How to Have a Snow Day

1. Wake up at 11am.  Decide that that's OK, despite having wanted to wake up no earlier than noon.


2. Take a bubble bath.  Read a fashion magazine and come to the conclusion that you just don't like this season's biggest trends.  


3. Put your pajamas back on.  Be brutally honest with yourself: you're not going anywhere today.  No need to wear a bra. 


4. Light a candle named "North Pole".  Even though Christmas was 2 months ago, figure that the candle is completely appropriate for a day when you have 2 feet of snow.  Plus you just really like the way it smells and if nothing else, you can spend a day in Santa's shoes and know what it's like to prepare for Christmas months before the holiday occurs.  


5. Decide that the above thought alone renders cookies for breakfast acceptable.


6. Make a latte while your "break and bake" cookies toast up in the oven.


7. Pour your espresso into a London souvenir mug, the only one big enough to hold a gigantic latte.


8. For the first time, feel no yearning to be there instead of here.  


9. Open the window so you can smell the snow.


10. Listen to The Head and The Heart.


11. Write a letter to a friend.  Get a little emotional, realizing that you spent all of college together and are ever-approaching graduation. 


12. Get a little hungry.  Decide that today, you only want to eat chocolate.  


13. Finally convince yourself to at least look at some of the material for your 3 tests later on in the week.


14. Quickly retract any desire to learn about operations management, but get a little carried away in reading for your econ history class. 


15. Take your penguins outside for a photo shoot.  Shamelessly instagram a couple pics and send them to Facebook. 


16. Feel overwhelmed by social media and how public our lives have become. 


17. Question the whole idea of "blogging".  


18. Study some more. 


19. Decide that you need a jam break, and bust out some old Format tunes. 


20. Look out your window and decide that it would be fun to bellyflop from your 2nd story apartment into the several-foot-high snowdrifts below.  


21. Practice self restraint. 


22. Watch a documentary on Netflix about sugar consumption in the United States.


23. Make snow cream. 


24. Continue studying.


25. Feel guilty about the snow cream and do a few crunches.  Lay there for a second between reps and realize that you haven't watched the new How I Met Your Mother episode.


26. Search for the new episode online. Watch.  Feel slightly disappointed that you still don't know who Ted marries even though you've watched something like 160 episodes. 


27. Continue studying.


28. Buy a mutual fund in hopes of somewhat expediting the someday purchase of your dream Mini Cooper. 


29. Study some more.


30. Crumble from the cabin fever and decide that you're ready for sun, beaches, and sand.  Prematurely pack for spring break.

Challenging Independence

Ah, independence.  Isn't that the anthem of any spry 20-something?

But while some my age are just discovering their yearn for independence, this isn't a new song for me. 

I've always been fiercely independent.  That stems from the fact that I'm impeccably stubborn. 

For me, independence has always been the more comfortable choice.  

Taking care of myself.  Figuring things out by myself.  Operating on my own schedule. 

And I've found that independence can be a great, rewarding adventure.
I've seen the fruits of independence flourish.
Self discovery, the ability to solve problems, productivity, resilience, self respect.  

But as much as I love my independent nature, I have to ask:  Is it selfish to be independent?

Overly independent people tend to protect themselves from potential vulnerabilities.  In nature- in the wild- that's a good thing.  You don't get eaten by bears that way.  But in society, a place where (sure, some people are out to get you) but others just want to love and befriend you, shouldn't you be willing to compromise your independent spirit in hopes that you can lower your guard and become closer to people?

This week I've learned that there is a lot to be learned from vulnerability and exposing yourself to others.  

I always thought that asking for help was considered "selfish", or that it meant that I wasn't a strong enough person to figure out something on my own.

Last week I had surgery on my knee, landing me in crutches for 6 weeks.  That's 42 days of compromised mobility.  Not the most practical predicament for a college student.  In one week alone, I've had to rely on others for rides to and from wherever I needed to be.  I've avoided going grocery shopping because I can't stand the idea of not being able to do that by myself.  And I have developed a really great maneuver for charging through doors so that they fly open for just the right amount of time for me to shuffle through them.

Every time during the past week that I've had to ask for help, or accept help that has been offered, I felt a little bit defeated.

{{{ I should backtrack by mentioning that the situation with my knee is relatively not that bad at all.  I am fortunate that despite all of my running the past few years, my knee pain was not actually a result from being athletic, but rather a bone deformity that occurred when I was younger.  Six weeks on crutches in nothing compared to tearing an ACL and facing up to a year in recovery, or becoming permanently handicapped from a serious accident.  I hope that this prose does not come off as a complaint, but rather as an explanation of the inconvenience I've had to face and what I've been able to learn from it.  }}}

So returning to the original train of thought... 


