Howdy! I’m Angela

Let’s pretend we’re at the birthday party for a mutual friend. You’d learn I’m married (to Matt, Matthew if he’s being really sweet or not listening), have a quirky kid who was born in late 2013 (that’s Lizzy or Liz or Lizard), and that I’m an engineer for a defense company who goes into an office every day. (I go into the office, not my company. You know what I mean. Reminds me of when I said as part of a professional introduction “I come from space” rather than “Most of my previous work was in the space domain.” I digress.) I live in a Virginia suburb of DC that’s annoying to get to if you don’t have a car because the metro stop in this town is still 15 minutes by car.

Maybe it would come out that I’m from Florida, originally, or that I lived in LA for a few years in my early 20s. I’d ramble about my love for books, food (eating, not making), and travel if you happened to mention any of those things. You’d likely see me knit or do some cross stitch because those help me find calm when in a busy setting. I may point out I don’t drink but will mention how much I use to enjoy rye whiskey and confuse you in the process. I’ll share stories about my own life as a way of connecting to yours. It’ll be obvious that I talk too fast and it gets worse when I’m excited.

I try to bring all of that Ang-ness here. I write as I talk, quickly and not always the right grammar. Rarely elevated word choice. I once got a critique from a college classmate that I talk like a cartoon character, and I’ve just rolled with it since. I like to think of myself as a highly analytical person but, well, I’ve got anxiety. My brain likes to lie to me, to convince me what I’m doing the wrong thing, that something horrible is about to happen, or both. Sometimes, I’m great at understanding my own emotions and those of people around me, but I can also get overwhelmed which tends to turn that perceptiveness way, way down. What can I say, I’m uniquely me?

What to Expect

I’m just getting back into a blogging habit and plan to post at least once a week. I won’t pretend my posts won’t be a little all over the place - book roundups, vacation logs, progress on craft projects, stories from my childhood are all equally likely.

I promise I’ll always be sharing my authentic self. I don’t have the energy to pretend I’m anyone else.

No Paywall

I’m sure Substack will be mad when I say this, but I have no plans to ever push for payment. I’ve got a job that pays really well and the last thing I want is to make this casual blogging thing into my job or even a side hustle. I’m doing this 80% to record for posterity what my life was like in all of its different phases, 20% to amuse others. If I ever do turn on paid subscriptions, I’ll donate it all to a charity like the Trevor Project and (maybe) feel less guilty for buying breakfast on the way to work most days and buying notebooks like they’ll never be made again.

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