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My 21st year kinda ruled

First of all, smartphone cameras are amazing. I just scrolled back in my photos app and was able to put all my memories in proper order. Second of all, I was, and mostly remain, a massive square so 21 was rather tame for me. Exhibit A: the birthday. I was in L.A. for a semester of film studies. My roommates took me to this Mexican restaurant famous for its massive burritos (featured-on-a-tv-show size) and they told the servers it was my 21st and they brought me a double-shot of tequila which I shared with everyone at the table instead of shooting it. I hadn't had spirits before so I was being cautious. Going into 21 I thought I would be doing a lot of leading and teaching for some inane reason. But I ended up learning, listening, and having a lot of new experiences. In L.A., I wrote my first feature-length screenplay. I read a lot of screenplays—script coverage for Bold Films (producers of Drive mouse)—notably an early version of Arrival (2016). I was director of photography for a student short film. I went to my first concert and it happened to be my all time favorite band which is crazy because they're not well know in the States because they are based in Australia. During this time, I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere (common for a TCK). Like I inhabited the space between social groups but wasn't truly part of any. I remember expressing this to capyboppy on a phone call (I was still in L.A. and she was back at our college) and said that I didn't think anybody thought of or missed me. She said I was dumb and wrong. And she was right. Back at college, I directed my own short film and won big at our student film festival. I conned my way into a stage directing class in the theater department (I was in the journalism department and didn't have the perquisites). This, paired with an art class that was all about process and iteration and visual design, lead to big revelations about art for me. The terms and tools differ, but every medium has the same goal: communication. I won a PS Vita on twitter 🤷‍♂️ Finally, I got to visit Thailand in the summer and show my home to a bunch of friends. Then hang out with my family before the next semester started. And a precocious baby elephant ate my fitness tracker (pictured below). I had a lot of opportunities that year, and I'm thankful that I was open. And able to fully experience them. And I'm thankful I've only grown more open since then.

@lucius

Jun 11, 2024

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18, 22, 27

18 - fell in love, made new great friends, got my license, experienced a new environment where no one thought I was dumb for what felt like the first time ever, found independence from my shitty home life and replaced it with silly car dinners and kisses with the person I loved. I think 18 was when I started healing but didn’t know yet that I needed to. 22 - so many new things that were scary but so fun and so special. Travelled to Japan with the same love from 18 and had so much fun exploring somewhere new with them, quit a shitty fucking job and became a florist which I had wanted for so long and loved all of it, got a new job and found what I’m passionate about. Felt supported. 27 - right now and it’s pretty good so far. healed from the love thats not for me anymore and now we’re friends (sometimes we make out by mistake but it’s fine it’s just an accident every time). going on dates that show no potential but collecting stories and experiences. . feeling really good about who I am. only 3 months in honestly so this might be premature coz the next 9 could suck.

@jessejamescatlingg

Mar 31, 2024

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Life is mundane, and that‘s the loveliest and most freeing part

Firstly, I’m sorry you feel that way— that’s a legitimate anxiety, and it sucks, and it can feel a) all consuming, and b) like something you have to solve right away, before you run out of time. But you always have time to change things, and start from scratch. You also get to decide what successful looks like for you— and to decide it knowing that lots of life will be mundane. You will spend a lot of time waiting for the bus, and going on first dates that are also last dates, and interviewing for jobs you don’t want. You will also spend a lot of time eating your favorite foods, and going to free events in the park, and painting your walls your favorite color. For me, success looks like having quality outside-of-work time— I love my work, and am very lucky to feel that my work is meaningful to the world, but I will not burn out for work. This year, success meant leaving a job I loved, because it was exhausting my body and sitting heavy on my heart. I moved twice, my rent is too much, my car got stolen, I left my job— and I am having a really good year. I adopted a dog, and moved into a place big enough to host my friends and cook dinners, and I found a really good donut shop, and I read some, and I visited family, and I puttered around a lot, and that’s okay. Successful might look like meaningful work, or well compensated work, or it might not look like work at all— success might feel like caring less about your work so you can care about the things outside it. You have time— school can be truly whatever you want it to be, and this is a season of your life to try a lot of things you probably won’t do forever. Get a bad haircut, take a weird elective, go to as many free events as you can (once school ends everything is expensive), and remember that you might live until you’re 90, and at 90 success just means not breaking any bones.