I know that I'm strong willed and even defiant.  These are traits that are very much a part of who I am.  I would never abandon them; I recognize their importance in my life.  But I also realize the obstacles they may provide.

Because it is not comfortable for me to not practice independence, I've had to muster up a tremendous amount of courage to ask for the things that I need.  And as it turns out, I've received so much more than I ever asked for.

In a week I've learned that there is no shame in reliance.  People who care about you want to help you.  By rejecting their sentiments, you are rejecting the ability to let them care for you.  Being loved and cared for doesn't make you less strong, or less independent.  It just makes you peg-legged and in need of a good friend and helping hand.

A special thanks is in order to all of my friends and family who have been especially supportive and loving during my recovery process.  It truly means the world. 

An Intercultural Reflection

Preface: 

I haven't posted to my blog in over a month.  Tonight I am posting an essay that I wrote as a part of my Truman portfolio in order to graduate.  It is in response to explaining my undergraduate intercultural experience.  Due to the subject matter, the essay re-tells some of the stories that have previously been told in this blog.  I yielded to posting this for its potential redundancy, but the presentation of my reflections are told in a different way so reading the post may still be of some interest, I hope.

Furthermore, as some of you know, I have a heart for exploration and have recently become intrigued by the idea of pursuing travel writing as a hobby.  I am currently searching for freelance opportunities and may start a separate, travel-related blog.  (Now is probably a good time to mention that all content on this blog is my intellectual property.)  "It's a Fabulous Life" is meant to be a blog that tells stories of who I am or things that I am interested in- and right now a big part of that is wrapped up in wanting to travel the world.

Post:

     One time, Truman, you frustrated me to a point that I literally had to flee the country in order to recover my hindered spirit.  Being holed up in Kirksville sometimes sucks all the cultural diversity out of you so that even reading the New York Times travel section will make you tear up a bit.  At least, that's what happened to me.  That was when I knew I needed to go.  Somewhere.  Anywhere, really.  But since I spoke a little French and had always dreamed of the Riviera, I decided I'd go there. 

     The ticket and hostel were booked.  Then I called my mom.  I remember sitting on a bench outside of Violette Hall on a nice day when I candidly slipped into the conversation, "I think I'm going to France in a couple weeks.  After finals."  When I told my friends, the most common response was, "Have you seen the movie Taken?"  I didn't care.  I'm a dreamer; I let my mind wander often.  This time I would allow my body to follow.  

     I had been to France before, always holding the most romanticist view of Paris and the corresponding culture.  As a child I had been obsessed with the cartoon Madeline, and to this day I still idealize her sense of spirit and childlike rebellion.  I envied her as she pranced in front of the cartoon drawing of the Eiffel Tower while munching on baguettes and wearing a yellow beret.  I threw nothing short of an all-things-French-obsessed tantrum when my father traveled to Paris for his job.  "I want to go with yooouu" I would whine.  I was three.  "When you're older." he said.  "When?" I persisted.  He settled on "When you turn ten."

     That was a semi-promise I didn't forget.  So for my tenth birthday I found myself in Paris.   Memories of creamy fondue, gargoyles, the Louvre, and of course the magnificent Tour d'Eiffel resonated with me years after I left.  I'll especially never forget how a rainy night turned into a snow-laced wonderland after climbing the height to the top level of the Eiffel Tower.  Ideal for a February birthday.  It was nothing short of magical.

     But I wasn't finished with Paris.  It would be another seven years before I would return to the city, this time as a junior in high school and freshly educated of the mysterès of the Lost Generation (Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and Missouri's own T.S. Eliot).  It was a family vacation, and of course visiting the historical sites and attractions was a priority.  However, revisiting a foreign place is an interesting experience.  There for the second time, I was able to see past the necessity of “attractions”; instead I was determined to soak up the culture as much as I could.  I remember saying "I just want to be there.  I don’t really care what I do once I’m there.”

     I remember tracking down the famous Le Select cafe, where F. Scott Fitzgerald would frequently spend all day writing manuscripts that would one day be famous.  I lingered in the cafe as long as my family would tolerate, in hopes that something in the air would possibly waft over me, giving me... something.  While I was waiting for whatever that was, I enjoyed a cappuccino.   

     I returned home from that trip a little richer, and content for the time being.  

