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We’re way overdue for an update. It’s kind of wild how badly I’ve neglected this blog. I mean I haven’t posted since my birthday when I wrote 23 things I learned before 23. Clearly, I didn’t learn much about consistency. I’ve been blogging for four years now, but I’ve been pouring my creative heart into so many other things. From vlogging to freelance graphic design, I’ve found so many passions here in NYC and I have let my blog fall to the wayside. I don’t want to do that anymore because I think my blog and the quality of posts that I write separate me from the horde of Instagrammers and “influencers” that are clamoring for your attention.
Life Update
It has been such a long time since I logged into WordPress. I had no idea what my page view statistics were or how I had a tremendous spike in views during the back to school period. Hi, college gals!! I hope your fall semester is going well. I finally updated my WordPress to the Gutenberg editor and frankly, I’m a big fan. My PHP finally reached a point where it was outdated and my theme just didn’t fit the vibe that I wanted for my blog. So, I overhauled everything.
Anyway, you’re already two paragraphs in and I think you get it. I really didn’t give a darn about this blog for a while. I miss writing. Missed having a somewhat secret community of gals who read my blog. Instagram feels so tainted? YouTube feels exposed. My blog is kind of my safe space where I write and tell secrets. It’s as close to an actual coffee meet up with me as you can get. So, yes, let me update you.
Me, My Cells, & The Ph.D. Life
Okay, so the blog post that I wrote with this title got so many views. I had no idea anyone coming to a life and style post would care about my science nerd dreams. But, here we are.
My cells are very much alive and the second year of graduate school is ramping up. I think I probably should have done a whole post about the logistics of a biomedical Ph.D., but there is a lot of lingo and jargon and unnecessary bits. This is all you need to know: The first two years I take classes, rotate in 2-3 labs, and choose my thesis advisor/project.
I found my lab home and have started devising what I want to investigate for my doctoral thesis. My current project is a deep dive into the molecular mechanisms behind the progression and symptoms of Friedreich’s Ataxia which is a neurodegenerative disease most commonly caused by a mutation in iron metabolism gene, frataxin. I’m going to my first big gal research conference in D.C. in November and I can’t wait to learn so much more about this absolutely fascinating and heartbreaking disease.
I’m looking to do even more “work week in my life” videos on YouTube. My first one did a lot better than I thought it would and I really do love vlogging. I might actually even be a little okay at it. But, that’s for you to decide.
Travel Itch
My trip to Europe was the last thing that I wrote detailed blog posts about. You can check them out here: Lisbon, Madrid, and Barcelona. After my trip, I immediately knew I needed to start planning my next escapade across Mother Earth. Surprise, I’m headed to Jamaica with my family in December and I can’t wait. It’ll be the first vacation in a while for my family and for me to sit on a beach and do absolutely nothing. I do plan catching up on five years’ worth of leisure reading though. Send your book recs my way. I do want to plan my next Europe trip since apparently I have until 2050 before the Earth burns up. Italy anyone?
Dating in NYC
…a true nightmare! I’ll keep this new section of this series short because my dating life is non-existent. Bummer! More to come soon, maybe!
Side Hustle Game Strong
I feel like it’s my duty to be transparent and tell you that I have secured several bags for the month of October. There’s a lot of sponsored content headed your way on Instagram. While I’ve done some questionable sponsored posts in the past, no more!! I know my worth in this space and that means I’m only going to work with brands that I know and love AND who value me as a creator. Just know that I very much appreciate your support and understanding!
Note: it’s very important to me that I start building a healthier lifestyle when it comes to time management, sleep, and exercise. A big change that I’ve started making is asking myself, “how do you feel?” as a motivator for this change. And man, I feel like crap. So, I need to hydrate, eat some veggies, get my eight hours of sleep and hit the gym ASAP.
My Current Favorites
- Movie: Good Boys
- Podcast: Gals on The Go x Danielle Carolan & Brooke Miccio
- Clothing: American Eagle Curvy Jeans
- Makeup: Honest Beauty Extreme Length Mascara
- Skincare: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum
- Coffee Order: Vanilla Iced Coffee
- Website: H&M
- App: AMC Theatres [I joined the A-List and I love it!]
- Candy: TJ’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Food: Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli
- Brunch Spot: Good Thanks – LES
- Accessory: Quay Jezabell Sunglasses
- Trend: Suiting
- Drink: Strawberry Lemonade Kombucha
- Activity: Strolling along 86th St from UWS to UES
- Workout: Hip Hop @ Crunch Bowery
- TV Show: The O.C.
- Life Hack: freezing old bananas for smoothies
- Errand: Grocery shopping at TJ’s or Union Square Greenmarket
- Tech: Apple Watch Series 4 !!!
- WBOM: Adam Brody
Life is good. I’m not feeling my best, but I’m working on it. I want to be consistent which was my word of the year. Three more months to really learn what that means. I mean to be fair, I consistently check my horoscope every morning.
keep on keepin’ on,
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