And… we’re back. Join us?

10 Feb

I have been meaning to sit down and update NerdLush about so many things, but time got away from me, I got caught up in a huge issue that I had to deal with in its entirety, and well… 2020. But I am hoping that this can be a fresh start.

Yes, I know it’s February already and thus not really the time for saying “new start” but bear with me. I just finished a major hurdle in my life and am finally able to breathe again.

So, let me explain a little about why I have been both absent from the site and from many things nerd… Most of you who follow know that I work in mental health (more precisely in a correctional institution, providing mental health). In 2015, I completed my doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology. About a year later, after completing my post-doc hours, I was cleared to prep for and take the licensing exams, according to the state of California. I won’t go into much here but the short version is there are two tests in California- the primary one, the EPPP, is a beast of an exam and nearly killed me, followed by a second exam, the CPLEE, which only focuses on law and ethics. That second test is almost fun, except for how the first nearly killed me and therefore I was terrified of it. All of this is to say that literally for years, because of reasons I won’t go into, I have been solely focused on passing and completing those challenges. And as of 1/27/2021, I did. So now it’s just a matter of waiting for a government agency to process paperwork in a timely fashion, during a pandemic.

Do you understand now why I haven’t been able to focus on shows and movies? Everyone is always telling me to watch stuff but honestly, my poor brain has been so bombarded with stuff (especially as I continued to work and take care of family and self-issues) that new stuff… just wasn’t going to happen. When I say that the test is a beast, I mean it. There is no person who graduates with a degree in psychology that has learned all the things on the test. You get taught bits and pieces but there are whole areas that unless you specialized in that field, you won’t know without learning the material.

Anyways.

Now that you know where I’ve been let me explain what’s happened here at NerdLush over the years. When this page started it was just me. Then Stewart joined the fray and has been my right-hand minion. Then DeeDee, Cate, Madison, Natasha, Emily, Charity, Lee, and Billy. A couple other guest posters, too. But they’ve all drifted away… it’s just me and Stewart here now. And that’s a lot for just 2 people, especially when 1 is caught up in brain melty learning. So really, Stewart has been manning this place alone for a while.

And that’s not fair to him. BUT- he has done an amazing job!

So, I am back. With a goal of being more active here. And I am once again opening the door to anyone who wants to do posts about nerdy topics. What with how 2020 went and how 2021 is starting, I would really love to be able to post DIY craft and other types of projects, as well as our normal stuff. Not really my forte, but I think it would be a good direction to go.

Another issue that we have is that it’s hard for 2 people to cover a lot of stuff, live our lives, and not feel like “hey, that bigger site already covered that”. So, I think… I won’t put pressure on us to post about “news” stuff unless it is meaningful to Stewart or myself. Obviously, we can still share stuff like that on the Facebook page or the twitter feed, so if we don’t have the time to whip out a post here… that’s ok. We have other stuff to do. This is supposed to be fun- and for a little bit it has been weighing on me and making me feel guilty because I haven’t been here all the time talking about movies or TV, or what’s happening in the comics world, or whatever. And I am tired of feeling guilty because I didn’t open my laptop and type something up instead of hanging out with family or focusing on my own self-care (which I have talked about in a couple posts from 2020 because whooooeeee mine was horrible and needed to be worked on).

So, no more guilt, no more pressure, maybe we’ll finish up those 15 posts sitting in draft. Maybe we won’t.

Who cares. Let’s have some fun.

Some things I would like to get back to- Conventions (when safe, which I am thinking will be at least another year for safety), superheroes (ok, I have some shows to catch up on, sue me!), and silly fun. I miss the adventures Emily and I had, as well as the ones with Charity. So, something needs to happen with adventures… I had an idea for something, that I would love to do, but it’ll have to wait until some form of normality happens otherwise it’s a risk that stuff would be closed. I would also love to start having posts pairing nerdy fun (movies/games/etc.) with foods or *cough* adult beverages *cough* . But I am not a fancy drink maker person, so maybe that’s something we need to find (and hey, we might have a volunteer to help with those!).

What do you want to see here? And do you or someone you know want to join us? Drop a comment here or an email to nerdlush@gmail.com