The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent was a Summer in the Richmond District (May/June 2025 Roundup)

Double it and give it to the next roundup.

Jul 03, 2025

Wow, the fourth edition of Online, In The Flesh already?! Four may not seem like a big number, but it’s four times as much as I had posted on Substack in January... Anything is a celebration if you want it to be. This edition of Online, In The Flesh is a packed one. Sometime at the beginning of June, I still wasn’t done writing my May round-up. With the increasing amount of activism I was sharing on my Instagram, it didn’t feel appropriate to promote my Substack. Truthfully, I was feeling the heaviness brought upon us from the political and economic climate (Jaden Smith Moment). I try to keep things on here light-hearted, something of a positive time capsule. I look forward to being able to read these as time passes and remember the things I loved and the music I was listening to. I didn’t feel like I could deliver on that for May, so I thought I could take my time and combine May + June. The past two months have been packed with so many new memories, so in turn, I have a lot of musings to share.

Buffalo Exchange

I try to clean out my closet at least once a year. Anyone who knows me personally knows that this is no small feat. Typically, after deciding what will leave my closet, I sort them into three separate piles: 1. Donation, 2. Buffalo Exchange, 3. Depop. I prefer not to donate to charity stores, which may sound evil, but I promise there’s a good reason. The sad truth is, donating clothing is just delaying its path to the landfill. The majority of returned or donated clothing ends up incinerated or treated as garbage. Donation centers receive more clothing than they are able to put out on their racks, so I try to be mindful with what items I am donating.

I most recently brought a trash bag full of dresses and skirts to Buffalo Exchange, in hopes that my clothing will find a second life in a loving home. Unbelievably, they actually bought everything I offered besides five items–give or take a few. I never thought it was possible, but I sold nearly $700 in retail value of clothing to them. My actual cash payout was much lower, but nonetheless, it was still the most I’ve ever made from selling at BE. I used to live in sheer disbelief that it was worth selling to stores like Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange, Plato’s Closet, etc. Based on previous efforts, it would just give me a sore bicep from lugging around 20 lbs worth of clothes back and forth from my car, just for them not to buy anything. Summer is approaching, so it was the perfect time to bring in my dresses and skirts. Also, I think that I brought in many trendy pieces (trend cycles are so fast that things I once wore in college are trending again) that resonated with the average customer that shops at this specific location. There is a strategic art that comes with reselling clothes and I feel that I’m starting to understand it.

My Apartment Garden

I became a houseplant lover in 2020. I have multiple plants in my home that I’ve been tending to for almost five years now. The orchid that Sergio gave to me for our anniversary in December has been particularly beautiful lately. It caught my eye in May because it had a bunch of flowers in bloom and quite a few buds growing. Fast forward a month later, there were 12 fully bloomed Orchid flowers. I was captivated by the growth. I’ve heard these plants have a reputation for being temperamental, but this one is especially happy with where it resides in my apartment. The flowers continue to bend towards the sun that coats the living room.

Beets

I see beets as the most beautiful vegetable. I love how the entire plant, greens included, are edible and delicious. I love how the vegetable itself is such a rich, deep, purpley-red shade and the way it stains your fingertips almost fuchsia. A large bunch called my name from a farmer’s market stand. They asked me if I wanted them to trim the tops before I took them home. I was taken aback imagining how many beet greens are most likely discarded at the farmer’s market. Next time I’m there, I might try to ask for the scraps if they’re going to get rid of them anyway. I challenge myself with using every part of the beet, including reusing the water it took to boil it. Most recently, I made beet salad, sauteed beet greens (with mushrooms), and used the water to pickle onions.

Crochet Bonnet

San Francisco famously doesn’t see its warmest days until the fall, so I’ve been keeping my crochet bonnet in my frequent accessory cycle. My best friend Bridgitte made it for me; she’s brought to life many unique crochet pieces throughout our friendship.

Bandanas

One of the things I miss most about having hair past my shoulders is being able to wear it up whenever needed. Bad hair day? Just slick it back into a ponytail. Hot outside? Throw it up in a bun and feel the wind kiss your neck. Hair in the way while you’re cooking? Use a claw clip to keep tame. My hair’s currently at a length where I can’t even put it half up half down to suffice; it’s in follicular limbo. I’ve been wearing quite a few different bandanas to try to keep it out of my face. Currently in my rotation, there’s one with very thin white & blue stripes, one made of tan lace, and a classic baby blue bandana with red accents. Nine times out of ten when you see me wearing a bandana, it isn’t a style choice, it’s mostly to keep me sane.

