#NerdsUnite: Comfort Zone Be Gone!

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Chelsea. She's a newbie to our loverly state of California and is currently trying to find her own voice and find her own way. Gosh, aren't we all??? She's here today to talk about her journey in life, love, and all things nerd.  I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT CHELSEA!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @chelofthesea

Baby Mario and Luigi. Larger than life Gandalf. Sexy Storm Troopers. And too many Doctor’s to count. WonderCon 2013 was a whirlwind of greatness and adventure.

As a nerdy-con virgin I was pretty intimidated to wander the floor alone and sit in on panels. I didn’t know what to expect but I couldn’t wait to get in on the action! Not wanting to waste any of the pass I was so kindly given by @Leah_Cevoli, I got there bright and early to soak it all in.

The first half of my day was spent sitting in on panels about queerness in comic books, meeting the League of Extraordinary Ladies, and running away from a guy I used to date (awkward!). Worried about not feeling comfortable, and scared I would not fit in, I was surprised by how easily I blended in with the WonderCon crowd. Seriously, nerds, we are an accepting group of people!

But the real reason I was there came a bit later in the afternoon, in the form of Leah’s panel -- All Shapes and Sizes Welcome: Body Image & Women’s Issues in the Entertainment Industry.  Though I’m not in the industry, I have recently found a real passion for feminist and body positive issues, so the timing was perfect. Sometimes the universe just knows, right?

As I saw the women walk in for the panel, I was a bit surprised. I’m a curvier girl, weight has always been an issue in my life, and so I think I was expecting to see a bit more variety in the shapes and sizes of the women. But I kept my mind open, knowing that Leah had a real vision behind this panel and trusting her judgment on the guests.  And I mean, seriously, it’s a line up of some pretty impressive women so who was I to jump to conclusions?

Leah opened the panel, giving us a glimpse into her life and sharing the story of her inspiration for the panel. It all started because of an insanely rude comment someone left on her photo. Leah is very patient and understanding so she didn’t speak poorly of this man for commenting on the photo but you can feel everyone else on the panel and everyone in the audience fill with a little bit of rage towards him. This man went out of his way to comment on Leah’s photo to say that he had seen her look better… Seriously? Can you believe that? Ugh! People make me so mad… But anyway, moving on.

The panel continued on and each of the women spoke about their history with body image, their struggles, and where they stand today. Each of the ladies had something different to bring to the table. Many of them are people the rest of the world would label as skinny but in their industry they feel a pressure I can’t even imagine. A pressure I can’t really understand. Any of my early reservations were put to rest and I understood why Leah chose them to join in the conversation.

My biggest take away from the panel was that these women look like the women I see in magazines, the people media tells me I need to look like, and even they have struggled with body image and finding the right balance between healthy and happy. When I saw them walk in, I passed quick judgment, assuming they hadn’t known my struggles but I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Throughout the discussion, I found myself nodding, totally empathizing with the women as they talked about their battles with fad diets and rejection from those around them. But the main thread that linked them all together was finding peace with their body. They have all come to a place where they know they must maintain a certain body type to be successful in the industry but are no longer willing to sacrifice their health or happiness to make it happen. From working out for hours a day (who doesn’t love those endorphins) to taking pictures of every food they eat (we all do that anyway, right?), each of these women has fought this struggle and found a way to accept themselves. And seriously – how rad is that?

As the panel came to a close, there was so much buzzing in my mind. I walked around the rest of WonderCon with a new outlook. I wondered if this atmosphere was body positive.  I loved seeing ladies of all shapes and sizes showing off skin, and embracing both their bodacious and boney bodies. I don’t think there was any shape left unrepresented and when comparing this to what we see in mainstream media, I was VERY impressed! But I couldn’t help by wonder how the young girls wearing hoodies and baggy jeans felt to not be wearing a sexy version of their favorite comic book character’s outfit. I wondered if the girls in those sexy outfits felt confident in it, or felt forced to hyper-sexualize themselves because that’s why the community encourages.

I’ve yet to come to a conclusion about this issue and what cosplay’s role is in body image, but this hour long panel and spurred weeks of thought about this issue and I think that’s the best part of it all. These are the conversations we need to stop running away from and these are the questions we need to start asking.

As one of the ladies explained, our bodies are the only thing we have total control over. What I’ve learned is that regardless of what anyone around you says – we must love the skin we’re in and if there is something you’re not happy with, change it, but only because it is something you want. Never because it’s something anyone around you says.

