10 Things

Happy Wednesday!

I want to write about something a little more interesting. I decided I was going to try to think of 10 things that not that many people know about me and share them with you guys. I definitely know I’m going to struggle to think of that many things. I’m not the greatest at inward speculation or whatever. (I should work on that.)

  1. I very much dislike shopping. Most people don’t even believe me when I tell them that, actually. Going to malls and walking around just is not a fun thing for me. If I need clothes, I prefer to order them online and I almost exclusively shop at Express. I know what sizes I wear there, their clothing is made well, and I love the styles.
  2. I love to learn. I’ve actually discussed with a few friends how I miss college purely because I miss constantly learning new things. That’s a big part of the reason I dove back into learning code–I like to make sure I’m always improving myself.
  3. I have a high pain tolerance. Weird thing to mention, I know, but it’s true. My physical therapist got onto me for waiting so long to seek treatment for my knee but I always just felt general discomfort, rarely intense pain. Apparently the “discomfort” I was feeling should have actually been registered as pain. Who knew?!
  4. The cold weather doesn’t bother me. It used to, then I realized I honestly don’t care much whether it’s warm or cold, all I care about is if the sun is shining. Of course, I generally prefer the heat, but it can be just as beautiful outside in 20 degrees as it can be in 90.
  5. Being organized is sort of like an obsession of mine, and I actually enjoy cleaning. My house, office, desk, closet, etc. are all insanely organized. I guess I like to take a minimalist approach to things. I clean and organize my closet quarterly and maintain a clean house at all times. (If I host people, my house is usually spotless again within 30 minutes of everyone leaving.)
  6. I wear a lot of black, but that’s no secret. What most people don’t know is why I wear so much black–I’m not really comfortable wearing colors. I just got comfortable dressing in as much black as possible and have fully embraced the fact that I typically come off as less friendly because of it. I don’t know why I am this way, but I’m trying to expand my closet’s color palette. (It’s a slow process.)
  7. Good lord, I love music. Half the time I choose listening to music over watching Netflix. I listen to so so much music and am always open to suggestions for songs to listen to. I may not like everything that’s recommended to me, but believe me when I say I definitely give them all a chance. Memorizing song lyrics is another thing I really like to do. It’s satisfying to me for some reason.
  8. I have a good and contagious laugh. My coworker and I will start laughing about something and shortly after, the entire rest of my team will be laughing just as hard, purely because our laughs are so amusing. (I never thought this until they told me. Regularly.)
  9. So another laugh related thing: I spit/drool out whatever I’m drinking at least once a day from laughing too hard. Just yesterday, I took a big sip of water right as my coworker said something inappropriate and ended up with water everywhere. It honestly happens without laughing too. I just tend to spill/spit/drool my drinks out of my mouth regularly. Don’t ask why or how, but if you can make me laugh hard enough, you might see it in action.
  10. Sunrise and sunset–the absolute best times of the day. I love watching a good sunrise/set and have an insane appreciation for them. I probably have at least 500 photos of the sun just doing it’s thing in my phone. In a perfect world, I’d have the time to watch each and every one every single day. They’re all just so stunning and unique.

Hope you enjoyed xx – A

Life is Busy, Man

Last y’all heard, I was in D.C. freezing my buns off and sightseeing. (I didn’t really freeze my buns off, don’t worry.) Things got really busy and I didn’t get another chance to blog. Oh well though, I’ve since uploaded some pictures I took in my photography section of my page, so check those out please! I really like them. 🙂 There’s a section for the Women’s March and a section for black and white detail shots I took. The details of architecture are honestly my favorite things to shoot.

Anyways, yeah D.C. was absolutely amazing except for the day it was like 12 degrees. That was rough. I’m totally fine with and in high 20s or 30 degree weather, but 12 was a bit much for me. My plans to really explore Alexandria were kind of put off by the weather, but I was okay with it. I was really tired by then and kind of ready to get back home.

Coming home wasn’t the relaxing relief that I hoped for though. Work has been absolutely chaotic–more so than ever before. Things will start to slow down again soon, but in the meantime, I barely have time to do anything non-work related. (Such a shame, I know!) Fridays are usually slow enough so that I can try to get caught up though, so that’s what I’m doing here.

Today, I started looking at my map of places I’ve been so I could add D.C.. Of course that made me want to take yet another vacation. I just can’t quit, I wanna go everywhere. I think next I’ll go somewhere tropical. I need a beach getaway.

Blog update though: I found a really cool article with “self-discovery journaling tips” so I’m going to start using some of those prompts for my blogs instead. Don’t know if they’ll be any good but OH WELL. I’m not one to make sure people like what I do anyways. 🙂 (There are some really cool prompts though–I want to do one this weekend.)

Stay tuned for those and more D.C. pictures coming very soon. My last group that I’m going to drop is different from the rest. I made sure to keep a consistent theme in each photoset and none are alike. I’m trying to push myself out of my comfort zone, creatively.

