Sunday, February 28, 2010

i moved!

Here I am, settled in a lovely apartment that I'll be residing in for the next two and a half months. Having crashed here before for an extended period of time, it didn't take long to put everything in it's place. Seriously. We're talkin' ten minutes or so to be unpacked.

The move went extremely smoothly. I got home from work yesterday, procrastinated packing, eventually packed, and the mover (with the help of Molly, Caitlin, Angelo, and Angelo) got everything in his van in less than 45 minutes. If you are ever moving in the NYC metro area, I highly recommend Lightning Van movers, as does everyone else on Yelp.

I rode with the mover to my house in Pennsylvania, where he unloaded everything in about twenty minutes. He was on his way back to the city by 11:30pm. Golden.

I spent hours trying to organize my bedroom. HOURS. Both late last night and this morning/early afternoon. By the time I left my house this afternoon, I had three enormous bags of trash, two trash bags full of clothes to donate, and a bag of broken down boxes and other paper products to be recycled.

My room is really coming along, but I haven't even TOUCHED the stuff I brought in from my NYC apartment. There just wasn't any time. For now, it will all remain in my brother's vacant bedroom until Spring break, during which I'll spend days getting it all sorted.

I should also mention: A majority of my Harry Potter memorabilia has been put together in a bin to be held in storage in my basement, along with just two or so posters. The rest of the posters and things have met their end in the trash. Same with my Lord of the Rings stuff.

It's just time.

My mom is thrilled to be redecorating my room. New carpet, paint on the walls, etc. It will look classy and nice for the first time in countless years. I was an obsessed adolescent, bathing my walls with whatever the current fascination was. Now, it will be clean, symmetrical, and decorated with things like framed pictures and art.

I'm all grown up!

...and officially with an activated credit card.

I'm so legit.

Friday, February 26, 2010

a good day

I'm in a great mood so, naturally, I've decided to blog while rocking out to Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA.

Today was such a wonderful day. I woke up at 7:15am to get ready for class after going to sleep way too late. I thought it was a long shot, but I checked my school's website to see if classes were cancelled due to the weather.

They were.

I went back to sleep and woke up at 11am, texted the woman I babysit for and asked if she'd still need me today.

She didn't.

Just after I finished making my bed and was about to hop in the shower, Molly called and asked if I would join her, Felicia, and Caitlin for lunch at a great coffee shop up the block. We stayed for over two hours just chatting (aside from Felicia who had to catch a flight home!) and I even got some studying done.

Afterward, I packed all my food, some shoes, and shower/toiletries to trek out to Brooklyn so I wouldn't have to tomorrow. Through the snow and deep slush puddles at each corner carrying at least 100 pounds of stuff... it was one of the most physically demanding things I've ever done. My hands were screaming with impending blisters, my arms wanted to rip from their sockets, etc.

I made it.

Upon arrival, I couldn't bring myself to get home and pack. SO. We watched the first disc of season three of How I Met Your Mother (wonderful, as always) and ordered Thai food for dinner.

I came home with my light, empty suitcase, stopping only to get some quality boxes from a wine shop on my way home, and took a hot shower.

So here I am, long day behind me, showered and fresh, ready to get some packing done. Sure, it's a little late and I have work in the morning, but I feel good.

And Miley keeps it going.

<3

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

morning greetings

I know I updated like, 5 minutes ago, but what I want to say is more than 140 characters and therefore too long for a mere twitter update (yes, still refusing to use the socially accepted term for "twitter update").

I'm very tired. I went to sleep a little after 4am, and I was awoken by my heating pipe apparently being beaten with a metal bat and other such objects. No, seriously. I do not know how these sounds were physically possible.

Long story short: I'm on a few hours of sleep.

I have classes all day, then I'm going straight to work. I have to watch a film tonight so I can write a 5-7 page paper on it all day tomorrow, due in the evening. Then I have to move.

