Tag: NaBloPoMo

Challenging, Eye-opening, Memorable

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Nov. 14: What was it like to be you in 2016?

Challenging, Eye-opening, Memorable.

If I had to sum up my 2016 in three words, it would be them.

This year was challenging in many ways. I have overcome most if not all of those challenges, though. I was challenged with college. My second-semester load was a lot more challenging than my first semester, yet I still powered through and completed the semester, no matter how difficult. Upon finishing my first year of college, I was faced with the challenge of deciding what I wanted to do with my life. Deciding my major, my plan of action for the 2016-2017 school year and what school I would be attending. While this is still a challenge for me, I am making my way through this one step at a time. I had my first real job ever. After a life of babysitting jobs. I finally had my first real 40-hour a week job. And I hated it. It was probably the worst summer of my life. I woke up at 5, worked from 7-3, got home at 430, ate, and then slept. As much as it sucked, I was able to save up a ton of money. My mental health was also a challenge in 2016. Not as much as it has been previously, but mental illnesses never quit. It will continue to be a challenge but I know I am not alone in this, which is all I need. Despite this year being challenging, I learned lessons from all of these which I feel has been very beneficial for me.

2016 was such an eye-opening year for me as well. My entire life I have been obsessed with what people thought of me. I was too afraid to wear certain clothes, wear makeup, and enjoy certain things for fear that people might judge me. I have realized that I don’t care what people think. Yes, I sometimes still get self-conscious and worry what other people think of me but that doesn’t stop me from doing and wearing what I love.

Through all of these challenges and life revelations, I have made some incredible memories this year too. I started 2016 off with some of my best friends having a great time. Then I took a risk and dyed my hair red. Although it was only temporary, it was still crazy for me that I jumped so far out of my comfort zone to do something I always wanted. I spent the first half of the year studying in one of the most amazing cities in the country surrounded by great people, great weather, and an ample amount of things to do. I got to see my favorite band in concert, cried seeing my favorite band in concert. I got to see the Cubs win a World Series, something I never thought I would do. I made so many new and amazing friends from all over the world. This year I went vegan, got new tattoos, tried so many new things, became a better version of myself and so much more. There have been so many downs this year but there have been by far so many more ups.

What was 2016 was for you?

Alicia

Thrive by GoMacro Nut Bars Review

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Hi everyone, a couple weeks back, I won a giveaway done by Lazy Girl Vegan, sponsored by GoMacro. The prize was a sample pack of their new Thrive ‘Ancient Seeds Superfood Nut Bars.” I have tried some of GoMacro’s bars before but never these (since they are new) and decided to share with the blog world my opinion of them. Let’s get started.

The box containing all 12 bars
The box containing all 12 bars

The Thrive bars are available in 6 flavors: Ginger Lemon, Almond Apricot, Caramel Coconut, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, and Blueberry Lavender.

All six of the flavors
All six of the flavors

They have quite a few flavor combinations for all kinds of palettes. I tried all 6 flavors and will share the pros and cons of each, and some of my favorites.

*The bars are listed in order from my favorite to least favorite*

Almond Apricot
Almond Apricot

Almond Apricot: I can honestly say I had never tried an apricot before this so I had no idea what I would be in for. I really really really really liked this one. A ton. I am always hesitant on fruit flavored bars unless they are strawberry because you never know what you’re going to get. This was surprisingly good and very refreshing. If there is one I am most excited about buying it is the Almond Apricot because it’s unlike any other bar I have ever tried

    Pros: It was a very refreshing taste, almost like eating the fruit right then and there.

    Cons: The almonds in the bar are whole almonds am personally not a huge fan of when there are full almonds in bars. I like them sliced or whatever.

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Chocolate, Nuts, and Sea Salt

Chocolate, Nuts, and Sea Salt: Being a firm believer in the chocolate and sea salt combination, I grabbed this one first. This one takes the cake for my favorite of the sweet ones (without fruit). If you are a chocolate lover like myself, BUY THIS BAR.

    Pros: Very tasty and nothing was too overpowering

    Cons: For me, nothing

Caramel Coconut
Caramel Coconut

Caramel Coconut: I was never a coconut fan. Every Halloween, had I been given any Almond Joys they went straight to the trade pile. However, after living in California for a year, the love of coconut has been ingrained in me. I liked these a ton as well.

