Hi Everyone!

To any of my fellow chronically online Instagram girlies, you might have noticed my normally desolate Stories have become suspiciously soda-centric over the past few weeks. To answer the question that you are all thinking, I am not being held hostage by a soda company. Instead, I stumbled into becoming a Cove Soda Ambassador, joining the ranks of esteemed influencers such as Victoria Justice.

In my role as a Cove Summer Captain, I have to go to Target once a week for 8 weeks to buy 24 individual cans, then make a Story post about the soda. At first I was a bit apprehensive, as the deal sounded too good to be true. I was fully expecting that first week to buy the cans and be out 50 dollars, but lo and behold, I have been doing it for the past 4 weeks and have since accumulated quite a collection. Despite my best efforts, I have barely made a dent in my 96-can stockpile, and I have another 96 more where that came from. Long story short, hit me up if you want some soda! It’s quite good!

Now with that said, let’s find out What’s Up With Will…

This week has been much of the same old, same old (buried in faculty webpages, reading research papers, figuring out what programs would be a good fit, etc.). I wish I had more to update you all on this front, but it’s a lot of just me being in the weeds right now.

However, the big piece of school-related news is that after one year at SFSU, they have finally made me Instagram Official! The picture dates back to 🏙️ A Tale of Two Conferences 3/8/26, when I ran into Alli Gator for the first time. The caption reads “Your network can open doors…Build your future with us!”¹ It’s confirming something that I knew all along: that I am the poster child for networking.

Rylee had to stay in Sacramento for a night last week, and since it’s been practically eons since my last adventure to the Big Tomato, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to go exploring and do a little WFS (Work from Sac).

After waking up before the sun rose and a laborious 1-hour 30-minute drive, I first required caffeine to support my tour-de-force of Sacramento. My solution was to bee-line it to Pachamama Coffee, a farmer-owned global coffee cooperative sourcing beans from small farmers worldwide. While every single cafe on the planet will say that its coffee is extraordinary, Pachamama is quick to point out that a critic from Wine Spectator gave them that accolade, and when a journalist from a completely unrelated drink is so moved to write that, maybe it warrants attention (or maybe it raises questions like, “This drink isn’t alcoholic, is it?”)

I got myself a Honey Bear Cold Brew, topped with what I believed to be honey cold foam and sprinkled with cinnamon. While I am no Wine Spectator, this was a wonderful slightly sweet drink to caffeinate myself for the rest of my Sacramento adventure.

My WFS productivity at this cafe was through the roof, and I blew through some of the work that was piling up on account of last week. I felt that this warranted a break at one of Sacramento’s museums. Since Rylee works in the medical field, I thought it would be a great idea to understand her culture a bit more by visiting the Museum of Medical History, which traces the evolution of human medicine.

As we have already learned in this newsletter (I think back to👢Give 'Em Da Boot! 9/28/25 and 📜 History in the Making 8/10/25), California practically sprang up overnight on account of the Goldrush, and while that would cause growing pains, its lack of infrastructure and support meant that Californians would have to deal with disease and epidemics with minimal outside support. This led to much snake-oil/medical quackery long before California evolved into being a leader in medical research and public health. This museum takes you on a journey through these experimental medicinal advancements into the modern medical miracles we have today. 

Alongside bitters that were sold as medicines instead of ingredients for an old-fashioned, a Coke-infused red wine called Vin Mariani that inspired Coca-Cola, and radionics machines that essentially marketed that good vibes could cure disease, I was impressed by how it captured the progression of medical knowledge. Starting with a description of the ancient Greek theory of disease as an imbalance of the humors, it highlighted innovations like the first X-ray in Sacramento, the first instances of antiseptics for surgery, and the discovery of antibiotics. What was most impressive, though, was the fully operational Iron Lung that was used to fight polio. 

It’s shocking to see how far our understanding of medicine has changed in the past 100 years. A lot of the cures and tools we take for granted would have been unheard of. No offense, but I would much rather have penicillin instead of Vin Mariani.

