New Digs + New Routines

What I Brought + What I Left + What's Next

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

After three days and nights in my new place, “Project Golden Girls” is going better than I could have ever imagined. My brother from another mother lives in the front house. I live in the back apartment. And peacocks (originally from the LA Arboretum) strut around the neighborhood like preening, prehistoric drag queens.

In between my unpacking and his work schedule, my roommate and I have been hanging out, playing with his adorable dog, and binging new-to-me tv series.

Loot on Apple TV? Delightful.
The Traitors: UK on Peacock? Deviously addictive.

While I’ve done some literal unpacking (and more furniture assembly than I care to admit), it’s time to get down to business—the real unpacking. Not just dishes and clothes, but habits, patterns, and routines.

With every change and move, we carry a mix of who we were, who we are, and who we want to become. So here’s a little inventory—emotional and otherwise—of what came with me, and what (mercifully or intentionally) didn’t.

WHAT I BROUGHT WITH ME

1. Morning Caffeine = Still Sacred
   I don’t drink coffee, but I do love a good morning pick-me-up—usually a diet soda or an unsweetened iced tea. The ritual remains intact. The mug matters. The routine matters. These liquid kickstarters aren’t optional…they’re required.

2. Controlled Chaos = Creative Flow
   Yes, I brought three notebooks and seven pens—even though I mostly type. And yes, I still spread out across my desk like I’m prepping a limited series, not just answering emails. Creative minds need space. And colorful Post-its too.

3. My Inner Interior Designer
   One of the first spaces I set up was my home office, complete with favorite mementos and tchotchkes. I tend to nest and zhuzh. I curate vibes. Even surrounded by unpacked boxes, I need one corner that feels intentional and beautiful. It’s how I remind myself: this is home now.

4. My “To-Don’t” List
   I’ve gotten better at saying no, setting boundaries, and not apologizing for needing rest. That mindset packed itself into a metaphorical carry-on and showed up ready to stay.

WHAT I LEFT BEHIND

1. The Need to Be “Fully Settled” Instantly
   The Old Me wants every box opened and unpacked within 24 hours. Or less. The New Me says, “You just moved your whole damn life. Take a breath.” Perfection is exhausting. Imperfection is human and kinda wonderful.

2. The Closet of “Shoulds”
   I donated, recycled, or trashed a whole lot of silent shame: clothes I should fit into, books I should read, tools I should learn. Enough already. This new space is for the things I want, not the things that scold me from the shelf.

3. Performing Productivity
   I used to equate constant motion with value. If I wasn’t busy, was I even trying? But I’m learning to tell the difference between movement and momentum. I’m not trying to “earn” my new space with non-stop hustle. Sometimes sitting still is the most productive thing I can do.

4. Junk Drawers of Cables + Chargers
   Not everything has to be deep. Some things were just junk. Goodbye, mystery cords from 2005. May your tangled little lives continue elsewhere—preferably in someone else’s drawer.

IN TRANSITION = “I AM CHANGING”

A lot of things are still up in the air and undecided. Like whether I’ll make a new bedtime routine or let my inner night owl come out to play in this new zip code.

But, for me, this is the fun part. New space, new rhythms, new routines.

The truth is, every move is a chance to re-meet ourselves. A chance to decide what still serves us, what holds us back, and what actually sparks joy—or at least doesn’t suck too damn much.

So here I am: unpacked-ish, more than a little sore, but also very excited. I’m building something new—using materials from the past, tools from the present, and dreams from the future.

How about you? On your last move—physical, emotional, or metaphorical—what did you bring with you? And what did you finally leave behind?

Keep calm and carry on,
Clint 🌈✌️

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ON THIS DAY = JULY 18

BIRTHDAYS

• 1865 = Laurence Housman = English writer and illustrator 🌈

• 1906 = Clifford Odets = American director, playwright, and screenwriter

• 1908 = Lupe Vélez = Mexican-American actor and dancer

• 1909 = Harriet Nelson = American singer and actor

• 1911 = Hume Cronyn = Canadian-American actor, producer, and screenwriter

• 1913 = Red Skelton = American actor and comedian

• 1918 = Nelson Mandela = South African lawyer, politician, and Nobel Prize laureate

• 1921 = John Glenn = American colonel, astronaut, and politician

• 1929 = Dick Button = American figure skater and skating analyst 🌈

• 1933 = Jean Yanne = French actor and filmmaker

• 1937 = Hunter S. Thompson = American journalist and author

• 1938 = Paul Verhoeven = Dutch filmmaker

• 1940 = James Brolin = American actor

• 1940 = Lillian Faderman = American scholar, historian, and writer 🌈

• 1941 = Martha Reeves = American singer and politician

• 1947 = Steve Forbes = American publisher and politician

• 1950 = Glenn Hughes = American disco singer and actor

• 1950 = Richard Branson = English businessman and Virgin Group founder

• 1951 = Elio Di Rupo = Prime Minister of Belgium 🌈

• 1961 = Elizabeth McGovern = American actor

• 1964 = Wendy Williams = American talk show host

• 1967 = Vin Diesel = American actor and filmmaker

• 1969 = Elizabeth Gilbert = American journalist and author 🌈

• 1980 = Kristen Bell = American actor

• 1982 = Priyanka Chopra = Indian actor, singer, and producer

• 1982 = Ryan Cabrera = American singer-songwriter

• 1985 = Chace Crawford = American actor

• 1990 = Canelo Álvarez = Mexican boxer

EVENTS

• 1723 = Johann Sebastian Bach directed the first performance of his cantata Erforsche mich, Gott, und erfahre mein Herz in Leipzig.

• 1968 = Intel is founded in Mountain View, CA.

• 1976 = At the Olympic Games in Montreal, Nadia Comăneci became the first person to score a perfect 10 in a modern Olympics gymnastics event.

• 1986 = Aliens is released in theaters.

• 1989 = American actor Rebecca Schaeffer was shot and killed by Robert John Bardo, eventually prompting the passage of anti-stalking laws in California.

• 1992 = A picture of Les Horribles Cernettes was taken, which became the first ever photo posted to the World Wide Web.

• 1995 = Selena's album Dreaming of You, instrumental in popularizing Tejano music, was released posthumously.

• 2006 = Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack” is released as a single.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

• Nelson Mandela International Day

PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There is a popular fallacy that falling down is the mark of a poor skater. But the truth is that when one stops falling, he has probably stopped improving.”
Dick Button

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