    Pros: You could really taste and feel the coconut flakes which to me is always a good reminder real coconut is used

  Cons: Couldn’t taste an extreme amount of caramel and the coconut did overpower it

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip
Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: Your average chocolate chip peanut butter combination. Nothing too special about it. Good nonetheless.

  Pros: One of those, you can’t mess up the formula and is good no matter what.

   Cons: Nothing really.

Blueberry Lavender
Blueberry Lavender

Blueberry Lavender: Well, blueberry lavender. Lavender. I was a bit terrified of this name because when I think lavender I think of freshly washed sheets but was curious as to how the two would taste together. Curiosity killed the cat… and my taste buds. I was not a fan. The blueberry part was good but whatever lavender I was tasting, was not good. I made my dad try it and he wasn’t displeased with the bar. He said it was a bit bland but not terrible.

    Pros: The blueberry half was good, very sweet.

    Cons: The lavender was mainly the aftertaste but still, not a fan

Ginger Lemon
Ginger Lemon

Ginger Lemon: Preface before even tasting: I hate ginger. So naturally I wouldn’t like this bar… I didn’t. Not to be overdramatic but I couldn’t even swallow it. This is by far my least favorite. But I knew it would be because I hate ginger. I had my mom eat what I couldn’t bare to and she loved it. So, this one is definitely palette dependent

    Pros: The lemony aftertaste

    Cons: The ginger.

All in all, I love the brand in general and will continue to buy the bars that fit my palette. Something I love about not only these bars, but the entire GoMacro company is that they are certified Gluten-Free, Vegan, Organic, and Non-GMO. Perfect for so many people trying to live health-conscious and those with allergies as well.

If any of your try these bars please let me know what you think of them! Also remember to check out Lazy Girl Vegan because I wouldn’t have had the chance to try all of them had it not been for her.

Alicia

Things I’ve learned… Relationship edition

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Nov. 11: What are five funny (but real) things your current relationship has taught you?

Good afternoon everyone. I’m currently single so this is what I have learned from my last relationship/ current state of being single.

  1. Having control of your own time and schedule is such a blessing. Not having to worry about someone else’s time is just one less weight off my own shoulders.
  2. I can shave whenever the hell I want when I’m single.  If I don’t want to shave for a month then I don’t have to.
  3. When you’re single you can do what you want with your body, clothes, makeup, etc. Men always seem to have an opinion on what clothes you wear, what your hair looks like, what makeup/ how much makeup you put on your face. While it doesn’t impact them and they should have no say in the matter yet they still seem to think they do.
  4. My friends and I should be hired by the FBI. When my ex-boyfriend got a new girlfriend I knew where she was from, about her family, even that she had a cat named after her favorite book as a kid. Or when I almost got into another relationship we knew everything about that guy hence why I am not dating him nor ever did date him.
  5. Dogs are better at listening to feelings than your significant other. They may leave you when food is around but so would he so what’s the difference?

Basically what I have learned from my past relationships and life currently is that you are better off alone. Men need you but you don’t need them.

Alicia

Oh look, another election post

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Nov. 10: Did you celebrate or commemorate your divorce or a significant breakup? Would you ever?

I can honestly say that I have never done this, never plan on doing this, nor did I think anyone did this. I don’t have much to say on this topic as I have not been divorced or had major breakups. My last breakup I laugh at a lot but I don’t celebrate it.

—-

I do just want to say something about the election again. I know, I know.  Enough about this election. But this is so important for not only the United States but the entire world as well. America does so much trade and business and we are involved with so many countries across the globe.

I am from America and I stayed up until 130 when they finally announced that Trump had won. Hearing the phrase “President Trump” was tear-inducing, gut-wrenching, and absolutely heartbreaking. I never knew America had so much hatred and ignorance in it. People are killing themselves, men are boasting about grabbing women by the pussy, there are riots and protests across the entire country, Muslim women are afraid to leave the house wearing their hijab, and people are drawing swastikas and hanging black mannequins all over the country. Trump isn’t even inaugurated yet and people have done this. It has been less than 2 days and we have experienced this. If this is any indication of what the next 4 years are like, I fear for this country.

