A Little More Conversation, A Little Less Awkward Please

V DonovanLeave a comment

Remember when you were a kid and an older relative or a friend of your parents would be over, and they’d try to have a conversation with you? It’d be very one-sided. How’s school? What grade are you in now? What’s your teacher’s name? What’s your favourite subject? I hear you’re playing soccer now. In situations like those, the onus was on the adult to steer the conversation, and it was your job as the child to simply answer.

Well, now I’m almost 30, and I fear I’m still in the child mindset when it comes to conversations, especially with people older than me.

Unsure Yikes Awkward Face GIF.

In my defense, in a lot of social situations, I am still the ‘child’ in the room. I go to the curling club, and most people there are decades older. My parents’ friends are still decades older. That dyanamic hasn’t gone away for me, I’m just realizing that it maybe shouldn’t be that way anymore.

I’ve never been good at small talk. It always seems so fake. That’s one of the reasons I struggled on Tinder many years ago. These guys would be like “how was your day?” and I simply didn’t care enough about them to make that conversation work. They were a stranger and I didn’t have anything excitng to say anyway, so the conversations died and connections weren’t made.

But even with people I do know and care about, I still struggle. I’m so used to being on the answer side of a conversation that I don’t know how to not be. Asking questions seems invasive. Or maybe it isn’t, and I just feel awkward participating in adult conversations because I dont feel like a proper adult. How am I supposed to ask a man if he’s retired or what his kids are up to in life when I’m only a few years into my career and have no kids? That just feels so weird to me. Like I’m trying to sit at the adults table and fake my way through. I can’t relate to those answers. But I don’t know what else to do.

I'm An Adult GIF.

It’s really too bad because I like talking to people and I want to make friends, I just really suck at it all.

I guess other than continue to force myself out of my comfort zone and engage in conversation reguardless, there’s not much else I can do. It’s a muscle that needs to be worked. Over time, I’ll continue to age, and one day I won’t be the child in the room anymore. One day, someone will be asking me what my spouse does for work, and they can be the one feeling like an icky, nosy imposter.

But if you have any tips or any conversation topics that don’t feel basic or awkward, let me know!

I could really Use Some Help GIF.

That’s all for now!

A Model Experience

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Without revealing too many details, the company I work for is in the process of updating a service, and this involves producing new published content. And as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so we were in need of new and updated images too.

I got a call from a colleague, inviting me to the set of the photoshoot that was being held in our warehouse. I knew my colleague was into photos and stuff, but when I walked in, I was shocked to find the place looking like a real set, with a big white roll-up backdrop, lights, a laptop that could control the high-tech camera, and more. It was really cool, and I was excited to even be behind the scenes. Years ago, I dreamt of being a PA or something, working on the sets of the TV shows I loved so much, and this was as close as I’ve gotten.

That's So Cool gif.

And I ended up getting even closer. The company I work for is not rich, so hiring models was out of the question. Instead, we had staff do it. After assisting in shooting another colleague for a bit before she had to go, I volunteered to get in front of the camera too.

Guys, modelling is hard. I get it now. You have to hold positions for excruciatingly long times. There was no padding to that backdrop, so my limbs were pressed into the floor so much that my legs hurt the next day. I wasn’t just a warm body; it took actual effort and thought to ensure things were right.

I Work Hard GIF.

It was really interesting to pose and then go see what the camera saw and have to discuss and adjust to ensure we were getting the best pics. Should I line my body up here? Is that fold in the fabric distracting? Are my shoulders tilted weirdly? Are we showcasing what we needed to show? Is it clear?

But it was fun. Seeing these high-quality pics was surreal, and getting to the point where we all agreed they worked well was satisfying. I haven’t even seen the final edits, but I imagine they’ll be even better.

I typically don’t like having my picture taken. I don’t think I’m photogenic at all, but I wanted to be a part of this. It’s cool to know that my pictures will be in this new material for years to come and seen by thousands. They won’t know my name, but they’ll know my hand placements.

I'm Famous GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

There’s so much more to photography than point and shoot, and this experience made that super clear. I know I barely scratched the surface, but I still learned a lot. If the opportunity arises again, I think I’d take it, though I do feel I’m overall a better fit for behind the camera.

 

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Lego My Wallet…And Shelf Space

V Donovan1 Comment

When I say that I played with Lego as a kid, I mean that we had two bins of assorted Lego pieces that we occasionally built colourful houses and towers with. One bin had little Legos, and one bin had larger Legos (which I later learned were Lego Duplo). The larger Lego bin also had some clunky Lego animals, I think. There were no sets. There were no manuals. There were no rules. Just two bins of plastic blocks that probably came from a garage sale. It was fun, but not a favourite toy.

Lego Bricks looping gif.

This is not the standard Lego experience. Lego is a cult for both children and adults, and it bewilders me as someone who is not in it.

“You haven’t given it a chance the proper way!” I have, actually. I was well into my 20’s, but I have built a few small Lego sets and got to follow the instructions to make the specific thing. It was fun, but not life-changing.

Here’s my beef with Lego: it’s become less of a toy and more of a status symbol. People spend so much time to carefully build this thing, and then feel the need to display it, because what else can you do with it? The sets have gotten so big and complex that there’s no reusability the way that there is with like, a puzzle, for example, as taking a Lego set apart would take longer than putting it together. So there are whole shelving units for showcasing Lego now.

This is where I draw the line GIF.

As a concept, this isn’t the worst. I don’t mind people displaying a Lego set they’re fond of, and people are obviously allowed to decorate their space as they want. My little Lego dragon is absolutely on display. I think the Lego flower sets are pretty and make for great displays. But if you’re someone who considers Lego sets a hobby, I have to wonder about the state of your home decor.

