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Here is a fact about me that makes a lot of people uncomfortable, I don't drink anymore. Now before you start thinking this is going to be a blog post about 'my recovery' or 'my journey', I should clear something up. I never really had an issue with drink and by that I mean I wasn't addicted to it, I did however have an issue with hangovers, lucky for me I don't anymore. Aside from the occasional bout of sleep deprivation (which feels quite similar) I am hangover free. I know I have mentioned this before but let me recap all the same. It was at the tender age of fourteen I first discovered the joys of alcohol and liked the buzz, the feeling of extra confidence and just being part of the crowd. For four blissful years I thought I was immune to hangovers. Once I reached eighteen I realised how foolish I had been to think that. From 18 through most of my twenties (thanks to going to college as a mature student, I continued to party like a much younger woman...

As many people who know me will know well, I have had many jobs on my way to finding one I'd call a career rather than something that pays the bills. I have always had a general idea of what I would like to do but life is full of stumbling blocks and its taken me a while to get there. I have worked; in hotels, as a childminder. au-pair (same thing but live in), in a video rental shop, electrical store, many call centres and finally a bookstore (hence the blog name) before finding my way to work I really loved.  I have been working in a social care like environment since January 2015 and I knew almost immediately that I had made the right choice. This was a relief because otherwise I would have spent those four years in college for nothing. Sure I had stress and frustrations and utterly banal dreams where I was still at work completing mundane tasks (presumably stress induced) but overall I take great satisfaction in my work and in the fact that my care might be having some so...

This weekend I had the pleasure of another lovely Girlcrew outing. There was a 60's/rockabilly event on in the Parlour tea rooms and I really wanted to go but I didn't have anyone to go with. Which is pretty much why Girlcrew was set up in the first place. My boyfriend was going to be there but would be working/networking for the night and I find my awkward wallflower act (my default position at events where I don't know anyone very well) to be exhausting. I had recently attended an event that my boyfriend had organised which was also his birthday celebration and found that while I really enjoyed the actual performances, the bits inbetween where everyone mingles were actually painful for me. If I could have camouflaged myself I would have. Anyway this is where Girlcrew steps in. I haven't been on many outings with fellow girlcrewers due to my unsociable work hours and other commitments but the few I have been to have been overwhelmingly positive. So I posted on th...

Nothing highlights my social prowess like the fact that I have done nothing worth blogging about for absolutely weeks now. I have mostly been keeping my head down, working loads and reading lots of books. It's not all bad but it doesn't make for very exciting reading (if I was to write about it that is). The one thing I have been noticing on my rare outings is that I am in danger of being swallowed by my own social anxiety. It's one of those things that has always loomed somewhere in my life, like a shadow but thanks to my good friend alcohol, I have never really tackled it. As most of you know I haven't drank socially (or at all) in almost a year and a half so I am now forced to acknowledge my shortcomings in these areas. Mind you the not drinking has not been too big a struggle given how rarely I've been out in that time. Over the last while the deep discomfort I have felt mingling with near strangers has been so acute that I have contemplated reintroducing D...