2:33 p.m. (Windy heart date)

February 14, 2025

Spring, and more importantly, warm weather, can not come soon enough. Snow storms have made way for high winds and ice. Once again, I had to leave the warmth of the apartment to complete a few important tasks. And if I’m going to be out anyway, I might as well take a nice break from the cold. After a short bus ride and slowly tiptoeing across icy sidewalks, I arrived at Short and Stout.

Unlike Mr. Bumble, I’ve been to the tea shop a number of times before, which granted me the strength to resist buying a concerning amount of loose leaf tea.

That also meant quicker choices from the menu: a turkey and provolone sandwich and a Tropic Ginger Spritzer. Even though this was far from my first trip to the tea lounge, it was my first time eating on the second floor, which also serves as an education room and workshop.

One of the main reasons I’ve never gone upstairs was because it was usually full. You’re asked to be mindful of how long you stay on the second floor so others have places to sit, which is reasonable considering the small size of the building and even smaller upper floor. Thankfully, there was only one other person, so I didn’t feel like I had to rush. I picked the seat by the balcony window, pulled out my notebook, and enjoyed the chatter downstairs and my spritzer.

I mostly made notes for a story that I refer to as ‘The Villainess Project’. The contest I was planning to submit to has come and gone, but I’m chipping away at plot points and noting down general world building snippets. It’s fallen into the same category as ‘CIS’ in a way. It’s expanding past what I originally planned for it but in a great way. It’s relaxing to have a project I can jump into at any point. 10/10 would recommend having a project you’re obsessed with.

Alas, it wasn’t getting any warmer outside, but the lounge was getting busier inside, so I packed up and left around 3:11 p.m. to head to my next stop: the library! I mean, if I was gonna return my books, I might as well grab a few more, right? It’s pretty hard to end the day on a bad note with books.

.chel

Sidenote: the books in question –

☆ R. B. Lemberg “Yoke of Stars”
☆ E. Lily Yu “Jewel Box: Stories”
☆ Abigail Rose Clarke “Returning Home to Our Bodies”
☆Wendy Xu “The Infinity Particle”