Blog Every Day in January Day 2: Things I Would Like to Do

Today I went to the movies and crossed off an item from my personal list of Things I Would Like to Do. The item being "Go to the movies by myself". It's a weird goal to have, but I've always wanted to go to the movies by myself because I'm always complaining to people that I never watch movies because I don't have anyone to watch movies with...which is stupid because watching a movie isn't really a social experience. It's just I get really self conscious when I go places by myself, and I know I'm not the only person that feels that way, but it really bothers me that I feel so awkward when I'm alone and I've been slowly trying to break out of that shell. Because I do actually enjoy doing some things on my own.

Anyways, the main point of me talking about going to the movies alone is that it was an item on my list of Things I Would Like to Do, which is not really an official list and is always a work in progress. It's kind of like a 30 by 30 list except the items on it aren't exciting or difficult to accomplish. Like "organize my makeup collection before February" isn't necessarily something that would make it onto a 30 by 30 list, but it is one of the more urgent items on my Things I Would Like to Do List. So here it is, the constantly changing and not-very-difficult-to-accomplish list of Things I Would Like to Do:

1.) Go to the movies by myself. 

2.) Organize my makeup collection before February

3.) Make croissants from scratch even though it will literally take three days.

4.) Try all of the products from my Birchboxes from the past 6 months.

5.) Perfect giving myself a blowout.

6.) Read the A Song of Fire and Ice series, preferably before I graduate.

7.) Live on my own without relying on my parents for financial support.

8.) Get over my fear of making caramel based sauces.

9.) Own more teacups.

10.) Take a trip to the West Coast. Or several trips. Who knows.

12.) Take a trip on the East Coast. Shouldn't be too tough.

13.) Chicago sounds cool too.

14.) If we're talking about traveling, then yes, I would very much like to see Paris/FranceTheCountry and London/EnglandTheCountry. And I also want to go back to Vienna and Germany and Hungary and okay just a big ol' trip to Europe whatever this is my list I get to decide what's on it.

15.) Travel to the Philippines again now that I'm old enough to remember the experience.

16.) Find a bread recipe that is not ridiculous to make but also doesn't taste like hot water in bread form.

17.) Paint the shelves on my TV stand coral.

18.) Buy a big candle from Bath and Body Works.

19.) Put up some wall art in my bedroom at home.

20.) Clean the shitshow that is my desk at school. And the rest of the room while I'm at it.

21.) Go shopping in Kennett Square, PA and eat duck flatbread at Byrsa Bistro again.

22.) Start a vlog with my sister.

23.) Bake and decorate a nice cake. You may be surprised to know that this is something I have never done.

24.) Finish reading the Divergent series even if it's going to make me super mad and hate everything and everyone.

25.) Listen to more music in general.

26.) Make risotto. 

27.) Find a better bronzer and blush. Like for my face.

28.) Perfect my Tortilla Española, which is currently a hot mess.

29.) Organize my wallet/receipts/cards. Yikes.

30.) Learn how to sew.

There is probably tons more where that came from, and things get crossed off and added all the time. I usually take winter break to accomplish some of the things on this list, but there are obviously a few things that will have to wait.

How about you? Do you have a 30 by 30 list or one like mine, or are you the type of person that just does things without putting them in list form? 

Health and Fitness Goal Update

So after my post on Monday, I received a ton of supportive comments on Facebook and in person and via text message:

I always feel really nervous when I share these posts that people are going to judge me or think I'm lame or too cheesy or something like that. But honestly...it's super motivating to see comments like these. It definitely gives me an extra boost of accountability.

ANYWAYS

At the end of July, I set some health and fitness goals for myself through the end of September. I wanted to do a little update and share my progress:

1.) Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

Long term: By the end of September and onwards, I should be getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day more than half of which are vegetables
I am currently eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily (as of last week...), even though most of those servings are of fruit. I'm halfway there...pacing myself.

