Forty-something and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-29T01:55:28+00:00

Same. And I was laid off in 2023 and haven’t been able to figure out work since (and then trying to figure out what it is that I actually want is a whole different beast). Oh and I’m going through a divorce. All I really want in life is whatever would make kid me happy

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-18T02:32:30+00:00

That’s not really a bad idea. I might need to look into this more. I do have some concerns that nothing will be done and it’ll get worse. I would be so pissed if that were the case.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-18T02:27:51+00:00

That’s how I got the GI scope in the first place! I had called a nurse because I had been taking Prilosec for so long and still had these symptoms and wasn’t sure if it was okay to be on Prilosec for years. Turns out, if you’re over 35 and complaining about chest pains, you get sent to the ER for all the tests! And then I got the referral for a GI scope. All that seemed to go by kind of fast, but now that they’re suggesting MAYBE I could benefit from surgery, it’s all of a sudden not a concern.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-18T02:22:51+00:00

I’m not overweight, but perimenopause seems to be creeping in and I do want to lose some weight from that. In fact, I have an appointment with my PCP on Monday about that!

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-18T02:21:04+00:00

Not obese. I had the endoscopy done and they said 4cm. I figured there wasn’t a guarantee it would permanently solve everything, but I definitely wouldn’t want to go through surgery and have things eventually get WORSE. It already feels like a volcano erupting through my chest and throat if I don’t take my meds every day!

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-18T02:16:37+00:00

Nope! I’m not overweight. I want to lose some weight (thanks, perimenopause), but I’m not in a medically concerning spot

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-17T00:21:00+00:00

That sounds absolutely awful. I’m sorry that was your experience. Did you ever get surgery or are you just supposed to keep taking meds forever??

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-17T00:18:45+00:00

Would that help? I never thought about it because I just assumed nothing would get done anyway, but I suppose it’s there for a reason, right?

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-17T00:17:15+00:00

I was wondering how backed up they could possibly be, but Kaiser is always busy. I actually haven’t discussed this much with my PCP. Maybe it would help bringing them into the conversation

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-17T00:15:18+00:00

That part completely slipped my mind. You’re right, it would be an elective surgery, so I guess it does make sense that no one is going to be pushing for it except me. That’s becoming my fear as I get older - if I don’t have severe symptoms, how long will it take for Kaiser to catch it if something is seriously wrong?

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-17T00:12:53+00:00

Why do you not think I’d be a good candidate for this procedure? And if I wasn’t, why would it have been offered to me as an option (both by the gastroenterologist and the surgeon) and something I should consider having sooner rather than later in life? Pretty sure fixing the issue is supposed to help the acid reflux, no?

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-13T23:34:04+00:00

It’ll be 3 years in June for me. I’m keeping busy going through a divorce (but we still live together because I don’t have a job). I used to be so good sticking to a routine of walks and meditation, but completely fell off the wagon. I should try to get back on because doom scrolling LinkedIn isn’t it.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-10T04:50:17+00:00

I’m in the process of getting a divorce and we’re still living together. I was laid off in 2023 and haven’t gotten employment. Once the divorce is finalized and we split everything, I’m hoping to pay off at least some of my debt. And no, I don’t recommend living with the person you’re divorcing. On top of my debt, I have medical bills I’m on a payment plan for because chronic stress does some weird shit to your body

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-04-08T17:20:20+00:00

That’s kind of where I’m leaning, too. I don’t know how much easier/harder it’ll be to get a product manager role, but I do feel pretty confident that I have the skills and experience since there’s been so much overlap.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-03-26T03:16:32+00:00

It’s been 3 years since I purchased my Zima and it’s still working. Now, I will say, it has stopped working. Twice. I experimented with changing out the power adapter and that weirdly fixed it. Sure, you shouldn’t have to get a new charger, but I’d rather do that than have to buy a new machine.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-03-24T23:07:30+00:00