And wallet. Some Lego sets are incredibly expensive. Like, hundreds of dollars. Behold the newest Lego release: a set in collaboration with Pokémon.

A screenshot of the Lego Pokemon collab for sale.

Coming in at 9 inches tall, respectfully, this is a crime. I could get a whole curling membership and cover my bar tab after the games with that. I could get top-tier tickets to a whole season of professional musicals with that. And this isn’t even a toy.

Pokémon, like Lego, is for kids, but is also enjoyed by adults. That’s fine, but kids can’t even play with this set. It’s marketed for ages 18+ and for display only. A much cheaper set with a bunch of little Lego Pokémon on a battleground would have been much cooler for fans of any age.

I’m not a Lego hater. Some of these big sets look cool, and I know there are a lot of other smaller sets that are priced normally and do allow for play and imagination. But the majority of Lego that gets talked about and unveiled just reeks of overconsumption, consumerism, and a lack of imagination for kids. I mean, where are the bins of random assorted blocks that aren’t from a set and can be used to build whatever a kid wants?

Am I Wrong GIFs - Find & Share on GIPHY

I’m sure I’m in the minority with this take, but let me know what your thoughts are on Lego. Did you grow up with it? Do you treat yourself to the big sets as an adult?

That’s all for now.

 

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Sneeze Count 2025

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Rob Lowe hosting the Floor with the 2025 sneeze count imposed on a screen.
Rob Lowe is shocked by this year’s numbers. (My boyfriend and I love watching The Floor.)

Gather round, folks, and take in yet another year of counting sneezes. Yes, really. 2025 is my 13th year of counting, and this is my 11th blog post sharing my data (see 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, or 2024).

Let’s jump into it!

Bar graph of 2025 sneeze count data sorted by weeks and coloured by months.

2025 was my highest year, reaching a total of 3701 sneezes. That’s about 200 higher than my previous record of 3482 in 2016. As you can see, I had several weeks that hit over 100, which is a lot, and one week came close to 200.

Some spikes were clearly attributed to something (having a cold, petting a cat, cleaning out the archives at work…). I try to keep notes for myself in my calendar so I can see some trends. However, a lot of these didn’t have any notes. I just sneezed a lot.

It’s worth mentioning that I moved out this year, so I was in a different environment from previous years. I moved out in late March, and there does seem to be an upward trend after that. But I promise I’m not living in filth! I vacuum way more now than I ever did at my parents’ house. However, I’m using a regular vacuum electric with a standard filter compared to the central vac I used to use, so some of that dust may not be leaving the premises as well. I also had a garden this summer, so I was outside around pollen and sunshine more than ever as I maintained my plants. And lastly, my boyfriend and I went for walks a lot in the summer, so I was again outside more than ever before.

Will my body adjust in 2026 or will it continue to be a sneezy life for me? Only time will tell.

And of course I can’t just have one bar graph! Here’s another slightly blurry graph encompassing all 13 years of sneeze counting. You’re welcome.

Bar graph depicting 13 years of sneeze count data.

And that wraps up 2025! As always, I hope you got a kick out of this, because I think it’s neat and love sharing it on my blog.

That’s all for now!

 

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A New Era For This Blog

V Donovan5 Comments

This silly, free, nonsensical corner of the internet has been up and running for over a decade. Over a third of my life, if you want to get existential about it. And as much as I really like having readers, one thing I’ve maintained is that I do this for me primarily. It’s me who needs an outlet to be creative, rant, or just update the world on what’s in my head. So here I’ve been, posting weekly so I can feel content.

Yay Me GIF.

Except I haven’t really been feeling that lately. Or if I do, it’s only after a struggle.

Simply put, I’m running out of creativity. It seems like every week, I’m polling my boyfriend for post ideas, and every month I’m turning to him to help beef up the Monthly Look Ahead posts. I don’t mind asking for help here and there, but it was happening far too often. And he really tried to help. He’d offer up many thoughts and suggestions, but I found that I just didn’t have enough to say on the topics. “Do a post on how delivery drivers don’t ring the doorbell when they deliver a package.” Yeah, that’s definitely annoying, and I think they should at least ring it, but I can’t expand on that for 400 more words.

My lack of ideas also means that I don’t have a backlog of posts like I used to, so in busy times or while on vacation, I’d be doubly stressed that I don’t have anything written and ready.

Anyway, all this to say that I’m ready for a change, and I think a new year is a great time for it.

This feels right gif.

No, I’m not quitting this blog; I’m just releasing myself from the strict schedule I forced myself into and held on to for the sake of pride. I still absolutely want to write and share my thoughts here, but I’ll do it when I have something to share. I’m hoping to have two new posts a month, but maybe there’ll be months of more or less.

I’m also stopping my Monthly Look Ahead posts. It was a fun idea but didn’t really catch on and didn’t really drive engagement like I envisioned. But who knows, maybe I’ll feel compelled to write a Summer Look Ahead post or something else in a similar vein down the line.

Anything Can Happen GIF.

There’s a part of me that feels like I failed or that I’m quitting, but I know this is the best choice for me and my sanity over the next decade. I never want this blog to be a burden, and I think this change will help make it more fun again. I’m just really over the constant grind. I hope you’re not too disappointed with me. I hope you’ll still read and engage when I do post.

But the blogosphere has changed, and so now shall I.

This will be my last post for 2025. Happy New Year, y’all!

Byeeeeeeeeeee GIF.

That’s all for now!

 

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