A typical Tuesday evening, appreciating the holidays

Dear A,

So here I am, it's 6:30 PM on a Tuesday evening and I'm still at work. I just microwaved the last of my food for dinner and I just tossed out this tea that was totally not working for me. Seriously A, it was an imposter for the latte I attempted to make but failed at. Anyway, I felt bad because I haven't been writing back to you and I know it defeats the purpose of this blog if I don't keep up with it. So as I chew my chicken, I decided it would be a good time to do some writing.

Holidays are something else, I have never EVER appreciated a holiday more than I did this past week. I actually felt sort of rejuvenated and didn't want to come back to work. A lot happened over my little break, but all in all, it was really great. Now I have to look forward to my next break and hope it comes quickly. As a young girl (gasp..), I would hate go on break because I liked school and being stuck in a house all day was really boring. That's not to say I didn't amuse myself with my Nintendo 64 and The Sims, but I never truly appreciated it. Even in college, the breaks were just something I knew I should appreciate but didn't.

Now, with my current lifestyle and job, a break is like coming up for air. The weekends feel like I'm just about to reach the surface and then Monday appears. I guess the moral of all this is that I should have appreciated that time more, but alas, I didn't. Maybe it's for the best because now I can truly appreciate the handful of days that allow me that fleeting feeling of freedom. Which in turn brings the question of "What will I do with this new found freedom?" Along with a onslaught of ideas that I can't possibly fulfill I start to plan out what I will do.

I think that's one of the keys to staying sane while being a working adult - planning your next vacation!

And the budgeting and guidebooks?! Oh A, it's been so amazing. Although, I should probably stop buying guide books and save that money for the actual vacation...Oh well, at least they help get me through until I can actually go.

Anyway, these were my thoughts, perhaps they might help you? I know we're in the same boat and this has definitely helped me. The even better part is now that I am an actual "adult" I can go on vacations without having to ask the parents!

That makes my very dry chicken taste so much better.

Excitedly yours,

~M

In the beginning...

Dear A,

It's been a little over a year since I graduated from college and you'd think I'd have this down by now, but surprisingly I don't. And even more surprisingly there isn't a handbook or survival guide on "what to do when (insert bizarre situation or occurrence)..." Shocking, I know, but the list is quite endless, I assure you.

So I've decided that there must be others out there in the same age bracket questioning what to do and asking why no one warned us about the sudden after shock of being in the real world.

For example:
-OMG! This career thing is actually harder than it looks. How to find the best fit? And is it really the right place for you to be?
-De-zombiefy: Coming home from work and doing something other than staring at the ceiling.
-Making new friends in new cities, it's harder than it looks.
-The case of the disappearing paycheck and how it's already gone before it arrives in your bank account.

I'm going to start trying to work through this and become better equipped, because college really screwed me on not offering a class in "The Real World and How to Survive 101" And I want to share my thoughts and progression as time goes by, because maybe one day this might be helpful to those up and coming graduates fresh out of the safety net of college/high school.

Bare with me A, I'm starting to think this is normal.

Progressively yours,

~M