This week in review

Went home for the weekend. Pet my dogs. Ate some food. Apparently, I have friends because people texted me to hang out. It’s nice to say no every once in a while. Watched some Orange is the New Black.  Attended a cute dinner party situation in the mountains at my old neighbor’s new house.

In the city, I attended a comedy show, questioned my life choices, ate some froyo, and got Donut Plant donuts at work (coconut and crème brulee kill me). Yeah- I am jealous of my job, too. Oh, speaking of my job, we are the top media agency in ‘Murica. #winning #xmlove

The usual: ate some food, slept too much, and partied a bit

This past weekend was nice. I was exhausted Friday after work and the gym. I actually had no appetite and was struggling to stay awake, but ate dinner (peppers stuffed with meat and roasted potatoes) made by Kayla with her and Jen at 10 PM. It was really cute- expect for the fact that I could barely keep my eyes open and basically flatlined on our common area floor. 

Saturday, I got hot chocolate at City Bakery with Daniel, went kayaking on the Hudson, hit the gym, and ran some chores. I wanted to go to the Guggenheim for free Saturday night entry/ pay what you wish, but the line literally wrapped all the way about the square of the block and I went home. It was fail. I got m2m for dinner (real ginger in my ginger beer and rice noodles with veggies- sooooo good) because I needed to go grocery shopping and was exhausted. I watched some food tv on Hulu, took a nap, and headed over to the frat house. It was nice to hang out with Jon and I really like the rest of the frat bros. We went to Webster for a little bit (intending on hitting up two EDM performances), but I didn't stay super long. Jon wasn't feeling well and by the time we all headed back to the frat house, I was practically fast asleep. Kayaking + gym + dancing = exhausted Sarah. After hanging out at the frat house a little longer, I headed back to my apartment because I was too tired to function. Most of the boys headed back to Webster and I had a brief conversation with Michelle, Matt, and Daniel. I have no idea why I was so tired.

On Sunday, I literally slept all day. I woke up occasionally to feed myself, but otherwise was pretty much dead. I had the worst head ache ever and my whole body ached- it was really weird. I made myself get up (and stay up for a whole of 5.5 hours!) so I would be able to wake up for work the next day. All I did was go to the gym (I felt so much better after!) and go to dinner with Michelle at Gandhi on Christmas Street. We got so much food and it was so good and I felt so happy. I love food and I hadn't seen Michelle all week, so it was really nice to catch up with her. Once I returned home, we watched some tv. 

We actually watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians last night, too. The episode was so good! Basically on Monday, all I did was go to work, the gym, and make myself food. I fed myself! For lunch yesterday, I went to the Union Square Greenmarket and got one of my favorite treats- mushroom focaccia- sooooo delish. Also momentous for Monday- I watched the pilot episode of Long Island Princesses and it may or may not (it did) change my life. Love love love my trash tv and had the chance to watch.  

For today, I felt kind of meh and walked to work early. One of my goals for the week is to be earlier to work. I also finagled my way into making the agency status breakfast from my choice of venue- Maison Kayser- and everything was so good! My life is semi-complete right now- just saying. Actually, that will likely be the highlight of my day. Later, I am going to Jon's gig. 

In other Sarah news, I am going home for the freakin' weekin'! Very excited for some home cookin' and some dog lovin' (hoping not to get bitten by Pierre again...). My prediction is that I will eat too much food and gain a lot of weight from this upcoming visit. There are probably other things for me to predict or share right now, but I am blanking. 

TBC...

Updates? Updates!

