I read somewhere recently that you should spend money on experiences, not material goods. Well, today I tried.
See, a while back, I did what every poor college kid does, and bought the cheapest stuff I could find at the grocery store. I bought corn tortillas, which ended up being a baaad decision really. What can you do with corn tortillas? They're dry, flaky, and mostly flavorless. Anyways, after a few failed food attempts, I decided I would worry about them later and just focus on my crazy week. So the weekend rolls around, and my mind drifts back to those tortillas...
I started researching recipes, finally landing on taquitos. It felt like a perfect opportunity to cook for the house--and an opportunity to try out a new recipe after my brilliant success with Thai peanut sauce the other day. Because I'm cheap, I decided to go with the corn and black bean recipe and forego the chicken. I already had black beans, so voila! I was in business.
Well, I had to go grocery shopping to pick up some extra stuff: corn, cilantro, garlic, onion, cheese, and guacamole. I also bought a dessert because why not? Family dinner deserves a dessert. I splurged a bit. Anyways, my roommate Alicia and I started our marathon in the kitchen, chopping the onion, garlic, and cilantro. prepping the corn and beans, sweating the garlic and onion, etc. Well, we get to the step in which we had to roll the taquitos and my tortillas just are not cooperating. No matter how hard we tried, they wouldn't hydrate or would just pathetically split. I googled technique after technique and didn't have any luck. Laid out in the pan, they were kinda hideous. Here I had spent all this time and money to try to make a nice dinner and I thought it would be ruined by a bunch of stupid tortillas.
During the prep, I kind of taught Alicia how to dice onions and prep garlic for the first time. We had a lot of good laughs at being domestic. And when I started freaking out, Alicia simply told me that we still had dessert and that McDonald's was just down the street. She even insisted on setting the table, lighting a candle, and putting up the flowers that Katelyn brought home from work. It was a full blown family dinner.
So the taquitos come out of the oven, and while some of them looked a bit rough, they tasted pretty dang good. We also had salsa, sour cream, and guac which helped. After serving after serving of taquitos and a strawberry cheese danish, we agreed that it had all worked out. Not to mention the sheer hilarity of the things that are said when you sit us all down together at one table. Afterwards, Alicia and I cleaned up and did all the dishes, all while joking that perhaps we would not completely fail in being able to complete domestic tasks in our future.
Hell yeah I splurged. Hell yeah it was nerve wracking to think that dinner would fail. And hell yeah it was an awesome experience. To be entirely honest, tonight was one of the best days of my summer so far. Forget my frustrating morning at work, the exhaustion, the tough week ahead. Today I watched a lot of soccer, drank a lot of tea, and spent a lot of time over onions, a hot stove, and a hotter oven.
The experiences are what we want. It's not necessarily the food, but the people you share it with that make a perfect meal. It's not the movie, but the people you get to lean into during the scary parts. It's not the financial cost of taking a trip to Scotland, or moving to Seattle, it's the thrill, the sights, the sounds, the adrenaline, the feeling you get when you hold up that pair of hiking boots that took you 98 miles across the West Highland Way along Loch Lomond.
Spend money on the experiences? don't mind if I do.
Be well. Share your happiness. Live the epic life.
-Megan
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Embracing Sunshine
Well friends, no anxious brain tonight, but certainly a racing heart. This week's combination of too little sleep, too much caffeine, and a few celebratory margaritas have all made it quite unhappy with me. No worries, it'll settle down once I get back into a routine.
So I'm sitting here, sipping peppermint tea and listening to I'd Run Away by The Jayhawks. The truth is though, there's no place I'd rather be than right here, right now. How funny to say that, since I would have given anything to not be me not long ago. Truth is, I feel like everything is falling into place.
My life is once again packed into boxes and over the course of the next week, I will move into The Burrow, our house for the next 12 months. Not only will I be living with three of the most energetic, genuine, and overall amazing people I've ever met, but I'll be surrounded by many incredible faces this summer. Many friends, including recent grads, are living close to me and plans for many happy ventures are already in place. If The Burrow is anything like my friend Rosina's house, it's going to be 12 months of crazy awesomeness. I'm looking forward to many nights in the backyard, blasting music, watching the sunset, and sipping more celebratory margaritas. My song of the summer is Ain't It Fun by Paramore. Look it up, but listen to it with the video--changes the connotation in my opinion.