Huge thanks to the ladies of All Shapes and Sizes Welcome for being so open with their stories. I think everyone in the room connected with you guys and were so appreciative of the chance to meet you all. An even bigger thank you to Leah for inviting me to take part in this and popping my nerdy con cherry! So much love.

#nerdsunite

click here to follow Chelsea on twitter!

#NerdUnite: Today, I will squeeze my loved ones a little tighter

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Chelsea. She's a newbie to our loverly state of California and is currently trying to find her own voice and find her own way. Gosh, aren't we all??? She's here today to talk about her journey in life, love, and all things nerd.  I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT CHELSEA!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @chelofthesea

So on Friday I was overwhelmed and my natural response is to do a writing brain dump. These are the results. Not the most complete piece I've ever written but some have sad it helped them today so I wanted to share it with the TNTML community. (Also, I've been missing for way too long. I know. Expect more writing soon! Chelsea has a broken laptop but Christmas is very soon.)

I work for a human rights organization. An organization that deals with sadness and tragedy on a daily basis. I’ve dealt with death of close family members more than most of my friends. I don’t cry. I’m known to be callous on the outside. And have even been accused of lacking empathy from time to time. I don’t have patience for stupidity and I often ignore the opinions of others, knowing I’m most often right.

On Friday – I was caught off guard. I hurt in a way I didn’t know I could hurt. I hurt for children on the other side of the country who took their last breaths in fear. Who watched their classmates die and whose innocence was robbed, whether or not they survived.

I lost my mom when I was nearly 16, my brother almost 12. We watched her take her final breath and said goodbye, knowing she’d never watch us graduate or get married or meet her presumed grandkids. I hugged my grandma as she saw her daughter’s lifeless body wheeled away on a gurny to be put into an incinerator somewhere, per her own wishes. All she could explain was that no parent should ever have to say goodbye to their own child. But she did.

I’ve dealt with that. And I’ve moved on.

That’s why I don’t cry. Not because I don’t care but because I’ve been there and my heart has broken so much that it sometimes can’t break again.

But on Friday it broke and I can’t seem to get it to stop breaking.

Elementary school was the backdrop to some of the fondest memories of my life.

I worked at a daycare for 2+ years of my life, and nannied for a similar amount of time. My mom was an elementary school teacher. I spent a lot of time surrounded by kids. I spent a lot of time in hallways, seeing the drawings of kindergarten classes lining the walls. I’ve seen children learn something, their eyes filled with joy as they realize their own capacity. Kids bring me a happiness I can’t explain. There’s not much more I love than holding a little one, asking them questions, engaging their curiosity in a way that most brush off.

I want to do something. I want to stand on mountaintops and yell for people to throw away their guns. To rid themselves of the tool used to end so many precious young lives. I want to yell for parents to be aware of their children’s mental state. For society to look away from their phones for a second and remember that we live in a world filled with broken people, and it’s our responsibility to care for them.

But I can’t. All I can do is cry for these babies. Cry for this little souls that will be laid to rest. Cry for the parents who have to move on without their most precious of gems. Cry for the shooter, who so desperately needed love but allowed evil to consume him. Cry for the kids who saw their friends bleeding. Cry for the city of Newtown as they have to move forward, with a dark mark on their history. Cry for our nation as we continue to face such tragedies and not know to stop them. Cry for each and every one of us. Because this life is precious and it could be gone in one minute.

Today, I will squeeze my loved ones a little tighter.

Today, I will be so thankful I had years to say goodbye to my mom. Because even though a piece of me is missing forever, I knew it was coming and was able to give her one last kiss, one last I love you, and paint her toenails for one last time.

Today I will continue to make my voice heard on the issue of gun violence, because it’s nothing but disrespectful to these children to let their deaths pass without speaking out for them. Because without those wicked weapons, who knows how today would have resulted.

If you’re reading this – you are loved. And today, share that love with someone else.

#nerdsunite

click here to follow Chelsea on twitter!

#NerdsUnite: Comfort zone be gone!