I finished with the museum just in time for a lunch-fueled WFS sesh at University of Beer. As soon as I walked in, it felt like a classic sports bar, but it was decked out from floor-to-ceiling in two of the most random teams possible. I am going to give you a second to guess.

The answer: The Green Bay Packers and Arsenal FC. 

I wasn’t feeling like getting schooled in beer. Thankfully, though, they were running a Thai Fried Chicken and Watermelon Lemon Drop Martini meal deal. I wouldn’t normally say that this is a match made in heaven, but I ordered my chicken way too spicy, and the watermelon lemon drop did cool me down, plus I can thank that combo for helping me avoid learning the difference between a lager and an ale. I will most likely learn it at some point because of one of my adventures, but not today.

After finishing up my workday at University of Beer, I picked up Rylee, and we went to dinner to celebrate an early National Girlfriend Day. Our choice was Grange Restaurant and Bar, and because of the occasion, we grabbed a collection of girl dinner-inspired bar bites including hummus, a cheese board, and steak and fries. I have only just begun my foray into girl dinner as a possible option. At first I thought it to be a meal subsisting on whatever you can find in your pantry, but as indicative of this meal, girl dinner its less about the ingredients and more about embracing the freedom to eat exactly what you want in any combination that feels good. Girl Dinner can be as luxurious and expansive as you want it.

Happy National Girlfriend Day!

Another day, another Sacramento Adventure!

Starting the morning, I visited Camellia Coffee Roasters for some more WFS action. Named as a nod to the city flower, its specialty drinks are what initially drew me in. I arrived at peak coffee hours, though, and this place was packed with customers. My first thought was that it was about as busy as a Starbucks smack-dab in the middle of a tourist hot spot, so imagine my smile when I later learned it took over from an old Starbucks location. Thankfully, I managed to order a horchata cold brew (if you couldn’t tell by now, I love some cold brew) and find a seat. While I was waiting in line, I saw a claw machine where you could win free coffee, but you needed cash, a commodity that I didn’t have (side note: Do any of y’all carry cash anymore?)

For my excursion for the day, I visited the Verge Center for the Arts, featuring Ari Bird’s “Pocket Garden” exhibit. A collection of enlarged everyday items, the exhibit aims to explore our relationship with collecting and the notion of collection as a means of exploring our own identities. From walking around hairclips the size of a head and an all-too-familiar white and red to-go bag the size of a person, it emphasizes the importance of these items in our lives. While these items might be easily acquired and then lost to junk drawers, they act as a “pocket garden” of our own identity. 

I think it is also slightly emblematic of our phone’s photo galleries. Similar to the detritus of a junk drawer, they might get tossed into the depths of our photo library, yet they are representative of personally meaningful memories. Maybe I am being a bit too philosophical here, but using these images and stories that I collect and share with you via a newsletter gives them a second life, bringing conversations and attention to the vastness of the world around us.

And finally, I made a most peculiar stop for lunch: a grocery store. Looking up online for lunches with the best bang for your buck, I saw a couple of recommendations to stop at the Corti Brothers deli counter for a bomb sandwich. Also online, I saw that one of the Corti bros was awarded the title of “America’s Coolest Grocer” in 2013, so I figured, why the heck not? 

I walked in and was astounded by the long line. Thankfully, there were some premade ones in the fridge, so I skipped what appeared to be a 30-minute wait and got a Corti Special. Even though it was premade, it was still loaded with ham, cotto salami, pepperoni, hard salami, and bologna. I understand why there was a massive line, as the sandwich was solid! Anyone who puts that much meat on a sandwich is pretty cool in my book…

I told my dad about my experience at the Museum of Medical History, specifically about the iron lung, and he immediately thought of this scene from The Big Lebowski (his favorite movie). It’s an all-time classic Coen brothers movie, and it does briefly feature an Iron Lung, even if its just in the background of the scene.