Recurring Series

Friday Questions (v. 12)

Happy Friday! I have a busy but fun weekend ahead of me and hope to take advantage of the gorgeous weather we’ve been having in Florida. A friend invited a bunch of us over to her new house for a pool day and I’ll be doing game night with the fam on Saturday night. I can’t wait!

I have some more questions to answer from the “Community Questions” portion of the Real Talk Radio podcast. It’s been so much fun answering these! Let’s get into it:

1) What’s one change you made in your life that was really tough for you at the time but totally worth it in the end?

It was really hard to leave my previous job, even though I was supremely unhappy there. But it was comfortable and easy and I loved my coworkers, and it was really hard to leave that. I don’t even think I told my boss I was leaving. I just told her I needed to talk to her and then started crying, and she guessed it. Ha. Super professional of me.

The first few ~~weeks~~ months of my new job were terrifying. My social anxiety was at its peak since I was in an entirely different environment. I went from a 10-person company to a 50-person company! It was so scary to even go into the break room. And I was doing completely different work, from marketing to copywriting, so I always felt on edge.

Ultimately, though, it was the best decision I could have made because I’m five-and-a-half years into my current job and I still love it just as much as I did when I started. I don’t suffer from Sunday Scaries as I did at my old job, and I get to do work that is more suited to my skills and personality.

2) What helps you to stick with a long-term project or goal you’re working on?

I can’t focus on the long-term aspect of the goal, I have to break it into week-by-week stages. I think about what I need to do this week to get me closer to my overall goal. For my novel, it’s writing and editing one chapter a week. For my goal of working out 150 times this year, I plan out the three days I want to work out during the week (and consider if there are one or two other days I can add in to build a buffer). Breaking down a big goal into the tiniest chunks gives me the forward progress I need.

3) What’s something that a lot of people seem to do that you don’t do on purpose?

I don’t watch a lot of TV. I watch an episode (or two, if it’s a sitcom like Friends) a few times a week, which is why it takes me forever to watch one season of a show. It took me nearly five years to watch the entire Gilmore Girls series, an entire month to watch thirteen episodes of Grace & Frankie.

It’s really funny, though, because a few years ago when I had cable, my DVR was full of shows to watch. I had at least a few shows recording every day. And now that I don’t have cable and only rely on Netflix, I find myself less inclined to turn on the TV.

4) What advice would you give yourself five years ago?

I would have told myself that I needed to stand up for myself in my relationship. He was the first guy I ever loved and I thought we were meant to be, but he also wasn’t very kind to me. He moved the relationship much faster than I was comfortable with, but I figured *I* was the problem. I was new at this relationship thing, so maybe it was me that needed to change. I was also terrified of losing him if I spoke up. Oh, darling little Steph. I want to give her the biggest hug and tell her she’s deserving of so much more. And that, “more,” may not look like another relationship but of standing on my own two feet and being my full independent self.

5) How do you typically spend your evenings?

Typically, I come home, play with my cats for a little while, take a bubble bath, make dinner, watch something on Netflix while eating dinner, and then do my nighttime routine while listening to a podcast. (My nighttime routine involves washing the dishes, tidying my apartment, cleaning out the litter boxes, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and preparing my lunch for the next day.) It’s a simple evening routine, and I love it. 🙂

Tell me: what’s something a lot of people do that you don’t do on purpose?

Categories: Recurring Series

Quick Takes on a Friday (v. 2)

1) Our itinerary for Ireland is set! We will visit Galway, the Cliffs of Moher, Kilkenny, the Rock of Cashel, and Dublin (with possible stops to Waterford and Belfast planned but we’re leaving it open-ended for now). We have hotels booked in Galway and Kilkenny and I’m planning on booking this tour to see the Cliffs of Moher. Eeks – it’s all coming together!

