Tag: blog

Life, memoir, memories, NaBloPoMo, writing

I Uncovered 800 Blog Posts

littleshoeprincess

Before I began writing this blog in 2018, I had two other blogs on a now-defunct hosting platform.

I started my first blog in 2007, while at work. My schedule as a writer was so unpredictable, I would sometimes find myself waiting on art directors to design, supervisors to approve, or clients to give feedback. During those lulls, I would write…about anything and everything. The first time I was ma’amed. The girl at the gym who blew dried her hair wearing only a parka. The time our channels were getting crossed and demonic dialog from X-rated shows would blare from our TV. You know, regular life stuff. I wrote that blog until 2013, about 600 posts in total.

For reasons I can’t remember now, I started a new blog in 2014. This was the year that Little Mister was born, so maybe I wanted to shed my childless leash on life writing for more mature subject matter? This blog had about 200 posts, which took me right up until I bought my domain on WordPress and started THIS blog.

The first blog was easy to find – I remembered the URL immediately. Oh, to scroll through my life as a thirty-something DINK (look it up if you need to!). The snark! The unlimited time on my hands every weekend. (You guys, there were weekends when I did nothing. Like, I woke up and thought, ‘What should I do today? nobody is counting on me, I have nowhere to be and nothing to do. today is all about ME’!)

The second blog was harder to find. I could not remember the URL to save my life. This could be because much of that blog was written when Little Mister was a baby and toddler and I was tired all the time with zero energy. Unlike now, where I’m tired most of the time and have 10% energy.

Lying in bed this morning – awake at 4:30am with my arm pins and needles because I was sleeping awkwardly around Bruno, who was sharing my pillow and snoring loudly – I had an epiphany on how to find my old blog. And while I will not reveal my secrets, I FOUDN IT. There it was, all the honesty of becoming a mom, raising a baby, going back to work, and losing a little of myself in the process. 200 more posts.

But what reading those posts did for me, was remind me that I am a pretty good writer. And that being laid off – which had nothing to do with my performance – HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY PERFORMANCE. My blogs are funny, honest, and vulnerable. They are, well, me.

What does this mean? Well, it means that I’m going to take a day and read through all 800 posts and just enjoy them. There are blogs about my grandparents, who have all passed away. Funny stories about our parents. Anecdotes of Little Mister pooping himself so badly as a baby that I had to cut off his onesie.

Then, I’m going to pick out the posts that fit the narrative of my future novel, and start putting them into a document. And shaping them into a story. And hopefully get one step closer to putting something meaningful together.

work

The Job Market in 2025: 0/5 Stars

littleshoeprincess

I was laid off from my job last month.

When it first happened, those four words – I was laid off – were hard to think, let alone write or speak. How could I be laid off? I am a great employee, hard worker, and hell – I was even recruited for the role I was in. But, it happened anyway. My client just didn’t have the money to support keeping me on their business. So I was let go. Ugh, and that term “let go”, like I’m a kite or a piece of rope.

Part of my exit plan was to bestow all of my knowledge of the client and the business onto the remaining team members, as well as the senior team member who was going to take over my role. I showed up every day, gave them my best, and even traveled to manage a TV shoot for four days. Two weeks later, I mailed my laptop back.

In the days that followed my last day of work, I experienced all of the stages of unemployment: shock, anger, fear, grief, and then…a quiet acceptance. I would find a job, the right job, and I would fill my time in other ways. After all, I couldn’t just do nothing. I have always had a job, since I was 15 years old. I don’t know what it feels like to not have a job.

Here, in 2025, it’s easier to find Bigfoot than it is to find a job. Resumes being read by computers. Ghost posts of jobs that don’t even exist. Your application going into a black hole, your hopes and dreams along with it.

This is the actual applicant count for a job to which I applied.

The job market is so broken. 7,000 applicants? Sure, some of them are bots. Others are not qualified. But I have to think at least a few thousand of those 7700 have the chops to do the job. My LinkedIn feed is filled with hundreds of connections all looking for work right now. It’s scary. We’re all of a certain age, experience level, and salary. We’re all vying for the same roles. It’s bananas.

I can honestly say, I’ve been tremendously busy each day in the last month.