So as is typical of my writing habits, I have taken a hiatus. I am back, bitches! But actually, not much news to share. I have eaten lots of places and was sick last weekend, so I was pretty miserable. Feeling better this week. Planning on hanging out with friends and eating more food this weekend, which should be nice :) Things are really picking up at work and I ran a hot sauce taste test yesterday, which was fun. I also ate at Maison Kaiser, which just opened around the corner from where I work yesterday. It is going to be a major problem because the stuff is sooooooo good and sooooo unhealthy. Also, got free coolhaus (double chocolate cookie with salted chocolate Patron ice cream) for a movie promo- hell, yeah! In other food news, today is burger day- getting mango salsa black bean veggie burger, sweet potato fries, and a blueberry shake. #excited I guess the only other developments worth sharing are that I fail at reading books and changed my new book idea (not that I have written anything substantial yet). It turned more ranty than write-y (if that makes any sense). I guess I also might have made a new friend, which is never a bad thing. More updates to come... Love from the south of this wonderful city.

Arrivederci!  

NYC x 4th of July weekend

I had a lovely 4th of July weekend.

On the 4th, I went to Tompkins Square Park with Michelle, Daniel, Carrie, and Jon to tan and picnic. The next stop was Washington Square Park, where Jon and I swam in the fountain (yes, we know it is dirty) and walked around the park a bit. After, we watched a Bloomberg episode about Magic Johnson as a business man. It was really interesting. Then, I came back to the apartment where Daniel and Michelle had made dinner- chicken, rice, brussel sprouts, zucchini, fruit, and (bought) cheesecake. I cleaned up and made mango berry margaritas in the blender. Carrie came over later and we went to Sophie's boyfriend's rooftop to watch fireworks. Overall, it was really nice. My only complaint in that I got sunburned in the park even though I wore sunscreen. I am only a little lobster-y and it turned into a tan, but I guess I will just have to deal with the cancerous implications later in life...

Friday, I went to the gym, visited a museum, and went out with Sam, Alice, and her friend Antonella from Cali.

Saturday, I got brunch at Veselka with Sophie, went shopping at Urban (didn't buy anything because I was attempting to practice self restraint), and ran some chores. Later, I met up with my coworker Carolyn who is new to the city. She started around the same time as me, studied at Ithaca, and is from PA. She is super nice and I really like her. Anyway, we got overpriced (but delicious!) tea at Physical Graffitea (because I had been wanting to get it) and sat in Tompkins Square Park. Later, Joe came over to my apartment to do laundry. Then, the three of us met up with Sophie and got food at Hummus Place across the street. I got shakshuka and split a large chickpea hummus with everyone. Carolyn left and Joe, Sophie, and I hung out in my apartment for a little bit. Then, we all split up and I went out in Williamsburg. Why do I keep ending up in Brooklyn?

Sunday, I just didn't feel like doing much with my sunburn and just wasn't feeling well. My former plans to go to the beach and go kayaking fell through. I basically just finished some little chores and went to the gym, but I will be more productive next weekend.

---

I feel like every experience in life is a learning experience. I think I also think too much. Anyway, here are some realizations I wanted to share:
1. Relationships are really hard- to get someone to care about you and you to care about them. Plus, neither party should be flakey. #strugglecity
2. Feelings are hard to deal with. Why don't they teach this in school?
3. Personality counts for a ton in business and life in general. Why don't they teach this in school either?
4. I need to work on budgeting.
5. I want to really focus on work and step my game up big time. This is important to me and I want to give it my all.
6. We control our own happiness.
7. Don't wait for other people to do the things you want to do, because a lot of the time, you will never end up doing them.
8. Often what you think of someone is much more important than what they think of you. Besides, what other people think of us is none of our business.
9. I spend too much time on the internet. I want to spend more time in real life, smelling the flowers, reading books, and not worrying about what person x has posted on Facebook/ Twitter/ Tumblr in the latest day. There are much more important things for me to focus my energy on.
10. I need to make a bigger commitment to eating healthily.
11. I used to think that people were fundamentally evil. Instead, I think that (for the most part) people really are trying their best everyday, but don't always make the best decisions and usually focus on themselves. In return, their actions could easily be interpreted as horrible/ evil/ mean, when in that individual's own perception of reality, they were acting in an appropriate way and doing what is best for themselves. Of course, this is not always true, but I felt like ranting a little bit.
12. I get attached to people super easily. Not in a needy way, I just care and have an affinity towards certain people.
13. I need to take my own writing more seriously. We will see how that goes...

