What I Have Learned From Grad School So Far

I've been in grad school for just over a month now. I know I still have an incredible amount to learn, but I do feel as though I have already learned quite a bit!

1. If you think you've completed and printed all your homework, check again. Two weeks ago, I had to scramble at the last minute to finish all my readings for Teaching College Comp because I forgot to read my syllabus and last week I missed turning in an assignment. I did it, but I forgot to print it. 

2. Reread everything. We typically have to read 4 stories for fiction workshop every week, sometimes more. In the past, I've been able to get away with reading assignments only once but when it comes to these in depth class discussions and analyses we have,  I've found that reading everything twice—if not more—is essential.

3. It's ok to step away every so often. It can become really stressful when you sit down to start working and your mind becomes overwhelmed by every assignment you realize you have to do. Take it one task at a time and when you feel like you need a break, take it. You'll find time to finish the rest.

4. Naps are good. It's crazy how tiring writing and reading can be! I'll do a few hours of it straight and need a nap to go on. Usually, I try to resist napping because I feel like there are too many other things I should be doing. But I always find that after I sleep for 20 minutes (sometimes 60) I feel more aware of my work and can focus even better.

5. Sometimes, you have to drink coffee at 9 pm. Especially if you are in class until quarter 10 pm and your eyes won't stay open.

On My First Day as a Graduate Student

And what an eventful day it was! It started the same as any other with an early morning trip to the gym and plans to sprawl out on the grass of the Boston Common to get some sun. But, no, that did not happen. Instead, as I killed time on my computer waiting for it to get just a bit warmer, I received an email from a literature professor, following up with my application to be a Teacher's Assistant. I scheduled a time to meet with him, then regretted scheduling the interview for four o'clock, giving me five hours to think and worry about it.

But luckily, we did some stuff to take my mind off it. Around 11, AJ and I went to Brattle Book Shop. I picked up a short fiction anthology, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, and The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, for $3 each!

From there, we walked over to Boloco at their Commons location where it was free burrito day! Neither of us have tried Boloco before, but every time I walk by I'm tempted to try everything! Their shakes, salads, bowls, and burritos all sound delicious and—with it being free and all—we decided it was the perfect time to try it out! The line was kind of long but we were there before noon and the line only got longer after that. AJ got a chicken teriyaki burrito and I got the chicken tikka masala burrito. They were both delicious and (we each got a small burrito) the perfect size. We will definitely go back to Boloco—it's free burrito day at their School St. location in two weeks. 

After that, all I had left to do was get ready for my interview and class. I changed into the most grown up outfit that was conducive to the sweltering heat. My shirt had birds on it but the skirt was J. Crew so I figured it worked. I went to the meeting, was there a little early, and talked to the professor about the job. It sounded great and he gave me a little assignment to do—grade a student paper—to see how I work and he invited me to sit in on the first day of class, which I did this morning. I felt surprisingly old, even though I was an undergrad just a few months ago! But I did feel pretty lucky to be taking a British Lit class for free! I haven't been offered the job yet, but fingers crossed!

After the interview, I ran home quickly, changed into jeans, ate a quick omelette for dinner before over packing my schoolbag with books, paper, a laptop, and lots of pencils and hurried back out to school. My class was on the 11th floor of a building on Boylston. I was in awe when I walked into the classroom, one whole wall was made of windows, giving me the best view the Common, the State House, Beacon Hill, and beyond. I was very distracted during class. 

Some of us were early and some other students filtered in just after 6 so we spent the first ten minutes or so doing a free write on the prompt, the best time of day. We didn't have to read it or share and it was a great way to start the class. I'm usually terrified of in-class free writes but this one came pretty easily for me! There are 12 of us in class, all of different ages and stages of life. Some people have been writing for a long time and are very experienced in workshops and some others are relatively new to fiction writing. 

The professor, Daphne, was wonderful and smart and made everyone feel comfortable. After the free write, we went around the room a few times to introduce ourselves, talk about our writing background, and who were our favorite authors to read. We went over the syllabus, which told us all how much work we will have, and made a schedule to workshop our fiction. We then read a great short story and had a discussion on it for quite sometime. The class is supposed to last from 6 to 9:45. Last night, we left class around 8:20 and I was in bed by 9:30 and I kept thinking to myself 'I would still be in class if this weren't the first day.'

