Minimalist apartment emergency sandwich.

I am adjusting to living in a new country and beginning a master’s program; three things I highly recommend if you’re looking to increase your credit card bill and/or write a confusing email about furniture.

I forget to eat a lot so I decided to meal prep*

*make a sandwich at night for the morning & set it next to the coffee so I have to eat it cause I will forget to eat otherwise then it’s suddenly 2pm and I’m shaking worrying about where all the yucky stuff goes after toilets flush all over the world.

My cat hid behind the refrigerator for 2 days. I love my new apartment, and I wanted so badly to make it the Pinterest aesthetic I had saved (by that, I mean have things match), but now the fridge has cardboard stuffed into the side and I can’t open the freezer very far. My interior design plan has morphed into “what rug is cheapest?” from my new favorite store, Poundland

I’ve always thought this looked organized, but in retrospect, it looks sad.

I was into minimalism for a while, but I kept failing at it because it’s unrealistic. I try to tell myself that I didn’t fail; it’s just not possible for a home to never look lived-in when humans and animals are living in it. We aren’t meant to live in museums. I did the Marie Kondo purge so many times I found myself in a couchless studio apartment with only 3 pillows and a spoon.

I really did, and still do, want my home to be clean 24/7 and have nothing on the counters, but that isn’t really possible for non-influencers.

On TikTok (rip) there was a trend of “clean girl aesthetic” beige apartments. So much so that one influencer sued another for stealing her beige aesthetic.

Taralynn, Brethealyn, Samathyn, I know you aren’t happy trad wifing inside a khaki utility dress. You want to feel hope and warmth and fleece. You don’t truly feel peace sitting on a concrete doctor's office chair with perfect posture in crisp jeans with no TV to stare at, just sitting with your thoughts and staring at the 1 singular gold plate hanging on your all-white wall?

But what do I know, RIP TIKTOK.