Spooky szn

Well, Halloween sure came and went, didn't it?

I spent the whole month of October anticipating the day and then it kind of just... happened. And now we're in November.

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This year, I was set on doing something fun and festive for Halloween. The past several years, Halloween was such a letdown because I was stuck feeling too old to dress up but still kind of too young to do nothing at all. This year, I finally decided to set my social anxiety aside and throw a party!

It's hard to believe I've been in North Carolina for three years, but I have. And over that time, I'm fortunate enough to say I've actually made some friends. This is a big deal, seeing as I was terrible at making friends in graduate school. In fact, a key goal for myself when I moved to NC was to be better at cultivating friendships. I'd like to think I succeeded, and it's made a huge difference in my overall happiness and well-being.

For this party, I invited handful of people from my lab, a couple people from DJ's work, and a group of friends from my gym (all of us are vaccinated). A random mix, but it actually worked out really well! There wasn't too much intermingling across groups, but I think everyone had a good time. There was good music, lively conversation, and lots of laughing.

Jade and I dressed up as the Fox and the Hound. DJ and Finn paired up as milk and an Oreo cookie. It was the cutest. People had great costumes. And honestly, it was just so nice to hangout and laugh and enjoy the presence of other people. It was especially a treat to be around my labmates without talking about anything related to work or research. The more time goes on, the more I limit my identity to just being an academic or researcher. It feels like such a smaller part of me than it used to be when I was in graduate school. And I'm OK with that.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween, whether you celebrated or not. We're really into the thick of the semester now and the intense holiday season is upon us. Wishing you all the best as we navigate this chaotic part of the year!

All my love,

Natasha