My goal for this blog was to post once a week on Thursdays. I missed this Thursday, and thought about skipping the week all together, but today is actually my 23rd birthday and I figured I should post something.

I have a few ideas rolling around my head for future posts, but none of them seemed birthday appropriate. So I decided to do this list of Twenty Five Facts About Me.

I have done this list on two separate occasions, the first in 2009 and then 2010. I will link to them after this list, so you can see what 18 and 19 year old me put all those three and four years ago.

I have not looked at those lists before I composed this one, because I wanted to see the difference in what I thought was important enough to share with other people. So with out further or do:

Twenty Five Facts About Me

ONE: I moved to New York City without any sort of guaranteed job or idea of exactly where to start. The only reason why I chose New York City was because (a) I felt that the Florida chapter in my life had closed and (b) I had an uncle with a spare bed and who was nice enough to offer it for as long as it took to get on my feet.

TWO: People keep on telling me I’m brave for moving to New York City. I don’t think I am brave at all. I just did what I thought I had to do to do what I want.

THREE: My problem is I want too much. I see myself in so many different roles and they all, for the most part, appeal to me. All I know is that I want to keep swing dancing. And I admit that my dream would be to somehow create a career out of that. But I’m afraid to pursue it because I think there are much more qualified people who want the same thing.

FOUR: I love New York City so much. I can’t believe it took me 23 years to get here.

FIVE: The only thing I wish was different was that all of my friends were up here with me. If I could, I’d buy out an entire building so that everyone could move up here and we could all live under one roof.

SIX: Florida State University was the only school I finished where I started.

SEVEN: I feel so much older than 23.

EIGHT: I still get mistaken for 16.

NINE: It’s been over four years since all of my books have been in the same place. I dream of one day owning a place where one room can be dedicated to bookshelves so that all of my books can be in one place. And comfy chairs. And a fireplace, in a perfect world.

TEN: Sometimes I wish sleeping and eating were optional. As much as I love both, I feel I would be a lot more productive without these limitations.

ELEVEN: As much as I love traveling, I crave finding my own little corner of the world to come home to. I’ve moved every year for the past five years, and I cannot wait until I find a place where I don’t move for at least a couple of years.

TWELVE: I think I want children some day. At least one, probably a girl. Maybe a second one. But I don’t want children without a life partner. And that’s something that I can’t see happening, at least not in my immediate future.

THIRTEEN: When I think about what I want in a partner, a sense of humor, attractive, etc. I find that I mostly want someone that I feel safe around, to express my hopes and doubts without fear of rejection. I find that this seems to be a lot to ask for.

FOURTEEN: I haven’t decided if I want to continue my Nutcracker collection or not.

FIFTEEN: I have been to fourteen countries outside of the U.S. I am currently in competition with my uncle (who put me up for a month in NYC) for who ever goes to the most countries wins.

SIXTEEN: I would love to visit any of these countries next: Hungry (Budapest), Ukraine, Russia, Thailand, Argentina. (But of course, I’d be open to any new adventures.)

SEVENTEEN: I still have the aspiration to write a novel, but have not written seriously in over four years.

EIGHTEEN: The last three writings I have completed (outside of essays for school) have been eulogies. I have decided those are the most heinous things ever.

NINETEEN: While I have decided what I want to happen to my body after death, I have no desire for a funeral. Should my surviving friends and family wish to mourn me in that fashion, that is up to them, but I have no desire to be a part of any funeral plans for myself. I’ll be dead, so I won’t care.

TWENTY: While I do love NYC, I don’t know if I see myself here permanently.

TWENTY ONE: The way I figure it, success is 10% knowing what you’re doing, 90% having confidence in what you’re doing, even if you don’t know what you’re doing.

TWENTY TWO: I still have yet to visit the west coast of the U.S.

TWENTY THREE: Traveling as much as I have, I find that I have more than a patriotic appreciation for America. As much as I’ve enjoyed other countries, many of which I’ve heard people say they wish they lived there instead of the U.S., I’ve witnessed that no country has their shit together. And while America also does not have our shit together, I would much rather be here as a citizen.

TWENTY FOUR: If I could tell my past self one thing, it would be to tell Mom I loved her every day.

TWENTY FIVE: I have no idea what’s going to happen in the next year of my life, but I’m excited to find out.

 

From Years Past

25 From 2009	25 From 2010