Life has switched gears, but still feels 100% chaos and 100% relaxed contentment. It's officially summer, and the sun is making more and more of an appearance, even if the wind still keeps a chill. My finals are all done and forgotten and grades are trickling in. So far so good. I don't know what to say about this summer, other than I am overwhelmingly looking forward to all of it. I have so much time, but so many things to do. Soon I will start preparing for the GRE, hardcore researching graduate programs, and getting together with all those friends I mentioned. I also perfectly intend to curl up and watch some heavy amounts of Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, House M.D., and Breaking Bad. Oh, and to convince you that I'm not just going to melt my brain on Netflix, I also plan to read exorbitant amounts of John Irving novels.
I am happy and content, but also cautious. Life has a terrible impermanence to it. This last week, I watched many friends graduate, which was all a bundle of sad, happy, nostalgic emotional everything. That will be me sooner than I think, but before then, I still have some crazy things to do. With luck, I'll go to Scotland (as I mentioned in the last post) but I'll also write and perform a lot of poetry, write a lot of non-fiction essays, play with rats, make some pottery, grade some psychology assignments, and go to a giant writing conference. If I get my ducks in a row, I'll also present at a conference in Illinois and work on more research-related things. After that, I'll graduate and move somewhere far away. Life is impermanent.
For now though, it's summer. And I am fully embracing the sun and the time... even though I might have to bring an umbrella to work today...
Peace and epicness,
-Megan
So I'm sitting here, sipping peppermint tea and listening to I'd Run Away by The Jayhawks. The truth is though, there's no place I'd rather be than right here, right now. How funny to say that, since I would have given anything to not be me not long ago. Truth is, I feel like everything is falling into place.
My life is once again packed into boxes and over the course of the next week, I will move into The Burrow, our house for the next 12 months. Not only will I be living with three of the most energetic, genuine, and overall amazing people I've ever met, but I'll be surrounded by many incredible faces this summer. Many friends, including recent grads, are living close to me and plans for many happy ventures are already in place. If The Burrow is anything like my friend Rosina's house, it's going to be 12 months of crazy awesomeness. I'm looking forward to many nights in the backyard, blasting music, watching the sunset, and sipping more celebratory margaritas. My song of the summer is Ain't It Fun by Paramore. Look it up, but listen to it with the video--changes the connotation in my opinion.
Life has switched gears, but still feels 100% chaos and 100% relaxed contentment. It's officially summer, and the sun is making more and more of an appearance, even if the wind still keeps a chill. My finals are all done and forgotten and grades are trickling in. So far so good. I don't know what to say about this summer, other than I am overwhelmingly looking forward to all of it. I have so much time, but so many things to do. Soon I will start preparing for the GRE, hardcore researching graduate programs, and getting together with all those friends I mentioned. I also perfectly intend to curl up and watch some heavy amounts of Game of Thrones, Grey's Anatomy, House M.D., and Breaking Bad. Oh, and to convince you that I'm not just going to melt my brain on Netflix, I also plan to read exorbitant amounts of John Irving novels.
I am happy and content, but also cautious. Life has a terrible impermanence to it. This last week, I watched many friends graduate, which was all a bundle of sad, happy, nostalgic emotional everything. That will be me sooner than I think, but before then, I still have some crazy things to do. With luck, I'll go to Scotland (as I mentioned in the last post) but I'll also write and perform a lot of poetry, write a lot of non-fiction essays, play with rats, make some pottery, grade some psychology assignments, and go to a giant writing conference. If I get my ducks in a row, I'll also present at a conference in Illinois and work on more research-related things. After that, I'll graduate and move somewhere far away. Life is impermanent.
For now though, it's summer. And I am fully embracing the sun and the time... even though I might have to bring an umbrella to work today...
