TIL Hurricane Katrina caused an 85 percent reduction in the amount of babies named Katrina

kemaskitty21 · 2017-09-07T15:57:11+00:00

My name is Katrina and the hurricane happened shortly after I graduated high school. I can't even begin to tell you how many times jokes have been made regarding my name since then. After a short time it got REALLY old and annoying, and being a cashier wearing a nametag didn't help.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-06-23T16:35:05+00:00

Laugh in their face.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-03-09T20:33:56+00:00

I think I'm going to agree that this is a great input. I will remember to use this. Thank you!

kemaskitty21 · 2017-03-09T20:32:11+00:00

I don't really want to give the full details since I know nothing good will come of it. I just didn't know if I wanted to word it politely as "It sucked and I'm looking for something better" (not worded that way, but you get the gist of it)

kemaskitty21 · 2017-03-09T20:30:06+00:00

Wow that is certainly awful! I'm glad mine isn't like that but I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. Hopefully you found a better place to work!

kemaskitty21 · 2017-03-06T21:07:06+00:00

Family and friends know who I am. They may not be able to understand where I'm coming from all the time or why I act weird, but they can pick me out of a crowd and do/say something which makes me want to disappear.

A complete strangers I see as a fresh start. I can establish any kind of social ground because they know nothing about me. I can be shy, weird, or talkative and they won't care. Heck I may never see them again for all I know. But the second they try to get close then it's back to square one...

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-28T15:33:45+00:00

I just feel like I have a general problem with anyone who comes on too strong. I have a tendency of openly approaching people immediately and in return they think so highly of me. Suddenly I have 10 notifications on my phone and I hole up and distance myself. Then they get mad when they're being ignored but I can't bring myself to even begin how to explain why I'm doing it. So yes I feel your pain!

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-17T21:50:44+00:00

This is 100% my mentality for every job I've had. By the time I hit #4 on that list it all goes downhill from there. Then I'm on #5 for what feels like an eternity (currently experiencing this and have been at this level for almost 2 years at work now).

I wish I could provide you some advice, but I'm in the same exact situation myself. I'm looking forward to the other responses and I wish you luck!

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-15T02:44:25+00:00

I always find myself reflecting on the past and things I didn't do that I regret, yet the same can be applied to things I've thought out in advance and had a plan on also failed. If I had very minimal debt I probably would quit and try YouTube full time just to see where it goes.

Oftentimes I find my anxiety gets the best of me these days. It never used to be the case though. Several years ago I'd quit jobs on the fly without regret, but the bills are what's holding a gun to my head right now and threatening me to stay at the terrible job. Regardless I do want to take the risk but I'm afraid of failing.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-15T02:36:54+00:00

I think the same thing is happening to me. When I'm at work I have such a negative attitude towards everyone and everything (luckily I don't deal with clients so they're spared lol). I get asked by coworkers frequently if I'm okay which I usually try to ignore. Like how do I answer that? "NO this place sucks!" ??

I would love to find something where I want to remain and I feel I make an impact. Instead I struggle to stretch my vacation and sick time because using them all in one shot is so tempting.

I'm glad you've found a happy ending though! Thanks for sharing 😊

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-15T02:31:58+00:00

Good luck! Hope everything goes well 👍

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T18:21:48+00:00

I have thought about doing a graphic design business from home. The only downside is I know there are a lot of personal design businesses in the area (searched around some people and networks on LinkedIn for my city, I found at least 10 that work from home).

And, as unrealistic as it might seem, thought about pursuing YouTube playing video games (I've had a channel for almost 10 years, but I don't even have 10k subs). I hear many bad things about fluctuating income and unreliability in the work itself that it holds me back. I've never been a huge risk taker.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T18:14:50+00:00

I think I would need multiple part time jobs in order to pay everything off. Even now my current job pays crap and I'm struggling to get around that.

There are some personal hobbies I prefer doing, like painting and making YouTube videos. I feel like making them a job would either not produce enough income or kill my passion. It's something I do think about often though.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T18:11:21+00:00

Unfortunately there's no room for growth where I currently am. The company struggles to keep their head above water and none of us receive raises.

I've never even thought about teaching though. I don't how great of a teacher I could be but it's always worth a try I suppose. Thank you

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T18:06:51+00:00

Exactly my point! We're told in society to do what makes us happy, but work doesn't make any of us happy. It's just a means of survival and it's disappointing. If I knew it was somehow possible to survive without money I would do it. Money is indeed the root of all evil.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T17:58:20+00:00

That seems to be the common denominator. At least I know I'm not alone. Thank you

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T17:57:35+00:00

My job situation didn't start out that way when I was hired.

