Think about your Monday morning routine. Do you get up at 6 a.m to go for a five mile run? Do you wake up and make yourself breakfast before your shower? Or do you need to shower before you can fully function? What if you woke up and were compelled to do something out of the ordinary?
This morning over 25,000 people will do something a little out of the ordinary. They will run the Boston Marathon.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators, families and friends, and even more students from Wellesley College, Boston College and Boston University will be on the sidelines, bright and early, (drunkenly) cheer these runners on to help them get to the finish line.
In Boston, this Monday doesn't seem so routine. Maybe it's time you got up and started running a new Monday morning routine.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Park-ing Around Outside
So I took a tip from that music video I posted the other day and looked outside of myself- aka strayed off my (very) beaten path here in Boston. Why? Well, first off, one of my best friends, Jamie, is visiting and I already showed here all the main sights and stops in Boston and Cambridge (she's been here since Thursday). Secondly, after walking the same old streets, it's good to go exploring and to find a change... you never know what you might find.
So, today after a small stint at Winthrop Playground on St. Paul Street in Brookline (a neighboring town), Jamie, Noah and I hopped into Noah's car for a joy ride of sorts. Traffic on Beacon Street caused us to take a detour onto Summit Ave. On Summit Ave, we started climbing a HUGE hill. Mind you, we has NO idea where we were going, so the hill was huge curve ball (and a nice change of pace from Boston's generally flat geography).
Thankful that we aren't walking up the street, we drive past some quaint homes and BOOM! We get to what seems like a random patch of barren land. After a couple of seconds of mental registry and a u-turn, Noah parks the car. We all hop out, eager to try to understand what we have stumbled upon when we see this:
We reached the top of the Summit Ave. Hill and found Corey Hill Outlook Park. This park- whose existence was unknown until today- looks out to Brookline and parts of Boston, including BU's campus. Couples and families in the park were having picnics, rolling down the hill, and playing in the small playground across the street. Adorbale. Heart-warming. Not gonna lie, I got that fuzzy feeling inside.
After a few pictures and some running around, Jamie, Noah and I got back into the car only to go back to our commonplace, everyday spaces.
Even though we ended up back in our mudane little bubble, today I learned that change is good. No matter how big or small that change is, it allows you to recognize and appreciate what you have and/or don't have, to experience something new, to learn about yourself (your likes and dislikes, needs and wants), and to provide even the slightest sense of adventure.
To me, that sense of adventure (in conjugation with everything else) is what makes you feel good and smile and be proud of yourself at the end of the day... add in some sunshine and good friends and you've got it made.
So, today after a small stint at Winthrop Playground on St. Paul Street in Brookline (a neighboring town), Jamie, Noah and I hopped into Noah's car for a joy ride of sorts. Traffic on Beacon Street caused us to take a detour onto Summit Ave. On Summit Ave, we started climbing a HUGE hill. Mind you, we has NO idea where we were going, so the hill was huge curve ball (and a nice change of pace from Boston's generally flat geography).
Thankful that we aren't walking up the street, we drive past some quaint homes and BOOM! We get to what seems like a random patch of barren land. After a couple of seconds of mental registry and a u-turn, Noah parks the car. We all hop out, eager to try to understand what we have stumbled upon when we see this:
We reached the top of the Summit Ave. Hill and found Corey Hill Outlook Park. This park- whose existence was unknown until today- looks out to Brookline and parts of Boston, including BU's campus. Couples and families in the park were having picnics, rolling down the hill, and playing in the small playground across the street. Adorbale. Heart-warming. Not gonna lie, I got that fuzzy feeling inside.
After a few pictures and some running around, Jamie, Noah and I got back into the car only to go back to our commonplace, everyday spaces.
Even though we ended up back in our mudane little bubble, today I learned that change is good. No matter how big or small that change is, it allows you to recognize and appreciate what you have and/or don't have, to experience something new, to learn about yourself (your likes and dislikes, needs and wants), and to provide even the slightest sense of adventure.
