August 15th, 2007
As a new college graduate, and soon to be graduate student (aka-semi adult) one of the first major life changes that presents itself to 20 somethings like myself is finding non-parent or university owned housing. Most college students either commute or dorm during their undergrad years, however I have never been “typical”. Read more…
August 5th, 2007
I am not outdoorsy. I’ve never been the type of girl to pull on a pair of hiking boots and hit the trails, usually I’d rather hit the mall. Some people need to be outside to feel like human being, they find their “center” outside. All I ever find is bugs. Lately, however, I’ve been voluntarily spending more and more time outside. It probably has something to do with the fact that it’s finally warm enough for me and my poorly functioning circulatory system to feel comfortable. Or maybe I’m just finally getting to that point in my life where I can experience nature for what it is.
July 23rd, 2007
At times, usually after spending hours indoors, I feel myself get an undeniable urge to be creative. It’s these times when I recognize my mind going a mile a minute and my fingers fidgeting and my eyes searching for stimulation in color or words (depending on my mood). Usually I turn to a pen and paper to squelch these urges but there are some day’s where writing isn’t what my creativity clamors for.
On these days I pretend I can paint. I was first drawn to painting by the art work of my cousin, a talented amateur painter who’s first projects included “creative journals” a diary of mixed media that used colors, paint, ribbons, pictures, and words to convey feeling and emotions. I paged through her diary in awe, it was so captivating and raw in emotion, visually describing in a rainbow of color the emotions evoked by the words on the page.
July 23rd, 2007
How often do you have this conversation?
“What do you want to do tonight?”
“I don’t know; what do you want to do?”
Since my boyfriend and I hold the title of Mr. And Ms. Indecision, I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve had this discussion. Let’s just say it occurs at least three times a week. For us, the dilemma is three-fold, A) Usually we only get to see each other after 6:00 pm B) We have a very limited spending budget and C) We are not very inventive.
Luckily for us summer is the season of movies.
July 23rd, 2007
I’m taking a new approach to fitness. I’m trying to move for an hour a day, doing weight training and Pilates a few times a week and eating 3 balanced healthy meals a day, plus two treats a week.
Ok. So maybe it’s not “new” to the rest of the world, but it is new to me. Throughout my life I’ve figuratively run the gauntlet with food and exercise. In middle school I ate a lot of convenience food and drank only sweetened tea and soft drinks. Then in tenth grade I cut off soda and dropped ten pounds. By senior year I ate very little carbohydrates and, though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, I was consistently going on 1,000 calories a day or less. By the time I was a sophomore in college I was restricting calories, binging on Wednesday nights, running 10 miles on Thursday mornings and fainting in biology labs that afternoon. The next year and a half I was moving between stages of bulimia and binge-eating disorder, it’s only been in the past few months that I’ve been able to finally say I’m in control of my relations with food.
July 23rd, 2007
“Jack of All trades, master of none.” That’s the adage we’re all familiar with, but the lesser known version goes like this, “Jill: Master of All Trades.” It’s commonly accepted that women have a fantastic ability to multitask and it’s a good thing we do- balancing family, friends, work, and all other areas of our lives requires a good deal of skill.
As a recent college graduate and soon-to-be graduate student, I’m well aware of the pressures to succeed in finding a balance in the multiple areas of life. Through this column I hope to provide some insight as well as help for other 20-somethings like me; those who are trying to do it all, all the time. As your e-resident “Jill of all trades” I’ll provide articles about every subject from food and fitness to family and finance.
Subscribe to Jill of all Trades