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Life in Eluneyland

So, major life update. On December 12, 2025, I adopted my first cat- a sweet, six-year old tabby named Elune.

Elune was born in a shelter on May 20, 2019 (she’s a Taurus). For the first few years of her life, she lived with a couple in Toronto, but they surrendered her to the shelter when they started having kids. She was five at the time. Elune lived with a foster for ten months before I submitted my adoption application. The application process went very quickly- after a phone call with the shelter, a video meeting with her foster and a signed adoption agreement, she was mine.

Elune got her name from her first owners. I think the name originated from World of Warcraft (there is apparently a moon goddess named Elune in the game). I didn’t want to change it because she’s had the same name her whole life, and I loved the nickname possibilities: Luna, Loonie, Loon and Lunetta, among other things (though, she’s mostly Baby to me).

Elune is a sweetheart who wants nothing but love and attention (on her own terms). From the day that I brought her home, she has slept with me in bed every single night. She’s not a lap cat, but she loves to be around me and have me in her line of sight at all times. She’s taken to nestling beside me on the couch when I’m quietly reading or working on my laptop. She’s very friendly with visitors, if a bit hesitant at first: she never hides and is always happy to socialize. She’s curious, attentive and very smart: I bought her a puzzle feeder and she learned how to solve it right away. She’s also playful- right now, her favourite toys are a wand toy with ribbons and a laser pointer. When I turn on the laser pointer, she makes an adorable chirping sound as she chases the red light around the room. Elune also loves sitting on towels, which has resulted in my mom calling her a “beach baby”. She spends most of her time during the day sleeping on a throw blanket on my couch beside the window basking in the sun. She’s very well-behaved for the most part (though, sometimes when she gets overstimulated she tends to get a little bit “spicy”- we’re working on it). 

It’s taken me a while to post about her, in part because the first month post-adoption was very difficult for me. I was struggling with major post-adoption blues. Post-adoption blues (or, puppy blues) is a common feeling among people who adopt new pets. It can result from the sudden imposition of new responsibilities and a loss of freedom after adopting a new pet. 

I spent the first week after adopting Elune in tears almost every day. What bothered me wasn’t necessarily the added responsibilities of being a pet owner,, it was the fact that there was another presence in my apartment. I have lived alone for the better part of seven and a half years. Suddenly having another presence in the apartment was something I needed to adjust to. As I mentioned, Elune likes to be around me or have me in her sight at all times- I felt like I had a little shadow following me around all the time (I’d traded in all of my beloved alone time for Elune time). I also felt like she was taking over my space: I was leaving toys and towels all around the condo for her, and constantly playing relaxing cat music out loud. 

I was also totally preoccupied with her and worried about being a good cat owner. I spent a lot of time and energy online researching how to take care of her. The preoccupation made it very difficult to keep up with my housework, stick to my routines, or even sleep. According to my Garmin, my “body battery” and “sleep scores” for the second half of December were in the gutter. As a Type A person, a creature of habit and someone with a history of anxiety, I was having a really difficult time coping with all the changes that came along with a new pet. It wasn’t something I ever expected to experience or had been warned about.

And then, unexpectedly, I got sick with the flu. As I mentioned in my last blog post, I spent two weeks “mostly in bed, taking a variety of medications, binge-watching House, M.D. and surviving on Oreos and Fudgesicles”. The illness forced me to slow down and take things easy, and, importantly, gave me the opportunity to really bond with Elune. While I was sick, she was so sweet and attentive and I really appreciated her presence in the apartment. I got to spend more time with her, learn more about her and develop our relationship. I think we’re friends now (at least- she’s my friend. I hope she feels the same way about me).

Now, one month after adopting her, I can confidently say that I feel like I’m over the hump of post-adoption blues. I love her and I’m so happy to have her in my life.

With love, 

Laura Kate

Cleanin’ Up Bottles on New Year’s Day

And 2025 is over, not with a bang, but with a fizzle.

I had a great year overall. 2025 was my last full year of my twenties. I celebrated three and a half years of being a lawyer and three and a half years of living in my apartment. Things are going well with work; most of the time, I feel genuinely grateful to have the job that I do. 2025 was the year I became a long-distance runner: I ran my first 10k race in the spring and my first half-marathon in the autumn. I also reignited my creativity; completing Julia Cameron’s creative recovery program The Artist’s Way, learning how to paint with watercolours and repairing my old DSLR camera. I took two creative writing classes through the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, and started learning how to cook and bake. 

