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weekly retro: touching grass

ah, it's the last weekly retro of march. it went in like a lion and out like the trailing cough i've had for the past two weeks. april should have fewer coughs and more spreadsheets as i prepare to launch bugs rock.

photo of me in the park wearing sunglasses and looking super chill

i went into the week with the intention of setting and working a 4-day work week. it's really important for me to set boundaries and intentions to promote work/life balance and not lose my love for art and candles, but it's very hard to set a hard stop when the work is really fun right now. i will thank myself in the long run, for sure. this week had a lot of coding, site deployment, dns nonsense...basically the paperwork of web development. i'm so happy with how the site is coming out, though.

photo of a cutting mat on my desk and on it i am wicking "egg yolk" like candles. i have a little hand drill and an awl, as well as a small candle that i'm using to heat the tools. everything is on a page from the sunday comics to protect the mat

there was plenty of wax melted last week, too. there's something therapeutic about making things with your hands directly. the tools i use are a bit crude but i learn how to make due so that when i have the opportunity to upgrade, i'll immediately sense the growth and feel accomplished.

photo of my desk with a sheet of sticker labels of pumagreg and the bugs rock brand that are on a couple matchboxes, next to them is a box of "blank" matchboxes

if i'm not melting wax, filing paperwork with the state, coding the website, photographing products, or creating and managing spreadsheets, i'm doing design work and putting labels on matchboxes. it takes me back to my freelance web design era in the 2000s where i was designing, coding, photographing...everything. it's a lot of responsibility and can get overwhelming, but it's very fulfilling.

photo of 8 tins with melted wax and wicks i had just poured. they're on a cardboard box lid in my kitchen

pretty last minute in the week, i decided it would be best to include a standard scented vessel candle in the first collection at launch. it's been awhile since i did vessels and fragrances, so as i'm typing this there's some burn testing going on. this absolutely is causing a delay on the store launch, but i think it will be worth it and i love that i'm able to make that call.

photo of the gym treadmill and you see me in the reflection. i had done an hour of interval incline walking for 3.35 miles on wednesday

i have been thinking a lot about changing my workout routine in april, as getting sick last month got me off routine which is an opportunity for a reset. i've been reading about heart rate zones and the numbers as i'm working out show me that i'm definitely not on whatever line of regression is used in these chartes. i guess i should ask my doctor if they'll administer a cardiac stress test. sounds expensive (american).

photo of the sky at the park. the sky is huge and the clouds are plentiful, and the sun is peeking out a little bit from behind them. it's quite majestic looking

saturday was a high of 78F and we went to the park like everyone else in the city seemed to do. at around 5pm a cold breeze hit and the temperature instantly dropped 15 degrees. it was hilarious to see, and be among, hundreds of people fleeing back to the streets and the reality of late-march weather. it was nice to feel what is soon to come and to literally touch some grass.

things i enjoyed this week

  • the 4th edition of html review is out!
  • the vodka rigatoni at the new just friends in jersey city is so good. so was the burrata. i wish they were located somewhere that got more foot traffic for their own sake, but i'm happy they're here nonetheless.
  • spellling's new album is out! i listened to it on the treadmill today and really loved it - you will too if you enjoy kate bush, deftones, and/or lighting candles in the dark and thinking about how even though you have the power to manifest ill upon your enemies, you choose not to because you're even more powerful than anyone could imagine.

this is a big week. i'm going to a figure drawing session (i just got an email confirming there's a spot left for me 🥹), a party, and i'm seeing deftones + the mars volta + fleshwater! i sense that i will be approaching the next retro, and the month of april overall, carrying lots of inspiration. i hope the same for you as well, jenn nation.

xoxo jenn

this was published March 31, 2025 under living art working weekly-retro jersey-city gym candle-making

weekly retro: despite the haters (germs) i'm back

coming off of being pretty sick last week and then continuing to heal from that *whilst* starting my period - yes, that keeps happening for some reason - i was starting to doubt that i had anything to even write about this week. that's when it's time to just start typing what i'm thinking.

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trying to learn to enjoy markers

happy 311 day. let's (breathtakingly unrelatedly) talk about markers. the first set of markers i ever remember owning and loving were the 'bold' crayola marker 8 count. i was reminded of them this week as i was trying out some markers that came in the latest upcrate box - a subscription i discovered over quarantine and just picked back up after a couple-year hiatus. in my last figure sketch post, i talked about how i don't really like alcohol markers.

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weekly retro: are there brokers in the ocean?

i'm just coming down now from a heightened state of agitation, caused by only just realizing at 5pm that daylight saving time ended while we were asleep. imagine the clock saying 5pm and your cat is not screaming for food and treats, it's *terrifying* lol! fortunately, pumagreg is fine and, as far as he's concerned, getting an early dinner.

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making custom matchboxes

one of my favorite parts of buying from artisans directly is that there's always some surprise, personal touch added to the package - like a free sticker, candy, or a handwritten note. to me, it's proof of care and craft, and that's very important in this era of rampant ip theft and stealthy drop-shipping. as i work towards opening my own art and candle store later this month, i have been thinking as much about shipping as i've been melting wax and swirling paint. with candles being my primary ware, i thought it would be fun to include a custom matchbox with orders. i did a test run last week to give out to visitors over the weekend and they were a huge hit.

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weekly retro: three teens in a trenchcoat start a business on their period

i'm sitting here groggy, swollen and sore after a very poorly-slept night - a signal of my period starting any second. but it's hard not to feel invigorated about this week after seeing the next few days' forecasts having temperature highs in the low-50s after a very frigid and windy couple of weeks. time to crack open a window and finish this blog post. but first, a rorschach test...

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making butter (kind of)

happy valentines day, a good day to share a recent, small labor of love i did for a dear friend of mine. lisa and i went to college and lived on the same floor. when i got a remote job, she helped me find a new place in jersey city and so i've lived within a couple of blocks from her ever since - for over a decade now. if you've been to jerseyscript you may have had the pleasure of meeting her. lisa has a lot of style and her home has a lot of nice things that i like to touch and ooh and ahh at. one of those things is a ceramic piece of toast with a little butter candle by collin garrity.

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