A Life Update: Grad School, LA & What I Learned This Summer

Note to Self

Host Peyton Sarton provides a comprehensive summer recap, detailing her partner Joe's professional baseball transitions between the Arizona Diamo

Key takeaways

• Joe's baseball career involved transitioning from a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher, moving through Reno and the Texas Rangers.
• Peyton is preparing for 'trimester zero,' focusing on pre-pregnancy health routines as she moves back to Florida.
• The host discussed the loss of her family's significant property in Holesville, Texas, due to theft and maintenance costs.
• Graduate studies at Georgetown will involve intense study of ethical theories like deontology and utilitarianism.
• Note to Self will enter a Q4 hiatus from October 8th until January 7th to accommodate academic demands.

Main topics

• Baseball career updates
• Los Angeles summer highlights
• Graduate school and ethics

Notable quotes

Note to Self is all about getting to know yourself and creating the life you truly want, but doing so realistically.

Conclusion

A personal and reflective update that balances the excitement of new l

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Speaker 1 (0:06) Welcome to Note to Self. I'm your host, Peyton Sarton. Note to Self is all about getting to know yourself and creating the life you truly want, but doing so realistically. Because in a world where we all want better for ourselves, we have to give ourselves and others some grace along the way. Tune in every week for solo episodes like how to be hotter and less depressed or simple ways to elevate your every day. You will hear conversations with guests who dive into topics ranging from health to business to relationships and more. Note to self is here to remind you that while life is very much serious at times, it's also supposed to be fun. I don't have much to hide and you can expect me to overshare it all in my signature monotone and straightforward way. I hope you love it. Now let's get into today's episode. Speaker 1 (0:52) Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Note to Self. Today, we're going to do a just kind of summer recap life update episode. I feel like I haven't done one of these in a while. And I've alluded to some things that I've done that have been very exciting. So we're going to talk about what I've been up to this summer, kind of transitioning more into like the plans for fall. We're going to talk about grad school. I'm going to talk about my trip to DC, some things that have been getting me through the summer, like literal just like favorites and stuff and favorite shows and things like that. I have just a lot. I have a lot to share with you. So first, this summer, I spent so much time in Los Angeles. I was planning on, like I normally do, moving with Joe for baseball season. And that's what I initially did when he was signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. We moved to Scottsdale. And then he left that team. He actually ended up... going to like their AAA, like which is the top level of their minor leagues. And that is in Reno. All like, I mean, it's been chaos, I will say. Basically, Joe has played a lot. He's played for a long time professionally, and he's played just over eight years in the major leagues. So going down to the minor leagues somewhat consistently this year is a lot for him to take in. He has changed. the type of pitcher that he is. He used to be a starting pitcher. And then last year when he was at the Phillies, they switched him to be a relief pitcher. So he comes in like later in the game, he throws an inning or two and you just have to pitch completely differently. And I mean, it doesn't sound like it's completely differently, but it really is. Like he's used to what they call drawing soft contact. Here's some like just little baseball tips for you guys. Okay. He's used to drawing soft contact, meaning like someone will hit the ball in the infield and then they'll get them out of first base. And that's fine if you're a starter. That's kind of your thing. And they're hitting a pop-up. They're catching it. Like, that's great if you're a starting pitcher, which he was for the majority of his career. When you're a relief pitcher, you're often going to come in when someone's on base. So you can't be pitching like that. Like, you need to get what they call swing and miss. So you're striking people out more. They typically throw quite a bit harder than now. Starters are also throwing so hard. Like, people have just gotten so, so fucking good. Anyway, he has, because of this, had to switch up some of his pitches. He learned two new pitches last year. And while he was learning the two or actually really three new pitches last year, they kind of fucked up like the pitches he was already good at that were kind of his like thing, you know? And he honestly hasn't really gotten his one pitch, his slider, really back yet. So that's all the detail to say. He is still like... doing well. He's pitching well. He's just kind of when you get to the point where you didn't sign a major league deal at the beginning of the year, he didn't make the major league team, but he didn't like sign a guaranteed deal. Meaning they can kind of like fuck with you a little bit. They can be like, you go here, you do this, whatever. So he ends up going to Reno. Then he ends up opting out of that contract with the Diamondbacks because he was just like, I don't really feel like there's, they could really use me here anyway. So he ended up signing with the Texas Rangers and he was up in the major leagues there. And then they sent him down to the minor leagues. Literally the most insane thing ever. Baseball is all over the place. And I've been so lucky in my previous years with Joe that he just always had a major league deal and we were always great with everything. And there wasn't a lot of, like, I missed the initial chaos, which happens in the beginning of your career as you're kind of being called up to the major leagues and sit back down, call back up. I missed all of that because I met him five years after he debuted into the major leagues. So things were good. Things were going good. And I'm used to moving with him for the season. But because he's been all over the place, I'm not going to go sit where he is in Austin, for example. If he's