To me, that sense of adventure (in conjugation with everything else) is what makes you feel good and smile and be proud of yourself at the end of the day... add in some sunshine and good friends and you've got it made.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Looking Outside, Outside of Yourself
Sophomore year I ran into this pretty cool band, West Indian Girl.
Two years and a handful of emails later, they are back on my radar thanks to this video:
Music makes me lose control.
Two years and a handful of emails later, they are back on my radar thanks to this video:
Music makes me lose control.
My Easter Weekend Get-a-way
So for the last couple days, things have been a little bit busy. Hence why I've been MIA. Not to worry, I have not forgotten about you! (I'm not gonna lie... I had a little trouble coming up with a topic for a new blog post, so add that to the list of reasons why I've been "gone.")
Anywhos, I figured it's time for you to get to know me a little better and what better way to do so than by recapping my weekend. So here goes.
This weekend was Easter weekend (for all of my non-Christian friends), so Thursday, I hopped on a bus from Boston to my beloved Jerz. Make fun of me all you want, but its like the saying goes: "you can take the girl outta Jersey, but you can't take the Jersey out of the girl." Cheesy, I know, but true... minus the big hair and harsh accent. I never really picked those up in the first place.
I arrived home at about 8:30PM, just in time to watch the BU vs. UVM Frozen Four semi-final game and have dinner with my dog, Rusty, and my mami. (Note: I'm Hispanic, so mom and dad are "mami and papi" to me). Pretty low-key.
Friday, after a pleasant dentist appointment (no cavities!), I spent the afternoon with my little sister, doing the high school thing aka hanging out at the mall. So fun!... thanks to the mockery we made out of some of the hideous fashion (and people) we ran into while shopping. That night, I went ice skating with my bestest friend, Lizzie. Even though we were probably the oldest people on the ice (we were surrounded by a parade of 12 year olds), we still made the best of it by laughing at ourselves every time we fell (I fell once...so we really were just laughing at Lizzie). In order to reward our efforts and to gain back three times the amount of calories we had just burned, we made a late night Dunkin Donuts run where we each ordered a box of six doughnuts. We didn't share. It was fantastic. Don't judge. Plus, it's like John Legend sings in his song, "Save Room," you gotta "make time to live a little."
Saturday. I. did. nothing. It was glorious simply because I really stop going. I'm always on the go, always got something to do, so it was nice to sit around the house, do some reading and relax.
Sunday was Easter. After going to church and running into about 85% of the people I know (awkward) from my town (which is VERY small), Mami and I took to preparing a feast. We made eggplant parmesean, roasted chicken and potatoes, grilled vegetables and pasta. Now, who shared this drool-worthy meal with us? Allow me to share the guest list: me, mami, papi, my little sister and my mom's best friend's daughter. Extensive, I know.
Nonetheless, I'm so proud of my cooking efforts that I have decided to show you a picture picture of the dinner table to 1) make your mouth water a little more and 2) make you wish you were at my house for our delicious Easter feaster. To add some pack to this punch, I've added a picture of our scrumptious dessert, a hand made "bunny" cake.. or at least it's supposed to look like a bunny. Either way, yum!
Monday, I headed back to the grind in Boston, but not before I met some super friendly fellow students (unfortunately, they were from BC). Despite their flaws, so to speak, we had a wonderful conversation as strangers and eventually exchanged names and numbers in order to meet up somewhere in Boston, sometime soon.. aka at the BC spring football game next Saturday.
To wrap this entry up (and to get to the point of today's post), I wanted to share the three things I learned from this weekend:
1) No matter what you do, hanging out with family and friends is almost always bound to put a smile on your face.
2) If family isn't your thing, food (or just a good meal, especially if its made well and made with a little bit of love) is a good pick me up.
3) Remember how I said I sat around all day Saturday? Well, taking some time to relax and be by yourself can really help your happiness because in order to genuinely be happy with and around others, you definitely need to be happy with yourself.
Also, another great thing I learned: Dunkin Donuts is current promotion is 6 donuts for $3. That's $0.50 per donut people... and $0.39 savings. According to Lizzie, that's quite the deal.
