// the mood & vibes this week
— hi, friends :) LONG TIME NO SEE!!!!
writing this to you from my unit in my triplex in silver lake. oh my good gosh it's been a minute. let's catch up, i missed you so dearly.
— my last newsletter to you was a few moons ago on december 19th. i was in thousand oaks for a family medical thing, about to go home for christmas in northern california. i think the only way i can accomplish telling you what's happened since then is TIMELINES:
late december ‘25 - early january '26: home in northern california in the trees for christmas. redwoods walks. rain. mill valley library time. redecorating my old room in my parent’s house so it feels better to stay in now, when i do come back to visit, and not like i'm staying amongst the detritus of my high school/college self.
mid january: birthday weekend of dinners and dancing with loved ones at my favorite spots in silver lake + echo park (masa, zebulon, spoke, hollyhock house). major milestone - first time wearing a dress out in public since early in my transition (i thrifted a slip dress + leather jacket a few hours before the big dinner at masa!). it's been so wild because for so long dresses felt like a frontier of womanhood i couldn't yet cross. and now, since birthday dinner, i am confidently wearing cute black dresses out in the evenings and it feels AMAZING. the next weekend after birthday was also fabulous-tahoe ski trip with girlfriends-i learned to ski, served cameron diaz in the holiday fits, and pranced in the snow.
late january: close escrow on my beach house listing for $1.07M! lots of open houses/showings with buyers as the market wakes up. my mom + stepdad + sister came to visit for a lovely sunny weekend on the eastside.
first two weeks of february: start prep on my upcoming listing in topanga (!launching this spring), weekend in san diego with my dad + his GF + my sister, lots of movies seen as i'm now an AMC a-lister (pillion! primate! the moment! and wuthering heights tonight!). writing offers in this crazy bidding war market.
— that's pretty much the rundown of what's been happening. oh and i've also been furnishing my apartment in my triplex; for many moons i literally didn't have anything and am SO thrilled to report that has changed!!!!!! doing some collabs with my fave furniture brands while also scouring facebook marketplace. i have a couch, plants, table, chairs, rug, TV! yay!
— and in terms of where i've been on social-i've been taking the last few weeks off. quite honestly have had such fatigue from the trauma of the american experience, lol. it's been so strange balancing such radiant joy in my personal life and feeling deeply the pain of the world right now. and when it comes to social-i'm still figuring out how best to stand up for what i believe in, while also protecting myself as a queer person in the business world. there's always going to be higher and stricter standards for me than say, my straight cis man colleagues. so it hasn't felt like the right choice to plug in digitally as of late when i really just need to be present in person for my local community-friends, clients, and vulnerable populations that i can make a small difference with (help your at-risk neighbors get groceries! donate to local/national orgs! attend trainings!).
— after this digital reset i'm feeling really refreshed, saturated by community, and ready to keep connecting with y'all!
— in terms of what's coming up … continually on the hunt with my slew of buyers. prepping houses to launch. always searching for the best houses in CA. below you'll find some favorites on the market!
— if you're considering buying or selling in LA or NorCal in 2026,
message me here.— if you're looking to buy a wood house elsewhere in CA + the US, there's a good chance i can refer you to an agent in your city. referrals are a great way to support me. whenever i send a client to one of my cool out-of-area agent friends, i actually receive a portion of that commission! and like most things in life, a recommendation from a friend is the way to go. if that's you, respond to this email and i'd be happy to connect you.
— talk to you soon, and sending love.
xx,
sam
