Trying Something New // What's In My Bag?

Happy One Month Since I Last Posted! YIKES.

I'm baaaaaccccck after an accidentally mini-hiatus. Between school, Marylou's and a new job I have become extremely lazy when it comes to making time for this blog. I have decided to (literally) pencil in some more ME time, which hopefully means reading a book that isn't a required text and, you guessed it, writing some stuff for the blog! Ready, sit down for this one... I have a whopping three other posts outlined and written already, and one of which I'll even be posting tomorrow. I KNOW, back-to-back posts. I should probably apologize to those of you who don't really care about this blog but I have recently discovered the "Unfollow" feature on Facebook, so if you don't like what I post you can just unfollow me and I will disappear from your Newsfeeds. You're welcome.

Continuing on. As I've mentioned before I spend a large amount of my downtime watching people online talk into cameras or iPhones on Youtube. Today I happened to stumble upon one of my favorites, Zoe's updated "What's In My Bag" video (I'll post a link to the video at the end!!!) which turned into me making my own post about it, minus the whole talking into a camera thing. Instead I opted for laying out my new, HUGE bag I recently purchased from Target and reviewing what I carried around with me on the daily. Plus it was a great opportunity for me to organize and clean out any recipes, food or extra stuff I had laying in the bottom. So without further rambling, here's my What's In My Bag...

(Small disclaimer: I used my compact Sony camera to take these photos and my room isn't really the brightest so I'm apologizing for the quality of some of these. I left my nicer camera + flash at Ryan's house. Good place for it...)

This is my Merona Tote Handbag From Target. I have a smaller version of this bag in red but I was looking for a new black bag since I realized I own a ton of red shirts. I'm weird and I don't like when things match like my shirts and pocketbook so I searched for another Merona bag on Target's website and fell in love with this! I'm really cheap when it comes to bags and clothes and I've never owned a designer handbag since Target has never let me down with bags! I didn't realize how BIG this was, but since I'm back in school it's super convenient for my night class because I don't need to bring a frumpy backpack to only one class. It has a removal laptop center, two inside pockets, three smaller pockets for your phone, chargers, etc, and a front pocket (pictured) that fits my iPhone 6!

In the removal laptop center I keep all my school and work supplies which includes my iPad mini and Bluetooth keyboard (Both thanks to Ryan!), my planner and pencils, pens & highlighters that I keep in an old Ipsy bag, a notebook I use for blog ideas, reminders, and recently takeout orders at the restaurant I work at, and finally the book A Passage To India which I am currently reading for my Modern British Fiction class! (Also yes, I have an issue with pens and highlighters. I own no less than 100 different pens in a variety of unnecessary colors...)

The front "section" of my bag holds my wallet and my coffee koozie! I seriously need a new wallet because this one is a few years old and it blends in with my new bag... I constantly lose my wallet, or leave it places, or recently just think I did. I also got the wallet at Target (shocker) but if anyone knows of other places to get bigger wallets for a steal pleaseeee let me know, because I need a neon wallet that I won't forget or misplace. My Fenway koozie is honestly my favorite thing in my entire bag since, if you are friends with me on any social media, you know I'm obsesssssed with the Red Sox! I also drink way too much coffee and need to keep that ice from diluting my caffeine, and koozies are the perfect solution :)

The back section of my bag holds every unnecessary item that I could probably do without in a bag but bring with me anyways. On the top I have my Burt's Bees chapstick. I was an advid mint EOS person but I kept losing or somehow breaking the egg so I decided to give Burt's Bees a try and oh boy do I loveeeee this chapstick. I also carry what I had deemed my "Traveling Medicine Cabinet" -- that little Advil bottle holds a handful of different medicines, from Midol to Extra Strength Tylenol to allergy medicine. It's probably not the greatest idea to have all that stuff in one container but it's compact and less extra crap in my bag, so *shoulder shrugs* In the middle I have three (er...) different eyeliners I apparently thought I needed today, along with a travel eyelash curler and a cheap mascarra that my Dad got in his work's Christmas Gift Haul (Thanks, Gillette!) I also always carry a contact case full of fresh solution because I have wonderfully sensitive eyeballs that like to get red and itchy whenever they please.  I also have the essentials of a brush and deodorant since I will admit I can smell pretty nasty, and my hair is so long it gets tangled on anything and anyone. I think my most useless items I carry around are my makeup wipes and nail filer. I have yet to ever use either of these items while out and about, but for whatever reason I never take them out of my bag...

Also hiding in the back of my bag are my glasses and one of these two pairs of sunnies! I got the top orange pair at Claire's for $4 (!!!) Now I know at 22 I probably shouldn't be shopping at Claire's anymore but in my defense I brought my sister to the mall last summer and she was HORRIFIED that I thought the glasses were cute. So I bought them. The bottom pair I bought on a whim at American Eagle one day because I thought I lost the orange pair and I absolutely hate not wearing sunglasses when I drive. They'e not my favorite but they're comfy and simple, so I keep them on backup. In the middle are my eyeglasses which  I need to keep with me incase I need to take my contacts out. I have worse eyesight than an 80 year old, I swear. I got these frames online at Warby Parker for $95, which incase you don't have perscription specs -- is super cheap! I also love Warby Parker's campaign that when you buy a pair of glasses they send a pair of prescription glasses to a child in need. Instantly sold. Check out their website if you're in need of any type of glasses -- prescription or not!

