I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2020

Dear 2020 – you’ve been a real brat. I know, I know, Covid is one thing. Maybe that wasn’t your fault entirely, but you’ve been piling on big time on a lot of people that are dear to my heart, and I kinda had it with you, TBH. Can you just stop being so awful? Can we at least have the holiday season without any more bad news?  

Dear Covid – while I am at it, could you just go tf away?

Dear fellow citizens – please act responsibly during the holidays. I know, it’s hard to not see family and friends, but remember there are lots of people who sometimes – for other reasons – can’t see family or friends for the holidays (like me!) and they make it through the holidays somehow, too. Which means, so can you. Isn’t it worth it to you to bite the bullet and skip family gatherings this year, so you can see your family members for many more years to come?

Dear body – thank you for being healthy and strong and (mostly) willing to do what I ask you to. You fall asleep easily (most of the time), you haven’t given me any worrisome aches and pains, and you generally happily support my active lifestyle. I know, sometimes I am not kind and I could treat you better, but I try to not take you for granted, ever.

Dear Tr*mp –  for the love of God, concede and go away already. Don’t make this harder (and more embarrassing) than it already is. You lost. Be a man. It’s time to face the music.  

Dear holidays  – I am hoping you’ll be able to make up a tiny bit for everything that’s been hard and awful this year. Even if we’re all doing things socially distanced. Let’s make it nice. Are you ready?

Dear fellow NaBloPoMo-ers – how are you doing? We’ve made it 2/3 through the month and it looks like you’ve all been doing a great job! 

What letters would you like to put out into the universe today?

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2020

A week or so ago, I gathered some questions for a Q & A session on my blog instagram account (come follow me and never miss a post!). I know sometimes we have questions for people that we never get to ask (randomly), so I thought it would be fun to see what’s on your guys’ mind. I am going to answer these questions today. And if you didn’t have the chance to ask a question yet or just thought of one, drop it in the comments!

Have you ever considered creating a backup plan and return to Germany in the last 4 years?

Very good question. To be honest, Germany is – and has always been – a backup plan in my mind, but especially during the last four years. Jon and I have seriously talked about what we would do if Trump was going to be re-elected and we frequently talk about relocating (one of these days). I feel very grateful for the fact that I have a second passport and a “way out”, if it ever became necessary.

Are you and your hubs both working from home during this mess? How’s it going?

I am very lucky that I was able to transition to a full-time work from home schedule when we went into lockdown mode in March. My agency had a very generous flexible work schedule policy to begin with, but it really came into full force when we were all sent home to telework at the beginning of the pandemic. I have to say, it’s been going great and I’ve really enjoyed working from home (despite the circumstances that led to it). I wrote about it a little more in depth here.

What do you love about running?

Oh, there is so much to love about running. Running has become on of my favorite forms of me-time. I put in my ear plugs, listen to some music or a podcast, and go. I love being outside, seeing other people be out and about, and just moving my body. It clears my head like hardly anything else.  I know that when I am cranky, I have to get outside. 

Another reason, why I love running? It burns calories. I love and enjoy food and running affords me the luxury to eat some extra calories. I am not much of snacker, but if we’re having a good meal, you can bet that I am getting seconds. 

Most importantly though? Running makes me happy – more often than not, it puts a huge smile on my face. I just feel good after most of my runs (even though the run itself might not always feel good). That might seem odd, but that’s a fact. I feel strong, healthy, and capable and just physically and mentally in a good place after a run.

How did you end up in Northern California?

I wrote about how I came to California before, but this is the short version: I participated in an exchange program through my university in Germany and ended up spending 6 months here in Northern California. I originally wanted to spend a semester in New England, specifically Boston, but that wasn’t in the cards as my university only had an exchange program that could place me here in California, but it was truly the second-best option and I am very glad I came! This is where I met my husband and this is where I’ve lived for the better part of the last 16 years.

Will you continue to work remotely (maybe forever)?

The answer to this is: I don’t know. There is a lot of work in our agency that can’t be done remotely (mainly lab and fieldwork), but there’s definitely been talk on how to extend our work from home capabilities in the future. I think a lot of people enjoy the flexibility that the remote work has afforded them (me included) and while I do enjoy getting together with colleagues and collaborating in person, I would not mind keeping a part-time work from home schedule once the pandemic is under control and things return to normal. 

What’s your favorite part of your home?

Definitely our backyard. It’s been so nice – especially this summer during a pandemic – to have our own private little outdoor space that we could use to relax and unwind. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for families to be in lockdown mode without having access to an outdoor space. When we moved from our house back into a rental situation, a private outdoor space was very high on my priority list. 

I hope I answered the questions to your satisfaction. If you have any other questions, let me know!