We were assigned two short stories, one by Chekhov and one by Grace Paley, to read and prepare for discussion, two student stories to read and write critiques on, and we each have to write a 3-5 page story or story fragment which takes place all in one scene. I'm glad we have smaller writing assignments on top of the short stories we will write for workshop so that it doesn't feel like we only have to write twice a semester. My first short story is due for workshop on September 17th!

I'm looking forward to next week's fiction workshop and this coming Tuesday I will have my first day of my other class called Teaching College Composition. 

Currently Reading: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

Yay! I've been waiting for a while to finally read this book and now that I have it and it's available in the US, I'm not wasting any time! I finished reading Russian Winter last night (spoiler: it was great. I'll post on it soon) and I began Elena Ferrante's final installation of her well-known Neapolitan Trilogy.

I'm already so engrossed and invested in this story of two friends, Elena and Lila, from having read the first two installations—two books that I suggest everyone read. Ferrante's writing is exceptional. She explores the true elements of a sometimes hurtful, sometimes inspiring friendship. She writes of Naples and Italy in the 1950s and 60s in such a way that it becomes real and relevant to today's world.

I find myself getting genuinely excited for Elena, the narrator of this story, when she finds out that her fiancé has been offered a tenure professor job at a university in Florence in the first few pages of this book. It's not always easy for me to feel the emotions of a character I read about, but Ferrante writes in a manner that makes it feel as if this excitement is part of my own life, as if this is happening to a close friend of mine or even to me!

Another reason that I love this story so much is because of Elena, the narrator's, life. She was born into a family that is preoccupied with hard work, not education or self improvement. Elena has always felt that she is in the shadow of her best friend, Lila, even though Lila only has an elementary level education and has been stuck in an unhappy marriage and now finds herself a single mother, working in a sausage factory. Elena, however, graduates high school and goes to a university in Pisa. She writes a novel, based on her childhood and her Neapolitan neighborhood, that is quickly published. Further, she finds herself engaged to an intelligent professor with a good, strong family. But somehow, her friendship will Lila constantly causes anguish and will always cause her to doubt herself and the life—far away from their Naples—she has chosen.

I love the fact that Elena succeeds, that she becomes highly educated though she comes from a community of people who do not necessarily support or encourage it. I love that she finds herself as an accomplished and well-recieved author. I love all of these details and I can't wait to see how they unfold through this last book of the trilogy.

I'm sure I will read it quickly out of sheer enjoyment, but I will miss it when it's done and when Ferrante has written all she can about the lives of Elena and Lila.

A Reading Challenge

I am the kind of girl who looks forward to the start of each school year and since I'm starting graduate school this year in a new place, a new city, with new people, and a new focus, my excitement has only tripled! As soon as I got to register for classes in July, I checked for any updates on my class schedule multiple times per day, hoping and waiting to see what classes I would be put into. I wanted to know what time my classes would be and where they would be held and who my professors would be so that I could try my best to visualize what these next three months of my life would look like.

When I finally got my schedule and eventually my teacher assignments, I researched them and found that I was already familiar with my fiction workshop professor, Daphne Kalotay. My mother gave me Kalotay's novel, Russian Winter, for Christmas two years ago and it has since sat on my shelf waiting to be read. I was extremely surprised and delighted to find that I would be studying under a writer whose work I was aware of and who I  knew was an accomplished and respected writer.

My first day of class with Daphne Kalotay is just under a week away and I've given myself a goal of reading all (or as much as possible) of Russian Winter by the start of class. It's a long novel, pushing 500 pages, but its content is intriguing and it jumps between settings—one of which is Boston—so I know that I will have no problem staying focused and interested. Not to mention AJ and I are in that place where we are waiting for time consuming distractions (school for me, work for him) to take over so I should have ample time to read, read read!

"Everything She Said Was Like A Secret Voice": A Book Review

I've had trouble writing this review. I've been trying for a while, probably a few weeks by now, but this is a difficult one. I think what is most difficult is the fact that I want to express how relatable the main character, Esther Greenwood, is. But at the same time, I hesitate to say that for fear of people thinking that if they relate to Esther, they must be suicidal or suffer from mental illness. That's not at all the case. 

Esther is in a transitional phase of life. She's in college but it's time for her to think about her future beyond school. She thinks about and disregards the idea of marriage. She thinks about what kind of career she would like. There's so much she wants to do and learn and know, but she feels limited and stuck. 

