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Forgive me, y'all. It has been almost two years, since my last confession. Hehe. Not sure how many hail marys to do. Erm. You know, we can just work all that out, later. Yeah. So, uh. Hi! How's it going? Goooood. I'm doing OK, I guess. A lot has happened since my last style break in Spring 2015.
My partner and I celebrated 14 years, together, not that long ago. Hard to believe that it will be 15 years in August. That's a crazy long time to be with someone, you guys. Hehe. He's my best friend; the person I trust the most in this whole wide world; and he keeps me grounded in a way no one else can.
I am so thankful to be with someone who accepts me for who I am; who gives me the space and independence to explore what it means to be me; and who supports me unconditionally and every step of the way. He is my everything and I would be utterly lost without him. Lots of hugs and kisses, babe!
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I mean, without him, who would I have to eat and drink copious amounts of stuff with? Hahaha. I mean, that's practically our entire lives, aside from playing video games, board games, watching TV and getting out to socialize with other pesky humans, every now and again. Yeah. We're super f*cking boring, you guys. Haha. We spend a lot of time at home and, as for me, I'm totally OK with that state of affairs. It's a crazy world out there, you guys. I mean, I don't know if you've seen what's happening outside, but uh. Yeah. My home is my safe space and, lately, that's the only place I've wanted to be.
I guess I have some slight social anxiety, but I think that I've made tremendous strides in putting myself out there in terms of trying to make new friends (not acquaintances, but lasting, meaningful relationships) and even having people in my home, which is a really big deal for me. It would take too long to explain, but essentially, I don't allow just *anyone* into my house. Since, it's my safe space, I only want people in my home who I trust and respect. So, needless to say, if I invite you into my home, you should know that I think you are someone incredibly special and important to me. So far, this year, I've allowed four new people into my house. I cherish them and I'm so happy to know them. <3
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Yeaaaah. I'm actually a very private person, which I think a lot of people would be surprised to find out, in light of my blog and my Instagram page. The thing is, I really do value meaningful interactions with people. So, blogging and sharing things about myself on social media are ways in which I can try to further my efforts, in that regard. It isn't easy, but I've come to enjoy the process, over time. :P
So, anyway....Yeah, I did mention how much my partner and I eat and drink, right? Haha. This pastime is enjoyed not only at home, but outside the home, as well. ;) I know I've mentioned our weekend brunch ritual and why it has become such an important thing for us. Well, as you can see from the photos above, the ritual is still going strong and I don't think we'll ever stop reveling in it. Hehe.
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As far as my work life is concerned, it has been going surprisingly well. As you may or may not know, I'm an attorney. I stopped practicing law several years ago to try and start my own law practice (and failed miserably, by the way). I definitely needed a lot more money to do that. After burning through most of my savings, I had to abandon the endeavor. Instead of going back to the practice of law, I decided to get certified to teach English and use my law degree to teach law to international students.
The ESL market in my city is heavily saturated. So, it wasn't easy for me to find paid work as an ESL instructor. Instead, I spent the first year, after earning my certificate, teaching English on a volunteer basis. It ended up being a fantastic experience and I got a great professional reference out of it. Anyway, while I was volunteer teaching, I started working independently on a law course designed for English as a Second Language learners. I finished two course proposals and pitched them to the local university, but ultimately it was a no-go due to budgetary concerns. Lame. So, rather than give up, I decided to offer the course independently to students in small groups and also offer one-on-one lessons. I wasn't expecting to be successful with this plan, given the outcome of my last entrepreneurial stint, but I ended up surprising myself. :DDD In addition to Legal English courses, I also provide private ESL lessons. I've been doing this work for about two years and it has been really great. *^_^*
My students are sweet, kind, highly motivated and full of ingenuity. Honestly, I've been absolutely spoiled. I've taught students from Spain, China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Iraq and even Tibet.
Over the years, I've encountered students who want to show their appreciation through gifts. I always tell my students not to give me things, but many of them just don't listen. Haha. >_< That being said, I really do appreciate the gestures and, as you can see above, the popular gift is candy. Heh. With regard to the Korean candy, it's something I've never had before, so it was a really nice introduction. I have to say. :P It was also really nice to have a traditional South Korean meal with one of my students, her husband and her brother. Again, it was just a cultural experience that I'd never had and I was super grateful. I'm addicted to ddeokbokki, now. <3 I've also returned the favor in the form of cupcakes (above) and macarons (mainly because they're easy to transport in a backpack on my bike hehe).
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My cat is still an asshole. Yep. Yeah. I know. It's kind of like saying, the remote for my TV still works. Heh. I mean, it's great and all, but we all know how remotes work. Similarly, we all know that cats are dickheads. Well, most cats. I don't know. It's arguable. The point is...haha. My cat is a dickhead and I love my furry dickhead. Did I just say that? Yeah, I think I....OK. Well, anyway. I mean, if I didn't love Bonaparte, why would I get a super cute portrait of her delivered all the way from Russia? Haha. Yeah! The portrait was a very thoughtful XMAS gift from my partner's sister. It didn't arrive until sometime in February, though. Also, I haven't gotten around to sharing it with my Instagram peeps, so you're seeing it first. Oooh la la. :PPP Anyway, when she isn't rifling through my panty liners and chewing up every box known to man, she's pretty alright. Yeah. She's OK. Pretty decent or whatever. Good stuff. ;)
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Oh yeah and I finally got my little home studio set up! In my last Storytelling post, you'll notice that things were pretty bare bones. Looks pretty sweet, now, eh? Ehhhh? ;D~ I recently updated my controller (pic on the lower right). So, those grey boxes between the decks (pic on the lower left), yeah forget about those. Hehe. I also played music for a live audience for the first time ever in early February and it was so awesome, you guys! That's the top photo and you'll see I'm using my new controller. <3
It wasn't like a big deal or anything. I just offered to play for like 40 minutes if the event organizers needed someone to fill some time. I had brought my stuff just in case and I had practiced my set (deep house and disco house) maybe a few hours prior to the event (again, just in case, heh). So, yeah. Things just kind of worked out. I had a lot of fun and it felt good to give back to marginalized groups by providing a safe space for people of color, members of the LGBTQ community and others to socialize and dance without fear. That's what the event was all about. :D I don't have a live recording of that set, but I'll do a home recording soon and share that on my music blog. I also had an opportunity to play, again, at another event in mid-February and I do have a live recording for that! Here you go. :P
I'll upload that second recording to Youtube sometime in April and you'll be able to hear that on my music blog, as well. :D Yep! So, this will be my last post for March, as I mentioned, last week. My partner and I are going on a much needed trip and we won't be back until April. As much as I'd like to chronicle my travels over Instagram, it probably won't be possible for me to do any uploads until I get back. Apparently, phones and laptops are being seized and data stripped at international borders. As a result, we're bringing one phone with us to share and it probably won't have many apps on it. It'll be bare bones, but I'll definitely share photos after the trip! I'm super excited and ready for a break. <3
If you haven't already had a chance to listen to my latest mix (produced in my super sweet home studio...not really, I mean it's OK, but still heh), check it out and let me know what you think! Enjoy!
I'll see you guys when I get back! Thank you for reading and, as always, thank you for your kindness.
