I’ve been talking about my new (to me) basement office for so long, it’s not really new anymore. I think it’s time to show where I spend most of my days. I was hoping to do it at the same time as my big basement reno reveal, but I’ve been hoping that for 3+ years and here we are. The basement is still 90% finished and probably will be for the rest of eternity (or at least until my husband retires and finally gets around to painting all the trim).

Finishes – and a toilet- and sink-less bathroom – aside, we’ve been enjoying the space for years. It has the only TV in our house, so it’s where we watch sports and movies. It’s also where my daughter and I do a lot of our crafting. I’ve got my second main library down here too, which houses my romance, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction collection, along with a small reference section. It’s a truly multi-functional space. And I haven’t even mentioned my second closet, the second pantry, and the main storage “cave”. For a relatively small area, it’s a marvel of utility. Once the bathroom is fully fitted, we’ll really be in business! I could just move down here and never leave, lol!

The office area was originally my husband’s pet project. After the pandemic, he continued to work fully remote for a few years, then part-time, so he created himself a very swanky office set-up. Unfortunately, earlier this year, he had to return to the office full-time – much to his chagrin. His loss was my gain, however. Why let a perfect good space go to waste, amirite?

As you can see, there is room here for two people to work side by side, but we have never done that. Our respective jobs both involve highly confidential matters, so we need privacy for calls and so on. The iMac on the right is my husband’s college-era machine, still kicking 20+ years later. It’s actually what we (mostly he) use to format and lay out my books. It runs an ancient version of InDesign from my husband’s years in architecture that somehow, magically, still works. And if you’ve ever bought one of my paperbacks, you’ll know what a great job it does, too.

This is my current set-up. There are usually more water bottles and coffee glasses around, but I tidied up for you 😉 My old office had a very small desk surface area, so it’s been amazing to have such a large one to spread out on. As you can see, I’ve done a little bit of decorating. I do like a tidy work space, though, so I try not to go overboard with clutter.

The large art installation above the desk is a custom piece that a friend made for us – I want to say around the time that we got married, but it’s been almost 17 years, so I might be misremembering the timelines. Anyway, it’s painted on a solid wood panel in mixed media (paint, stencil, collage) and meant to represent our journey, from Soviet Block immigrants to our new life together in Edmonton. It’s one of my favorite art pieces we have.

Speaking of favorite things, this keyboard. Guys, I’m obsessed. I had been using a different mechanical keyboard for a few years, which was nice as well, but I decided to give this one a try after being influenced by videos on social media. LOL, I know! But, listen: I needed a second keyboard because I recently thrifted an iMac as a personal computer and I couldn’t get used to its original keyboard anymore. With my nails, it’s much easier to work with a keyboard that doesn’t have a super low profile.

Anyway, I got this Yunzii cat-themed keyboard with the creamiest, most thocky sound, and it has brought so much joy into my day-to-day.

Sorry, this did not turn out to be a very good photo, but my other must-have is my Tecknet mouse. I love how lightweight and smooth it is, and it’s pretty inexpensive and durable. Plus, it comes in fun colours!

So, that’s my office! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

This week, I crossed the finish line on my biggest project of 2026, publishing the last of the four (4!) books I had planned to bring out this year. It was a bittersweet moment, but I’ll talk about that, and the reasons why, in another post. For now, I am trying to focus on acknowledging the accomplishment (and the work that went into it).

It’s something I’m not good at, I’ve realized. When it comes to myself, I am that nightmare boss who expects 110% effort 120% of the time, constantly piles on more work, and is never satisfied with the results. I would never dream of treating anyone else the way I do my own self, and the truth is that it has nothing to do with perfectionism. Or, rather, it’s a symptom of other issues masquerading as perfectionism. Don’t worry, I have a good therapist.

Anyway: yay to me for achieving a big milestone!

In a strange twist, I had two blogging friends reach out to me this week, years after falling out of touch. It was nice to catch up, and it made me feel nostalgic. Caught up in the day to day, it’s easy to miss the years flying by. Change happens at a snail’s pace, but in time covers great distances. Meeting old acquaintances again feels a bit like encountering a ghost of yourself — realizing that the person they knew and the person you are today are different people, and the same.

I know there’s a difference because I struggle to imagine what, say, 2016 Adina would think of 2026 Adina. I suspect it would be revisionist history to say that I’m living her dream life. I don’t think my current life is what she imagined … which is not to say that she would disapprove of it or be disappointed with how things turned out. I am her, after all, and I am not disappointed — far from it.