To be honest, I can't think of a more relatable character than Esther, especially for women who are around my age, in this day, and in this phase of life. Most people graduating college now are facing uncertainty, like Esther. The job market is not great and there aren't many opportunities. Some of us want a lot of things, but are unmotivated to go after them out of fear of failure. Some of us want to learn everything under the sun, but don't know how. 

Personally, I feel a great kinship to Esther. No, I do not have suicidal thoughts and I do not suffer from mental illness. But I am around the same age as Esther. I, too, have writing aspirations and I wonder how that will one day balance with my home life. There are many things I want to do and these desires leave me questioning whether or not I have the tools to do them. I know that Esther and I are not alone in these thoughts and feelings and for that reason, I feel that The Bell Jar is essential read for all women, no matter their age or place. 

The books starts off in quite an appealing setting. Esther has won a month long, paid internship in New York City for a well known magazine. She lives in a hotel with the other interns and gets to go for fancy lunches, attend events, and explore the city. It does not make her happy and she spends more time skipping work events and falling into deep spirals of worrisome thoughts. 

She experiences moments that are necessary in a coming of age tale and, once the internship has ended, she goes back to her hometown in suburban Massachusetts but is eager to leave again. Without anywhere to go, she resigns to a life of sleeping, writing, and worrying about the future. Her writing suffers and she wonders if that is the path she should take after all. 

As Esther's mundane, every day life continues to depress her already fragile mental health, suicidal thoughts penetrate her mind and her every moment. Plath's description of Esther's suicide attempt is haunting, difficult to read, and raw. Knowing that Plath took her own life makes the experience of reading her words on the subject even more striking and personal. 

Further, reading about Esther's time in a mental hospital is so other worldly that it's hard to believe it is the same story that started with the glamorous idea of working for a magazine in Manhattan. The turn and change in Esther's life is, after all, what makes this story truly disturbing, realistic, and saddening. 

The book ends but you get the sense that there really is not resolution. Esther suffers from mental illness and likely always will. She has to live the rest of her life coping with these issues and that is what is the most important takeaway of the entire book.

There are so many more elements to this novel that I have yet to discuss: mental illness, relevancy, feminism, and growing up. I've only given a brief summary with my opinions on this outstanding novel that will always remain relevant in our culture. I hope that everyone who has not yet picked up Plath's novel, the only novel she left for us, will do so quickly. 

I will leave you with my favorite Sylvia Plath quote: 

"Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences."

Currently Reading: Bellefleur

Most books are best read with a cup of coffee or hot tea. With Bellefleur, I've found that it goes best with a glass of red wine. I think this is because the book is decadent. It's full of luxurious and rich descriptions that are intriguing yet dark. This book is dark, as if every image is shrouded in clouds or a dark shadow.

Joyce Carol Oates, the author of Bellefleur, is the queen of literary gothic writing and this book is absolute proof that she is one of the greatest writers of our time.

This novel, more of a family epic, was published in 1980 but is timeless. It is 729 pages and I cannot offer you a summary of the plot. It is far to complex and is structured unlike most novels, comprised of five books and many chapters. It centers on several generations of the Bellefleur family and their enormous mansion in a mythic place called Lake Noir.

The characters are surreal, as are their actions. They are powerful, exclusive, and mysterious. The small yet distinct character traits are beyond creative: a grandfather who wanted his flesh stretched over a drum, an aunt who is never seen in the daylight, and countless other quirks. The characters are so imaginative and display qualities of magical realism that I find this book mirrors Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. There are small details offered to the reader throughout each page which seem frivolous, but all of them are built upon later and their importance is extracted.

Is is suspenseful and filled with symbolism. It's like a big, epic, literary ghost story. I was reading it in bed the other night and my cell phone vibrated on my bedside table. I was startled so badly because I was engrossed in a particularly suspenseful and frightening part.

I'm still very close to the beginning of the book, especially considering its length, so it will take me quite a while to finish but I'm not in a rush. This is a feat of human talent. I want to enjoy it and carefully read each word to get the most out of this tale. I've mentioned before that Joyce Carol Oates writes her novels out longhand and I can't imagine how a book this long could have all started with a pencil and blank piece of paper.

What to Read Next?

