Hello again
Sorry for the delay - I've been existing in 2025.
It’s been a minute since I’ve been in your inboxes!
I’ve been existing in a corporeal form in our present reality and sometimes that really takes it out of you. I had something ready to be published at the end of March, but decided I didn’t want it on the internet forever. Everything doesn’t need to be talked about*!
This is a fun creative outlet for me, but ultimately it’s not that deep and the deadlines I put on myself are imaginary. Giving myself the permission to push back the release date of my online diary was a delicious treat and I’d rather say nothing than post something on the internet that I can’t take back.
The phrase that begins Zadie Smith’s novel Swing Time has been my personal mantra ever since I read the book in 2017.
When the music changes, so does the dance.
This phrase has swirled around in my brain for years but it’s been stuck at the forefront of my mind for the last few weeks.
I cannot control the playlist of 2025, but I know I’ll be okay. I’m an excellent dancer.
March and April Book Reviews
Here: 5 stars (Nominee for the Golden Martini for Book of the Year)
What I liked about this book: This graphic novel was stunning and there were probably only 2 paragraphs worth of dialogue throughout the whole book. I immediately read it again once I had finished it and I loved seeing all the details I had missed the first time through.
Who I’d recommend this book to: anyone who has ever wondered what a place looked like before urban development; anyone whose house feels like a member of the family.
Medium of the book: Hardcover, borrowed from the library. I will eventually buy a copy of this book because I want it on my shelves forever.
Judging a book by its cover: Inviting and intriguing. I like it.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder: 4 stars
What I liked about this book: This book read like fiction, but is incredibly true. I’m not fond of non-fiction usually but this is one of the best I’ve ever read because of how captivating and well-researched this book is. I would assign this book as summer reading if I were a world history teacher.
Who I’d recommend this book to: anyone who ever did a semester at sea; anyone who wonders about how accurate history is; anyone who’s ever romanticized a life at sea; anyone who is stubborn and needs to learn that sometimes it’s okay to give up on things.
Medium of the book: a hardcover that Steph bought for me from a very cute bookstore! What a perfect day and I will treasure this book forever because it reminds me of it.
Judging a book by its cover: Accurately describes the vibe of the book. Whenever I see art from this era of history I just imagine what everything must have smelled like and it makes me thankful to exist when I do.
Rejection: 3 stars
What I liked about this book: The first two chapters of this satire were so good, but it really lost me after that. I had to stop listening to this book several times so I could scream because the second-hand embarrassment was too much for me. The ending made me roll my eyes because it was so self-indulgent.
Who I’d recommend this book to: anyone who enjoys cringe media; anyone who desperately needs to get laid.
Medium of the book: audiobook
Judging a book by its cover: Fine. There’s nothing much to it.
Lonesome Dove: 5 stars (Nominee for the Golden Martini for Book of the Year)
What I liked about this book: THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Every character in this book had depth. They felt like real people and I missed them as soon as the book ended. Even the horses had character development! My favorite character was Hell Bitch the horse. Hell yeah. Hell Bitch. I loved you the most.
This book was 858 pages long and is one of the longest books I’ve ever read. I will treasure the paperback copy I have of it because it was my travel companion for several iconic trips. I started this book on a trip to SF when we gave glory to Gloria (RIP legend). I finished this book during Crista’s wedding weekend. A lot of life happened while reading this book and those memories have soaked into the pages.
Who I’d recommend this book to: people who like character-driven stories; anyone who ever wanted to be a cowboy; people who like Stephen King books (this is his favorite book).
Medium of the book: paperback
Judging a book by its cover: I love the burnt red color of the spine and the photo of the cowboys on the front. I would stare at them when taking breaks from reading and imagine what characters they were.
Dark Horses: 5 stars
What I liked about this book: This book is written by one of my former bosses. Mr. Hancock owns the farm I worked at in Kentucky. He is a famous storyteller and I’m so happy he wrote a book to compile all of his stories in one place.
Mr. Hancock has lived many lives and has been one of my role models since we met in 2014. He has crossed paths with so many people (I’m glad his story about Queen Elizabeth’s mother made it in the book) and I feel lucky that one of the paths he has crossed has been mine.
Who I’d recommend this book to: anyone who can read a book with a Kentucky accent in mind as that is the best way to enjoy this book, in my opinion; anyone interested in American horse racing history; anyone who has ever worked at Stone Farm.
Medium of the book: paperback
Judging a book by its cover: Love it. I am positive this photo was taken on the farm because I was lucky enough to see beautiful images like that on a daily basis when I lived there.
Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert: 5 stars (Nominee for the Golden Martini for Book of the Year)
What I liked about this book: This book made me laugh out loud and taught me more about the Underground Railroad than I ever learned in school. I would include this in the curriculum in the universe where I’m a high school American history teacher. The only other book I’ve said that about it Demon Copperhead.
Who I’d recommend this book to: every American in 2025.
Medium of the book: audiobook! Highly recommend this medium. Bob the Drag Queen narrates it themselves and it was a great listening experience.
Judging a book by its cover: I think it’s fine.
My Favorite People’s favorite things.
I love the Celebrity Shopping lists on The Strategist and the “10 Essentials” videos on GQ’s YouTube channel. I think you can learn a lot about people based on their favorite things. This recurring segment highlights some of My Favorite People’s favorite things.
I can confidently say I’ve read over 15,000 applications at this point in my career. None of those applications ever said, “I have wanted to become an admissions counselor since I was a child.”
