King of Sassgard.

April 19th was my 8th anniversary of the day I learned that I have a life-threatening condition. Here are 4 lessons I learned when I confronted death at 22.

I’ve been sitting at a cafe for the past 2 hours, staring at the blank screen. Every year, I come to this day, feeling completely unprepared. Today marks 8 years since my life changed forever.

On April 19th, 2011, I had my first Grand Mal Seizure. It was completely unexpected, and it threw my family and the doctors into a frenzy as we scrambled to attempt to find out what caused it. One day,…

The last time I wrote a monthly recap post was last January.  (Mostly because I had a GREAT January, and then I crashed in February and could barely function for a whole month.)  I don’t know if this one will continue, but I figure let’s try it again!

Work + Hustles + Tech LinkedIn Learning

I completed my first course for LinkedIn Learning on my LA trip!  This was my first solo trip, so I feel…

I spent a few days in the LA area to record my first LinkedIn Learning course for #CloudComputing!

Last week symbolized the cumulation of all the holiday and weekend work I’d been doing for the past 3 months for LinkedIn Learning.  I flew in to LA, spent 3 full days there, recorded the video course, and flew back.  I think it may have been one of my most hurried trip ever, but by the 4th night, I felt like I’d spent at least a week, if not 2 full weeks, in SoCal.

I flew in to LAX Saturday…

2018. What can I say, except wow. It was a year of many many unexpected beginnings, trials, and impact on my identity as a person. I said Yes to many things, and No to others, and being able to realize my boundaries and limitations have allowed me to find myself in situations that I couldn’t have imagined for myself a year ago.  This month has been a bit rough with depression stemming from…

7 years ago, I made the biggest gamble of my life. I stood in front of the Gates of Death and tossed a die: Live or Die? I closed my eyes fell into a deep sleep. #AVMSurvivor #BrainSurgery #BrainInjury

On December 7th, 2011, my family woke up before dawn and began getting ready to step out into the darkness.  My father, my mother, and I rode in relative silence on the 30 minute drive to Baltimore from our house.  Usually, there is traffic, but so early in the morning, there were barely any cars on the road.  As we exchanged light beams, we all stole glances through the windows at each other’s…

I wonder what makes Paris romantic. It’s a city. Filled with millions of people, hurrying and jaywalking like they are perpetually late for an important meeting. They seem to be out at all times of day or night, walking briskly, sitting at cafes, or driving through chaotic swarms of people.

That much isn’t that different from New York City. And yet there is an allure to the city I don’t feel at…

Five for Your Eyes – 008

“Five for Your Eyes” is a new series of posts where I share five features that I found to be interesting or worth reading.  I read a lot of books, but I also love reading long-form pieces in publications like the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the New Yorker, looking into slices of the world I was previously unaware of, or have held interests in. I hope some of these articles will interest you…

How Netflix's "Afflicted" harms the #ChronicIllness Community #Spoonie

When I first heard about “Afflicted” on Netflix, I was elated.  I immediately logged on to begin watching. Finally! A mainstream feature on the state of chronic illnesses and invisible disabilities.  Finally! A scientific and empathetic view into the world of difficult to diagnose illnesses and the struggles we face daily to be taken seriously!

“Afflicted” is a Netflix series by Dan Partland…

I challenged myself to exercise before work for a week

I spent last work week getting a different type of exercise in every morning before work.  It was a challenge to myself, because I am looking for ways to use my time more efficiently while getting healthier.

For the past few months, I have been replacing one meal (99% of the time lunch) with a salad during the work week, and at least in the beginning it helped me to shave off a few pounds.  Now…

Revisiting #UniversityofMaryland, 4 years later. #UMD #FearTheTurtle #Terp

Few weeks ago, after my AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam, my boyfriend and I decided to go visit our old stomping ground: University of Maryland.  I attended the university for 6 years, getting my bachelor’s and my master’s, and he was there for 4 years, getting his bachelors.  While we had very different experiences (he was in engineering, and I was in education), in the end, we both ended…

Five for Your Eyes – 007

“Five for Your Eyes” is a new series of posts where I share five features that I found to be interesting or worth reading.  I read a lot of books, but I also love reading long-form pieces in publications like the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the New Yorker, looking into slices of the world I was previously unaware of, or have held interests in. I hope some of these articles will interest you…

How I became an #AWS Cloud Practitioner in 2 weeks #awsnewbies

Last Friday, I finally sat in, and passed, the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam after 2 weeks of studying with a score of 908/1000.  I finally feel one official step closer to my next career goal of becoming a Cloud Engineer/Administrator.

AWS: Amazon Web Services

AWS is the On-Demand Cloud Computing Platformthat Amazon founded in 2006.  It’s the biggest force in Cloud Computing field right…

Five for Your Eyes – 006

“Five for Your Eyes” is a new series of posts where I share five features that I found to be interesting or worth reading.  I read a lot of books, but I also love reading long-form pieces in publications like the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the New Yorker, looking into slices of the world I was previously unaware of, or have held interests in. I hope some of these articles will interest you…

#SaverLife: Earn $60 in 10 minutes

What if, by saving just $20 a month, you could earn $60? Sounds interesting? SaverLife is a 6 month program that helps you build your savings.  It’s completely free, and just by starting your saving habit, you can earn $60 for 10 minutes of work!

What’s SaverLife? What’s EARN?

EARNis an American nonprofit that strives to empower low-to-moderate-income Americans take charge of their financial…

#Seizure FirstAid & Exciting News! #AVMSurvivor

Seizures can happen to anyone.  According to a study published by researchers at the CDC, almost 1 in 100 people has active epilepsy.  Seizures can also happen to people who do not have seizure disorder or epilepsy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 10 people has had a seizure.

Movies portray and normalize sometimes very dangerous “first aid” methodologies, such as…

#AWSSummit NYC 2018: What's in a Cloud? #AWS #AWSSummitNYC #Cloud #CloudComputing

Last week, I attended AWS Summit NYC 2018 at Javits Center in New York City.  While I’ve attended tech conferences in the past, this was the first technical industry-driven conference.  AWS Summits happen all over the world, and are free to attend!

What’s AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a cloud computing platform.  Amazon launched the service in 2006 to support its own infrastructure.

Cloud…