January 4, 2023 (!)

Hi First name / friend,

 

I’m writing to you from the car (but sending this email from my desk back in DC 😅). Geoff, Winnie and I are driving through Arkansas on our way back to DC from California (if you’re like WHAT, lol, I’ll share more about our journey in coming weeks). It’s been a nice time for Geoff and I to connect as we oscillate between podcasts, music, The Grapes of Wrath audiobook, conversation cards, etc.

 

I’m also writing to you on the final day of the year! 

 

Really, I hadn’t planned on writing this. I felt perfectly content to let 2022 fizzle out. It’s been a challenging year for me and I’m definitely burned out.

But I’m dragging myself out of this end-of-year hole because I really want to thank you. 🤎

 

Whether you’ve been here since we launched A Place to Call Home in March, signed up last week, attend our article clubs or just stick around because you want to support me — whatever brought you here and keeps you here, thank you.

 

I’m so grateful for your curiosity. Housing is a BIG topic — exploring it feels like describing the economy and deep-seated emotions and culture and design all in one. I’m really proud of pieces like The Gentrification Aesthetic and the initial series on why we’re in a housing crisis at all (definitely revisit those in the member dashboard if it’s been a while).

 

I want to thank you for sticking with me even when things don’t work out like I hope they will (thinking about our Anacostia River tour, which definitely has to wait until better weather). 🙈 I want to express my gratitude for all of the times you’ve showed up with curiosity and a desire to better understand why it’s so damn expensive to live in the US and why so many folks struggle to keep a roof over their heads.

 

It’s really hard to balance grad school with creative endeavors and an on-campus job. I have big dreams for the direction APTCH can go in 2023, and while I’m sure they won’t all go the way I hope they will, having 100ish of y’all here cheering me on, supporting this work… well, that makes me feel excited to keep going.

 

I’m so glad to share the APTCH space with each of you. Wishing you good things as you welcome in the new year. 🤎

 

PS — I don’t do New Year’s resolutions, but I did get started on some annual reflections and planning. My word for 2023 is ⚡️generate.⚡️If you feel inclined, I’d love to hear what yours is, if you follow that practice. Just tap reply!

 

Until next time,

Dominique

Exciting news! APTCH is teaming up with Magic at the Margins for a co-Article Club on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 12 p.m. ET! Magic at the Margins is a foodie subscription community run by my friend Anela of @feedthemalik – it goes deeper 

 

This month, we're looking at the ways media impacts the spaces we create for ourselves and how we share our lives online. We'll read two short pieces you can find below (if you need a PDF version, just lmk!):

REMEMBER THIS? LOL. Because I like to keep it all the way real… my dad's kitchen makeover was a complete fail. It did not happen. 

 

I ordered cabinet hardware and cabinet door dampers (to keep the doors from slamming, without replacing all of the hinges and remounting the doors with a new system), but alas, family is messy and it turned out to be very bad timing. 

 

I was disappointed, but the bright side is that now I can plan a non-holiday trip back to CA to really do it right – minus the stress of seeing family for Christmas. 

PS – Thank you for being part of the APTCH community. Scroll up to reads some notes of gratitude.