Author Archives → Lila Symons
![[Hand written title: What got me through 2020 by Lila Symons] [ID: drawing of a mug with matcha latte] [Text: mastering the matcha latte] [ID: drawing of laptop. On the screen, a yoga class is happening on zoom] [Text: all the virtual yoga classes and meditation groups that got me through my darkest days] [ID: drawing of black bathingsuit] [Text: lunchtime swim breaks] [ID: drawing of full laundry basket with a washer and dryer behind it] [Text: having a washer & dryer in my home] [ID: drawing of a patch of grass] [Text: reading a book in the grass at my favorite park] [ID: drawing of a fuchsia heart] [Text: relief your friend who was on a ventilator fighting for her life survived COVID-19] [ID: drawing of two face masks. One cloth in a colorful pattern, the other a one-time use mask] [Text: face mask, and everyone who wears them] [ID: drawing of a scented candle] [Text: candles from Verdant] [ID: drawing of the New York Times Daily Mini crossword puzzle] [Text: solving the New York Times Daily Mini the fastest (a rare occurrence)] [ID: drawing of paper money. One of the bills is a five-dollar bill] [Text: seeing a delivery person or barista light up when they discover the large tip you gave them was not a mistake.] [ID: drawing of the walking tracker icon on my smart watch] [Text: those days I walked over 10,000 steps] [ID: drawing of an open sketchbook. Each page has a letter A drawn on it in different colors and styles. Next to the sketchbook is a paintbrush and a small palette of paint.] [Text: secret art projects with friends] [ID: drawing of mobile phone in a text message box where two users send text messages to each other. The first bubble is a heart, the second bubble is a heart, and below both text bubbles the ellipses bubble, a symbol on iPhones that means a message is waiting to be received] [Text: the peace that comes with knowing that your last words with a loved one were "I love you"] [ID: drawing of rainbow] [Text: rainstorms and rainbows reminding us that they are with us, even if they are no longer in this world.]](http://www.alphabettes.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2020doodlesLCS.png)
Remember December: 5 years, 5 lessons
Lettering I designed for tattly before leaving NYC.
This day in 2012, I tearfully hugged my parents goodbye at Newark Liberty International Airport. I was leaving New York City to move to Kansas City, Missouri. Joining me were my two cats, a few suitcases, and my best friend Julie for moral support.
A week later, Julie was back in New York City and I was starting my new job as a Typeface Designer at Hallmark Cards. On my first day, I remember getting blank stares when I asked where I could get a bus pass and why I couldn’t get FontLab to open on my computer.
Greetings from Knuckleheads
Neon sign paying homage to its past at Knuckleheads Saloon in Kansas City, Missouri.
As much as I wanted to go on a nice, long vacation this year, a summer full of work prevented me from getting the R&R I really wanted. Despite that setback, I’ve been spending the last few months catching up with friends, eating tasty food, and listening to lots of music.
When I first moved to the Middle of the Map from New York City in late 2012, going to see musicians perform was one of the many things I would do to alleviate the culture shock and homesickness that would come over me without warning.
I always enjoyed going to concerts when I lived in New York City, but there’s something unusually comforting about going to a show in a new place. Everyone may be a complete stranger, but you still feel connected to them because you are all there for one reason: to listen to the music.
For someone who is still pretty new to Kansas City, I have experienced so much of what the city has to offer. However, the list of things I still want to do exceeds what I have done so far.
One place on my “To Go” list is a Honky Tonk Blues Roadhouse called Knuckleheads Saloon.