3 Ways to Kick Bloggers' Block To The Curb
23 November 2015
Yesterday morning was a rough one. Particularly Monday morning-ish, if you catch my drift.
My hair looked awful, my jeans didn't fit right, I stubbed my toe. Dealing with the chilly temps (it's all rainbow leaves! Hunter boots! hot chai and fuzzy socks! until your teeth are chattering and your soul gets sucked out of you... also, by "chilly temps" I'm talking 55 degrees but then again I never claimed I wasn't overdramatic) and having to go into the office after a perfect perfect weekend. My group chat with my friends looked something like this: life sucks. Mondays are awful. *middle finger emoji* Help me, I'm poor.
And then I kicked myself.
Because I'm one of the lucky ones. One of the luckiest ones.
Over the weekend, I saw an infographic that showed our world having lost an astronomical number of heartbeats in the last week, the aggregate of victims from Paris, Beirut, Japan, and more.
My friends and I also had a conversation about an acquaintance who lost his life over the summer due to a tragic freak accident.
Then there are those who are hungry, those without a home, those who are cold. Those struggling with their minds or identities. Those with no one to turn to, those feeling suffocated. Those who can't see a light at the end of the tunnel.
Me?
Well, I simply had a case of the Mondays. Mostly because sitting at a desk seemed so much less exciting than the weekend I had, with my best friend in town. We all piled up in bed and laughed until our stomachs hurt, and woke up to coffee and pastries and playful babies [uh... just so we're clear: not mine / ours]. We tailgated and saw old friends [and determined that were we ever to start a lifestyle brand, we'd like to be sponsored by Hot Cheetos], and ordered too many mouthwatering pizzas at dinner with new ones. We chatted for hours with mentors-turned-friends – several of them, actually – and wandered the streets of Hayes Valley. We were persistent about ice cream, even in the freezing cold, and then ordered steaming bowls of pho to warm us up.
The only reason Monday morning was so very Monday morning, was because the weekend was so very weekend.
How lucky am I to have the luxury of having that.
I will never be someone to discount a bad day because a bad day is a bad day is a bad day. But in light of recent events and with Thanksgiving on the horizon, I'd like to remind myself to always work on having a grateful heart.
My problems are easily ameliorated by treating myself to a huge breakfast and a cup bowl of latte the size of my face, or an evening spent in silky new sheets catching up on TV (my Monday night queue: Quantico --> Once Upon a Time --> The Royals --> Brooklyn Nine Nine) or an invigorating new project at work.
Other problems... aren't so easily overcome.
I won't go into how sad of a reality that is, but alas. It is.
I've made no secret of the fact that I feel like a twenty-two year old about... 13% of the time. If we're being generous. [As we speak, I am curled up in bed at 8pm in my comfiest fleece, binge-watching Aziz Ansari's new Netflix show... by the way, put that sucker on your Netflix queue. Such important social commentary, but also funny. as. heck. No, but this is what I'm doing as one of my roommates is just now starting to get ready to barhop on a Thursday night.]
Here's the way I see it. There are times I act or feel my age. There are more – way more – times I don't. Thought I'd break it down a lil bit to see just which way the scales are tipping.
I'm Feelin' 22
// when I give my dad the log-in information to my health insurance and 401k portal and say, have at it, pops. I literally have zero idea what I'm signed up for. Zero.
// when I can (too) easily justify any Taco Bell or ice cream run.
// when I'd still rather sit in the spirited student section at football games rather than the cushy first row, 40 yard line football seats we have access to.
// when I come home from work and say "screw you" to the stovetop and call to get takeout from the restaurant at my doorstep. Most nights. Other nights, it's a handful of hot Cheetos or pizza to share with the roommates.
// when my friends Skype in other friends just to play a board game. (Seriously, who does that?)
// when I can spontaneously call my homegirl Leah after work on a Tuesday and be all like, so what would you say if I crashed at your place tonight. And we drive to a pho place even though we said we would cook (but it's cold!), then fall asleep watching Quantico (are you watching yet?! If not, stop reading and go watch. Now.) squished together in a twin bed before waking up at the crack of dawn to go get McDonald's breakfast sandwiches before work.
// when my friends and I commiserate about rent and credit cards and careers and is it okay if we're not even close to having our lives figured out yet.