2.) Work on eating six times a day, with three main meal times and three healthy snacks.

Long term: By the end of September I should be eating three meals a day each consisting of 1-2 servings of vegetables, lean protein, and a complex carbohydrate while also eating three snacks between meals consisting mainly of protein dense foods or fruits/veggies.

This one is kind of rough. My large meals vary in content, and I eat a lot of bread to satisfy the carb component of my meal. Right now, my nutritionist is having me focus on staying within a certain calorie limit rather than fixating on bread vs. whole grains or fruits vs. veggies and all that good stuff. But I have been trying to keep my snacks within the limit I set. So this one is a work in progress

3.) Drink lots of water.

Long term: By the end of the third week of August I should be drinking at least eight 8 oz glasses of water a day, limiting myself to no more than one non-water beverage (coffee or tea) and eliminating all soft drinks or juices.

I actually haven't been keeping track of my water intake...but it's been higher lately because my schedule is more structured. I'm way past the due date for this one...but I have been limiting myself to one or less non-water beverage every day. Maybe I will make a water checklist...

4.) Get into the habit of meal planning.

Long term: By the end of September, have time set aside every Friday morning to plan out meals and snacks for each day of the upcoming week and writing up a grocery list for the weekend.

I actually did a bit of meal planning at the end of August, but found myself not following it. What really works for me right now is coming up with options for the week that have the same ingredients, and buying those ingredients so I have a variety of things to eat. But I do need to keep planning ahead, so I'm going to stick with this goal for now.

5.) Cut back on eating out.

Long term: By the end of September, cut down the number of times eating out to twice a week, including both fast food or eat-in restaurants.  Wawa is not an exception.  Neither is Saxbys.

This goal was actually reached out of necessity. For like the past two weeks I have been a little bit broke. So going out to eat wasn't really an option. I think I went out like an average of three times a week over the past two weeks, so we're getting there. It's already Wednesday and I haven't gone out to eat yet..although I am meeting Maggie for dinner tomorrow at Peace a Pizza. So I'm still down to one this week! Hopefully I will keep it up...my wallet depends on it!!


6.) Get used to counting calories.

Long Term: By the end of September, be tracking the calories consumed each day as well as physical activity done.

It's been a week since I started counting calories! It's been working really well for me, as a way to both keep track of what I'm eating as well as how much of my daily intake each of those things represents. I had originally done a servings checklist, which I still think is a great tool...but this is working for me so far! I don't use any specific app, I've just been writing stuff down on a page in notepad because it is more convenient to me.

I also skipped tracking on Friday and Saturday, but it's okay!! I'm working on it!!

7.) Work out more often.
Since I'm actually more available to work out during the summer, my long term goal is to be going to the gym or using a workout DVD at least four times a week by the end of September, and tohave time scheduled out for working out.  I also need to find an accountabilibuddy by the middle (15th) of September.

The new gym on campus opened this semester, and it's BEAUTIFUL. I went twice last week, and I've already been there twice this week--I took a Zumba class yesterday and used the machines today. And I've already made plans for Zumba tomorrow night as well. As far as accountabilibuddies go, I've been finding it really effective to find someone who will either go with me to the gym or tell me that they will meet me there. Because if they bail, it's usually at the last minute and then I'm already at the gym so I might as well work out. So far, just knowing that someone might be there to hold me accountable has been enough to get me there. Let's hope it stays that way!


I'll probably do another check in with new goals after September is over. There are some challenges that this month will bring, and I'm a little bit nervous but also pretty confident in myself. I've tried and tried for so long that I'm almost sick of trying, and the only option left is to just get it done. So I'm gonna get it done.

LIVE BLOGGING: THE RACE FOR ED SHEERAN TICKETS

So this blog post is a little late, and it's going to continue into tomorrow because there are Ed Sheeran tickets going on sale at 8 AM and the first one hundred people in line get entered in a raffle to meet him and WHAT IF I MEET ED SHEERAN AND WE GET MARRIED OR AT THE VERY LEAST BECOME REALLY GOOD FRIENDS OR MAYBE JUST PEN PALS.

