Questions from Readers Part I - What I do when I am "chilling"



I needed help thinking of a topic to write about and, as they always do with kind words or by sharing their own eye opening experiences, my readers came to my rescue.

I asked on my Alone in the Backseat Facebook page for ideas and I got some great suggestions which I'll be covering those in the next few posts.

To start off with, I chose:

What do you do when you’re not “on?” Like what you like to do when not on a date or travelling. What does a night at home just chilling look like for you?

So, this is what I do:
  • Write and edit blog posts
  • Photography missions - taking pictures for my blog and Instagram. I do a lot of photo shoots now where I am either the photographer or the subject. It's amazing how much trying to grow my Instagram audience in order to promote my book has improved my life. I have gotten to meet great photographers, become an actual photographer and now spend time being out and about looking for cool things to capture rather than just staying home being lazy. Here is a photo I took the other day while out on a photography mission/photo shoot in Eastern Market.
And here's a great one the photographer took of me that day:

  • Edit photos - I don't know why every photo I take is crooked by one degree.
  • Instagram "research" - getting inspired by the awesome Instagram accounts I follow. Some of my favorites are: 
  • Stress about how to increase my Instagram audience and which hashtags to use and which photos to post. Instagram is the most stressful thing in my life, which says a lot about how lucky I am.
  • Talk to strangers all over the world on Tinder or Instagram
  • Wonder why no one on Bumble ever asks me out
  • Talk to my roommates - I've told you guys about Luke, but I also have Tony now. Tony is a writer as well and he generously and patiently listens to my blog drafts and gives me feedback. He also spends a lot of time shirtless, for which I am eternally grateful. Between him and Luke, I am surrounded my 22 year old eye candy and I couldn't be happier about it. Luke is leaving soon to pursue his modelling career overseas. I am so excited for him and about the fact that it was a photo I took of him that got him noticed by the agency with which he signed!
  • Edit my book (done now, finally)
  • Work with the book designer to finish my book design/layout
  • Talk to my parents on the phone at least once a day
  • Take walks and have imaginary conversations with my OTTL. I have a whole chapter about imaginary conversations in my book.
  • Exercise, if I can motivate myself. I ride my bike on the weekends on the Capitol Crescent trail. I also like Ellen Barrett's Bikini Ready Fast work out video. I go to the gym and walk and run on the treadmill. I am not a runner. I started running so that I could get away if someone was trying to chase me. In the gym in my building the treadmills face a mirror. If I have to use the treadmill on the right side, I think, “Ugh, I look so old and awful. No one will ever want me.” But, if I am lucky and get the left treadmill, I am like “Wow! I am hot! I am strong! I look good!” I love that left treadmill! #itsallaboutthelighting 
  • Facebook. I used to spend A LOT more time on Facebook, keeping up with friends' activities and getting a lot of my news from the news organizations I follow. Now, I can't spend as much time on it because of Instagram but I really do prefer and miss Facebook.
  • Listen to NPR in the morning when I get ready for work
  • Listen to Pandora. If I am writing/editing the music is one of these channels: Thievery Corporation, Frenship, Kygo, Louis Armstrong, Gotan Project. If I am on an exercise walk, I am listening to my Morgan Paige, Neon Trees, or Katy Perry channels. At the gym it will be Ke$ha, Wild Ones, Dance Pop. Getting ready to go out - Belanova, Selena Gomez, Today's Hits. There are many more...
  • Plan a lot of parties
  • Wonder why people are SO BAD about RSVPing for parties
  • Compose rant blogs in my head about manners
  • Wonder why I am hardly ever invited to parties
  • Stress about Friday night plans because I know if I don’t organize them, I will sit at home alone because I am almost never invited to do something on a Friday, especially now that Nora is gone. Friday is the loneliest, most stressful day of the week. I hate Fridays.
  • Spend a lot of time on relationship building - messaging my friends, telling them about my life and asking about theirs. I see them as often as I can. I am very social. I love talking to people and meeting new people. I collect friends. I do something with someone almost every night of the week. I over-schedule myself which stresses me out. I need to figure out a balance to my social life. However, my social life also provides inspiration for my blog - I need to be talking to people and meeting people in order to find topics. So, even my social life is "work."
  • Think about all the things I am grateful for - the list is long and I think all those things frame my outlook on and attitude toward life.
This is what I almost never do:
  • Watch TV
  • Watch Netflix
  • Watch anything
These are the things I used to do before my OTTL changed my life:
  • Watch TV/bingewatch Netflix. I used to be so good at watching TV. Now I suck at it.
  • Read magazines
  • Read books
Now I never read books which is a shame because I love to read. But, I just don’t have time anymore. People are always suggesting to me to read this book or that book and I am like I DONT HAVE TIME. I have four full time jobs!
  1. My actual job
  2. My blog/book
  3. Being awesome
  4. Not messaging my OTTL constantly.
Guess which one is the hardest.

So, that is my very long-winded answer to the question about what a night at home "chilling" looks like for me - um, it doesn't exist.

Thanks for the great question about my behind the scenes life! I hope my answer didn't bore you!

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