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2020

I’m starting off this blog posting month by sharing 5 things you might not know about me; as an introduction for any new readers (come say hi!), and to share some new random facts for anyone who’s been around for a while longer. I have shared random facts in previous years, if you want to find out more (here, here, here, and here).

1. Hi, I am Sandra – but I go by San on the Internet. I grew up in Germany but moved to the US in my mid-20’s. I live in Northern California with my husband Jon, who I met during an exchange semester here in the States many moons ago. I wrote a little bit about my move to the US a few years ago, and about the decision to come to California in the first place. ,

2. I am terrible at making decisions. I’d like to think that generally I “know what I want”, but I often let other people make the decisions. I prefer not to impose my choices on other people, which often leads to other people imposing their choices on me. That is not a big deal when it comes to picking a restaurant for dinner (I am usually cool with almost anything), but is not so good when it comes to decisions that impact me more heavily than where I eat a meal on any particular night. Something I have been – and will still be – working on.

3. Things that (rarely) come up in conversation, unless your microwave breaks and you tell your friend about the dilemma about how much you rely on the microwave every day: yes, I heat up the milk for my coffee in the morning. I drink my coffee “café au lait”-style (with a milk-coffee ratio of about 40:60). And since I like my coffee hot, I have to heat up the milk. Makes sense, right? Tell me I am not the only one.

4. I theoretically like the idea of dressing up and wearing high heels every once in a while, but you’ll probably almost always see me in shorts and sneakers or sandals. I feel like I almost never have the opportunity to get dressed up, this year even less than usual.

5. I’ve been friends with my oldest friend since Kindergarten. We both ‘scattered’ around the world after high school, but whenever we get together, it’s like we saw each other just yesterday. I miss having friends close by with whom you’re at ease like that.

Share a random fact about you in the comments!

Dear Sunshine – it’s been really nice to have you around for a little longer than usual and I wouldn’t mind for you to show up again every once in a while throughout the winter months, but you also gotta let others take the lead a little bit.

Dear Rain – I don’t know if you’ve been on some tropical vacation or something and haven’t gotten the memo, but it’s past the middle of November now and we need you to come back and put Sunshine in its place. Please and thank you.

Dear coffee – I love you. That’s all.

Dear Holiday Season – I tend to embrace you and I am looking forward to you, but I don’t want to hear Christmas music, buy Christmas treats, or see Christmas tree pictures yet. If you’re an early adopter this year, more power to you. At this moment though, I am not quite ready.

Dear Trump –  Nobody really wants to know what you have to say, because there have been so many lies coming out of your mouth and really, you don’t know anything (even if you claim you are the expert in everything). Just STFU for a change. 

Der fellow NaBloPoMo warriors –  we’ve made it over half-way through the month already! How are you doing? Has it been easy, has it been hard blogging every day? Come on, let’s do this. I am convinced that we can finish strong!

What letters would you like to put out into the universe today?!

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2019

Photo by David Klein on Unsplash

When I can’t think of anything else to blog about, I like to share some of my pet peeves. Because why not. Don’t tell me you don’t like to talk about your pet peeves (and I would definitely like to hear what drives you up the wall). 

1. People who don’t respond to email. Especially at work. I hate to keep sending ‘reminders’, because then the same people usually get annoyed with my nagging follow-ups, but good god, can you just respond already?

2. Recently, someone, that I didn’t recognize as someone I know, requested to follow my private (!) account on Instagram. I looked up her account, only to realize that she lives in the area where I grew up. I wondered, if I did know her after all or if we had mutual friends, so I made an exception and accepted her request. I sent her a nice message, inquiring if we knew each other. She only confirmed her hometown. Two days later, she unfollowed me again. I sent her another message to find out if she indeed did what I thought she did: request to follow me, so I follow her back, only to then unfollow me again. Guys, she didn’t even deny it. She flat out said that she was trying to get more followers. Say what? I thought that was a big no-no, and by requesting to follow a private account no less! Major pet peeve!!!

3. IG stories. I know I am pretty much alone in this (I think), but I have a really hard time with Instagram Stories, especially accounts that document their whole daily life on there. (How? How and when do you have time for this?) If that is you, no hard feelings and more power to you. I wish I had the time and bandwidth to keep up with everyone that way, but I don’t. If I open IG stories and see a gazillion snippets at the top, most times, I just close out of stories again. I still come to Instagram for the photo content first and foremost.

4. When someone says to me “you look tired”. (I know most people mean well, when they ask that, and yes, maybe I do look tired sometimes – don’t we all? –  but honestly, I often just want to scream back “I already went to the gym before work this morning, what have you accomplished before showing up here?)

5. People with an inflated sense of their own importance. (Know anyone like that?)

What is one of your current pet peeves?