Thoughts, questions, concerns? Let me know below. Otherwise, that's it for today's musings.
Anywhos, I figured it's time for you to get to know me a little better and what better way to do so than by recapping my weekend. So here goes.
This weekend was Easter weekend (for all of my non-Christian friends), so Thursday, I hopped on a bus from Boston to my beloved Jerz. Make fun of me all you want, but its like the saying goes: "you can take the girl outta Jersey, but you can't take the Jersey out of the girl." Cheesy, I know, but true... minus the big hair and harsh accent. I never really picked those up in the first place.
I arrived home at about 8:30PM, just in time to watch the BU vs. UVM Frozen Four semi-final game and have dinner with my dog, Rusty, and my mami. (Note: I'm Hispanic, so mom and dad are "mami and papi" to me). Pretty low-key.
Friday, after a pleasant dentist appointment (no cavities!), I spent the afternoon with my little sister, doing the high school thing aka hanging out at the mall. So fun!... thanks to the mockery we made out of some of the hideous fashion (and people) we ran into while shopping. That night, I went ice skating with my bestest friend, Lizzie. Even though we were probably the oldest people on the ice (we were surrounded by a parade of 12 year olds), we still made the best of it by laughing at ourselves every time we fell (I fell once...so we really were just laughing at Lizzie). In order to reward our efforts and to gain back three times the amount of calories we had just burned, we made a late night Dunkin Donuts run where we each ordered a box of six doughnuts. We didn't share. It was fantastic. Don't judge. Plus, it's like John Legend sings in his song, "Save Room," you gotta "make time to live a little."
Saturday. I. did. nothing. It was glorious simply because I really stop going. I'm always on the go, always got something to do, so it was nice to sit around the house, do some reading and relax.
Sunday was Easter. After going to church and running into about 85% of the people I know (awkward) from my town (which is VERY small), Mami and I took to preparing a feast. We made eggplant parmesean, roasted chicken and potatoes, grilled vegetables and pasta. Now, who shared this drool-worthy meal with us? Allow me to share the guest list: me, mami, papi, my little sister and my mom's best friend's daughter. Extensive, I know.
Nonetheless, I'm so proud of my cooking efforts that I have decided to show you a picture picture of the dinner table to 1) make your mouth water a little more and 2) make you wish you were at my house for our delicious Easter feaster. To add some pack to this punch, I've added a picture of our scrumptious dessert, a hand made "bunny" cake.. or at least it's supposed to look like a bunny. Either way, yum!
To wrap this entry up (and to get to the point of today's post), I wanted to share the three things I learned from this weekend:
1) No matter what you do, hanging out with family and friends is almost always bound to put a smile on your face.
2) If family isn't your thing, food (or just a good meal, especially if its made well and made with a little bit of love) is a good pick me up.
3) Remember how I said I sat around all day Saturday? Well, taking some time to relax and be by yourself can really help your happiness because in order to genuinely be happy with and around others, you definitely need to be happy with yourself.
Also, another great thing I learned: Dunkin Donuts is current promotion is 6 donuts for $3. That's $0.50 per donut people... and $0.39 savings. According to Lizzie, that's quite the deal.
Thoughts, questions, concerns? Let me know below. Otherwise, that's it for today's musings.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
NUMBER ONE, BABY!
I'm a hockey fan.
I go to Boston University.
BU JUST WON THE NATIONAL TITLE.
That makes me smile. It should make you smile too.
I go to Boston University.
BU JUST WON THE NATIONAL TITLE.
That makes me smile. It should make you smile too.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Craft a Little Nothing
Have you seen the new Hallmark commercials? The ones with the "A Card. The biggest little thing you can do" tag line? I'm in LOVE with them. Hallmark may have borrowed my idea about focusing on the "little things," but I'm totally OK with that because they are SO right.
According to a press release, people understand the power of an unexpected gesture, which Hallmark believes is expressed through the exchange of their 99-cents greeting cards.
