A list for 2026 and a half

Sometimes I feel a bit discouraged in this feeling that I haven't been doing anything or enough... so I thought to make myself this list of things I've done since my birthday in January.

As I've been making an effort to integrate music into my art practice, I set a large intention to see more concerts. This list has a lot of concerts. It also has a lot of failed crushes.

Somewhere in between the lines there's a lot of laughter, a lot of dreaming and reconfiguring of dreams in real time, a lot of not knowing what exactly I'm doing, and a lot of leaning into relationships and new friendships even when it's a little scary.

Without further ado,

-Auditioned for Berklee School of Music for their Bachelors in Music in Voice and Songwriting

-Started ballet again at Berkeley Ballet Theater

-Parted with my therapist

-Arooj Aftab at the Palace of Fine Arts

-My first season of weekly rehearsals singing with the Free Key Choir

-Kyle Abraham at the Zellerbach Theater

-Gregory Porter at the SF Davies Symphony Hall

-Sam Smith open at the Castro Theater

-A local production of ONCE the Musical at the Berkeley Playhouse

-Finished my mentoring year with my student Talula and saw her Social Justice & Performing Arts Thesis

-Admitted to Berklee with a Scholarship !!!

-Called an estranged friend after 4 years of not talking

-Visited my cousin in LA and got some revelatory fashion guidance. Realized that spending money on clothes that make me feel confident and expressive is actually really life-changing.

-Wanted a boy that was crushing on someone else. UGH part 1, it sucked

-Visited Berklee in Boston and ultimately decided to turn the program to make space for my own artistic instincts

amazing school... but i have more exciting plans in the unknown

and I got to be with Belinda and Sovi (+Pauline) in New England!

-Fell really hard for a boy that was off-limits but imo the signals were a little mixed !! Whoops, this one fucking hurt.

ransom notes with my sister & her girlfriends after the heartbreak... i fall way too fast >:|

cried outside in the sun basically a bajillion times >:D

-Tried vertical dance with Bandaloop (way too hard on my spine!! Had to stop)

-Taught 3 Feldenkrais series in Oakland, and still going!

-Joined my 2nd Acting Class at Berkeley Rep Theatre

-Started wearing glasses and MAN, is it nice to have this option

-Started making real tangible friendships in my Choir <3

hot pot night, one day among many with these heartfull, smiling angels

-Started private music lessons with my Choir Director, Derek

theory lessons outside with Derek's dog, Wanda

-Started private voice lessons with a voice teacher from the SF conservatory... great guy =)

-Yebba at the Fillmore

Me & George in front of Yebba's tour bus, lol

-Ana Roxanne at Cafe Du Norde

-Started buying myself bouqets to celebrate my small wins and commiserate my small losses

-2 weeks of Feldenkrais study in Michigan with my favorites, Ohad and Ami

-Had a huge somatic and identity breakthrough!!!!! Appreciating me for me!!!

-Free Key Forever Concert weekend with my Choir!!! One of the best weekends of my life!!!

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/bfb569_28ada6f88d1845ef815b9f3f708c94a0/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Best. Weekend. Ever.

-Ariana Grande at the Oakland Colliseum

-Searows at SF Independent

-James Blake at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, BEST concert of the year

-8 days in Michigan studying Feldenkrais

-Fell in love FINALLY with someone who was available and totally amazing to fall for

-New sexual expressions and embodiments developed/ing...

-Some revelations in self-acceptance, learning my rhythm for rest, appreciating myself for my delicacy and knowing when I need to push the brakes at any moment

-Went to a rave in SF for Pride, didn't really like it... sorry Shasha!!

-Overcame a huge fear and shaved my beard for the first time in years... left myself with a mustache... which I LOVE!!! 

wow <3 🥺

-Took on some private Feldenkrais students again after a long break from the practice

My Feldenkrais lab requires many little props =)

-Saw my little niece Harper's first dance recital (she was amazing!!)

-A short contact improvisation intensive that helped me realize how much I've changed in my preference for dancing

-Sang with Free Key at the Grace Cathedral in SF

-An 11 day trip to Montreal to see the lover I fell in love with, only to discover with him that we would be better off not dating anymore </3 ... but Montreal is a wonderful, wonderful city and I had a great time

reading next to a lover is a special thing

-Cried at a Richard Avedon's Portraits of Aging at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The musicians had the softest faces

Chet Baker, taken by Avedon

-Started to talk with Dad regularly about dating and my dreams as an artist

daddy and me at the grace cathedral show

-And so much letting go... <3 ... so much letting go ...