Getting Into the Halloween Spirit

It's today! My favorite day of the year! The pumpkin is carved and my costume is made. Now it's time to get into the Halloween spirit. This is the best part. Here's a list of things you should absolutely do today if you want to enjoy Halloween to the fullest:

1. BREAK YOUR DIET - Even if it's just a little bit. Go get hot apple cider, eat a snickers bar or two, have a creepy cupcake; it's so worth it.

2. WATCH A HALLOWEEN MOVIE - Doesn't have to be the Michael Meyers one. Hotel Transylvania is a great option for the faint of heart.

3. ANSWER YOUR DOOR - Especially during your "dinner time". Don't be a curmudgeon. 5pm-7pm is prime time to spot adorable toddlers in the cutest costumes!

4. LISTEN TO SCARY STORIES - I recently found a YouTube channel called "Mr. Nightmare" who tells the most chilling true stories from viewers. (Disclaimer: Probably not best for those who don't love frightening things)

5. VISIT A HAUNTED ATTRACTION - Real or fake, there's no better way to get your heart pumping than to hop on a haunted hay ride or step into an abandoned asylum.

STAY SPOOKY

I Visited An Abandoned Asylum | Paranormal Storytime

Back in 2015 I decided to go to Rochester, NY to visit the Rolling Hills Haunted Asylum. I went there with a super open mind (I've never been a skeptic), a voice recorder, and several ghost hunting apps. There were several instances during that night that, in my eyes, prove the existence of the paranormal. 

The air surrounding the place was so heavy. Clearly this building had not been in use for a very long time. If you needed to film a horror movie, that'd be the place. 

I'll get right into the action, though.

I decided to go up to an old nurse's room and sit there asking questions to see if I could get an EVP (electronic voice phenomenon). Since the building was old, I didn't put much stock into the bumps or creaks. However, when I asked the spirit to show herself, the door gently popped open. I asked if it was her and the door creaked open little by little. I said thank you then immediately proceeded to take off running. Later, on that same floor, in a room where the caretakers stayed, the room started to smell of sulfur (pretty widely agreed that sulfur is the perfume of Satan). I was pretty done with that floor by then.

I took a fair amount of useless voice recordings from that night with one unbelievable exception. It was in a room that was once used as a classroom for the younger patients. The tour guide suggested we give them pop quizzes from an old book on the desk. We didn't listen to the recording until the following day, but when we did, I was thrilled. Mind you, there were other people on the floor we were on. In between questions and the banter of the people I was with, there was obvious sounds of children talking and laughing. It was as if the class was waiting for a teacher to quiet them down. It wasn't subtle at all. Plain and clear, I heard children's voices talking over each other. It was chilling.

It was when we were on the floor where they took their sick patients that I was the most scared I was the entire night (which is saying something considering I laid on their autopsy table). We were joking around about provoking spirits (which is the worst thing you can do) about to make our way back to the lobby area. I said something to the effect that I was not scared of this place. On my left, a door flew open with this huge thud sound. My group screamed and ran, but then I stopped because I wanted to go back and check it out; I totally thought it was someone pranking us. I ran back into the room where the door opened. It was a bathroom with only one exit. The window was firmly shut and no one was in there. It was about then, I couldn't logically explain it away. There was no wind, we had heard a bang, and the door even stuck. It was not easy to open because it had been painted so many times. The timing of it as well is so compelling to me too. It burst open right when we walked by. 

I told my sister about it and she did her thesis on a psych ward in Buffalo, NY. Evidently, bathrooms were where patients experienced a lot of trauma because that was the one place where no one would be monitoring them. 

There were about another dozen things that happened to us that night and perhaps I'll make a part two to this story. I really truly believe in ghosts. I've had too many incidents that I really cannot explain away. That's all for now.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47621-d4040397-Reviews-Rolling_Hills_Asylum-East_Bethany_New_York.html

Stay spooky, my friends.

100 Things I Like | Three Years Later Edition

In 2014, I made a big long list of 100 things that I like (and love) and upon browsing my old blogs I immediately I was like I have got to do it again! Three years is kind of a long time considering how much has changed. I've lost pets, family, graduated college, dumped boys, and started my career. For this to be true to my 2017 self, I have not read the one I made three years ago. I'm pretty excited to see how I've changed. Click this link to read my post from 3 years ago!

