A Day in the Life: An Average Awake-to-Asleep Look at Being Me

Full disclosure: This seems like the most egotistical blog post to write, but I never feel that way when I read them from other people. I always love a little behind-the-scenes peek at other peoples' lives, so I figured I'd try my own. Have I ever done one of these? Who can even recall? 

Anyway, let's do it. This was a random Wednesday toward the end of April, after I'd started my new job but before I'd gotten into the swing of things. Here we go!

8:30am – Rise & shine!

Getting used to waking up earlier – & with it, going to bed earlier – is one of the biggest changes & challenges of my new job. I used to be able to start at 10am or so, which means I woke up at 9:52am or so... but I also worked late, which led to a vicious cycle. Now, I get up at 8:30, which leaves me half an hour to get ready, but I'm hoping to eventually push it back to 8am or earlier.

I make the bed (new for me!) & head into my morning.

I'm thinking about doing a separate post sometime on my new morning routine, but for now: do a little light yoga stretching, put in contacts, brush my teeth, wash my face, put on minimal makeup (foundation, eyebrows mascara). Today, I woke up looking wacky, so I straighten my hair, too.

As I get ready, I listen to NPR's Up First podcast for top-line news headlines, but I don't use any social media or check email in that half an hour before I start work. It's helping me stay calm (or at least not freak out) before the day even begins. But it's also kinda hard?

8:55am – Turn on my computer & pray

I open the living room windows for the cats because it's supposed to be in the 70s today, then I head into my office to start the day. 

Email suddenly stopped working on my new work computer after a week of everything running smoothly. Yesterday, IT told me to reboot, etc., & try again today, that it might go away on its own. It hasn't, so I need to call IT again. But first, I need fortification. 

9:00am – Caffeinate

Most days I just do cold brew at home, but I didn't get to sleep last night until past midnight because I was stuck on a book I love, Emergency Contact. I'm hurting today, so I head to Lucky's for a soy latte with three shots. I also grab a slice of their zucchini bread, which is the best, before heading home to call IT.

10:30am – Team meeting time

Exciting news: IT was able to fix my computer issues really quickly, so things have been running smoothly. For now.

My team meets every morning, & today we've got a new team member joining us. I'm not the (only) new kid anymore! We spend most of the time doing introductions & a little bit of chat about work, & then I'm off to interview a doctor. 

I have two interviews today on medical topics I pitched, with a little bit of time in between to grab lunch. The first interview goes really well, & when lunchtime rolls around, I'm feeling pretty good about my day so far – including how I'm adapting to work. 

11:30am – Lunch already?!

Mike & I have been doing a really good job of eating at home this week, in part because this is our first week doing HelloFresh (which we really like so far!) I decide that I'll enjoy the nice weather by going to grab a sandwich – but I don't want to take a full hour for lunch, just a quick pickup, so instead of walking, I hop on a scooter.

Let me tell you that nothing says urban douchebag like a 36-year-old-women in shortalls, riding a scooter to an artisanal bakery, but there you have it. I get to Leavened, which offers two sandwich options a day, & go for today's vegan choice: sweet chili cauliflower. It is divine, & I want to eat i ]t every single day forever. 

1:30pm – Another interview

My second interview of the day also goes well, & I spent the rest of the afternoon transcribing, writing, & rewriting both of the day's stories, as well as researching another one I'll be working on soon.

My coworkers use Slack to keep in touch throughout the day, so there's a lot of chatter that I'm getting used to keeping up with. I don't feel super comfortable weighing in yet, for the most part, but I like watching their conversations go by, getting the feel for the people & the place.

5:00pm – That's all, folks!

It's totally foreign to me to have a job I can walk away from at the end of the workday, but because I haven't taken a lunch today – basically just a quick midday errand – I'm able to wrap things up at 5pm. 

It's so nice in my apartment, with the windows open, so I lay down with Helo for a quick nap & a little cuddle sesh because... why not? Learning a new job is weirdly exhausting, even if the work isn't hard yet.

6:30pm – Solo dinner

Mike is working late out of his office & then going on a walk with a friend, so tonight is one of the nights we're actually not doing HelloFresh. I make a truly ridiculous dinner of... a very healthy salad & a side of mozzarella sticks in the air fryer. Look, I don't know. Balance!

The salad is really good, though: romaine, Gala apples, crushed walnuts, blue cheese, & a blue cheese walnut vinaigrette. My mom made it for me a few weeks ago at the lakehouse, & now I'm hooked. 

7:30pm – House stuff

Mike still isn't home, & I'm fading fast. I do some things around the house, including folding the laundry at one end of the house & individually walking each piece to its final destination to try to score some extra steps. Yes, this is a thing I do.

Truth be told, I'm having a hard time staying awake long enough to do much of anything since starting this job. It's like my brain is spending all this time creating new pathways during the workday, & it has no bandwidth for anything else by the end of the day. The idea of riding my Peloton sounds about as appealing as dying, so tonight I just... you know, don't. 

As I get read for bed, I listen to Ali Wong's Dear Girls on Audible. One of these days, I'll probably write a post about my favorite skincare products, but since my skin has been broken out for, like, two months straight, I thiiiink now is not the time. 

I French braid my hair into pigtails before bed, which feels like an embarrassing confession, but also it makes my hair wavier in the mornings. So now you know. 

9:15pm – Wow, I'm kinda lame?

Uhhh, maybe I picked a bad day to show you my life. I don't usually go to bed at 9:15pm. But also, yep, this was a realistic & fairly boring day in my life. Usually I spend some time at night either reading, riding, or just watching TV while derping around on the Internet. 

Tonight, though, I'm in bed by 9:15, listening to a Peloton bedtime meditation with Aditi. Annnnnd I'm out! 

What does a "normal" day look like for you? Anything seem weird to you about mine? I love looking at (&, let's be real, politely judging) other people's daily shares. Come at me, bro.