I finished The Bell Jar and then shortly after that I picked up and finished Trains and Lovers. Now I'm faced with the difficult but so enjoyable decision of what to read next. I'm trying to decide between Jane Eyre, Bellefleur, and The Years. I haven't read Jane Eyre in a few years and I've been wanting to read it again for a while now, but I feel like books I've never read take precedence. There's only so much time to read!

Bellefleur is by Joyce Carol Oates, an amazing writer that everyone should look into if you really want to read great work. I've had this book waiting for me since Christmas!

And The Years, by Virginia Woolf, is one I picked up at a used bookstore for a few dollars when we were in Boston and it's been on my mind since.

All three of the books are a bit long—Bellefleur is over 700 pages—and all of them are probably better suited to be read in the fall or winter rather than summer. But the last two books I read were short and quick so I think it's time I delve back into one that is going to take more time.

I'm leaning towards Bellefleur right now. What do you think? Any suggestions out there?

Books For Writers: An MFA in Five Books

There have been many times that I've expressed how important I think it is to get writing advice straight from a writer. And I'm about to do it again!

These five books are written by writers for writers and I think they are essentials to any writer's library. In the future I will do a post for each book individually, but for now I want to give you an overview of each. Even though I'm on my way to begin an MFA program in creative writing, I believe that these books will give any writer a good introduction to what an MFA program offers. All of these writers were or are successful and some of them have also taught in MFA programs. If you enjoy writing, are considering applying to an MFA program, or just enjoy learning from authors be sure to check out these books!

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose. Out of the five books, this is the first one that I received and read. I had been eyeing it once I became obsessed with Francine Prose but I've always preferred reading fiction to nonfiction and I was unsure if I'd enjoy it as much. I got it for Christmas a few years ago and I sucked it up right away! Prose's advice, observations, and her opinions and analyses on other writers are golden. It's like hitting the advice jackpot. Not only is Prose a writer of all genres who has been successfully published many, many times, but she has taught both literature and creative writing in MFA programs. Who better to take writing advice from? Not to mention, the suggested reading list in the back of the book will inspire some serious reading. 

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. When you talk about successful authors, you cannot neglect Stephen King. This book allows readers to understand how King became a writer as he discusses his childhood and his recovery from a near fatal car accident. At times it does read as an autobiography but that's exactly what writers want to read from other writers. The tone of this book—confident, laid back, and open—leaves you feeling encouraged and as if you are partaking in a friendly conversation with King. Wouldn't that be a treat? Not only does King give out his wise words, he includes his own extensive reading list, a draft with his personal edits, and some interesting tidbits about his own life. Did you know he's in a writers-only band with Amy Tan? Me neither. 

Aspects of a Novel by E.M. Forster. One of the older books on my list, published in 1956, and reads much differently than the others. This is because the book is really a series of lectures on the different elements that form a story: story, character, plot, fantasy, prophecy, and pattern and rhythm. The writing is very clear and his suggestions are amplified and put to life with the many real examples he uses to prove his points. I include this book on the list because it is more structured and more focused on specific elements that are required for good writing. It's a bit more tangible and Forster's lectures can be put into practice using writing prompts. I also like that this is an older book because it goes to show that the art of writing will always be important and relevant. 

Letters to a Young Novelist by Mario Vargas Llosa. Just thinking about this book makes me happy and makes me want to write. I find that it is also the most uplifting and encouraging book on this list. This book is truly written in the form of letters, intended to encourage a young writer to maintain their creative desire while imparting his wisdom along the way. His insights are original and well-crafted. The book itself is rather thin so it will not take a long time to read, but you will close the book feeling satisfied and educated by a brilliant writer. Also, the length of this book will allow you to read it time and time again and I promise you that you will be driven to do just that. Do not be fooled by the word 'young' in the title. This is not meant for preteen or anything of that sort, it is meant for a writer who might be a novice or who needs encouragement. If that is you, this book will do wonders to the way you view writing. 

Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. While this book is like the others in the way that it discusses prose and writing technique, it focuses more on cultivating good writing habits, reading like a writer, and getting into the psyche of a true writer. Brande claims that any writing problems are blamed on the personality of the writer. It approaches the line of being a self help book, not to improve your writing but to mentally turn yourself into writer. Brande provides exercises and examples that help her readers tap into the unconscious in order to dig deeper creatively. Another old book on this list, it is inspiring because it includes countless pieces of advice to make yourself truly believe that you are a writer. This book is perfect to round off this list. It has elements that are truly unique to Brande's approach on writing advice. 

