#NerdsUnite: Dating, Depression, and Hope
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Fran. She's currently living the island life after giving up 15 years spent in the corporate world. WOW! What an adjustment. She is here to talk about her life, love, and all things nerd. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT FRAN!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's Fran Dingle
January 11, 2012 7:16 am My dog woke me up with a tap tap tap to my cheek signaling she was more than ready for breakfast. I roll over and make the first moves towards starting the day. As I head out to the kitchen for Gert’s breakfast I stop at my laptop and give the mouse a shake to take a look at my gmail inbox. I’m used to seeing an odd assortment of spammy emails that come in overnight - FREE SHIPPING FROM AMAZON, 25% BEAUTY PRODUCTS AT CVS… or a rare late night email from a friend. Today was different though, today a most extraordinary thing happened. My heart skipped a beat. Today I had an email from the amazing Jen Friel informing me she would like me to write for TNTML.
I didn’t do a happy dance, I got quiet. A little dizzy. Then a series of warm soft tears fell from my eyes. I sat down on my chair. The first thing that popped into my head was today really is the first day of the rest of your life. I have never felt so strongly convinced in a clichéd saying. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude overcame me. A strong sense of reality grasped me and my next conscious thought was “Frannie you can so do this!”
So here I am, writing my first blog for TNTML and attempting to tackle my evil inner demons. I sent Jen an email commenting on her post about NOT living in the OUT THERE and a request to write for the site in hopes of saving myself from myself.
So who am I and what makes me nerdy? I am a fun free spirited 37 year old single woman. I spent the last 15 years at the highest level of Corporate America as an Executive Assistant to several CEOs. I gave up on the corporate world in March 2011 and moved to the small island of St. Croix with my parents. I am currently attempting to date on this small island and just recently created an OKC profile. I suffer from severe depression and have been fighting this evil disease for close to 8 years. I am not a fan of the anti-depressants or any of the other head drugs doctors so easily prescribe these days, but am I big advocate for therapy and wholeheartedly believe in the need for a higher power. I come to the TNTML community with a huge open mind, fiercely liberal, very intellectual and very nerdy. My goal is to share and receive feedback on dating, depression and hope.
My nerdy credentials are as follows: I own over 1000 books. I am a book junkie. At any given time I am reading 2-3 books. I prefer nonfiction but usually read well written fiction to balance out all the nonfiction I consume. My library contains over 400 books directly relating to Tudor England and the reign of Marie Antoinette. For Christmas three years ago I catalogued and bound an inventory of these books for my mom. I make homemade cards and write poetry. I collect stationary, china plates and rare first edition books. I love fonts and am fascinated by the paper making process. I am an avid reader of anything relating to WWII. I am a news junkie and prefer conversations about current events over anything TMZ calls breaking news. Before relocating to a small Caribbean island my weekends always involved thrift stores, used book stores and digging through the bargain bin at local boutiques. I love fashion and the history of fashion, fashion has no end, it is always evolving and I love to study it. I am novice photographer and love to spend entire days just me my camera alone in nature.
I have always been a writer, writing makes me feel alive like not much else. Words have always been my friend. I turn to TNTML as an outlet to get my creative writing juices flowing again. I turn to the community to vent about my depression, my writers block, my dating angst. I have never been a believer in New Years Resolutions, but I am firm believer in goals. My 2012 personal goals are as follows, I am in the process of entering all of these into www.43things.com in order to track them:
1. Start living in the real world and not in my own head
2. Commit to an exercise routine where I am working out for 1 hour 3-4 days a week
3. Take my vitamins each day
4. Return to academia to finish my neglected bachelors degree - I need to research schools ASAP and see if joining the fall semester at UVI is a possibility
5. Spend 2 hours each week working on Latin, 1 hour translating
6. Breathe - it's tattooed on my left wrist for a reason
7. Put myself out here and date – OKC here I come!
8. Secure a good part time job or 3 committed consultant gigs
9. Write and send 1 hand written letter a month
10. Return to my journaling and blogging, share my story, reach out to TNTML for support
I’m really looking forward to writing again and am cautiously optimistic I have a real chance, a writing chance versus a fighting chance to save myself from myself. Cheers and thanks for reading!
#thatisall
Click here to follow Fran on twitter!
