You know it’s been a while since I’ve written a What’s The Roast post and I’ve missed catching y’all up on all the nonsense in my life. I have slightly restructured this post to include a permanent #AskGabby section while also keeping my life, current loves, and goal update sections. Most of you liked both ways that I did the post and I figured that you wouldn’t mind if I put it all together in one. Follow me on Instagram to always catch when I ask for questions for my chats. I’m going to do these once a month so get pumped! Let’s do it.
What’s the Roast: Life
Finishing My First Semester
Graduate school has had a pretty solid start. My grades are good and I’ve maintained a really great work and life balance. Classes are engaging and the research is top notch. I’m feeling phenomenal about my decision to attend NYU. I’m still nervous every single day that I’m not smart enough to be in such a high caliber environment. I always feel the need to eat, sleep, and breathe science. It’s pretty much all I do on the weekdays.
It’s a lot different from my undergraduate experience. I’m finally starting to get into the nitty-gritty of what I want to be learning about. I take Drug Development and Pharmacology this semester and I am SO EXCITED. Holy cow, I can’t wait. If you’re new here, I am working on my Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the NYU School of Medicine. It’s a huge step, but I’m glad I went straight through from UNC.
Winter in NYC
Winter in NYC is late? I mean it’s definitely cold and windy, but there’s been no snow [sad]. It’s dipped to single digits one time and it really just reminds me of the cold months walking on campus my first two years in Chapel Hill. As long as I am bundled up in my favorite parka and blanket scarves, I’m 100% okay.
I’ve heard February is absolutely brutal though so I’m not holding my breath for a short and mild winter. I would love to experience a snow day in Central Park sometime soon though. It’s also crazy how seasonal affective disorder can randomly rear its ugly head. I didn’t notice until I was legitimately feeling 100x better the first day I walked outside from work and it was sunset. It has consistently been pitch black at 5 pm for the past few months.
Holidays at Home
I still feel like Virginia is my home. It’s weird because I haven’t actually lived there for 5 years. But, my room still feels like where I filmed too many bad YouTube videos and played too much Little Big Planet with my brother. It was also immeasurably nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of NYC. I love this city, but life here is hard. I will never underestimate the awesomeness of a Wednesday morning jam sesh in my Acura TL on the way to Chick-fil-a breakfast and a not-so-spontaneous trip to Target.
What’s the Roast: Current Loves
Entertainment
Hannah got me hooked on the ridiculous UK TV show, Love Island. It’s like an even more dramatic version of Bachelor in Paradise with accents. Bloody hilarious. Did I use that right? Currently, cruising through Season 4 and loving it. Netflix also added the masterpiece that is American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. It’s honestly incredible if you like heavy dramas. I also binge watched YOU and Sex Education on Netflix which were also REALLY good.
For some reason, I skipped out on making a playlist of new music for January so follow my February playlist for all of my favorite tunes that I’m probably listening to on repeat. I’ll spare you the Hamilton soundtrack. That’s a given.
Style & Beauty
I’ve been living in black any color turtlenecks. My lips apparently look kissable all day every day with the FENTY lip gloss. My booty keeps it comfy and stylish with my favorite pair of the Power Straight Jean from Old Navy. My dark spots from the nightmares of teen acne are lightening with the help of the Ole Henrikson Transforming Night Serum. Boom done.
Food & Fitness
My diet is having an egg moment and I’m obsessed with Trader Joe’s, typical. I’m particularly loving the Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel bread and blackberries, not necessarily together, but I guess you could. I’m loving my hip hop class and weight sessions at the gym. I seriously forgot how great you feel after learning a new routine. It’s glad to be back taking a class in a low key environment. Confidence also skyrockets after that class let me tell ya.
What’s the Roast: Goals Update
I kicked the delivery habit and have been consistently cooking my own meals. I also didn’t waste a single item of food that I bought. I’m feeling really solid about the food side of my 2019 mission. Hopefully, I can keep up the good progress into February.
I think I had a pretty successful gym record in January averaging around 2-3x a week. I’m really wanting to stick with my every other day plan into February which will bump that up to 3-4x a week. I also want to try a new class in February and finally take a boxing class!
#AskGabby
Q: Do you have an idea of when mobile presets will be ready?!?
A: They are live now. I’ve worked really hard on making them work specifically for JPEG images and you don’t need an Adobe membership to use them on the free mobile app. You can see all the different options here and more on how to use them here and here.
Q: Should one start a podcast or a blog first?
A: Honestly, I have no clue! Podcasts are really hot right now. My biggest tip for starting anything new is to pinpoint how you’re going to help your future audience. Content creation is saturated. Good content creation is not. Read that again. Also, what do you like to do more? Read, write, talk, edit video? Editing and the technical side of things has a lot of impact on the longevity of a project. If you hate video editing, then your best bet probably isn’t YouTube. If you have a knack with words, then go ahead and start that blog. The podcast world is young and has a ton of potential and if you can think of a creative way to use audio to engage people, then go for it!!
Q: Will you come to Portugal with me, please?
A: Hi, Hannah! We miss you around here and HELL YEAH. I guess this is the official announcement that Hannah, Michelle, Chloe, and I are headed to Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona this summer! Y’all this trip is panning out to be an incredible experience and my first international trip ever! I’m dying of excitement and replaying the Cheetah Girls 2 soundtrack until then, so don’t mind me.
Q: Who takes your OOTD/pics in the streets of NYC?
A: My wonderful friends! Michelle and I are basically attached at the hip every weekend and take a ton of pictures for each other. I highly recommend finding a blogger bestie that can help you with content. Francesca Pauline, Erin Kean, and Lauren Goldstein have also been my saviors when it comes to blog and Instagram photos. Seriously the best group of gals!!
A life update was long overdue and I’m glad that I could finally deliver. If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you’ll never miss out on my life adventures. So, I highly recommend that you check me out on those platforms! How are y’all?! Drop your answers to these questions down below in the comments!
- What songs could you not stop listening to in January?
- Do you have any exciting travel plans coming up this year?
- Favorite meals to cook at the moment?
Keep on keepin’ on,