I'm Feeling Not-So 22
Remember back in the MySpace days how meeting people on the Internet was the biggest no-no of all? Trust me you'll end up on Catfish, they said. The Internet is full of crazies, they said.
And while that may or may not be true, I'll take my chances because you guys all seem real chill. I like coming to this space and sharing my life with you and reading about yours, I like bonding over shared quirks and universal experiences, and learning about the finest organic baby diapers or the most efficient way to pack a carry-on or life lessons you've gained in your twenty-eight years of living. I like to think of you guys as my friends, my pals, my buddies. BACK OFF WEIRDO, I can distinctly hear you mutter through the screen with an exaggerated eyeroll. (Please love me back.)
I honestly can't remember when Jordyn and I first started reading each other's blogs but it was quite awhile ago – two years, I'd say? – and so meeting her in person for the first time (finally!!!) was more like seeing an old friend and picking up right from where we last left off. I thought I'd walk you through some moments that you're bound to have if you too decide to meet a blogger friend IRL.
You think "you are exactly what you look like on your blog!" Yes Caroline. Photography. What a concept. But it's so strange seeing someone you see in 2D every single day all of a sudden appear in front of you in 3D looking very much the same, but also just a little different.
You make a beeline for brunch. For us, that was a local spot by the water and in the sunshine, and most importantly - with a mimosa special that comes with a whole dang bottle of champs. Gimme.
Do we even have to mention taking photos? Isn't that a given? Instagram, Snapchat, phone, DSLR, selfie sticks, bird's eye view, lighting, the more the merrier!
There comes a moment when someone asks you two how you know each other. We've been friends for awhile, I can't even remember would likely be sufficient, but you KNOW I had to go and make it awkward. Ermmmmmm, well it's kind of weird. We met on the Internet... through our blogs. "Oh, sort of like Tinder," this random guy helpfully offered. Yes. Sure. Just like Tinder.
"What should we do now" is easily answered with – well, let's go exploring somewhere cute and Instagrammable. Bonus points if there's boutique shopping and excellent people-watching involved. I hemmed and I hawed over taking Jordyn to Hayes Valley vs. Cow Hollow but ended up deciding on the latter beeeeecause...
We are all aware of certain blogger landmarks! I asked Jordyn if she was interested in grabbing coffee from the cafe with the famous pineapple wallpaper and she was hopping in the car before I could even finish my sentence.
You like a lot of the same things and know you like a lot of the same things. I mean, those "monthly favorites" posts and adorable About Me blurbs have got to be useful for something, right? Jordyn and I launched right into picking out whimsical paper goods and discussing the components of an excellent girls' night in and our Netflix queues and Kate Spade sales.
You already know a lot about each other. A lot, a lot. Not simply about likes and dislikes, but also about hardships from the past, dreams about the future, worries from the here and now, proud accomplishments, apartment decoration plans. These posts pack a lot of information, who woulda thunk.
There's also a lot that you don't know. I didn't even realize that we weren't too clear on each other's job descriptions until we were kind of like, okay wait so what exactly do you do when you're not browsing Bloglovin'?
You'll gravitate towards Common Blogging Denominators without even realizing it. Flowers. Gold jewelry. Pretty stationary. Photographable buildings. Face masks that smell like oatmeal cookies.
You're free to talk blog. SEO practices, blogs that you both read and love, webinars, social media strategy, the state of the industry, sponsored posts, e-courses, editorial calendars. It's so frickin' nice talking shop with someone who completely gets it, who is just as passionate about these funny little terms, who belongs to a community that means so much to you.
You actually make an effort before leaving the house. My weekend outfit of choice goes something like: sweatpants, sweatshirt. But hanging out with a blogger... well, that's a different story. See: cameras everywhere.
It becomes a lot less embarrassing when you pull out a giant camera and photograph your coffee and outfit. One person snapping photos every four seconds is like, hey maybe try living real life a little. Two people doing so is like, look how endearing. (Just let me believe that, you guys.)
You share resources. I was telling Jordyn about this one course site geared for bloggers, thinking that she must be in the same ad-targeted audience as I, but alas she had never heard of it! And she was looping me in about this one community to find photographers. And um, can you look at how amazing and natural her poses are? I have a lot to learn from her!
