Saturday morning rambles

On my way home yesterday it was about six-thirty in the evening, and air was cool and crisp,it smelt like fall, that sort of damp mud that fumigates all the soccer fields this time of year and it made me feel comfortable, at home so to speak. Fall has always been my favorite season, I thought it was because that’s when my birthday is but it’s much more than that. All the activities, weather, and the way in which the sun rests on the foliage is what makes fall so beautiful, and enjoyable. Cool nights with sunny days, leaves falling, and cider drinking makes for an entertaining time of year and that moment on my way home yesterday made me appreciate the little things even more than I already do. That nostalgia of fall that comes at the end of each summer brings great happiness to me and also some sadness because summer is that time of year where school is out of session, the beach is packed, and chilling outside at a BBQ with an ice cold beer is what occupies many people’s weekends and vacations. However, the excitement of fall in my opinion, weighs out the sad ending of summer. 

I’ve been busy lately, last few days I’ve just worked, gone to the gym, sort of have a social life, and it feels like I just never stop and although sometimes that can be a good thing especially since I missed some work last week for being sick, it can be tiring. I can only imagine what my life is going to be like when school starts next week: school, work, gym and repeat and although those are all great things, I can see in the near future that I’m going to be a nana and take as much chill out time that I can on the weekends because I’m just going to be go go go Monday through Friday, and I’m okay with that. I don’t ALWAYS need something to do, just hanging by myself and having a Netflix binge sort of day is just as awesome, if not better than going out and doing something. I haven’t always been a homebody, I used to hate just sitting in my room and having nothing to do, being with friends 24/7 was something I did almost everyday, that’s how I lived my life for a long time and then, that 24/7 thing started early on with my relationships in high school and it drained me emotionally. That is why I vowed to myself that I will enjoy my alone time and the quiet each night, and when I do decide to be in a relationship again I’m going to take my time, and make sure I have time to myself often. I guess you could say I’m being a little selfish, but that’s okay by me, sometimes in life we have to be a little selfish. 

I want to take more photos, I want to find a really beautiful place that I can just sit on a blanket in the grass and take beautiful photos. Somewhere really green, and the air smells crisp and fresh, where the clouds are bright white and the sky is baby blue, that is what I want to capture with my camera. I got my nifty fifty but I’m scared to use it, I don’t want to screw it up or look like a fool but I’ll never know until I fool around with it I guess. I’m excited to take my photography class, even though I’ve heard that the professor can be questionable, I’ll make sure to be a pain in the ass and ask a lot of questions so I know that I am on top of the game, I am determined to get my 4.0 back this semester or maintain my 3.8 GPA, I’m pretty proud of myself for that, in high school I was always that 3.3 GPA student, not awful whatsoever, but not on top I was never in the higher percentage of my class because lets face it, I sucked at math, chemistry, and all the other logic brain classes that everyone else succeeded at, I excelled at writing, and history, because those classes interested me, but in college, I’ve done well for myself, proved that no amount of ADD can hold me back because I WILL rise above every obstacle and punch it in the face. Being a good student and making my family and myself proud is an accomplishment that can never be topped in my book. 

Speaking of book, I haven’t started my preliminary outline yet, I’m a bad girl. I’ve been meaning to do it but each time I sit down to start my brain is mush and the writers block begins, I think I’m just going to start by writing (physically writing) down my ideas for my novel, names I like, places that will influence the setting, and facts about each thing that can help me create an accurate description or story line. I’m excited for this, it definitely will take some time and I probably won’t ever have it published, but just to be able to sat, “I wrote a novel” would be pretty freaking cool if you ask me. 

I want to promote my blog I think too, not that I write great stuff on here besides my typical rambles but I know I have quite a few followers now (thanks guys!) that read my stuff usually every day, but I wouldn’t mind sharing these posts with other people. 

Well, I think this concludes my post for today, have to get back to the real world, till then my friends! 

Finally, my finances are coming together.

