Week 166: Pilates and Pokopia

Week 165: March 8th-14th, 2026

In my ongoing effort to try new things, I agreed to a "Craft and Core" event hosted by @habithauswellness because my friend Daniela invited me. The event was a "45-minute modern sculpt Pilates class — low impact, high burn, and beginner friendly — designed to lengthen, tone, and reset your body," after which we could "stay for a relaxed social hour where you’ll decorate your choice of a custom hair brush or hair clip at our craft bar."

The invite for the Craft & Core event

More details on the invite!

I'm glad I'm a planner and actually read all details on invitations because most, if not all, of my workout clothes are black or blue. The invite specifically asked us to "please wear neutrals" for content purposes, so I got a cute tan/grey set from TJ Maxx for $15. I also had to replace my very old yoga mat that had its last hurrah back in Week 163, so I got a decent Gaiam one as well.

My new workout set and yoga mat :)

Now let me be clear: I used to be very anti-workout class. I was a big believer in the gym being a space for and only me, especially when I need to stay focused. However, like I think I've mentioned in a few previous weeks, I have been finding myself facing a hard truth: I simply don't have that internal motivation every time I'm at the gym. Sometimes its okay to get motivation by signing up for a workout class and getting told what to do. So I did, plus I got to be in a women-centered space and make a cute semi-bedazzled hairbrush!

The event itself was held at an office space/studio in Hillcrest near Balboa Park. I think they mentioned it normally operates as an acupuncture studio or something, but despite it being a little crowded, it was a nice space.

Mallory, the instructor, gave us a good workout for the first 45 mins. Of course, I got ridiculously sweaty, and my new workout set showed my sweat more than my good ol' reliable black attire would've, but oh well.

After the class, we all hung out while Mallory haphazardly set up the craft station and mocktails. We had to pivot a little and use the snack bar plates as containers for our rhinestones, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed sitting cross-legged on my new yoga mat and chatting with my friends as I carefully placed rhinestones on my hairbrush. I would've been content sitting there for hours and actually finishing my craft project if I weren't so sweaty.

This was the Eventbrite page, where I paid a whopping $48.80 for a ticket. I'm not really worried about the high cost, because I had a good time with my friends and got a good workout in, but I don't think I'll continue paying around $50 for one class. Even if its wrapped up in bows and crafting dreams, I know better than that. Obviously the cost of renting the space, getting the crafting supplies, and paying the instructor for her time is important as well, but I'm not in the tax bracket where this becomes a regular thing. Yet.

I still have to finish my hairbrush, but thankfully I am a craft project connoisseur and have many supplies at home that I can use when I have the time... but I may not find the time for crafting anytime soon because of this week's other new thing: Pokémon™ Pokopia.

For a while, I've been really fixated on Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and since I was so generously gifted a Switch 2 for Christmas (thank you, boyfriend!), I haven't really bought any new games. Until this week.

While I had heard about Pokopia, I didn't realize how perfectly up my alley this game truly was until this week. It took the cozy gamer community by storm. Tons of my regular streamers like lilsimsie, EmrysKay, MomoMisfortune, and Zefrine started playing, and I was hooked. While I would love to say my beloved streamers influenced me, the true influencer was my sister. She and I have always shared a love for video games, and despite my best efforts, I was always just a casual Pokémon fan. The last actual game I played was Diamond, of Diamond & Pearl on my Nintendo DS. And I don't think I even finished it. I've always loved Pokémon, but I am not as familiar with the newer generation games, so I didn't expect to be frothing at the mouth for Pokopia like I did.

The game officially released on March 5, 2026. It is different from "normal" Pokémon games in that you are playing as a shape-shifting Pokémon called Ditto trying to rebuild the world after humans have mysteriously disappeared.

If you want to know more, there's tons of content online about this game, but here is the Wikipedia page for Pokopia as a place to start.

All you really need to know now is that I grappled with the decision of whether or not to buy this game for a few days before finally caving and begging a Best Buy live chat agent to help me find a physical copy to buy. Pokopia has been sold out almost everywhere. I heard that even Amazon orders wouldn't ship until the end of the month. Companies love a scarcity tactic for marketing, but I truly think Nintendo just did not expect this much immediate demand for the game. I could've gotten the digital version, but I'm becoming a big believer in preserving physical media, and having the physical game card means I can trade it in, play it on another Switch 2, or sell it in the future. I don't plan on getting rid of this game anytime soon, because I'm addicted.

Anyway, in some marvelous miracle from the universe (and maybe the Best Buy live chat agent), my order, placed on March 9th and expected to arrive on March 12th, actually arrived LESS THAN 24 HOURS later on March 10th, and my world was changed. The game is a perfect blend of Animal Crossing, Pokémon, and Minecraft, and is likely going to take up a lot of my time in the near future. I even brought my Switch 2 to the gym and spent an hour on the treadmill without realizing it because I was so focused on Pokopia.

Anyway, this weird heat wave in March is nice and maybe I'll go outside to enjoy it, but I'm likely just going to stay inside and play my silly game.

See you next week.