reading. writing. photographing.
I've been feeling creatively restless lately. I keep wanting to make changes to this space—to rebrand, redesign, rewrite. I've gone so far as to buy a new domain name and play around with other hosting options again. Every time I get in this headspace, though, I always experience a failure to launch. In part, because… Continue reading Thoughts on Conscious Self-Expression
I've been trying to make a concerted effort to eat healthier recently. Eating healthy these days is always a hit or miss activity. Unfortunately, since Covid, if it's not easy to cook—"cook" being a very generous term, here—then I'm not putting forth the effort. That's why I appreciate dishes I can easily throw together. I… Continue reading Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
A few weekends ago, my Ride or Dies and I traveled to Cleveland, SC to visit Victoria Valley Vineyards. We were supposed to stop by Caeser's Head first for a light hike, but decided the vineyard would keep us busy enough since we were only there for the day. This was our first vineyard trip… Continue reading Wine and Nosh at Victoria Valley Vineyards
I feel a thousand capacities spring up in me. I am arch, gay, languid, melancholy by turns. I am rooted, but I flow. —Virginia Woolf, The Waves Lately, I've been feeling a bit like I'm on summer vacation. Instead of relishing the freedom from stifling walls and bustling hallways, however, the impending summer season feels… Continue reading Scenes from Crescent Beach
backyard happy hour. We all have our little hells, things we must live through without a certain end. I don’t think of hell as some crackling, fiery place but that time we spend crucifying ourselves over the uncontrollable whims of life. Hell is the knife of emotion that takes hold in the heart, winding it’s way through the chest, cracking… Continue reading Little Hells: A Poem
I never did write about my hiking experience at Pisgah National Forest during New Year's weekend. Nearly three months ago! I won’t ramble on about it too much, but there are some photos I took and didn’t share in my more timely Instagram post, so because this is my personal blog and I pay to… Continue reading Hiking Shortoff Trail at Pisgah National Forest
I don't think I've participated in a blog linkup/questionnaire since my college/post-grad days. But I saw a blogger friend post this to her site recently and thought it would be fun to do. It's funny because I had already been thinking of ways I could branch out with my blog and this felt like a… Continue reading Recommitting to My Creative Spirit: A Blog Questionnaire
Hello, fellow bibliophiles! As you can see, I only read three books in the last stretch of 2024. As mentioned in a previous post, this was largely due to a change in my routine from returning to the office full-time for a new job. I probably could've read at least one more book if it… Continue reading Fall Reads 2024
I wrote this poem over a year ago now—one evening after logging off from work, back when I was still working from home. It was supposed to be a blog post but very quickly it started to become something else. I don't think I realized it was a poem, though, until I was almost halfway… Continue reading You saw the trailer but not the movie: a prose poem
While I have some time this morning, I wanted to post these photos from a recent beach trip before it's next spring and I still haven't done it. Life has felt fairly turbulent lately. I've wanted to write about why but also afraid of writing about it at all, as it has to do with… Continue reading November Beaches
Lauren Michelle Brock 