No, there isn't an actual video in this post, no matter what the episode moniker made you assume. There isn't even a quirky podcast. Just text and images, as usual. See, I used to do a post every Sunday where I would talk about what was going on in my life, share some thoughts and maybe link you to a few blog posts or articles that had caught my eye during the week.

The problem with that is... My life is quite boring. It's a delicate balance between work and creative pursuits with some old fashioned household chores thrown in. Sometimes I don't even know how to talk about the exciting stuff that happens, like that crush I had a while back or the lunch I had with my best friend from high school. And, more than that, I don't want to resign myself to some weekly blog post that may or may not be interesting. Because if it isn't interesting, what is the point?

So, as I'll be doing with a lot of things on this blog in the next six months, we're changing things up. Every so often, I'll pop up with a random Afternoon Tea post. Just whenever I get the inspiration to write or talk about something or lay out what has been going on in my life. And, of course, I'll throw in some blog posts or things I'm lusting after, too. But it will mainly be a space to just talk, to let things out and connect with whoever might come across my blog that day. And I'll be talking about anything and everything.

Like, for instance, my recent obsession with what I will call poetic music. (Initially, I was going to call it whiney music because all of these songs have made me feel like crying at one point.) For the first decade of my life, I was mostly into the pop songs I heard on the radio--I basically wanted to become Posh Spice. And for most of my teens it was all about pop-punk and emo; My Chemical Romance and Panic! at the Disco are still on rotation in my life.

In my mid-teens, though, this little show called The O.C. came out. As did a movie called Closer. And both featured some amazing music, like Jeff Buckley and Damien Rice. And so, behind closed doors, I was listening to these slow, soulful songs that you could just feel the artistry behind. It was like these songs were seeping into my veins somehow, inspiring me to explore who I really was. And more artists got added to the list as the years went on, such as Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen.

These are songs I turn to when I need a little bit of guidance, even now. Especially now. And I'm going to share my playlist with you, so that you can maybe discover some new music or get re-inspired. And I would love it if you would share some of your favorite songs with me: songs that get you pumped, that make you cry, that give you the courage to do something you've never done before.

'Til next time. :)