The admissions office is full of people whose lives have taken interesting turns. Amongst the coworkers I’ve had over the years, I’ve shared cubicle walls with people who in their past lives have been:
a Chilean ballerina
a 49ers cheerleader
a FedEx manager
a gymnast
a bank manager
an army veteran
an elementary school teacher
a vacuum salesperson
And then there’s Pete. Pete, who got into international higher education because his gig as a drummer on a cruise ship got postponed. And that’s the least interesting thing about him!
Pete is a ray of sunshine in human form. There are few people who I think make me look like a rain cloud by comparison, but he is one of them. His kindness and warmth are so bright that it takes people a beat or two to realize, “wow, Pete is really just that nice.”
Developing a friendship with him has been an unexpected gift, especially since we’ve been located across the state from each other the whole time. He is one of my favorite people to see on campus when I’m there and I always savor our walks from my hotel to our office.
Although Pete and I work in the same department and work together often, we have very different experiences when we’re traveling for work. While I’m speaking to hundreds of students in high school cafeterias throughout Southern California, he’s on live TV in Shanghai.
Pete is moving to Southeast Asia soon because he’s cooler than all of us and I’m going to miss him very much. I’m so glad our paths crossed in the wonderfully weird career field we found ourselves in and I’m so glad he agreed to be a Favorite Person.
Please enjoy Pete’s Favorite Things in his own words:
Peloton: As a fan of being needlessly overdramatic, peloton changed my life. I’ve been a long time distance runner and cyclist but, with two young kids at home, it was no longer possible to be gone for two hours at a time every day. Enter peloton! It’s the only exercise I’ve found that provides the same level of challenge, comfort, and training as free running/ cycling outdoors. Peloton has allowed me to be more present at home without sacrificing exercise habits and routines. I’m literally writing this post while on my peloton. (Team Matt btw)
the Stuff You Should Know podcast: Looking for a new podcast rec? I will talk endlessly about this show to anyone that will listen. The hosts present on various topics spanning genres and do so in a light-hearted and (most importantly) dad-jokey way. If you’re looking for a good place to start, I’d recommend one of their most recent episodes: Ken Philby: Greatest Liar of All Time
Garmin: Another fitness related shout-out and without a doubt an accessory that would be included in the Barbie rendition of Pete Smith. My partner (Thu) gifted the Fenix 7x Sapphire Solar watch to me a few years back and I think I’ve worn it religiously every day since. This bad boy has it all. Sweat loss estimate? (Gross) Average stride length? (Nice) Average vertical oscillation? (Unnecessary). The amount of data this watch collects during workouts makes post-workout recovery that much more exciting.
Nugget: A local (NorCal) grocery chain, roughly equivalent to a Whole Foods. A visit here is one of those small mundane errands that sparks joy for the whole family. Everyone has found a different reason to look forward it — for me: the snacks, for Thu: fresh, locally-sourced foods, Charlie: the bakery, Audrey: the attention she gets for being a baby. I’ll take the kids to the Nugget breakfast hot bar weekly as part of our Saturday morning routine. Food rec from our 3 year old: breakfast bar French toast.
Davis, California: Our family moved to California, sight unseen, from South Korea. We had no idea where to even begin looking for homes. Fortunately, we love the city we landed in, Vacaville. However, I remember the day we just happened upon the city of Davis on one weekend excursion. It blew our minds. We loved everything about it: the youthfulness, the small-town feel, bicycles everywhere, the number of young families, great food options, farm animals(!), the list goes on and on. You can feel the sense of community the moment you arrive. Thanks to continuous recommendations from friends (shout-out to Alberto!), we often joke that we spend more time in Davis than we do in Vacaville. If you have never been, it’s well worth a visit.
Durian: Objectively the best food in the world. Durian is internationally infamous for being banned in taxis and hotels around Southeast Asia due to its fantastically pungent scent. It’s a custard-like fruit that comes in a weapon of a husk. Imagine if you crossed a watermelon with Bowser from Mario. That’s exactly what it looks like AND tastes like. It’s hailed as the “king of fruit” in Asia and for good reason. Want to give it a try? Costcos around California typically have them stocked in the deep-freeze dessert section, next to the ice cream. If that’s not telling, I don’t know what is.
Disney +: Disney isn’t making the list because I’m a die hard fanatic or anything, but just because it’s been a great weekend treat for the kids. It has also been a wonderful dose of nostalgia sharing some of my childhood favorites with Charlie and Audrey. Aladdin is a huge hit in the Smith house.
Libby: I can’t remember if it was Alberto or Jessica who originally turned me on to Libby but it has leveled up my book completion rate like no other. It’s an app that gives you access to all digital books (audio and print) at your local libraries. Purchasing audio books was always outside of our budget, so being able to freely access thousands of titles at any time has been great for our wallet and also for increasing our literature consumption.
Mezzo: If I am working in the office in Berkeley, there is no question where I’ll be for lunch. I’ve been going to campus regularly for nearly four years now and I can count on one hand the number of times I ate lunch somewhere other than mezzo. The salads at this restaurant are out of control and could easily feed a whole family. Does that stop me from finishing one myself every time? Absolutely not. Champions don’t give up.
Amore Pacific botanical hydrating fluid: If you told me a year ago that a Korean skincare product would be on this list, I would’ve never believed you. But here we are. Thu runs a Korean cosmetics business and has always been encouraging me to take better care of my skin. I’m not going to pretend like I know what botanical hydrating fluid is, but whatever it does leaves my skin feeling fantastic post-shower. (Selfless plug for all of your skin care needs: smithtran.com)