Here I go. 

100 Things I Like:

1) Organizing my room after a long week

2) Making Italian food

3) Cats

4) The color green

5) Yoga

6) Having noticeable muscle on my body

7) Going to bed early (I KNOW this one is new)

8) Otters

9) Salmon dishes

10) Fried pickles

11) Fresh picked bouquets

12) Knowing how to spell a word

13) Night cream

14) Great doctors with excellent bedside manner

15) Writing in my diary

16) Harry Potter

17) Poetry

18) Synchronized Swimming

19) Hiking

20) Jane the Virgin

21) Wonder Woman

22) My family

23) Writing

24) Designing greeting cards

25) Chocolate

26) Pinterest for any and everything

27) Caramel

28) Tequila Sunrise 

29) My panda sleep mask

30) New York City

31) Rain 

32) Thunder

33) Sand 

34) Having pretty journals

35) Books

36) Cooking

37) Throwing things away that I really don't need

38) Youtube videos about conspiracy theories and paranormal things

39) My Harry Potter socks (all 6 pairs)

40) Having a good cry every now and then

41) The day-after-a-workout sore feeling

42) Learning. Usually I enjoy the things I come across on my own

43) Browsing things on Etsy but not buying them

44) Venting! Always makes me feel better

45) Air Conditioning

46) Essential Oils

47) My natural hair color and texture

48) Going out to dinner

49) Thred Up

50) Making Lists

51) Recycling

52) Occasional alone time.

53) Pranks 

54) Being spooked

55) Horror movies (to an extent)

56) Flowery smelling perfumes

57) Pocahontas

58) Moana

59) Comfy clothes

60) Sweater socks (they're life changing)

61) The pop socket on my phone

62) My lion ring

63) Breezy weather in the Fall

64) When karma comes for someone that's been ASKING for it

65) Etsy

66) Millennial Pink

67) When the temperature drastically changes

68) Northern California

69) Central Park in the fall

70) Tapered sweatpants

71) Horror Movies (mostly slasher or paranormal)

72) My brand new college degree!

73) DIY projects

74) The moon

75) Roscato from Olive Garden

76) Soup

77) OJ Simpson documentaries

78) Driving through the Adirondacks

79) Lily of the Valley flowers

80) Ira Wolf 

81) Brooke Waggoner

82) Jokes told by toddlers

83) Being honest

84) Being able to maturely disagree with someone (still learning this)

85) Movie trailers (they're an art form in and of itself)

86) Making my bed

87) Essential oils

88) My trusty old car that is actually older than most high school students

89) Dark clouds

90) Laughing until my abs are sore

91) Not having anything to do after working all day

92) My mini indoor garden

93) The smell of matches

94) Naming pets

95) Wine corks

96) Drying flowers that were given to me with special meaning

97) Going through old pictures

98) Giving gifts

99) Fall Holidays

100) This blog <3

That was fun! 

Weird Things I Think as an Adult

Whilst writing an article a while ago about the weird things I thought as a child, I realized I have some really weird adult thoughts as well. I spent a great deal of time in boring lectures (thank God that ish is over!) wandering through the depths of my weird imagination train. I often wonder about strange things or develop really odd concepts of realities. I even have some odd habits that I don't fully accept as normal behavior.  And like Julia-fashion, I expel all these private thoughts onto the public internet!

1. Sneezing is like nose farts and blowing your nose is like nose puking. It's also a form of pain relief.


2. I will sometimes jog places simply because I get fed up with how DAMN slow walkng is. People in college don't judge you for doing this. They let you live your life- it's great.

3. I was once told that every seven years all cells in your body will have regenerated, so you're actually a different person in a way, yet tattoos defy this logic. Therefore, Illuminati confirmed.

4. When I was younger, my sister told me that the contrails that airplanes leave in the sky are actually asteroids heading towards Earth. I flipped out, of course, and she assured me that she was only joking, but I continue to be wary of them.  I will stare at them for a while to make sure it's not an asteroid (I don't really know what I would do if they really turned out to be an asteroid).