No Hillary wasn’t perfect, but there should have been no competition between the racist, homophobic, sexist, islamophobic and a woman who devoted her entire life trying to make a difference in this country.

I wrote this about my feelings. So many people who believe that Donald Trump is not a good fit posted Hillary, MLK Jr, Rupi Kaur, and other quotes followed by captions filled with their feelings. Reading these inspired to write my own.

I am at a loss for words. Tuesday night will be etched in my mind forever and ever. As I sat on the couch, sobbing, watching as the states continued to turn blue and red. As the electoral continued to add up for a man who is not fit to run this country. As the gap between one of the most devoted women in the entire nation and a man who took up politics as a hobby continued to grow, I became numb. I am still completely numb to all of this but somewhere in the void my body is in, there is anger, hatred, and fear. I am angry at the people who voted for the third party.  I hate people who thought he was a good fit for president and I fear for the future of our nation.I know one thing for sure. We cannot stop. We have made so much progress in the move towards equality in the last 8 years and we cannot let this man end that march for us. We have to stand together and we cannot stop fighting. We have so much ass to kick so let’s get to kicking.

Alicia

Thank you and I’m sorry

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Nov. 9: What do you want to say to Hillary Clinton today?

It is with a heavy heart that I write this post. I stayed up all night waiting, watching, crying, getting hopeful, and then crying again. I am numb and have completely dissociated from everything. Donald Trump won the presidency. People keep calling him President trump and I keep pinching myself hoping to wake up from this nightmare America has become. I had planned on writing this post as a congratulatory, and now, just the opposite.

Hillary, to sum everything I want to say to you in one sentence it is: Thank you and I am sorry.

Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for persevering for women, families, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other minorities. You have given us so much hope. Thank you. Thank you for giving me the hope to have a woman president. I never thought I would see the day that there was a possibility to say “My president is a woman.” While it may not be you, you have shown women that they can do anything they want. Thank you for devoting your life to making America a country worth living in. I know not everyone liked you from the start, and I know not everyone likes you now, but you devoted your entire life to this country, and not many people (including our next president) can say they did that. Thank you for putting up with your opponent, the media, the citizens of this country. All people do is give you hate for those emails. We get it. They happened. Every politician, every person makes big mistakes and yours have been drug out long enough. You aren’t being taken to court for rape charges, but you are being investigated for deleting emails about your lunch order. Thank you for being the bigger person. Thank you for empowering so many women and minorities to dream big. People fail and you can still get back on your feet and try again. Thank you for trying. Thank you for never quitting on America. Thank you for never quitting on me.

I am sorry. I am sorry you lost. I am sorry you devoted your whole life to a country that is filled with hate, intolerance, ignorance, and a lack of morals. I am so sorry everyone got your hopes up on this election and you still lost. I am sorry you lost the election to  a man who took politics up as a hobby 18 months ago. I am sorry you worked your ass off the past 18 months only to have been defeated by a Cheeto. I am sorry the media always puts you down and will say anything to get the negative attention off of Trump. I am sorry you will never be President Clinton (unless you run again) I am sorry that your children, grandchildren, and all the children of this country will never be able to call you president Clinton. I am sorry that I hated you at first. I didn’t hate you per say, but I agreed with whatever Bernie supporters said about you because I wanted Bernie. You are just as if not more qualified than him. I am sorry that so many people did the same. I am sorry that the actions of people around you from 20 years ago are more dictating of a person than what someone said in the past week. I am sorry that we failed you. I am sorry that all of your hard work didn’t pay off in the end. I am sorry.

With tears staining my cheeks and keyboard, and a much needed hot shower and cup of tea on the way, I must sign off. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, thank you for believing in America and trying to help us and I am so deeply sorry we did not accept your help.

Alicia

Mystery Blogger Award

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Hi everyone, so Allie made a blog post about receiving the Mystery Blogger Award and she nominated everyone whose name begins with a vowel. Last time I checked, the letter A is a vowel so I figured, why not do this? Also a huge shoutout to Okoto Enigma for creating this award. 🙂

THE RULES:

Put the award logo/image on your blog.

List the rules.

Thank whoever nominated you and provide a link to their blog!

Mention the creator of the award and provide a link to their blog as well.

Tell your readers 3 things about yourself.

You have to nominate 10-20 people.