Currently Reading: The Bell Jar

Remember when I said that Ficciones was not an easy read? It's not an easy read, it is hard. I'm struggling and I'm almost ashamed to say I am setting it aside. There are so many books that I still want to read that I don't want to get bogged down by one that I just can't pull myself through. I'll pick it up again one day but for now I have moved on and oh, what a great book I have moved on to.

I feel like this book is one that all girls should read at whatever point in their lives. I'm surprised it has taken me this long to finally read but I think I am at the age where I can appreciate it more thoroughly.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath follows the path of Esther Greenwood, a Smith college student who suffers from depression and mental illness. The story begins when Esther is living in New York City and working at a magazine during the summer before her final year of college. That plot would be story enough, but Plath takes us through Esther's life when she returns home to Massachusetts for the rest of her summer during which time her mental state continues to decline.

I'm over halfway through the book at this point because it is impossible to put down. This morning I had to force myself to get out of bed, not because I was tired but because I just wanted to lay there all day and read about Esther.

The depiction of the way her brain works is clearly drawn and makes her depression understandable. Her suicide attempts are extremely detailed and almost excruciating to read, you feel for her so deeply and you want to help but there's nothing you can do! It's painful but I think it's important for people to read, especially because these scenes are written by a woman who dealt with her own depression and internal demons.

I won't go in to much more detail so that I'm not repeating myself when I write a review once I finish the novel in it's entirety, but this book is very similar to Pamela Moore's Chocolates for Breakfast so if you enjoyed that, you will enjoy book too.

Again, this is a book that many, especially female English majors, have read by the time they hit their twenties and I think that's phenomenal. This is a book that everyone should get their hands. You will find yourself in Esther if you have ever dealt with depression. If you have never had to deal with mental illness, you will be shocked and awed at this depiction of it. I think that in the world today, there is so much discussion of mental illness, that it will do every well to have a great understanding of it. Reading this novel is the perfect way to begin to grasp this issue.

Things to Remember When Writing

1. You can always edit and revise and your first draft should reflect that. Use your first, second, maybe even third draft to get your plot figured out and your characters clear. Worry about the language that will make your piece exciting to read towards the final drafts. Do not try to make your first draft publishable, this will only cause stress and disappointment when you realize that is too difficult a task.

2. Have a plan before you sit down at your computer. Starting with a blank mind and no idea what you want to accomplish in your writing that day is an easy way to make yourself feel uninspired and quit early. I like to take a few minutes with a notebook, write down which story or article I want to work on and jot down a few ideas for a scene or topic points for an article.  I don't always accomplish everything I write down, but I feel that writing—rather than typing—jump starts my brain and creativity. I also find that it can be a good thing when I don't do everything that I write out first because that leaves me with some extra ideas to come back to the following day.

3. Read and don't feel bad about it. I have a hard time just relaxing and reading because I feel like it's a luxury that is taking up time I could use to do something more important. Don't get me wrong, I love reading and I would do it all day if I could! But I always end up feeling guilty about it. This is something I need to stop because all writers will tell you that reading is just as important as writing. It expands your vocabulary, it introduces you to writing styles and stories you would never think of, and it could really help with your own writer's block. Writers need to read so make sure you schedule enough time into your busy day for reading.

There is tons of advice out there for writers by writers and I find that it really helps to keep me focused and motivated when I think about some of these things. It is easy to get discouraged when writing, for many reasons, but these three things keep my mind in the right place.

Do you have any advice for writers or positive thoughts you use to stay focused?

On Blogging: Four Months In

About a year ago I wanted to start a blog but I didn't. I struggled to. I read multiple blogs on a daily basis. I would check the same blog a few times a day to make sure I wasn't missing a new post because I enjoyed reading blogs that much. It made me want my own.

But I didn't know how to make one. I didn't, and probably still don't really, know how to format a website and play with the HTML. I didn't know how I would get readers or what kind of content I'd even post! And because I didn't know any of this stuff, I was scared. I was scared that I would fail and disappoint myself so I just avoided it. But I still never got it out of my mind!

