Bailey

Hello!! My name is Bailey and I am an artist based in Olde Richmond. My day, coincidentally, was quite a special day—my partner and I’s 5th anniversary! 

I woke up early at around 6:30, watered our vegetable garden, fed the cat, and then exchanged gifts with my partner. Nathan is the epitome of if he wanted to, he would, and gifted me a baggu mini crescent bag and a beautiful piece of jewelry from California Dirt. I got him a watch—his current watch has been broken for some time, and he was overdue for something nice. I also got him The Sopranos Cookbook (our favorite show), and the NYT Cocktails Cookbook, which I picked up at my sister’s culinary school in upstate NY. 

I spent the day at my 9-to-5, which I know I am lucky to have, but often ponder quitting. There’s just something about a marketing job…even at a nonprofit…that feels so banal and meaningless. 

 I take the L from Huntington Station to 15th street, a frequently harrowing journey, but one I greatly appreciate. I really enjoy daydreaming on the train, and I also like to work on my knitting if there’s a seat available. 

As usual, I pay my Elixir tax on the way to my office and grab an iced matcha instead of my regular hot matcha because it was really humid out. I then remembered hate iced matcha. I drank it anyway and soldiered on to my office, up the IMPOSSIBLY large staircase and to my desk. 

I’ve been working in marketing for three years but I’m still not quite certain what marketing even is. My primary role is social media and digital marketing, which is pleasant, simple, but very restrictive at times. I’m an impulsive and unserious human being, but the institution I work for is very serious and antiquated (it’s a place where people go to study classical music at a high level).

I ditched work at around 2 p.m. (boss dog, if you are reading this, I was using comp time) to hang out with my friend Jean in West Philly. We enjoyed a cathartic catch up—we used to work together and the dynamics of my job are like high school. Lots to gossip about, which I enjoy. I also spent a lot of time taking hits from his roommate’s dog, Violet, an ancient English bulldog. I lost my American Bully, Tallulah just a month ago, and I missed the smell of stinky old dog feet more than anything. It’s addictive. Someone should make that smell into a candle or something. 

I returned home at around 5:30 and got ready for dinner. We tried LMNO, which was a 5/10. I expected more from a Starr restaurant… the nachos were overpriced, and the tacos were good but not $15+ good. They also sat us directly next to the bathroom, even though the restaurant was less than half full. On our anniversary! Pfft. 

Despite the slight let down, I was just happy to celebrate five years with my guy. We met in college, in Honors Music Theory class. We’ve built a beautiful life together and I often pinch myself thinking about how freaking lucky I am! 

I spent the rest of my evening working on my knitting project (sweater vest, yay!), spending time with my dear Nathan, and writing for my blog—titled Dissonance. Dissonance is all about unpacking the classical music industry, the industry I was a part of for over fifteen years. I was abused in that industry by many different men during my career, and this blog is the first time I am publicly broaching the subject! If this sounds like something you’d like to read I hope you will join me and subscribe (it’s free) at Dissonanceweekly.substack.com!

Bailey is an artist, writer, and former classical musician. She is writing a blog called Dissonance, and you can find her at @baileymspiteri on IG and @/baileyweekly on TikTok. 🌷🍋‍🟩⭐️💕