BUT. My main point is: I'm feeling motivated. Well, not so much motivated as I am... accepting. I want this semester to be over ASAP. I want my college career to be over ASAP. But until then, I'm going to kick this semester's ass. It's likely I will complain, but I'll come out of this alive AND with good grades.

So.

PS. I've been meaning to say this for a while. I've been really appreciate of the comments on my blog. I frequently reply to them in my mind. Is there no way to reply to comments on blogger? So sad. I read them all!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

c-c-changes

A lot has happened since I got to Florida on Thursday.

Essentially, a bad living situation has been addressed, and I'll be moving out on Saturday. So while down here in Florida, I've been making plans with movers and friends and some more friends about getting out of this apartment as soon as humanly possible. I didn't think it was going to happen until the end of March, but thankfully I have amazing friends who will help me out. I'll be living in Brooklyn for the remainder of the semester and avoiding a lot of conflict.

I may or may not make a passive video without details or names that kind of gives the general idea of what's been going on at my NYC apartment.

In the long run, this move is going to result in: saving around $2000 in rent and utilities, living in a warm apartment and will no longer need 6 blankets, a school commute cut from over an hour to under a half hour, getting more sleep, no longer becoming stressed at home after being stressed at school, and most importantly, I'll be much happier.

The next time I move, it'll be to this very apartment I'm staying in in Florida no later than December 2010.


So anyway.

I'm still in Florida, but I'll be leaving tonight. Cade is still in class, but he'll be home soon. We'll have seven hours to hold on to until next time, whenever that may be.

<3

Monday, February 15, 2010

vegetarian

I've never preached about vegetarianism to meat-eaters, and I won't preach today.

But, quite frankly, with all we know (well, all that we have ACCESS to learn), I can't understand how people eat meat. I just can't wrap my head around it. Do you understand what you're eating? I don't think you do.

Whether meat-eater or vegetarian or pescetarian or lacto-vegetarian or ovo-vegetarian or lacto-ovo-vegetarian or don't have the slightest clue about our food and where it comes from or have interest in learning about it all, I recommend the following:

30 Days: Season 3, Episode 3 - "Animal Rights" Click the link to watch for free on hulu.com. For the record, as much as I support their cause, I think some of the people in this episode are crazy.

Food Inc. Found on instant play on Netflix. You can get a free 2-week trial and cancel it before they charge you.

EDIT: Also, the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Karen commented this post with this recommendation, and I totally forgot to have added it in the first place. This is the book that made me go vegetarian cold-turkey (HA. Turkey. Vegetarian) over 3 years ago. Good book.

The episode of 30 Days is hard to watch. To be honest, I wasn't able to finish it. I warn you now because it would be unfair of me to recommend it without proper warning. Side note: I highly recommend all the episodes of 30 Days. It teaches you so much and it's really entertaining.

Food Inc. is also difficult, but it has significantly less images of animal brutality and butchering. Unfortunately, there is definitely some. Feel free to skip around. I had to a few times. Other than that, it says a lot about where ALL of our food comes from and how it's processed and so on. It's done in an aesthetically pleasing way; lots of bright colors. It's not boring,


If you watch/have watched either of these or something like it, tell me in the comments. While I said I won't preach, I'd love to hear some reactions or thoughts on vegetarianism or meat-eating. My boyfriend and his family are steak-loving Texans. I won't judge you :)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

junk food

Ah, today.

First allow me to give you a heads up. Today was craving day of, how my boyfriend refers to it, the Monster (aka the monthly friend girls must deal with).

Normally, I'm not much for sweets. I keep a few bars of various Lindt dark chocolate in my freezer so that, after a meal, I can eat one square and be good to go. On this day each month, I am ravenous for sweet things. My job just so happens to be surrounded by cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc AND we are ALLOWED to eat whatever we want for free while on the clock.

As I twittered, I ate a third of a cupcake (the "chocolate snowball" to be precise. A chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate ganache and edged in chocolate sprinkles). I also had half of a walnut brownie, a chocolate florentine cookie, and an almond ribbon.