“NEW HEART DESIGN” by Turnstile
“Disappointed” by Ivy
“Sunflower Seeds” by Orielles
“Greatest Hits” by Jockstrap
“Money Is Everything” by Addison Rae
“Pale Blue Dot” by Chrome
“LOOK OUT FOR ME” by Turnstile
“It Gets Easier” by Tanukichan & Wisp
“At The Apartment” by Tennis
“Little Green Apples” by Cleveland Francis

You can listen to my full playlists for May and June on my Spotify.

Imaginal Disk by Magadalena Bay

The first listen through to this album truly altered something in my brain. Alternative dance-pop music driven by indie synth – this album is the kind of music I would dream of creating myself if I had the talent to. My favorite tracks (to name a few) are “Angel on a Satellite”, “Death and Romance”, “That’s My Floor”, honorable mention to “Tunnel Vision”. I was immediately drawn to the alternative take on pop ballads, reminiscent of some of the slower songs from Charli XCX’s deluxe Brat album. This is truly a no-skip album.

Beatopia by Beabadobee

I first discovered Beabadobee’s music in 2019, when she was the opener for Clairo on her Immunity tour. I heard the song “She Plays Bass” floating around the 2019 ‘indie’ zeitgeist and became an instant fan after seeing her live (then grew to be a more dedicated fan upon learning she’s Filipina like me). Beatopia was the album that locked her in as one of my favorite artists. There was a time when this was one of the few albums I had downloaded on Spotify, so I would listen to it on a loop while on airplanes without tiring. My favorite tracks would have to be “10:36”, “Pictures of Us”, and “The Perfect Pair”. Her sound and her style resonate deeply with me. Although her most recent album, This Is How Tomorrow Moves, certainly hasn’t dethroned Beatopia as one of my favorite albums, she has been one of my most frequently listened to artists for years now. (Beabadobee was my #1 artist in 2023 & #4 in 2024.)

Visions by Grimes

I’ll admit, I do not know all the Grimes lore there is to know, but what I do know is that Visions is another no-skip album in my book. I know I’m a bit late to this considering it came out in 2012, but I was also 12 years old when it came out so at the time, I was definitely locked in with One Direction. The first songs from this album I knew of were “Oblivion” and “Genesis” which I think are both masterpieces. Other standouts for me are “Circumambient”, “Skin”, “Be a Body”, and “Symphobia IX (My Wait Is U)”. Every time I give it another listen through, I find a new favorite song.

Midnight Memories (Deluxe) & FOUR (Deluxe) by One Direction

Speaking of everyone’s favorite British boy band, Midnight Memories and FOUR are THE albums that shaped my girlhood. I became a student of pop culture long before One Direction. I was amongst the young girls first indoctrinated by the Jonas Brothers and the Naked Brothers Band. But none of these previous boy bands' music have held the same importance throughout my life as One Direction did. To this day, I still genuinely think these are great albums. Is it nostalgia? Maybe, yet it doesn’t make the feelings feel any less real. For Midnight Memories – “Happily”, “Through the Dark”, “Diana”, “Why Don’t We Go There”, I could go on and keep naming my favorites off of this 18 song album. My top two favorite songs by One Direction ever were on the album FOUR. Second is “Stockholm Syndrome” and first is “Fireproof”. I’ve been music-obsessed for the majority of my life, but for almost the same amount of time, I’ve been a One Direction fan.

Torches by Foster The People

I was introduced to Foster The People, like most, by “Pumped Up Kicks” on the radio in 2011. I was 11 years old. My dad was proud that I finally liked “real music" because we finally enjoyed the same song. That year for Christmas, or was it my birthday… My parents gifted me a Foster The People CD and tickets to see them in concert at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley. I don’t remember much about the concert, given my age, but the music still holds importance to me. Foster The People was my introduction to indie rock. A genre that has been a constant in my life since then. Upon relistening to the album to write about it, the beats were bright and ridiculous, in a sort of whimsical way. I remember “Call It What You Want" was once a favorite of mine; this time around the standouts for me were “I Would Do Anything for You” and “Helena Beat”.

Listen to my favorite tracks on my Spotify.

Style is not exclusive to New York or Los Angeles.

