What Exactly Is a Swolemate?

Apparently I'm supposed to introduce myself. I'm Tee a.k.a. The Other Daughter (TOD), the youngest of this clan, the newest on this fitness journey, and the world's best macaroni and cheese and scrambled eggs chef (according to my nephew and niece) (also, separately. Mac and cheese in scrambled eggs or vice versa sounds gross). I hold the distinction of being a college graduate, unemployed, and having abnormally tight muscle groups, all of which you will be hearing about throughout my posts. I also enjoy romanic candlelit dinners and long moonlight walks on the beach. Just kidding; I need to be able to see my food before I eat it and sand is a bitch to get off your feet in the dark.

It's been an interesting journey for me since I graduated in December 2014. Having no jobs lined up, everyone said, "Oh, enjoy your time off", "It won't last forever!", "You're so lucky you have nothing to do!" But what pretty much every single person failed to mention was that after being at home for six months straight, you'd develop a minor social phobia, shaky self-esteem, and resort to cutting your own hair due to lack of funds. However, I'm not here to complain. I've been fortunate to learn a lot about myself in this time at home. For example, I validate myself by what I'm doing with my life outside my home, which is not a good thing, obviously. Also, I should not be allowed to cut anyone's hair, including my own. 

I've also learned how ridiculously difficult it is to get a job nowadays, even for college graduates. Since January, I've applied for everything under the sun to no avail. It's like, even the jobs that don't require experience want someone with MORE experience than what I have. Basically, everyone seems to be hiring, but no one is hiring me. Or The Daughter. The Daughter is in this boat, too. Since the beginning of the month, I've experienced an influx of calls for interviews from people who are actually considering hiring me. So far, nothing much has come from it. I'm still waiting to hear from a few places but I'm less than confident. Part of it is completely discouraging, but if there is any silver lining to this cloud, it's that I'm pretty sure the rejection entitles me to a level of dissatisfaction and bitterness than an employed person isn't allowed.

Other than that, I don't know what started me on a fitness binge at the beginning of this month. Part of me is pretty sure it happened out of sheer boredom, or maybe there's a greater force drawing me to the prospect of sore muscles and multiple showers a day. I'm nearing the end of my second week of this "challenge", but I know I should be treating this more as a lifestyle change than just something I'll do for a month and then see what happens after that. One important thing I've learned is that most stuff has WAY MORE calories than I initially thought, and I eat WAY MORE calories than I initially thought. That, I think, is the biggest challenge right there. The eating.

You all need to know this right now; I LOVE FOOD. I LOVE TO EAT. I love the way I feel when I eat something totally delicious. I reward myself with food. I reward others with food. My day revolves around what I'm eating for dinner, or lunch, or breakfast. Food is my bliss, and I like to follow my bliss. I have a debilitating weakness for chips, particularly Pringles. I find that pastries have a calming affect on my life. I look to red meat as everything I want poultry to be. Chocolate anything and custard pie are my true friends. According to my neighbor and good friend, food is fuel. My problem is I see food as anything but that. Food is a celebration of all things lovely. Food is a companion. Food is love. And to be brutally honest, when so few things in my life give me joy, I'm not sure if I'm willing to change my mindset toward the charms and allure of high-fat, low nutrition treats. I need something, yadamean? Please please PLEASE don't take that away from me!

So to close this introductory post, let's recap: I'm Tee a.k.a. The Other Daughter, I'm not physically flexible or employed, I'm bitter, and I love food. I also have a bad haircut. Okay, that's not totally true. I'm not bitter all the time, just at the moment. I apologize. I had another job interview today. Don't worry though, the haircut bit is true. Anyway, I look forward to sharing my journey with you, and I hope I provide you with someone you can relate to. I wish you luck on all your adventures, fitness and otherwise.

With Love,
Tee