taking notes: april 2026

and also May too a little bit because that's how these things go

Hiiii May, hiiii Taurus season, hi to all!! I hope you all have been doing well. I’m doing lowercase g great, thank you so much for asking, and the passage of time continues to whack me upside the head.

In April, I celebrated my birthday, got a new job, was afflicted by allergies, saw some live music, wore polka dots, went to Chicago for the third month in a row. In May so far, I’ve seen two rainbows, cranked up the bird watching, eaten some juicy pear Jelly Bellys, and put off writing this newsletter because I feel like I don’t have a ton going on. My Merlin Bird ID app, bank statements, and step count beg to differ. Read on while I fight back on that by Sharing My Mundane and Goofy Lil Life! LYLAS and HAKA(Spring).

I’m so glad you are following me and I am aware that you may be hoping for at least one or two of my usual content bozo buckets: creative journaling (I have hardly picked up my Hobonichis in April), debt payoff/low buy stuff (I have spent a lot of money because I had to, then I wanted to). Road trip? I flew in an airplane (does a sign of the cross). The Artist’s Way? You and I both know I’m not finishing those last few weeks, lol.

This issue is not super juicy, but I do want it to feel like we’re just hanging out in the living room. I have no idea what I’ll end up writing about, but I’ve decided I need to start this off by talking about music. As Chance The Rapper once said, music is all we got (insert CTR ‘ahh’ noise here, and a smidge of Donnie Trumpet)

quick birthday trip to see Hayley Williams in Chicago with my fiancé’s sister :'-)

Ask your doctor if ego death is right for you —

In April, Eric and I got to see Chris Thile (of Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers in case you’re not about that life for some reason) rip some Bach on his mandolin. He is incredible! A MacArthur Fellow, married to a Claire, very funny. The show was 10/10. If you ever get a chance to see him play music in any capacity, highly recommend. We also went to Momma at The Momentary — they’re objectively A Good Band. I felt a little old (the whole crowd was giving 17-24) but NO ONE HAD THEIR PHONES OUT which we were both pretty impressed with. We did see someone taking pictures during the set with their Nintendo DS. The kids are alright.

Hayley Williams came out with one of my favorite albums of 2025, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, so when she released her 2026 tour dates, my SIL and I were all over it. I’ve seen Paramore a few times, mostly in the Olden Days (I picked up All We Know Is Falling from the Orland Square Hollister the week it came out in 2005, thank yew), but this was my first time seeing Hayley. She absolutely blew me away. I cannot stop talking about this album, and now this show… I just love her. She also makes me excited for my late 30s, lol. Getting to scream Parachute under the Aragon Theater stars… PLEASE. Picture this: your birthday’s in a few hours and Hayley leads you in a collective theatrical deep breath with a bunch of strangers and then you all get to sing “now I’m the one who’s gotta love me different-ly?” HELLO???? Immediate tears into my $7 Rest in Peach Liquid Death water. I’M IN A BAND, I’M IN A BAND!!!!!!

Released & listened to this month(ish):
LOST ON YOU // TIGERS JAW
JOY NEXT DOOR // THE MAINE
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE // KACEY MUSGRAVES
THE GREAT DIVIDE // NOAH KAHAN

Hovvdy is also releasing new music soon (they did! Get this out of the drafts), Phoebe Bridgers is like, around, Audrey Hobert is unironically a lyrical genius and I love her so much, and I’m going to see Tigers Jaw at the end of the month¹. I’m having a great time. Here’s what I’ve been listening to recently:

Last weekend, while out on the Meteor patio for a lil’ roommates (+Claire) evening, we went around and shared the first tracks on our Spotify DJ. Who do you vibe with? I want to go Seventeen Magazine mode, hold on —

First, choose a song:
A) Close to You - Gracie Abrams
B) Parachute - Hayley Williams
C) Silver Jubilee - Audrey Hobert
D) The Middle of Nowhere - Kacey Musgraves

Now choose another:
A) Go Away - Weezer & Best Coast
B) The Great Divide - Noah Kahan
C) Lost on You - Tigers Jaw
D) DAISIES - Justin Bieber

What are you drinking?
A) a frozen prickly pear margarita w/ salt
B) …a frozen prickly pear margarita w/ salt. idk pick your favorite letter
C) a frozen prickly pear margarita w/ tajin
D) a frozen paloma

What are you eating?
A) soup dumplings at home
B) a slice of pepperoni pizza
C) a slice of pizza with lots of ricotta, shallots, and peas!! hello spring!!
D) a burger and fries