That’s all for now.

xx – A

Self-Care Thoughts

So, it’s a Friday night and instead of doing what a normal person does on the weekend (socialize), I decided to do the complete opposite. I came home, ate chips, watched Netflix, and loved it. I’ve been off my phone and social media for the most part and just spent some time alone. It’s totally okay to be antisocial for a little bit. (Also, social media is pretty toxic, we all know this….doesn’t mean we don’t still love it though.)

Anyways, after doing that for a while I realized I hadn’t blogged yet this week and I told myself I would get out at least one a week. I mean, I have spent countless hours working on this website, the least I could do is make sure it stays active.

I have a list of things I want to blog about and initially, I wanted to tackle a rather intense one tonight, but I have completely lucked out. I found a new topic instead: self care. Lucky me! I get to avoid delving into the really intense stuff that I’ve been meaning to talk about. Oh well!

Anyways, my solo hang session tonight has reminded me that just listening to yourself is much more important than we acknowledge. I could have gone and hung out with some of my favorite people, but honestly sitting on my couch and watching a new Netflix show just sounded more appealing tonight. It’s nothing against them, I guess I just needed some time to relax. This week has been insanely chaotic at work so my mind just needed some unwinding time. (Don’t get me wrong, I love being busy at work, but it does tire me out a bit more.)

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Out of all of my friends, I actually might be the biggest advocate for self-care. If I’m wanting some down time, I can be relied on to bail on plans in favor of doing absolutely nothing. I hate that I flake sometimes but being selfish with my time is something I’m working on this year so, oh well.

Not to toot my own horn, but I think everyone should take a page out of my book a bit more frequently. Relaxing is good for you–mind, body and soul. I always feel so much better once I’ve spent some time regrouping.

Self-Care Ideas:

  • img_9235Take a hot bath. Don’t be afraid to use that bath bomb you’ve been saving for a “special occasion.” Now is a special occasion. Treat yo’ self. (Throw on a face mask as well if you’re feelin’ bold.)
  • Read a book. (Or part of a book!) Read a blog. (Like mine?) Read something that just distracts you a little bit! Poetry is a good one too.
  • Binge a show on Netflix! I know this might not seem like “self care” but it’s a great way to distract your mind. If your mind has been running non-stop, distractions are a great relief!
  • Cook something–anything! Having to focus on what you’re doing and what your next step will be is pretty immersive. Plus, having a tasty treat at the end is a great bonus!
  • Go for a walk with some headphones and your favorite music. Exercise + music = relaxing AF.
  • Clean or organize! To be fair, this might be a “just me” thing because I feel insanely content when I’m cleaning or organizing. It’s a weird thing of mine. Just a few weeks ago I accidentally spent almost 3 hours organizing my beauty products. It was great.
  • Watch the sunset. It’s simple and it’ll do the trick.56695575803__74e8fca5-f50f-463a-a061-7b85f0518eed

So yeah, there’s a few ideas just to get you started. Taking care of number one (you) is one of the most important things you can do in life. After all, you’re the only one that is going to be there for you for the rest of forever.

Enjoy!

xx – A

More Poetry

Sorry if this is uninteresting, it’s been such a focus in my life right now, I can’t even go a day without wanting (needing?) to read some poetry. It’s just so soothing, okay?! 

This past weekend was Easter weekend, obviously, and my mom got me the most amazing gift–a book of poems by the poet Atticus, who as you know if you read my last blog, is one of my favorites. I didn’t go through it immediately after she gave it to me, I have certain moments during the day in which I like to read poetry. Instead of me going through it, my mom offered to thumb through and read some of the poems to me, which I readily accepted. (Having poems read to you is almost as great as writing them down yourself.)

You see, the thing I love about poetry is how these simple words and short poems (or long poems) can make you feel so hard. Everyone feels them a little differently, but they can impact you so intensely and I love that about them. There was one poem my mom started reading to me that brought me to tears, another that made me laugh so hard my stomach hurt, one that made me feel strong and empowered, and another that brought in waves of nostalgia that made my chest tight. It truly amazes me how just some simple words printed on paper can have so much of an effect on me.

Throughout work today, I’ve been working on filling my fourth and largest journal with poetry that spoke to me, and I hope to have filled it by the end of the day honestly. As much as I thoroughly enjoy writing all of these poems down, I also find great pleasure in looking through them later on at the things I selected to write down. I’m even starting to remember what poems are in what books due to my constant reading of them. I think it’s safe to say I have a slight addiction to poetry, and I love it so so much.

Honestly, I wish I could even understand how this is so therapeutic to me, but it just is. So today, I really just feel like sharing some more poetry with hopes that someone else will be able to appreciate it as much as I have. Today, I’ve been gravitating primarily to Erin Hanson’s stuff, so that’s what I’m gonna share with you guys. (These aren’t my absolute favorites, but they’re what captured my heart and mind today.)

xx – A

P.S. For those of you who read my blogs, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it. And if they do something for you, then that means everything in the world to me.