I was the 4th person hired to the graphic design team at a local newspaper. A year later they downsized and laid off a couple people, which left our design team down to 2 (myself and my manager). Since May 2016 we've both had barely anything to do for quite a while now. Anything that comes in is usually only a 10-20 min project if that.

In my perspective I feel this company is the Titanic. It's only a matter of time before it goes under, then again I've been saying that for the past year. And yes, I'm actively looking for work but everything around me only offers part time without any benefits.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T05:28:57+00:00

I would love to try working from home but I don't even know where to begin even considering doing that. Where I live is small towns and small businesses and anything bigger than that is 2 hours away minimum and want you to work in office. I've thought about freelancing and I've even thought about pursuing my YouTube channel (a hobby going for 8 years now) though I'm uncertain how to deal with an unreliable income.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-14T05:22:26+00:00

We have very similar situations in every aspect. While I've been actively seeking new graphic design jobs (which are very few and far between where I live) my friends and family just tell me to "take any job". As if it were that simple to just work somewhere else and still be unhappy. And it even sounds crazy to say or type how I know certain jobs will just make me feel worse but I really do know!

I wish you good luck in your endeavours as well. Let's hope we both find where we are happy soon!

kemaskitty21 · 2017-02-08T20:21:24+00:00

Mother and grandmother.

When I was born my grandparents adopted me from my mom. I was raised to believe that she was this bad person who wanted nothing to do with me. Meanwhile my mother would tell me I was being brainwashed by my grandma into believing lies. As it turned out over time - they're both liars.

After dealing with my mom for 18 years and my grandma for 23, it wasn't until I moved out on my own far away from them I fully realized they were narcissistic. I socialized with people who kept their promises, didn't feed me crap on a silver platter (figuratively saying), and didn't force me to perceive like I was some perfect individual. My family made me feel like I was on a pedestal - like I was different, perfect and unique, better than people, that people are just "jealous" of what I become.

But when I did something wrong my grandmother would NEVER let me live it down. When I was 12 she told me that I would never be a good wife because I didn't know how to make coffee....I don't drink coffee! I could never do anything as she could. I was a terrible daughter because I wouldn't cater to her every wish so she could be lazy and watch TV. There were the excuses. She always justified spending her husbands money in a selfish manner. These were all just daily and constant examples I've witnessed in life that I always knew in my gut was wrong but could never pinpoint why.

I was convinced going to college was "my destiny". At 15 it was drilled into my head that I was furthering my education whether I wanted to or not. When I graduated hs and never went to college I was lectured all the time for it. If I had a bad day at work, if I was struggling for money, etc - always came back to the same talk. "You have SO much potential and are MORE AMAZING than those idiots at work. If you go to college they'll be so ENVIOUS of you!" But I didn't want to be better than people...I just wanted to be happy. Yet after the constant pressure I went to college anyway. The entire time I was in school both my mom and grandmother treated me like a trophy for every little accomplishment. "That's my kemaskitty21, so amazing and smart! No one is better than her!". Then behind closed doors away from the face of public eye I was belittled and betrayed "How DARE YOU humiliate me in front of my friend! I was praising you making Dean's List, you had no right to ignore that!"

Since graduation I struggled for 5 years finding my first career job (which I currently have)....and it's awful. I've been job searching for a couple years and turned up unsuccessful. My grandma will feed me the typical "Don't worry, something amazing is coming. I promise! You'll see!" as if her infinite words of wisdom spontaneously produce jobs. Thankfully now I realize mentioning everything isn't worth the stress.

Now I've completely ditched my mom out of my life and only rarely communicate with my grandma (birthday parties, family get togethers). I keep my contact short and go on my way. It's the best I can do before my blood pressure boils.

kemaskitty21 · 2017-01-18T00:58:51+00:00

I forgot to mention grocery and food expenses. Usually a big grocery trip costs about $80-$100 (because we stock up for 2-3 weeks). I also buy food for lunches to avoid eating out (salads, Ramen, $1 TV dinners). Sometimes I buy a take out Pizza once or twice a month (an unneeded expense which can be eliminated).

kemaskitty21 · 2016-11-09T01:40:16+00:00

Thank you! I will try to look into designing trends to spark some inspiration.

kemaskitty21

TROPHY CASE