• effort was made to make more updates… but not enough

• What should I do for the 100th Episode Special?

• Softball finally over :)

• Will post more apt pics soon

• Last weekend: Detroit with Jojo

• Two weekends ago: weird church, Yes Day™️, perfumes acquired

• Lots of cottaging coming up

• Recommendations: Dill pickle dip, Trader Joe’s Caesar Salad Dip, body scrubs, Michigan Summers

Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie: You've heard "Soul Meets Body," and "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" from this album, but this is a really great work of nostalgia that’s so atmospheric and you can almost smell the humidity. Take out the bassline and rolling drums and this would be devastating, but the song still has groove enough for it to be "summery" without the "dog days." This also supports my sunscreenless summer mantra.

SS26 - Charli xcx: Honestly at this point in the summer I skip this song. It's too repetitive. I also bore of the catastrophizing as if things couldn't be worse—it's often declared due to the political climate beamed into our handheld doom devices, but it lacks perspective. That is an essay for another day. Anywayyy, the driving bass steals the show here.

Walk Across The Water - The Black Keys: This song feels like putzing around a lake. It is not rushed, not in a hurry to end or transition out of the groove, which makes it so easy to listen to. The first listen to this song is as familiar the 100th, and there's warm invitation to sit in this song with a cold drink.

Baby Blue (feat. Oliver Sims) - SG Lewis: This is when I should have realized I was going to have a house music realization this summer.

Also Oliver Sims (of The xx) is one of my major musical crushes. A lot of that has to do with when I first listened to him (12-13 years old). He did a campaign with Dior Homme back in 2016 and my sophomore self was salivating. And before you ask, yes of course he is gay. What else would we expect?

Escapism. - RAYE, 070 Shake: I didn't know this was the girl from the "Where the Hell is my Husband" yelling. I really like the flow of this song: groove with storytelling, the breakdown with reverby bass, lower transposed melody and strings, return to the chorus, and then breakdown again, the drums come back for a moment, before a final new melody of a much more somber and surrendered tone. It mimics really well the kind of indecision and heartbreak with hedonist elements.

Someday We Will Dream About Today - The Sways: Me trying to cling to indie music this summer despite the house music/trashy stuff taking over. Unsuccessful attempt.

Back To Oz - Sufjan Stevens, Angelo De Augustine: representative of a weird mid-year reversion to Sufjan when I moved to MI. I think I was going for wistful but really it was just bumming me out. So I left it behind after a couple of weeks, but this song is one of his least depressing.

Trinkets - Ashnikko: credit to Olivia Leon, boys as trinkets on your keychain is so late-2010s "snacks" reference. Try not to nod your head to this beat, it's impossible. It's also a very bubbly production which I'm not usually into, but I think the unseriousness of the lyrics matches it well.

BEAT UP CHANEL$ - Slayyyter: “CRANK” and “OLD FLING$” are also favorites, but the last chorus and bass drop on this one is so yummy. Just channel some angst and get through it.

Best to You - Blood Orange, Empress Of: I never really know where Blood Orange's songs are going, in a good way. Also the background of this song sounds like the music in SimsCity Creator I had on my Nintendo DS.

Club Can't Handle Me (feat. David Guetta) - Flo Rida: "BOTTLES, MODELS" is a vocal stim for me. I started to venture into the height of 2010s pop/edm crossovers and realllyy getting into the development of playlists based on bpm. It's usually used for running playlists, but I was going for a conceptual DJ set list. If Nic of Nicolandria "Mommy, Mamacita" fame can do it, why the heck can't I?!

Baby Girl - Disco Lines: More house music :/ You know "No Broke Boys" by Disco Lines, but “Baby Girl” I could listen to on repeat.

That’s all for now,

xx AK

The month of August (and into September) always felt very “dog days” in DC. Congress is in recess. People escape the city for cooler climates and operate under a Summer Fridays mentality all week. The swampy heat is hated and taken for granted, noticed for how the humidity ruins our blowouts and makes us sweat through business casual. If you’re unlucky enough to stay imprisoned in the city, it’s basement apartments with the AC blasting, rooftop evenings with ice-cold overpriced cocktails, good friends, and laughter at the survival of it all. We have months to go, and life is really only starting. By the end of August, we are so back. I’ve known DC to operate on the academic calendar, and so the new school year productivity feeling (I’d buy you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils) comes like clockwork this time of year and breathes new life into the sedentary knowledge worker existence. There is still time to go to Jenni Bick, buy a planner, and turn this year around!