You discuss recent blog posts (by you and by others) as if they were Huffington Post or NYTimes articles. Did you read the one about... Oh, and how did you feel about the one that So-and-so wrote about...
You never want them to leave. Here you finally have this kindred spirit to hang out with, and you kind of sort of would lowkey love it if she could stay forever so you guys could brainstorm blog posts and chat about newsletters and Periscope all while playing with face masks and eating late night pizza while jamming out to Taylor Swift (oh if only), but nope. Seattle's forever stealing her away.
(Thank goodness for Snapchat.)
(Well, and our blogs, I guess.)
Currently :: October
06 November 2015
Or maybe it's just me.
But before we dive head-first into whatever fun is brewing up this month, let's first take a step back and reflect upon what I've been up to in October. Because I know you're just dying to know.
DRINKING // a latte lattes ;) I don't think I'd even recognize myself without a to-go coffee cup in my hand anymore. I'm on a 2 or 3 a day track right now. Natural state is officially overcaffeinated.
MISSING // the family, obviously! Non-local friends, too. What with homecoming and the wedding, these past two weeks have been such a treat in that I was able to see 98% of my favorite people. And now I'm throwing a fit in my head that I can't have that always.
MISSING // the family, obviously! Non-local friends, too. What with homecoming and the wedding, these past two weeks have been such a treat in that I was able to see 98% of my favorite people. And now I'm throwing a fit in my head that I can't have that always.
WANTING // to see some profesh photos from the wedding, my brain to adjust to Daylight Savings, a spare grand or two to use towards bulking up my winter wardrobe and room decorations, and I wouldn't mind a kitten or puppy either.
PLANNING // the wedding, all of October. Now that that's over, I'm really at a loss of what to do with my time. Not that I helped out that much actually, but I felt like I was constantly thinking about the wedding, which has got to count for something. ....Correct?
READING // Mindy Kaling's new book!
MAKING // time for friends. This month has been a lesson in balance, and I am far from having a good handle on it all, but I'm slowly learning.
NEEDING // to figure out how to muster up the strength, energy, and time to attend to other parts of my life besides work. Namely, the blog.
Rarely can I dream up a more joyful time than spending an evening binge-watching TV and eating cake with wild abandon (guess what I'm doing right this second. Go ahead, just guess.) but you guys.
What a phenomenal weekend. I can't remember being happier.
First things first. My sister – my beautiful, stunning, brilliant, amazing, kind-hearted, hilarious big sister – got hitched. There is nothing on this planet I like better than having the opportunity to celebrate her, so what with her wedding and her birthday... well. Five days of festivities, and we were positively floating on air. As I nursed an extra large latte this morning, I said to my colleagues: I honestly don't think it could've been more perfect.
The wedding was insanely picturesque and gorgeous, as the redwoods stood witness to vows of love and the sunlight dappled prettily through the shade of the canopy. Straight out of a fairytale, it was. Choo choo train and giant chess set and dragons hiding atop trees and all.
But there's more.
I had two of my best friends show up (yes, you know their faces quite well, I think) and help out here and there, and they were quite the saviors to my frazzled nerves. I commend us all for rallying and making it out to a Los Gatos Halloween... and then falling into the same bed (even though there were two) at the end of the night, mumbling about just how much we miss this, and laughing and laughing and laughing until we all fell silent, asleep in a pile.
That still wasn't all.
Lucky us, we reunited with a favorite professor's family and were able to reminisce about our Croatian days of yore as we cuddled their new puppy and listened to Louis CK's standup comedy.
THAT STILL WASN'T ALL.
Hanna met the three of us in the dark parking lot of a Nordstrom, and we rode off happily into the night, towards the general direction of Taco Bell even though we all claimed to be "really, really full."
*A 30$ Taco Bell order later*
Happiness is here, with you three, in a car, talking over each other and struggling to find the right route even though we've lived here for four years and also I'm sure Siri wouldn't mind helping but WE CAN DO IT GOSH DANGIT.
It's a triumphant polishing off of every Fiery Dorito Cheesy Gordita Crunch crumb, and then a subsequent visit to get boba because screw being healthy, we don't do healthy when it's the four of us together. It's talking too loud about everything inappropriate, it's the uncontrollable giggles, it's the "remember when's" and the life updates and everything in between.
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