Anyways, I'm already anticipating the experience to be an interesting and exciting and potentially delirious experience. So I'm live blogging, a la my Harry Potter Marathon liveblog a couple of weeks ago.

We're gathering our things to leave soon, because we want to get there around midnight. I swear to god if I have to fight bitches for my spot in line I WILL FIGHT BITCHES.


I'm a little tired.

Anyways, we're gathering up some blankets and snacks, and things to keep us entertained. Maybe we'll make some friends to play games and watch movies with us...or MAYBE WE'LL JUST KEEP OUR FUN THINGS TO OURSELVES BECAUSE BITCHES ARE GOING DOWN.

Sorry. Here's something to soothe the moment:



CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES!!

UPDATE: 12:06 AM

We have made it to the Bob and it looks like we are in the first 100. I consider this a small victory.

I haven't decided if I'm here to make friends or not. It looks promising...but things could change at the drop of a hat.

GUYS I'M SO TIRED.

UPDATE: 12:39 AM

I'm all situated and its time for nap #1.

Good night friends.

UPDATE: 1:22 AM

Couldn't sleep so now we're watching a Cinderella Story!!

UPDATE: 2:12 AM

We have all moved underneath the pavilion at the sight of potential rain clouds. The line is looking a little squashed...but we are operating on the honor system. I SWEAR TO GOD IF ONE OF THESE BITCHES CUTS US IN LINE THEY ARE GOING DOWN.

Lizzy wants you all to know that she drank a monster.

To pass the time we started making rainbow loom bracelets.

GETTIN A LITTLE LOOPY NOW.

UPDATE: 2:46 AM

Just finished A Cinderella Story and made some new friends. Now it's community nap time zzzzzzzzZZZZ.

UPDATE: 3:43 AM

Napping didn't work out too well since there were some people who weren't exactly on the same page as the rest of us and couldn't get a handle on the giggling. Hmm.

I also couldn't sleep because I really had to pee. I had originally planned on not going at all during this whole thing because UGH port-a-potties are gross. But I sucked it up and went anyways and now I feel like I need a shower.

Most people are still sleeping. Very eventful stuff happening right now.

UPDATE: 5:47 AM

I managed to sleep on and off for about an hour, and somehow when I woke up it was so much colder. Maybe the rain cleared away the heat wave we've been having, which is fine by me...but I forgot to bring a sweatshirt! 

Some lady came to unlock the doors to the building and struggled to get in because of all the people blocking the doors. I'm hoping that they will start encouraging people to move back to the line we started with since I'm getting a little antsy about keeping my number in line! I want my free shirt, yo.

Also I used a port-a-potty for the second time in less than six hours and my bladder is glad but the rest of me died a little on the inside. Woof.

UPDATE: 6:20 AM

The sun is back. Why am I awake.

UPDATE: 7:19 AM

Oh shit. Some girls just confronted people for cutting.

AND NOW THE LINE HAS BEEN RECONCILED. ALL IS RIGHT IN GHE WORLD.

UPDATE: 8:25 AM

Mission accomplished. 

TIME FOR BED YAY

Cooking With Melanie: Soufflé Edition

I would consider myself a pretty adventurous cook. Like...I'm no master chef, but I'm definitely not afraid to try things. And when I am afraid to try things, I usually go ahead and do them anyways just to prove myself wrong. Sometimes it goes well...and sometimes it backfires.

I've had a couple of things on my kitchen try-it list, and making a soufflé was one of them. Last week I decided that I would record myself attempting to make a most-impressive soufflé. I got all excited, and went out and bought an overpriced soufflé dish (...which I used and returned DON'T JUDGE ME).