The phrase “dog days” of Florence + the Machine fame originally referred to the hottest, most oppressive stretch of summer, tied to the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. This period featured heat, mad dogs (?), drought, lethargy, fever, and bad luck.

So far, Grand Rapids is doing dog days more accurately. My friends are adopting dogs and getting covid, the sprinklers at the cottage weren’t working so the grass was brown, Piper’s neuroses are as strong as ever, and it’s going to be 90 degrees here soon (only 90 degrees, sorry Cam). GR feels wistful, guilt-ridden, and present. Summer is setting. It’s a from dust to dust we shall return slow march to the Noah-Kahan-of-it-all-winter. But it’s also a “how can I squeeze out every ounce of this fleeting season to store up for the hard days” sort of gratitude. It’s busy every weekend, cottage visits, pool during the week, walks in the evening, Jimmy John’s with friends season.

It’s only the beginning of August, so I’m not completely sure how this season will translate from DC to GR. Will I feel the surge of new school excitement at the end of this month, leaning into September with a new spring in my step? Will I hunker down at a Lyon Street Cafe to performatively read a new book, vision board on Pinterest on my iPad, but actually people watch for hours (with only 15 pages of reading to show for it)? The thrill! My timing for this is off since the new school (job) started in May, but maybe I’ll try out some other productivity measures. Is it the time I pick up a new hobby? Can a hobby be just having good taste?

People are already lamenting the end of summer and foreshadowing winter, skipping right over fall. They’re saying “Just you wait for winter,” or “Hope you can survive,” when I tell them where I’m coming from. They’re probably right. After all, I keep the seat-warmers on in the summer and love the oven of a hot car like a reptile under a heat lamp. Despite spending four years at Hope, this winter will come as a shock—like jumping into Lake Michigan after it turns.

But Grace told me she wants to do a Fall in Michigan list to get me reacquainted with true autumn: apple picking, color tours, apple cider donuts (to which I add chaider). To which Mallory would add that I have no excuse not to drink stouts with her. That made me excited. The seasons change, but the people don’t change, and I moved here for the people. And I can always sauna to get my reptilian fix. While fall can be the slow spiral toward the dark days, there is also much to revisit and rediscover. That perspective shift was important.

Just don’t forget your woolens.

• dense bean salad recipe

• vastly improved by chips btw

• Couple of weeks recap including CO trip!

• Excuses for not posting in a month

• Recent highlights: mom and piper are in town, softball success, understanding the benefits of carbs and other food advice

• Colorado story time! Flight luck, vortexes, and meeting Brody in the San Luis Valley

• The concert was amazing. Their first album was so great to hear live. I cried. It was 100% worth everything and y’all should all go to red rocks for a concert if you can it was so beautiful.

• Going outside guilt explained

• PNTD: Post Nail Trauma Disorder/Dysmorphia

• AK so EEPY

• APT new photos!

• Igelbacken Interiors is my inspo. Vibes is Scandi, Mid-mod, eclectic, girlie, colorful.

• Pendant lamp from Ikea

• Secret mask

• Camp AK recap! Photos below :)

• If you want to know the drinks we drank then you’re gonna have to ask Mallory.

• Other things I made for the weekend: Matt’s Dip, Flank Steak, Burgers, Brats, Pasta Salad, Asparagus, Pico,

• And major flop car troubles STORY TIME. Thank you Keith.

• So Help Me God book reference.

• egg bake recipe coming soon (I’ll do a separate post on it)

• What is Annual Giving and why am I in charge of it?

• Will watch Love Island this summer. Will follow up with reviews

• Tucker Carlson impersonations

• Devils Wears Prada 2 was SO BAD

• Past weekend review and upcoming weekend plans: hanging with the girls like it’s my job, meeting Grayson! Chilling on a boat like it’s my job.

• Church search continues

• first week of work recap

• “Can I Believe You” by Fleet Foxes from my Eternal Spring playlist and feedback requested on the prerequisites/criteria for eternal playlists. Ought they be “no skips” playlists?

• Spotify My Top Songs recap. Your girl loved Radioactive plus Easter Egg of AKs pop culture theory of everything

• Traffic norms in MI

• Later in the summer CO trip preview

• Back to first week of work recap: I like my boss and the team culture. Gotta get to Kate! And a lot to learn! Going to an event next week!

• Clanging of keys

• I miss not working tho :/

• New perfume rec from Emily! Up North by Pearfat

• Editorial Note: I wore my trial size of Dried Van Noten’s Jardin de l’Orangerie this AM and it was seriously the best smelling thing ever so I need to save up and buy it like so so good. So that’s my rec to y’all too.

