend all day watching Netflix, okay Kat? Come on.”   I’ve been trying to change that up. Not necessarily change my nature, but rather work with my existing, Netflixy nature to expand my experiences. So one of my goals this spring and summer was to hike every trail I could find that’s within a five to ten minute drive from my house (because when you live in Salt Lake City, that’s an easily achievable goal), and it's been fantastic. I found some amazing trails and I now hike two to five times a week. It’s worked out exponentially better than I planned.  Valley View

I know for sure that the human brain is more evolved than any other animal’s brain because of its ability to troll itself. Seriously, my brain can full-on PUNK me. Just for the heck of it. Por ejemplo! I can send a text to a buddy and then 30 minutes later my brain will be like... 🧠 :   What if you had accidentally sent that text to your ex-boyfriend from 3 1/2 years ago, instead of sending it to your buddy? Me: Oh my gosh, don’t even joke about that! That would be the worst thing ever and I would shrivel up and DIE. 🧠 :   Haha, right? But (funny story) you DID! You DID send it to him. Me: Wait, what? No way. 🧠 :   Yes way. Remember? You weren’t really paying attention and instead of typing in your buddy’s name, you typed in your ex’s name! And now you’re gonna have to live under a rock! Me: OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH *checks phone* No. See? I sent the text to my buddy. 🧠 :   Hahaha! Idiot! Why would you have texted your ex-boyfriend from 3 1/2 years ago? That’s RIDICULOUS!! Haha

As a young nerdling, I freaking LOVED that Proclaimers “500 Miles” song. I still do. I scream-sing it whenever it comes on the radio. But as a tired, jaded, scream-singing adult, I’m singing a song of lies. Because I know full well that I wouldn’t walk 500 miles (and 500 more) for anyone. I won’t even set my Tinder “distance setting” above 7 miles.

I had to go through some papers from the 80s and, in the process, I accumulated a pile of 80s printer paper edges. So I did what any respectable child of the 80s would do and turned them into 80s printer-paper caterpillars. 80s. ...(wait, or was it the 90s?)