Literally, I’ve never really stuck with a budget. I had my last hooray, got some new school digs, and a nifty fifty for my good ol’ Nikon, but I put some cash money in my savings, and put all the money I can spend per week while paying my bills and continuing to save, I’m proud of myself, really proud for sticking to my guns. Dealing with a shopping addiction is not eay, and I’m not perfect, whatsoever. I just have to take it one step at a time and take the good with the bad. Thank God for technology honestly, if I didn’t have all my finance apps and calendars, I would be literally broke, maybe even bankrupt (God forbid), I am lucky though, compared to most people and what they have to go through each day and that is what I have to remind myself each day is how lucky I am. 

Why now?

Why am I feeling all of this now, shouldn’t this have come months ago? Why did I mask these emotions with anger and stubbornness, why didn’t I just look at the situation for what is was and made it better. Why didn’t I just accept how I was feeling and fix it, rather than lock it up in Pandora’s box, because it is here, I am feeling, and it won’t stop. I guess you could say this is my karma, it is finally here and I don’t know what to do, I have no idea how to deal with these feelings, I’m pissed, empty, and broken, I thought I was okay, I thought that everything was going to be fine, but it is evident that it’s not. I know I can move on from this and be okay because in some retrospect I am, I am still happy and motivated, but there is something missing, and I’m not quite sure what it is. I need to learn to deal with my feelings better and learn to not mask them with other rash emotions. I’m sick of everyone, literally everyone, I just want to be alone for awhile, and collect myself. 

So much self doubt today

I’m literally going out of my mind today. Work is so slow, leaving me to constantly think about all the things I’ve done wrong, or how I’m going to fall short in anything I try to do. I know that is dramatic, I’m a dramatic person, everything feels like the world is going to end or I’m going to die because I have a headache, I’ve never been a subtle person. I’m thinking a lot about the past two months and how happy I’ve been, I’ve also started to dig deep into feelings that I’ve sort of been putting on the side lines or replaced with a different emotion. I’m dealing with things that I’ve sort of dealt with but haven’t really until recently and that has been bringing me down most definitely. I sometimes regret the things I’ve said and done recently, most people have regrets but I try not to live in the past because that’s what it is, the past. I’ve hurt people, people I cared for greatly, and still care for, I’ve been selfish, but I also did what I had to do to better myself, to find myself, and for that I’m not sorry.

I’m getting nervous too about my photography, I see all these great pictures from some amateur and freelance photographers and I just shake my head, wondering if I’ll ever be good enough, but then I remember something wise that Tarah said to me the other day, “Don’t judge your beginning by somebody else’s middle”, those were some wise words, and that is something I need to start reminding myself. All photographers whether they are professional, or amateur all start at the same point, Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m really hard on myself, I always have been, I start something and I usually don’t finish it because I tell myself that it isn’t good enough or that it is horrible, although I like to think of myself as a positive person, I am my own worst enemy and critic, I think that is something I really want to start working on, learning to let myself love the process of learning and doing and not giving up so quickly because it is hard or there are people out there with more experience than me because I know I can do well, I just need to apply myself and keep a positive mind. 

When life gets in the way

I feel that a lot of people say that “Life got in the way, that is why we haven’t spoke in a long time” or “Life prevented me from doing this or that” people just never take the fall for their own actions so it seems. I’ve used life as an excuse and sure, it is easy to blame our own faults on such a beautiful, timeless, and natural occurrence. It is as if we take our lives for granted, we don’t appreciated what it has to offer anymore and it is sad to think that as humans, we take advantage of the beauties that life gives us each day. I don’t like to preach because I have found that people tend to get annoyed when I remind them to be grateful for the simplicity in their life because there are those people in this world who can’t even do that because of poverty, government control, or inequality, along with other countless reasons. Why dwell on the little things that upset us? Why blame life for all of the misfortunes in our life when we are the ones who have the power to decide how we react to every situation. Life, is an opportunity to make something great of ourselves, why not take those necessary steps by realizing that we can’t control everything, nor should we. Being in control all the time is hard and is too much work, why not let life take the reins and just sit back, relax, and smile because you are alive, don’t use life as an excuse for bad behavior or obstacles that you are too afraid to face, man up, take the bull by the horns, and cut the bullshit.

