Category Archives: Life Stories

Eating Lunch in the Library

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During my senior year of high school, I ate my lunch in the library.

“But Tegan, I thought you were the most prettiest and most popular girl in school!”

Oh, I’m flattered! But no. I was a weird little troll in high school who was part of video game club.

The point is, by the time I was 17/18, I simply had learned that eating lunch in the library was awesome.

The years before, eating with actual people in the sunshine, was nice and all, but when it comes down to it you really can’t beat lunch in the library.

I’d come in with my bottle of water, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and plastic baggie of wheat thin crackers, and settle into a corner. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend, sometimes with my little Freshman brother. I’d have a delicious half hour to do homework or read a book or draw or sleep or whatever I pleased. One solid half hour to myself that wasn’t spent gossiping, or taking notes, or working the cash register at Target.

I learned some very important things during those lunch times:

  • When there is no one around to listen to you, you can listen to yourself. Instead of gossiping or talking about class or complaining, I let myself stroll through the aisles of the books and have conversations with myself (in my head, usually). I let myself realize what kind of literature, and from that ideals and topics, I truly love.
  • You meet the most interesting people when you’re alone. Without the distraction of another person, it’s much easier to notice the traits of others. Alone people talk to other alone people.
  • The social constructs of high school can truly be damaging. Not to say it always is, but really, we all have been or we know the people who start drama, or are involved in it frequently in high school. By removing myself from the time and place it mostly manifests, I managed to make my senior year relatively drama free.
  • Time alone is inspiration and motivation. Its easy to skip an assignment or procrastinate on a project when you’re surrounded by people and distractions. Being alone in a library with a sandwich really is a no-excuses allowed motivator.

Just wanted to share that with you all. Where did you eat lunch in high school?

Born This Way Tag

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For those not in the know, a Tag is something bloggers/Youtubers take part in as a theme topic. The topic is created (Example: 10 weird things about me) and then after one blogger answers the questions, they “tag” others to do the same.

I decided to do the Born This Way Tag (No one tagged me. Pretend someone did.) based off that one episode of Glee where they all sing about their differences, or something.

Anyway, take a negative stereotype that you’ve been subjected to in the past, explain it, and then make it into a positive. This blog is a good example (or you could just read on here).

I’ve been called Standoffish

In a positive light, I just don’t have much to say.

I don’t like talking just to talk and unless we’re drunk at a bar and you’re my 3 best girlfriends, I’m not going to yammer on. This stereotype mostly comes from coworkers – which is funny as I often call these same stereotypers time wasters. Just because I don’t want you in my office in 20 minutes telling me about your trip to Ohio doesn’t mean I don’t like you – I’d just rather get back to work.

I’ve been called Not Assertive Enough

In a positive light, I pick and choose my battles and don’t sweat the small things.

Working in a corporate environment, especially start-ups (as I tend to favour) means a lot of competitive, entrepreneurial minds making very big decisions together…which leads to a lot of head butting. After hundreds of meetings of debating and arguing the best course of action for a company, I’ve learned that at the end of the day, you can’t win them all, and you should focus on the big things. Being assertive in every argument, disagreement, or debate means a lot of high tension and stress, and I’d rather save that for the big things – not for nitpicking design changes on a website.

I’ve been called a lazy college dropout

In a positive light, I am an opportunist.

I have never been good at school. I went to a junior college for two or so years part time, and even though I tried a lot of different things, nothing fit. At the same time I was paying money for teachers to tell me about history, I was making more doing advertising and marketing for companies. When I decided to drop out, it was no easy decision, but it wasn’t out of laziness. It was out of seeing the bigger opportunities that were available to me now. Since I’ve left the big C, there have been up and downs, but I’ve been working my hardest through all of it. Taking a break from college or leaving entirely doesn’t always mean you’re LAZY, but sometimes you’re meant to do something else.

I have been called a Giant Bitch

In a positive light, We’re all kind of jerks sometimes, including me.

I found a lot of these tags to be super-duper self glorifying, and I find a dose of modesty to be healthy. Sometimes stereotypes are made about a person for a reason, and instead of finding the bright side of it, we sometimes should look inward at our actions and how they look to others. Yes, I have definitely been a giant bitch before – you probably have too. Embrace it and learn from it (and find the bright side from other things).

I’m tagging: Anyone who comments and wants to tell me their Born This Way stereotype flip.

