A few notes from my end:

1) I’m a little bit tired right now, but I like to attribute that to the fact that I didn’t have coffee today and was wide awake until well after midnight last night. I was left awake because today was my big review at work and I had some antsy feels in the pit of my stomach. Not that it was going to be bad or anything but y’know. At my core I am my own hardest critic and always feel like I can (and should) be doing more all the time.

The review went beautifully. I needn’t of worried because I got everything I wanted - constructive feedback on my work, a raise, and the blessing that IF I do decide to move to San Francisco next year (like, for serious with an apartment deposit down and everything) I can still work within the company and make it work.

I feel very lucky right now. More than that, I feel grown up and like I’ve truly stepped into the shoes of my position here. I like you, social media. Let’s always be work buds, okay?

In the meantime… HOORAY FOR A RAISE!!!! Never not a good thing for the single girl.

2) Last month I came very, very close to agreeing to fly out to New York City on Nov. 4th for one day to go backstage and interview the models at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. (I love the VSFS - live and die by them.) What stopped me? There was a weird internal voice that kept quietly telling me “don’t do it, don’t do it” and my god am I glad I listened. How could I possibly fly into New York right now? No subways? Crazy gridlock traffic? Weather damages still everywhere in sight? It would have been such a nightmare, though I’m only speaking from a visitor’s perspective. Never before have I felt more grateful to be on the West Coast and to be safe and dry and warm.

3) Speaking of the single girl, this one officially needs to schedule an appointment to the dentist. Feels like a cavity is in my mouth right now, unfortunately. There’s one close to my apartment that my old roommate used to go to that she said was quite nice - massaging gloves to wear and TV to watch while you get your teeth worked on. Far cry from some of the more ahem, colorful, dental offices I’ve had experiences in before. (For anyone reading this facing wisdom teeth related anything, I speak from experience that you should always, ALWAYS get the laughing gas. Don’t do it like I did and get the four Novocaine shots and feel the pressure of the teeth getting pulled directly from your mouth. I SAID DON’T DO IT.)

4) I didn’t do anything for Halloween because of pre-review related nerves. At this point I think I’m more or less done with Halloween until a significant other or kid shows up. I’ll spend my time focusing on my favorite holidays until then: my birthday, Spring Break, and Oscar Night.

5) And Thanksgiving too. Want to hear something crazy? Turkey Day is in three weeks. Want to hear something crazier? A plane ticket there and back to STL to celebrate with my family costs more than a flight there and back AND a hotel in San Francisco. That makes no sense at all but who am I to fight with the logic of getting me back to the city? (Not for Thanksgiving though, I make my own dinner and pie that day. In a little apron and pearls. With a glass of something alcoholic by my side. Then I nap it out. It’s cute.)

6) I’m giving NaNoWriMo another shot this month. Because I am a crazy writer lady who can’t stop writing all the goddamn time and really doesn’t need sleep or a social life. I’m working on a chick lit piece which I’ve been fleshing out in my head for a long time. Can’t say too much more than that as it’s still in its infancy stages. I am content with what I have started though!

-HT