I’m Free(lance)!

Today marks an exciting milestone for me—it’s my last day at work.

That filing system was full of magazines–you should’ve seen me try to carry them all. Pure comedy.

About a month ago, after a very candid conversation with one of my supervisors (who is super-awesome and truly cares about my goals), I made the decision to leave my job. Though I worked nearly full-time this summer, my position was temporary, so there were no guarantees in salaried job placement. I’ve recently started taking on freelance production and writing jobs in hopes of eventually moving in that direction, but it’s going so well that I’ve decided to make it my full-time gig.

My favorite DIY story to date

This has been a dream of mine for a little over a year now, after interning at magazines in both New York and Des Moines. As much as I love office “culture”—not a day goes by I’m not laughing hysterically about something ridiculous someone’s said—I’m not a fan of sitting in a cubicle, and I don’t envy all of the responsibility (administrative tasks, daily meetings, handling issues) on-staff editors have to juggle. Freelancing allows me to sort of sidestep those things, while still doing what I love (and yes, making more money, but we all know journalists would choose another profession if they did it for the income). I honestly didn’t see this happening for a few years, as several successful freelancers I know worked on staff for years before going out on their own. But for me, the time is right and I feel ready to take a leap of faith. Meh, I’ve never been much for conventionalism anyway.

Next step: Get my home office (more) organized.

To sort of commemorate my last day, the BHG special interest team is lunching with me at Exile Brewery, a new brew pub/restaurant that just opened about a block from work on Walnut Street. I don’t think any of us have been there before, so we’re excited to try their menu.

Another exciting, “new Chelsea” thing: Last night, I got my hair cut and colored by Ellie at her salon, Bombshell Hair Design.

I didn’t do anything too crazy—just a trim, some lowlights (I don’t actually know if that’s what they’re called; I’m just talking) and a little bit of red underneath. It may not have been much, but I did look like this at one point:

Kind of look like forks in my hair, right?

The after, which makes me realize how badly I needed my bangs trimmed (compare this to my “About Me” picture…yeah, I need a new one now):

Can we talk about how excited I am that it’s Friday? I don’t even have any crazy plans for the night (unless you count sorting clothes for Plato’s Closet, doing laundry and planning my first Girls on the Run practice as “crazy plans”), but tomorrow’s the big game!

2009 field-storming after the team qualified for a bowl game

We’ve been on the losing end for a while now, but last year we came back for a big victory. It was an awesome way to close my college career—I’m pretty sure there were tears of joy all over the tailgate lots. I’m going to watch the game with some friends tomorrow (a few alumni, some still in school at ISU). I only wish it were a home game this year so I could experience the madness if we win again. We bleed cardinal and gold!

Check This Out: 6 Gluten-Free Foods That Make You Fat

I’m not featuring this link so much because I want to talk about the food products, but more because I’m confused on how gluten suddenly became a mainstream talking point in the health industry. Recently, there’s been a surge of gluten-free options popping up at restaurants and grocery stores. I think that’s great–if you’re one of the ~1% of Americans who can’t consume gluten. I’ve yet to understand why people without digestive health issues are bothering with gluten-free diets. In fact, I’m sure some of those who are doing it for the fad and not for their health are actually gaining weight because they don’t know how to do it right (sort of like going vegetarian and eating potato chips and meat substitutes all day). If your body won’t tolerate gluten, don’t eat it. If it will, eat a slice of bread already. Healthy grains contain vital nutrients—why cut that out of your diet? Moderation, folks. I’ll step off my soapbox now.

Your Turn: Have you ever tried a gluten-free diet for reasons other than digestive health?

I’m off to the last day of work. Wish me luck at finishing my last story today—it’s a doozy but I can’t wait until I can share it with you guys…in January. Ah, magazine life.

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