Inside one the smaller pockets I carry these randoms! I always have snacks with me lately because I feel like I'm constantly running from school to home to work and when I get hungry I turn into one of those people from the Snickers commercials... I also have a lighter from my friend Dom's shop... Which I discovered shoots a ten foot flame out of it. I also have the "girly" essentials of a mirror and clips. Random, random, random.

The final pocket of my bag holds sadly the most important items I have with me on the daily: Tissues, a phone charger, a charging cube and my phone. I carry the charging cube with me in case my phone is on some serious low battery; you just plug in the USB side of your phone charger to it and then connect your phone and viola! Charging phone without an outlet. This is always on me because again, I lose everything, and I can never find my car charger for my phone... And the tissues are, to me, just one of those things you always need on you, especially this winter!

****************

I'm not quite sure if anyone made it to the end of this since it was waaaay longer than I originally planned but if you're like me and are super nosy then thank you for reading! 

Like I said earlier, one of my favorite Youtubers posted her own updated "What's In My Bag" that gave me the inspiration to write this post! So if you're looking for a new bag to purchase, or ways to organize all your stuff (like me) here a few of my favorite/newer "What's In My Bag" videos from some lovely ladies of Youtube:

Zoella What's In My Bag 2015

Bethany Mota What's In My Bag

Casey Holme's What's In My Bag

Tanya Burr What's In My Bag

Thank you for reading this monstrous post, and I hope this was an enjoyable read :)

****************

I mentioned earlier that tomorrow I am posting another blog, one I have been working on for a year that I was never going to publish. I decided to honor a friend of mine, Jack Scanlan, whose death anniversary was yesterday, by publicly posting a memoir I had written for him. I would absolutely love for anyone to read it, and to honor Jack in every possible way. So be on the lookout tomorrow xoxo

When Someone Gives You Advice, Take It.

Hello? Blog? Are you there?
The last time I posted something on my blog was almost two months ago. I am incredible at keeping up with New Years Resolutions, I know.

To be honest I had no idea when I was going to post next. My lack of posting got to the point where it was almost time to add this blog to the many other profiles I had put effort into that ended up in the internet graveyard that is forgotten blogs. However, a conversation with one of my professors Monday got me rethinking about abandoning this blog for good.

I began to think about this blog when my professor, Dr. Crowley, had given us a writing assessment over the weekend for homework. Write what you got out of a selected reading as practice for our first exam for ten minutes. Easy, quick, won't be too hard. Riiiiight. I read the paragraph, set a timer on my phone, and then stared at my notebook. And stared. Stared some more. And wrote, at most, four sentences. When he asked us to share what we had written I burst out laughing in class and begged him not to call on me. I honestly thought that he was going to be angry, make me read my horrible response and then use it as an example of what NOT to do. Instead he told me he admired my honesty, then followed by asking the class this question:

"Was it writers block, or did you not understand the reading?"

I was upset and frustrated that something such as writing out my understanding towards a reading had become so difficult, especially because I was always decent at explicating poetry in high school, and had mostly gotten As before when I was in school. Now I had written literal crap and was ashamed of my writing. This had never happened to me before. I told him I believed it was most likely because I was rusty from the two years I was not in school and that I had some serious writer's block.

And what was Dr. Crowley's response?
He laughed. And told me writer's block is not real.

I faltered, not going to lie. I almost rolled my eyes and disagreed. He asked if any of us had felt "writers block" (He even used hand quotations) before, and when. I admitted I was pretty failed blogger, and again he laughed. He then said he had some advice that we all, as English majors, need to remember:

Writer's block is not real. When you feel like you have nothing to write about, it's either because you know too little... Or know too much.

I sat there and thought about this blog. And how in almost all my posts I have talked about where I wanted to go with my writing, what I wanted to write about, who I wanted my audience to be. I then realized that my "writers block" wasn't actually a block in itself, it was the fact that I have so much to say, so many feelings and not enough self confidence.

It was then, sitting in this Renaissance Literature class, that I officially decided to stop giving a shit what people say about this blog for good. Who cares if someone has something negative to say about "putting my life out there", or talking about things some people consider "personal"? I haven't gotten to that point yet in this blog, but I hope someday I will. Why should I not post about my favorite TV shows, or when I'm having a bad day and want to hopefully help someone else, or talk current events going on our world? Because a handful of people may disagree with me? Honestly, I hope someone does disagree with me. To me that means people are reading my blog. And people are caring enough about my writing to dislike it. Dislike may be negative, but it is still a feeling on my writing.

I changed my Major Concentration to Writing because I absolutely love it, and it is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to make money off my writing one way or another. And even if I don't make lots of money (Or money at all), I want to be remembered for something that I wrote. I would love to know that I helped someone, entertained someone, just made someone feel something because of my writing.

