After writing string of too-long status updates on my Facebook, I realized that I need to return to my oft-neglected blog and use it to sort out the things running through my mind. So much has happened to me over the last couple of weeks that I can hardly say I am the same person who last bitched about not being able to stencil her bathroom walls properly. That is not to say that I’ve gotten better at home improvement projects since July. But I think the last of my growing pains have finally passed and I’m well on my way to well-adjusted adulthood!
In no particular order, the things I’ve been up to lately:
* Ever since I learned how to acquire books for my Kindle through a process that rhymes with shmirating, I have been consuming an insane amount of fiction and non-fiction. But my Comparative Lit background is making me feel guilty for reading without writing about things I’ve read, in the same way I often feel guilty for eating junk food for a week without exercise. While I doubt that I will ever find the time or the head space to discuss every single book I have read, I am pretty excited to blog about two self-help titles that have helped me develop a healthier – though not necessarily more “positive” outlook on life.
* If you follow me on Instagram, you’d have seen the two cats I recently adopted from a girl who fosters strays. They’ve made my life more complete in ways human relationships can’t satisfy, and I’m looking forward to when they grow too fat and lazy to hunt down my house plants. You shall meet them soon, as their cuteness cannot be contained by a lazy blog post!
* Work-wise, things are much better than I expected, and I’m starting to genuinely enjoy where I am now. Digital marketing wasn’t what I thought I’d pursue as a career, but now that it’s becoming an in-demand skill I am so glad I ended up choosing it. There’s tons to learn and so many opportunities ahead if I can get a bit more experience. Right now I’m looking for side projects to supplement my income and my work experiences, so if you need someone to create and implement a social media strategy, shoot me an email at laurendado at gmail.com.
* I recently had two close friendships come to an abrupt and unnecessarily dramatic end. Many mutual friends expected me to be devastated about what happened, but it actually turned out to be a very good thing. With no default group to fall back on, I suddenly have all this free time to reconnect with old friends and make new friends, so that’s what I’ve been doing. This is one of those things that deserves its own blog post because I have so much to say about adult friendships and why it’s all right to leave the friends you outgrow.
* Nerd talk! When I was in college, I was briefly addicted to a collectible card game called VS. I lost interest in the game when I broke up with my ex and never thought I would never be a card hobbyist again – until I fell in love with Android: Netrunner when I bought a core set for Marco’s birthday. Holy shit is this game incredibly intelligent and fun and humbling. What I love about Netrunner is that all cards are accessible to everyone, equalizing the playing field and making players reliant on skill rather than expensive pieces of cardboard. It’s easy to learn, but there’s so much depth to the game and so many ways to win or lose. I highly recommend Netrunner if you’re looking for a fun, nerdy hobby to get into. There’s also a strong Netrunner community here, but for my own privacy I don’t want to disclose where I play. Shoot me an email at laurendado at gmail.com if you want to know!