Hi everyone, its me, Cody! I have a couple resolution updates, and I just wanted to share my current favs and obsessions of 2024. Obviously these will be January favorites exclusively because it’s only been a month, even though this month felt like it was 10 years? You get what I’m saying. It was a long restart, but it was good. 

Resolution update: 

This is an update on my resolutions which you can read here. My biggest thing this year was to get back to that real-world feeling. I don’t go out with my friends as often as I used to, and I also really miss that third-space feeling. I racked my brain to figure out why I felt disconnected from everything and realized it was because I’m so much more isolated now than I was in my mid-to-late twenties. 

I dissected what ways I inadvertently isolate myself.
These were my negative habits in 2023 that exaggerated my feeling of isolation:

• I was scrolling social media and feeling too lazy to get out of bed or off the couch

• I wasn’t going to local places as often because I was drinking coffee from chain coffeeshops and eating the same take out food regularly

• (and lastly) I was driving a lot, so I was no longer a pedestrian and member of my city’s community in the way I used to be when I commuted on Metro Transit regularly

Anyway, I can’t fix all of this overnight. Instead I told myself on New Year’s to focus on one problem and solve it in a month, so TA-DA– I chose to not scroll social media as often. 

My main “problem times” were first thing in the morning, and right after work when my brain could finally be turned off for the evening. I’d sometimes scroll my social media and tiktoks for 2 whole hours and I’d get annoyed afterward and think, “this is SO bad form me, I just know it!” 

I aimed to not scroll in the morning for the first 30 MINUTES of my day. Of course, a text message or email is one thing… but I decided specifically: NO Instagram, NO Tiktok, NO Twitter– for the first 30 minutes of my morning. Guess what? I DID IT… I absolutely did it. I’m writing this January 31st, by the way!

Instead of scrolling in the morning, I wrote in my daily gratitude journal, drank tea, and listened to music or audiobooks for 30 minutes daily, all month. It was hardest after week 2 because it’s easy to follow a resolution for a week or two, but once you have a moment of weakness at week 2, some fall off the resolution. Because of that, I didn’t want to overload myself, especially since I had 2 trips planned this month (a week in New York, and also 3 days at my parents’ place in Northern Minnesota)

So I wrote in my gratitude journal daily in January– yes, even on my vacation and trip to visit family. Actually, there was a weekend in New York where I was nervous I might cave while at a bed & breakfast for two nights with a large group celebrating my friend’s 30th birthday, BUT half of our group was journaling first thing in the morning, so I felt even more inspired to not give up my no-scroll resolution! Also, I have a new journaling goal for february, so I’ll keep y’all posted once I’m more established in it. 

Also someone give me a pat on the back, because when Starbucks sued their union for being pro-palestine, I quit drinking them on the spot, and I haven’t had a starbucks since october 28th 2023! Starbucks is OUT in 2024.

(by the way, I use The Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change in the color green, in case anyone was curious about getting into gratitude journals. I’ve sworn by Five Minute Journal since I was like 23 or so, when I first began using it!) 

Monthly Favorites for January:

This really needs no explanation. Its my favorites this month. I will just mention a movie, a book, and whatever else I feel like shouting out. 

Favorite film: Past Lives (2023)

This week I watched the film Past Lives, and I was absolutely gutted by it (in a good way).

(No spoilers) it’s about a girl from Korea who loves her childhood best friend, but her family immigrates overseas, and they fall out of touch. Later they reconnect, but at that point, she’s married to a white man in New York City. It’s a tale of love, fate, destiny, and acceptance. A big aspect of it focuses on the life of an immigrant, western vs Eastern life, and how love can be a person, a place, or a time, no matter how long or short it exists. 

Anyway, I cried, like… ugly cried. I sobbed for probably half of the movie. I just think that there’s always a question of “what if” in the back of our minds. What if I never moved? What if I stayed in touch? What if someone gave up everything for something or someone else? Anyway, I am a very melancholy girl, so this movie ripped me to pieces, and I loved every minute of it! 

Book(s): The BRIDGERTON SERIES?????

I’m obsessed with these old-timey romance books, because I’ve watched all the Netflix seasons available, and I wanted to know what happens next.

I’m currently on my third Bridgerton book since December, and I can’t be stopped. I’m gonna read all the Bridgerton books in my free time because I love good enemies to lovers and there are plenty of those in this series. It’s just lords and ladies and drama. Also, of course, it gets pretty spicy at points!  

Music: January playlist

Here’s a playlist on my Spotify that I just made tonight! It’s all the songs I’ve been loving in January 2024! Some new, some old but standard January stuff. 

Thanks for reading!!

Once again, thanks for reading this jumbled blog post. I put on press-on nails last night and having to type this was a nightmare, but expect a new york blog post next week, and also my journaling update as well! 2024 is going great, and I intend to keep it that way, hehe.

Follow me online! I’m trying to read 20 books minimum this year, and so far I’ve read 2.
Also I’m trying to watch quality over quantity films this year, so I might be watching much less on letterboxd, but here that is, too.

My Goodreads
My letterboxd
Instagram: TheRollerCodester

Kind regards,

C