Welcome to KatiTok
Once upon a time, my Twitter bio…and Tinder bio…used to say something along the lines of “Chronically ill writer. 3x Grad student. Playlist curator.” And for a while, I was most proud of the latter on the list.
I’ve been in the top 1% of playlist curators on Spotify for years (((solely based on volume))), almost singlehandedly making sure The Wombats stay everyone’s favorite marsupials. Did you know they have cube-shaped poop? The animals, I mean. Not sure about Matthew Murphy.
This blog post is really just the soundtrack to my current season of life, and I update it whenever I’m in the mood. How often is that? Only time will tell…
The Words in My Head
Here’s a list of my most recent reads and what I really think about them, for better or for worse:
On Writing —Stephen King
Rating? 11/10
Finding another writer who thinks in parenthesis filled my heart with so much joy that I could explode, but this isn’t a book for snooty writers. Stephen admits that most of us have no idea where our best ideas come from, but our job as writers is to channel them with as much honesty as possible. Being a human is messy, and writing can be, too! I’m not one to re-read books or re-watch movies, but I’ll gladly make an exception for this book.
Literary Theory for Robots: How Computers Learned to Write — Dennis Yi Tenen
Rating? 9/10
I knew the study of AI dated back to at least the 1950s. I had no idea that some of the earliest algorithms, formulas, and templates for literature that heavily influenced ChatGPT date back hundreds and hundreds of years. It breaks my heart to see poor reviews of this book that call it too technical because the content itself isn’t complicated. I think some readers are psyching themselves out instead of paying attention to the story.
Counting the Cost — Jill Duggar, Derick Dillard, Craig Borlase
Rating? 7.5/10
This is a story that needed to be told and can help so many people, but in my most humble of opinions, the professional writer who worked closely with Jill & Derick sanitized their voices and personalities a bit too much. When I’m reading a memoir, I’m looking for authenticity. I don’t care that the commas, semicolons, and adverbs are exactly where they’re supposed to be.
Educated: A Memoir — Tara Westover
Rating? 3/10
The bones are there, but the substance is not. The ““memories”” (which are openly untrustworthy) are incredibly scattered and lack emotion. As the daughter of immigrants, education is a loaded phrase. It means the world to me, and this memoir just doesn’t do it justice. You know how our high school teachers said to “show, don’t tell?” This is the opposite of that. (I’M SORRY)
The Songs in My Heart
The link below will automatically start playing one of my latest playlists.
Feel all the feels, get a look inside my brain, and sing your heart out!
The Moving Pictures on My TV
Gotham
Rating? 7/10
It’s giving comic book cheese, but tastefully so, which is a REALLY hard thing to do.
Food Stars
Rating? 7/10
Gordon Ramsay…enough said.
The contestants can’t seem to figure out a single activity together as a team. It’s giving second-hand embarrassment and corporate cringe, but I just can’t look away.
The Incredible Dr. Pol
Rating? 6.5/10
I do love me some Michigan scenery and wildlife, and it’s neat getting a behind-the-scenes look into the world of being a veterinarian, but the stories aren’t always the happiest, so bleeding hearts beware!
The Flavors in My Kitchen
Look, I don’t know about you, but having to plan out three meals a day 7 days a week can be a living hell that has me reaching for Doordash more than I’d like to admit (Don’t worry, I tip well. I’ve been a driver and that was its own hell).
Here’s what I’ve been enjoying:
Mixed Nuts: I am, in fact, turning into my parents.
Cheeseburger Mac with a Twist: If I’m keeping it classic, I’ll throw in some onions for some extra flavor. If I want to mix it up completely, I swap out the beef for chicken, add feta, and a buffalo/ranch drizzle for DIY buffalo chicken mac!
Homemade Poke Bowls: Veggie sushi is my JAM, but boy, is it expensive. It’s a lot easier to throw sticky rice in a bowl with some avocado, cucumber, and bell pepper.
Owyn Protein Shakes: I just do not have it in me to cook every day. I wish I was that person, but I am so very not. These are the cleanest shakes I’ve found on the market. No filler, no dyes, no dairy, and top 8 allergen-free!!!
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter Caramel Coated Popcorn: Listen, I’ve been a certified peanut butter hater my whole life, but now, I’m a believer. *Cue Shrek and Donkey dancing. Not a bad way to end a blog, huh?
Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links, which means you get a discount for purchasing a product I know and love, and I get a small kickback in return that gets reinvested in the Gr8 Writing team! So, thanks for being pretty gr8 yourself.