I even put it in my calendar as "Soufflé Day"

Look at that cocky little drawing. OH, SO NOW YOU'RE A CHEF AND AN ARTIST??  NICE TRY, MELANIE.

WELL SOMETIMES YOU SHOULDN'T GET TOO EXCITED ABOUT THINGS, BECAUSE THEN YOU MIGHT GET A LITTLE SLOPPY.

You might notice that for about two-thirds of the video, I prance around the kitchen like some Ina Garten wannabe, because I'm TOO DANG CONFIDENT IN THE KITCHEN. Like honestly, Melanie. Try some humility.

Well..it didn't fully rise, but at least it didn't collapse on itself.

Anyways, the soufflé actually turned out to be prrretty delicious. I used Ina Garten's Spinach and Cheddar Soufflé recipe , because I saw her make it on TV and told myself that it looked easy (WTF MELANIE). If I had kept the soufflé dish, I definitely would have made it again. And I still want to try and make a dessert soufflé one day...preferably one that rises. But I'll consider this one crossed off the list for now, until I can get my hands on a soufflé dish that doesn't cost a small fortune.

Blog Every Day in July: Day 30, July Favorites

CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE THE MONTH OF JULY IS ALMOST OVER??  I'm freaking out a little bit about having to go be a senior in college, but other than that this month has been pretty good to me.  I had a jam packed day because I was running around getting things for my dad's birthday, which was today, so my brain is a little fried.  I figured that since the month is almost up, I'd share some of the things that I used a lot and really liked.

1.) Birchbox!

At the beginning of the summer, I subscribed to this service called Birchbox, which sends you a box of deluxe sized health and beauty samples each month.  It's only ten dollars a month, and every time I get a new box it feels a little bit like opening a present.  ...A present that I bought for myself.  Anyways, there have been a couple of products that I've really loved from this box, like this lip pencil and this moisturizer and these two blushes.  Not bad for only ten dollars a month.

2.) My skincare routine.

Once I tried to wash my face like this.  It was a mess.

In the past few years I've been pretty lax about my skincare regimen.  I was using a cleanser that was too harsh for my skin and no moisturizer and no exfoliant.  This summer I decided to actually take care of my skin, and I started a brand new routine.  It's pretty simple, and I only use three products even though there are a few things I should be doing like twice a week that I just forget to do, but it's still a step up from what it was before.

For my cleanser I use Aveeno's ultra calming foaming cleanser.  I'm the kind of person who likes when soap gets all bubbly, because it feels cleaner.  But apparently the stuff that makes your face wash do that is pretty harsh on your skin, and my skin is already sensitive to begin with.  This stuff is really gentle and it has a pump that turns it into foam, so I still feel like my face is getting cleaned.

After I wash my face I use this toner that is occasionally sold at Target.  This stuff is amazing.  It's gentle, but effective, and it's super duper cheap.  I've only ever seen it sold at Target twice (let's not go into detail about how often I find myself in a Target).  The first time I saw it I bought a bottle to give it a shot, and the second time I saw it I bought two bottles even though I haven't even gotten halfway through the first one, because who knows when it will be in stock again.  Yikes.

The last thing I do, while my face is still a little damp from the toner is use this moisturizer from Aveeno.  I have really oily skin, so I never thought that I needed moisturizer.  Which is just dumb.  And honestly, I knew deep down in my heart that I needed moisturizer, I was just too lazy to use it and I couldn't find one that was right for me.  This stuff is great for me because it keeps the oil under control without stripping ALL of the oil from my skin.

3.) Living in a NEW ROOM.

Obviously this is not my room.  But I'm going to do a big
reveal once everything is completely finished.

My room isn't 100% done yet, but it's finished enough for me to live in it.  I am loving it.  There's a lot more space than there was in my old room, and it's easier to keep it clean, and when I walk into the room, the bright colors make me feel happy and relaxed.  Five stars.