Notify each of your nominees by commenting on their blog.

Ask your nominees any 5 questions of your choice; with one weird or funny question (specify).

Share your link to your best post(s).

3 things about myself:

  1. I am a huge sports fan. Like honestly I will watch any sport anytime. I mainly follow Chicago teams but I also really like the Knicks because my husband (Joakim Noah) got traded from the Bulls so now I have to keep up with him.
  2. I never had braces and I still don’t have glasses. Everyone always get o jealous of me for not having either but it’s just really normal for me.
  3. I still play the Kim Kardashian game. I’m not even a fan of any of the Kardashians or Jenners the game is just really addicting.

So Allie didn’t do the 5 questions part so I’m going to answer the 5 questions of the blog who nominated her.

  1. If you could switch lives with one famous person for one day each year, who would you choose and why? I think I would pick like a Youtuber, specifically a beauty guru. Like MannyMUA or something because he gets to do what he loves (if bomb at doing makeup too!!), is given so many amazing opportunities, and gets to travel the world. Who wouldn’t want that???
  2. What would be the best present you could find under your tree this year? Th is always the most annoying question. I never know what I want for Christmas. If I had to pick something right off the bat, I would really love (I am so lame I know) something from Magnolia Farms. If you guys have ever hear of the show ‘Fixer Upper’ on HGTV, that is their store. I want like a cute hat or shirt or something. I am so lame but it’s whatever.
  3. Let’s say you just won the lottery and you are now the richest person in the world. What are the first 3 things you’re going to do? I feel sort of bad for saying this but the first thing I would do is take care of myself and my family. Like I would make sure all of our college is paid for, we all have cars, houses, and are well taken care of. The next thing i would do is put a good amount of it in the bank just in case something happens. I would need to make sure I was always well off if i lost a job or just in case of emergencies. The final thing i would do it volunteer. I would go to Africa, Asia, South America and give my time and money to those who are less fortunate than I am. I would probably start a charity or some schools for underprivileged children in  3rd world countries.
  4. What’s your personal opinion of social media? It’s good to some extent but like I have blogged about many times, there are flaws and it can create monsters.
  5. Weird question, if you had to lose all senses except for one, which would you keep? I think I would keep my sight. To me personally it it the most important. I could still write and read since I can’t hear. And I can still see the things I cannot feel or taste or smell so when it comes to food I could still be conscious of what I am putting in my body and of things around me.

Now for my 5 questions

  1. If you could travel to one country in the entire world, which would it be?
  2. What was the last lie you told? Why did you tell it?
  3. What was your first when you woke up this morning?
  4. What can instantly cheer you up, no matter what?
  5. Weird: Would you be willing to eat a bowl of cockroaches for $40,000?

Alright now for the people I nominate

Enette

Mia

Alana

Lu

Mie

Jenn

Tay

Gina

Alexandra

Inspired Teen

Obviously none of you have to do this if you don’t want but I thought it was a fun thing to do.

Until later for my NaBloPoMo post

Alicia

Put the past behind you

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Nov. 8: If you could redo one moment in your life, what would it be and why? How would it change who you are now?

Happy election day. I’m honestly quite surprised that this prompt isn’t about the election. I’m also quite relieved.Yes, your girl woke up at 5:45 this morning, voted, and went back to sleep. I hope all of you (American citizens of course) have voted, are on your way to voting, or are planning on voting before the polls close. Just remember that the polls are useless information unless you go out and vote. I am honestly so happy that the election is here because I can’t wait to stop hearing about everyone’s political view for the new 3-3.5 years.

Onto the topic at hand. I read this question and was at a loss. I don’t really think there is a single thing I would change about my life.

Why is that you may ask? Well, for the first time in a very very long time, I am happy with who I am as a person. I am happy with myself, the people I am surrounded with, life in general.  Yes, I have made mistakes, I have said some things I shouldn’t said, done some things I shouldn’t have, but at the end of the day, I am happy with who I am today. Had I chose to do something different with my life like not send that risky text message, not end that relationship, etc, I wouldn’t be the same person I am today.

I feel that so many people live their lives filled with regret and I hate that. People always say that life is short. I used to say that. But it really isn’t. It’s the longest thing we’ll ever do. Living is the longest thing we will do, ever. We need to make the most of the 90 or however many years we have on this planet and not worry about what we would do differently but rather how the things we did in our past made us who we are today.

