Hello Again

Dear Reader,

I haven’t written here in a long while and there isn’t a very good reason for this unexpected pause. To put what I’m saying into context, I should first explain that I started this blog in 2019 and published posts daily for a full year. After that, I slowly tapered off in intensity (writing every other day, every two days, three, etc.) until just a few weeks ago when I just stopped….

The reason that I say I stopped blogging for no reason is because all the “reasons” that I stopped this time around did not stop me before. Yes, the past few weeks have been busy— I had a lot of school work, dates (more here), acting gigs, and honestly not too much to say (same old same old). However, this time around, I allowed all the non-reasons to matter and poof the content stopped.

A lot has happened in these past six-ish weeks, here’s the rundown:

• A first— I spent Thanksgiving alone. It was a good day for me— honestly. I’m not a workaholic but I have “tendencies”… For thanksgiving, I decided to not work— not even a little, not even the easy tasks— zero. With all that free time, I decided to take a walk, call family, and get a full body massage (it was discounted— yay!). Cooking is not really my thing (well, at least not at this temporal juncture in my existence) but I put together a pathetic little dish of rice, canned vegetables, and eggs on the stove, because it didn’t take too long and for me, making anything on the stove constitutes as special.

• I became a PhD Candidate! What’s PhD candidate? This designation is not really significant outside of academia, but there are two major parts in PhD programs. Part one is the student phase, where one takes classes (usually two-four semesters), sits exams (called “qualifying exams,” “generals,” and “comprehensive exams,” which establish one’s competency in a subject/s), and, finally, submits/ presents a research proposal for approval. Part two is the research, which may include experimentation, fieldwork, and writing a final product (traditionally a dissertation).
• I’ve been on some dates and experienced a bitter-sweet cocktail of emotions. In one event, the connection was intense over text messages but then totally platonic in-person. Later, in the inverse, texts were engaging, yet not terribly deep, though the in-person connection produced sparks at first and settled into something delightfully companionable (but ultimately didn’t work out due to profound personal differences). There were very many less-than-remarkable experiences in between and at some point…dare I say, there was one, and just one alone who “got away.” Which to conclude, means that I remain very single and attempting to rectify that (with a variety of tactics 😉 ).

• My barre studio (more here) that I have come to regularly attend (201 classes total) and love has shut its doors in Boston. Exercise has (again) become an important part of my life and integral for my physical and emotional wellbeing. So, now, with the closure of the barre studio doors, I hope to establish a new and similarly fulfilling exercise routine in the new year (easier said than done!).

I could have written extensively about any of the above points and turned them into a blog post. Had these events happened one or two years ago, I’m sure I would have described each one in more colorful detail. I still enjoy writing, however, I feel as if my priorities are shifting when it comes to blogging.

I probably won’t post here very frequently or with any great regularity moving forward. This is not a firm decision rather a prognosis, which even though tenuous makes me a little sad. In the beginning, I believed that blogging regularly would be valuable for me. I hoped that one day when I was 78 and looking more behind me than ahead that I would delight in the revelries and quotidian struggles of my life recorded right here. For at the end of the day, I was always endeavoring to write for future me but I make these entries public because every once in a long while, I feel as if I can offer value, entertainment, or, just momentary distraction for you with the aid of iphone-captured images and an occasionally catchy title.

I don’t want to stop blogging but these past few weeks have proven to me how easy it can be to stop doing something (even when you love it) and then have a hard time picking it back up again (even when you love it). 

Sometimes things get busy, sometimes things get boring, sometimes we’re just perfectly content. Most everything is temporary, which makes it easier to enjoy and appreciate the experience.

Cheers to what comes next. I wish you all good luck out there. 

Until, hopefully, not too terribly long from now….

Love,

Raven