5. When I wake up early in the morning, I am briefly, severely dyslexic. I will try to read texts and they look like jibberish for like five whole minutes. My snooze button looks like "szoollne" to me.

6. I don't believe in calories. I think they're a myth created by food companies so they could start selling lower calorie versions of their foods.

7. I know that my cat fully understands English and we have full-on conversations.

8. I still don't fully comprehend that celebrities have normal moments in their lives. Jennifer Lawrence is somewhere doing normal things like laundry and eating at Wendy's.

9. If it's Wednesday and I'm up past midnight, I won't consider that to be Thursday until I wake up in the morning. Even if I'm up until 3 am. (That applies to all days, not just Wednesday).\

10. I get mad when people throw/kick/move rocks because I think that rocks have their own destiny that they have to live. That rock that made its way to the riverbed wants to stay there. I feel guilty when I skip rocks because of this.

It's good to free your thoughts into the world.





*Texas needs our help. If you can afford to donate, research a foundation you trust and show the victims of Hurricane Harvey that you care.*

Let's Talk About Birth Control

I believe, in my days of writing for my blog, I've never tackled such a taboo topic. Here's why I'm doing it:

a) Birth control for many people is necessary. Whether you're taking it to prevent pregnancy, aid acne, or treat ovarian cysts, it is a part of many women's lives.
b)Talking about birth control is important and it needs to happen more often.

I am no expert. I am no doctor, but I like to think I've got some advice that you'd want to get from a big sister about birth control. So, internet, although no one asked me, I'm going to talk about it anyways.

I have only ever used two methods of birth control; the pill and the IUD. I suppose there are about a hundred blog posts about the pill so let's talk IUD (intrauterine device). If it sounds scary to you, it's because it kind of is. Most IUDs are T-shaped pieces of plastic-like material that releases hormones and can last years without you having to do anything. That part doesn't sound so bad; a birth control method that you can have and essentially forget about? (Sounds breezy, but that's not quite all...)
IUDs are not zero-maintenance. If you choose this method, you have to do some preparing. Here are the questions I suggest you ask yourself before choosing an IUD.

1) Does my insurance cover the device? It's a costly little thing so call your insurance company and see what they cover. Also consider the appointment costs for the placement procedure.

2) Can I handle the pain? It hurts getting an IUD placed. It's not the worst pain I've ever felt but it is certainly not a cake walk. I've tried to think of a polite way to say this but there isn't. It feels like getting stabbed in your baby maker (but only for a second).

3) Will I feel okay with this device in my body? It can freak some people out to know that there's a foreign object in their uterus, a place that's meant to hold only natural things. If you know you won't care, more power to you!

4) Do I know the risks? They're real. They happen. Please read the pamphlet your doctor gives you front to back.

5) Am I comfortable with my body? If you refuse to use o.b. tampons (ones without a plastic/cardboard insert) because you're uncomfortable with your anatomy, either this isn't for you or you'll have to choose to get comfortable. Every month you have to check your cervix to assure your IUD is in place. It is very important (giving you a stern look right now). It's the only way you can be sure it's still where it needs to be.

6) Who will take me to my appointment to get my IUD? While you won't be under anesthesia for this procedure, you will be in some pain and will want to lay low afterwards. I'm truly glad I had a ride home (I almost vomited. It's cool, totally normal).

We are all really lucky to have so many options for birth control in our lifetime. It's absolutely normal to try a few options out until you land on what works for you. It could take a day, it could take a decade. But what matters is that we take care of ourselves.













Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Please consult with yours before making your choice. I'm just here to give some honest anecdotes that may or may not help you relate a little bit to the ever-frustrating experience that is womanhood.

I'd Like to Thank...

Having just finished my last class of my undergraduate college career, there are several things I'd like to thank. Not people, but things. Here they are:

I'd like to thank...

