Tanya Patrice here! We’re going “Off the Books” for month end to share a look at what I’ve been up to (besides reading).
5 Joys This February
February had hectic work travel 3 out of the 4 weeks in the month (Chicago & Iowa), so I still don’t feel like I have a solid in a routine. I’m in a bit of a rut to be honest, but there was still fun to be had, hobbies to do and homes to make cozy safe spaces. Here’s some of my highlights from this month.
1. Off to the races! February started off with my 2nd Half Marathon – the Donna 13.1 Miles (after a 5KM the day before – because your girl loves a race weekend). It was frigid! One of the coldest days in recent history in north Florida. I wore 2 pairs of socks, 2 tights, 2 shirts & a jacket, a neck gator, hand warmers in my gloves and a hat. Running in that cold gave me a personal best time.
I also completed my longest run ever on Valentine’s Day – 13.5 miles. A group of us ran the length of the beach during a low tide day. I didn’t realize how tough it would be on my body and I couldn’t run for a week after, but I ended the month with a 10K race on the 28th and finished with a personal best for that distance, and race #4 of the year.
2. Friend dates this month included a Valentine’s / Mardi Gras party (hubs and I went together of course) and the 1st Sunday brunch we’ve had this year. It’s been a busy season of work travel for all of us, but there’s nothing better than getting together with your favorite people regularly.
3. Sunday Morning Walk is a new thing I’ve been doing with another one of my friends who wants to get more movement in her day.
4. A favorite product discovery – Food Huggers. I love these things! It’s basically stretch pods that can be used on lemons, tomatoes, avocados, onions – that’s what I’ve been using them for.
5. Shows! I’m going through recommendations from Letterboxd: Every Film Nominated for a 2026 Academy Award + Reddit | Best movies of 2025 recommendations and Reddit | What are your top 5 shows 2025? This month, I watched:-
- The Housemaid. ★★★. The movie is missing some of the depth and layers that the book managed to convey.
- The Perfect Neighbor. ★★★★★. I bawled! Some people are just pure evil. Periodtttt. A minor disagreement between neighbors in Florida takes a lethal turn, with police body camera footage and interviews probing the aftermath of the state’s controversial “stand your ground” laws.
- Hamnet. ★★★ Well acted and well produced, haunting and sad. It’s about William Shakespeare finding love and how the death of his son inspired his play, Hamlet, which is of course, a tragedy. It’s received rave reviews, but for me, it was just OK.
- Marty Supreme. ★★★★★. A movie about a table tennis player doesn’t seem like it would be interesting, but holy hell! The acting in this is superb. Marty is a “will do anything to achieve his dream” kind of guy. And he does … do any and everything!
- Prodigal Son S1 & S2. A gifted criminal profiler juggles his work for the NYPD, a fragile family relationship and the consequences of having a serial killer father.
Now on to March! I’ll be in Minnesota for a week and then home the rest of the month. So I’m looking forward to going back to in-person Spanish classes, more running and cycling, starting to wrestle with our little garden, and trying something new! Sounds like a lot, but let’s see what happens.
— On to the next. How was your month?