5.) THE IPHONE 5

I love love love love having a new phone.  I'm sure I felt this way about my old phone two years ago, and I'll probably be ready to throw my new phone into a wood chipper by the time two years is up, but WHATEVER.  I'M A SHEEP AND CONSUMERISM IS MY SHEPHERD.  But there is a lot that I love about this phone--one of those things being that it does not RANDOMLY DELETE MY CONTACTS SO I DON'T HAVE TO KEEP GUESSING WHO JUST TEXTED ME.  And the camera!  I used my phone to record the vlog that I posted on Saturday.  Not too bad for a phone.

6.) Blogging!

BLOGCEPTION

I'll write a wrap-up of Blog Every Day in July for tomorrow, but I'm really glad I took on this challenge!  There were definitely days where I didn't feel up to writing a post, or I just kind of did a throwaway post, but I also wound up with a handful of entries that I really loved writing.  I'm not sure how I'll cope with the freedom of not having to blog every day, but I certainly hope I will continue to blog regularly.  There were a few times that I thought I was going to miss an entry, but then I didn't.  And I'm pretty proud of myself for that.  Let the record show that I CAN finish things that I started!

Blog Every Day in July: Day 1

So I left this blog with a bit of a cliffhanger back in May...

(Spoiler: I did.  Barely.)

Wellllll

IMMA BACK

I always pick Luigi when I play Super Mario Bros with my friends.

So I know at this point my blogging has been erratic at best....and I made all these promises to myself that I never really kept (ex: all of my New Years Resolutions).  And I didn't get to write about any of the awesome things that happened during the semester (turning 21, going to Dallas for ACDA, being a party-planner-extraordinare) and all the things that caused chunks of hair to fall out of my head (...every class I had).  The blogging world is MISSING OUT ON ALL OF MY CRAZY ADVENTURES.

CRAZY ADVENTURES

So there is no actual challenge out there in the blogging world called "Blog Every Day in July" (I google'd it), but I've decided that I need to get into the habit of blogging regularly.  And according to like, my nutritionist or something, it takes about two weeks for a habit to form.  So I'm going to one-up that ish and blog every day for a WHOLE MONTH.  And not one of the dinky months, we're talkin a big 'ol thirty-one day month.  It's on.

I'm gonna keep this entry short and sweet, since there's about to be THIRTY MORE DAYS of sweet sweet blogging coming your way.  GET USED TO IT.

Schedule Captains and Some Eggs

So after what was maybe the busiest and most stressful semester I've had in college thus far, I have MADE IT TO FINALS WEEK. Barely. I still have a mountain of work due tomorrow...so naturally I am taking a break to blog about it.

Earlier in the semester, my sister and I started doing this thing called Schedule Captains, where we would email each other our schedule for the day and then do periodic updates on our progress. We kind of fell out of the habit, because we both got too busy living in our schedules to type them out. I'm thinking that I might need a schedule captain for the next three days of my life. Unfortunately, Melissa is moving into her NEW HOUSE today...so I am not going to send her my schedule because she ain't got time fo' dat. Instead...THE INTERNET IS MY SCHEDULE CAPTAIN. WOOHOO. Here's what's in store for the next few days:

Today
11:45-12:45: Do video reflections for Conducting
12:45-1:45: Work on rep lists for Choral Lit
1:45-2: Lunch
2-2:30: Finish up rep lists for Choral Lit, OR start working on 2-year plan
2:30-2:35: Stretch/Facebook.  NO TUMBLR.
2:35-4: Work on 2-year plan for Choral Lit.
4-4:30: Go on tumblr BUT JUST FOR 30 MINUTES
4:30-5:30: Go to the library to get books.
5:30-6: Either decide to go back to my apartment, or stay in the library and finish up 2-year plan stuff.
6-6:30: Eat dinner somewhere somehow
6:30-7:30: Finish up 2-year plan or work on Music History paper.
7:30-7:45: Take a break.
7:45-9: Work on Music History paper.
9-9:15: Snack break
9:15-10:30: Keep working on paper.
10:30-10:45: Another break.
10:45-??: Keep.  Working.  On.  Your.  Paper.

