************************ * * * hello, dearest * * ** * *** * * * *** * * * ** * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * ************************ 10.03.25 i always leave jobs around this time of year, right before or right after my birthday, in either one, two, or three years. i don’t really understand the math behind it (other than the looming dread of not wanting to suffer through another holiday season with that team). a person can change a lot in one, two, or three years. it’s enough time to develop tools you need to prepare you for your next career move imo. my birthday has always been like a personal new year’s day where i reflect on how i’ve grown, who i was, who i am, who i want to be, etc. 29 i think will be all about getting the routine parts of my life taken care of so that i don’t have to be so absent and overwhelmed all the time. i’d like to stop prioritizing bringing my best self to work and letting my personal relationships simmer and reduce until i feel obligated to extend myself or i’ll lose someone. that being said, aren’t workplace friendships so beautifully ephemeral? i’m starting to find the poetry in being in someone’s life like that and then just exiting the narrative when you change jobs. i think it’s good to cry and say sentimental goodbyes, but i don’t plan on making any empty promises to stay connected this time. i know it sounds cold, but how many of your old coworkers do you really miss? there are a few i want to stay close to, but not everybody. when the only thing you had in common was your work, there’s no reason to force a round peg into a square hole or whatever. thank you for the time you gave me. you don’t have to give me any more than that. 9.30.25 i forgot to pay my partner for rent again. i’m about to leave an industry i’ve been in for 8 years… and yet all i can think about is baldur’s gate 3?