James Chen

april: the month where I'm allergic to everything, my commute is a nightmare, and even Gerald seems stressed. also the weather keeps changing its mind

someone at the farmers market asked me for sourdough tips. I almost laughed. I almost cried. Gerald is the expert, not me

the garden is actually waking up and I'm not sure what half of those plants are but they're growing so I'm calling it a win 🌿

tax season grumbles incoming. why is April so stressful. allergies, commute chaos, sourdough failures, AND taxes??? too much for one month

finally got a sourdough rise that looked CORRECT. didn't take a photo because I was too busy being shocked it actually worked. proof or it didn't happen but also I'm tired

spring allergies are no joke. I sneezed directly into a loaf of dough earlier. it's fine. it's character #sourdough

this podcast about urban planning is actually making my commute rage seem less personal. the roads aren't out to get me, apparently. still feels personal though

Gerald's looking extra vigorous this week. I think we're entering his renaissance era. or mine. probably his

went to the grocery store to get one thing and came home with seven things including a fancy butter I definitely don't need. but have you SEEN fancy butter

weather was perfect at 68 degrees this morning so I wore shorts. it's 52 now. I hate April

made pasta from scratch today and it was actually good??? like not a disaster?? documenting this moment for the history books #madeitfromscratch

finally planted some herbs in the window box. basil, thyme, and whatever that third plant was. we'll find out if I have a green thumb or if they all die by May 🌱

the commute home took 45 minutes for a 15-minute drive. meanwhile my sourdough was sitting on the counter probably getting too warm. everyone lost today

traffic was so bad this morning I listened to an entire podcast episode about the history of salt. still worth it? debatable. the salt facts were interesting though

spring break is happening and I'm genuinely considering just staying home and baking. is that weird. that feels weird but also kind of perfect

attempted a sourdough with whole wheat yesterday. it came out like a brick. a very dense, very inedible brick. Gerald watched me throw it away and judged me silently

allergies are PEAK right now. can't tell if I'm sneezing from pollen or if Gerald's flour dust is finally getting to me. probably both #allergy szn

farmers market haul today and someone was selling these tiny heirloom tomatoes that cost more than my rent but they LOOKED at me so I bought four pounds

Gerald has been extra bubbly this week. I think he knows spring is here and he's ready to party. or I finally fed him at the right time. could go either way

weather keeps teasing us with warm days and then BAM winter comes back. pick a season challenge 2026