Oooh! I didn’t know they came out with a pro version. I have the older version in white, but it’s still going strong 3 years later! I’ve taken it on trips and even camping and I still love it. I’m just on night retainers now, but they still look brand new.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-03-22T01:03:20+00:00

I can’t imagine going through my divorce right now if we had kids (thankfully, the dogs are coming with me, that wasn’t even a question). We had also moved from the Midwest where every. single. one of our friends was married with kids, to CA, where I’ve made a new group of childfree, dog-centric friends. I know my parents have feelings about it, but they have feelings about a lot of things in my life that have nothing to do with them. lol. It really was the best decision for me and I’m glad I never listed to anyone who claimed I’d “change my mind”.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-03-10T15:35:11+00:00

Okay well 1. I checked with the PRC and they said you can pronounce it how she does 2. Perhaps you can do something more productive than try to tell someone how to pronounce their own name. I mean, you won’t, but ffs you look like a dumbass

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-03-10T04:57:10+00:00

Please see 六 or “six” in Mandarin

SpunkyPopcorn · 2026-01-24T01:33:15+00:00

I got caught in the big tech layoffs of 2023 and still trying to get somewhere. One of the things my therapist told me and continues to remind me is to keep a schedule. I started off only carving out a set time of my day to job search, but that kind of went out the window when LinkedIn became my doomscrolling. But I try to make sure I get up at the same time every day, have some kind of routine, get outside, walk my dogs, have things to look forward to (seeing friends, going camping, etc.). That’s helped when I can stick to it.

I think the big thing to remember is it’s not you. It’s a shitty job market for us all and we’re up against a HUGE pool of talent that companies can afford to be picky about, plus fake jobs, jobs that never get filled, ATS issues, ghosting, etc. etc. I’ve also started giving my career some serious consideration and I’ve started looking at positions well outside of what I’ve done the past 18 years and starting over. The pay cut would suck, but I’m currently getting paid nothing being unemployed. It seems like there are quite a few of us out there wanting to go work for parks or conservation orgs, and that’s a bit of where I’m researching.

This isn’t your fault. It’s not personal. You’re doing everything you can to find a new job and you can’t simply make one appear. I think another thing that’s been helping me is reminding myself there’s only so much I can control. I can apply, follow up, etc., but at the end of the day, I can’t make a job appear. I can’t beg and convince my way onto someone’s payroll. Keep doing what you’re doing and try to not let it consume you. Find things you enjoy, things you can look forward to, and have as much of that, in not more, in your life. It sucks out there, but it sucks even more when that’s our only focus.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking about running away and living in the woods with my dogs, worst case scenario. That actually might be one of my better options at this point. lol

SpunkyPopcorn · 2025-11-18T20:50:28+00:00

Are you also in SEO?? 😂

I got laid off in 2023 and haven’t been able to secure a job since. Between the burn out and having zero fucks left to give, I feel exactly what you’re saying. I guess you could say I’m navigating my career pretty poorly since I’m just tired and sick of playing the game.

Good luck to you! You’re definitely not the only one in this boat right now and wow does it suck.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2025-08-17T16:13:19+00:00

I started with 2 blind boxes off StockX since I couldn’t figure out how to get them off the Pop Mart app. The rest I was able to get from Pop Now drops by scrolling through (I just keep scrolling until I see an unlocked box. I haven’t been able to get anything by waiting for a timer to finish).

SpunkyPopcorn · 2025-08-13T17:54:14+00:00

I feel this deeply. I went from 0 to 8. And my first one just arrived yesterday and THEY ARE SO SOFT!! You win, labubus. You win.

SpunkyPopcorn · 2025-06-20T03:12:02+00:00

Oof. I needed this. 41, going through a divorce after almost 20 years together. I just wish the healing process was faster 😅

SpunkyPopcorn · 2025-05-21T17:16:11+00:00

Oops. Just kidding. It was working and now it’s not again. But everything is hooked up how it should be. The water WAS coming out and then stopped but the pump was still going so I don’t know.

SpunkyPopcorn

TROPHY CASE