This Unquiet Mind

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Kristen Martin

An Object of Affection

My little boy has written me more love notes than all my beaux combined. They end up buried in piles of stuff on my bedside table, or the top of my dresser where I plop half-worn clothes, or the side of the desk where I work. I don't think I've ever discarded one.

Weekly Journal 5.18.26

Tragic stories, death-based comedy, and hiking

A Spring in Our Steps

We've leaned hard into the habit of driving to school; it always felt necessary amid a pattern of rushed mornings, when I don't even have time to make coffee until butts are in classroom seats. But I've realized just how easy a jaunt it is.

Weekly Journal 5.10.26

Gardens, omelets, and Jon Batiste

My New Toy With a Combustion Engine

I still think rampant consumerism is a scourge, but here I am with a new 2021 car in my driveway, having traded up from a 2020 version of a similar model. This probably wasn't a financially wise choice.

Weekly Journal 5.3.26

Prada, orzo, and the never-ending cold

Perfect Northwest Moments

Ferries and sailboats went about their business. Fish-and-chip shops beckoned with their smell. Happy tourists and families crowded the boardwalk, so many of them holding ice cream cones that I noticed one of the shops had a sign explicitly forbidding ice cream in the store.

Weekly Journal 4.26.26

Seattle, chicken, and reading books at the bar

All the Wholesome Families

I feel the sting of failure when I see glimpses of other families doing the wholesome stuff that, I’m convinced, leads to healthy, socially responsible children.

Weekly Journal 4.19.26

Anti-fascism, brownies, and Eels