Peace and epicness,
-Megan
Sunday, April 15, 2012
End of the Road
Hello Reader,
May your Sunday be lazy, but not rainy as mine seems to be. I can hear the constant dripping of water outside my window and perhaps needless to say... I'm keeping the curtain closed.
My college is wrapping up their presentation of Camino Real by Tennessee Williams with their final performance today. Camino Real means "end of the road" and that's precisely where we, mostly I, find myself today.
The academic year is almost over. I'll have to commence a furious search for full-time employment within the next couple weeks. I'll have to pack up my life and leave my new home to go back to a place that now feels less like home and more like a vacation destination. Lovely to be at, and comfortable to be sure, but no where I really want to live...
One can approach this end of the road with celebration, fear, cautious optimism, melancholic moping--the kind that makes you lapse into thunderous applause and numerous pats on the back when you realize you had the guts to drag your sorry butt out of bed--or they can approach it with all of those reactions previously listed, as I seem to have been doing in a vicious cycle over the last week or so.
The fact remains... this is it. This is the curtain call on this particular play, this particular year in my (mostly epic) life, but good thing there is ample evidence of its existence. Good thing our year has been documented, both digitally, and with not so carefully written letters, almost too numerous to count. There's the facebook statuses, the tweets, the tumblr posts, the BLOGS--100 posts now on Dorm Room 718, and of course, our memories that we shouldn't necessarily discount. Oh, and the folded ticket stubs carefully tucked away in my wallet. This roller coaster has left its mark quite visibly on a number of mediums, including human hearts.
Was it good? Bad? Horrible? EPIC?! Hindsight will be 20/20, but it's been all of it.
Now this isn't the last post of the school year by any means, but know that it's winding down, speeding up, and doing everything in between.
Let's resolve to let the epicness continue.
-Megan
May your Sunday be lazy, but not rainy as mine seems to be. I can hear the constant dripping of water outside my window and perhaps needless to say... I'm keeping the curtain closed.
My college is wrapping up their presentation of Camino Real by Tennessee Williams with their final performance today. Camino Real means "end of the road" and that's precisely where we, mostly I, find myself today.
The academic year is almost over. I'll have to commence a furious search for full-time employment within the next couple weeks. I'll have to pack up my life and leave my new home to go back to a place that now feels less like home and more like a vacation destination. Lovely to be at, and comfortable to be sure, but no where I really want to live...
One can approach this end of the road with celebration, fear, cautious optimism, melancholic moping--the kind that makes you lapse into thunderous applause and numerous pats on the back when you realize you had the guts to drag your sorry butt out of bed--or they can approach it with all of those reactions previously listed, as I seem to have been doing in a vicious cycle over the last week or so.
The fact remains... this is it. This is the curtain call on this particular play, this particular year in my (mostly epic) life, but good thing there is ample evidence of its existence. Good thing our year has been documented, both digitally, and with not so carefully written letters, almost too numerous to count. There's the facebook statuses, the tweets, the tumblr posts, the BLOGS--100 posts now on Dorm Room 718, and of course, our memories that we shouldn't necessarily discount. Oh, and the folded ticket stubs carefully tucked away in my wallet. This roller coaster has left its mark quite visibly on a number of mediums, including human hearts.
Was it good? Bad? Horrible? EPIC?! Hindsight will be 20/20, but it's been all of it.
Now this isn't the last post of the school year by any means, but know that it's winding down, speeding up, and doing everything in between.
Let's resolve to let the epicness continue.
-Megan
Sunday, March 25, 2012
I'll be back soon!
Sorry Reader,
I know I've been a little bit AWOL lately--computer issues. But I'll be back online soon enough.
Between guest writing on Dorm Room 718 and this blog, I focus a lot on appreciating the small things, almost to the point of overkill. I'm sure you get it--small things and simple pleasures are important. The thing is, when you're far away in college, it's pretty much all you have. You don't have a permanent home, you're disconnected from your old friends and family, you don't have a fully stocked fridge to just grab a snack from--heck if you're like me you don't even have carpet. Little things get you through the days, weeks, and months.
