Hi friends! My birthday in 2021 was a weird one. How much adulting can you get done with a sinus infection and a couple days off? A lot, actually.
Listen to the episode here or wherever you listen to podcasts*. Transcription is below! Also, the image that SHOULD be showing up with the podcast embed (assuming it isn’t giving us trouble) shows my birthday presents. Yellow was a real theme in 2021! 😀
S1 Episode 7 – Birthday 2021: Sinus Infections, Intense Adulting, and Ice Cream (Transcript)
Hello friends. It’s been a weird week. My birthday was yesterday, but I had plans. They weren’t super exciting plans. They were kind of boring adulthood plans, but I had them. And I still managed to do a lot. but you can probably notice the squeaking. I’m squeaking!
I’m squeaking because Monday my throat started to hurt and then by Tuesday I was like “I’m definitely kind of sick”. And so, I’ve got some kind of sinus upper respiratory crap. Coincidentally enough, I had gone in for a completely unrelated COVID test Tuesday morning.
So, here’s the plan. the plan was that I was going to take Wednesday, Thursday, Friday off; toddle around town like maybe doing a museum or something; doing random things I never find time for during work hours; and then go out to visit a friend for the weekend. So, obviously you get respiratory crap and these days you’ve got to worry about plague and pandemics and things. But Tuesday morning I went in. I was feeling a little weird but got the COVID test. And I’m COVID free! I’m also strep free, because I went in Wednesday to Urgent Care and got that checked too. So, you know I’m fine.
I’m great.
I actually have been told I sound better today than I did yesterday, but it all sounds the same in my ears. So, I can just feel that I’m not in full throat you could say.
So, I’m OK but plans definitely changed. Did a lot of sleeping. But I still did those kind of random adulthood things that were really satisfying and probably would have felt lame 10 years ago.Â
So, for my 30th birthday party, I actually threw a whole party. I invited everyone I knew, kind of in layers. Like if I really, really, really wanted you to be there you got a much earlier invitation. Folks who didn’t care as much, I kind of invited the day of. But anyway, went to a bar, had presents, had food. It was a whole shebang, and it was a lot of fun.
But as the years have passed, it’s faded a little bit. And then this (birthday) I celebrated with my parents earlier this week. (Planned to be) Celebrating with my friends this weekend. But not really hitting it in between.Â
I think it’s interesting, (and) that a birthday is a good opportunity to look back at the year, look back at your life, and think about how far you’ve come. And where you’re going!
2021 has been a weird year for me honestly. I feel like in 2020, there was a real good excuse to not have made progress per se. And this year I don’t know. It feels like there’s something else going on. But 2022 is waiting and I’m kind of excited about it.
So let me tell you about the very lame but wonderful adulthood things that I did yesterday and today.
I slept, which is an exciting adulthood thing especially on a random Wednesday and Thursday.
I went to the urgent care, and I found out I didn’t have strep. And I also got steroids, so, like, I feel good. Not healthy, but good!
I went to the post office, and I sent a package, and I bought Christmas stamps, already! and also packing tape. I love packing tape. I have at least two rolls in my house, but I have no idea where, so you know: more packing tape.
Finally went to the Co-op. My town got a Co-op grocery store with a lot of organic food. and I went and I was kind of suspicious. I didn’t think I’d do anything, because sometimes organic food doesn’t feel like it’s worth the money. But I found a lot of things that were on my “I want to buy this list”, like split red lentils. And they had a really beautiful sandwich which tasted as good as it looked! And so, it was very beautiful beautiful experience.
I bought a keyboard stand for the keyboard that I have had in my house, and not set up for a couple of years!
I’ve gotten around.
Oh, I got bras. went to Lane Bryant and got fitted for a bra actually in my size.
And I’ve eaten ice cream every day! Which, in the words of my mom, might be the steroids talking. But hey, it’s also my birthday! If you can’t have ice cream every day on your birthday week, like, where’s the fun in that?
I also called my insurance company about an accident cost to make sure they were covering the bill.
Like you know, just all that exciting stuff that that when you’re an adult and you get to do it, you’re like: “Oh cool. I checked that off the list.”
Yeah. it’s been a weird week. Weird birthday. I’m excited that there’s still a few days left in the season. I didn’t clean or do some of the things like museums that I thought about. But it was still good to just breathe and reflect and buy random things. And life is good. So, wherever you, are I hope that you too do not have COVID and do not have strep. And maybe you also can talk better than I can. If you’re coming up on that birthday, have ice cream for me. Cause it’s good.
This has been a very random podcast, but you know figured I’d tell you how life was going and say hi a little bit. As always thank you for listening. Have a great night.
*As of posting, Known As Belén is available on the following podcasting platforms: Spotify, Podcasters on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, and Amazon Music. If more platforms are added or removed, that will be reflected in future post updates.
