Weeknotes: August 3rd - August 9th 2026

Disclaimer: It should be mentioned that Weeknotes are always a snapshot of the week itself and lack the fullness of life - as is the case with any personal blogging.

✨ Happenings

• Outside of the work week, I went biking more than last week, read my books, and played Dark Souls Remastered. Despite the smoky conditions, this was a fairly good week, even though I was inside more than I would like. I also received my Interim Professional Certification card in the mail and set-up my CBE account – things are moving forward splendidly!
• On Thursday evening, Avery joined Alida, Katelyn, and I for bouldering for a couple hours. Afterwards, Avery and I went to Kensington Pub for dinner (he was in the city for a few days and its always good to spend time with him).
• For Friday, after bouldering for much of the year, I decided to use my HSA's remaining allotment to pick up a pair of Tenaya Mastia climbing shoes from MEC and biked down to Bolder Climbing Community to try them out. They'll take some getting use to, but I can tell they'll set me up for success in the long-run.
• On Saturday, we celebrated Taylor's birthday (which is officially next week) by getting take-out from Tamarind Vietnamese Grill and Noodle House with the family for lunch. In the evening, so many of our lovely friends joined us at Sushi Hiro for a birthday dinner for Taylor. For desert, we went to Made by Marcus for ice cream and chatted at our place for awhile. I am so grateful for all the wonderful folks who made it and shared their company with us! <3
• On Sunday morning, Taylor and I went to Galaxie Diner for a lovely savory breakfast. In the late morning, Katelyn and I went bouldering (I got my first V4 in awhile). Afterwards, I played Dark Souls Remastered for the afternoon and made to the final boss.
• For reading, I finished Ellen Atlanta's Pixel Flesh: How Toxic Beauty Culture Harms Women and started reading Imogen Willetts' Up All Night: A World History of Nightlife and Pema Chödrön's Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion. As for video games, I continued playing Dark Souls Remastered and I have been getting fairly far into the game throughout the week (at the final boss)!

📷 Photos

👣 Taylor's Footnotes

• This week I really just want to share so much gratitude for my wonderful friends and family. It was lovely getting to spend time with everyone, and I am appreciative of Chance for bringing so many friends from different parts of my life together (missing of course many dear friends and family from near, far, and VERY far who could not make it). As my last two years at Pride have meant effectively skipping my birthday on the day proper, it was really special having this time with everyone. As I type this, most of my Sunday has already been spent working, and that will be my reality until September 6th. It's been an especially tough go this summer in some ways, though lighter in others. I am grateful for those who uplift me and make my days brighter. My heart is so so full from this weekend, thank you all from the bottom of my heart <333