like, I'm not going to go there. You know, they stay in a team hotel basically for a week and then they go play away for a week. Right now he's in Salt Lake City. And then they go back to the team hotel for a week. Like he's living out of a suitcase and he can get called up at any time, really. So, and they're always kind of just like. juking you out a little bit. They're like, yeah, we're going to send you down for like, don't worry. It's only going to be a week. And he's like, all right, sick. And then it's like three weeks later, he's like, okay, how about that week? Okay. My point is I was planning to be here in Los Angeles for work just on and off. I got a place here because it ended up being cheaper to just get like a furnished rental actually down the street from the Dear Media studios actually than it was to like get a hotel room for. you know, four or five days at a time. And it's nice because I like can, I could keep my stuff here. That was kind of the idea. Honestly, though, I have spent so much of summer here in Los Angeles. It's just been kind of hard to leave. It's like, what am I going to do? Right. That being said, I have not seen Joe since late July. So it's September now. I've not seen him in such a long time. I mentioned this like last episode, I think. This is probably the longest we've gone while being like actually in a relationship, not seeing each other. It's just been tough because I went to DC last week and we'll discuss that. So I've been using some of my travel stuff for work or school lately instead of going to see him, which has been a whole thing. I feel like I really, we miss each other. We get on the phone and I'm like, I don't even, who are you? What's going on? And he just lives every day. Every day is Groundhog Day. You just get up, go to the field, you do your thing. And he's been doing this since spring training started mid-February. So baseball season is coming to an end soon. We'll see what happens with him with the Rangers through the end of the season. But then he'll be a free agent at the end of the season and he can sign with a different team for next season, which he's definitely planning on doing. And we have some faith for sure that he's kind of figured out. what he's been trying to figure out as a relief pitcher. And we'll see what happens in this off season. So all that to say, I did spend a lot of time in Los Angeles. So I've done a lot of hanging out with my friends. I've been saying yes to everything. I'm just, especially because I'm leaving at the end of this week to go back to Florida. I've been really saying yes to everything. And I am so ready to just say no to everything and be horizontal in my bed in Florida. So that's really exciting. The whole idea, like moving. Once we actually get there, I'll be happy. But like getting it. All my stuff and the car and Winnie and me all there just gives me so much anxiety every single time. And we move so much and I still get so much anxiety every single time. But once we're there Speaker 2 (7:00) and Speaker 1 (7:01) Winnie's in her backyard again, Speaker 2 (7:02) it'll be so fun. Speaker 1 (7:04) So yeah, this summer too, I was really planning on focusing on getting ready and doing my little trimester zero stuff. I did start taking my prenatals, but I have been just like... going to happy hour literally all the time. I don't think that's really good for the pre-pregnancy prep of it all. But we did have to kind of switch gears a little bit because I did think I was going to be physically with Joe this year per usual. And we just kind of had to pivot, you Speaker 2 (7:29) know? Speaker 1 (7:30) So trimester zero will begin once I am removed from Los Angeles and I have nothing to do anymore. But lately, some things I've been doing in LA that have been so fun. My friend Iman, as many of you know, she just turned 30. She's the youngest, youngest among us. We went to Magic Castle for her birthday. We did like a pre-birthday on Friday. And then we had like, we went to her actual birthday party that her mom hosted on Saturday at her house. But Magic Castle was so fun. I had been once before, but I didn't stay for very long. Like I kind of popped in and this was truly like 10 years ago. Basically. If you didn't see my stories on this, it is essentially like a Soho house for magicians. And Kristen knows a magician somehow. I don't really, I didn't ask that many questions to her because honestly, why? I don't really need to know. But she knows a magician who got us in. And you go and you can't have any, like no phones out, photo, video or anything like that. And you go into this like, it's literally looks like a castle. It's in Hollywood. You walk in, it's very creepy, eerie. Like it's very interesting. It's kind of like very labyrinth-like. But when you walk in the lobby, you have to go up to this bookcase and say like the magic word and it opens. And you go into the magic castle. There's like a big bar. There's a restaurant. So we ate some dinner. And then there's just like magicians everywhere. I was told and I was warned not to make too much eye contact with people because they will come up to you to do. just a bunch of magic tricks. I did run into like one disgruntled magician who tried to do a magic trick on me and then I didn't have any cash for him to do the trick with. And he was like genuinely so offended by that and angry that I didn't have any cash. So that was the only one I really spoke to because I was kind of keeping my eyes down because I didn't want to be approached by the magicians. Iman got approached because she had her little birthday pin on. She actually got called up on stage. for every single show. We went to three different shows. There are all these different shows happening throughout the night. And we went to one like medium-sized one. He was a mentalist. Kristen also got called up and so did I on that one. And he was so good. I forget his name, but it was actually, that was maybe my favorite one. Then we went to a smaller one. You could tell this guy was kind of like nervous and like kind of new at magic, but he was really great. Iman also went up on that one, like I said. And then we saw like the main show, which was more like physical magic where the guy was like literally pulling doves out of his sleeve and like fires coming out of everywhere. The dove is turning into a