Next, choose an accessory:
A) your bink water bottle bc hydration
B) a dad hat of course
C) a pack of cards. we’re playing CARDS
D) good sunglasses — you can’t even see my eyes

Okay, another song:
A) Always - Daniel Caesar
B) Pop - Harry Styles
C) You’re Still In My Way - The Story So Far
D) Nobody’s Son - Sabrina Carpenter

One more drink?
A) diet coke with lots of ice cubes
B) another marg!
C) diet coke with lime and the leftover tajin on the rim. just directly into the margarita glass
D) a g+t

RESULTS
MOSTLY A’S: Abbie
MOSTLY B’S: Antha
MOSTLY C’S: Claire
MOSTLY D’S: Caitlyn

Who’d you get? Share your results below.

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From the archives

taking notes: april (and a smidge of may) 2025

spending recap no. 17: it's not much, but it's honest treat-maxxing

It's April 2008, and you're in my digital diary (.txt document)

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Okay fine, we can talk about stationery a little bit

I think I’ve hit a wall, guys. I feel annoying mentioning I’ve Been Doing This For A Long Time! every four minutes, but talking about the longevity of my involvement in a hobby has proven to be important in the context of my personal narrative². I’ve just never been this LOCKED IN on a hobby for so long before. April marked ten years since I cracked open my first Leuchtturm1917. Weird as it is to say, there’s no Claire From Online without my journals.

That said, I’M IN A RUT! Again, or still. And it’s SO hard when this dang hobby is EVERYWHERE (or maybe not, it could just be my algorithm, after all) and I gained a chunk of followers by talking about paper, essentially. But either way, It’s almost like, the more journaling content I consume, the less I want to post my own? Even worse, the less I want to journal myself! I’ve been through a couple ruts before, but this one seems to have a little more kick to it. It’s kind of funny, too, because I am absolutely certain that picking up an actual forking journal would make me feel at least 80% better. So I should just Shut Up And Journal! Maybe that’s my theme for May.

I did ‘update’ my journaling ecosystem a little bit over the past few months just to feel something. I think I even went into it in my last post, but I recently picked up this beautiful leather journal cover from Jenni Bick (technically a birthday gift to myself) and I love it so much. Hoping for a long & loving relationship. *You can use code CLAIRE sitewide for a discount! <3

a post-work mocha moment on the Fayetteville square, writing some reflections on thirty three

I think, all that to say, it’s OKAY to take breaks. This is a hobby, there are no rules, it is not serious. “I didn’t journal all week and I’m beating myself up!!” …WHY?!? Kindly, I think it’s okay to say we all need to get a grip. Myself included!

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And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel…

• blinded by the sun rising over Lake Michigan at 5am (but it makes for a lovely start to a birthday)

• overwhelmed by thinking about my whole life all at once LOL

• the need to take a big walk (this time it was on the 606, and I got to meet a good friend’s baby!!!)

• like eating pastries (bialy at Mindy’s, Levain chocolate chip cookie, Ann Sather cinnamon roll)

In addition to getting to see Hayley, we also got to bop around Andersonville a little bit (and Tyler from Paper & Pencil gave me a little sneak peek at the new storefront!!! It officially opened yesterday and I can’t wait to see it in person!), eat some really good salads at Summer House, and I even got to hit up the Fashion Outlets near O’Hare with my mom. It was such a good mid-week fake-out weekend!

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On having a calling!!!!!!!!

After leaving my job as a school-based speech language pathologist last year, I spent this year as a school-based speech language pathologist (but through part-time and maternity leave contracts), and next year, I’ve accepted a position as a… school-based speech language pathologist!

I’m very excited. All positions have been different, and I’ve loved exploring the variety. Through my exploration, I learned about a position in a nearby district that seemed like a great fit, and once I got to meet the team, I was all in. It’s primarily SLP-A supervision, evaluations and report writing which is actually my bread and butter. Super manageable caseload, closer to home, more money, and some extra days off per month. The TL;DR on why I’m going back, if the above logistical items didn’t convince you, is that it feels good deep in my soul, and meaningful, and fulfilling, and when I thought about a legitimate career change, it just didn’t feel right. Yet.

Do I recommend going out of your way in 2026 to become a speech language pathologist from scratch? I don’t know. It’s complicated. Since I’ve already climbed the mountain that is This Specific Masters Degree, I’m not ready to switch gears completely. There’s something special about the cadence of a school year, building relationships with students, and getting to partner with families. Honestly, I surprised myself at how much I missed it. But I have a lot of love for my fake sabbatical year. It was so necessary and I am proud of myself for taking the leap and taking some time to Figure It Out. Now let me continue contributing to my teacher retirement, lol.