Unfortunately, the last few weeks of 2025 were not reflective of how positively the rest of the year went, and were mostly marked by anxiety and stress. I underwent a major life change (I won’t talk about it now, because I’m still working through it and it deserves a dedicated blog post of its own) and spent two weeks sick with the flu. I spent the latter part of December mostly in bed, taking a variety of medications, binge-watching House, M.D. and surviving on Oreos and Fudgesicles. If I learned anything from the experience, it was the importance of getting the flu shot.

Something that you probably won’t be surprised to find out about me and my Type A personality is that I’m a faithful new year’s resolution maker. I agree with a lot of the usual objections related to making resolutions (there isn’t anything inherently special about January 1st, you can make changes to your life anytime) but I also think that there’s something inspiring about the start of a new year. Setting resolutions is a great way to give yourself direction. 

In order to give myself the best chance of making my resolutions stick, I always make sure that my goals are achievable and measurable. I don’t like setting goals that are too lofty or too vague- I prefer to set easily-trackable goals like “work out four days a week” as opposed to goals I can’t really evaluate like “work out more”. I also make sure to check in with myself every month to evaluate my progress and whether I’ve been sticking to my resolutions. 

My 2025 resolutions were as follows: 

  1. Go to the Optometrist and get a new Pair of good-quality Glasses. Done! When I came up with the resolution, it had been years since I’d gone to the optometrist and my prescription was so outdated that the only places I could buy glasses from were sketchy online websites with suspiciously cheap products.
  2. Travel somewhere. Done! While I didn’t do any big trips, I travelled to a few places in Southern Ontario including Tobermory, the Kawartha lakes, and Manitoulin Island.
  3. Pay off my Student Loans and Save a Certain Amount of Money. Partially done. While I was able to pay off my student loans in 2025, I didn’t save as much money as I wanted to. Money is something I definitely need to keep working on my relationship with in 2026.
  4. Read Twenty books. Done! I finished my 20th book of 2025 the evening of December 31. My top genres of the year were contemporary fiction and non-fiction memoir. My favourite new-to-me book in 2025 was The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 
  5. Take One Course with the U of T School of Continuing Studies– Done- I did two!
  6. Work out and Eat Well– Done! I evaluated this goal throughout the year by tracking things like daily step counts and sticking to my running training plans.

For 2026, my resolutions are very similar:

  1. Take Two Courses with the U of T School of Continuing Studies
  2. Save a Certain Amount of Money
  3. Continue Working Out and Eating Well– I am signed up for a half-marathon in the spring and anticipate training for another one (or maybe a full marathon?) in the fall. 
  4. Publish Two Blog Posts a Month– I’m paying for this domain, I might as well use it.
  5. Keep up with my Philosophy Personal Curriculum– As I mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to learn philosophy and have been working on designing a personal curriculum for myself. So far, I’ve been working through some introductory texts and lectures. 
  6. Read Fifteen books (including two Short Story collections)– I reduced my goal from twenty to fifteen books this year to account for the longer, more dense philosophy texts I’m hoping to get through. One of the books I read in December was The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell, and even though it was less than 130 pages it took me almost a month to get through and I still don’t feel like I totally understand it. 

In any event, I’m hoping that the start of 2026 goes better than the end of 2025 for me. I daresay things are starting to look up already. 

I hope you’ve all had a good start to the new year as well, and that you accomplish any resolutions and goals you set your mind to. 

With love, 

Laura Kate

Staving Off the Winter Blues

Happy December!

As I’m beginning to draft this post, it’s early Saturday morning. I’m sitting on the couch in my living room, nestled under a cozy blanket. I have a mug of coffee beside me and a scented candle burning. Outside of my window, I can see a dusting of snow on the nearby rooftops.1 It’s 7:30am, but it’s still dark. The sun hasn’t yet started peeking out over the horizon. 

I haven’t published anything on this blog for nearly a month. When I was working through The Artist’s Way, I had a designated topic to cover every week in my posts. Without the program, coming up with new topics to write about has been a challenge. The lack of inspiration may also just come with the season. I’ve been apprehensive about the winter for months; and I think it’s safe to say that it’s finally here. The days are short: during the week, I start work at sunrise and don’t get home until after sunset. Going outside is much more daunting with the bitter cold and biting wind. This time of year is difficult. I wouldn’t quite say that I have seasonal depression; but I, like a lot of people, really struggle to enjoy the winter. I’ve already noticed myself having less energy and feeling less motivated than usual. What’s worse: it’s only December. The worst is yet to come.

