March

 1: tiptoeing through puddles on the back road by way of moonlight
2: reading Jim Gorant's book about the champion frisbee pitbull, Wallace
3: nostalgia from my old 8tracks favorites
4: somehow making it to work on time after missing my alarm
5: sneaking into Costco
6: new trails along the bosque
7: adding some queso to the mac 'n cheese
8: the 'where are they now' segment on the dogs rescued from Michael Vick
9: Alani Nu watermelon wave fizzy energy drink
10: "Heavy Hearted"
11: a burst of inspiration for epilogue brainstorming and cover letters
12: the alternately hilarious, educational, and philosophical memoir of a guy who started a dog rescue in Chimayo, NM
13: scrappy lil baby mohawk
14: coming across a trilogy on the YA shelf with an almost-too-similar plot to my budding novel idea - then reading a boatload of angry 1-star reviews about it on Goodreads
15: balloons lifting off on the way to work
16: mild blizzard and the light cheek-sting of winter
17: going downtown for work training and being reminded of uptown escapes
18: new license plate
19: body awareness and spatial problem-solving when clambering over the rocks
20: crossing the I-40 bridge
21: a dog coming over to say hi (and her owner complimenting my mohawk)
22: comfort-buying junk food
23: coworkers' sympathy and indignation on my behalf
24: a surprise home-cooked lunch
25: oversaturating my brain with research on used subcompact cars
26: Solar Opposites Season 2
27: heading out to the beyond to fire off some rounds
28: enjoying some basic-bitch vanilla ice cream
29: writing in memoiristic essay style, inspired by the autobiographical nonfiction I've read of late
30: chatting with my Uber driver
31: an internship opening that aligns with my niche-af major (*fingers crossed*)

February

1. a coworker trying out maple syrup in her tea after hearing me talk about it
2. him showing me the Euphoria special episode to articulate his struggles
3. discovering a coworker knows sign language
4. buying chocolate after having a dream craving for it, and the guy at the cash register saying "Enjoy those candy bars"
5. locks on bridges
6. *sad Don Cheadle noises* (the end of The Guard)
7. learning about hygge
   
8. a conversation about covid vaccination (though a little awkward) to break up the normal work monotony
9. Michaela Coel in I May Destroy You
   
10. adorable mustachioed man
11. watching Better Call Saul together
12. riding the path winding through the depths of the bosque
13. thundersnow
14. him helping me search for cars and file my taxes
15. my first car
16. Valentines from my coworkers
17. midnight joyride in a loaner car
18. getting him some birthday chimichangas from Allsup's
19. a spur-of-the-moment walk on a snowy trail
20. the rare moment of the wind blowing at my back as I ride uphill
21. toning down the spice imbalance with milk and sugar
22. getting overexcited about a topic and putting an excessive number of books on hold
23. a specially-commissioned meal from the restaurant where he works
24. snuggling in to watch a new show together
25. him organizing the drinks in the fridge by brand
26. cruising diagonally across the city grid
27. showing my parents the new ride
28. him calling the circulation desk to get ahold of me at work

January

1: watching the last candles burn themselves out
2: Russian Doll
3: Grand Theft Auto IV
4: some cheating drama and an illegitimate baby (in the Sims 4)
5: homemade granola
6: pumping it up to 20mph (on a downhill)
7: shower-fresh curls
8: Kelsey Tries the 100-baby Challenge series
9: completely inverted sleep schedule
10: stealing little naps to make it through an all-nighter
11: first day at my new library job
12: a fresh Sprouts location on the west side
13: a children's book about a girl who couldn't get a pet bonding with a dog she spends time with at the shelter
14: overlooking the dog park while on my lunch break
15: a self-help book in the style of a Socratic dialogue
16: turning my bathroom into an at-home fitting room for clothes bought online
17: making brunch before work
18: celebrating my vegan birthday a day early by making my favorite pies
19: putting slips in books
20: binge-reading Psychology Today articles
21: sushi after work
22: an 18-mile bike ride, passing by the flood control facility, through Bear Canyon, and up and down Tramway
23: a quote on why 'unfree' people judge those who are living freely
24: an Opal apple
25: "Permanence" by Maybeshewill
26: him understanding the 'wait in the parking lot and dawdle in the store' to avoid going home
27: looking up the best houseplants for beginners
28: grocery store clerk curiously asking why I'm buying so many beans
29: District 9
30: moments of solitude on the channel trail through the industrial zone
31: "The Next Best American Record" by Lana Del Rey

