"Hey Dude!" | Welcome to the Blog!

First and foremost, welcome to my first EVER post on my new blog! If you don't know who I am, Hi! I'm Laura, and I make daily pep-talk videos on TikTok. I also write poetry, brew coffee, consume coffee, talk about consuming coffee, think about consuming coffee, dream about consuming coffee... but most people know me from my positivity TikTok videos (@Lauraricebowl).

Starting a blog has been a dream of mine since middle school, and like most middle school dreams, it got put on the backburner, left to simmer, simmer, simmer... until the dream evaporated all together.

Now, at twenty-two, I'm making the executive decision to change that. Re-vaporate it, if you will. It's blog time!

My Coffee As I Write This Blog Post - Peppermint Cream Cold Brew!

Addressing the Hey Dude "Controversy"

If you've seen literally any video of mine, you'll likely have heard the phrase "Hey Dude!" come out of my mouth. It seems innocent enough. I've used that as a greeting for friends my whole life.

I could never have prepared myself for the controversy that using "Hey Dude," as my signature greeting, would spark on the internet! Though some people adore the phrase, the amount of comments and DM's I get saying that the word is alienating surprised me. I've always thought of it as a sort of genderless, formless phrase. So I'm clearing the air now!

"Dude," as used in the Seattleite culture, simply means person! Human! Friend! Being! Entity! That's all I mean when I say, "Hey Dude."" It's an endearing phrase.

Now that the "controversy" is sorted, what's the plan for the blog?

This blog is first and foremost a passion project! I'll be writing about things that inspire me: book club posts, poems, short stories, life lessons, friendly reminders and personal rambles... Maybe a coffee tier list? The possibilities are endless and there's so much fun to be had.

Ever since watching the sims 3 series Anon on Diamonddx's YouTube (niche, I know), I wanted to start a blog. In the series, the main character Chelsea, blogs about all the drama that unfolds in her life: BOYS. SCHOOL. SCANDALS. PARTIES. FALL OUTS.

I'll probably end up having none of that, but Anon IS my origin story. I want to encapsulate the fun, feel-good, un-serious feeling I had when watching those videos. After all, life is so deadly serious all the time. I need something to lift my spirits.

Edinburgh

Wait... so who even are YOU?

Hi again, I'm Laura! It's nice to meet you. I spent the past year living in Edinburgh and traveling around Europe on a High Potential Individual Visa (HPI Visa) that I got from university. I was lucky enough to live in the best city in the world, Edinburgh, and meet some really amazing people. Living on your own, a ten hour flight from your nearest relative, changes you. I've learned to become independent, maybe to a fault.

I enjoy reading, writing (particularly writing poems about my travels... check out my poetry book Homesick in the products page), jogging, talking with my friends, and hanging out with my cat. I've always been a bit shy, but when I work up the courage and social energy, I do really enjoy a nice pub night, and I will NEVER say no to trivia... although I apparently have very limited knowledge on every topic that they seem to pick.

So, that's me in a nutshell! Twenty-two, not sure what my life plan is but still trying to enjoy it, anyway.

Thank you for your support!

With all that being said, I'm happy to have you here. I feel empowered to pursue the dreams I once let go of because of all the kindness y'all have spread to our small community. I am quite literally the luckiest girl in the world to know so many sweet people. Thank you for being YOU! Thank you for spreading love! Thank you for reminding me of my own capabilities! I'm excited to see where this road takes me and you and us.

It will be fun, guys!

Lots of love,

Laura