feelin' blue

i've been feeling a little bit down lately, but i can't put my finger on a specific reason for it. i just feel very bored. i guess this actually happens to me quite frequently. every few months i get restless and i'm just not sure what to do about it. best friend recommended i try new things to stimulate my brain (such as starting this blog!), which works for a minute, but i tend to lose interest quickly. i just got a job as a writer and i'm already losing my enthusiasm for it. i hate that.

in trying to cheer myself up, i came up with a list of things that make me happy.

this song instantly puts me in a better mood

the whole album is pretty amazing, actually.
music in general is a mood-changer for me, whether for the better or worse.

having a clean house. just making my bed gives me a sense of calm.

having fresh flowers in the house

trying new recipes. this is one i am looking forward to trying soon. it's pretty simple but it looks delicious! as i am writing this, i have collard greens simmering on the stove, which is a first for me. fingers crossed that i like 'em!

this pillow always makes me smile. my dad and i bought it in Lockhart, Texas, which is near Austin.

and of course, my friends and family!

be here now

my roommate and i have been talking a lot about the Buddhist concept of mindfulness. basically, being mindful is living fully in the moment you are in. this is so much harder than it sounds.
i am always thinking of other things. i think about homework that i need to do, or what i want to do that night, or how i really need a haircut, or what i should write about in my next blog. i have such a hard time focusing on one thing at a time.
i've been trying to practice mindfulness while doing simple things, like walking in between classes. even that is really hard. i try to focus on the steps i'm taking, how the pavement feels under my feet. i have yet to make it from one class to the next without my mind wandering. but i'm trying, and that's a step, right?
we've also been talking about meditating, which i think would be really beneficial for me as a way to relax and perhaps even sleep better. i haven't actually tried it yet, but it's on my to-do list c:

shoes

what a person chooses to put on their feet say a lot about them, would you agree? or maybe not.
i was waiting at the corner for the crosswalk to change and i found myself checking out this boy. i looked down at his feet, and when i saw his ugly athletic sneakers i was immediately turned off. is that weird? do other people do that? i don't remember what he was wearing, or how his hair was, but i do remember his ugly shoes.
so all day i've been wondering if shoes really are indicative of anything, other than personal preference, of course. i've been wondering what a man's shoe choice really says about him, if anything.
in any case, these are some of the shoes i do like on a man:

freelance writing

i recently signed the paperwork to become a freelance writer for a local magazine called Pulse. it's really not so much a magazine as an insert in the newspaper. Pulse is composed of lifestyle features geared towards 18-34 year olds. they feature articles on music, dining, and other activities going on in the community that don't get much coverage elsewhere. it doesn't pay very well, but it's my first job as a writer, which is exciting!

there is a new local restaurant here called SBs Late-night Lunchbox, and i happen to know the owners. they are two young people who opened up the space in order to provide good food late at night (and boy, is it good), as opposed to fast food, which is pretty much the only option after 11. they're open wednesday-sunday from 6pm-3am. they try to buy their produce locally and feature local artists on their walls. every sunday night they have performances from local and traveling musicians. this sunday night tradition is one of the things i want to write about for the Pulse. i think what SBs is trying to do is great, and i'm excited to let people know about them!

snow day!

the night before last our city was hit with they snowpacalypse and the entire city pretty much shut down. we just don't get snow here in southern New Mexico and nobody knew how to handle it. so school has been canceled for the past two days (yay 5 day weekend!) and many businesses have also been closed. this is a bit inconvenient for those of us who wanted to go out for lunch and a beer after sledding, but at least he sledding was fun. i even got interviewed and was on the local news! the power has been blacking out, which is not so fun, and also inconvenient. people are complaining about the snow and the cold but i think it's nice to have a change of pace, even if it does seem like the world might be coming to an end.

the sky was not even dark at night... so weird.

our backyard.

we took Keyser sledding with us. she had a blast.

there should be mountains, but you can't see them for the clouds.