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Chelsea. She's a newbie to our loverly state of California and is currently trying to find her own voice and find her own way. Gosh, aren't we all??? She's here today to talk about her journey in life, love, and all things nerd.  I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT CHELSEA!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @chelofthesea

This weekend I took a step... no, a hop... no, a jump... no, a running leap out of my comfort zone! As of Saturday I am no longer a single lady. If you have been following my posts, you know I recently deleted my OkCupid and have alluded multiple times to having someone in my life who is filling up much of my time. Well, after 6 weeks or so of dating, and a brief stint in almost completely ending things in form of me putting up all sorts of defense mechanisms and hanging out with dudes who I should NOT have been hanging out with, a certain fella (he doesn't care to be anonymous) decided to make things official. I'm honestly not sure if anyone even keeps up with my life that closely, but leaving this out and posting this week would have felt like I was lying to you all -- and I never want that.

A lot of my friends have said to me, "well, this is what you've been wanting, right?" And I guess, if you consider the fact that I've been dating for the last year and that I've expressed how tired I am of playing the game -- well, then, yes a relationship is in fact what I wanted. BUT what's crazy is that literally the morning before we had this talk, I told my roommate I was totally happy with keeping things casual and had come to the realization that there was no need to title it. That I didn't NEED a relationship. Then here he comes out of left field, wanting to make it FBO (Facebook official) and whatnot. I'm not complaining at all.. I'm actually really happy and so glad he did this, and didn't allow both of our walls to get in the way of this happening, but I haven't been a girlfriend in almost three years, and I have definitely not been a girlfriend as the Chelsea that exists today. Last time I was a girlfriend I was crazy! Not saying I don't have any crazy left in me...I truly believe in owning your crazy and I'm very up front about it. But it's a much healthier kind of crazy. In addition to that, I've barely been in California without actively dating. For the last year I've been flirting it up, bouncing from dude to dude (dabbling in promiscuity -- oh my!), and have had nobody to answer to. One of the big perks of moving across the country, eh? I don't know what it's going to be like to be tied down... Actually, that's a really negative way to phrase that so let me trying again. I don't know what it's going to be like to be committed to one person. But I'm super excited to find out. This was the kind of situation that just happened. From day one I was determined to not like him, but here I am and I must say I failed at that. 

So, since the last time I got in a relationship was with a dude I barely liked, solely as a rebound to get over my first love, there was something that happened this time I wasn't ready for. All of the dudes I've been flirting with and hanging out with? Well, they don't get an automatic update that I'm no longer on the market and available to receive their lewd text messages. Ya know what this means? I've had to tell them! This is something I thought about immediately after we decided to make things real. (Well, after I said "Are you sure? You have a 10 minute buffer to change your mind." Really Chelsea?! You're so damn confident but in these situations you always get weirdly insecure. Let’s work on that!) I was super worried about these texts and wasn't sure if I should initiate it or just wait for a text I deemed "inappropriate." Well, it happened a few different ways for me. And I'm gonna tell you guys about them!

33-year-old: So this is a guy I met on OkCupid, went on one date with, and then hung out with a couple more times with no dinner and a movie if ya know what I mean. He's actually a really great guy and has been there in the past couple months to offer insight and advice with dating. He was one of the ones I decided to text and let know right away. Mostly because I knew he would want to know, and also because I knew a text from him would be super awkward to receive for me while sitting next to my new beaux.  His response? "I'm so happy for you!" Seriously...this is the ideal FWB situation. Thank you, sir, for being so mature about this.

Clean car: This is the situation I felt worst about. Ya know when you keep a guy around because you know they like you so much even though you know you aren't really feeling him? Well, that was this guy. I know -- it's a terrible thing to do! But shit happens and we've all done it. Give me a break. I was freaking out about falling for someone and in an effort to not get hurt, I decided it was best to keep someone on the back burner. UGH NONE OF THIS IS MAKING ME SOUND BETTER. Well, whatever. I'm a bitch and I recognize that. I hope this is the last time I will do this. Actually, I vow it is. Here I am making a promise that I won’t let this happen again. Anyway - I sent him a "We can't see each other anymore," and all I got in response was an "I deserved more than this. Why? I bet it’s because you met someone else. Delete my number. I'm deleting yours and will never bother you again." Not the ideal response, but I get it. I fucked up.

Abroad: As the name suggests this is someone I’ve never met in person, but we’ve had an ongoing Facebook chat flirtmance and today, after receiving a chat I could not respond to without crossing a line, I let him know I had a boyfriend now. (Don’t people see Facebook relationship updates!?) He was really nice about it and said he could tell that I needed to be with one person. That the casual dating scene wasn’t for me… Gotta say, he hit the nail on the head! And we’ll definitely remain buddies. Wonderful.