So as an introduction again to this blog, here is some advice:

When someone gives you advice, take it. Whether you asked for the advice or not, it will probably help you in the long run. Most of the time when someone is handing you any sort of advice it's because they care about you and are looking out for you. Don't get offended or upset. Take it as a compliment, think about what that person is trying to tell you, and run with it.

Thank you, Dr. Crowley. For inadvertently inspiring me to start blogging again. I may still be shy about what I post on this blog, I am trying to get to the point where I am no longer embarrassed about what I write about, what inspires me, and what I find enjoyable. This is me, this is what gives me joy. It's time to do what I love and not care that someone may disagree with MY feelings.

Take it or leave it, but I am happy with my decisions. I hope you are happy with your own.

A Blistery Day and a Random Post.

I gotta say as much as I'm not at all a morning person, being able to work an eight hour shift and clock out of work by noontime is really wonderful. Plus I get the chance to be pretty lazy the rest of the day while also getting a ton of stuff done (As in, put away a stupid amount of laundry and finish organizing my bedroom that has been neglected for far too long...) And to top it all off I left work in the middle of a normal day in the life of a New Englander: It was snowing as I watched the sun peak out from behind the clouds.

I decided that I need to stop spending so much time pinning "How to Make Money With Your Blog" pins and you know... Write on my blog. So here I am, writing for no reason whatsoever except to, you got it, WRITE!

I bought a really nice pink notebook at Target on Tuesday that I am dedicating to being my Blog Book! Whenever I'm out and about, or sitting at home and inspiration strikes, I am going to outline my thoughts into a (hopefully) interesting post! I'm not much of a planner when it comes to posting on here as you can probably tell by my sporadic posting. I figured having an obnoxious and bright notebook compared to the black notebook I used to have would be helpful in this!

(Hope you enjoy my awkward handwriting)

Since I was out of work and home by 12:30 I was trying to make folding laundry less dreadful by thinking of my blog and my brandy new Blog Book. I am a true believer in outlining and thinking ahead when it comes to writing anything -- I'm just not that good at taking my own advice. So there's a New Years Resolution: ORGANIZE FIRST.

***

One of the things that I wrote in my Blog Book is what do I want out of this blog? I know I've said it before and some people probably just read this blog to be nosy and could care less where I'm taking my blog, but I want to have some sort of idea what I'll be posting, and when. Almost like theme days!

I haven't really decided exactly what I'm doing in regards to posting certain criteria on certain days. However I do know I want to post just about anything at this point. I need to stop being so afraid of what people are going to say about me, or think about this blog. If I want to do a food, book, movie, TV show review I'm gonna do it! If I feel like taking some nice mirror/self-timer selfies for an #ootd post then you're gonna see my clothes! Do I want to talk politics, religion or the topics that society seems to deem "Unmentionable"? Definitely someday, because I have big thoughts that are not filtered because of my big mouth. I'm going to post absolutely anything and everything; whatever me, the writer, damn pleases. I'm being repetitive from earlier posts; I just needed to remind myself that by running this blog I'm working towards my dreams and that's all that should matter :)

I am SO guilty of sitting on Pinterest (Reoccurring themes this post, I know!) and looking at quotes and books and motivational speeches. I happened to notice this particular post right up front on the "Popular" page not too long ago and immediately fell in love. Admittedly I had no idea what works this quote came from, or if it was a misquote or what have you at first. I decided if it was in any of Fitzgerald's novels I was going to read it immediately. And from what I found was that it was a quote from the screenplay of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Hey, I still instagramed it. No shame.

I fell in love with the idea of this quote. It doesn't matter if you're fresh out of high school looking to recreate how your peer perceive you as you venture into college life, or just graduated from college, or found a job, whatever, and you realize you aren't happy with yourself. Find what makes your heart race with excitement and anticipation. Think about what you find your mind wandering to in the middle of the night when you're tossing and turning, overthinking about the job you are going to sign your life away to working day after day. And if you find a job and realize it isn't as rewarding as you first believed it to be: QUIT. Move on. Find your niche. Let yourself be happy at your job. Let yourself be happy in general. Don't work your life away just to get that paycheck to make your bills. Find something that makes you happy. Find something where on Monday mornings you are jumping out of bed at the thought of your job. Life is too damn short to waste away inside a building you dread seeing. Be courageous, be selfish. It won't kill you, I promise.

------

Here I am at the tail end of another seemingly pointless post. I feel better than I wrote SOMETHING, even if it seems as though I'm just talking to my computer screen and writing down whatever comes into my brain. I'm still working on organizing and pre-planning my posts, guys! I only bought my notebook three days ago! (........) 

Do I have any advice for the masses, or another Pinterest-discovered quote? If you guessed yes to both, then you win!

My advice? Do what you love. Do not ever be ashamed of chasing after your dreams no matter how utterly insane they may seem right now. There are going to be bumps in the road. There will be people who tell you that your dreams are stupid, or unreachable, and people who will try to make you feel inferior. People will laugh at you. And you know what? Fuck them. *insert peace emoji*

Now I bid you farewell with a collage of some of my favorite Words I have found on my (never-ending) Pinning journey:

Find me on Pinterest :) I also repin way too many food and drink recipes.

xoxo