New paradigm

So here's some pix of my apt as it is now.  I've got the mirror set up, I need to figure out where to put the toaster oven cuz I have no outlet in my kitchen.  I may be slightly addicted to nuts.  LOL.

First another haircut pic.  I love wearing my feather earrings when my hair is short :)

 If I go thru the looking glass, I'll try to get a post card to you ;)

TOASTER!  I think it's going to be moved to where the mirror is now, tbh.

 I maaaaaay like my coffee.

And my nuts.  

So work should calm down a bit now that T and D have gone and C and H are settling in.  Our next big change will be in August or so when the next batch come in and leave.  It's interesting working somewhere that turnover is expected.  I worked in call centers which experience plenty of turnover, but they make you believe that you could stay (and that people actually do).  Here it's understood that there's going to be major staffing changes every few months.  It's an interesting environment, that's for sure.

So this weekend was a weekend of saying goodbye to T and D - we went out for Korean BBQ on Friday night.  It was a good time.  I ended up with a significant bruise on my toes... no clue how I managed that one, but I'm going to stay away from sandals from now on.  Saturday I got my mirror from T, then I helped A move from her apt on the 3rd floor to T's old apt on the 2nd floor.  Note to self, use knee brace when stairs are involved.  Sigh... she took me to lunch to say thanks, which was really nice.  Then the plan for the rest of the group was to go Seoul to have drinks and stay up until 4am when some soccer game was on.  Premiere league championship or some such.  I decided to stay home and binge-watch Good Omens instead.  So I laid in my bed, watched Good Omens on my Amazon Prime (which is expiring as of tomorrow) and enjoyed my time alone.  Sunday I relaxed, then went to Mass, then went over to A's for dinner, drinks, and to watch Good Omens again.  Cuz you know, why not?

I was also able to talk to my older seester, my bestie, and my Dad and Carole this weekend.  It was amazing!

So one thing that can be hard to explain to people is why I need my alone time.  Unless I'm talking with a fellow introvert, the concept of introversion is really difficult for some to grasp.  So I'm going to try to explain it here.  Imagine that your energy throughout the day is the same as a phone battery.  When you get up, the battery is full.  As the day goes on, the battery is drained.  Sometimes it's drained faster, sometimes it's more gradual.  The rate of drainage depends on a lot of factors, but believe me when I say that the battery is drained all throughout the day.  Now, the battery is only recharged by quality alone time (not spent sleeping).  So if days go by that are filled with interactions and very little alone time, the battery is never allowed to get fully charged.  This is not to say that these times are not enjoyed - it is merely to say that these interactions leave an introvert feeling tired.  If we're not allowed to fully recharge our batteries, we can become sullen, snappish, and just generally not pleasant to be around.  We NEED our alone time to recharge.  We all deal with needing this time differently.  My way is to tell those around me whom I know and trust that I'm in need of a BH weekend.  (BH stands for Bitch Hermit - a term stolen from the 'Neurotically Yours' internet cartoon.)  For me, a BH weekend consists of whatever I want to do - ALONE.  I could take a walk, go to the store, stay in the apt all weekend, binge-watch shows, finish books, rearrange my apt - whatever it is, there will be no significant human interaction.  This is for me to recharge and be able to handle things without being totally overwhelmed.  Introversion and extroversion are not qualities that depend on how 'social' a person is, but how we gain our energy.  An introvert gets their energy from being alone, an extrovert gets their energy from being around people.  When I need my time to recharge, I'll take it.

I've been trying to figure out a balance between going out and staying in.  I'm about to stay in a lot more simply because I have to deal with some money stuff and that's going to leave me on a tight budget.  On the other hand, there are worse things than having to cook at home!  I have a Korean cook book and a toaster oven, I've got this!  LOL.

Anyway, life is still good.  The homesickness isn't as sharp as it was before... and my sister sent me club crackers, so as soon as I get some cheese, I'll have a real taste of home.  My bestie tells me that she has stuffs for me, too (woot woot).  So all is good.

Here's what I looked like today - see Dad, I promise I'm not in danger of looking like a cadaver any time soon!!  I do love my "Dad" shirt, tho!  It was a good teaching day, and we have Thurs off this week, so yay!