At this point in time,  I feel like work and relationship-wise, things are pretty stable. I want to maintain and build this stability for now. Things are good and I don't want to mess it all up because I almost did that this weekend.

love & trying to make the most of it all

I had a major realization yesterday. My endorphins were killing it post-workout. I had gone a little too hard at the gym and I knew I would be sore the next day, but I felt so good. I couldn't stop smiling and everything seemed so beautiful. I wish that I could appreciate the world in this way all of the time, but I was just really feeling it on my walk home. There were trees and birds and the sky and I felt so thankful so everything in my life. I felt really happy- not for any reason except for being alive.

Basically, I realized something I already knew- when you have people who really love you and care about you, life is so much easier. I could have been upset about a quite a few things happening in my life at the moment. Instead, I was dealing with everything is stride and taking things as they came. Nothing is terrible right now, but I just felt like I have so much to be thankful for and am more mature. Everything seemed easier to deal with than it would have been at a different point in my life because I have amazing friends who support and love me. So, here is a shout out to Jon, Michelle, Kayla, Daniel, Sam, Audrey, Cristina, and everyone else. You are wonderful and I love you so, so much.

To put some extra cheese in the cheese-y-ness, here are some things I am thankful for:

1. Friends

2. Family

3. Living in NYC

4. Finishing school

5. Having had the opportunity to travel so much

6. My beautiful apartment

7. My job

8. The internet. The beautiful, distracting internet.

9. My health. I think it is easy to take for granted that I can run and hear and see, but not everyone can. One day, I may not be so healthy and will not be able to continue on this journey. I am just trying to make the most of it all.

This realization also brought me to the conclusion that if I were to be in a relationship, the most important thing to me (besides personality compatibility) is that the person really cares about me. Life is too short to spend with people who suck or generally don't give a shit.

---

I have also been thinking about goals and what I want to get out of this summer, so here we go:

1. Eat consciously

2. Exercise regularly

3. Spend wisely

4. Hang out with friends as often as possible

5. Work my little ass off and learn more about the industry

6. Go to the beach often

7. Read a lot

I know the more specific goals are, the more likely you are to achieve them. I am purposely being vague in my goals for the remainder of the summer because I feel like these are the ways I want to live my life- reading, learning, eating, exercising, laughing- and not momentarily. 

---

A big question weighing on my mind has been 'is this it?' I mean to say that everyone and their mother's cousin's dog keeps telling me that my life will be the same from here on out- work, work, work. They make it sound horrible and boring. I don't share their point of view. I really have sought to do something I love and can't imagine going back to school at this point, so I will continue working. But my naivety provides me with the perception that this 9-5 business is not a grind, but a mere aspect of life. I also don't think I am 'never going to be able to travel again.' I will go on vacations and still want to take that year off to teach English in Thailand or wherever I may end up. Maybe I will really move to Melbourne for a year or two. Maybe I will seek refuge for a few months in my parents house to not pay rent, remove myself from the distractions of the world, and just write. Time will tell. 

Catch up (ketchup)

This past weekend was kind of amazing. It really felt like one of those weekends that is truly summer- sun, friends, and good food. I was busy, but that was a good thing. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by people who love me. Being in the city living on my own, my friends are literally like my family. I live with them, eat meals with them, and am always asking for advice (on everything). 

Friday (6/21): After work, went out with Jon. We hung out at his friend's place, visited this cool bar/ taco place/ dance situation with weird music in Williamsburg called Union Pool, ran into everyone and their mother (i.e. Jon's sister and friends) on the train back, and then I hung out a little. It was really fun, especially considering how stressed I have been about job stuff- from getting one to actually starting.

Saturday (6/22): I was exhausted from Friday night and slept an inappropriate amount of time during the day. I also went to Tompkins Square Parks with Michelle to tan. It was really relaxing. Later, I got dinner with Michelle and her childhood friend Ali at Virage. Then, I visited Brittany's new apartment for a bit. It was good to catch up with her. Next, I went to The Olivia by Penn Station with Audrey where there was a rooftop apartment party. The view was absolutely insane! I could see the entire cityscape and it was so beautiful. I also love spending time with Audrey and the gang, so that was fun.

