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Thank you for letting me take a different path, and trusting that I would find my way.

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Thank you for teaching me how to manage my finances, how to do laundry, how to compose a professional email – basically how to be an adult.

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Thank you for letting me fall down and so I could learn how to get up on my own.

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Thank you for always letting me know that I am deserving of love, in spite of what I may believe at times.

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Thank you for teaching me how to care for myself. I have a long way to go, but you are my role model.

Happy Mother’s Day, mom.

Jam of the day: Glen Hansard “Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting”

David Bowie “Changes” – a classic! Yet I only enjoy this song on warm spring days. I am obsessed for two weeks out of the year and then it is over (Bowie, however, I love for all 365/366 days).

Divine Fits “Like Ice Cream” - in the mood for summer now!

Matt Pond “Love To Get Used” – personally I just think this is a great catchy number, but someone told me the other day that this song significantly changed their life which was really cool. I am listening to it a lot more closely now.

Grupo Fantasma “La Conozco” - a bit of a departure for me…Latin funk! They are from Austin and they are coming to Pittsburgh next month, so I think it’s meant to be.

Lord Huron “She Lit A Fire” - obsessed.

The James Hunter Six “Minute By Minute” - I just had to get some R&B in here.

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What are you listening to right now?

Jam of the day: Lord Huron “She Lit a Fire”

Hey, Buffalo!

I have tried bison once or twice back when I was a server, and I remember it being incredibly tender and flavorful for such a lean meat. The co-op that I frequent started carrying bison from a local farm, and I decided to try cooking it myself.

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Bison chili (+ blue corn tortilla chips from Reyna Foods)

This chili was made Texas-style (Erin!).

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I also made bison meatloaf (so good I made it twice!). This was the last piece of my second loaf – served with ketchup.

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This past weekend I also experimented with bison strip steak, which I cooked in a cast-iron pan using this method, which was really easy.

I am so proud whenever I do a good job cooking steak! I don’t have a lot of experience OR a meat thermometer (which I wouldn’t know how to use anyway), so it’s always a crap-shoot.

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Long story short, I’m digging the bison.

Sidenote: I did a Google Image search of “buffalo” and they are so cute. I am so thankful to all of God’s creatures, big and small. Circle of life! Okay, so The Lion King was on last night…

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Happy Monday, ya’ll!

Jam of the day: Juliana Hatfield “Spin the Bottle”

So………

Pancakes for dinner last night. I used this recipe, subbed butter for coconut oil, and ate the whole thing.

Then I had cereal for dessert.

I think the fact that I made the pancakes from scratch negates the fact that I ate pancakes and cereal for dinner as a 24 year-old adult. Yes?

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Also, today’s jam is everything. Follow the link.

Jam of the day: Janelle Monae featuring Erykah Badu “Q.U.E.E.N“

Jam of the day: Iron and Wine “Baby Center Stage”

Regardless, I am taking the snow tires off of my car and putting the the AC box in my window and it is officially summer!

Changing seasons requires a change in musical preference. Summer is smooth, pop-y R&B songs (from Stevie Wonder to Justin Timberlake) and grungy punk and A Tribe Called Quest. And mellow rock that bridges classic and indie. You know, stoner music.

Kurt Vile was recently introduced to my ears and he fits that last description perfectly. I listened to his newest album, Wakin on a Pretty Daze, when it came out last week and fell in love instantly. Now I am backtracking, eating up his older records like Easter candy. If you are looking for some hazy psych-rock, please check him out!

Jam of the day: Kurt Vile “Never Run Away”

To help make sense of/prepare for this next step in my life, I am headed back to therapy this week. It is time for me to check in on myself, gain clarity, and give myself some new things to work on. I want to be in my best possible place come August.

This quote seems appropriate to my mind-set:

I would say that the thrust of my life has been initially about getting free, and then realizing that my freedom is not independent of everybody else. Then I am arriving at that circle where one works on oneself as a gift to other people so that one doesn’t create more suffering. I help people as I work on myself, and I work on myself to help people.

- Ram Dass

Happy week to you all!

Jam of the day: Fleetwood Mac “Never Going Back Again”

I have something I want to share with you. It has to do with the last two (actually four or five) hectic months I have had. I’m finally ready to talk about it, after what feels like 500 years!

Last fall, I decided to apply to doctoral programs in counseling psychology. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In a way I am happy for my naiveté, because I can honestly say that this admissions process challenged me in ways I have never experienced. I could not have done this alone, and thankfully I didn’t have to.

I am so happy to tell you that the struggle was worth it. Next fall I will be moving to Austin, Texas and to start graduate school at a program that I believe is a wonderful fit for me. I feel so blessed by this opportunity and excited to move forward with this next stage in my life. This is a dream for me, and I am so thrilled to share this with you all!

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I hope you all have an amazing Monday!

Lots of love,

Susan

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Jam of the day: Ray LaMontague “Forever My Friend”

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The culprits:

The background: A man friend knew I was having a rough time and went to buy me Easter candy as a pick-me-up. He knows that I like to eat wholesome foods, so his generosity was accompanied with the following, completely sincere explanation: “It’s organic candy, so it’s healthy!“

How could I refuse?

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Happy weekend!

Jam of the day: Lana Del Rey “Radio”

Here are my answers:

1. If you could hop on a plane tomorrow, where would you go and why? I have a long list of places I would like to visit, but at the moment the place I would most like to go is Thailand. The food and the departure from Western culture (new experiences!) are big draws. Plus it is gorgeous and warm.

2. What was the first CD (or cassette or record) you ever purchased? What was the last CD (or iTunes CD) you purchased? The first was Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “Party Doll”. My mom was a big fan. I bought my own copy of “Party Doll” before we went to see her in concert (my first concert!).  My last was Justin Timberlake’s “The 20/20 Experience”.

3. What was your favorite birthday party as a kid? I don’t celebrate my own birthday anymore, but my parents threw me some fun shindigs when I was young. I think my mom was sensitive to the fact that being the center of attention was not my ideal space, so she planned accordingly. My favorite was in 2nd grade when we invited my class to a local ice rink (North Park for you Pittsburghers). There wasn’t a cake and I didn’t have to open presents that day – we all just drank hot cocoa, ate soft pretzels, and skated!

4. If you wash your dishes by hand, when do you wash them (before eating, immediately after, 2 weeks after, etc.)?

Immediately after.

5. Do you believe in aliens?

Yes!

6. What is your favorite pair of shoes and why?

My favorite pair of shoes are my Frye campus boots. They were the first pair of nice shoes that I bought for myself. I also love that my mom had a pair when she was my age.

7. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you spend your life differently?

This question kind of makes me uncomfortable, because I would probably spend my life very differently. I probably wouldn’t go to college at all. I would travel the world doing volunteer work (and doing odd jobs to pay for travel expenses). I would see as much art and history as I could, meet as many people as I could, and eat as much food as I could.

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There you go!

Jam of the day: Justin Timberlake “Strawberry Bubblegum”