• iced decaf grapefruit espresso tonic was ELIXIR

• Very boring general comments on my surroundings for like 2 minutes

• Rehashing my tan

• Moving saga

• “The dogwoods are dogwooding”

• Discussing Jojo once again

• My Secetaryuhstate lady named Poison

• Discussion of queer population in GR

• Lightning round recap of DC last weeks

• Starting work Monday!

• Death of Pon de Replay

• Jangling of keys

• Weekend plans

• recapping the glorious last couple of days

• Sephora haul coming soon

• They way I said “beef bulgogi bowl” has me ded

• Margarita mix

• Nails 💅🏼

I started writing notes for each of those songs, but each was just “Need I say more?” because they are so obviously nostalgic, yearning, hopeful, grieving. So instead I’m bookending my spring listening with a readthrough of my Spring 26 playlist. It’s pretty chaotic as it follows my listening from February until now. Some of these songs I skip now because they are too reminiscent of a too stressed/mean AK, but I think they’re still important to reflect on.

P.S. The contagion is spreading - Cam has her own Q1 playlist curated and added some thoughts. Go give it a listen (no shuffle).

Punching in a Dream - The Naked and Famous - This was aspirational when I added it as my first song. I wanted my spring to feel like this. At the time, it wasn’t shaking out that way. But with the new Harry album, fun weddings, new job, moving, etc., now life does feel like a 2010s coming of age film. I also just love the ~Boots Cats~ of the drums, so fun.

Ghost - Justin Bieber - Inspired to return to Justin after his Grammys performance

Paradigm - The Head and The Heart - I didn’t really listen to this album, but I’m glad this song came to me on Discover Weekly. Very different from their folksy sound.

today is a gift - Beowulf - I rewatched Kung Fu Panda this spring.

Whole Other Life - Nat and Alex Wolff - this new album is amazing. Go listen to it all the way through. Cam can attest.

Leaves - Stripped - Joe P - listened to this while scraping the glow-in-the-dark stars off of my ceiling while packing up my apartment.

Good Things Fall Apart - ILLENIUM, Jon Bellion - Still the only Jon Bellion song I like, sorry.

Particles - Nothing But Thieves - This was a top song of mine years ago. Very angsty, very depressing. I’m not really listening to this anymore.

^^^all of these songs are very winter-February-sad. Below is when spring begins.

Sea Lion - Feist - Things starting to shift right about here. Feist is obviously a Heated Rivalry add, I will not be taking questions at this time about it. Makes me want to go to the gym.

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine - MAJOR spring alert. Is there a more spring-coded song than this? Prove me wrong in the comments.

Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel - just transitions well from Dog Days to Kanye for some reason in my brain. I also think I heard this in a restaurant and needed it immortalize it for this season.

Lost In The World - Kanye West, Bon Iver - this is such a good album. This song is a masterpiece. “Let’s break out of this fake ass party” yes ye yes.

What the Hell - Avril Lavigne - she’s dating Tyga now?

Dying for You - Charli XCX - duh

Carla’s Song, Coming Up Roses, Taste Back, and Satellite - Harry Styles - You’ve heard enough from me about him. But listen to Carla’s Song and Satellite together. At the ends of those songs, he employs the same percussion transition to really great effect. The chorus melody is used as a bridge because of more syncopated percussion elements, but then he brings back the full chorus groove underneath without a change in the melody. It’s a good way to keep a phrasing intact: Satellite’s “Spinning out waiting for ya, to pull me in…” and Carla’s Song’s “I know what you like, I know what you really like…” And bonus, the song ends like butter—in the case of Carla’s Song, the album. It’s my favorite thing because it’s so simple. I think it may be his favorite thing too.

(Also Coming Up Roses as a first dance song…? thoughts?)

Gorof (Elixir) - Dur-Dur Band, Sahra Dawo - I just searched “Elixir” in Spotify and this came up. Pretty good too, and it does capture the feeling of a ice cold cheeky bevvy on vacay.

Elixir - Brooklyn Wind Symphony - also from the “Elixir” search. It’s nice to hear clarinets on display.

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire - The Black Keys - I have the softest spot in my heart for this band. Fun shuffle groove too.

Fences - Phoenix - You guys need to get on the Phoenix train, their old stuff from this album and Bankrupt! are so good.

DAISIES - Justin Bieber - belieber listening continued

Le roi Soleil - Miel De Montagne - I heard this in the bathroom in Le Dip during my last week at AEI, I asked Siri to shazam it, I am grateful I did this is a bop, very chilled out. And the French listening continues - Would Phoenix and Shane be proud?

