Oh man, YouTube, amirite? I've not been a big YouTube viewer, historically. I've used it mainly to look up how to do stuff and, more recently, talent competitions. Well, there was a period a few years ago where I would look up Belgian Beat Box competitions but we won't discuss that. Anyhowzits, a week or so ago, I came across Diane In Denmark and I've been hooked ever since. If you want to see someone truly living her best life, tune into that. She is a native of Scotland who has lived in Denmark for over 20 years with her husband and children. Her videos are short and they are all about home management, from cleaning to de-cluttering, to organizing, as well as some crafts, recipes, general Danish life, and some Q and A. I am simplifying it a bit but I can't do it justice; just trust me, she is amazing. Again, her videos are short and she is just this fireplug of positivity who is a cheerleader for her viewers and an inspiring and infectious source of enthusiasm.
And man, Denmark sounds amazing and I want that life. I even love the idea of the winter when the days are incredibly short so it is dark all the time.
Her channel is not monetized, she does not ask you to subscribe, and she does not ask you to "like" her videos. In return, she ever so gently reminds her viewers that we aren't friends in real life and she must maintain boundaries so put your comments under the videos because she doesn't check private messages and you cannot send her presents, as lovely as that is (she suggests you donate to charity or treat a friend to coffee instead.
Because Diane in Denmark is damned delightful.
But that wasn't what I came on here to talk about. I have news. After nearly 12 years of full-time employment with my company, I am leaving to take a new position elsewhere. I interviewed back in November and never heard back so figured "oh, interviewing is like dating now and you get ghosted. OK, cool. Whatever." My friend and former colleague came to me about this, I didn't go looking so it was a situation in which I couldn't lose. I like my job, I love my team, and I've just been happy where I am for the past three years or so. But my friend had come to me at the beginning of October about one position that I knew wasn't for me and then she came to me again towards the end of the month and I thought "OK, that's twice in one month. Let's listen to the universe and give it a chance."
So here I am. In three weeks (at the time of this writing) I will begin at a new company doing a mixture of what I do now and what I did five years ago. So, basically, I'm not at all sure what I'll be doing. But it is a very nice raise and, eventually, I will be working from home on Mondays and Fridays. There is also the potential for a real annual bonus, which is unheard of for plebs like me at my current employer. I really couldn't say "no" when it was offered so I accepted and, a week later, I told my boss. It is bittersweet but kind of exciting as it is a brand new chapter in my life. I am kind of excited and utterly terrified all at once. I am definitely going to miss seeing my work friends every day but New Company is only two miles down the road from Old Company so we'll still do our monthly happy hours and I've decided to force myself to go out a bit more so that I spend time with them.
That is a nice way to segue into how the above two topics have joined together to encourage me to make some changes in my life. I'm still working on quitting smoking (as of this writing, I'm on day 8 of smoke free) but I'm also making a few other changes. One of the things that I really take away from Diane in Denmark is the idea of wearing your nice things and not "saving for best." If you have nice things, why not wear them and get enjoyment? Don't wear ballgowns to the office or anything, dress appropriately, but if you have nice jewelry, why keep it in a box? Also, take the five to ten minutes to put together an outfit the day before so that you do accessorize and make a special effort. I've started to do that and I feel almost giddy with anticipation about my outfits and am just tickled to be wearing my jewelry, the nice stuff or, more often than not, the cheap stuff. I find that I like being put together and feeling pretty. So, as suggested, I put together a few outfits at the time so that I can have them all planned out. It's been so, so fun. Because, like DID says, what is the point of having things you like and enjoy if you don't actually enjoy them often?
The new job and the focusing on small things like my wardrobe - along with seeing that I've gained ten pounds in the last months that I haven't been able to shift - is what led me to start cooking as I mentioned in my last post. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't excited about this food. I still want burgers and pizza instead but more than that, I want a nice body that fits into my clothes properly (because pay raise or not, I'm not buying wardrobe to facilitate weight gain) and I really can't afford to fuck around with this anymore. So I'm trying to make myself eat things that are healthy, even if out of my comfort zone, and my goal is to be consistent. It isn't about a diet and I am not planning on cheat days or whatever. In my mind it is like what I did this evening: you can have the chocolate cookies but you have to eat that healthy junk first. Earlier in the month I started trying to get myself to eat at least one serving of fruit a day and I found that I was looking forward to or craving an apple, even though apples are a pain in the ass to eat (they are tasty but they just take forever and make me feel like, welp, this is what I'm doing for the next half hour).
This is encouraging and so I want to ride this wave and continue the good work. And I like cooking. I've had a blast this past weekend busy in my kitchen. I wouldn't want to do it every day but weekends and maybe something quick once a week is nice. It's also handy so that I have lunches prepared in advance, especially on nights when I go to SA's house because it means I can come home from the gym (because I typically see him on gym days), feed animals, grab my clothing for the next day, a bottle of wine, and anything else I want to take with (when it isn't something that will wrinkle, I often pack ahead), and grab a lunch out of my refrigerator so that I can avoid rush hour traffic and get to his place. And all of this in advance stuff means that I can either enjoy some time in the morning before I leave for the office or, sleep later before having to go to the office. A win all around. 😊
I just saw that there are emojis. Were they always there? Well, here is hoping that my happy mindedness continues into the rest of my week!
