Hey all you DP people! 
I'm bidding you all farewell for a while. I'm basically gonna be taking some extended time off Debate Politics, and focusing specifically on my career. I'm putting all of my available energy into it, and I'm just trying to narrow stuff down in my life to keep my focus. I've landed a job, my first "real" job, and I am both stoked and unbelievably scared to death. It's gonna be quite a doozie, to say the least! I'm glad I've improved my issues with social anxiety ever since I first went to college. It's gotten so much easier for me to talk to people I am not familiar with without stuttering like an idiot, even in situations that make it difficult for me to not be nervous. I'm actually very proud of myself on that regard. You know how hard it used to be for me to even give class presentations? Ooof. Now I know how to smooth it out and give myself a good flow. I've done so much self-improvement on that front, and I really came out of college as a changed individual for the better. I made so many friends on my own, and though I'm fairly out of touch with most of them post-college, I've got a good group of friends I still talk to regularly. I'm also proud I was able to make so many friends on my own ability to do so, as before college, most of my friends were made through my fiancée. Us both going to different colleges was absolutely the smart decision in that regard, hands down. Also, being a veteran server has also helped me improve my people skills, as well as being able to say a firm "no" to strangers that are acting unruly and rude, or doing something they shouldn't be doing. Basically, I know how to assert myself and not get walked over. Is this the job that I was looking for? Nope. But it's a foot in the door to build up experience! And with good pay, too!
Wouldn't be smart in being overly picky on that regard, anyway. I'm glad I already did my shopping for business clothing! 
I am in sort of a paradigm shift period in my life (I don't really have the best words to describe it). My fiancée has been doing very well at her job (very well is putting it mildly), and she's making a whole lot of money with it. It's not like I wasn't bringing in money after college, mind you, but not nearly as much as her, and I want to provide more, and make more, as well as actually do something in my degree field. I didn't suffer through those all-nighters shoving ramen noodles in my mouth at 2AM for nothing!
I did sort of start to feel inadequate compared to her, and I know that's really not the "right" feeling to have, but I certainly felt it. I think I just got scared of not being able to feel 'successful' in my own right; stupid fear but my brain does that sometimes. I on the other hand, was sort of 'coasting' post-college; I just found some solitude in just keeping my serving job for a while and making money that way, but it got to a point where I just had to move on.
This isn't goodbye, I'm sure. I hope that when I do return to Debate Politics, I'll be living in my own place, and married (finally). It's high-time that we move out and plant our roots in a place that we can call home together (but ooof am I gonna hate moving, though, so tedious), and it's good we have to money saved up to do so. We are going to be aiming for a townhouse! I don't believe in "soul mates" or whatnot, but Cassie's about the closest thing to that I can think of. We've stuck it out for so long together, and we've been through a heap of tribulations and emotional turmoil, but we made it out together as a unit. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world; marrying the person I've been in a relationship with since middle school! Our wedding is going to be very low-key and probably pretty informal, as neither of us are big wedding people, nor do we care about any sort of extravagance (though if you enjoy that kind of wedding, I'm not knocking you for that). It's just not the point of a wedding for us. It's more about having fun with people that we care about, and enjoying ourselves in the way that's comfortable with us. I'm looking forward to sharing the rest of my life with her; no other human being will ever compare in my mind.
I'm ready for the challenges ahead, I am ready to tie the knot, I am ready for all of it! I've made it this far, so why not more?
I didn't want to leave you all without saying a proper goodbye. I love a whole lot of you, and I wish you all the best! I'll be seeing you all when I see you! 
(...and don't forget--remember to get out and vote in the midterms, people! 🗳 )
I'm bidding you all farewell for a while. I'm basically gonna be taking some extended time off Debate Politics, and focusing specifically on my career. I'm putting all of my available energy into it, and I'm just trying to narrow stuff down in my life to keep my focus. I've landed a job, my first "real" job, and I am both stoked and unbelievably scared to death. It's gonna be quite a doozie, to say the least! I'm glad I've improved my issues with social anxiety ever since I first went to college. It's gotten so much easier for me to talk to people I am not familiar with without stuttering like an idiot, even in situations that make it difficult for me to not be nervous. I'm actually very proud of myself on that regard. You know how hard it used to be for me to even give class presentations? Ooof. Now I know how to smooth it out and give myself a good flow. I've done so much self-improvement on that front, and I really came out of college as a changed individual for the better. I made so many friends on my own, and though I'm fairly out of touch with most of them post-college, I've got a good group of friends I still talk to regularly. I'm also proud I was able to make so many friends on my own ability to do so, as before college, most of my friends were made through my fiancée. Us both going to different colleges was absolutely the smart decision in that regard, hands down. Also, being a veteran server has also helped me improve my people skills, as well as being able to say a firm "no" to strangers that are acting unruly and rude, or doing something they shouldn't be doing. Basically, I know how to assert myself and not get walked over. Is this the job that I was looking for? Nope. But it's a foot in the door to build up experience! And with good pay, too!
Wouldn't be smart in being overly picky on that regard, anyway. I'm glad I already did my shopping for business clothing! I am in sort of a paradigm shift period in my life (I don't really have the best words to describe it). My fiancée has been doing very well at her job (very well is putting it mildly), and she's making a whole lot of money with it. It's not like I wasn't bringing in money after college, mind you, but not nearly as much as her, and I want to provide more, and make more, as well as actually do something in my degree field. I didn't suffer through those all-nighters shoving ramen noodles in my mouth at 2AM for nothing!
I did sort of start to feel inadequate compared to her, and I know that's really not the "right" feeling to have, but I certainly felt it. I think I just got scared of not being able to feel 'successful' in my own right; stupid fear but my brain does that sometimes. I on the other hand, was sort of 'coasting' post-college; I just found some solitude in just keeping my serving job for a while and making money that way, but it got to a point where I just had to move on. This isn't goodbye, I'm sure. I hope that when I do return to Debate Politics, I'll be living in my own place, and married (finally). It's high-time that we move out and plant our roots in a place that we can call home together (but ooof am I gonna hate moving, though, so tedious), and it's good we have to money saved up to do so. We are going to be aiming for a townhouse! I don't believe in "soul mates" or whatnot, but Cassie's about the closest thing to that I can think of. We've stuck it out for so long together, and we've been through a heap of tribulations and emotional turmoil, but we made it out together as a unit. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world; marrying the person I've been in a relationship with since middle school! Our wedding is going to be very low-key and probably pretty informal, as neither of us are big wedding people, nor do we care about any sort of extravagance (though if you enjoy that kind of wedding, I'm not knocking you for that). It's just not the point of a wedding for us. It's more about having fun with people that we care about, and enjoying ourselves in the way that's comfortable with us. I'm looking forward to sharing the rest of my life with her; no other human being will ever compare in my mind.
I'm ready for the challenges ahead, I am ready to tie the knot, I am ready for all of it! I've made it this far, so why not more?
I didn't want to leave you all without saying a proper goodbye. I love a whole lot of you, and I wish you all the best! I'll be seeing you all when I see you! (...and don't forget--remember to get out and vote in the midterms, people! 🗳 )