How if I didn’t end that friendship I never would’ve become so close with my current best friend. If I didn’t send that text message I never would have had my first boyfriend.

We spend too much of our lives thinking “What if…” when we should be focusing on coming to terms with our past self, facing the consequences of our actions and moving on.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

P.S. GO VOTE IF YOU HAVEN’T PLEASE.

Food Fails

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Nov. 7: What was your worst Thanksgiving food fail?

Being only 19, I’ve never really cooked a Thanksgiving meal. I have helped with vegetables and things of that nature, however never done a whole meal. So, this food fail I’m going to be talking about actually occurred around Thanksgiving but wasn’t technically Thanksgiving food.

My junior year of high school, I was on crutches for about 5 weeks because I had injured my knee (to this day my doctor, orthopedic surgeon, and physical therapist have no idea what actually happened to my knee but it persists in giving me occasional pain). In my high school, when you are on crutches, in a wheelchair,etc. You are allowed to leave 5 minutes early from class with a friend so you can avoid all the hallway traffic.

There are 7 periods in a day so I had 7 different people bringing me to and from classes. While they enjoyed getting out of class 5 minutes earlier, after a while it was annoying lugging around 2 backpacks.

Basically, I decided to be a nice cripple and make everyone chocolate chip cookies. Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to hobble myself into the kitchen, find the biggest bowl we had and start a heaping 4 batches of cookies. Due to this insane amount of cookies being produced, I had pre measured every ingredient out so I didn’t miscalculate something later.

As I had finished mixing the ingredients and was ready to put the first 24 cookies in the oven, I remarked at how the cookies seemed a little darker than normal. I decided to ignore that fact and put them straight in the over.

15 minutes or however long later, I pulled the cookies out of the oven and was shocked to see piles of chocolate chips surrounded by burnt sugar. I immediately called my mom in to see what I had done wrong. She said I must not have put enough flour in the dough mix.

screen-shot-2016-11-07-at-4-14-44-pm

Looking around for a measuring cup to put the right amount of flour for the remaining cookies, I found the 8 cups of flour in the enormous measuring cup hidden behind my kitchen mixer.

I then asked my mom how many cups of flour I should put in the remaining mix. She had forgotten the amount I was baking and told me the amount I should put had I been making a normal amount of cookies. Not knowing this, I followed her instructions, put the flour in, and placed the next 24 cookies in the oven, hoping for better results.

After the next 15 minutes passed, I excitedly opened the oven to see perfect cookies! Just kidding, I saw the same as before only the burnt sugar was a mixture of  burnt sugar and a hint of flour.

screen-shot-2016-11-07-at-4-14-37-pm

Completely defeated and not knowing how much flour I would have to put in now, I dumped out the cookie dough, washed my dishes, restocked my ingredients, and made an entire new batch. 4 hours and 3 tries later, I had 100 cookies ready for my friends, family, and myself of course to enjoy.

screen-shot-2016-11-07-at-4-14-30-pm

P.S. It has been 3 years and I still have not lived this down.

 

Here are the prompts for this week if you are following along 🙂

Nov. 7: What was your worst Thanksgiving food fail?

Nov. 8: If you could redo one moment in your life, what would it be and why? How would it change who you are now?

Nov. 9: What do you want to say to Hillary Clinton today?

Nov. 10: Did you celebrate or commemorate your divorce or a significant breakup? Would you ever?

Nov. 11: What are five funny (but real) things your current relationship has taught you?

Brand New World

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Nov. 4: Which fall shows should totally be canceled already?

Ok, BlogHer, what the hell is this? With Netflix, hulu, on demand, and my DVR, how does anyone know which shows are fall shows anymore? I just record stuff and then watch it months later and go on with my life. So, I have no clue which fall shows there are and which ones should be cancelled. If I don’t like them… I don’t watch them… end of story.

Okay, good talk. Anyway, now I am going to talk about what I actually want to write about.

My dad’s co-worker is from Germany and she immigrated from Germany to the United States 30 ish years ago. Her niece is in town from Germany, and Heike (my dad’s coworker) asked me if I would take Neele, her niece, and show her Chicago and all of its glory. We went yesterday and it was really fun and while I was able to teach Neele about Chicago and American culture, I learned just as much about Germany and its culture. .

