SOHO

 September 4th, 2026

Today is the Friday before Labor Day. The weather was beautiful. It was the last day we could leave the office early, and I ended up leaving around 2PM. I went to SoHo and got myself an overpriced smoothie. I went alone, because my friend couldn't make it out, but that was half the pleasure. 

Walking through the streets was like being reminded of what I wanted my life to feel like. I realized that I spend a lot of time forging the conditions I'd like to live in, but very little time actually living in said life. What's the point of that?

I got myself heaps of cheap gold plated jewelry, a Billie Holiday vinyl record, and it was the best day ever.

I found myself wondering how I'll pass the time the next twenty two months I'm intending to be here. Then it dawned on me that it was the wrong question to ask. In twenty months' time, I'll be on the cusp of twenty seven, and those twenty two months is time off the clock that is my life.

I'm not doing enough to live. I started thinking of a rebrand. 

I'm thinking long and hard about what it is in particular that I so loved about today. I guess:

Novelty, Beauty, the dopamine hit of tapping my card in exchange for something pretty/shiny, being in a part of town I find pretty, and I'm not quite sure how to translate that - I wasn't miserable today, and that's rare. I felt genuine happiness and I didn't even do anything extravagant. I came home, put the vinyl on one of my floating shelves, and decided I needed to revamp my wardrobe and room. I guess beauty is the double edged sword I'm choosing to impale myself upon this time around. I am not sure how yet, but maybe tomorrow I will update my vision board. It's been about a year since I seriously put thought into it all. 

Perhaps the best place to start is in openly expressing my true tastes and sensibilities, regardless of the fear that it might not 'fit' - or better yet, choosing to broadcast a message openly, regardless of what others might be able to infer about me.

Today was a great day, and I love SoHo. 

- vetiveroil