Living alone is something I never thought I would do, but here I am! Chillin’ in a messy studio, sitting at my workspace (on my bed), and loving this sweet solitude. I can’t tell you whether I prefer living alone or living with roommates. They’re both wonderful options for different reasons. Over the past couple months, I have learned that there are quite a few rewards of living alone, as well as some bummers.

Pros of Living Alone

1. I’ve been getting the best sleep of my life. I am the lightest sleeper ever, so any tiny noise wakes me up. Living in the city means there are occasional sirens and crazy people yelling, but it’s not too bad.

2. I can make a mess and it’s okay. This actually should be in the “Cons” section.

3. I can buy all the home decor and dishes that I want! Okay, that isn’t true. At all. But you know what I mean. I’m excited to finally display all of my glassware and bowls  without cluttering the shelves.

4. Living by myself challenges me to go out and seek community. Having social interaction isn’t so effortless anymore.

5. I am so much more productive! After college, I only lived with friends. That meant wine and cheese girls nights were a regular thing (I miss those nights so much). Those were the best times, but the absence of wine and cheese nights has led me to many, many nights of getting stuff done. I think that has made me happier and less overwhelmed in the long run.

Cons of Living Alone

1. Whenever something hilarious happens, I just have to laugh all by myself. In the past, I would run down the hallway to laugh with a roomie. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with laughing alone. It’s not as weird as it sounds. Oh, now you probably think I’m a crazy person. Moving on…

2. The silence makes me jumpier than usual. The other day, everything in my studio was so quiet until I heard a floorboard creak. I immediately knocked over my cup of coffee, spilling it all over the floor, the couch, and myself.

3. I end up talking to myself way too much. Again with the crazy lady business. I like to think this is normal but sometimes I stop myself and I’m like, “Whoa. Too far.”

4. It takes a great amount of self-discipline to keep things clean and beautiful around here. It was easier to stay motivated while living in a shared space. Now, I’ve only got myself to impress. This should be in the “Pros” section (see Pro #2).

5. There is much more time to feel homesick. Homesickness is a brand new feeling for me. In the past, I would sometimes get sad before leaving my family for an extended period of time, but I always knew when I would see them next. This is a different kind of ache. I never liked my hometown much, but I now would fly back in a heartbeat just to hang out with my family.

Do you live alone or with roommates/a significant other? If you live alone, I would love to hear how much you like or don’t like it. How do you deal with loneliness and staying motivated to straighten up your space?

 

ps. Photos are from my Instagram. Aren’t those dahlias amazing?! Whole Foods was good to me yesterday. 

Life is beginning to feel so normal in Portland. I can’t believe I haven’t even been here two months yet. More and more, I’m realizing that my location has a huge impact on my motivation. Like colorful office supplies, a fresh new environment has made me so much more inspired and productive.

1. The great thing about Portland is that there is nature everywhere, even in the city. But it isn’t the same as driving into the forest, hiking up to waterfalls, and visiting rose gardens. A few weeks ago, I went to the International Rose Test Garden here and I was reminded of how much I need to be in nature. I’m going to make it a point to get out more.

2. On this day, I began decorating my studio. For like a second. I really need to get things together!

3. There are so many beautiful cafes that I love around here. Everything is so well designed. This is Commissary, home of yummy sandwiches, the best kombucha, and the prettiest mint decor.

4-6. I’m so thankful that my family was able to visit me recently. Since I have always lived close enough to home, a month without seeing them felt like forever. Also, Copper had his first Anthropologie experience! He was so well behaved. We made it a point to take him there after the longest walk/doggy park date ever. So he kept trying to fall asleep in Anthro. What a cutie. I miss my family and Copper so much already.

7. My talented friend Bee took some photos of me for blog/business purposes. Sometimes a tripod and self-timer just doesn’t cut it. I’ll share more later. So thankful to live in the same city as that lady!

8. I live around the corner from Heart so I have been practically living there to work on blog stuff. I’m obsessed with their giant windows, A+ coffee, and most-delicious-cookies-ever.

9. Earlier this week, we had a super fun informational meeting at work where we learned about AG Jeans and other company stuff. Breakfast and other perks were included. I truly love working at Anthro. :)

What do you have planned for today? I’m working tonight, so I am going to spend the day getting as much cleaning, blogging, coffee-drinking done as possible.