Four months ago, I finally just did it and wrote my first blog post! It made me happy and I kept writing posts. At first, they weren't really posts about anything in particular—they still aren't really, but who cares? I love putting together a simple post and hitting publish. It makes me feel great to have created a little something that's just out there in the online world now. I went on a writing binge last night and the feeling of completing so many posts made me really happy.

I like getting my writing out there, on Collective Lifestyle or other websites that feature articles, but I know that I don't have a lot of readers on my blog. That's ok, because I'm having a lot of fun without readers! If people enjoy reading what I write, great! I'd love for people to enjoy this blog and read it for their entertainment and happiness. But I hope that I would continue to write even if I never gain a following.

June has clearly been my most successful month as far as posting goes. I track my success and progress by the amount of posts I publish and I always try to beat the previous month. February, my first month, was easy to beat. In April, I slipped a bit and had one less post than March and in May, I only had a handful of posts more than the last two months. June is different, because I've really been getting into the swing of writing. I have over 20 posts and the month has not ended quite yet, although it did go fast!

As badly as I wanted to start a blog last year, I'm enjoying it far more than I imagined and I am so happy that I took the plunge to just write and publish! If I want to keep improving upon my number of posts each month, I have a lot of work to do for July! I may have to start posting multiple articles a day.

I'm excited to see where this blog goes and I know that, no matter what, I'll continue to have fun doing exactly what I'm doing right now!

Writing Or Typing

In the age of the computer, laptop, and tablet writing longhand is becoming obsolete. I tried to fight it as long as possible. In college, I NEVER brought my laptop to class to take notes. I always preferred writing out my notes in a lined notebook with a mechanical pencil. I rarely even used pens.

When it comes to writing fiction, though, I feel most comfortable typing on my laptop. I think this is mainly because I'm timid when I'm writing. I never know if what I'm writing is going to work or if it will last through a revision. By typing on my laptop, I feel like it's much easier to erase or start over and add a paragraph in the middle of a page that didn't exist before. Writing on paper, to me, seems more permanent and it makes me feel like I have no room for error because making changes on paper is harder.

Instead, I'll plan out what I want to write on paper; I'll write down questions I want to answer, ideas for scenes, character names and traits, and plot ideas among other things before I open my laptop to begin writing.

There still are downsides to writing on a laptop, though. My laptop is eternally connected to the time consuming, mind numbing hole that the internet can too often become. I don't have great self control and I find myself becoming distracted with funny articles, time wasting quizzes, and Facebook photos of people I haven't seen (in person) in years! When I finally look up at a clock and see that I just wasted three hours pinning photos of kitchens on Pinterest, it makes me wish I had opted for notebook writing that day.

So is one choice better than the other? Maybe, or maybe it depends on the writer. Believe it or not, there are still authors who write everything the old fashioned way. For example, Joyce Carol Oates. She has 56 novels, 30 short story collections, and volumes of plays, poetry, and nonfiction work to her name. All of which were written by hand. And her novels are typically long, mind you. Her most recent novel is over 500 pages.

Author Lily King, whose most recent novel Euphoria is generating a great deal of praise, recently stated in an article with the Boston Globe that she writes by hand with a pencil before transcribing it onto her computer as part of her revisions process.

Another famous author, the late Truman Capote, had a similar method. He divulged his own writing method in a 1957 interview with the Paris Review. Capote wrote both his first and second draft of a story or novel in pencil. He would type the third draft on a typewriter using yellow paper. The fourth and final draft would be done in the same manner but with white paper, marking it as complete.

Knowing that so many established writers have been successful writing long hand, I wonder if it could be a known but unheeded key to literary accomplishment.

How do you write? Do you think there is a better option when it comes to notebook or laptop?

Now I want to buy a typewriter and see if that makes a difference!

June + Some Thoughts

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It's the first day of June and I wanted to write a post about this new, fresh month that has yet to be filled up. The days will go by fast, just like April and May seemed to end before I got a firm grasp on the month. June is a good month; it contains the first day of real summer, even though the entire month feels like every other summer day.

It is also the only month of summer that does not really feel like it's a last dash to spend every day soaking up the sun and filling up free time with warm-weather activities because Fall is coming soon. No, June is the beginning of summer. It's a month in which you can enjoyably luxuriate in the hot days and dry heat. It's relaxing and slow, at least that's how it feels to me.