21 Lessons in 21 Years

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As I approach my 23rd birthday, I thought I’d share something I wrote when I was 21. Please feel free to add your own in the comments!

1. Move On, Move Up
Relationships end, friendships break, jobs are lost and opportunities are missed. Move on, and more importantly, move up to bigger and better things.

2. Read Everything
Stop skimming over that article your friend posted on FB or the intriguing news story on your Twitter feed. Take the 2, 5, or even 10 minutes to read a few things a day – whether its the news, a blog, or a short story. You’ll have more to talk about, think about, and maybe even a bit of inspiration.

3. Sleep On It
And not just important decisions! Sometimes feelings of stress, depression, and frustration can be combated with a simple good night’s rest. This means a GOOD night’s rest – not a night of drinking wine until you pass out on the couch during a Sex and the City marathon (though sometimes we all need that too).

4. Keep A Pair of Heels and a Nice Outfit in Your Car
Because seriously, you never know.

5. Do Lunch.
Stop staying at home and only seeing your friends when you go to a party, or dinner, or a movie. Take the hour (or two) to sit with your friend, eat delicious food, and actually talk and listen about life. We get so distracted with only talking through emails or texts that we sometimes forget the value of actually looking at a person and communicating with them.

Psst- need any idea for a girl’s night? I have 50 ideas right here.

6. Indulge Yourself When You Need It
Don’t wait until your breaking point to indulge yourself. Watch some trashy reality TV, eat a pizza, whatever, and then get back to life.

7. Sometimes a Month is a Lot, Other Times Its Nothing
Time is worth what you make it worth.

8. Challenge Yourself
Your parents/teachers/friends can only push you so far. If you don’t motivate yourself, you aren’t ever going to find your limits, much less break them.

9. Have Some Damn Goals
Don’t watch the days roll by and figure that your life calling will fall into your lap. Take the time to set your goals and aspirations. You don’t want to find yourself still waiting for life to come to you 5, 10 years down the road.

10.  Be ProActive About Those Damn Goals
Setting goals is a nice step – but hardly enough. Don’t just hope that you’ll become CEO of Kraft as you eat a third bowl of Mac n Cheese. Work, work, work.

11. Learn to Laugh At Yourself
Laughing at yourself doesn’t mean you don’t have respect for yourself, it means you have enough respect and confidence to know that jokes are just jokes.

12. Some People Are Just Jerks
It’s not your job to change them, or show them that they’re jerks. Don’t waste your time.

13. Your Views of What’s Right & Wrong Will Change
And that’s okay. Don’t restrict yourself to certain morals and ideals just because that’s the way it’s always been – if something now seems right to you, then it probably is.

14. You can’t control a lot in life, but what you can control is totally worth it.
Eat what you please, wear what you like, see the people you love, ignore those you don’t.

15. Have a Savings Account (and actual money in it)
And don’t withdraw from it until you absolutely have to. Being broke blows, don’t set yourself up for it.

16. If Something Is Wrong, Say So
To your friends, your doctor, your senator, your news station, your grandmother. Apathy won’t get you anywhere, ever.

17. Write Shit Down
Your memory is not as good as you think it is.

18. Learn How To Change a Tire
It isn’t that hard, I promise.

19. People Remember What You Say More Than You Realize
Whether its positive or negative, choose your words carefully. They’re the most powerful weapon you have (unless you have a cross bow).

20. Throw/Attend a Theme Party
Don’t be the lazy person who didn’t get into it, either. If you think you look like a fool, then you’re doing it right.

21. Bring Chapstick Everywhere
Seriously, people.


Welcome – Here’s My Life Story

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Welcome!

Some of you may be from The Sangfroid, or my old college, or from Googling “naked pictures of Katy Perry” (hint: one of those groups is going to be especially disappointed), but in any case: here’s my life story!

When I was 6 months old, my parents threw me in a dumpster and I landed on crack pipe. Things only went up from there.

20-some years later I’m working a corporate job, driving a fuel-efficient goofy looking car, and realizing that my Skinny Genes will eventually wear out. I’m a vegetarian left-leaning feminist which means I’m generally disliked, but you can buy me a drink anyway.

I’ve (re)started blogging to chronicle my life, because there’s honestly too much weird crap out there not to write about it all.

Hope you enjoy. You can contact me at @Tegasaurusrex or by email. Ciao, bitches.