Sometimes those little things turn into big things. Right now I'm chilling in a lounge and listening to the same song on repeat over and over and over again. Funny how a song can affect your mood. I listen to music when I want to be sad, be happy, or right now when I just want to maintain whatever mood this is. It's just nice to have that ability to listen to a song on repeat.
I'll tell you something else I didn't expect to come out of my college experience. I didn't expect to find a church family. I didn't expect to attend any church. Heck I'm not even that religious, but I've been lucky enough to fall into the company of people who put me into awkward situations which lead to such things as having the routine of attending a worship service. There, I've met some truly lovely people who've made me feel completely and utterly welcome. It is honestly the last thing I expected to find while in college and I know it's something I'll never find at home.
It's just funny to think about how important having a routine on Sunday has been for me. So Reader? appreciate the little things, especially when you notice they're becoming big things. That's how you can tell life is shifting--especially in better directions.
Be cool, be epic, love the sunshine.
-Megan
I know I've been a little bit AWOL lately--computer issues. But I'll be back online soon enough.
Between guest writing on Dorm Room 718 and this blog, I focus a lot on appreciating the small things, almost to the point of overkill. I'm sure you get it--small things and simple pleasures are important. The thing is, when you're far away in college, it's pretty much all you have. You don't have a permanent home, you're disconnected from your old friends and family, you don't have a fully stocked fridge to just grab a snack from--heck if you're like me you don't even have carpet. Little things get you through the days, weeks, and months.
Sometimes those little things turn into big things. Right now I'm chilling in a lounge and listening to the same song on repeat over and over and over again. Funny how a song can affect your mood. I listen to music when I want to be sad, be happy, or right now when I just want to maintain whatever mood this is. It's just nice to have that ability to listen to a song on repeat.
I'll tell you something else I didn't expect to come out of my college experience. I didn't expect to find a church family. I didn't expect to attend any church. Heck I'm not even that religious, but I've been lucky enough to fall into the company of people who put me into awkward situations which lead to such things as having the routine of attending a worship service. There, I've met some truly lovely people who've made me feel completely and utterly welcome. It is honestly the last thing I expected to find while in college and I know it's something I'll never find at home.
It's just funny to think about how important having a routine on Sunday has been for me. So Reader? appreciate the little things, especially when you notice they're becoming big things. That's how you can tell life is shifting--especially in better directions.
Be cool, be epic, love the sunshine.
-Megan
Thursday, March 1, 2012
*sip* *breathe* *sip* *sigh*
Helloooo Reader!
There's no doubt about it. I've been living the good life since I've been home. I am currently watching Rachael Ray's talk show while sipping some of my favorite tea (Good Earth Sweet and Spicy) which I've been chugging all week. You know? I don't mind her but I much prefer Ellen. I mean honestly Rachael, who really has a truffle shaver? I've also been sleeping WAY more than usual and enjoying every single minute of it. Yep, life it good. Oh, and I just threw on my favorite sweatshirt and a Rent playlist. Seasons of Love just gets me every time now that we're approaching the end of the school year. Can you tell I'm a little bit hyper?
Ever have one of those days where you sleep in super late, feel pretty good when you get up, and want to tackle anything and everything. No literally. Like if you saw someone you'd tackle them? Yep. I'm there. I'm sitting and staring at four classes worth of homework but I'm dead set on getting at least two subjects out of the way tonight so I can take my Sunday night back on campus nice and easy. I need a movie night or something... but I probably also need to clean my dorm. Hmm...
I'm beginning to think that the ever elusive idea of contentment is not and never will be a grand state of being that overshadows everything else, but rather a series of short moments present in situations like this. The trick might be to find a ton of little moments of contentment then in order to equal up to that grand state of being. Let me stress that this isn't new. This isn't some ground-breaking idea, but I'm only human and sometimes I forget to let happiness find me instead of me out looking for it.
So what am I going to do with this little moment of contentment? Well I'm going to watch a little bit of C-Span, listen to my Rent, play some solitaire, and overall enjoy the moment. Then I'll tackle some Sociology and Psychology. And then I'll get a work out in tonight before I probably stay up way too late, working on something literary before going to bed at 2 or 3 am to do it all over again in the morning. It's not an elaborate or exciting life at the moment, but it's still good, and I'm enjoying it. Epic.