1. My phone for allowing me to text people in a frantic tizzy for four years straight without judging me.
2. Spark Notes for letting me pass certain classes without having to buy a book.
3. Riesling for being so very delicious. 
4. The Financial Aid Office for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Seriously, they're the worst.
5. The Hunger Games trilogy for giving me the inspiration I needed for the cornucopia that is Registration Day.  
6. All the many planner journals that I swore I would stick by (but I still waited until 24 hours before the due date to start). 
7. My most useful tool, confidence, that was my saving grace when I had to give a presentation to my class about a Shakespeare play I never read.
8. Slow college WiFi for making every class presentation the most uncomfortably awkward experience. 
9. Advil.
10. The "block" button on all forms of social media.
11. The umbrella that sat in my car on days where I was certain it wasn't going to rain that hard but I looked outside to see waterfalls falling from the sky. 
12. Synchronized Swimming because it makes me happy.
13. My car radio for providing a backtrack to my daily concerts to and from classes.
14. Etsy for satisfying my impulsive purchase needs.
15. Paper, for printing my degree ;)

It feels weird to be done.

Thoughts About Young Love

Well hello there, internet land. It's been a while since I've sat down with my computer and opened up my brain for those who take the time out of their lives to read this (to my own surprise, there are people who actually want me to do this).

Now that I am out of high school and am making my way out of college, I feel pretty confident that I know how it is to have young love. I am extremely aware that the way people experience love, or anything really, is different for everyone. Yet I am going to voice my thoughts, heartfelt opinions, and advice regardless. 

WARNING: THIS IS A NYQUIL FUELED RANT.

I'm going to start with everyone's favorite part about love; the falling. This, for us youngin's, is when everything else in the world literally stops mattering. You've got a test in the morning for Chemistry? Who cares. He just texted you two smiley faces and now you're going to stay up all night thinking about it. This is the part of the relationship where that annoying thing he does doesn't really bother you... yet. My grown-up (ish) advice about being in this stage is as follows:

1. Pay attention to his behavior. You might think that you can ignore the fact that he corrects you any grammar mistakes you make, or when he gets grumpy if another boy texts you. You might think maybe he will grow out of these habits that annoy you. I assure you that is 95% not going to happen. What you see is what you get in a person and living with their flaws is essential. If you can't handle them one month in, it's going to drive you insane in a year.

2. Watch for warning signs. In my life, there has been one boy who I knew in the deepest part of my core was all bad news. If I had listened to my instincts and decided against dating this boy, my life would be drastically different. That is a cold, hard fact (disclaimer: I'm totally chill with how my life has turned out so far, I simply think this person is a genuinely horrible person). The point being is when he asked me to be his girlfriend, there was a tiny voice in the back of my head screaming, "Dear, God don't do it". That's your conscience, ladies and gents. It's always right.

I'm going to move on to the stage right after the honeymoon phase. This is when sh*t starts to get real. This is the part of dating someone monogamously that can suck if you're both still kids (aka my parents were right when they told me I shouldn't date until I was 21). I am going to speak very freely of a person I was with not in hopes to offend them but for an educational purpose. 
I was essentially in an abusive relationship for a little while. Not physically or emotionally, really, but psychologically. No specific details but I felt like I couldn't leave them. It felt immoral to do so. This person, over the course of some time, convinced me that my best friend of over a decade wasn't someone I should be associated with. I made some really poor life decisions to satisfy this person's wants. It took me a long time to come to my senses and realize I needed to take care of myself and cut ties. 
If you ever feel like someone has control over your life in any way, get the hell away from that person. A good relationship will never make you feel like that. It is always a choice and never an obligation to please someone else and if you feel like it's the foundation of that person's feelings towards you, then that is not the person you're supposed to be with. To be perfectly honest, after walking away from that toxicity in my life I became a better person. 

Relationships are never supposed to define you as a person. That's something I didn't understand until recently. People had said it to me but never in terms that I related to. Love is not about finding yourself within another person. It's about enriching your life because they're in it. A very special person in my life made me realize that.

For those who read this that are young and confused about love or romance, take solace in knowing that you are an incredible person who needs to grow as an individual. It's totally unrealistic to tell young adults not to date until they're fully formed people. I think you should date. Just be wary and put yourself first. It is not selfish to break someone else's heart for the sake of protecting your own. That is my biggest piece of love advice.