I spent a week in New York in May for a work trip. When introducing myself to someone new, I found myself having similar conversations.

Where are you from?

I grew up in the Bay, now I live in San Francisco.

Really? I thought you would be based in New York.

I’m aware that a part of the reason it's assumed I’m based in New York would be the company I work for. I too was surprised that it was based in San Francisco when I first found the role. I’ve experienced this same conversation in LA. When I reveal I’m not from LA and I don’t live in New York, I’ve received a universal sense of disbelief. A stranger sees a pixie cut, Mary Janes, and thinks, they look like they might live in Bushwick. I grew up in the Bay, I went to college in the Bay, I currently live in the Bay. I think the issue with this perception is not the people that are *actually* from NY or LA, it’s the people that moved to these places to build out the unfinished parts of their identity. Their proximity to style makes their taste carry more value to them—more than anyone else with the same taste that lives in an area they’ve written off as “random”.

San Francisco is my favorite city in the world and it has shaped me into the woman I am. The seed has been planted and my roots are laid.

On saying goodbye to your childhood pet

My childhood dog, Hanna, can be best described as an anomaly. She was adopted from a foster home into my family in 2009. I was 9 years old and my family’s only pet until then was a Betta fish. I didn’t even think having a puppy was an option for us. At the time, my oldest brother had recently left for college and over the years since then, he’s since joked that we “replaced him with a dog”.

She was surrendered to a shelter, her name was Wilma, she was then taken into a foster home where she got her name Hanna. We saw her for the first time at a Petco, being held by her foster mom. She was small-medium sized, short little legs, long torso, and a tail almost the same length as her body. We were told that she was a year old, Golden Retriever-Dachshund mix. An odd mix, yet she looked exactly like it (although how it happened, I’ll never be able to wrap my head around). When she was first taken in by the shelter, they examined she already had puppies, despite being a young pup herself. Her first owner used her for puppies then dumped her at the shelter. It was love at first sight for my mother, soon after Hanna became a part of our family.

If puppy shaped, why not acting like puppy?

Hanna was a timid dog. I remember one of the first times she went to our backyard, she hid from us in the bushes. She eventually warmed up to my mom, my brother, and I. To this day, she still was frightened by my dad even though they’ve lived together nearly her entire life. When I was a girl, she would sleep in my room in her little bed, until she was comfortable enough to sleep on my bed with me. Then she got too comfortable and would lay her head on my pillow sometimes too. There were times she was too stubborn and sleepy to make enough room for me in my own bed, but I wasn’t strong enough to push her to the side. She did not play like normal dogs, never in my entire life of knowing her have I ever seen her pick up a tennis ball with her mouth, let alone chase after one. She never played tug of war, and the high pitched sounds of squeaky toys’ scared her. BUT, she would get the zoomies, run around my parents’ grassy backyard and roll over for belly rubs. Hanna loved her stuffed animals, always having multiple in her bed at a time. A rattling pink elephant that was mine as a baby, a black and yellow striped fish beanie baby. These were her friends, she would leave them in places throughout the house but I never saw her carrying them in her mouth. The only evidence was the misplaced plushies. She slept with the tiniest 6 inch embroidered pillow that read “The Princess Is Sleeping”, another accessory that once belonged to me as a baby, passed down to my own baby sister, my puppy.

I am now almost 25 years old and I had to say goodbye to Hanna.

She wasn’t sick, but she hasn’t been the dog I grew up with for a few years now. I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this loss over the past few years, knowing that her age was increasing while her quality of life depleted. She was old, a grandmother. Her health complications, although none terminal, have been frequent since the start of 2025. Hanna lived a long 17 years (give or take), 15.5 of them being with my family, giving her all the rest and relaxation she deserved. I find solace in thinking she is now reunited in heaven with her puppies that were taken away from her all those years ago.

Graphic Designer or Writer?

When I started writing for Online, In The Flesh, it was meant to be more of an outlet for me to design more outside of my day job. Now, a few months in, I’ve really enjoyed the act of writing more so than designing. I’m a graphic designer by trade, I spend so much of my day looking at Photoshop and other Adobe programs. I’ve never claimed to be a writer, I think my qualifications are solely that I want to do it and I get it done. The common thread for me through designing and writing is the act of creation. Creating has and always will be my lifelong pursuit.

ONLINE, IN THE FLESH

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