Hi friend,

You're not going to believe it, but I was shockingly on time for my 9AM flight to Dublin this morning. To the point where I am now leisurely drinking coffee and while I (start to) write today's email.

I get to kick it in the land of Guinness this week, one last 2017 work trip for an EMEA-wide Women's Leadership Day event. Always assumed Ireland would be magical at Christmastime--I promise to get into some charming shenanigans if at all possible.

In between hunting for leprechauns, it's gonna be a week filled with professional small talk with colleague-strangers and holiday party banter.

Hi friend,

It's snowing in London. I'm sat at my favorite bar drinking a cappuccino--a place from which I am oft writing you this email. I'm watching big fat flakes fall from out wall-to-wall windows.

The vibe is so good.

And it's topping off a really good week in general.

First: I got really famous at the day job holiday party because I pulled out my best party tricks--see pic below. People are now interested in wearing my merch around the office. (Is it too on brand for me to say I am doing absolutely nothing to stop that from happening?)

Darling friend,

I'm packing for Berlin tonight. I'll be there from tomorrow through all weekend. It's going to be freezing and dark and, in the world's least shocking news ever, I'm going to love every single minute of it.

I'm almost a year on from packing up my life in the German capital, and I still sound like a broken record every single day saying I'm feeling 'not quite settled yet' here in London.

Trust me when I say I'm trying to figure it out, for both our sakes.

But, actually, as soon as I've written that sentence -- that I'm really "trying to figure it out" -- I know I'm in trouble.

Because what does "trying to figure it out" even mean? What decision am I even trying to make, for that matter? Do I actually want to go back to Berlin? Am I just being shit at making this situation work? Is the grass always greener? What do I actually want, and how do I get it?

And how long is long enough when it comes to making decisions about big life stuff?

Hey friend,

5:57AM in London. I've been up for a while. My California jetlag seems to have come in delayed-release-capsule format, apparently?

Oh well. I've got my cup of tea made, and I figure we can hang out while the sun comes up. Which is good, because I woke up thinking about timing.

About how we create deadlines for ourselves. About how we invent arbitrary periods of time for things.

- You should be engaged for 10 months.
- You have to stay at this job for at least a year.
- You can't become a manager before 30.
- You shouldn't be unemployed for more than four weeks.

^ These are all made-up numbers, but they sound kinda... right, don't they? Because they all sound like something you've probably heard before.

"I've gotta get to sleep, it's getting late in India."

That was 8:35AM California time yesterday morning.

I was on Messenger with my friend and collaborator Luiza, a Brazilian singer-songwriter who's teaching in a university there for a bit. We were talking through marketing logistics for #MeninasDeBerlim, a series of music videos and interviews she created (and is now launching this week) with female musicians in Berlin.

Each of the six artists shot an interview, one original tune, and one Brazilian duet with Luiza. And I'm one of them. 👋🏼