Tomorrow (Monday)
7-8: Wake up/shower
8-9: Eat breakfast.
9-10: Work on paper
10-10:30: Meander over to Choral Lit final
10:30-12:30: Choral Lit final/GET YOUR LAST BUBBLE TEA EVER NOO
12:30-5: WRITE YOUR PAPER LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT
5: Turn your paper in, no matter how ashamed you are.
5-6: Cry in the fetal position.
6-7: Eat something because you probably forgot what eating feels like.
7-9: Practice piano stuff for MUED final.
9-10: Go over interview questions for MUED.
10: Go to sleep.  You earned it.  Hopefully.

Tuesday
6-7: Wake up/get ready for the day/tame the beast that is your hair
7-8: Eat breakfast
8-9: Practice piano stuff for MUED Final and go over interview questions
9-9:15: Meander over to MUED final
9:20-9:40: MUED FINAL WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T CRY IN FRONT OF YOUR PROFESSOR.
9:40-noon: Eat/sleep/cry/whatever
12-3: Start packing!!
3-whatever: Study for your history final

Wednesday
Music History final at 10:30 then GO HOME FOR THE SUMMER WOOHOOOO.

As you can see...life is going to be a bit crazy (crazier than usual...) for the next three days.  Hopefully I will be able to come back to this blog post and edit in updates about my progress.  Or I will cave under the pressure and run away to Canada with a new identity and a different hair color.  Who knows.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also wanted to share a recipe that I have been making for breakfast the past couple of days, because it is delicious.

When I was fifteen, I went on an exchange trip to Spain for 3 weeks.  As you can probably already assume, I basically ate my way through that trip.  One dish in particular that has stuck with me, even six years later, was the tortilla española...which is basically a big 'ol potato and onion omelette.  Only..it's so much more than that.  My favorite version of this was the one that the grandmother in my host family made.  She made it every day, and I'm pretty sure that it is the sole reason why I gained like fifteen pounds in Spain.  Something about the size of the potato chunks, and the sweetness of the onion, and the fluffiness of the eggs.  I still have dreams about that tortilla.  And I STILL.  CAN'T.  MAKE.  IT.

I am such a failure when it comes to cooking scrambled eggs...or omelettes, more specifically.  They just...they never turn out quite right.  Combined with the added pressure of putting potatoes and onions in that?  Nope.  Never made a successful frittata.  Sooo even though I just told you a story about a tortilla...that's not my recipe.

I'm not even pretending that these pictures were taken
with anything but the camera on my cell phone

This recipe was inspired by my favorite Spanish tortilla.  I had some left over frozen hashbrowns from a breakfast casserole that I made for a class, so I had intended to do a fakeout frittata.  Except...the onion that I had been keeping in a plastic bag in my fridge went bad.  Go figure.  Instead of onion, I just diced up some bacon and called it a day.

If this was iron chef, I would receive a 0 for plating.

Since I knew this wasn't going to be anything like the tortilla that I love, I didn't even try to make it a perfect circle.  It's okay...it was still so so so delicious.  You really can't go wrong with eggs and potatoes and bacon.  It's not possible.

Recipe
2 slices of center cut bacon
A handfull of frozen hasbrowns
Some olive oil
2 eggs
Salt n' peppa.

1. Dice up that bacon real good.  Yeah, you like that.
2. Put the bacon in the pan and let it cook up a bit.
3. Drizzle in some olive oil, then throw your handful of hasbrowns in and stir it around with your spautla. Season with salt and pepper.
4. While your potatoes and bacon are falling in love, crack your eggs into a bown and beat 'em up.  I like to add salt to my eggs while I'm beating them, but apparently you're not supposed to do that?  Do whatever you want, it's your food.
5. When your bacon looks crispy and your potatoes are looking golden, pour in your beaten eggs.  Maybe remove from the heat.  Actually...definitely remove it from the heat.
6. Make yourself an omelette!  I have no authority on this.  Just make sure your eggs aren't raw.
7. PROFIT


Wish me luck on my finals.  Hopefully I will make it out alive to blog another day.