Of course I’m spending time networking and job searching for roles that I truly can see myself in. After two days of panic applying to every job in sight, I’ve calmed down. I don’t just want to “work anywhere”. I’m looking to work for a company or brand, not a creative agency again. Titles like “Creative Director, Copy” and “Senior Writer, Brand” excite me. I love to write, and I’m good at it.

I’m also taking care of things that I could never find time for. Organizing. Appointments. Crafting (more on this in another post!). I end each day with a sense of accomplishment; checking items of a to do list or making time for myself.

Lastly, I’m freelancing until the right permanent role comes along. It’s giving me the flexibility I need right now while life is…life-ing.

When I shared the news of my layoff on LinkedIn, I was humbled by how many people from my past life and jobs reached out to me. Some I knew well, others I had managed, and a few were coworkers who were at the same company at the same time, yet we didn’t even work together. But their messages were all alike: “I’m sorry” and “they are crazy to let you go!” and “let me know how I can help”. These messages boosted me up and reminded me that I know a lot of really amazing people.

At the same time, I was disheartened by people I DIDN’T hear from. The ones who I thought for sure would say something (even just a ‘it’s been great working with you! good luck!’ before I was shut off from Teams). In certain situations, people will surprise you. And not always in a good way.

It takes a village to land a job in 2025, and I’m truly grateful to those willing to make a connection, pass on a resume, send a referral link. I certainly didn’t have “Get Laid Off” on my 2025 BINGO card. But I’m ready to play a new game.

Life, NaBloPoMo

The New(ish) 2021 Me

littleshoeprincess

I started blogging everyday for 30 days during the month of November a bunch of years ago. There was a real thing called “NaBloPoMo” (in case you see me mention it), which is short for “National Blog Posting Month”. They have since done away with this, but I kept up the tradition because 1. I love to write and 2. Having a goal made me accountable.

Every year I stressed myself out to meet the goal of writing a blog post every single day. Weekends we were busy? Check. Days when I was consumed with work and wanted to go to sleep at 8pm? Check. Nights when we’d go out and not get home until after 10pm? Check.

It was exhausting. But I did, because I held myself to the high standards and expectations that I HAD to do it, because I said I would do it. Even when Little Mister was just 3 weeks old, I blogged every night. There a photo of me in his nursery, typing away on my computer while Mr. KK rocked him to sleep.

I don’t know if its the residual pandemic effect, or that I’m just plain tired, but this is the first year I’ve ever missed a day blogging. In fact, I’ve missed TWO days so far this month, which is unheard of.

But last night, I just didn’t have it in me. I had a jam-packed day that started with waking at 5:30am, showering and getting dressed, sneaking in Christmas shopping at Target before picking Little Mister up from his sleepover at my parents’ house, then off to his first COVID vaccine, back home to fold laundry, then lunch and shopping with a friend, then back home for dinner and a movie – our first official viewing of The Grinch (my favorite!) this holiday season – before heading off to bed.

Last year me would NOT be cool, but 2021 me wanted to be present, watch a movie with Little Mister, and not stress herself out. And you know what? I’m okay with it.

I write these blog posts for myself; and while I hope someone reads them and maybe gets a chuckle, I want to capture these moments. Because who knows…maybe I will write that novel one day and these blog posts will prove to be very beneficial in remembering my life (since I may be in my eighties by the time I get my act together).

My early New Year’s resolution is: to be more present, and let things go. Focus on the things I want to do, that make me happy; and not stress about the things I can’t do, or can’t control.

This has proven to be especially hard when it comes to work. I am used to a life of working and working until all hours to get things finished, so much so, that it would take over my life. I have made a conscious effort to “shut down” at dinnertime, to spend time with my family, help Little Mister with homework, read together and get myself ready for the day ahead. My boss suggested that I remove my work email from my phone, but I’m not quite ready to get that crazy. I still need to know what’s going on.

This time of year, especially, requires all sorts of attention. From scouting Black Friday deals, planning out holiday meals, mentally listing out everyone’s gifts (and then shopping for them) and making sure we remember to participate in pajama day at school, bring in canned goods for the food drive and do my “Room Parent” duties and organize a class gift for the teacher – all while making sure we have our favorite sweatshirt clean for school, a little note goes into the lunch box every day and the dog gets a walk at least once a day.

I have 9 days left of blogging every day, and I plan to do my best. I have a few blog topics brewing and hope to be able to share them all. And if I can’t, I’m okay with that (and hopefully you are, too).