2) Another coworker told me this week that she’s leaving, which means I’m the last one standing in our friend group. It just really kinda sucks, even though I’m happy for my friends who have moved on to bigger and better things. I deeply miss the days when our group text was blowing up, gossiping about coworkers and talking about things happening in the office, but I’m trying to forge new bonds with the coworkers around me. It helps, but I still wish my friends were here.

3) Yesterday, I realized that I’ve been using expired milk in my scrambled eggs in the morning. The expiration date on the bottle is February 2! What’s crazy is that I swear I bought that milk two weeks ago so was it already expired when I bought it? I usually check the label but I guess this one slipped past me. I feel okay, though, and I’m just mixing a small amount in my eggs that I then heat up so maybe I’m killing all the bad bacteria?!

4) I keep having dreams about Grandma and Pops. They’re never in the same dream, and the dreams are both vastly different. My dreams about Grandma bring me such peace and comfort. We’re just hanging out and she’s taking care of me, as she always did. My dreams about Pops are disturbing, as he’s here and healthy and fine… but he never responds to me. I’ll talk to him and ask him questions, and he just acts like I’m not there. I wake up from those dreams so upset because that is the opposite of how Pops was, and it breaks my heart all over again.

5) I’m happy to report that Eloise and Lila are getting along! They are not best friends yet, but these things take time and Eloise definitely takes a while to warm up to people. (Kind of like her mom, heh.) Lila has been an absolute ANGEL, though, and her sweet little face makes my heart so happy. She’s so easygoing and snuggly, and it fills my heart with such joy that I get to keep her forever!

6) After weeks of being scared to do it, I filed my taxes this week and I’m pleased to say I am getting a decent refund. I had convinced myself that I was going to owe money this year because I made a not-insignificant amount of money freelancing in 2018 and I’ve been getting less money withheld on my paychecks. I keep hearing horror stories of people who owe money this year, and I am so thankful I am not in that boat.

7) Next month I am attempting my first of four no-spend months and I am both nervous and excited about it. I am excited because March is a three paycheck month for me so I’ll be able to make serious progress on both saving for Ireland and paying off my credit card. But I’m nervous because I keep thinking about things I want to buy and I’m scared I won’t have the willpower to resist once March rolls around.

Have you ever attempted a no-spend month?

Categories: Recurring Series

Friday Questions (v. 11)

Was this week super long for anyone else? Whew. I am just happy we made it to Friday, but it was a rough week for me. My mental health hasn’t been the greatest lately and Valentine’s Day is always a tough holiday for me (even though I wish it wasn’t), so I’m just happy I made it through and now I can focus on the weekend. It will be a good weekend, I hope, with the right amount of downtime and social time. I think part of my mental health struggles has been spending a little too much time alone, so I think this weekend should rejuvenate me.

Today, I’m continuing my Friday Questions series with five more questions from the Real Talk Radio podcast. Enjoy!

1) Tell us some of the best advice that you’ve ever received.

“What is meant for me is already mine.” I saw this quote on an Instagram post a few years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. It reminds me that I won’t miss the things that are meant for me. I can’t pass them by. The soulmate I ache for, the book I want to publish, the travels I want to do… they will all be mine if they are meant to be mine. For someone who has an anxiety disorder and loves to worry about every little thing, this quote gives me so much peace. We are all on the path we are meant to be on, even when it looks vastly different than what we thought it would look like.

2) If you could only watch one TV show for the rest of your life, what show would it be?

This one’s easy – FRIENDS! I have been rewatching the show recently (I never watched it straight through) and each episode makes me laugh and takes me out of my life for a bit. It’s a comfort watch, a show I turn to when I need to just forget everything for a while.

3) Of everything you’ve spent money on in the past few months, what’s the one purchase that’s made you the happiest?

This one is hard because I find it enormously difficult to buy things. A little bit of guilt or fear always accompanies my spending. I would like to say that the purchase that has made me the happiest is my flight to Ireland but I was actually really apprehensive to buy the tickets and I’m still very nervous about it. They’re good nerves but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m happy, at least not yet. Maybe when the trip starts to feel more real and we have more things booked. (And my credit card doesn’t look as scary as it does now, heh.)

