...a mountain of paperwork...

We can use the phrase 'a mountain of something' to talk about a large quantity of something.

e.g. Can you give me a hand? There's a mountain of washing up to do.

...I do my best to rise above it...

To "rise above something" means to not let a difficult situation or negative behavior affect you. It's about staying calm and behaving well even when things are hard or when others are being unkind. We use this phrase when talking about dealing with problems or conflicts in a mature and positive way.

e.g. Try to rise above the gossip at work and focus on doing your job well.

...in one go...

If you do something in one go, then you do it all at once, without stopping or taking breaks. You complete the task or action in a single attempt.

e.g. I was so thirsty, I drank the whole bottle of water in one go.

...I'm on a tight budget...

If you're on a tight budget then money is limited and must be carefully controlled. There's little or no room for extra expenses beyond essential costs.

e.g. We're on a tight budget this month, so we can't afford to eat out

...this time around...

"This time around" refers to the current instance or occurrence of something, often implying a contrast with previous or future times, or suggesting that things may be different now compared to before/after.

e.g. I know I've picked some bad films recently, but I'm pretty sure it's a good one this time around.

...I'll just leave it until...

The phrase "I'll leave it" is used to say that you're choosing not to do or have something, or to not continue with something.

e.g. It doesn't look like we're going to reach an agreement on this, so I think it's best if we leave it for now.

...make sure it fits before diving in...

If you dive into something, you start or engage in something enthusiastically, quickly, or without hesitation. 

e.g. Beginning an essay is usually the hardest part. Don't overthink it, just dive in and start writing.

...we used to be inseparable...

When two people are very close and spend a lot of time together, we can describe them as inseparable.

e.g. I grew up on the same street as my cousin, and we were pretty much inseparable.

...it was a spur of the moment thing...

If you do something on the spur of the moment, then you do it spontaneously, without planning it in advance.

A spur of the moment thing/decision is a spontaneous thing/decision.

e.g. I'm sorry we didn't invite you to the cinema with us. It was a spur of the moment thing, to be honest.

...I lead on scammers...

If you lead someone on, you trick them into believing something isn't true. In this context, the man is making the scammers believe that their scam is working. In the process, they waste their time and increase the risk of getting caught.

e.g. She doesn't love you - she's just leading you on.

...I've been able to unravel a whole lot of scams...

If you unravel a knot or a piece of knitted fabric, you separate it into a single thread or threads. Someone can do this themselves (they unravel something) or it can happen by itself (it unravels).

e.g. My jumper is starting to unravel at the sleeves - I need to get it fixed.

We use this word metaphorically to say that something (often a plan) is going wrong or falling apart.

e.g. When the main investor pulled out, everything started to unravel quickly.

...I've always tried to keep that in mind...

If you keep something or somebody in mind, then you make an effort to remember somebody or something.

e.g. Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind.

e.g. Please keep me in mind for any other vacancies that open in up the near future.

...I like to travel slowly...

If you like to do something, then it is your preference. Note the difference with like doing something, which means to enjoy something. Compare:

e.g. I like to wake up early so I can have a relaxed breakfast (= waking up early is my choice/preference)

e.g. I like waking up early - I've always been a morning person (= I enjoy waking up early)

...makes people more inclined to...

If you are inclined to do something, then you are likely to do it or are considering doing it.

e.g. Both candidates were impressive, but overall I'm inclined to offer the job to the first one, as she has more relevant experience.

It can also mean that you have a tendency to do something:

e.g. He's a good student, but he's inclined to be quite lazy at times.

...to open up...

If you open up to someone then you become more communicative, trusting and honest with someone.

e.g. After a few drinks he really opened up to me about his childhood.

...I always looked up to them...

If you look up to somebody, then you admire and respect them. They are a role model for you.

e.g. Remember that your little brother looks up to you, so you must set him a good example.

...One guy in particular wrote me...

This is an example of a difference between American and British English.

In American English, you write somebody (i.e. send them a message of some kind), while in British English you write to somebody. Same meaning, but British English requires the preposition to.

...this experience gets even worse...

When we use even + comparative we are adding a kind of emphasis to the comparison.

If situation B is even better than situation A, then situation A was already good, and the comparison requires a bit of extra emphasis.

e.g. My last job was seriously stressful, but my new one is even worse.

e.g. Somehow, May was even wetter than April this year.

...that was the big hurdle for me...

In athletics, hurdling is the event in which runners have to jump over multiple obstacles while sprinting.

We can use the word hurdle to describe an obstacle or a challenge.

e.g. Our offer has been accepted, so the next hurdle will be to convince the bank to provide funding.

...getting over nerves...

The phrasal verb to get over something means to overcome a challenge or a difficult situation, to get past something that is preventing you from doing something.

e.g. Joining the drama club at school really helped my to get over my shyness and become more confident.

...what would you do if you found out...

The phrasal verb to find something out means to discover or reveal something.

e.g. He was fired after his manager found out that he had been badmouthing the company to important clients.

...just put that out there first...

This is a variant of the phrase 'I'm just putting that out there', which is a way of introducing an idea or an opinion into a discussion. This might be to establish background information (as in this case), or to make a low-pressure suggestion or point.

e.g. I'm just putting this out there, but it might be time to have a word with Tom about getting into the office on time.

...nothing could have prepared me...

The past modal structures could have and couldn't have are used to describe hypothetical past possibilities and impossibilities. We're describing things that didn't happen.

e.g. You shouldn't hold yourself responsible for what happened. There was nothing you could have done to help.

...it was...dusk and dawn...

Dusk is last light, dawn is first light.

Dusk happens after sunset, dawn happens before sunrise.

...all at once...

The phrase all at once is used to mean at the same time or suddenly.

e.g. When I finished my presentation, everyone started talking to me all at once.

...they'll be like...

This is a common way to report words and thoughts in a more informal, direct way.

e.g. When my boss asked me if I could work on Saturday again I was like, are you joking?

Compare the same sentence using standard reported speech:

e.g. When my boss asked me if I could work on Saturday again I asked her if she was joking.

...the chances of...

We can use the structure the chance(s) of something (happening) to talk about the probability of something.

e.g. I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you. The chances of him changing his mind are virtually zero.

 ...astronomically low...

The adverb astronomically can be used to strongly emphasise certain adjectives, with a similar meaning to extremely.

e.g. That hotel is lovely but it's astronomically expensive. Can you find somewhere cheaper?