     When I began college, I always had hopes of studying abroad- Maybe France?  But then again, I wanted to try something new. Then an opportunity to study abroad in China arose, but I chose a summer internship instead.  Before I knew it, I was in the spring of my sophomore year with no real plans to commit to studying abroad.  At the time, I felt too attached to my schedule at Truman- the regularity of attending classes and organizational meetings and being surrounded with familiar friends.  I didn’t want to leave for an entire semester; I didn’t want to miss out on what I might leave behind me.  I didn’t consider all the opportunity I could potentially look forward to.  While now, as a senior, I look at that decision with disappointment, I do not necessarily regret my choice to not study abroad in college. 

     As a way of compensating for not formally studying abroad, I made effort throughout my college career to travel and experience different cultures.  My junior year I visited a friend in London during spring break.  A few months later I crossed the Atlantic again to explore the south of France.  During my senior year I was able to visit a friend in Greece for a week. 

     I could write pages upon pages about the cultural experiences I was able to soak up in each of these far-away places, but I’ll focus the remainder of this essay on my third return to France.  This trip holds a significantly special place in my heart, as it was a solo trek.  Travelling alone made me vulnerable to the culture.  If at any point I was uncomfortable, I couldn’t turn to a familiar face for comfort, advice, or company.  I would have to find that from the people I met along the way.  

     I stayed in a youth hostel in the city of Nice, which is centrally located along the Côte d’Azur.  The nearby cities of Cannes, Grasse, Ville-Franche, and Monaco were easily accessible by short train rides.  Staying in a youth hostel felt surprisingly familiar.  Its dorm-like atmosphere easily led to camaraderie between travelers, a good amount of which were also travelling independently.  While I spent the majority of my days wandering the streets of these cities unaccompanied by maps (and almost always accompanied by a baguette), it was nice to return to the hostel that night to meet up with faces that soon became familiar.  Nights were spent cooking dinner in the kitchen of the hostel, watching a foreign movie, and talking about all topics of life over glasses of wine.  I met young adults from around the world: Finland, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, and Bulgaria. 

     It was sad to return from a day of wandering to realize that a new friend had left Nice- either for home or another city along their journey.  And when it was my turn to leave, I was immensely jealous of those that were able to stay another night or two.  And though I was gone for but a week, my week had been fulfilling and wisely spent.  I recall wandering through various museums.  I recall shopping in both large department stores and open air food and craft markets.  I recall tasting “socca” and “salade niçiose”.  I recall the conversations I had with young adults of different nationalities and cultural views.  And even if these particular moments and memories ever fade, the feeling of my experience is lasting. 

     The list of places I have been fortunate enough to travel to within the United States and across the world is personally meaningful and significant, but the list of places I yearn to go in the future is outstanding and daunting.  You cannot go everywhere.  You will leave the earth before you’ve seen every place on earth that you want to see.  But travelling is the most classic case of balancing quality against quantity.  I would rather soak up a cultural experience than rush through a list of destinations.  Travelling isn’t about completing a checklist.  To compare it with anything linear of the sort would indicate a misunderstanding of travel’s beauty.  Travel encompasses you in many directions: it is the food you eat; it is the people you talk to and the questions that you ask of them.  

To quote Anthony Bourdain (who I wouldn’t mind being someday):  “In the few years since I’ve started to travel this world, I’ve found myself changing.”

Just Some Things I'd like to Do Before 30

I'm not getting any younger. Here is what needs to happen in the next 9 years:

1. Live abroad for no less than 6 months.  Work in a cafe, even if I have a real job too.

2. On that note... finally become fluent in French.

3. Teach... something.  A zumba class perhaps, or maybe a summer reading class for little humans. 

4. Publish original academic research.  Preferably on the topic of consumerism. 

5. Go rock climbing.

6. Perform in a Disney parade... (Sometimes I forget that I've already sort of done this, but next time I'd like to be a character so I can dance!)

7. Design a luxury store window display.

8. Go bungee jumping.

9. Guest star in a sitcom (Girl Meets World?!)

10. Obtain my private pilot licence. 

11. Enter (and win) a Britney Spears perform-alike contest.

12. Take real cooking classes.

13. Complete an Olympic distance triathlon.

14. Race around in my Mini Coop.

15. Learn how to cobble shoes.

16. Face my fear of fish and go snorkeling without crying. 

17. Donate some sort of awkward landmark to Truman's campus that they can't say no to because I spent so much money on it.  Come up with some inspiring slogan to go on the namesake plaque. 

