I have thought hard about how I wanted to wrap up this year. So many things happened, and so much will happen in 2023, and I am still determining where to begin.
Is It 2022?
To drive home how this year was wild and every day a clusterfuck, I have to go back to 2020. I know it is the year we all dread. Covid, A horrible election with civil unrest, and what seems to be the beginning of the world's end. I knew they should have left the mummy alone. Then, late in 2020, I had what I can only think was a mental breakdown. Daily I was throwing up, afraid to talk to anyone, and an entire shutdown of my life, all while the rest of the world navigated the holidays with Quarantine.
Then in February of 2021, I was asked to do a pilot program with Apple as a 90-day trial of working as a QA Engineer for Music. Not knowing what that meant, I jumped at the opportunity, and well, I can’t talk about it much more than that. I ended up there for around nine months, which changed my life. I found a new calling. It was a job I was good at, enjoyed, and felt smart doing. I wanted more of it.
That landed me around the holiday of 2021 and back to working retail after I caught Covid myself. Another life-changing moment. We can debate until we are blue in the face on how Covid is or how vaccinations or no vaccinations but what I learned in those two weeks and since is that it affects everyone differently. It is a horrible Virus, and Long Covid is an after-effect. I don’t remember shit. I am getting better, and I have thousands of notes around me, and I constantly google answers now, but I can feel myself regaining some brain muscle memory; it is just not what it used to be. Try learning a new job that way; EXTREMELY frustrating.
Anyways. So in September of 2021, I decided to pursue a different career than working retail for Apple and being a Content Creator with BOLD Pittsburgh, which I had taken a hiatus from to focus on the QA Engineer training. LinkedIn was a wild ride because it was the beginning of the Great Resignation, or how I saw it was that everyone wanted something new after watching millions die. I had messages weekly and even sent resumes out almost daily. I began meetings with my manager at Apple Music about Job Postings in the company and if I was qualified. I learned a lot, like NEVER be late to a meeting with a potential manager and that you can make an in-depth resume a page long.
By November, I was exhausted and had already met with new companies outside of Apple and was well underway to getting my life back to an office and new career. Holiday in the retail world is a different beast, and honestly, I just knew that January of 2022 was going to be crazy, so I just worked and did my best to rest when I could since signs of Covid were still there with headaches and exhaustion.
By mid-January of 2022, I was in meetings with a few teams at Apple and one job outside of Apple. Decisions about your life are wild. The stress of changing my life showed up in little ways: like I lost my hair. Google it, and some can point it to the Covid virus, saying it was a reaction to stress on the body, but I also wasn’t sleeping; I was constantly looking at new jobs and having meeting after meeting. I think in total, by Valentine’s Day, I had a total of twenty conferences and interviews, some lasting upwards of three-four hours.
Then came the offers. I don’t want to, and I also can’t discuss how my offer from Apple went, but I can talk about decisions. About a week before I was offered my position with Apple, I was offered a Graphic Design and Marking position with a company in Pittsburgh. I would be remote, except to go in a photograph or video product; I would be doing video and photography as well as social media for a company and finally have the design job I always wanted besides working for Vogue, which is another story for another time. The most important thing I knew going into these meetings was that conditions were on my terms; I could deny any job that wasn’t giving me a good package and still be ok. I had this sense of reality that if nothing worked out, I would go back to writing, freelance, and retail. That is what made me say no to a company outside of Apple. Going to corporate meant I kept weeks of vacation time, the flexibility of work/home, and health care. If I got sick again, I would just be told to rest. In other companies, it would be like starting over with two weeks and no Covid protocol, which isn’t what I was striving for. So I held out for an offer from Apple. I was so close I could taste it.
By February 14th, I had accepted a position with Apple as a QA Engineer for the Release Validation team. I was to begin my work on February 28th, and the BIGGEST thing came: I was moving to California. It was a perk of the job. Through all the interviews with Apple, one thing was clear: I was leaving Pittsburgh. I was excited.
Most people my age are settled down, own a home, are married, and have things that tie them to a place. I didn’t. I had my sister and a few friends, but I lost my dad in 2021, which was the last of my living parental units. Steve had the option to stay behind. I handled it like anything else in our relationship: You are free to stay or leave for Cali with me. His family met us with the expected: “It is expensive”…and “Are you sure?” But I had plans that I didn’t tell anyone. I knew we would be okay and not in financial ruin over this move, and I just kept that to myself.
It took a bit to find an apartment, and I honestly was trying to stall for fear of cutting my lease and that cost; however, I shouldn’t have feared. My landlord in Pittsburgh had been our landlord for seven years he was upset we were going. We took care of our place, which is a landlord's dream. In the end, we didn’t need to worry about cutting our lease; I just wanted more money as a buffer to move. So on May 14th, we left and drove across the country to southern California. We were finally settling in Vista.
California is a Different World.
Driving across the country is the most humbling thing you can do. You realize just how short your life is in the grand scheme of things and you have this reset moment like the all-mighty just reset your software. When we arrived, it had already been warm enough to hit the beach, and windows were open daily. I haven’t shut my windows yet. The mind shift from little sunshine to non-stop sunshine has been immense; every day doesn’t seem so bad. You find yourself staring at palm trees and looking for sunglasses you tend to forget your issues.
There are things about California I don’t like; IT IS EXPENSIVE. Period. Stop saying it. The annoyances I did have here, like with the grocery stores, are slowly fading as I set new routines and discover new places.
In addition to the job, my life has been exciting here. I realize that I do live my life like a tour guide to the city and I don’t like always being home. So some highlights
Experienced a sunset
I Saw Kevin Smith speak
I Saw Disneyland for Halloween AND Christmas
I watched a couple get engaged on the beach with a mariachi band
Took an overnight trip to Temecula with a stay at a bungalow with Vineyards off the patio.
I got my nose pierced. It was a bucket list, and no more restaurant work, so it was time.
That are just a few experiences since moving.
2023: Time to Get to Know Me
So what will the new year bring as I settle into my new home some more? Honestly…I don’t know. I have no definite plans other than more Disney trips and a repeat trip to Temecula for Thanksgiving break. I want to return to creating: social videos, photography, design, and writing. I have a few ideas, and a YouTube channel may be coming up. The subject of everything will be me. For years I wrote about my life in Pittsburgh, and I should chat about my life here. I have always been a creator. At this point, I can’t just create and share. So expect more. I even bought a camera and mic, so possibly a new show is in the works.
I also have a few personal goals: I will return to the gym regularly. It is 30 ft from my door; I should use it. Also, I will continue to eat healthier; not saying I am giving up desserts, but more seafood and lighter meats are coming.
I do have some more things to do this year that I am already planning:
Dinner at the Oyster Farm-this is an incredible experience where you harvest, shuck and eat oysters at a local farm.
Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival-They brought it back, and I have plans to go. There will be more Disney overall; I bought a Magic Key and planned on using it.
Boston in June
More Beaches
Hockey in LA
Lots more food. California is filled with fantastic food, and I am here for it.
Some Travel-I am keeping this under wraps, but some fun weekend trips are planned for Steve and me.
So here is to 2023; let's raise a glass and all try one thing each day that scares us. I did something that scared me, and it changed my life. XOXO