Life Update

Yo, my last post was in February... 

We are well into August... 

Let me just crack my knuckles and get to writing this entry. 

Hey, all! 

How have you been?  It's been a while and, honestly, I didn't know I'd be writing today. But here I am, behind my laptop once again, back to this familiar website that I seemingly abandoned out of thin air. 

So, where have I been? Nowhere in particular, actually. Since March 14 2020 I've been at home while the world figured out how to react to The Virus. It's an exhausting phenomenon that keeps reminding us not only that we are mortal, but also that the world is nowhere near as organized as it seems to be. 

But enough about that. I'm here today to write a little life update because quite a bit has been going on! 

1. I finished my masters degree!
I did it! After 7 years of studies, I have finished my masters degree in chemistry, with a specialization in astrochemistry and a minor in communications! I wrote a whole 2 theses, one about how meteorites may have brought a certain configuration of molecules to earth, and one that was fully new research about the chemistry that happens around new stars! I have taken so many classes, did so many projects, and have written so many papers in the past year and a half that now that I'm on summer break, I'm kind of at a loss on what to do. What do you mean there are no assignments due next week? That I can do what I want because responsibilities for uni are no longer relevant? That sounds fake?! But it's true! I, for now, am done with my education. 

Woah

2. I'm gonna start a job next week!
And here comes my fear of growing up in full swing! I found a job in scientific communication! I have to move back to the Netherlands for it, in the super cute town of Leiden. It'll be nice to go back to a country I'm familiar with, where I have friends I can see on a regular basis. The job will entail me (and a team) simplifying complex scientific information, such that anyone can understand it! This blog actually helped me build my resume and, for that, I am so thankful that this site is still up! 

3. I have barely been reading
Between university work, calling my friends in the evenings, playing games with my brother and dabbling in video games, I have barely had the time (or energy) to read. Actually, I just finished Vengeful, by VE Schwab, which Goodreads just casually reminded me I started in April! I've read 8 books so far this year, so I'm 17 behind my goodreads goal schedule... It's a thing, I know. 

4. Playing games
I see here that I had a draft for a Why the Hype post about Fire Emblem: 3 Houses. Goodness that was a while ago already! Since playing that (3 times, highly recommended), I have also finished Skyward Sword, I Am Setsuna, A Short Hike, Sky: Children of Light, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Final Fantasy 14 and 15, and probably others that I'm blanking on right now. I also have D&D sessions 3 times a week on average, online with my friends!

5. Learning to draw
I have been teaching myself to draw for a few months now! I post what I drew on @justanothernerdling on instagram. I'm quite proud of my progress so far! 

6. CRAFTS
I have fallen back into my childhood habit of crafting as much as I can! I started making resin dice, drawing, picked up cross stitching and paint by numbers once again, origami... If it's in the stationary aisle, I probably have tried it! 

So there it is! Where I've disappeared to. I hope that the regular schedule a working life brings will incite me towards blogging consistently again. I do miss the easy breezy writing style, the interaction and the blogging life in general. 

Take it easy,