18. Become a professional writer at some point. 

19. Adopt a penguin.

20. Dress up like a giant Chipotle burrito at least one more time before I'm way too old for that to be acceptable.

Honestly, I made this list because I'm freaking out that senior year of college is going by as fast as it is.  And then I'm going to graduate and start a "real job".  I just don't want to be bored, or stagnant, EVER.. and I am afraid of settling down and becoming boring.  But I guess it is just important to keep in mind that there are always opportunities for adventure and growth and challenge.  

In the words of Betty Draper:

Gluten-Free for a Week

There's a new fad going around the health-food world, and goodness knows I love a good fad.  So hop aboard the trend train and go for a gluten-free ride, right?  Gluten-free diets were originally reserved for those with Celiac Disease, which is literally a physical intolerance for gluten.  But somehow, "gluten-free" got popular and became the cure of choice for not only those living with Celiac, but for those experiencing frequent migraines, severe cases of attention deficit disorder, and those hoping to shake a general sense of grogginess from their bodies.  Well, if something is supposed to make you feel better- I want to try it.  So thus embarks my gluten-free journey.

What is gluten exactly?  And why might it be so bad?  The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers a pretty suggestive definition, calling gluten "a tenacious elastic protein substance especially of wheat flour that gives cohesiveness to dough".  That honestly doesn't sound like something that I would want in my stomach.

Why am I doing this? Apparently everyone who goes gluten-free (read: Miley Cyrus and one of my best friends, Brittany) RAVES about the wonders that the diet does for their overall health and energy.  But of course, there is no way to know for yourself, except diving right in and giving it a try.  Is going gluten-free just another fad, or does it really have health benefits?

First step: Raiding the gluten. Since the diet was only for a week, I didn't actually throw away my gluten-filled foods, I just hid them at the bottom of the pantry.  That means no graham crackers, pasta, or Honey Bunches of Oats :(

Gluten-filled food

Second step: Shopping. I already eat a lot of fruits and vegetables so a lot of my purchases were not out of the ordinary, but I did decide to throw in some other gluten-free staples, including brown rice, rice cakes, and gluten-free cookies.

All Gluten-free!

Third step: Live life! The purpose of eating is to fuel our bodies as we carry on, doin' what we do.  So what if you're not eating one component of nutritional makeup?  You still survive because there are still so many other things to eat... crazy!

So, here goes nothing.  For each day I outlined my food consumption for the day, my workout activity, and my general reflection on how my body was feeling at the end of the day.

Sunday
Breakfast: Latte and almonds
Lunch: Zucchini, onion, and mozzarella frittata
Dinner: ^more of that.
Snacks: Orange juice. More almonds. Open face turkey "sandwich" on a rice cake.

Workout: 1 mile warmup on the Curve treadmill, 30 minutes elliptical and 10 minutes stairmaster.  I feel super energized and totally fine.

Reflection: I feel no overall difference.  But it's only been a day...

Monday
Breakfast: Latte and a banana
Lunch: Stir-fry tofu and broccoli
Dinner: Boca burger, hummus, carrot sticks
Snacks: Chobani greek yogurt, honeycrisp apple, popcorn

Workout: Bulldog Burn class (ow) (Seriously, two days later.. ow.)

Reflection: I'm honestly feeling a bit hungry.  Kind of want a piece of bread.  I didn't splurge on gluten-free bread for the week (the stuff is like $7 a loaf!) but I'm kind of wishing I had...

Tuesday
Breakfast: Latte and a banana
Lunch/Dinner: La Pachanga- Muchos chips and salsa, pollo enchiladas, and a couple of margaritas
Snacks: a peach, practically half a jar of pickles, and some Swedish fish

Workout: 1 hour swim

Reflection: I'm so glad that I was able to enjoy the goodness that is LaPa $1 margarita night (we were seriously there for 3 hours, it's maybe my favorite place to be on Tuesdays).  Corn tortillas are good to go on a gluten free diet!

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Coffee and a honeycrisp apple
Lunch: Pumpkin smoothie (banana, pumpkin puree, milk, honey, protein powder, cinnamon, vanilla)
Dinner: Homemade stuffed peppers (Green bell peppers with brown rice, chicken sausage, corn, tomatoes, and red beans)
Snacks: Just a ton of coffee. So much.

Workout: 4 mile run

Reflection: I felt so energized all day. Possibly because of the coffee. But I was so productive and easily able to focus.