Thanks for reading and listening, I appreciate any feedback or song recommendations you have.

AK

P.P.S. this is the stuff you get to do when you are on your second-to-last day at your job.

• This was recoded Saturday night sorry for the delay. You should defs listen at 2x I was talking sooo slowly.

• I said it was going to be short… it was not short

• Weekend plans

• Push - Ivers

• Calm Yourself Down - Jamie Drake

• Lots of tree commentary

• Link to house I love so much - https://www.westcoastmodern.ca/properties/lakesidehouse

• Watched Scandal

• I stayed at the party like 1.5 hours not 30 minutes

• I got the apartment in GR!

• Without Pon de Replay, what will my #1 song be this year?

• Tub Club recap

• Cherry Blossoms galore

• Telling AEI recap

• So sad to tell Sergio 😖

• Awkward encounters

• Logan conclusion

• Get this dress

• I’ll share my sezane haul too once it arrives

• Here’s that Noah Kahan song

• Casual insta IN

• Introspection is in for AK Spring 2026

• SO WINDY

• im breathing sooo LOUD in this im so sorry

• I GOT THE JOB IN GR! Associate Director of Individual Fundraising at Van Andel Institute

• Brown butter passion fruit chocolate chip ice cream

• Job story time - comment any questions I missed!

• May 11 Start Date

• Abby’s wedding was beautiful. And we served it piping hot.

• Sage break - I’m that girl

• I’m telling AEI tomorrow

• Bouvier dog pic below

• Filomena Italian is really good

• Rain dread

• Back to Harry’s Album. I can’t stop.

Other things I’ve screenshotted recently:

• “The clouds is out,” the weather is amaze, life is good. Live, laugh, love.

• Initial thoughts on Harry's album: “Taste Back” is my favorite song so far, but I will be convinced by others, I am sure. PLZ let me know your faves in the comments.

• Sage green car below:

• Other playlist concept I’m working on: Eternal Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Send recs.

• Other creative endeavors: get back into piano… in order to feel sane.

• I M A BZ B

• Logan date recap, but I will go on another!

• Thursday VAI Interview recap starts at minute 13 if this is what you’re here for.

• Weekend recap

• Epilogue that you can’t really hear, but I was on my rooftop hehe.

I recommend listening to “Lost in the World” by Ye (sry) today. Do it for no one else but yourself.

Some items covered:

• Setting the stage: SAD, shrimp, Rain, Umbrella as a main character

• A not-necessarily-recommended stress exercise. If you try it out, let me know.

• And yet she prevails. DC with lime, after-lunch tatte. “Iced decaf oatmilk latte,” “El Clúb” by Bad Bunny BLASTING.

• Featuring birds chirping and a satisfied sigh

• Weekend plans: Olivia bar yap sesh, packing, bridal shower, packing, packing.

• Update: Interview recap and moving on to the next round… in GR!

• “Every time I’m ready to slay, the circumstances want me to flop!”

• I commend to you Kung Fu Panda

• AK’sCrazyScheduleforthenext3weeks

• Good things come to those who are too busy to handle another thing

• Next Update: Logan situation, no updates… but I did text him last night at Silver Lyan with Olivia… but no updates…

• Cat intermission

  

• Very awkward interaction with the front desk guy at my building… “thwarted,” grumbling, etc.

• MY UMBRELLA CAME BACK TO ME! Epilogue.

Other photos that matter:

• mom surgery update: things going well!

• Codeine Cowboy Song

• Job updates

• Moving stress, busyness, etc.

• Wedding recap. Loved every second, photos below.

• Bender weekend recap

• Super Bowl party recap 👀

Sorry for the long one, it turns out I had a lot to cover!

I am now in Detroit, and hoping to fly back on Wednesday afternoon. We’ll see how that works out. My parents are currently stuck at the Detroit airport trying to get home, before my mom’s surgery on Wednesday. Send up a prayer!

• Back on dat hippocampus grind

• Flop era continued defs

• More job apps in GR

• Accurate predicting that I will be stuck in Detroit.

• Apt pics!!

• bloody nose always predicts major flop event I’m realizing (flight pod coming soon)

• This was recorded 1/7/26 btw

• good corepower class

• I didn’t cover this in the pod but during the class I was witnessing some people break into a car. It took a long time.

• Exposition of flop and existential dread.

• “Foreboding in my soul” direct quote from me.

• Exposition of period: shavasana making cramps worse?

• 2 great parking spots outside my apt to top it all off.