Life Update: New Job, New Life, Same Old America
- DID YOU GET A JOB? HMM, DID YOU?!
In today's news, I finally started my job last Sunday. Let's say I now work for a toy company that rhymes with Eggo. Sure, it's another retail job but it's something to tide me over. It was a lot more relaxing than I anticipated, too. I've been reflecting the amount of effort I took to get it. Job hunting in this day and age is a bigger uphill battle than most want to admit. Fighting off AI job filters and ghost listings is like getting psychic damage from a poltergeist. I even got rejected from the job I got hired within the same day, go figure. Now I can fund my useless hobbies, hooray. To be more frank, I'm eternally grateful to not feel like a sitting duck and to be able to pay off my debts.
- GOOD OL' TRAVELS
I recently visited family, but instead of going to San Jose, I went and visited over in Los Angeles. My younger brother lives there, and I recently found out he had a girlfriend. Maybe that's a weird thing to barely get the news, but my family is kind of like that. We all prefer to give updates in-person than over a phone call or text message. So I wind up finding out things later than I care to. My sister does drafting projects like making fancy-looking desks, and I got to see some of her work. My parents just got done remodeling their home, and it looks like an entirely different house inside. It's a lot more modern, but I could tell they cut a lot of corners to keep it under budget.
I think the biggest news-drop was the sudden passing of the pastor of the church I used to attend. I was a very different, God-fearing person in that time and while I felt sad over the passing of one of the most important people during that period in life, his passing feels like the final chapter to bookend a tumultuous era. It was a reminder that I've made a lot of progress to unlearn toxic behaviors and ideologies, to love my identity and individuality, yet there's still more process.
- NERD ACTIVITIES AND BAKING
Had a friend visit from Chicago and stay over for the week, and it reminded me how great it felt for the place I lived in to be considered a hangout, a third-place to take refuge. It's an idea that I'm grateful can be realized with the folks I live with. Most of the time was spent indoors since it rained and poured all week, but it was such a good feeling to share the enthusiasm for niche PS1 and PS2 games. It's not a feeling I get to experience, and I cherish his energy in my life. I even made cinnamon rolls (from scratch!) for the occasion and ended off his leave with some brownies. I followed a different recipe (shoutout Claire Saffitz) that didn't end up burning my rolls. I would recommend you try baking it, even if you don't have a stand mixer. It's worth the effort!
- HEY, ELECTION JUST HAPPENED? THOUGHTS?
I don't want to talk too much about this year's election. It's too early to really say what went wrong and who's to blame. The final count inevitably going to "Team Red" has been a thought behind my head. If anything, I feel more mentally stable to handle such devastating news than I did back in 2016 and 2020. I've grown so much as person and I'll be damned if a little election will dissuade me from taking care of the people closest to me. I did what I can, and you, yes you, did the best you could do and I'm proud of you for that. I immediately think about the chorus from Spanish Love Songs' "Marvel": "Stay alive out of spite".