@nadiyaelyse

Sep 26, 2024

Top Recs from @Falling-Leaf

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first year cook

As It says above, I am a first year cook . I do not have a whole lot to say (yet) But, I will say it's very fun, challenging, and silly at times . Here's one of the meals I've made ! Red Snapper Fillet, basted in a butter sauce, with shallots, roasted poblano, and topped with herbs

@Falling-Leaf

Mar 12, 2025

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LIFE AS OF SINCE I LAST POSTED

I'm treating myself like I am hot shit and a niche celeb who stopped posting suddenly so just go along with it. No ego here, just a guy who likes writing/talking. I left my job the 10th of this month. That's the nice, don't beat yourself up about it, way I tell people when they ask about work. Truth is I got fired. 2025. Holy Fucking Cow. So many deaths. So many accidents. So many ' So Many 's. I'm an emotional guy. A cry baby, If you will. Whenever something out of ordinary/not scheduled programming happens, I need a day. This resulted in a lot of time off. Reasonable time off, I believed. Manage didn't agree with me. I was called a 'Unreliable Worker', with a, 'Unpredictable Schedule'. So they let me go. There I was, wondering the streets during lunch time, looking for something, ANYTHING, preferably cooking/culinary. My girlfriend believed I was at work, making momey to support us, two cats, and our very inexpensive rent, that I was miraculosly short on, again. I called friends, the family that would answer, and some old coworkers about who's hiring, and who is basically telling you to fuck off. This is the part of the story that sounds fake, I sat at a bench in front of arguably one of my favorite restaurants ever. McAdoo's Seafood Company. Dreaming of working there, learning the in's and out's, burning my finger tips, coming home smelling like the mediterranean, and going back to do it all again. As I'm looking at it, I see a hanging sign of a hand pointing to the left with "Enterance" written on it. It's to a steakhouse i've heard of, but never ate at, I figured I must as well try. I walked in, immediately realizing they're closed. And there is he, my savior, the reason I'm able to pay my rent, my everything, Steve. Typing away on his laptop, asks me, "Hey, how can I help you?" I was thrown off guard so hard to the point I stuttered to an extent I never have before. As I'm mumbling away, all I can get out of my stupid mouth was "I need a job." He laughed, asked what I'd be applying for, and I tell him culinary. He hands me an application, and interviews me on the spot, we talk about where I was working, my background, past jobs, ect. We talk for longer, and offers me the job, tells me to come back later to meet the kitchen manager. I do. Sweetest woman ever. We talk, get to know each other a bit. She asks me embarrassingly if I'd like to work the same day for how two of her cooks called in, I obviously say yes. And I've been there since. Some of the most amazing, kind, and stupid people I've ever met. You'd have to drag me out by my feet if you wanted me to leave. To whoever stayed and listened to my rambling, thank you, a lot.

@Falling-Leaf

May 26, 2025

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3/14 9-6

I live about six minutes away from my work, so I rise at 8:40, enough time to cuddle and love my Lily. I get there around 8:58. Across the street, parked in front of Miron's Steak House, a long, big, white, semi. Truck day. 3 boxes of brussel, 5 of assorted mushrooms, 1 container of micro cilantro, 1 container of blood leaves, 1 box of lime, 1 box of lemons, and 1 box of oranges. I'm a prep cook, so I started my tasks for the day. I prepped a lot of fucking potatos. And I mean, A LOT. Cut them hotdog style, into 4 wedges, coat them in salt and pepper. Made mustard, I hate mustard. Such an interesting thought. How do I know if this is good? I don't like it at all, so how do I even KNOW it's good? Anyways . . pre cooked some steaks, got very smokey. Cut my hand, ouch. Today we opened at 4:00, so I got to work some service. Lot of charcuterie boards, my favorite things to make. We had to make twenty on the fly, we made so many before open . . Sink pipe busted, stewards had to fix it on the fly. After work I tried applying to McAdoo's again. Fancy fish restaurant. I love fish. I'll work with it more someday. That was all the things worth mentioning. I'll be better at telling all of you things like this, give me time. I'm working on a book, it's better than this I swear.

@Falling-Leaf

Mar 14, 2025