 

 

Sunday realizations & rambles

I can’t believe it is already Sunday, another week has passed and school is inching closer and closer. I’m pissed, my digital imaging class got cancelled and I can’t fill it online for some reason so I’m going to have to physically go to my school tomorrow to register for another one. I was really looking forward to learning how to use photoshop, and now there is really NO classes that fill my schedule so this should be interesting, but still keeping a positive outlook and hoping for the best!

Anyways, today I’m not really sure what I’m going to do..I need to clean my room for sure, possibly go to the gym because I didn’t go all week that I was sick, and I told Tarah I would possibly go to Maine with her for a cookout but I’m not sure what I want to do, I don’t know any of these people that are going to be at this party and I still don’t feel super hot, in fact my stomach feels horrible, but I don’t want to be bored all day…the dilemma.

I was bad and forgot to take my antibiotics for a day and I slacked with only one dosage yesterday and it has caught up with me, I’m definitely not feeling so hot again and that is my own damn fault, but I own it, and I’ll be more aware about taking care of my body.

Rambling again, pardon my ADD. I want to take pictures, go somewhere beautiful and relax but I don’t know where to go or who to go with, I just want to surround myself with the Sunday breeze in a calm setting. The last few days I’ve felt disconnected, like wandering lost in a limbo, between reality and my own perception of life and I just feel like I’m floating and, “It’s hard to keep my soul on the ground” (Garden Grove, Sublime) literally feel like I can’t just strap myself down and shake myself out of this weird funk, this happens sometimes, I float so high and when I start to float down I’m not really sure how to handle it but I’m learning, slowly but surely.

I’m feeling spiritual today, not so much on a Catholic level, but a more nature and open minded level of spirituality. I’m currently listening to a “Restorative Yoga” playlist on spotify, I miss yoga, I miss the burning insense that would fill the studio, and the way in which I felt when the instructor would dim the lights down and I would just breathe in the positive energy, but yoga is just too damn expensive these days. This music is so soothing though, no lyrics, just beautiful music and my oolong chai tea, this morning is perfect. Nothing beats great tea, great music, and writing in my opinion, it is perfect way to start my day, I really should make this a habit because it does make me so happy.

A lot of things make me happy I’ve noticed lately. The fact that my life has turned upside down the last two months is something that still suprises me, I’m someone completely different and it makes me genuinely happy. I live for me and no one else, that is something I’ve never done before and it feels great. I’ve met some incredible people, Tarah for instance has become a huge part of my life, she has helped me a lot to break out of my shell and I’ll be forever grateful to her for that, she is my best friend. Zach, we briefly knew each other throughout school but now we’ve become good friends, he supports me and encourages me to stay true to me and that is something that makes me very happy and thankful for. Jerick introduced me to my love for photography, without him I wouldn’t have found my somewhat natural talent for it or at least my intense admiration for the art. Me, without my open mind and strength, I wouldn’t be where I am today period. There were some dark moments in my life, I struggled with an eating disorder, intense depression, poor self esteem, and loneliness. I couldn’t bare the thought of being alone, now though, I enjoy it, and find peace in my time alone. Today, I still deal with my depression but in a much more healthier way because that will always be a part of me, but the biggest aspect of my transformation that I admire is the love I have for myself. I love waking up each day and going with the flow, I love finding the beauty in life and the world around me, and I strive each day to be the best person I can be. When I think of who I was two years ago all I see is sadness, pain, and darkness, it is crazy to think that I was in such a place. Although it makes me sad, it also makes me feel empowered because I was the one who grew from that, granted, it took a long time, a very long time, but I made it and here I am to live another day and to share my positivity because change can happen, living a better life can happen, and I want to inspire others, I want to help others, that is what I’m meant to do.

“Hi I’m Jess, and I’m a Shopping Addict…”

Anyone who knows me knows I have a shopping addiction, and it has taken me a long time to admit to that, it is still hard to even say it now. Over the past two years I’ve accumulated quite a bit of credit card debt, and it has been a financial burden that has stressed me to no end recently. I decided to consolidate my credit in a positive way through my bank and I am proud of myself for taking a big girl step in the right direction. Being able to own up to your own mistakes is hard, especially when you don’t want to even admit to yourself that you screwed up, and I did, big time. Being this young and having this debt is something that I don’t want for the rest of my life, I don’t want it to be something that just continues to add up to the point where I drown in it. I took the initiative and applied for a VERY VERY VERY small loan, one that covers my debt and gives me some extra money to save for Ecuador! Although it is in fact a loan, it has a great rate and a short note so in a short amount of time I’ll be a debt free woman, it is just going to take time and commitment. I’m really proud of myself, something I don’t usually say or feel, but lately I’ve been giving myself props and acknowledging my own achievements rather than diminishing my small victories. 