In this blog post I wanted to talk about some of the things I’ve been trying to do to stave off the winter blues. Hopefully, if you’re struggling, it might give you some inspiration or ideas about how to cope.

Layering Up

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” This is something my boyfriend tells me all the time in response to my complaining about how cold it is (which is often). This winter, first and foremost, I’m committed to properly dressing for the weather. Over the last few years, I’ve developed a winter “uniform” that I wear on most days. The outfit formula is as follows. For tops, I wear a turtleneck base layer (generally something from the Uniqlo Heattech line) and a knit sweater. For bottoms, I usually wear thermal leggings (again usually from Uniqlo) under my pants. If I need to wear a skirt or dress, I wear fleece-lined tights. If I’m heading outside, I wear a warm jacket and all the accessories I need to stay warm (i.e., a toque, gloves and a scarf).

Keeping an Exercise Routine

I signed up for another half-marathon in May, so it’s important I maintain a certain level of fitness over the winter. On a weekly basis, I’m going on about three runs and incorporating two strength training sessions.2 My runs now are much shorter than the ones I was doing during half-marathon training over the summer. I’ve been committing to one short run (usually 5km), one medium run (6-8km), and one long run (9-10km) every week.

I’m also determined to continue running outside as much as possible. I’m staunchly an outdoor runner; I can’t stand the treadmill. Because of this, I’ve needed to make a number of changes to my routine to address some of the risks associated with running outside during the winter. I’ve transitioned from primarily running in the early morning to running in the afternoon (especially during my lunch breaks at work) to take advantage of the sunlight. If I do have to run in the morning or at night, I’ve purchased LED bands to wear to make sure I’m visible to other people on the roads. I also purchased special shoes for running in cold and wet conditions: Brooks Ghost 17 GTXs (waterproof road running shoes) and Brooks Cascadia 19 GTXs (trail running shoes for when roads are snowy or more slippery than usual).

I’ve also put together a winter running uniform. For tops, I wear a long-sleeved base layer (I’m a fan of the Fluid Seamless Fitted Tops from Old Navy, Momentum Seamless Tops from Athleta, and the Uniqlo Heattech line), a fleece insulating mid-layer, and a wind- and water-resistant shell jacket (I’ve been wearing the MEC x AQUANATOR Rain Jacket from MEC). For bottoms, I wear thermal leggings (my favourites right now are Uniqlo Heattech Active Leggings and Lululemon Fast and Free High-Rise Thermal Tights). For accessories, I wear a toque, gloves and a neck gaiter. I’ve been mixing and matching the pieces to suit the weather conditions- sometimes, it’s been warm enough that I haven’t needed the fleece or all of the accessories.

Continuing to run outdoors in the winter seems like an intriguing challenge. I’m interested to discover what will work and what won’t over the next three months. I’m sure there will be a lot of trial and error. For days with very bad weather, I’m not opposed to running on the treadmill; but for the majority of runs, I’m hoping I can stay outside and that the proper clothes and equipment will keep me safe.

Curbing Social Media Use

Over the last little while, I’ve started to notice my social media use gradually increasing again. Doomscrolling social media never feels like a good use of my time- I feel better after doing literally anything else. To combat this, I reviewed the social media platforms I use and deactivated and deleted a number of my accounts. I also reduced my timer on the Instagram app to ten minutes a day (and, surprisingly, haven’t tampered with it in a few weeks).

I primarily use AppBlock and UnTrap to help curb my social media use. AppBlock is a phone app and a Chrome extension that allows you to block or set time limits on apps and websites. I like AppBlock so much that I pay a monthly subscription fee for it. UnTrap is a Chrome extension that allows you to customize the appearance of YouTube on the browser and make the interface less addictive (for instance, by hiding YouTube Shorts and disabling the infinite scroll feature). I also always ensure all of my notifications from social media apps are disabled on my phone.

I’m definitely not perfect with my social media use. Even with all of my precautions in place, I still find workarounds and end up mindlessly scrolling social media sometimes. I used to get more upset with myself about this, but now, I see social media use and addiction as a battle we are all constantly fighting everyday. I don’t hold myself to a standard of perfection. I can see that I’m in a better place with my social media use now than I was two years ago, and the progress is what matters.

