Original

Just as post grad life has thrust me into the world of self acceptance, it has also taught me the importance of originality. This stage in our lives allows us to separate ourselves from each other, to explore our own interests, without constraints that bundled us in groups before. Before graduating we were all college students and we were all members of a certain major. Before that we were all high school students, and before that we were all angsty pre-teens with lots of braces and glasses...oh, just me? Okay, moving on..

At this point in my life, I have some friends that are traveling, some attending grad school, some living at home, some working typical 9-5 jobs, some working in retail, some living across the country. The point of all this is that we are no longer grouped together so closely, and it's really inspirational for me to see how everyone is moving in different paths at this point in their lives- yet still moving forward. I know that each of these experiences make my friends unique from me. I hope to learn from all of our differences.

To cap off this Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to say that I'm thankful for the differences between each and every one of my friends. I hope that we all can retain our originality in the future and continue to move forward on the path that's best for us, not for someone else.

Pumpkin Pie Milk Shakes

Have any leftover pumpkin pie? Tired of eating it? Make it into a milkshake. It's a very simple recipe. All you need is a blender, vanilla ice cream, leftover pumpkin pie, and some milk.

Add all ingredients to the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into cup. Add straw and whipped cream. Enjoy!

If you don't have a blender you can also add the ingredients into a large bowl and blend with a handheld mixer. Yes this is how I had to make my own shake because I couldn't find the blender. Just be careful not to whip it all over yourself. It will make a mess.

Country Challenge!!!!

Long ago I discovered the quiz website Sporcle. It has all kinds of quizzes from geography to sports to entertainment to literature. It has alleviated much boredom and created many a competition. Last year a friend and I had a competition to see who could complete the Countries of the World quiz first. There are 195 countries. It took about two weeks but I finally won.

I just tried the quiz again for the first time since winning that competition and got only 166/195. I guess that's pretty good though for not playing in over a year.

How many countries of the world can you name? And how long will it take you to get to 195? Give it a shot and let me know how you do!!!

Black Friday

I never understood the appeal of getting up at 4am to stand in line with tons of other people to spend money I should be spending on other things. But that is Black Friday. I think it is likely one of the most American traditions there is. It combines competition with lots of spending.

When I began writing this post I was going to give advice on how to survive the hustle and bustle. Then I realized I have no advice. Instead I'm going to give ideas of things to do INSTEAD of participate in this (horrible) American Tradition.

1. Go to a museum. They will be empty so you can enjoy them to the fullest.
2. Stay home! There are tons of marathons on tv. Just avoid the crowds altogether and watch some of them.
3. Create some new recipes to use those Thanksgiving leftovers. Turkey salad anyone? How about some Pie Shakes? Latkes from leftover potatoes?

That's all I've got for now. Except maybe working, but that's not a choice so much as torture. Happy Black Friday!

And the Winner is....

Congratulations to our very first giveaway winner Kim P.! She will receive the Urban Outfitters owl bank in whatever color she chooses. The results were based on the number of comments and our winner was randomly chosen using the True Random Number Generator! Stay tuned for our next giveaway and Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers!

Old Friends

Today is going to be a busy day. I woke up early to pack things into my car because after working 8:30- 12:30 today, I'm going to be making the 5 hour trek home for Thanksgiving! I'm excited to just relax at home and enjoy the fact that I actually don't have any huge papers or assignments looming over my head. Since I finished packing my car with an extra half hour to spare, I thought I'd write a little post dedicated to my dear old friends.

In high school, you're lucky if you remain friends with people from week to week. I was lucky enough to somehow fall into this great group of friends. We've stayed close throughout four years of high school AND four years of college, despite the fact that we were scattered across the state, and now across the country. Somehow, we find time to see each other whenever we're home and I'm thankful that I get to see a few of them tonight!

Like I mentioned in my recent post on day dates, my main tip for post grads looking to keep in contact with old friends is to schedule, schedule, schedule. If you don't make the time to see each other when you're home on breaks, it's just not going to happen. Keep each other updated through phone calls, texting, email, facebook, twitter... whatever your favorite social media site/ method of communication may be.

Happy Thanksgiving post grads! I hope you all get a chance to see some old friends, relax with family, and eat some great food this holiday!

Day Dates

Since we work alternating schedules at the moment, it's pretty difficult for my boyfriend and I to find time to see each other. We work it out somehow, but most of our dates occur in the evening, and consist of eating together or watching a movie, while we are both exhausted. This Sunday, we magically both had off from work during the day and decided to make the most of it.


We drove out to Buffalo (about an hour drive from Rochester, where I live) and went to the Albright Knox Art Gallery (my idea) and the Buffalo Zoo (his). It was probably one of the best day dates we've had, and definitely our first one in a longgg time. This something I've had a hard time adjusting to as a post grad.


The main advice I can give to any post grads out there in similar situations is to make sure that you plan ahead for you date nights/days. If you don't make official plans, it's likely that things will come up and your time together will be even more limited.


Also, make sure that when you plan day dates, or any dates for that matter, that both of you get the chance to do something fun. When I mentioned how much I wanted to go to the art gallery in Buffalo, I watched the light fade from my boyfriend's eyes and knew this probably wouldn't be his idea of a great daytime activity. Luckily (since we planned ahead) he did a little research about the zoo and we ended up each getting to something together that we really enjoy.


I'll leave you with this picture of a Kodiak bear, which we saw at the zoo. I wanted to keep him as a pet.