I’m not really sure though when my shopping problem started, I’ve never been GREAT with my money but I would probably say that over the holidays is when it started to get bad, I wanted to give my family the best Christmas, I wanted to provide for them just like they have done for me my whole life, and from there it spiraled into buying monotonous things, things that I don’t even remember having. It is the thrill of buying, the thrill of opening something, sort of like Christmas day. It is just the excitement of having something new, and that feeling fades…quickly, but I’ve let myself become addicted to that feeling. So, now, saving for Ecuador and paying down my debt, I am challenging myself to break this addiction, and to prove to myself that I have grown and changed for the better. I am proud and determined, I know that when this is all over I’m going to smile and give myself a pat on the back because I’ll be able to say that I did this on my own. Especially when I’m boarding that plane to Ecuador, knowing I paid for it ALL on my own, that will be the most rewarding feeling of all. 

So green

Today I was cursing in the car with some friends through a more rural side of my town and I noticed how beautiful the intense color green of the grass and leaves on the trees, and how the sun shined so softly on the blades of grass was so breathtaking, while also feeling the warmth from the light on my face, it just made me feel so comfortable, so thankful, and so very happy. Sometimes it’s the little things that make us truly happy and take us by surprise. I find lately I’ve been realizing or appreciating these small things of happiness, and I’m glad, I’m glad that I am not ignorant to the beauty of this world and Mother Nature. I can’t say I’ve been this happy, ever, and it’s something I will not take for granted or let slip away. I vow to always appreciate the little things in life because sometimes, those are most important.

Sick as a dog

I don’t understand why I keep getting so sick. Why does my immune system suck so bad? I exercise, eat right for the most part…sure, I drink here and there and indulge in the wonders in life but who doesn’t? I literally was sick a month ago, hacking and wacking in bed and here I am AGAIN sick. I took numerous doses of cough medicine last night and I kept waking up dying with this horrible cough, like this medicine did NOTHING for me…so frustrating. I don’t understand this madness whatsoever.

I’ve been thinking about my novel again, creating ideas in my mind..I really should write them down so I have a better idea of where it will all fall, but putting my thoughts to paper is the challenge, isn’t it? Speaking of novels I read the first book in the Divergent series a few months ago and I finally watched the movie today. I was pleasently surprised with Shailene Woodley’s performance, I loved her in Secret Life of The American Teenager, but never knew she would actually do well in an action role. I love these sort of dystopia series like The Hunger Games, so fun to read and so unrealistic in my opinon, imagine our world like that? Or living in one for the matter, the ideas and imagainations these authors have are incredible, I only hope that mine can stretch as far.

I’m heading to the doctors as we speak, hopefully I can find some answers and get some medicine that will actually work!

A novel?

I’ve been debating whether or not if I want to write a novel. I’m not really sure what I will write about but that is the fun in it right? I’m pretty sure it will surround itself around magic and all that good stuff because I’ll always be a kid at heart, and who doesn’t love a mystical story? I found this really interesting link that talks about how to write a rough draft novel in thirty days : http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/oct/20/writing-your-novel-30-days-methodit is quite interesting and an awesome way to be organized while writing, I’m thinking I’m going to follow it and see where it goes.

I’ve found some pretty cool apps too such as “Blogo” which I’m writing on now, it is a desktop app on my MacBook Pro that I can post directly to WordPress instead of having to login on the web. I also picked up “iWriter”, a desktop app that creates a “typewriter” sort of app that allows me to just write without having all the extra crap hovering around the corners of my screen, it allows me to just sort of tune out while writing. I love the app store, I forget sometimes that I can download desktop applcations for my MacBook, some are so cool and interesting, I honestly love Apple.

But getting back to my novel, I’m pretty excited to get it started and seeing where it will go, I’m feeling pretty creative so we will see where this goes!