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This is one of my mom’s favorites.

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Today

Well, today’s blog is probably going to be pretty short and not particularly exciting, but I shall blog it anyways. I’m in a pretty good mood. I spent today actively avoiding leaving my apartment–partly because it was 40º this morning and partly because I just wanted to stay in and watch TV and work on job stuff and catch up on emails and whatnot.

Last week, I had an in-person interview on Tuesday, and that same afternoon, I went through a phone screen interview. I was told by the woman interviewing me over the phone that I would hear from her on Monday morning (aka today) if I make it to the next stage of interviews: in-person interviews. I was pleased to receive a call from her this morning asking if I was available to come in for an in-person interview Tuesday morning. (Obviously, I said yes.) I also received an email from someone at a different company that I had applied to asking if I was available for a phone interview on Tuesday as well. (More good news!) So of course, I’m very excited about making ACTUAL progress in my ongoing job hunt tomorrow.

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My goal was to spend the whole day without leaving at all, but I was notified by my complex of a shipment arriving for me at the office. (I wasn’t expecting anything, though.) Much to my surprise (and delight!), my new coffee table I had ordered on Amazon arrived two days early! Despite the fact that I had to haul it from the office to my apartment because it wasn’t delivered to my door like my furniture usually is, I was very excited! After opening it all up, I realized it would be slightly more complicated to put together than I anticipated, but after a few minutes I figured it out and got to work. Check it out! I love it!

So yeah, today’s blog is primarily about me wanting to talk about the things that are going well for me today. That may or may not be interesting for people, but I don’t know, sometimes it’s nice to just actually take a step back and think about how good I’ve got it. I live a pretty good life, and sure I’m allowed to have my bad days, but ultimately I live a good life. I have people who care about me, I have opportunities (hopefully) coming my way, and I live in a cute apartment and have a cute and cuddly kitty. It’s not a bad life to live.

xx – A

Girl’s Weekend

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has those weeks where NOTHING seems to go right, right? That’s how this past week was for me. It was rough, and I was miserable for them majority of it. I just felt like I was getting bad news after bad news and even if something good happened, it felt like the bad stuff overshadowed it.

On Friday, my mom drove up to San Antonio (which gave me some much needed mother-daughter time). Her primary reason for going up was to visit my grandparents (her dad and step-mom) since my grandpa’s health isn’t the greatest right now. I went with her to visit them and we had a really nice time talking and hanging out for a few hours. I forgot about the week’s sadness, but it got worse again on Friday evening when I realized the weekend had arrived and I basically had no plans. My mom had only gone up to SA for the day, so once she left it hit me–all of my friends in town (San Antonio) were busy or going out of town for the weekend. I would basically be spending the weekend alone, and that was not something I could handle emotionally.

I was talking to one of my best friends who lives in Dallas all day on Friday and I was talking about how down I felt. She suggested going up to visit her for the weekend for a girl’s weekend. So I decided to just do it. I wasn’t able to leave San Antonio until 9:30 p.m., so I didn’t arrive in Dallas until around 1:30 a.m. That didn’t matter though. My best friend and I got to hang out and catch up for a few hours and so far, the rest of the weekend has been exactly what I needed. I talked through some of the things I was frustrated about with her and it calmed me down a lot. She talked down my anxiety levels and convinced me to not worry and stress so much. I needed someone to ground me and she did it perfectly. We spent the weekend having fun and just catching up, since I hadn’t been up to visit in about a year.

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We went out on Saturday (because that’s what 22-year-olds do) and we had an absolute BLAST. I hadn’t had that much fun going out in a long time (despite the fact that we went home early). Both of us looked at each other around midnight and we realized we were ready to go home, so we got pizza, and went back to her apartment to watch some tv. We were in bed by 2 a.m., and if that’s not actual life goals, then I don’t know what is. (I love to have fun, but I really love to sleep). Since we were spending quality time together and were having so much fun, I took almost zero pictures from that night, but here’s a little shot from that night before we left her apartment.

Now that it’s Sunday, and the stresses from this past week are behind me now, I feel so much better about everything. I’m still stressing about not having a job yet, but I’m doing all I can to make that happen. This “Girl’s Weekend” has reminded me that I need to just step back from all the things that are driving me crazy every once in a while and just enjoy the little things, like quality time with a life-long friend. It’s amazing how therapeudic getting away from everything that’s stressing you out for a bit can be.

I had actually just sat down to job hunt some more, when my best friend suggested blogging about this weekend. I wasn’t sure what to write, but I figured it’d come to me as I wrote. (Spoiler alert: it totally did.) So yeah, friendly reminder to anyone who happens to read this: don’t underestimate the power of good company and a good time to help you get over all the stuff that’s driving you crazy and bringing you down.

xx -A