But I think the purchase(s) that made me happiest (and yes, cheating a bit here) were my Secret Santa gifts. I ended up drawing the name of my girl, B, same as last year, so I had to really get creative with my gifts and find stuff that was different than my usual picks for her but that she would still love. And every time I found something for her, I felt so happy thinking about her reaction.

4) What’s something that only those in your close inner circle know about you?

I am pretty transparent on my blog and on social media, especially about my struggles, so I wasn’t sure exactly how to answer this question. I don’t keep too much to myself, but there are also a lot of things in my life that I’m not comfortable talking about online. For example, while I’m happy to talk about my dating life in broad terms, I don’t get into the nitty-gritty of it. I won’t talk about the dates I’m going on or the people I’m meeting because that feels a little too personal. I will vent about problems at work or issues with my family to my friends, but I keep both of those off my blog because it’s not the right place for it. So, while I try to be as transparent as possible online, I am not here to tell anyone else’s stories or air any dirty laundry.

5) What’s something you’re not doing or haven’t done yet because you’re afraid?

There is this cool literary group in my city that I’ve been dying to join, but my fear has prevented me from doing anything about it. My fear is two-fold: the fear of not being good enough and the fear of joining a new social group. They also run a silent reading event once a month and I desperately wanted to attend it this month. For weeks, I had saved the date in my calendar but when the day arrived, I chickened out. I’d love to join this group and get more involved in the literary scene in my city but damn if my fear hasn’t stopped me from doing anything more than glancing at their website and Facebook page every few weeks and wishing I had the guts to join.

What TV show would you pick as the only one you could watch for the rest of your life?

Categories: Recurring Series

Day in the Life: Wednesday, February 6

Happy Friday! I thought it might be fun to try to do a Day in the Life post once a quarter because I think they’re fun to document and such an interesting glimpse into someone’s day-to-day life, even the mundane details! I decided to document Wednesday, keeping tabs on my day through my Notes app and pictures (although once I started putting this post together, I realized I took way fewer photos than I thought I did – oops). Please enjoy!

5:30AM: My alarm goes off so I get up and turn it off. Eloise is already up, so she sits on my chest and meows at me. I give her lots of pets.

5:45AM: I finally get out of bed and do my morning stretches.

6:00AM: I start getting ready for work. I take a shower, do my hair and makeup, make coffee, and pack my bag. While I’m getting ready, I listen to an episode of Call Your Girlfriend.

7:00AM: I’m ready for work early so I sit on the couch and read a chapter in Anne of Green Gables. It’s a lovely way to spend my morning before leaving for work.

7:20AM: I commute to work while listening to a Patreon episode of Good Christian Fun. Traffic is light, which is a nice surprise!

8:00AM: I arrive at work and turn on my computer. I go through my emails and then go to the break room to make my breakfast. I’m experimenting with eating more filling breakfasts so I make scrambled eggs in the microwave and toast a piece of whole-grain bread. I usually find myself hungry within an hour or two of eating this, so that’s disappointing, but my body is weird. I eat my breakfast while reading an article about the State of the Union and then get started on my first task of the day, which is filling out a spreadsheet for a developer who is building a website for one of my clients.

9:00AM: Time for a brain break so I play a few rounds of Candy Crush on my phone and also go to the break room to wash out the bowl I used for my scrambled eggs. A coworker stops by to chat.

9:15AM: I upload a keyword plan to our project management system and send a note to our strategy team to look it over, and then start an editing task.

10:10AM: I take a break to drink a protein shake. Along with my more filling breakfasts, I’m also experimenting with protein shakes because of the hypoglycemia episodes I tend to have in the mornings/early afternoons. And it’s especially necessary today since I won’t be eating lunch until 12:30 or later and that’s way too long to go in between meals. I received this one as a sample and it’s pretty good! I’ll probably switch over to their high protein version, not their glucose version, but I’m impressed with how delicious it is.