(How have you guys dealt with these situations? Tweet me! I want to hear!)

There were a couple other fellas I had to let know, but it all went pretty smoothly. Part of me feels like such a whore for having to have dealt with this. Like – why was I flirting with so many people? But on the other hand, I’m actually proud of myself. As someone who never flirted in her teens/college years… I’m able to flirt! I know this seems silly, but I love it. It doesn't really have anything to do with the actual flirting, or even the attention, but more to do with being confident in myself and owning the Chelsea I am. And I can never use the "but I can't flirt" crutch ever again! 

I'm really surprised I wanted to share this with the TNTML community. But as I think about why I think it has a lot to do with being more open about who I am. As I've dated over the past year, I never wanted friends to meet the guys mostly because if things didn't work out with them, I didn't want to be embarrassed or feel like a failure. Also, because I've always cared way too much what people think about the guys I've dated. I say no more to all of that. This is happening, and I couldn't be happier -- and I want you all to know! So here it is. All of it. I'm still on the journey of coming out of my comfort zone, I'm just going to have to look a little harder than OkCupid dudes to make it happen.  

#nerdsunite

click here to follow Chelsea on twitter!

#NerdsUnite: Comfort zone be gone!

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Chelsea. She's a newbie to our loverly state of California and is currently trying to find her own voice and find her own way. Gosh, aren't we all??? She's here today to talk about her journey in life, love, and all things nerd.  I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT CHELSEA!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @chelofthesea

“After a series of guys who left me high and dry and questioning why the hell I wasn’t just a lesbian instead (though, trust me, I know ladies aren’t a cake walk either) all of my friends asked me why I continued to go out with people from OkCupid. At first my answer was just that it was fun and gave me something to do on nights I would otherwise just stay home. But as I thought about it more, and began to write about coming out of my comfort zone, I realized that the reason I keep going out on OkCupid dates is because I keep learning about myself. Every date, every awkward encounter, every rejection, and every lovely goodnight kiss – I learn something new about myself and get nudged a little more farther away from my normal.”

I wrote that paragraph over a month ago. While most of it is still applicable I have actually deleted my OkCupid profile. There are a few reasons for this. One being that I am just overall tired of getting the same, lame messages. And two being that my time as of late has been very much occupied and I don’t have the time or the desire to go out with anyone else.  (I was actually given permission to write about that on the site but for my own sanity will not be doing so as of yet!) Anyway, as I say goodbye to OkCupid for the moment, I wanted to write out what exactly I’d learned about myself from my last year of using the site…

 1.    I’m incredibly awkward but somehow it works.           
I don’t think I was ever awkward as a kid. I was always the one who talked a bunch and made friends with everyone. But for some reason as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten more and more strange. I no longer know how to strike up conversations with strangers. I no longer understand that some people don’t want to hear all the randomness that comes into my head. And I don’t seem to understand that others aren’t okay with long periods of total silence. But what I do know, thanks to the world of dating, is that my awkwardness, in some strange way, works. I have been on dates where I could literally feel the awkwardness seeping out of my pours but for some reason the guys eat it up and think I’m charming and not a total freak. Thank you nerdy girls before me! Paving the way for awkwardness to be labeled as quirkiness and allowing my weirdness to not be an immediate deal breaker.

2.    I don’t care about physical attraction, but instead about physical chemistry.
I always say to people that I don’t care about appearance. If you just rolled your eyes, I get it. Nobody ever believes me. And I never really had a good way to explain it. I would just say that I didn’t really care because when a hot dude ends up being boring and dumb, he immediately transforms from Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid Love to Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber. But on the flip side of that, when I meet a guy who I’m not physically attracted to but he ends up turning my brain on and making my face hurt from laughter, he becomes so freaking handsome in my eyes. This is where people argue “but if you’re REALLY not into ____, personality can’t change it.” Fill that blank in with short guys, fat guys, black guys, whatever… What I’m here to say is that for me, that’s not true. I’ve realized that this theoretical not-so-attractive dude not only has to have a good personality, but we also have to have sexual chemistry. We have to like the same things and when we kiss there has to be something more. I need to want him in a primal way. I’m scared my dad might one day find this blog…so that’s enough about that. But in summation what I’ve learned is that my eyes are not what turn me on.

