Blog

I’m taking a break from Social Media.

Posted on by Casey Yardley

I feel like I see a post like this from time to time. Is it a clickbait title? Possibly for many but for me, it’s just what I want you to know. I’m stepping offline from all the social networking to get a breather and a reset.

I am not sure how long this is going to be for. I could make it thirty days and jump back on armed with a better-balanced use plan for the apps on my phone and maybe have more self-control. I could decide to take a year or so. At this point I’m uncertain.

I am certain that I spend too much time on my phone looking at videos and images that mean nearly nothing to me. Occasionally, I’ll see a post from a family member or friend that matters but mostly I’m just… scrolling. I’m looking for something and I’m not sure what scrolling through the depths of apps with the same theme and repeat content is going to do for me. So I’m taking a break from social media for the foreseeable future.

I jumped online during the myspace days and haven’t really looked back. I’ve lost hours of my life looking at a small screen, trying to keep up with the trends. It’s exhausting. . . I have no idea how or why I have tried to manage that much input of things that do not really matter to me.

So, for now, I’m going to spend less time looking at my phone and more time pursuing things that I actually enjoy. I’m going to read more, write more often, spend time with my family and prepare for the changes that are coming in the next few months. I just want to be able to spend less time bowed over my phone scrolling and more time enjoying life. Who knows maybe I’ll try out this method of turning my phone back into a tool instead of a distraction.

Thanks for reading, I’ll see you next post.

Casey

Education and Work.

Posted on by Casey Yardley

I’m saying it.

My years in college have drug on far too long.

Work isn’t the worst but it takes up time in my day that I could be doing more enjoyable things.

I guess you could say that waking up in the morning to look at a screen, talk to people, troubleshoot, consult, run scenarios and coach people on how to ____ is an interesting way to spend my day.

Then after my shift is finished at work I close my work computer and open my personal computer and log onto the school site and begin nearly the same amount of time each night learning about what I do in my day job from a different perspective. It’s interesting to be this far in my career and still be a university student at night. It’s not a sad thing, just a draining one that has caused me to feel older than I am yet younger than I am because my time at university has extended far past the usual years one would traditionally spend as a student.

I enjoy learning but dang, I’ve been spending too many hours in a desk at university.
https://www.pexels.com/@cottonbro/

Am I mad or sad about this? Sometimes.

Am I grateful that I have been able to attend college and further my education for the workforce? Yes.

It’s a real balance of thought for me to have always seen the value in a degree. My father never completed school but has ran a business effectively for nearly 40 years, having learned meaning things on the go and as they come up on a need to learn and know basis. I’ve always been of fan of learning things that way so I understand the application of the information rather than just a theory.

In school I’ve often been told this could happen but is unlikely so we’ve decided you need NEED to know it and its going to not make any sense but, you need to learn it to move forward and enter the workforce. That has never made sense to me spending so much time of “What if..” and not effectively running through real world tasks that I can use right away in my day to day work. I once had a class in 2018 where a professor shared data from a pre internet marketing era expressing his belief that the internet would fail sooner or later and print ads still held their weight as the primary marketing we should be running. It was a wild time.

All the “What if…” of school makes me think of this moment from Hercules.

Yet, I’ve seen many people step into university with one plan for their life and walk out with a completely different passion after taking the lower level intro classes. So for some the value changes as they grow and develop. I too changed my major a few times when I started school and yet business and marketing keeps me anchored as my goal for a degree.

I suppose these are just a few of my unorganized thoughts on education and work, with the focus being on school and how I feel about it. I do see an end finally after nearly a decade as a part time student who had worked full time and beyond during that time. I’ll finally see my degree in the spring of 2023.

Thanks for reading,

Casey

I Can’t Believe It’s Twenty-Twenty Two.

Posted on by Casey Yardley

It feels like yesterday I was wearing glow in the dark glasses that welcomed the year 2000 running around my grandparent’s yard lighting fireworks then trying to fall asleep before we made it home so that my dad would have to carry me into bed. Now I’m 31 years old living out of a thirty three foot travel trailer with my partner and two dogs and this is not how I expected to be living, but this has been one of the best experiences I never knew I needed. I’m not a extraordinary writer but have always wanted to share experiences, stories, and random thoughts as a writer so as always, here goes nothing.

Taken at Farwell Bend State Park on September 11th, 2021. This was our first BIG outing and we drove from Utah County, UT to Grays Harbor County, WA.

Last July we sold our house, boxed up the things we wanted for our next home then ventured out in a 33ft travel trailer built in 2007 to find new things out about our home state and the Western US. We spent 3 weeks in Washington State and learned we were underprepared foreverything but had the time of our life exploring small coastal towns and meeting new people. We spent more time than hoped parked in driveways but were able to connect with family through the few feet that separated their homes and our trailer.

I could keep rambling about the past year and more specifically the past six months but I figure you are more interested in the here and now(You know, whats happening right now as I write this out. It’s -2 degrees and the floor of our trailer feels akin to an ice rink.) This year is going to be something special and I can feel it in my boots and look forward to sharing more with you as I experience it. You can expect to hear about my partner, our dogs, the places we visit, the food we eat, and the ups and downs of traveling through the well to little known parts of the US and wherever else we roam. Thanks in advance for being here and wanting to read about these experiences.

Casey