Making Time for Hobbies

At the end of October, I signed up for a short story writing class with the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. I’ve been loving it! I’m in a better place now with my writing than I’ve been in years- I feel so much more confident about my skills and abilities. I largely credit The Artist’s Way for this, as it encouraged me to start taking short story writing seriously. Throughout the writing class, I’ve drafted four short stories that I really like. I’d like to continue building up a collection of short stories and pursuing the Creative Writing certificate with the SCS. 

Learning Something New

Over the last few months, I’ve been intrigued by the concept of creating a personal curriculum. This idea has been gaining a lot of popularity online as a means of fighting social media “brain rot” and encouraging lifelong learning. To create a personal curriculum, you start by choosing a subject that you want to learn more about and then develop a self-directed “course” with designated readings (books, articles), lectures (videos, podcasts, audiobooks) and assignments. 

I’ve personally been interested in learning more about philosophy, and have started to build a personal curriculum for myself around it. My goals are to get a better grasp of the history and topics within the field and read some primary texts. This isn’t necessarily just a winter project, but something that might turn into a 2026 goal more broadly. If I stick with it, I’m sure it’s something I’ll make more blog posts about in the future. 

In any event, these are some of the things I’ve been up to that have been helping me deal with the winter blues. I hope that if you’ve been struggling, this post (or others like it) might be able to give you some ideas on how to stave them off for yourself. And, if not, just remember that this too shall pass. Even though the next few months are going to be tough, spring will come again soon enough. I started off this post by talking about how it was 7:30am and the sun hadn’t yet started to rise. It helps to keep in mind that December 21st is just around the corner, and the days will start getting longer again. 

With love, 

Laura Kate

  1. This might sound romantic, but I actually live in a condo in an industrial area, so it’s much less picturesque than you’re probably envisioning. ↩︎
  2. Strength training is new to me and something that I’m doing to make me a stronger runner. I’m keeping it very easy and have just been following videos from fitness coaches online. My favourite workouts have been from the channel Nourish Move Love on YouTube. ↩︎

What Running Taught Me About Being a Beginner

Alternative title: “A Love Letter to Running”

On October 19, 2025, after more than 7 months of training, I ran the Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon; my first half-marathon race.1 It was incredible- one of the most difficult things I’ve ever accomplished, and also one of the most rewarding. 

I’ve been a runner now for a little over a year. I started running in the summer of 2024.2 My first 5-kilometre race was the Holly Jolly Fun Run that November. In May of this year, I ran the Sporting Life 10k. From there, I decided to keep my momentum going and train for a half marathon. 

Training didn’t come easily. I started with little to no base level of running ability. Although I regularly walked and hiked long distances, the last time I’d tried to run was in high school gym class. In deciding to become a runner, I knew I would be starting from “zero”: being able to run continuously for maybe one minute maximum (and no, I don’t even mean in one minute intervals) and after a lifetime of telling myself that I was bad at sports and could never be an athlete. This being said, starting from zero ended up being a good thing for me- it prevented me from setting my expectations too high and letting perfectionism get in the way of the process. 

While running has brought so many great things into my life, the biggest benefit I’ve gained has been learning how to be a beginner. In this blog post, I wanted to talk about my experience becoming a runner, and share some of the lessons it has taught me- lessons which are applicable to so many other areas of life.

Lesson One: Set Small, Incremental Goals.

When I started running in June 2024, my initial “end goal” was to run a half-marathon by that October. At first, I thought a half-marathon was something I could reasonably train up to in 4 months. I found some “couch to half marathon” training plans online and tried to follow them; but quickly found that running was a lot more difficult than I expected. I wasn’t able to hit the targets in the plans, became quickly discouraged, and eventually gave up training.  

Things changed in the fall when I made an offhand comment to my now-boyfriend that I wanted to be a runner. A runner and cyclist himself, instead of suggesting that I sign up for a big race, he encouraged me to start with a 5k. Compared to a half-marathon, I found training with a 5k goal in mind much less daunting. Instead of worrying about the prospect of running for more than 2 hours straight, I only had to worry about running for 35 minutes. I signed up for the Holly Jolly Fun Run, and, after a few weeks of training, I was able to finish the race with a 33-minute time.

My friend Stephanie and I in November 2024
training for the Holly Jolly Fun Run 5k

Something I would recommend to all new runners is to set small, incremental goals instead of big ones. Things “clicked” for me when my targets became more achievable. My first few running goals were so small that they weren’t related to distance at all, they focused on time: run 3 minutes without stopping. 5 minutes. 10. 15. When I was able to run in 15-minute intervals, my focus shifted to distances: run a 5k. A 10k. A half-marathon.