I drove with my dad to work (tbt to those working days at the factory) and Neele drove with Heike. We then took the train downtown from the station by their work. Neele was telling me that where she lives in Germany, and most of Europe, the tallest buildings are nowhere near as high as the skyscrapers littering the Chicago lakeshore. In her town, the tallest building is student living at the nearby university and it is only 8 stories tall. The Sears Tower… has 110 stories.

When you are on the train, for the most part you just drive through suburbs and see graffiti marking the path of the metra. However, on the final turn as we approach Union Station, the skyline is in perfect view. Every beautiful building that makes Chicago such a remarkable city is in sight and the Sears Tower sits above all the others, basking in all of its glory. Neele’s jaw drops and the only words she can get past her lips are “Oh my god.” A long list of oh my gods to be specific.

Growing up here, it’s just Chicago. The Sears Tower, the Hancock, the Lake, etc. It’s normal for me to have it at my fingertips. But for Neele to never having seen buildings like this, she was in awe.

Upon dodging commuters and their pre-coffee attitudes, we made our way out onto Wacker drive, the same Wacker Drive that the Sears Tower is placed. As Neele takes in her surroundings, I tell her to look up and once again she is speechless. Yes, the buildings look unimaginably tall when you’re far away but being right next to the tallest building on the Western Hemisphere is surreal.

After admiring all of the buildings I took her to the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum. They are right next to each other and complete tourist hubs. Unless of course you go on a weekend, then it’s field trip city (yes I know from experience).

The Shedd is very cool in that, the fish, amphibians, reptiles, etc. are sorted by their natural location on the world. As we walked through all of the exhibits to the Great Lakes region (Chicago and the midwest area) she was amazed that these creatures lived in the depths of lakes and so close to where she was staying. Upon seeing the alligator snapping turtle that could easily rip off a person’s hand with its bird of prey like beak, she once again was at a loss for words.

The Field museum was decent, we were pretty tired because she was jet lagged still and I got no sleep after the world Series win last night, so we sort of just glanced around and then visited a really cool exhibit about tattoos which we both enjoyed.

All in all, Neele is super sweet and I think we’ll take another trip downtown, explore a bit more and such. I also learned that people outside of America think that Americans are Trump-loving, Twinkie-eating, rednecks. Seriously. Neele’s friends instructed her that she had to bring twinkies back so everyone could try them. I think I have eaten a single twinkie in my entire life.

Until tomorrow,

Alicia

P.S. Normally I would have taken loads of pictures but we were so captivated by each other and all we had to say the only time I pulled my phone out was to get an uber and to have my dad pick us up from the train station.

 

Don’t bite your tongue

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Nov. 3: If you could be completely honest with no regrets, what would you say and to whom?

As I read this prompt, I really couldn’t think of all that many people. I mean, yeah I have had to bite my tongue on occasion instead of saying something I would regret later, but honestly, not that many. I have decided to write to a general population instead of just like my friend so and so or whatever. So yeah, let’s do this.

To Trump Supporters: You are all idiots. The fact that you want to elect this complete idiot for president is absurd and outrages me as not only an American citizen, but as a woman, as a Black Lives Matter Support, as an LGBTQ supporter, as a lower-middle-class citizen. A man who is going to court in the next few weeks for CHILD RAPE, a man who has said you can do anything to a woman, even “grabbing her by the pussy,” a man who is a complete racist asshole and A MAN WHO HAS EVEN SAID THAT REPUBLICANS ARE STUPID AND WILL LISTEN TO WHATEVER LIES ARE THROWN THEIR WAY… Yes he said that. While this election hasn’t changed my views on who can be president, it has changed the way I look at any human who has the audacity to publicly support this candidate.

To people who hate on other people for being ‘basic:’ Okay, I have been called a ‘basic bitch’ more times than I can count. Just because I like fall, and Starbucks, and I wear leggings, and listen to pop music doesn’t make me any less of a person than you. Fall is a cool season, so are all the other ones (not summer because humidity and hot). Starbucks is good, Dunkin is good, coffee and tea and frilly drinks are GOOD. LEGGINGS ARE COMFORTABLE. They’re like sweatpants but less ugly so while you talk shit about my leggings, I’ll leave all the fucks I give in the pocket of my jeans I don’t wear. I listen to pop music. I also listen to alternative music. It’s called pop because it’s popular. HATING THINGS OTHER PEOPLE DO DOESN’T MAKE YOU COOL. IT MAKES YOU AN ASSHOLE.

