dcscover 022 | Trips
Recently I had the chance to plan a couple of day trips with my family, one into New York City and another along the Jersey Shore. I’m not sure at what precise point roles reversed in the last five to 10 years and I began finding myself taking charge of itineraries instead of just sitting back and going with whatever my parents have planned.
It’s just another reminder that shoot, I have grown up. Time has passed. Things are gradually changing all the time until one day I actually take note of the difference. I can only expect to continue noticing these changes.
As I’m thinking about this, I’m simultaneously welcoming of the changes and nostalgic about the past. Growing up we went to tons and tons of parks and zoos and botanical gardens and festivals and scenic overlooks in the tri-state area. Where did my parents get all their trip inspo? How did we get there and back without GPS?
On the flip side, perhaps without all that technology and information at our fingertips, the itinerary was less important and it was easier to be spontaneous, more acceptable to wander.
Projects, projects
A few things I’ve published lately: an Ode post about products on my radar (and why) and a mindful framework for thinking about making Instagram Reels. Also made a “dcscover / summer” playlist with tracks I’ve been collecting since May (mostly good vibes but also a few moody ones).
This month’s finds
A NYT piece on media, technology, and the attention economy that I found myself nodding along to
A trio of relatively simple recipes that are good to batch-cook and eat with rice or salad bowls throughout the week: Instant Pot soy-braised beef | sautéed cabbage | Korean beef (I only made the beef part of this recipe but sautéed a big batch of mushrooms in the pan right after to take advantage of the remaining seasoning/juices)
A lovely meditation on being bad at texting people back but maybe that’s ok?
A gem of a waterfront trail I found by looking for points of interest along the Jersey Shore directly on Google Maps
One more thing
I’ve had app limits through the iPhone Screen Time feature for a while but recently decided to up the ante re: Instagram. A few weeks ago, Jason made his daily IG limit 10 minutes (🙀) and has somehow mostly been able to stick to it. My daily IG limit used to be 1 hour a day — pretty generous because I do post on there across multiple accounts, which takes up time. I’ve since lowered it to 30 minutes. I do override it often but there are also days when I manage to stay just under the limit. Usage is down on average, so I think it does help.
Opening scene: A snapshot from Henry Hudson Trail (mentioned in the Finds section). Highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in that part of Jersey. A nice way to feel close to the ocean without doing the whole beach thing.