When the path to a goal seems more achievable, you’re more likely to work towards it. You can build towards your big goals by setting small ones. This approach keeps you focused on the present instead of worrying about a distant, more-intimidating future.

Lesson Two: Embrace Novelty. 

As a beginner, it’s important to periodically check in with yourself and evaluate what methods are working for you and which are not. It’s also important to experiment with new tools and strategies. 

My running strategy has evolved dramatically from when I started out. Some modifications were borne out of necessity from having to solve problems that arose over the course of training. For instance, something that came up early on was experiencing calf pain for days following runs. I was able to resolve this issue by implementing a pre-run stretching routine, buying better shoes and changing my footstrike. I also started experimenting with a shoe rotation when I started experiencing blistering from wearing the same pair of shoes on every run. 

Other modifications to my running strategy came from experimentation for fun. I tried running with both running belts and hydration vests, and found out that I vastly preferred running with vests (despite how dorky I thought they looked). I also experimented with different ways of carrying water (smaller flasks vs. water bladders) and different ways of fueling (I first tried dates, then moved onto running gels and chews).

Trying new things isn’t just a tip for beginners- I think it’s something we should all challenge ourselves to do. Failing to embrace novelty can hinder your personal growth and development. 

Lesson Three: Understand that Progress is Not Linear.

I’ve heard a saying that for every one good run, there will be one mediocre run and one bad run. Not every run will be great. Some runs will be awful. You will not notice improvement after every run. Some days you won’t want to run at all. But, even in the face of roadblocks,  you need to persist.

I’ve experienced my fair share of “bad” runs. I had a number of runs where I had to stop after 2 or 3km because of excruciating side stitches, runs I had to take breaks in the middle of, and a meant-to-be-12km run that I ended early because I ran out of water.

My biggest failure was on what should have been a 20km peak long run in September. I’d been building up to 20km for months, and had just done a 19km run the week before. Despite this, when out for my 20km run, I hit a total mental roadblock very early on and had to stop. I tried taking a half hour break, walking, trying to re-motivate myself- but nothing worked. I didn’t complete the run. Nonetheless, I didn’t let one shitty run get to me. The next week, I tried again, and ended up running my first 21.1km distance.

Progress is not linear; there will be highs and lows in everything we do. The most we can do is learn to trust and embrace the journey.

Photos from September 28, 2025, when I ran my first 21.1km distance after failing my
20km run the week before

Lesson Four: Surround yourself with people who make you feel supported.

Something I struggle with is comparing myself to other runners in terms of pace. I’m definitely not the fastest runner out there. I’m still working on accepting that everyone is different, everyone’s bodies are different, everyone has different abilities, and the only person I should be comparing myself to is myself.

Something that has helped me immensely in this particular struggle is following influencers from the “slow running” community online. There’s not a specific pace that defines a slow runner, but in general, slow runners prioritize enjoying running and getting longer distances under their belts instead of worrying about how fast they’re going. This running community reminds me that I can still be a runner, even if I’m not going to win any races anytime soon. I’m also very lucky to have other wonderful runners in my offline life (like my partner who slows his pace to match mine when we run together, and my friend Stephanie, a natural cheerleader) who provide support and encouragement every step of the way.

Photos from a 17km long run at Tommy Thompson Park on August 23, 2025

Future Running Goals

In just one year, running has brought so many good things into my life, and I’m so excited to see what my future in the sport will look like. Now that I’ve finished a half-marathon and fallen in love with long-distance running, you’d think that I’d want to immediately start training for a full marathon- but I don’t. Not yet, anyway. My goal over the coming late fall and winter seasons is to maintain my running fitness. I would like to continue regularly running 10km. I’m considering training for another half-marathon in the spring, but I haven’t signed up for any races yet.  Even though I’m excited to continue making progress, I’m also excited to move into a period of maintenance, where I can give myself permission to slow down, just for a while. 

Perhaps ironically- there’s no rush.

With love,

Laura Kate

  1. For anyone counting, I finished the race in 2 hours and 11 minutes. ↩︎
  2. I started running for a number of reasons, some more ridiculous than others. These included: (1) being bitter about one of my exes, who is a runner; (2) wanting to strengthen my fitness routine with an exercise more intensive than walking; and, (3) wanting to play into the joke about people in their late twenties either getting married or training for a marathon (I wasn’t getting married anytime soon…). ↩︎