Change, and other things on my mind.

09 Nov, 2026

I've been thinking a lot about change lately.

I don't graduate until July, but in just a few weeks most of my friends are graduating. We've spent the last 4-5 years together, and now we have one last class together tomorrow. It's strange to think of returning to campus next year without them - of not having our Tuesday lunches at the uni bar or our eight-hour sessions in windowless computer labs or the Thursdays we've spent in our favourite (secret?) study room¹.

So that's changing.

But I'm also heading into my last summer here. My last six or seven months of knowing exactly where I am and what I'm doing. After July, I have no idea what comes next. No idea where I'll be or when I'll go. And for someone who enjoys structure and routine and planning ahead, that's a little terrifying.

So I've been thinking a lot about this web comic (?) I saw recently.

And this quote I use to have as my phone lockscreen: change is scary, but so is staying the same.

Most of the beautiful things in my life I have now came from change. The home I've made in this city and the friends I can't imagine not seeing three or four times a week and my degree and my relationship and the hobbies and habits I have now. They all came from changes that were, at the time, scary.

So I'm trying to be a little less scared of the upcoming chapter, because it too will also be beautiful and new and exciting. And I'm trying to stay present and enjoy what I've got now without letting my mind race too far ahead.

Other than change, I've been thinking a lot about:

• A shirt I saw recently that said "I'm too pretty to do math" and how angry it made me. Because "prettiness" and intelligence are not mutually exclusive, and I'm sick of women dumbing themselves down or the reinforcement of the dusty old stereotypes of the "ugly duckling/geek" and the "dumb hot girl". Because in 2025 women made up only 16% of the STEM-qualified occupations in Australia² and it's frustrating to see companies selling the idea that conventional attractiveness makes intelligence unnecessary.

• 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker, a book I read recently that explores the psychological effects of war, the clash between beliefs and obligation, and how our views are shaped and change over time. It's a historical fiction set during WWI and is perhaps the most thought-provoking book I've read this year.

• All the brilliant Aussie music that's been coming out recently. My favourites of the last few months are the new albums by the DMA'S, Julia Jacklin and Gretta Ray.

• We have a whiteboard in our house right now that is tracking our "days without moths". And thanks to two moths that flew out of a pair of underwear over the weekend its back to 0.

• Someone told me recently that they don't care much about politics because they don't think their vote really changes anything. What doesn't change anything is apathy, and I hope you, and I, never feel that way. Your vote holds so much power and I hope, when it's time for elections again, that you take the time to consider how you'd like to use it. They Vote For You is a brilliant resource for this.

• Mum & Dad are coming to visit soon! And then I have a few excuses for trips home early next year because one sister is having a kid and the other is getting married. I miss home a lot, and I miss the family.

Anyhow. I'm a sappy person, so while I've been thinking about all this scary (and beautiful) change, I've spent a lot of time making a cake to take to uni tomorrow to celebrate with the cohort. And I've been listening to this song by Julia Jacklin, that you'll love if you're also a little bit sappy and scared (and excited) by all this change.

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