Thursday:
Breakfast: Coffee, banana, chobani yogurt
Lunch: Spring mix salad with boca patty
Dinner: Popcorn and a diet coke (during night class- and I was starving by the end of the 3 hours so I ran home and reheated a leftover stuffed pepper from Wednesday)
Snacks: Rice cake with pb and raisins, milk, soynut trailmix

Workout: Core strength class and Hip Hop cardio class

Reflection: I'm feeling a little crabby.  I would kill for a bowl of cheerios or some pasta or some cookies.  Rice cakes aren't cuttin' it.

Friday:
Breakfast: Egg and cheese omelette, hashbrowns
Lunch: didn't really happen. Too full from breakfast!
Dinner: Sush birthday dinner- I had a salad, california roll, and sake martini
Snacks: Honeycrisp apple

Workout: 3 mile trail run... WE WERE BOOKIN IT.  A hard workout for such short distance.

Reflection: My tummy hurt all day today. I think it was the breakfast (which was from Hyvee... it was tasty, but sort of questionable.

Saturday:
Welllllll about Saturday.  So it was DSP initiation.  And I definitely had a donut for at the alumni breakfast. It was calling my name.  I guess if I had a real wheat allergy I would have to develop a stronger willpower.  But seriously, it was DSP initiation which means I wanted to eat whatever I wanted, especially since we had a Candyland themed party that night! So many cooooooooooookies!

So I went gluten free for (almost) a week.  Overall feelings?  It was a good experience-- definitely an eye opening experience-- but not a lifestyle change that I'm willing to commit to without the presence of a legitimate wheat allergy.  However, I'm really glad that I did this.  It makes you realize how difficult it would be to have Celiac disease and it gave me just a glimpse of insight into the challenges that those individuals may face. 

The Format Era

Do you know who that is?

You know, they wrote that catchy song...

...it was featured in a Chevy Sonic commercial during Superbowl XLVI...

]

...leading to explosive popularity.

They're a band named 

...and they've been around for a few years. 

The few years before that, this guy...

...Nate Ruess, the lead singer of Fun,

...use to look more like this:

...and he was the lead singer of another band.

 The most amazingly *perfect* high school indie-POP band of all time. 

Which lived a charming life. 

All was going well;  A whale of a time.  And then...

This post is an overdue ode.  The Format was a formative part of my youth and a cornerstone in my high school experience.  Lyrics became anthems and kitschy tunes became dance parties.  

The Format got me through my totally awk high school times.  

***WARNING : The most embarrassing high school photos I could find ahead

 

THESE TIMES.  So awkward, so embarrassing.  Referred to (dearly) as "The Format Era".

Looking back on my obsession, I feel no shame.  Only appreciation for what is, was, and will always be.......

The first song that every Format fan needs to know is self-explanatory.

"The First Single"

I've been waiting all this time to be, something I can't define
So let's cause a scene, clap our hands and stomp our feet or something,
yeah something I've just got to get myself over me

This isn't my favorite song by far.  This one might be:

"Dead End"

Hold on, there's a hole in my heart 
everyone can see right through me 

Everyone loves a good sock puppet to lighten up the mood.  This continued to be a common theme in Format videos...

"Dog Problems"

'Cause words like girls get bored and run 
c'est la vie
I say "I've got so many better things" 
I've got nothing

Melodramatic perfection.  But no matter how many songs your write for us silly girls, expressing your frustrations and pain, you'll still walk away, shaking your head, saying...

"She Doesn't Get It"

All the girls pose the same for pictures
All the boys got the same girls' hair
I am bored 'cause I feel much older
Look at me, as if I've got a reason to stare

Hm, sounds like to me that you have...

 "A Mess to be Made"

 What a mess that I make of my days 
Then there's you, you're a mess to be made


You know, a total ticking...

"Time Bomb"

Tick tock, you're not a clock
You're a time bomb baby
You set the watch
You're just in time
to wreck my life


And just when you feel like you're heading down a slippery slope of negativity, you have the following gem, and you realize that maybe life isn't so bad after all...

"Snails"

Snails see the benefits,
The beauty in every inch...

These songs are all great in their perfectly dramatic glory.

But as I glide through my senior year of college, I find myself listening still listening to The Format, and one song in particular.  I find comfort in the folksy melody and jumbled lyrics of leaving something behind in anticipation for an ambiguous, yet promising, future...

"Give it Up"

"So give it up, throw your hats in the air

And change just as they land 

Sayin, 'We'll get outta here'

But something tells me that you're too scared to go"

I use to listen to this song on repeat during my senior year of high school.

In high school.. I was definitely not too scared to go.  That's different now.  Life is bigger now.  Moving... changing "just as they land"... that's a bigger deal now.

How will I ever manage?

:)