Work on the self

I mentioned I am starting a crazy week with school and work.

For the past couple of years, these weeks have looked something like this:

I throw myself into my tasks, only breaking for food and sleep. I don’t make phone calls, I don’t read much other than school-related stuff, I say hi to my friends but only chat for a few minutes…you get me. Another thing I don’t do a lot of is feeling good about myself. Yep, these times tend to wear down on my self-esteem.

This week has been better. Even though I have a lot to do, I’ve been staying mindful that work on the self is just as important. Even if it’s only for five minutes, I make sure to sit at least once a day (yes, I successfully created a sound-proof sitting area in my bedroom!). I’ve also been journaling a lot, which feels great and doesn’t take up as much time as you’d think.

In addition, I think I’m really getting a handle on my school stress (which you can read about here). My “plan” has been working, which is increasing my confidence and battling that pesky low self-esteem.

~

Meal planning this week has been helpful too. I didn’t have to think about lunch yesterday because I already knew what I was having. I really have my freezer to the thank on this one though.

Chili con carne (the last bit!) and cornbread.

Do you think work on the self is just as important as work on your job/school/relationships? Are you able to put yourself first? I struggle with thinking that I am doing something “selfish” by taking time to work on me. However, recently I’ve realized that this kind of work is actually harder than some of the stuff I do for school. Perhaps it’s not only the idea that I’m being selfish that has held me back from doing, but trepidation of how hard self work can be. Well, I can now attest that it is worth the effort.

Have a spectacular Tuesday my friends!

Check out this new Andrew Bird song!

Jam of the day: Andrew Bird “Eyeoneye”

Read Full Post »

Some Sunday eats and another book bites the dust

I very much enjoyed reading everyone’s comments on yesterday’s post. Thanks for both laughing with me or sharing your own embarrassing quirks.

~

This week I’m making more of an effort to meal plan and get back in the kitchen because it takes some of the extra stress out of my week. Yesterday I actually cooked!

Here’s some of what I made and ate:

My egg yolks be poppin’.

~

I made cornbread! I’m trying to ration my eggs for the week, so I subbed one of the eggs in the recipe for a hefty scoop of pumpkin. It changed the color a bit, but not the taste.

Hot from the oven.

Garbanzo beans and quinoa cooked with cumin, curry powder, and raisins (inspired by Rose).

~

Yesterday morning I also finished this book:

I’ll admit, I was apprehensive about reading The Hunger Games after my disastrous attempt with Twilight. However, I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fast-paced, had a few surprises, and was an easy read for between classes. I liked that I could pick it up and remember exactly what was going on, which is hard to do with some other books. I’m not going to spoil anything, but if you don’t want to read any more of my thoughts then scroll ahead!

As I said, The Hunger Games was enjoyable and I recommend it. Suzanne Collins created a well-developed main character and built a detailed world that sucked me in. I think she was trying to make a statement about violence and war affecting young people, which I really respect as an important issue in our current world culture.

However, I was unpleasantly reminded at times that this was a young adult novel. While the underlying themes were mature, I feel they could have been developed a bit more. Perhaps they will be in the next two books (which I still  plan on reading). I also found some parts to be predictable, especially the main romantic arc of the story which I thought was a bit one-dimensional. Overall, a good read though!

Have you read the Hunger Games?

Jam of the day: Florence + the Machine “Shake It Out”

Read Full Post »

Share something embarrassing Sunday

Hi kids!

I have a bit of a crazy week ahead with school and work, so I thought I’d keep things light-hearted today with a little self-deprecation. What’s better than laughing at your own shortcomings? Having others laugh with you.

So I’m about to share something about my childhood/life that I don’t give a lot of thought to on a daily basis. However, it does come up from time to time and one of those times was this week when I was with some friends.

We were talking about what we would/wouldn’t do for money. I said I would bungee jump but not skydive, and I definitely wouldn’t drink pee. Now you all know my standards. Anyway, the conversation turned to extreme sports-related activities, like riding you bike naked down a mountain. At this point I revealed a secret…

I don’t know how to ride a bike!

I know, most of you don’t think that’s a big deal. But it’s kind of embarrassing when you think about. How many American kids growing up in the city or the ‘burbs don’t know how to ride a bike? Apparently not many because my revelation was met with shock and questions like, “You are 23 and don’t know how to ride a bike?” Argh, that was painful. Granted I was with mostly guy friends and I don’t expect any filtering from them.

So yeah, I don’t know how to ride a bike. I guess I just kind of bypassed that specific childhood rite. I was busy doing who knows what. I think at some point I tried to learn, but didn’t give it a whole lot of effort. It’s hard to remember the specifics. Maybe it was so horrific that I mentally blocked it out!

There’s my teeny story for you. I joke about it because it does get a bit embarrassing when I reveal it to others. I hope it at least gave you guys a smile.

~

If you want to share a similar revelation in the comments, be my guest!

Happy Sunday!

Jam of the day: Queen “Bicycle”

Read Full Post »