3.    I’m not as terrible of a flirt as I think I am.
I have to start this off saying one thing… THANK YOU INTERNET. Basically, I have never been a flirty girl. I've discussed this before on the site -- I was always the friendgirl and never the girlfriend. Though I was in a really long term, serious relationship the beginning of that had almost nothing to do with flirting and almost everything to do with us both being young and looking for affection. So when I dived back into the dating scene out here, I wasn't sure I would know how to flirt. When guys compliment me, I get pretty awkward (shocker) and don't really know how to respond. It's almost nearly impossible for me to give compliments. Seriously, it's sad. The guy I'm currently seeing and I were having a talk and it took everything in me to tell him the things I like about him... The struggle was so apparent on my face. Luckily it didn't scare him away! But the Internet has helped me so much in my flirting. How you ask? Well, I, like many others, am much wittier with written words than spoken words. And having the chance to talk to guys digitally before meeting them in person gives me a chance to flirt and build up the witty banter before being dropped into a date. Also, I think getting the small talk out of the way has done wonders to my flirting. I’m much better with substantial conversation, than the bullshit you have to talk about when you first meet someone.  

4.    I don’t care what a guy does, I just need someone with passion and drive.  
Before really getting into “dating” I thought I had a list of deal breakers. A guy had to have a car, a job, and a place to live… Without those things, there was no way I would even think about dating them. Hey guys, wanna know what happens when you make a list of rules for yourself? You break them. About a million times. In a row. On OkCupid I’ve gone out with LA hotshots, who make lots of money and have TV shows on big fancy TV stations, who take me out to places I could never afford on my own. I’ve also gone out with dudes who live at home, have no car, and can barely afford their own lives, let alone taking me out on fancy dates. Of course, the majority have been somewhere between these two extremes. To be honest, I never thought I’d be super into the fancy LA guys. I don’t live that type of life, and while of course it’s fun, having excessive money and spending it on dumb shit is not something I can relate to. But what I found fascinating was that among all these guys, I didn’t really care how much money they made or if they had the stability I thought I was looking for… All I cared about was whether or not they were passionate about what they were doing. He could be a stand-up comedian, who pours every bit of his heart and soul into the sets he’s doing almost every night of the week or a dog walker, who believes in the importance of his work and loves each dog like his own – I don’t care! I’m passionate about my work and I need you to have something that consumes your whole heart sometimes. Something bigger than yourself that you’re willing to give yourself up to. Something you fight for. Something you can talk to me about and teach me about for hours.

5.    I have bigger balls than most dudes when it comes to rejecting someone.
This is the lamest of the lessons I have learned. From my experience, dudes don’t have balls when it comes to rejecting girls. I believe this partly has to do with guys being taught that women are crazy. Now before all the male readers get pissed off, let me admit – bitches can DEFINITEY be crazy. But hey, guess what? Stop dating those! Most of us are level-headed, rational beings who would prefer the truth to some bullshit excuse or you just disappearing. And guess what? We won’t flip out on you and text you non-stop! Choose better women and you will deal with better rejections. And guess what? Maybe you can even stay friends. Basically what I’m saying is that even in situations where I’ve had to reject a guy who I could tell was really liking me and who I had no real reason not to like except a lack of “chemistry,” I do it and I’m honest and I don’t beat around the bush. What I’ve learned to do to make this easier is make sure my body language on the date matches how I’m feeling. There have been times I’ve given someone a goodnight kiss when I knew I didn’t want to go out again, but I will not do that anymore! In coming out of my comfort zone, I’ve learned it’s okay to know what I do and do not want, and if people get pissed at you for you making it clear – well, that’s on them. All I can worry about is being honest about how I feel. Speaking my truth, right Jen?

So… Thank you men of OkCupid. Thank you for the drinks, the dinners, the stories, the great (and not-so-great) hook ups, the late night conversations, the texts you sent too often, the days at Disney, the games of pool, the karaoke singing, and so much more. Thank you for teaching me so much about myself. You have made my last year more memorable and don’t you worry your pretty little faces, I’ll probably be back. Or on the other hand, don’t worry, if you pop in my Quiver or suggested matches, I’ll click right past you. Maybe even hide you or block you! Whenever the day comes I find myself back in the crazy world that is online dating, know the girl behind the screen won’t be the same as the one who signed up last year because my comfort zone is getting nothing but further away!