In my NaBloPoMo introductory post, I asked for people  to ask me questions and a handful of you did (thank you). I am going to answer these questions today. And if you didn’t have the chance to ask a question yet or just thought of one, the form is still open. Or, you can drop a question in the comments.)

Why are you so AMAZING??? <3 

Haha, whoever wrote this (I should have asked for the submitter’s names), THANK YOU. And the answer is: I don’t know, I guess I just am. *insertsassyhandtippingemoji*

Who are the people you’re most excited about in terms of the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls?

That’s a good question. I don’t think I’ve nailed down a front runner yet, but I am definitely most excited about Elizabeth Warren right now. I always liked her a lot and I feel like she’s genuinely interested in working for the people (she’s proven that over and over again as a Senator). I also very much agree with Bernie Sanders’ platform, although I am not sure that he’s the best candidate now. It’s difficult since there is such a vast field of candidates and we have to keep the question in mind “who can beat Donald Trump”? Obviously, I think anyone (and for sure, any of the Democratic candidates) is more qualified than Trump, but that alone – apparently – doesn’t win someone the presidency these days.

You’ve had your blog since 2004 which is awesome. Is it tricky to keep your online space your own while sharing your thoughts with fellow bloggers and readers from all over the world? I’m saving more of my personal posts to drafts instead of posting in case someone I know reads them and feel like I’m editing myself. What advice would you give bloggers for finding a balance?

My posts have definitely changed and shifted since the early days. Back in 2004, my blog was mostly an online diary to keep in touch with people overseas and let them know what’s going on in my daily life. I am still writing about my daily life, but the format of my posts have definitely shifted. I definitely know the dilemma of how much to share and what to keep personal. There are many, many drafts that don’t make it onto the blog. However, I feel that personal posts are important to connect with other people and to be authentic.

I always ask myself if it would bother me if there was someone out there who read my posts. If the answer is yes, I might re-work my post or leave it off the blog altogether (because in the end, I can’t control who finds my public blog and reads it). However, I don’t try to censor myself too much otherwise, because I want people to get a genuine picture of who I am and what this blog is about. One thing I have never done is try to adhere to other people’s “blog rules” to try and gain more followers, or try to run a “niche blog”. This is not what I want to do with this blog. I am here for genuine connections and making friends.

How do you like your new home?

I love it. Mostly. I mentioned before that selling our house last year and deciding to rent again was a decision I had mixed feelings about. I don’t want to lie, I do miss our house sometimes. We downsized, which is not always a bad thing, but we gave up a bedroom and our apartment is definitely not as nicely updated as our house was. (I still miss my kitchen every day!) But I also really love a lot about our new place. I love the neighborhood, I live (even) closer to my work, we still have a small backyard, a garage, and a driveway. Good news: I am (finally) planning to share a little apartment tour later this month (so come back for that!). 

Do you have any trips/vacations planned? If so, where to?

We just returned from Germany to visit my family and next weekend, we’re going down to SoCal to visit Jon’s family. I wouldn’t call it a vacation, as we’re only going for a few days, but it’s nice to be able to take  a weekend trip to see them. After that though, we haven’t nailed anything down, although we’re trying to decide on more weekend trips in the not too distant future.

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2019

I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2019

I’m starting off this blog posting month again by sharing 5 things you might not know about me; as an introduction for any new readers (hi!), and to share some random facts for anyone who’s been around for a while. I have shared random facts in previous years, if you want to find out more (here, here, and here).

1.Hi, I am San and I live in Northern California with my husband Jon, who I met during an exchange semester here in the States. I grew up in Germany, but have lived in the U.S. for almost two decades now. I wrote a little bit about my life-changing move to the US, here,  a couple of years ago and about the decision to come to California in the first place, here. Crazy to think how one tiny decision can change the trajectory of your life.

2. I work as a geographer for a well-known government agency and I love the outdoors. I don’t get out into the field with my job as much as I’d like, but it’s still fun and interesting work (most of the time) and I try to get out to the NPs on my own time whenever I can.

3. I am crazy loyal, sometimes to a fault, I might say. I am getting better at setting boundaries and letting some relationships, that don’t serve me anymore, go, but generally I tend to hang on to things and people.

4. I haven’t been single since the age of 16. Sometimes I wish I would have had a period of singledom, because I do believe spending some time alone without a partner for a while can be a good experience for anyone, but that’s just not how life happened for me. I can’t say that I envy people who have to date in this day and age (I am looking at you, social media and dating apps), so I guess, I shouldn’t complain and embrace my own journey. Besides, I have the experience of a LDR to show for. It was definitely a learning opportunity, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

5. I used to have a skiing instructor’s license from the DSV (German Ski Association). I studied P.E. and was able to obtain the license in college. I wasn’t able to maintain it though because it needs to be officially renewed every few years, but I am still proud I had it at one point in my life. 

Tell me one random interesting thing about you!