*I'm glad I previewed this post after I published my last one. I've been writing and scheduling my posts so things can be out of order if I write/publish in real time. And I need this to be clean and orderly and sharp if I'm to get internet famous, right?
And man, Denmark sounds amazing and I want that life. I even love the idea of the winter when the days are incredibly short so it is dark all the time.
Her channel is not monetized, she does not ask you to subscribe, and she does not ask you to "like" her videos. In return, she ever so gently reminds her viewers that we aren't friends in real life and she must maintain boundaries so put your comments under the videos because she doesn't check private messages and you cannot send her presents, as lovely as that is (she suggests you donate to charity or treat a friend to coffee instead.
Because Diane in Denmark is damned delightful.
But that wasn't what I came on here to talk about. I have news. After nearly 12 years of full-time employment with my company, I am leaving to take a new position elsewhere. I interviewed back in November and never heard back so figured "oh, interviewing is like dating now and you get ghosted. OK, cool. Whatever." My friend and former colleague came to me about this, I didn't go looking so it was a situation in which I couldn't lose. I like my job, I love my team, and I've just been happy where I am for the past three years or so. But my friend had come to me at the beginning of October about one position that I knew wasn't for me and then she came to me again towards the end of the month and I thought "OK, that's twice in one month. Let's listen to the universe and give it a chance."
So here I am. In three weeks (at the time of this writing) I will begin at a new company doing a mixture of what I do now and what I did five years ago. So, basically, I'm not at all sure what I'll be doing. But it is a very nice raise and, eventually, I will be working from home on Mondays and Fridays. There is also the potential for a real annual bonus, which is unheard of for plebs like me at my current employer. I really couldn't say "no" when it was offered so I accepted and, a week later, I told my boss. It is bittersweet but kind of exciting as it is a brand new chapter in my life. I am kind of excited and utterly terrified all at once. I am definitely going to miss seeing my work friends every day but New Company is only two miles down the road from Old Company so we'll still do our monthly happy hours and I've decided to force myself to go out a bit more so that I spend time with them.
That is a nice way to segue into how the above two topics have joined together to encourage me to make some changes in my life. I'm still working on quitting smoking (as of this writing, I'm on day 8 of smoke free) but I'm also making a few other changes. One of the things that I really take away from Diane in Denmark is the idea of wearing your nice things and not "saving for best." If you have nice things, why not wear them and get enjoyment? Don't wear ballgowns to the office or anything, dress appropriately, but if you have nice jewelry, why keep it in a box? Also, take the five to ten minutes to put together an outfit the day before so that you do accessorize and make a special effort. I've started to do that and I feel almost giddy with anticipation about my outfits and am just tickled to be wearing my jewelry, the nice stuff or, more often than not, the cheap stuff. I find that I like being put together and feeling pretty. So, as suggested, I put together a few outfits at the time so that I can have them all planned out. It's been so, so fun. Because, like DID says, what is the point of having things you like and enjoy if you don't actually enjoy them often?
The new job and the focusing on small things like my wardrobe - along with seeing that I've gained ten pounds in the last months that I haven't been able to shift - is what led me to start cooking as I mentioned in my last post. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't excited about this food. I still want burgers and pizza instead but more than that, I want a nice body that fits into my clothes properly (because pay raise or not, I'm not buying wardrobe to facilitate weight gain) and I really can't afford to fuck around with this anymore. So I'm trying to make myself eat things that are healthy, even if out of my comfort zone, and my goal is to be consistent. It isn't about a diet and I am not planning on cheat days or whatever. In my mind it is like what I did this evening: you can have the chocolate cookies but you have to eat that healthy junk first. Earlier in the month I started trying to get myself to eat at least one serving of fruit a day and I found that I was looking forward to or craving an apple, even though apples are a pain in the ass to eat (they are tasty but they just take forever and make me feel like, welp, this is what I'm doing for the next half hour).
This is encouraging and so I want to ride this wave and continue the good work. And I like cooking. I've had a blast this past weekend busy in my kitchen. I wouldn't want to do it every day but weekends and maybe something quick once a week is nice. It's also handy so that I have lunches prepared in advance, especially on nights when I go to SA's house because it means I can come home from the gym (because I typically see him on gym days), feed animals, grab my clothing for the next day, a bottle of wine, and anything else I want to take with (when it isn't something that will wrinkle, I often pack ahead), and grab a lunch out of my refrigerator so that I can avoid rush hour traffic and get to his place. And all of this in advance stuff means that I can either enjoy some time in the morning before I leave for the office or, sleep later before having to go to the office. A win all around. 😊
I just saw that there are emojis. Were they always there? Well, here is hoping that my happy mindedness continues into the rest of my week!
*I'm glad I previewed this post after I published my last one. I've been writing and scheduling my posts so things can be out of order if I write/publish in real time. And I need this to be clean and orderly and sharp if I'm to get internet famous, right?
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