10:20AM: After a short break, I go back to my editing task.

10:40AM: I take a bathroom break and then leave work to drive to my dermatologist’s office. I finish the Good Christian Fun Patreon episode right as I pull into the parking lot.

11:15AM: It’s time for my annual skin check, so of course there’s a new mole to worry about. This one has grown 1mm since last year so they do a sticker biopsy, which is so much less painful than the other biopsies they’ve done for my moles. It’s a little worrisome (especially because my dermatologist kept remarking how she “didn’t like the color of that mole” again and again, sigh), but I’m just crossing my fingers it’s nothing to worry about.

After the sticker biopsy, we discuss my skin tags and she says she can remove five of them for me today. It’s a cosmetic procedure, so it’s not covered under my insurance but I really need these skin tags removed. (They’re not the type that can be removed via apple cider vinegar – they need to be cut off.) The tech numbs the five skin tags and then the dermatologist snips them right off! She then cauterizes the areas to stop any bleeding that could occur. It’s as easy as that!

11:50AM: I leave the dermatologist and drive to Panera to pick up lunch. I packed my own lunch but I can save it for tomorrow. It’s so rare for me to be out of the office on a workday that I decide to treat myself to lunch. Unfortunately, I forgot how crazy South Tampa traffic is and it takes me 10 minutes to drive one block.

12:10PM: Lunch acquired! I drive back to work, turning on an episode of How I Built This to keep me from losing my mind, as traffic tends to do.

12:30PM: Back at work and I work on my editing task while eating my salad.

1:15PM: Editing task is done. I spend a little time on Instagram and upload my Project 365 photo for today.

1:25PM: I go to the break room to throw away my lunch and when I do, I find out our VP dropped off mini-doughnuts, so I snag one and eat it on the way to a meeting.

1:30PM: I meet with two colleagues to discuss a keyword plan for one of my clients. It goes well and we’re in and out within 30 minutes.

2:00PM: I make edits that were suggested during the meeting to the keyword plan, and then upload it to our project management system. And then I get started on a keyword plan for a different client. (Side note: this has been an unusual week for me in terms of work because I haven’t spent any time writing but instead keyword planning and working on SEO strategy. It’s not my favorite part of my job but thankfully, I don’t typically have weeks like this where it’s all I’m doing.)

2:05PM: Before getting started on my next task, I spend time searching everywhere for a hair tie. My purse. My desk. My drawers. There is no hair tie to be found. Cry a little bit inside.

2:35PM: Keyword plan is done and sent off for review. I am quickly losing steam and decide I’ve earned a brain break. I read a few blogs and play some games on my phone.

3:00PM: I turn on the episode of How I Built This I was previously listening to and work on a keyword plan (they’re never-ending this week!) and get it done rather quickly, thankfully.

3:50PM: I finish the keyword plan and then take a brain break. I’m feeling dizzy after looking at many spreadsheets today!

4:15PM: I answer some emails, make adjustments to a different keyword plan, and then get started on an editing task.

5:30PM: I am so glad to see the end of the workday! I shut down my computer and drive home while listening to an episode of Real Talk Radio with Nicole Antoinette.

5:50PM: Once home, I snuggle with Eloise on my bed. This has become our new routine when I get home. She rubs herself all over my feet and I give her lots of rubs. It’s the best part of my day.

6:10PM: I pull on workout clothes, remove my makeup, and put my hair up. And then I go for my daily walk! I continue listening to the Real Talk Radio episode while I’m walking. It’s a crazy gorgeous evening outside. Low 70s, slight breeze, perfection.

7:00PM: I’m finished with my walk and sit on the couch, scrolling through Instagram. Twenty minutes later, I’m still scrolling – oops.

7:20PM: I start a load of laundry because I discovered this morning that I have one pair of underwear left. Oops.

