Straddling the Hudson with a book in hand

By the way, for my IRL friends: if you need a place to stay for a night in my area, let me know!

I have both a comfy love seat and a queen-size air mattress and they are calling your name.

It looks like this.

Turns out I just can’t get any coursework done unless I’m listening to the Debussy Pandora station.

As with most of the major transitions in my life, I expected a bigger feeling of change than what actually occurred. I officially moved to Jersey City yesterday and have spent most of today unpacking. I like my neighborhood (and its proximity to a grocery store - holla!) and in general life seems pretty sweet. I know there are plenty of Jersey haters out there but you know what? Jersey is my home and it seems appropriate that I’m back on my side of the river. An interesting tidbit - when my dad moved from Puerto Rico to the States, he moved to an apartment building that is actually across the street from where I live now. He lived in building #83 and I live in #80. Full-circle weirdness, right? That’s a great introduction to a memoir right there.

Right now I’m sipping on the Teavana Ayurvedic white chai that one of my roommates left in the dorm (with milk and sugar of course). I just finished throwing out all the expired coupons in my coupon binder and cutting the new ones.

My packing strategy is as follows - unpack one container completely at a time and alternate between rooms. Since friends will be popping in and out through the week to see the place, it doesn’t seem to make sense to have the bedroom be a pristine example of the post-graduate existence while the living room looks like an unsuccessful episode of Hoarders. It feels more like a real home now that I have internet and perishable food in the refrigerator. 

Pre-service training starts in T-minus 11 days and I’m reading Teach Like a Champion (okay, re-reading for those of you who know how fast I tear through books). 

Is it awkward and weird that I keep rehearsing the exercises in the mirror? Do I look odd? 

Indeed.

whatshouldwecallpoets:

Yes! 

(Source: whatshouldwecallme)

I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier.

I got tired of waiting to be that mythical smaller size and bought clothes that fit me right now. Today.

Feels amazing.

Hey y’all.

As some of you may know, I’m very interested in health and nutrition. In my own life I try to lead as healthy a lifestyle as possible but I want to be clear - size and health are not the same thing.

Right now I’m watching The Weight of the Nation and while I think that some great points are being made, there is way too much of an emphasis on fat acquisition. I definitely think that there are some really important aspects of the food industry that need to be exposed. The way that companies target children for sugary cereals and drinks creates a pattern from childhood that is extremely difficult to break as an adult. The same thing goes for fast food and casual dining (places like Applebee’s, TGIFriday’s, etc.) Portion size is very hard to understand when you’re going out to eat or you need to pick up something quick before or after work. The most revelatory statistic in this documentary to me is that there is a strong relationship between BMI (which is a pretty dodgy number IMHO but go with me for a moment) and zip code. 

So back to health. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. If two people eat exactly the same thing and do the same exact physical activity, they will look different. So I’m not talking about weight or size here at all.

Given that a lot of aspects of the food industry make it so that we don’t have as much individual choice as we’d like to believe, I still want to outline a few things that I’ve picked up in my search for the healthiest and most practical lifestyle for me.

Find a physical activity you like to do. 

Now a lot of these tip are going to seem totally duh-obvious but go with me here! A lot of people think the only way they can be healthy is if they go hamster-wheeling on the treadmill. This is the opposite of true. Actually some of those machines in the gym can injure your joints and cause undue stress on parts of your body if you aren’t careful. So go and find a sport or an activity you actually like. Maybe you’re a team-player. See if there’s an intramural league near you! Worried about city-living? Brooklyn’s got an intramural softball league and they play every Saturday. Maybe you’re more of a soloist. Try swimming, biking, tennis, etc. Maybe sports aren’t for you at all! How about dance? Do you go out every Friday night and shake your booty? Do you have a dog? Go for walks. Like parks? Play some frisbee. How about museums? Do a brisk walk in the Museum of Natural History. Seriously, the possibilities are endless.

I just went rock-climbing for the first time. It was fantastic. Too bad it’s pricey. Waiting for those discount days! 

Next tip.

Learn to cook. Learn to like cooking.

Here is another seeming no-brainer and I’m going to hear a lot of reasons why people can’t do this. You don’t have enough time in the day. You’re too tired when you get home from work. To the first excuse, I say, spend less time in front of the TV or on Facebook and you will magically get an extra two hours out of your day. To the second, I completely understand being exhausted from a long day of work. However! Doing more physical activity (as per Tip #1) will give you more energy! You’ll sleep better, you’ll be happier (endorphins baby) etc. Cooking is not only healthy for you, it’s healthy for your wallet. Going out to eat accounts for 50% of our food expenditures! Isn’t that nuts? Why waste this money when you can be at home, eating a meal that hasn’t been frozen and reheated? 

Anyway, that’s all for today.

Anonymous asked: You are so beautiful. i wish i could kiss you.

Well thank you!

Tumblr is a nice place :)

For the next few days on Tumblr/Twitter I’ll be posting advice and suggestions for people who are stuck in a rut.

Why is this important to me? Because I feel that one of the worst places to be is in a place of inaction. Sometimes we get stuck because we’re paralyzed by the weight of our lives or we’re just tired of moving forward. So we slow down (which is fine in and of itself) but sometimes we slow down so much we just stop. Whether that rut is physical (maybe you aren’t taking care of your body the way you should be) or emotional (maybe you haven’t addressed some demons or anxieties that are plaguing you) or intellectual (maybe you haven’t challenged yourself to read a difficult book or write about a tough subject), here are some ideas to get you out of whatever trench you may have inadvertently dug for yourself.

Stuck in a Rut Tip #1

Make a list of all the things you love to do that make you feel good.

Sounds silly right? It’s not. Sometimes we forget the little things in life that make us happy. Here’s my list.

1. Read epic fantasy series.
2. Listen to classical and jazz music station on Pandora.
3. Drink chai.
4. Sit outside in my parents’ backyard.
5. Swim.
6. Cook delicious food.
7. Eat delicious food.
8. Bake delicious desserts.
9. Write in my journal.
10. Work my novel.
11. Draw or color with markers, crayons, etc.
12. Walk. 
13. Bike.
14. Work out.
15. Talk to a friend on the phone.
16. Paint my nails.
17. Style my hair.
18. Put make-up on.
19. Wear a cute outfit.
20. Play board games.
21. Play video games.
22. Organize things.
23. Clean rooms.
24. Watch bad reality television.
25. Watch fantastic movies.
26. Watch great comedy sitcoms.
27. Try do-it-yourself home improvement projects.

Anyway, this is just my list and it’s only the first 27 things that came to my head.

Now, Step 2: When you are feeling down or stuck in your rut, do one of the things on your list. 

Keep in mind though, some of the things on your list may be contributing to your rut. Maybe you feel not so good physically because you’ve been eating too much delicious food. Do another thing on the list that helps your rut. Go for that walk. Take a bike ride to a pretty place. But do something - that’s the important part.

2 Days, 16 Hours, 47 Minutes until Commencement