 

Follow me on Instagram @earlgreyjenn to keep in touch! 

 

 

Since seeing this Pantene Pro V Commercial (warning – it’s quite cheesy), I have been hyperaware of every time I say “sorry”. I think I say it most when someone bumps into me or when I’m caught in stressful grocery-cart-situations. You know the ones. Grocery carts = major anxiety.

It’s also really easy to say sorry when you’re confronting someone. In my experience, it is more comfortable to say, “Hey roomie, so sorry but can you do the rest of the dishes?” You’re taking on the blame, making it your fault, and not having to deal with any sassy backlash. Makes sense. It’s super convenient. But it’s heavy, man! Taking the responsibility for somebody’s grocery cart running into you is one small thing, but if you do it all the time you might start feeling a little down and perhaps less confident and empowered.

I have never had to confront anyone in the blogosphere (knock on wood) but I can just imagine myself saying, “Sorry, but I noticed that my blog post is replicated on your page.”

This “Stop Saying Sorry” campaign is directed primarily towards women. The theory behind it is that when women apologize for things that aren’t their fault, they are taking on a weaker role. However, I believe this sorry business is relevant to any gender. Women may be more prone to apologizing, but I think everybody in general could gain a lot of self-confidence and happiness by cutting out the word “sorry”. You know, unless we have actually done something wrong. ;)

There are so many words to say in place of sorry. “Pardon me.” “Excuse me.” “Whoa!” (Used that one at a convenience store the other day when someone ran into me. This person didn’t look up or say anything, so I was glad I hadn’t impulsively said sorry. Small joys!) A simple smile is also an alternative to “sorry”. I’ve been doing this a lot lately. It shows the grocery cart speed racer, or whoever, that you forgive them.

What do you think about all of this? Is “sorry” one of your go-to words in awkward situations?

Hi there! Hope you all are having a nice, sunny week. Here in Portland, it is a little too sunny in my opinion. Who woulda thought?! I feel like every day has been interesting, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in not so good ways. But I can’t complain.

1. I found a place to live! It’s a tiny studio downtown. Very cute, charming, old, broken…a mix of good and “interesting” characteristics.
2 & 3. There are so many giant, amazing vintage shops here! It’s heavenly.
4. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it yet, but fun news – I’m interning with Jessica at Bramble Workshop! She was at the top of my list of people to contact once I moved here and it all worked out so well. Helping her with crafts and dreaming up ideas together has been so inspiring! She’s just great.
5. This was the view from my studio sublet one evening. Ahhh!
6. Lodekka, the double decker bus vintage dress shop hosted a nice family even which involved sales, grilled cheese, adoptable dogs, and so much more. It was a good time!
7. The furniture in my studio is growing, ever so slowly. A couple days ago, I picked up a pair of yellow floral chairs from Vintage Pink and I have never been so excited to have a chair to sit on! Air mattress life is not my fave.
8. Heart Coffee is around the corner from my building (I’m there now!) and I just love everything about them.
9. More good coffee. That’s all.

For the rest of the day, I’m going to clean my grimy apartment and work on tutorial posts. Happy Thursday!

I have been in Portland for a little over a week now and it feels like home already. It is a summer of many firsts. First time living outside of California. First time living alone. First time living in a city. I was worried about the weather (and still am!) but luckily it has been sunny and warm, keeping my California withdrawals to a minimum.

Currently, I am subletting a tiny studio downtown and I have fallen madly in love with all of its natural light. I came here with a theory that living in the brightest possible place would help me adjust better. That was just my excuse to look at pretty vintage studios with big windows, white walls, and wood floors. But I can tell you now that it is really making a huge difference. I’ll only be in this studio for a couple weeks, but I wish I could live here forever. Truly. Natural light is my jam.

– My dad drove up here with me, which was really fun! He hadn’t been to Portland before so we were able to explore a bunch of foodie places in the area for a couple days. It was great to have some quality time with my padre, even though it made saying goodbye really tough.

– Living in the city is the weirdest. I keep telling my phone to take me to simple places like Target or Office Depot, and I end up in giant parking structures. I would choose this city over the suburbs any day, but I kinda sorta miss free parking.

– I really appreciate the community here. My friend invited me to a meadow the other day and there were just tons of groups of friends everywhere, picnicking and watching the sun set. Beautiful!

To see more Portland goodness, find me on Instagram @earlgreyjenn. :)