Forgotten Resolution: Get Organized. A list for the future (...next week)

OOOH I forgot to list "Get Organized" as one of my New Years Resolutions. Mainly because it is one of my permanent resolutions. Because I am never organized enough. Yyyyikes.

So I'm going back to my apartment at school on Monday, which is when I am going to seriously re-organize and clean shit. I mean...why start as soon as possible when I could put it off til next week? Right?? Right???? (....so today I do not get to check off "Didn't procrastinate!" on my nonexistent NY Resolution checklist)


Here is a list of the things I would like to get done in January, which I will be keeping track of throughout blog posts! You can't ever tell me that I'm not ambitious.


1.) Clean all of the leftovers/stuff that has inevitably gone bad over break out of my apartment refrigerator. If any of my apartment mates are reading this right now, I am so sorry. I just...I...I'm better than this, I know.

2.) Clean my bathroom. My apartment is SO DUSTY, including my personal bathroom. It's just...it needs to be cleaned frequently sooo yeah. I also need to clean all the linens in my room.

3.) Dust the rest of my room. I seriously don't understand how dust accumulates so fast in my apartment. Actually, in Delaware in general...because my freshman and sophomore dorms were even dustier. No wonder I get sick so often!

4.) Actually...clean/reorganize my room in general. Yyyyikes.....okay this needs it's own list:
-Main space
-Desk
-Window/windowsill
-Book shelf--including sorting through/throwing out old papers that I will obviously never use
-Ditto for all the lost and forgotten papers in my book bags.
-Closet--mainly the top shelf. Yyyikes.
-VACUUM THE WHOLE FLOOR. I haven't vacuumed since October, guys. This is embarrassing.

5.) Update my dry erase calendar. I haven't updated it since September...which was just......no wonder I was so scatterbrained for like 50% of last semester!

6.) Order a new planner, because my old one only lasted me until December and I probably should have sprung for a new one in August.....I'm looking to get one of these fancy expensive (for me...) Erin Condren ones because it's pretty and will make me feel like an adult (or I imagine it will) and they have lots of features to get organizzeeeddd. I am not being paid to say this. As if. Does anyone even read this blog??? SOMEONE SPONSOR ME I'M A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT.

7.) DELETE ALL OF MY OLD E-MAILS. This is seriously going to take me like a day and a half. I have like twenty thousand old e-mails sitting in my personal e-mail, and even more unread ones in my school e-mail. Mainly because I linked them for smart phone purposes, so my school e-mail is super neglected and every time I log onto it I feel overwhelmed because gahhhhh.



....I think that might be it.......

I'm going to try and tackle 1-4 as soon as I get back to school on Monday, and hope to be done by Thursday. I will probably wait on numba 6 until I've got some more $$ if ya know what I'm sayin'. And I don't even know how to approach number 7, I'll probably get started and then somehow find myself curled up in the fetal position in my bathtub. I'm gonna have to make a plan to tackle that one.

WISH ME LUCK!! I think that getting organized is going to feel like a full time job this January. Which is good. Something about idle hands and the Devil's thing. IDK.

New Years Resolutions

So I'm getting back to blogging after taking an unplanned hiatus. Unplanned hiatus is just a fancy way of saying I fell off the wagon because I am lazy and get anxiety about procrastination.


Anyways, it's New Years Eve. Yeah yeah, I know. So typical, Melanie. Coming back to your blog just in time for a New Years resolution to blog more. I bet you'll be gone again by mid January. HUSH UP, ITALICS. YOU DON'T KNOW MY LIFE.