#nerdsunite

click here to follow Chelsea on twitter!

#NerdsUnite: Comfort zone be gone!

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Chelsea. She's a newbie to our loverly state of California and is currently trying to find her own voice and find her own way. Gosh, aren't we all??? She's here today to talk about her journey in life, love, and all things nerd.  I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT CHELSEA!!</editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @chelofthesea

Monday night, 9:48 pm and here I am: Pajamas on, blanket wrapped around me, staring at my bright screen, and listening to my roommates chat in the kitchen. Tonight we had plans to go see an outdoor screening of ET in Pasadena. A friend I never make enough time for and I made these plans over a month ago, only to realize an hour before show time that the website we’d been looking at was from a year ago. So, there went my plans and our group quickly dissipated. The new couple drove off; soaking in the last few hours of sun, getting to know each other in the way you only can with butterflies in your tummy. The others ran errands, met up with friends.

But what did I do you ask? I pulled out my laptop and chatted with one of my best friends who is about to embark on the greatest adventure of her life, who is growing up to be the woman she wants to be. Then my phone rang, another best friend (the sister of the adventurer) who reached a big milestone in her career tonight. At this moment, I cried and I can’t exactly explain why. My emotions have been running at an all-time high and I haven’t necessarily stopped to process them. But what I realized was – I hadn’t taken time to talk to those two people, two of my favorites on this planet, in an absurdly long amount of time.

If you asked me one year ago how I would have felt to be home alone on a Monday night, I would have been pissed. Chelsea one year ago wanted nothing more than plans, and frequent ones at that. She was so tired of sitting at home, reading, lurking, and chatting with friends back home. All she wanted was to be dating and busy and have friends and things to do. Fast forward to Chelsea today and ask her how she felt about today’s lazy, lonely Monday? Relieved.

My life is picking up. I find myself with plans more often that I find myself without. I realize that what you put into the universe eventually will make its way back around. So, by being more confident and more open about myself, I find that people want to spend time with me. Hanging out with the TNTML crew has been awesome. Seriously, such a wonderful group of people who are just accepting and always down for a good time. I’ve also been going out, finding things to do, and making it happen. No more sitting around waiting for shit to come to me.

But what’s weird is I now find that I’m not giving myself enough time to process. As an extrovert, I definitely get my energy from others. I’ve always been one to spend nearly all my free time with my best friends, with the people who know everything about me. But what I’m realizing is that after 6 months of being a forced introvert (Ugh, I’m so dramatic, I had things to do and I had friends. I just spent more time at home than I did before) I’ve learned I need more time to process my experiences -- alone.

So here I am asking myself, why? Is there a reason I continue to overbook myself, even when I know I need a few hours to write words that nobody gets to read? Is there a reason I say yes to dates I know I will go on and wish the whole time I was home cleaning my room? Well, the answer I’ve come up with is that I don’t want to say no to people for free it means they won’t ask me again. It’s not an insecurity thing, I don’t think. It’s more of the kind of thing where I am actively trying to make friendships and have made the decision to push myself out of my comfort zone – so I say yes to almost everything. I try to fill my days and nights for fear of falling in my rut again. But another reason why? Because I’m having fun. This weekend I gave up ALL of my alone time. (And if I’ve learned anything in the last year, it’s that I truly enjoy having some alone time. So to give it up to someone means quite a bit but that’s another story for another time.)

All of that being said, I don’t think I should slow down. I function best when I’m busy… At work, when I have crazy deadlines and intense to-do lists I need to blow through, my quality of work increases drastically. I’m a multi-tasker through and through. Adding events to my calendar and keeping track of my life that way brings me more joy than I should admit. What can I say? I’m a nerd. But I do think what I’ve learned from my Monday is that the best part of being so busy is that I’m never sad when I’m left alone with nothing to do. Instead I’m thankful! If you’re bored it’s because you’re choosing to let yourself be that way and there’s nothing wrong with that. Yes, I need to take some time to process and make more time for writing, as I talked about last week. But am I going to give up my 2 am’s for a few extra hours of sleep? Or risk the chance of meeting someone amazing for the chance to catch up on a TV show? Not any time soon! Life is meant for living.

#nerdsunite

click here to follow Chelsea on twitter!