Oh yeah. That happened.

I calculate it to come to around 570-600 calories. Now, at the time I thought I had lost my mind. In retrospect, I realize I have to chill out sometimes. I never eat sweets like that and, quite frankly, in the name of being female, I deserved every bite of it. I ate a veggie taco from Chipotle for dinner (around 300 calories) and pasta for lunch (200-300 calories).

Normally I would never post a kind of blog in which I divulge the exact number of calories like the psychopath that I am, but I find it to be rather soothing to know the number and assure the world I didn't consume 9874 calories today. I'm odd.

So, in the end, I had just the right amount for the day, though I should DEFINITELY not consume so much chocolate and sugar until *next* month.

Moral of the story: Indulge every now and then and don't feel bad about it. <3



chocolate snowball.


walnut brownie.


chocolate florentine cookies.


almond cookies. the cookie I had looks similar to this, only it was as thin as paper. small little guys, they are!

Monday, February 8, 2010

monday

Mondays are my favorite.

Mondays are busy and involve a lot of getting around. A LOT.

Today I took a route home unlike my usual. Some parts of the lower east side are nice. Very "New York." I stopped in a shop and bought Cade a couple more things for Valentine's Day (that we'll be celebrating together a weekend late, though we're pretending we're right on time). Fun things. If you know what I mean (HIGHFIVE).

It's a cold night, but I love times when I can take a long walk and appreciate the city. Especially after spending most of my time worrying about school and work and schoolwork and the FuTuRe.

Now, I'm all cozy. I'm going to pack my lunch in my new insulated lunch bag (seen here) because I am cool like that, get some work done, and RELAX before I call it a night.

You're alright, Monday, no matter what those other kids say.

EDIT: And then, after being in my PJs for an hour, I decided I needed frozen yogurt (and shared on twitter), and then Molly came with me to get some. It was good.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

fifty

This is my fiftieth post.

Hooray?

I'm randomly on blogger, so I figured I might as well post something. Also, one of my classes will be using blogger, so if a classmate/teacher clicks my username and comes across this blog, then... awkward.

This semester I'm taking five film studies courses (and French 1), and in all of these classes I'll be required to write. A lot. Quite frankly, I'm so pumped about it. I haven't been asked to write for a class in ages. Unfortunately, it's going to be so much that I'm inevitably going to be overwhelmed. But hey, last full semester.

Then I am FREE.

Monday, February 1, 2010

TGIF

Thank God it's February (clever, isn't it?).

I feel as though the universe has decided to cut me some slack to start out the new month, and I am eternally grateful. From the moment I was awoken by my landlord buzzing up to the apartment at 9am, everything just felt right.

You see, my room has been nearly as cold as the outdoors in the night for months. This weekend, New York City reached dangerous lows, and my bedroom had been unbearable. Having already called the landlord multiple times to come look at it, I couldn't take it anymore after this weekend, during which it was so cold, I cried as I tried to fall asleep.

SO, this weekend, I left them a message that they would get Monday (today) morning. I was so angry and cold in the morning getting ready for work that I spent an hour planning the speech in my head. In the end, I said something like, "If I don't have a new and better insulated window or adequate heat by next weekend, I'm calling the city, the health department and, if necessary, a lawyer."

By 9 in the morning today, he was here. All he had to do was slam the top window shut (apparently it was OPEN? but so slightly that I couldn't tell) and screw some pieces in.

Voila.

Tonight, my friends, I came home to a warm bedroom.

Sure, it's a little cold, but it's Winter. And, hey, my fingers aren't numb!

When you're taking six class (five days a week), working two jobs (four days a week), you want to come home to relax. But for months, I was only able to come home, change as fast as possible, and get under six blankets PLUS a heating blanket and force myself to sleep.

This was the perfect end to an already productive, pleasant day.

I so genuinely hope you are all warm and happy.