While I usually try to fill each month and week to the brim with productivity, I want to relish this month. Yes, I still want to be productive as I hate feeling like I wasted time, but perhaps I will be less worried about time wasted and more worried about time enjoyed.

Even if I'm feeling particularly lazy one afternoon, rather than sit on the couch in front of a television which I am not even giving much attention to,  I will sit outside on the deck either reading or just thinking and enjoying.

I will try to go to the beach often and I will try to spend an abundant amount of time with family.

I will eat fresh foods that one can not get outside of these Spring and Summer months.

I will keep writing: on my blog, in my journal, in notebooks, in Word Documents, and in text messages to loved ones.

I'll look at flowers and learn their names and origins.

I will listen to the birds' songs and try to differentiate the species.

I'll go to the Wednesday night concerts at the beach.

I'll stay busy, but I will be busy with things that are self-improving and positive. I will be busy with things that are filled with loved and thanksgiving and suddenly this post is turning religious. But I can't help but see God and His love in these Summer months. They are so filled with beauty, happiness, and perfection. I won't worry about how quickly these days go by and how one day Summer will be ending even though it feels like it's hardly started. I will just enjoy the day as it comes and goes, from sunrise to sunset.

New York City in Novels

Last week I wrote an article for Collectivelifestyle.com about books that take place largely in New York City. I'll give you the list of the books included in the article, but for more of a synopsis and praise, you can read the article here!

The list of books include:

The Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Soledad: A Novel by Angie Cruz

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

The Interpreter by Suki Kim

Push by Sapphire

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

Photo via

AJ Graduated!

Sorry for the not so great photo quality, but that's usually what happens at graduations. Dodging other people's arms and cameras to get your shot in before the graduate leaves the from, hence the photo on the bottom right. But the photos are only a very small part of the big day that was had yesterday. On May 22, 2014 AJ graduated from NCC with a degree as a Physical Therapy Assistant after many years of extremely hard work! It was such an exciting day because he worked so hard to get here. I can't stress that enough and it seemed like the celebration and acknowledgment of that was long over due.

First, there was his pinning ceremony with the other students in his program. The families were able to attend and we sat in the PT room at their lab tables and had a little lunch before the professors spoke and then AJ even delivered his own speech that had many in tears! Everyone came up to him after to tell him how great it was and I was, of course, very proud.

After they were all pinned and many photos were taken, AJ's parents, siblings, and I headed outside to the tent where the entire school's graduation was held. It was long and crowded but I would have sat there for days just to see AJ's happy face when he walked across the stage and his full name was read correctly! I stood up and shouted as he got his diploma and he saw me and waved.

Just as everyone was leaving the tent, it started to thunder and downpour so we hurried to his family's house, changed into sweats. His mom started making us soup to warm up and AJ poured us glass of Hoegaarden beer (it was my graduation gift to him—he got me a beautiful bouquet of flowers that included my favorites, ranunculus!). His mom and I split one, and he and his dad each had their own.

Tonight is his real graduation party and it is only fitting that this celebration last more than just one day! I am so proud of his hard work and I am extremely proud to be his fiancee!

I Graduated!

Ok, so I really graduated in January but on May 18th, 2014 I walked across the terrace of Bellarmine Hall at Fairfield University whilst my name was read into a microphone and I shook the hand of our school's president, Father Von Arx.



I wasn't sure if I was going to walk because I had already graduated and I've been away from school for so long anyway, but it was important to my mom and grandmother and it was actually important to me, as well. It's a big life moment and it really is an experience. It is something to be savored and recognized. College was hard work and it is nice to have it be celebrated.



I LOVED my time at Fairfield. I transferred there at the beginning of the second semester of freshman year and I was a commuter student. Because of these factors, I don't feel like I was a huge part of the Fairfield community. I was only on campus for my classes and occasional lectures throughout the semester. I didn't go to parties or live in the dorm but I still loved my college experience, it was the perfect fit for me. I can not even describe all that I learned while at Fairfield. I read Dante, Shakespeare, Joyce, Woolf, Dickens, and the Bible. I was introduced to ideas and thoughts and practices that I was never privy to before. I owe a lot to my education at Fairfield. I had wonderful professors who really love their area of expertise and who you could tell love teaching. I had so many experiences that are priceless and will aid me in my future as a student, as a writer, and as an academic.