One thing I know for sure: she would be hella impressed with my four published books. 2016 Adina tried her hand at writing at a book, and it did not go well. It went so not-well that she/I quit writing altogether for almost a decade. But the work she did back then sowed seeds that are bearing fruit today. Literally (figuratively): the protagonists of the urban fantasy series I’m currently writing are (very) loosely based on characters I wrote back in 2015/2016. But better 😉

Reading is another story. I haven’t been able to get back into reading fiction, no matter how many times I’ve tried, so I’ve stopped forcing myself to do it. Instead, I’m reading non-fiction — mostly about football — and slowly rediscovering the fun of it. I think the problem with fiction, at the moment, is that I can’t read it without immediately thinking about my own writing. I’m analyzing the text from a technical standpoint (either to glean tips for improving my own writing or thinking about how I would write a particular paragraph) and it’s taking me out of the story completely.

I know I’ll come back to fiction, eventually, but it may have to wait until I’m done with this chapter of my own life. If I stay on track with the current plan, that should be sometime in 2028. But more on that in a future post. Look at me, threatening you (again) with a good boring time.

Have a great weekend!

Here are my most recent:

Three Beauty Products

I have talked about the rosemary and rice water hair spray before, and I am still using it religiously. No bad side effects as yet (fingers crossed) and my hair has never looked more voluminous. The only downside is that I’m going through a bottle every 2 weeks or so, which adds up to about $28 a month. Is that a lot to spend for Shakira hair? In this economy? I don’t even know anymore.

I bought The Ordinary’s volufiline serum a while back, influenced by social media, but it sat on my bathroom shelf for months. Recently, I decided to give it a try, to see if it will plump up my under eye areas that look a bit more ‘sunken in’ than before. I’d rather use skincare than makeup to deal with it. It’s only been a few weeks so it’s too early to tell if it’s really working, but so far so good (no breakouts, for one thing).

I am obsessed with these cheapies jumbo jelly lip tints I found at Winners. They’re not very long-lasting, but you can layer/build up the colour and I love reapplying them — they have a cooling effect. They don’t feel sticky or glossy and create more of a ‘sheer stained lip’ look than an opaque, lipstick effect. The only downside is this shade, which is supposed to be a true red is actually more of a cherry pink. Luckily, it’s a flattering colour for me, but it’s a change from my usual red lip.

Three Football Jerseys

My online clothes shopping is now pretty much exclusively football shirts. To be fair, I’ve tried browsing my old saved searches on Poshmark and got served the Mbappe special (for example, nothing). I haven’t seen a ‘must have’ vintage Ralph Lauren piece in months, and the few vintage pieces that pop up from time to time are wildly priced; ditto for vintage Coach bags. At this point, I have enough clothes so the only things I’m interested in buying are collector items.

Which is where football shirts come in. Yes, I have a new collection. But before you yell at me: I actually wear them, often.

Since I moved my home office into the basement, where it’s freaking cold year-round, I’ve changed up my approach to work wear. I stopped wearing my ‘nice’ work clothes and switched to athletic wear. But, like, cool stuff! Graphic hoodies, vintage track jackets, and, yes, football shirts (layered over other tops, because did I mention how cold my basement is?). And I pile on the jewelry for that Y2K metrosexual football player aesthetic.

My most recent football shirt collection purchases rep my faves, to wit: national team, club, and all-time fave player. The Spider-Man shirt was one of my Holy Grails and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. Every time I wear it, it’s a conversation starter. [Less so about football and more about other people’s love of the Spider-Man movies, but I’ll take it.] It was my first eBay purchase in a few years, and I was nervous about the fact that it was being shipped from France, but I had no issues (and did not get hit with customs, yay!).

Three Repeat Buys

I recently discovered sugar-free Pepsi Cream Soda and I’m obsessed. It’s bad, guys. First, because I was a Coke girlie for 25+ years and this feels sacrilegious, lol! Second, because I finally managed to wean myself off carbonated sodas at the start of the year and now … well, I’m back on the train. I’m limiting myself to one can every other day, but damn, it’s a tasty treat.

I go through so much Dollarama glue tape, I think I am single-handedly propping up the discount glue tape industry. I’m currently on my 8th scrapbooking notebook, in case anyone was wondering. Gluing bits of paper to other paper is still my fave decompressing activity, though I’ve switched from listening to murder mystery shows to listening to football podcasts while I do it.

Putting the Uniqlo cashmere turtlenecks in this category might seem like a cheat, but I do think of them as a ‘repeat’ buy. I bought 4 last year, and wore them non-stop through winter and spring, and I’ve been waiting for fall to come around so that Uniqlo would finally drop new colours. I was not disappointed! I ended up getting 3 more — coral pink, dark teal, and beige — and I’m super excited to add them to my rotation. They are the perfect base layer for cold weather: super soft (non-itchy), warm but lightweight (non-bulky). I was hoping for a slate blue and a vibrant violet, but hey — maybe next time.

Bonus Fourth

I had to sneak this one in:

My 4th (!!) book, Past Perfect Murder, is out today. I am so excited to share it with y’all. If you want to add some cozy mystery & romance vibes to your TBR, you can purchase the ebook from a wide selection of retailers, and the paperback (and ebook) on Amazon.