Although Hallmark's cards are wallet friendly (especially in the current economy), an even better way to make the same point is to hand-craft a card. All you need are some markers (or colored pens or pencils, or crayons), a piece of paper (or even a piece of a piece of paper), a magazine, some glue, and scissors.
Choose your recipient and create a personalized message. I usually choose a good friend who I have a bunch of inside jokes with so that the messages are sarcastic and personal at the same time. Using the magazine, cut out letters, words, and/or pictures for your message. Glue the cut-outs onto a piece of paper. Add smaller notes, punctuation, a few designs, and a greeting and closing with the markers (or writing utensil or choice). Voila! You have made a personalized card in no time.
Here's an example of a card I made for a friend that reads, " You're ugly (and so is your beard). But it's ok. I still love you!"
Another even simpler way to create a personalized "card" is color a picture straight out of a coloring book. All you need is a coloring book and crayons (both available at any local craft, convenience, dollar or grocery store). The added benefit of a coloring book is that you have a lot of options and you don't have to be super crafty to color. (Not to mention, you have tons of cards for the future).
Here's something I started coloring for another friend for Easter:
No matter what you choose, you'll be sure to (at least) brighten someone's day.
According to a press release, people understand the power of an unexpected gesture, which Hallmark believes is expressed through the exchange of their 99-cents greeting cards.
Although Hallmark's cards are wallet friendly (especially in the current economy), an even better way to make the same point is to hand-craft a card. All you need are some markers (or colored pens or pencils, or crayons), a piece of paper (or even a piece of a piece of paper), a magazine, some glue, and scissors.
Choose your recipient and create a personalized message. I usually choose a good friend who I have a bunch of inside jokes with so that the messages are sarcastic and personal at the same time. Using the magazine, cut out letters, words, and/or pictures for your message. Glue the cut-outs onto a piece of paper. Add smaller notes, punctuation, a few designs, and a greeting and closing with the markers (or writing utensil or choice). Voila! You have made a personalized card in no time.
Here's an example of a card I made for a friend that reads, " You're ugly (and so is your beard). But it's ok. I still love you!"
Another even simpler way to create a personalized "card" is color a picture straight out of a coloring book. All you need is a coloring book and crayons (both available at any local craft, convenience, dollar or grocery store). The added benefit of a coloring book is that you have a lot of options and you don't have to be super crafty to color. (Not to mention, you have tons of cards for the future).
Here's something I started coloring for another friend for Easter:
No matter what you choose, you'll be sure to (at least) brighten someone's day.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Un abbraccio per l'Italia
For those of you who don't know, last year (in 2008) I spent eight amazing months living and learning in Italy. In those eight months, I learned two things: Italian and how important people are in your life. To specify, I learned what friendship really means thanks to my (now) best friend Giulio (pronounced Ju-li-o).
Even though I left Italy about eight months ago, Giulio and I speak at least once a week. Until today, we hadn't spoken for a month. But what makes today so note-worthy?
L'Aquila, Italy- about 60 miles west of Rome- was destroyed by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake this morning.
Giulio's family is from L'Aquila, the epicenter of the earthquake. His family is safe, but they lost their homes and all of their belongings. Although his family is among the lucky few, its good to know that you have a friend during events like this.
So, what's the point?
Even if you haven't talked to someone for a day, a week, a month or a year, take the time out today to make that call and to let that someone know you still care. You never know how much if you'll be helping a friend in need.
Even though I left Italy about eight months ago, Giulio and I speak at least once a week. Until today, we hadn't spoken for a month. But what makes today so note-worthy?
L'Aquila, Italy- about 60 miles west of Rome- was destroyed by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake this morning.
Giulio's family is from L'Aquila, the epicenter of the earthquake. His family is safe, but they lost their homes and all of their belongings. Although his family is among the lucky few, its good to know that you have a friend during events like this.
So, what's the point?
Even if you haven't talked to someone for a day, a week, a month or a year, take the time out today to make that call and to let that someone know you still care. You never know how much if you'll be helping a friend in need.
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