fire. The fire is turning into a dove. Like it's a whole ordeal, which was really fun. Highly mysterious. He didn't speak the entire time. Me and my mom were like, Kristen, this is three-way core. But we were like, you wish that was you. Like it's Kristen goal level of mysterious. Just like not speaking, just looking at us with like a little smirk. And like he kind of was dressed like Prince. and doing magic. Like it was perfect. And he was just like very, he was like, he knew we were having a good time. You know what I mean? And he was so Kristen core. He was so good. So that's what we did on Friday. And then on Saturday we had Iman's birthday at her house, which was really, really fun. Speaker 1 (10:50) Today's episode is sponsored by GU. So as I've entered my early 30s, my skin has really, really started to change. And if you're anything like me, you've probably spent way too much money on skincare products that promise everything and deliver very little. And that's why I was a little bit skeptical at first when I heard about GU, a new skincare brand. I'm just like, okay, what's it going to give me? But after seeing Gio everywhere online and hearing people rave about their before and after, mostly like in my inner circle and in like the influencer crew, I did finally try it for myself and I'm really understanding the hype. GU is spelled actually J-I-Y-U. It's pronounced GU. It is a Korean skincare brand that's built a cult following because people are seeing real results. Healthier, brighter, and smoother looking skin. Korean skincare has obviously become famous for delivering incredible results, but some of the brands can really be expensive, overwhelming, like way too many steps, and packed with like these very, very complicated routines. And GU changes that. They've taken the most effective innovations in Korean skincare and combined them into simple, affordable products that are easy to use and actually fit into your daily routine. My absolute favorite product is their best-selling Rejuvenation Toner Pads, and they've become a viral sensation because they make it so easy to get the kind of healthier, brighter, smoother-looking skin that normally takes an entire shelf full of products. You can really think of them as an entire Korean skincare routine packed into a single swipe. So really, in just a few seconds today, you're helping target dark spots, uneven texture, discoloration, fine lines, wrinkles, and other visible signs of aging. And unlike many skincare products, GU leaves your skin feeling hydrated, refreshed, and nourished, which is great for my sensitive skin. Every pad is saturated with eight clinically-backed Korean skincare actives. These are niacinamide, peptides, snail mucin, centella asiatica, vitamin C derivative, hyaluronic acid, complex, alpha-arbutin. and licorice root extract. You can also use these on your body, by the way. I love them. I use one of these pads every single morning and I have pretty sensitive skin and it's kind of triggered by, I mean, truly everything. And these have been a godsend. For a limited time, GU is having a crazy deal for our listeners. Not only is their glow up bundle up to 45 % off right now, but our listeners can get an additional 20 % off plus free shipping with our code note to self at J I Y U skin.com. That's J I Y U skin.com and use code note to self for an additional 20 % off. After your purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them our show sent you. Today's episode is sponsored by Woo. Woo was a longtime sponsor of Note to Self. As we've discussed in the past, I do think we should be talking about sex and pleasure as a woman more in a very, very, very important way to, I guess, learn more about yourself and understand yourself as one. Obviously, when you have sex with your partner to keep that in mind, but you know, pleasuring yourself as well. I think having the right tools. is very important for this. And this is why I love Woo More Play. I just find scrolling the website even to be very empowering to me, just to be like, you know, what do I want to buy myself? Let's peruse around here. So I've mentioned this before. I've been using Woo's Coconut Love Oil for years. I've talked about it for years. Joe's just had to deal with that. Okay. But the reason I love it is it's organic. It's coconut oil based and it tastes like a vanilla cupcake. like an actual dessert. And the taste is the whole reason it works so well, in my opinion, for foreplay and going down on each other. It's edible. So it actually makes oral something you look forward to instead of something you push through for some of us. Sometimes, you know what I'm saying? The coconut oil itself just makes sex feel better too. In general, it's smooth and never sticky and it never has that fake clinical lube feeling. In general, I would just go check out Woo's website because they have the coconut love oil, but they have a couple different. lubes as well. And the names of everything are so funny to me. They have numerous types of vibrators, just really something for anyone, especially beginners. If you guys are new to the vibrator game, I would just go check out Woo's website in general. Just do a little shop. Listeners can get 20 % off site wide at woo more play.com with code note to self. That's woo w o o more play.com and use code note to self for 20 % off. Speaker 2 (15:21) Welcome to The Dating Debrief, a podcast about dating Speaker 1 (15:24) in the modern age. Anyone who has found someone Speaker 2 (15:27) in LA, I'm like... How, where, what app do I have to be on to find someone? Every season will follow one single through 13 first dates. I don't like to Speaker 1 (15:37) settle. I'd rather be alone forever than settle for less than I deserve. And Speaker 2 (15:41) after each one, we will sit down to spill the tea and sort through lives. Wait, I love the love triangle. You're like, stop, I can't have you both. Get ready for a season of... Gossip. After we had sex, he kind of fell off the face of the earth a little bit. Chaos. Speaker 1 (15:56) Because he just wanted to sleep with everyone else in LA. In a front Speaker 2 (15:59) row seat to real romance. I want love so badly, but I'm also so afraid Speaker 1 (16:05) of having it. And by pursuing emotionally unavailable people, I kind of know how it's going to end. Speaker 2 (16:11) I'm Rachel Reckia,