I have three work days left before summer, which feels fake, but huge if true. I’m sure I’ll work a few weekends at the nursing facility, and I’ll be slingin’ affiliate links all summer long, but other than that, we’ve never been on higher alert for CONES AT HOME.

Real ones know.

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Nice little segue into MONEY TALK. “I’m tightening things up around here!!!”, yeah yeah whatever, sure, likely story, heard it all before. But I just had a little ~admin day~ recently where I basically got caught up on paperwork, emails, errands, and bills. It was deliciously productive. I took fifteen minutes to address recurring subscriptions, etc. and made a little video about it.

i’m working on assuming positive intent, how am i doing?

My subscriptions & memberships at the current moment are as follows: a yoga studio (discounted), a pilates studio (…not), Cometeer coffee (quarterly), New York Times (discounted), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Spotify, and CapCut, though I think I’ll probably let that lapse in June. Then, of course, some BS Apple Cloud storage nonsense which feels fake, and Peacock. I just canceled a recurring order to Madison Reed because I was coloring my hair at home for the past year or so.

The other day, I canceled a subscription to Coconut Cult yogurt because it’s ridiculous and I admit that, paused my Nuuly for three months (just a break!!!), pushed back a L’Occitane order, and I think I did something else, I’m not sure, you’ll have to watch the video.

Over the past five years, I’ve also tried out Thrive Market (6/10), HelloFresh with discounts (7/10), AG1 (9/10 honestly), Seed probiotics (8/10) Oats Overnight (4/10), Book of the Month Club (8/10), and Audible (3/10), and had memberships to Sam’s Club, Peloton, and Club Pilates at some points in time. It looks ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS ON PAPER (or screen) to see it all together, and I realize that. You can tell me that you’re not down with a subscribe & save model or an exercise membership and you think it’s all stupid (I’ve never once Doordashed! Not once! Let’s talk about THAT), but you can’t pretend like you don’t understand that people DO find value in a lot of these things. Or, they just make sense for a moment in time, until they don’t. And then you adjust. I was chatting with a friend who shall remain nameless who told me, “I have more subscriptions than I could ever imagine. Just this morning I gave $30 to Scentbird. For what!!!”

And now I want to try Scentbird, because I’ve heard amazing things. I guess I can wait a few months. This may be a topic for the May post, but I’m on a niche fragrance deep dive, in addition to my niche ink deep dive. Actually, roll the tape!

Some things I bought this month

some of these are affiliate links! some are not.

• Ink samplers from Troublemaker and Vinta through Vanness - MOON RIVER?? HELLO???

• Pencil glass from Anthro for all my journaling desk mornings this summer!

• This sweatshirt that I’m actually pretty certain I talked about in March but I did purchase it on 3/28 or something. So cozy.

• Eric got me a jewelry box from Sezane for my birthday!! I love it so much.

• A polka dot skirt on sale from Anthro - I held off on the polka dots for so long, but I want this dress too

• FRUIT RIOT SOUR MANGO (they sent me a huge box in March and now I’m loyal)

• You all know how much I love my Kaweco Sport fountain pens. I find that they’re super approachable, fun, sporty… hey!, and I love Chucking Them In My Bag. They come in soooo many colors. I accidentally on purpose got two in April! I got the Macchiato from Jenni Bick (use code CLAIRE to save!) and one in Mellow Blue from Paper & Pencil (you can find it on JetPens here).

• Started reincorporating double cleansing with my beloved Neutrogena yellow facial bar. It is extremely helpful for deep cleansing and oil control, but can lead to some dry spots on my face if i’m too overenthusiastic with my use of it, so I only do it once every two days or so (I’m trying out the Dieux Baptism cleanser this month, and I really love that, too!) — I’m getting back into a true routine with both AM/PM skincare. I’ll share more on Instagram in the coming weeks, once I iron everything out! Very much in a Trying Things stage, and slowly, because of my sensitive skin: I want to be able to identify what’s giving me trouble if any issues arise.

I was also gifted some candy from BonBon — their jelly/marshmallow mix is GOOD. Will definitely be purchasing as a little gift in the future.

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See you very soon. Anything you want to talk about next time? Leave a comment below. Reminder that paid subscribers are always able to start threads in the chat <3

XOXO

Claire

1. at George’s in Fay, mind you!!

2. shoutout to my “roommates”