I hope your day is filled with sunshine, hugs, and smiles. Not necessarily in that order.
-Megan
There's no doubt about it. I've been living the good life since I've been home. I am currently watching Rachael Ray's talk show while sipping some of my favorite tea (Good Earth Sweet and Spicy) which I've been chugging all week. You know? I don't mind her but I much prefer Ellen. I mean honestly Rachael, who really has a truffle shaver? I've also been sleeping WAY more than usual and enjoying every single minute of it. Yep, life it good. Oh, and I just threw on my favorite sweatshirt and a Rent playlist. Seasons of Love just gets me every time now that we're approaching the end of the school year. Can you tell I'm a little bit hyper?
Ever have one of those days where you sleep in super late, feel pretty good when you get up, and want to tackle anything and everything. No literally. Like if you saw someone you'd tackle them? Yep. I'm there. I'm sitting and staring at four classes worth of homework but I'm dead set on getting at least two subjects out of the way tonight so I can take my Sunday night back on campus nice and easy. I need a movie night or something... but I probably also need to clean my dorm. Hmm...
I'm beginning to think that the ever elusive idea of contentment is not and never will be a grand state of being that overshadows everything else, but rather a series of short moments present in situations like this. The trick might be to find a ton of little moments of contentment then in order to equal up to that grand state of being. Let me stress that this isn't new. This isn't some ground-breaking idea, but I'm only human and sometimes I forget to let happiness find me instead of me out looking for it.
So what am I going to do with this little moment of contentment? Well I'm going to watch a little bit of C-Span, listen to my Rent, play some solitaire, and overall enjoy the moment. Then I'll tackle some Sociology and Psychology. And then I'll get a work out in tonight before I probably stay up way too late, working on something literary before going to bed at 2 or 3 am to do it all over again in the morning. It's not an elaborate or exciting life at the moment, but it's still good, and I'm enjoying it. Epic.
I hope your day is filled with sunshine, hugs, and smiles. Not necessarily in that order.
-Megan
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Relaaaaax
Hello Reader!
I got back home last night around 8, riding in style with a very dear friend of mine who was driving a 2011 Malibu. Talk about luxury!
I'm so glad to be on break, it was definitely needed even though I wasn't under a lot of stress or deadlines towards the end. Still, simply being in such close proximity to so many people causes stress. I feel like I can breathe a little bit now.
I was just excited to spend a night in my nice warm bed, but things got a little hairy. I was restless all night and pretty much thrashed for a few hours before finally getting up, grabbing a container of frosting, and heading downstairs to fall asleep on the couch. I was definitely stuck in my head and so desperate to get the night over with that I turned on Jersey Shore in an effort to numb my brain. Jersey Shore for Pete's sake! Hey, if I have one good thing to say about that show, it makes me feel better about myself. I knew I would feel better in the morning, but I just had to get there.
I finally fell asleep, woke up, went shopping with my mom, and am now sitting on my bed listening to music and drinking some cranberry apple tea. I can feel myself getting progressively more stressed simply by being home, which is unfortunate since I'm really quite glad to be here. It's just full of different stressors to which I haven't be exposed or really needed to adapt to.
It's a bummer, but the good thing is that it will get better eventually. I think there's this weird paradox in human thought where we think negative things will last forever and positive things are fleeting. I remember times of feeling so good and then having the thought of "This isn't going to last." How unfortunate to think that I never remember having that thought when things hit the fan. The truth is that things do and will get better, even because of simple little things like the sunrise, and how wonderfully comforting to know that the sun WILL rise.
So I'm going to continue trying to relax and be calm, and maybe I'll watch a movie that will make me cry (since I feel ridiculously emotional now for no reason whatsoever) and later tonight I'll probably work on penning some things.
Oh but I'm listening to a Ryan Farish playlist at the moment. He's absolutely wonderful and you must check him out. His music makes me feel better about humanity. Have a great evening, and smile!
-Megan
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Circle of Life
Woah Reader,
I'm so sorry for my unexpected and unintentional hiatus. Life got away from me for a little while, but I'm back.