To every person that has ever been a bitch to me: I hate all three of you and I hope you rot in non-existent hell.

Until tomorrow,

Alicia

Bravery

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NaBloPoMo Day 2: When was the last time you did something brave? What happened?

For as long as I can remember, I have never been a quitter. I mean, I have quit things (who hasn’t) but not when quitting directly affects someone besides myself. My senior year, I quit water polo (due to my job and my knee) but it was out of my hands (the knee part) and I quit very early on in the season before anything was set in stone about starters and positions and things like that. It’s not that I have a problem saying no in general, per say, but once I am invested in something, I do tend to have a more difficult time getting the word “no” to leave my mouth.

If you’ve followed my blog for at least the past two weeks, you may have read my post about me quitting my nannying job. I feel like a broken record saying this but I feel me quitting was very brave of me, especially considering it is not something I do usually, or ever for that matter.

For the first time ever, I was able to stand up for myself when I wasn’t being treated properly and was able to make it out of a toxic environment before it got too crazy. Standing up for myself and being able to tell someone that enough I enough is not something I’m typically comfortable with and the fact that I did it shows great bravery, in my opinion.

While I am out of a job right now, getting away from that one is more important than the $13 an hour I was getting

Until tomorrow

Alicia

NaBloPoMo Day 1

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Nov 1st Prompt: When you’re having a bad day with your mental health, what do you do to help yourself?

This is actually a funny topic (not funny per say more like ironic) because I’ve actually been having a bad mental health couple of days recently and have done just about everything I know possible to help myself mentally.

Whenever I think of having a bad mental day, the only thing I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep all day. That’s nice to do every once in awhile, but when you have bad mental days as often as I do, it’s just not realistic.

The first thing I do is shower, or take a bath. Whenever I have a bad mental day, I typically cannot feel anything. I am basically the embodiment of an emotional void and the only thing that helps is feeling the warmth on my skin as the water cascades down my body. The cool air as I step out of the shower, and the same cold yet soothing feeling as I soothe lotion all over my body.

Once I’m soft and clean, I put on my comfiest pair of pajamas, twist my hair in a bun, and write. I write about my emptiness, I write about how I want to feel, I write about things that make me feel, anything. I listen to classical music to keep me calm and get my creative juices flowing.

While I write, I prepare some tea (Earl Grey is my personal fave). While my body still can’t feel emotion, the scalding tea reminds me that I do in fact, exist, and I’m alive. Just simply holding the mug, and letting the heat radiate onto my fingers, reminds me to feel.

I sometimes do other things like bake, work out, etc, but what I mentioned above is the gist of what I do most often. See you tomorrow

Alicia

P.S. For everyone who wants to blog along… Here are the prompts for the week

Nov 1: When you’re having a bad day with your mental health, what do you do to help yourself?

Nov. 2: When was the last time you did something brave? What happened?

Nov. 3: If you could be completely honest with no regrets, what would you say and to whom?

Nov. 4: Which fall shows should totally be canceled already?

Nov 5: Free Write

Nov 6: Free Write

National Blog Posting Month

Published on by Alicia6 Comments

Hi everyone,

In an attempt to become more consistent in my posting and from seeing a ton of blogs do this last year, I am going to be participating in National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo).

For those of you who don’t know what that is, November is in fact National Blog Posting Month. A few years back, someone created the hashtag #NaBloPoMo and more recently, BlogHer took it over. BlogHer creates prompts for each weekday (weekends are free writes) to get people motivated to write every day during the month of November. You don’t have to use every prompt as they are there for just guidance and to get the writing juices flowing. The prompts will be posted every week (according to BlogHer’s twitter) so I will post them here as they become available or you can check out BlogHer’s website for the prompts.

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I encourage everone to join in on this with me as in the past, the prompts have been very versatile and it’s very interesting seeing each blog’s take on certain prompts.

Until tomorrow

Alicia