polka dots and candy bars

Hey gang, I know. It's been QUITE a while since I've written here. In my own defense, which, honestly, is not much of one, I've been more self-reflective than I have been outwardly reflective. Anyway, I was reading this article about Taylor Swift and it sparked something in me (as good writing usually does), so I felt the need to sit down and actually WRITE something for a change. As many of you know, Paris Review is one of my absolute favorites. Take a peek at the article here . Finished? This article, especially this line, And so I chose a different kind of life, a smaller one where I could think before I spoke and then my words would be loud enough to last on a printed page. See, I do have a platform. I’m a writer. And there is so much revenge I’d like to get, so many scores to settle, but I’m older now and see so clearly the consequences of putting something in print. is all the things.  This quotation brought me back to sixth grade to a time when I realized ...

Hello again! I've decided to drop in and fill you guys in with a quick catch up. With summer approaching, and the overwhelming desire to frolic on a beach somewhere and not bring a persistent reminder of being stuck inside with me (*cough winter belly cough*), I've been trying to up my workout regimen. So, for the last couple of weeks, I've been trying out Class Pass. The idea behind Class Pass is that you get to try a bunch of different classes without getting bored with any one class. You're only allowed to visit the same studio 3-4x (depending on the Pass you have) in a month. At first, I really hated Class Pass. Now, I'm just one notch below not being a complete fan. So, my original reasons for not being a fan included: No home gym Very difficult to get the class you want at the time you want, in the neighborhood that you want Mostly for people that really enjoy taking classes Having to plan your workouts almost a week in advance to get access to cove...

Hi gang!     Sorry for the brief hiatus! These last couple of months have been a whirlwind! The end of last year (2015), found me finishing up my graduate thesis, interviewing for a new job (spoiler alert: I got it!), and heading off to Europe. With all of the frenzy, I had forgotten to post! Not only that, my head wasn't on completely straight to actually decompress and figure out how I felt about everything. Right after I came back from vacation, I handed in my resignation, graduated from grad school, had one of my dearest friends visit, and started a new job. As I write those things, I now understand why I felt so stressed leading up to all of the big events. Ccchhhhaanges! Despite the fact that many of the changes had been a long time coming, I still felt a bit taken aback when they actually happened. My expectation for how I would feel on the day of graduation, for example, was that I'd be ecstatic. Instead, I largely felt numb. I even felt a little bit sad. An...

Remember me?? Sorry that I've been away for so long--between work, school and thesis writing, my brain feels like it's been on a creative pause for the last couple of weeks. I mean, this is basically me: Gif courtesy of Now.Here.This You know that feeling when you think things are going REALLY well and then you're like, oh crap... Nothing major, just that sudden feeling of being overwhelmed. THANK YOU THESIS!!! The only thing that has saved me, per usual, is exercising. It's pretty much my go-to. Well, that and wine, but running is probably the better one to talk about, right?  Thesis is all-consuming and overwhelming. When I'm not actually writing thesis, I'm thinking about thesis, so that's left little time for actual creativity. Fun, right? Gif courtesy of Straight from the A Well, the benefit of Capstone (the official name for the class at my university) is that it is filled with characters . Sometimes, I feel like Nene Leakes from...

Photo courtesy of ABC Family So... Let's talk (finally!) about shows that we 'hate' watch. Aka those shows that you'll only admit to watching with people that you feel somewhat close to, but never when you're first meeting someone. Not to be confused with the shows that EVERYONE"S watching, even if they're really bad. There's something about the 'hate watch' that feels so deliciously naughty, but is actually pretty mundane. So, below, behold, is my list. Shows: 1. Pretty Little Liars 2. Empire 3. Younger 4. The Vampire Diaries 5. Grey's Anatomy Now, I know that last show is somewhat controversial because a lot of you are probably saying, "Erika! That's a really popular show! How in the heck is that a 'hate watch'?" While others are probably saying, "Wait, Grey's is still on the air? I thought Shonda killed everyone off!" And see, my dear, that's exactly why it is a 'hate watch'....

Helloo all,    As some of you already know, and maybe some others have gathered if you follow me on Instagram (feel free to here ), I spent the week leading up to July 4th in Iceland! Not the most patriotic thing I've ever done, but it was certainly, capital D, different. I traversed a small bit of the island that is Iceland with four, mostly random people (a post for another time), and here are some of my takeaways. First of all, Iceland is ridiculously beautiful. I have said the following phrase to multiple friends of mine since getting back, but it has never rang so true in my life: I'm not an outdoorsy person, but Iceland brought it out in me and I see myself doing more active vacations in the future. I mean, just look at this:  Beautiful, right? What you can't see from this photo is the path leading up to the top of the mountain so that you can actually stand ABOVE the waterfall. Crazy. This was actually the SECOND waterfall we saw that day. The first waterfal...