Sunday (6/23): Skated and coached a little in the morning. Had a late brunch with Sophie at Cafe Orlin (got the Tunisian Eggs- to die for!). I miss hanging out with Sophie, so it is nice to get to spend more time with her since I have been away so long and she has been busy with fencing stuff. Then, I met up with Jon and Addie to go to a Femi Kuti concert in Central Park. It was really cool because I had never heard his stuff before OR gone to a concert in Central Park, so I have that crossed off my summer to-do list. There were also a ton of people at the concert, so the whole experience was awesome. I had to leave a little early because I had to meet up with Carrie. Carrie is staying with me for the week since her job starts before she can move in to her new apartment and needed a place to stay. It was nice to see her, plus she brought over special Pennsylvania short bread. In addition to Carrie staying over, our other special guest of the week is Kayla's mom's pomeranian Rocco. He is so cute and looks like Boo!

Monday (6/24): Werk and gym. Plus, hanging out with the roomies in the apartment. Never gets old and it is fun to be there. I really love living in NYC with my friends, plus the weather is great. I feel really lucky. 

Tuesday- Friday (6/25 -6/28): Gym and werk. I werk it, if you weren't sure. I also hung out with Daniel, Carrie, Michelle, and Rocco. Highlights include getting a cococone from BGI and pilot sandwich from Xemay. I also (foolishly?) auditioned for #AOLAnchorSearch... (google it)... Oh, and it was Burgerday yet again on Friday.

Friday night (6/28): Went to Jon's frat house and hung out with the frat bros. They are so not fratty at all. We ended up at Union Pool is Williamsburg again. Things happened. 

Saturday (6/29): Slept in, did some chores, and went to a party at Jess's apartment in Bushwick. We sat in the rooftop hot tub and watched fireworks being launched too close to the tops of buildings. I could actually see (some) stars in the sky. The Empire State Building was lit up in rainbow hues since DOMA has been struck down. I also witnessed a girl with a rainbow cape attempting to 'fly' when the subway pushed forward. People stared and I felt bad that she felt the need for attention so badly, but also kind of proud that I live in a city where people literally do anything and everything so that every day is an adventure. Anyways, I stayed out a little too late in Bushwick and headed home a little too early Sunday to 'minton.'

Sunday (6/30): Woke up. Headed over to Jon's. He made us an omelet. We watched the parade and met Rasmus at Washington Square Park, watched more of the parade, and headed over to Stonewall. It started to rain, so we headed back to Jon's. Jon made us sandwiches and we watched the Matrix with Talia. Then, we headed out one last time to watch the parade and partook in a street dance party on Bleeker(?). Rasmus told me his tattoo story, I told Talia a different kind of story, and Talia took lots of pictures. Everyone was happy. Rasmus asked me how I was- and I sincerely told him I was really content because not everything was perfect, but I have nothing I can actually complain about in my life right now. #lucky We also stopped by an artist pop up market somewhere in the West Village and unsurprisingly didn't buy anything. We returned once again to watch more of the Matrix. I left shortly after to get froyo with Daniel. We hit up Pinkberry and it was delicious. 

Side note: I may or may not have left some details out from this weekend's adventures, but I will share that news when the time is right with my public audience (two readers in Russia). Seas of change coming?

Still werking on @unthunkable, as well. One follower besides myself as of right now, but I kind of don't mind. The pathetic state of my following is motivating to do better and write better tweets. 

On another note, @GirlCode is still killing it digitally and I couldn't be more proud that I helped work on this digital project. Love love love the show. So good.

Speaking of good things, this song is out of control: https://soundcloud.com/nopetsallowed/take-a-firefly ... Also, listened to a little bit of yeezus (moses christ).

I love you. Remember that.

xoxo

S