Wonderings: Welcome to Miami, nesting, and my reading list
A view of Biscayne Boulevard from my bedroom
I have seen a lot of people dressed in swimwear and athleisure walking down the sidewalk in my neighbor and, no, I do not live in South Beach. Will Smith sang correctly, “party in the city where the heat is on.” It is truly a fun vibe here. I have even seen plenty of people roller blading down the sidewalk which is definitely a part of my imaginary Miami populated with Kens whose profession is Beach. But it is part of the real Miami too!
Can’t wait to go to the beach, eat a Cuban sandwich, eat Haitian food, and maybe try my hat at roller blading down the sidewalk in a swimsuit. Even though I grew up in North Florida, the climate and culture feel so much more familiar to my life in Mexico. In fact, there is a tree I keep running into that I only know the Yucatan Spanish name for. Anyone know what they call “Ciracote” in English?
You can just call me Hilaria
But this last weekend was dedicated to settling into my new place so it is a cozy place to nest when I finish work for the day.
Some highlights of my nesting:
I bought the literal perfect dishes to buy if you are moving to a new place alone and do not want to buy a full set of dishes. (And I am not an idiot, so I definitely get a kickback from this Amazon link if you purchase your own set.) It is the Canyon Crow Coupe dinner plate which is also kind of a bowl and definitely also a serving trey and fruit bowl. It is EVERYTHING in ONE THING.
Canyon Crow Coupe dinner plate holding my first home cooked dinner in my new spot in Miami.
2. I spent a LOT of time thinking about what the furniture in a small room set up should be. I was moved to get a desk that is actually also a vanity table after one of my new roommates spent a lot of time talking about how the old roommate used to hog the bathroom. Some might call this buying furniture, but I call this roommate diplomacy. Worth every penny. Got it at Wayfair. (no affiliate link this time. Took too long to set up.)
When the top is down, it is perfectly sized for a desk. I am using it to write this, in fact.
3. I definitely put some thought into the curation of my Miami reading list. The first book is called Migrant Aesthetics: Contemporary Fiction, Global Migration, and the Limits of Empathy by Glenda R. Carpio. This is some academic reading, y’all. But even if you are not into that, you should check out the list of books she includes in her analysis. So far, every single novel that I read because she analyzes it has blown my mind. I am now on the Valerie Luiselli novel, Lost Children Archive which is covered in chapter 3. I am reading the fiction works that Carpio digs into before reading the chapter on that particular “migrant aesthetic.” I have graciously given myself a long time to finish this project. I am also soothing my culture shock at being back to the ol’ USA by reading Slavoj Zizek’s Freedom: A Disease Without Cure. And some have been pretty scandalized by that title, I might add, but classic Zizek. Elizabeth Torres´s Lotería is something I am tasting little by little and it is both heartbreaking and illuminating. Finally, fellow Florida woman Zora Neale Hurston once up and went to Honduras to hunt for a Mayan pyramid. Did you know that? There are a lot of things that I am learning about her life from reading Sharony Green’s The Chase and the Ruin.
And since I am writing this, I am sure you figured out that we survived the hurricane and I made it to Miami. It was a very windy morning last Friday and we were VERY happy that we spent time nailing everything down and boarding the window up. But our place in Valladolid in the candlelight is VERY pretty.
Hurricane day by candlelight was pretty dreamy since no damage occurred to our house
I’ll be writing about starting my new job soon. I have so many thoughts and feelings about it. Mostly excitement. More to share soon. xoxo