7:30PM: I wanted to take a shower (not that I got sweaty or anything on my walk; just felt like one) but I started experiencing a hypoglycemic episode as I was sorting my laundry. Makes sense, though. It’s been nearly seven hours since I last ate and I went for a 45-minute walk. I typically never go more than a few hours between meals but my lunch was really filling and I didn’t get hungry until I got super-ravenously-blood-sugar-dropping hungry. Ugh, this body of mine. I pop my dinner into the microwave (spaghetti!) but I’m feeling so weak and shaky at this point that I can’t even wait for it to heat up. Instead, I find a container of cookie dough (leftover from the cookies I made on Saturday night) and scarf that down. These hypoglycemic episodes are so horrible and I’m really trying to be better about how I’m eating to avoid them, but I’m definitely not perfect at it yet.

7:40PM: I sit down to eat dinner and watch an episode of Mad Men. Once dinner is finished, I eat an ice cream bar.

8:30PM: Laundry has finished washing so I separate out what can go into the dryer with what needs to be air-dried and start the dryer. Then, I clean up the kitchen, tidy my apartment, and rescue some of Eloise’s toys that were trapped in a closet (she loves batting it under the door and trying to rescue it… until she bats it too far for her paw to reach) and under the fridge and my TV stand. This is a nightly routine for me.

9:00PM: I take a bubble bath! I wasn’t actually planning on doing so but I feel like I’ve earned it. I read my book and try to relax.

9:25PM: I refill Eloise’s food and water bowls and then scoop her litter boxes. Then, I brush my teeth and wash my face.

9:45PM: I’m finally in bed, ready to read a few chapters of Anne before calling it a night. This day just felt neverending, honestly.

10:20PM: Lights out.

Do you go for regular skin checks?

Categories: Recurring Series

Quick Takes on a Friday (v. 1)

1) I woke up yesterday morning thinking, “I should revive 7 Quick Takes Friday” on my blog! This was a series I did regularly on Fridays back in 2011-2012 days, and I don’t know why I thought about it at this moment in time. But I couldn’t get it out of my head to do, so I’m bringing it back but I’m just going to write however many quick takes I want (less than 10, more than 5) and challenge myself to keep each “take” short, three sentences or less.

2) I finally started watching Big Little Lies on HBO. We’re reading the book for my work book club and since everyone but me and another person have also watched the show, we wanted to do a book vs. show debate. I’m three episodes in and I am loving it, and can’t believe I waited so long to watch it!

3) My mom and I did something totally crazy yesterday: we booked a trip to Ireland! I got an email about crazy low fares to Dublin, and since my mom has told me repeatedly how much she wants to visit Ireland, we started texting about it. And suddenly, tickets were booked and I was scouring the Internet for Ireland itineraries. We leave at the end of April, and I couldn’t be more nervcited (<– my new term for being nervous + excited at the same time)!

4) Some new podcasts I’ve added to my feed: Sarah’s Book Shelves Live (she’s one of the few snarky book people I know of, and I love her for it!); Terrible, Thanks for Asking (I’m bingeing through her archive now, but I may need to space of the episodes as they make me so sad); Up and Vanished (thoroughly engaged with season 1), and Enneagram & Coffee (Sarahjane’s voice makes me want to curl up and fall right asleep… it’s so soothing!).

5) I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow and a part of me wants to ask my therapist to just massage my hands for the whole 50 minutes. My hands have felt so achy lately and I’m not sure why! I can’t even do a plank anymore because the pressure on my hands is excruciating.

6) This weekend is the 24in48 readathon, and I’ve been going back and forth if I want to participate. I have a fairly plan-less weekend; the only things on my plate are a massage on Saturday and a writing date on Sunday. I think I’m going to give it a try, though, and see how close I get to that magical 24 number.

7) I’ve loved watching Eloise get more and more comfortable with me, and I swear she’s become my little shadow lately! She always wants to be near me, even when I’m in the bathroom, and I can’t lie: I love it. Dutch was permanently affixed to my side and I wasn’t expecting to have that kind of closeness with a cat, but Eloise has proven me wrong.