I mean, one of my New Years resolutions is to blog more frequently. But I think that is going to require a few changes in this blog. I am no longer limiting myself to posting about food (but let's be honest...I'm going to post about food like A LOT). I originally thought that being a food blogger would be super fun because OMG I LOVE FOOD. But it turns out that there's a lot more that I would like to talk about. I don't want to say that this is going to be a Lifestyle Blog, because that sounds more adult than I'm willing to handle. Except this is basically going to be me blogging about my lifestyle...so...it is a lifestyle blog. But like...isn't every personal blog a lifestyle blog?? The point is, this is not a food blog anymore. It's about me trying to be like a real human being becauuuse...um...I want to do that.


I'm halfway through my junior year of college and I still feel like people don't take me seriously, and I can't blame them, because I don't really share the part of me that takes things seriously and has interests that aren't related to the Disney channel. I'm still struggling with my health and fitness the same way I was in high school, and I still don't answer e-mails in a timely manner, and I still wait until the last minute to study and write papers, and I am starting to feel the pressure to act like an adult because...I am putting pressure on myself to act like an adult. I don't want to graduate college and then end up thrown into real life without having at least some practice in being a grown up. Even worse, I don't want to graduate college and then end up ignoring real life and still acting like a teenager. I think that I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to grow up, and I don't think that it's a bad thing. I can't be a troll forever!

Anyways, I'm still going to call this blog "Deep Fried Carrots". Because I think it represents a lot about what I need to learn. I think that I struggle with finding balance in almost every aspect of my life. Either I'm super prepared and on top of things, or I wait until the last minute. I eat really healthy, or I eat cupcakes for dinner. I'm really serious/upset/annoyed/anything or OVER THE TOP EXCITED HAPPY OMG FREAKING OUTT. I'm getting tired of it, and the people around me are getting tired of it, and it's time to make some changes.

Anyways here are my New Years Resolutions for 2013:

1.) Get healthy! Same old same old every year. But I would like to tackle one health/fitness goal for every month of this year, so that I have an actual plan. For the month of January, my goal is to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Weekends are no longer cheat days in 2013...I guess lol.


2.)Speak my mind more often on things that matter to me. This is really broad and kind of vague, but I think that having this blog as an outlet will be helpful for this resolution. I've stopped raising my hand in class, I never write to professors to tell them what I think of their lectures (which one of my professor's often asks us to do), I don't usually share my opinions on current events, and I don't talk to people about books and media that I genuinely enjoy (that is not the Disney channel or QVC). I'm not an active participant, because I am afraid of being shot down. Which I have been, but it's time to get over that. I've been too cautions for too long about the things I say, and I'm starting to look vapid to the people that don't know me well.


3.) Blog more! Starting goal is once a week here, and since I don't have to talk exclusively about food, I have no excuses! Except let's get real, I'm still going to talk about food.


4.) Answer e-mails within 12 hours of receiving them (24 MAX). Seriously, Melanie. It's not that hard. AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, GET OVER THE ANXIETY YOU HAVE ABOUT SENDING E-MAILS. Jeez.


5.) Overall, find balance and moderation. I know that there's nothing wrong with treating myself, and that part of who I am is loud and obnoxious (AND FUNNY. AMIRIGHT??). But also I know there's a way to still enjoy the things that I love without going overboard, and that I can still be a fun (and FUNNY...AMIRIGHT???) person without annoying myself and everyone around me.

OKAY THIS POST IS GETTING A LITTLE HEAVIER THAN I WAS HOPING so I'm going to close it out and say HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!

2012 was an amazing year for me. I had so many wonderful experiences that are too numerous to list. I'm excited for things coming up in 2013, but I'm also excited to see what surprises the new year brings me. I hope you all have a terrific night and I'LL SEE YOU IN 2013 BITCHESSSS.






P.S. Let's go ahead and pretend that the pictures I took of food in Hungary and Vienna got lost because there is no way I can go back and write two more blog posts about July. Saaahhryyyy.