December

1: Mad Max: Fury Road
2: learning a new convoluted strategy game
3: The Queen's Gambit
4: the vegan Beyond Meat burrito at Del Taco
5: Chex Mix and mango ginger Zevia
6: talking to a guy in line at the grocery store about what's for dinner
7: Upload
8: stocking up on canned goods following a fiasco of needing corn after the stores closed and having to run to the gas station
9: an in-person interview (finally, a new place to go)
10: pushing my high score in Fruit Ninja
11: some much-appreciated closeness after a tough conversation
12: mattress shopping
13: surprising myself with how much ground I can cover while biking around the city
14: a dope-ass "Mexican pizza" quesadilla
15: new mattress
16: the Royalty Free Christmas Songs mega compilation
17: Raised by Wolves opening titles theme
18: sriracha on sushi
19: sippin' back to a slightly corrupted childhood via CapriSuns
20: casting some YouTube to the big screen
21: playing The Sims (3)
22: the nostalgia of the Nintendogs theme songs
23: extra strong hot chocolate
24: playing The Sims (4)
25: a cup of chai at the end of the day
26: the annual candle scramble
27: insecure
28: stuffed butternut squash
29: recovering a lost Sims world
30: putting on songs I haven't heard in years
31: get rich cheat codes

November

1: the permeating smell of green chile as the 18-lb bag continues roasting in the trunk
2: The Danish Girl
3: shucking, chopping, & bagging the green chile
4: when he comes early to pick me up from work and I get to eat with him once I'm off my shift
5: being called in as a translator
6: the Pixel 4a
7: eating pizza while driving
8: a walk & new-phone-camera photoshoot
9: membership cards
10: hitting up a vegan-friendly restaurant thanks to my bf's coworker
11: The End of the F***king World
12: him making me a lavender seltzer drink
13: tap-to-pay with my phone
14: the vadai taco
15: a fresh-haircut-and-waffles kind of Sunday
16: playing Borderlands 3 together
17: him raving over me wearing glasses
18: Avenue 5
19: sambhar, lunch & dinner
20: PicsArt edits on photos of my cutie
21: my coworker getting bean'd by another coworker
22: a few minutes inside a mansion in downtown ABQ
23: tea & soup
24: adventures at the laundromat
25: wandering into the exurban wastes
26: replicating my mom's cranberry sauce recipe
27: Rick & Morty Season 4
28: the development of side characters in Lovecraft Country
29: learning cool science shit through Reddit memes
30: extra butter* and garlic salt on my mashed 'tatties

October

 1: uncovering itty bitty animal friends
2: rocking on lawn chairs in the sun
3: journaling to hold me down amidst the craziness
4: "God's Country" and its sequels
5: (panicked) squat-walking around in the crawlspace
6: fucking around with what are basically giant rolls of saran wrap
7: going home early and napping the rest of the day
8: hearing his coworkers roast the 'stache over video call
9: Odd Man Out
10: dry sarcasm over shitty products
11: having some Netflix downloaded for the plane rides
12: kitchen supplies for the new apartment
13: a man passing us in Walmart & responding to Orynn's hoodie with "we're all cuddle sluts"
14: a comedic near-walk-in
15: walking through a nice little commercial district with the sweet smell from the General Mills factory wafting through the air
16: going out to the restaurant he works in and meeting all his coworkers
17: getting the chef's special as my on-shift meal
18: him teaching me how to shoot
19: him making each of us our respective teas
20: watching sovereign citizen compilations
21: a Philly cheese steak-style sub with mushrooms & vegan mozz
22: countin' dat coin (lit'rally)
23: getting in good with the cooks just by speaking a little Spanish
24: an Albuquerque Breakfast tea latte
25: assembling some cube shelving
26: a night walk through the snow (to the store)
27: green chile stew for a cold day
28: a vegan version of a Milky Way
29: popping into a Zoom chat to see the old gang
30: people being pleasant, polite, & patient despite the hectic disordered rush
31: James & the Giant Peach as our spooky movie pick

September

 1: the contrast of white baseboards against cream walls
2: teaming up with a stranger in Rocket League and playing some matches together
3: crouching inside the closet to help install the doors
4: snuggling in the backseat on the car ride back from the airport
5: finally checking out the vegan restaurant I drive by every day on the way to work
6: Sunday brunch at a local hipster eatery
7: him snuggled in the blankets & napping in my bed
8: little lizard outside on the windowsill
9: wrangling the hammer drill
10: cooking our separate dinners (staggered for the time difference) over video chat
11: when the dust finally settles
12: biking to midtown
13: bf video-calling me from work for a short bit
14: surviving a mini breakdown during one of our first solo pickup trips
15: jewel-like caterpillar eggs
16: the satisfaction of hammering nails
17: two remixes of the same song with very different vibes (1, 2)
18: sneaking in a drive around uptown
19: Portal 2, 2-player
20: out apple-pickin' with the gang
21: listening to Jubilee middle ground discussions while touch-up painting
22: virtual meetings eating up most of the work day
23: the sheer force of the pressure washer
24: installing a railing for the porch steps
25: getting adopted by our partner work team for a day
26: the increase in confidence and competence over the course of my first day
27: bustling around between people-watching
28: hot lunch thanks to a thermos
29: watching the debate livestream together
30: a rant/discussion about Helen Keller