7 Things

It has been almost two years since my last post. Much has changed but also, in a way that I think most of us can relate to, almost nothing is different. I'm not even sure how to start this all again, how to blog without really knowing what to say. It feels self-indulgent to believe, as I did when I was a high schooler and began writing here, that my life is worth the rapt attention of strangers. In the later eras of Bombshell, I found the most purpose when I was honest about the things I was going through + used this as a place to share joy. That remains my intention with this space.

I thought we'd kick off with a small twist on an old classic so, in no particular order, here are 7 things about the last 2 years: 

1. I've read so many incredible books. Outlawed by Anna North was one of my favorite books of 2021 and I'm still recommending it to friends on a weekly basis. See also: Frankisstein by Jeanette Winterson, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, and Wild by Cheryl Strayed. 
2. 23 was the most influential birthday of recent memory. I'd been dreading it for weeks but I woke up the morning of feeling a lot calmer and strangely wiser? It felt like a seismic shift had occurred. Turning 24 was pure fun.
3. This is my second year teaching 9th grade English and find it exhausting, overwhelming, difficult, and wonderful. I am suspicious that I learn a lot more from my students than they learn from me.
4. Living in New York has hardened me and made me more self reliant. And more comfortable crying in public. And a lot more likely to spend $30 on a single meal. And more fashionable. And more lonely, sometimes. 
5. I graduated from college! Was my graduation delayed by a year and a half because of the pandemic? Yes. Did I still sob that night because of emotional overwhelm? Also yes. A full post about that transition will be coming soon but it's safe to say that the division of my life from in-college to post-college is the hardest I've ever had to make. 
6. I've reached Amtrak Select Plus status taking the train to DC to visit my partner every few weeks. I'm not totally sure what Amtrak status gets you, but I've got it! Also, I'm a Starbucks reward member and the bodega guy knows me as Pepsi girl.
7. I was diagnosed with a chronic condition that explained a lot about the way my body works. I cried (in relief) on the Zoom call with my doctor as he explained it to me.

So...a lot is different and a lot is the same. I'm blessed with the best friends I could ask for. People ask me for directions on the street in NY which makes me feel v impressed by myself. I still have no idea what I'm doing most of the time but instead of being perennially embarrassed by that fact, I'm using it as a reminder to stay honest. So, in that spirit, here we go again!