As mentioned almost ad nauseum on the other blog, Dorm Room 718, we had a blast at MBLGTACC 2012. That stands for Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. It was absolutely incredible... but we left for Iowa incredibly early. The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking--it was one of those mornings where the entire sky is cloudy and so the sun reflects off of them in the most brilliant reds, pinks, and purples. We watched it while listening to the broadway version of The Circle of Life from the Lion King which was epic in itself, but let's get to the big picture.
What's really epic is the sheer fact that I had the opportunity and means to go. I mean, I had the ability to travel, to be comfortable, to speak and listen to people that I genuinely have come to respect and care about. We had an epic time and learned a lot. When we got back, I went home to be with my family which was also epic in its own little way. Sometimes you have it set in your mind how something is going to be and so you dread an event and unnecessarily stress yourself out about it. I knew that I was going home under less than ideal circumstances, and I think my friends ultimately had a better handle on the situation as a whole than I did. They encouraged me to go despite my initial reservations, and it turned out better than I expected it to. It still sucked based on the circumstances, but there's something to be said about facing something as a family.
It's difficult to admit when you're wrong, but my friends were completely right on this one. Everything turned out okay and I would have really regretted it had I not gone home. I'm taking a writing class at the moment and one of the things I'm learning to deal with is the fact that I cannot spot certain flaws within my writing until someone points them out to me. It's difficult to look at your own writing and your own life objectively, and so having people around you who aren't necessarily as influenced by the emotional nature of a situation is almost crucial to making the right decision sometimes. My friends were right and I was wrong--this time.
I am blessed to be where I am, to be doing what I'm doing, feeling what I'm feeling, learning what I'm learning, and seeing what I'm seeing. In spite of anything unfortunate, I am leading an epic life filled with epic people who can sometimes point out my epically flawed personal logic.
Recognize how valuable the people around you are. Whether either of you see it or not, they're giving you a perspective that's difficult to see by yourself. Be epic and be well. Until we meet again,
-Megan
I'm so sorry for my unexpected and unintentional hiatus. Life got away from me for a little while, but I'm back.
As mentioned almost ad nauseum on the other blog, Dorm Room 718, we had a blast at MBLGTACC 2012. That stands for Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. It was absolutely incredible... but we left for Iowa incredibly early. The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking--it was one of those mornings where the entire sky is cloudy and so the sun reflects off of them in the most brilliant reds, pinks, and purples. We watched it while listening to the broadway version of The Circle of Life from the Lion King which was epic in itself, but let's get to the big picture.
What's really epic is the sheer fact that I had the opportunity and means to go. I mean, I had the ability to travel, to be comfortable, to speak and listen to people that I genuinely have come to respect and care about. We had an epic time and learned a lot. When we got back, I went home to be with my family which was also epic in its own little way. Sometimes you have it set in your mind how something is going to be and so you dread an event and unnecessarily stress yourself out about it. I knew that I was going home under less than ideal circumstances, and I think my friends ultimately had a better handle on the situation as a whole than I did. They encouraged me to go despite my initial reservations, and it turned out better than I expected it to. It still sucked based on the circumstances, but there's something to be said about facing something as a family.
It's difficult to admit when you're wrong, but my friends were completely right on this one. Everything turned out okay and I would have really regretted it had I not gone home. I'm taking a writing class at the moment and one of the things I'm learning to deal with is the fact that I cannot spot certain flaws within my writing until someone points them out to me. It's difficult to look at your own writing and your own life objectively, and so having people around you who aren't necessarily as influenced by the emotional nature of a situation is almost crucial to making the right decision sometimes. My friends were right and I was wrong--this time.
I am blessed to be where I am, to be doing what I'm doing, feeling what I'm feeling, learning what I'm learning, and seeing what I'm seeing. In spite of anything unfortunate, I am leading an epic life filled with epic people who can sometimes point out my epically flawed personal logic.
Recognize how valuable the people around you are. Whether either of you see it or not, they're giving you a perspective that's difficult to see by yourself. Be epic and be well. Until we meet again,
-Megan
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