swirling tides

you know that feeling you get when life is changing? 
it's like standing in the middle of a river. 
you can feel the current pushing you forward... or you can fight it and try and walk upstream. 
(i don't usually recommend the latter)
i have this theory:
life is going to work out.


i get so caught up in the fast-paced lifestyle... that i forget to stop and smell the roses that are blooming all around my house...

i keep thinking that everything has to be done NOW!
there is no time to breathe. to think. to do anything other than stress about life.
but you know what?
it's all going to be ok.
so sit back. 
breathe.








i have a slight obsession with this song.
:)

the garden. 
my mom didn't get the memo that slavery was abolished...
at least it gives me something to do while i am looking for a job. (any takers?) my dad says that i have "slave labor" written on my forehead. 


speaking of change, my mom talked me into doing a diet... (shhh! you can't tell anyone...)
being an exercise physiology major, i personally find all of these things fascinating... so i am considering this more "research". 
it's all about becoming "leptin sensitive"
so what is leptin you ask?
it is a protein hormone that plays a "key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism." thank you wikipedia for that flash of inspiration...
basically. if you are "leptin sensitive", you don't get hungry. it's a natural appetite suppressant. 

basically... the mouse on the left is you without leptin.

i'm kidding.

there are 5 basic rules to this "leptin reset"

(the foodie in me died a little when i read this.)

rule 1:  never eat after dinner.  

rule 2:  eat three meals a day.  

rule 3:  do not eat large meals.  

rule 4:  eat a breakfast containing protein. 

rule 5:  reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten.

if you want to read more in-depth about these rules see here.

what i've learned is that WHEN you eat is much more important than WHAT you eat. (this is only partially true... but you will need to do a little research on your own from here on out.)

suffice it to say, when i get munchy around 9:00 every night, the rest of the family packs up and leaves the room. ;)

the basic way of eating follows the paleo-diet. if you've never heard about it, just think caveman. if you didn't have a wal-mart down the street, and instead lived a million years ago, what would you be eating?

and then you eat it. 

and ONLY that.

which is all fine and dandy until you drive past the chinese buffet... 

self control might need to undergo an overhaul as well...

so we're still in the intial stages of this "experiment".

i'll keep you updated.

only 4 more weeks to go...

--------------------

if you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are. 

for where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained.

keep adding, 

keep walking, 

keep advancing.

saint augustine

{ten.}

something i'm afraid of.

i am afraid of nothing.

and do you want to know why?

because i'm wonder woman.

(i'm in disguise of course!)

and. i have a group of SUPER friends. 

you know superman? yeah, we're BFFs.

(come to think of it, i think i have next year's halloween costume idea now!)

i've always liked superheroes. don't judge! just listen to me for a sec!

this is doing a little homage to my nerdy superman-loving days in high school.

of course, nothing like the tv shows or movies could ever happen in real life. duh. but (this may sound corny) everyone is a superhero. 

i think good 'ol aunt may had it right when she said, "i believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride. even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most...even our dreams." 

timothy dalton said that we can't relate to a superhero. "but, you can identify with a real man who in times of crisis draws forth some extraordinary quality from within himself and triumphs... but only after a struggle."

those are the kinds of heroes that i like. 

these people are the true heroes - the people that might not look especially interesting at first glance. the quiet individuals that you don't stick out of a crowd. the ones that go about every day, silently but stalwartly living their lives. they are true to their ideals, their goals, and they will fight for them when the cause is important enough. 

so what are YOU afraid of?

***

the major work of the world is not done by geniuses (or superheroes!). it is done by ordinary people, with balance in their lives, who have learned to work in an extraordinary manner. 

~ gordon b. hinckley

i haven't done this in a while.

i think it's high time for some musica!!!

by any other name

{day 2}

i suppose you are wondering what's in a name.

i find myself wondering that a lot too.

like who came up with things like flexor carpi ulnaris?

someone that is trying to ruin my life... that's who.

(no joke. kinesiology is ridiculous at times. unfortunately, it also makes sense too. which makes me even more annoyed.)

where did this wonderful little blog's name arise from you ask?

well, to make a short story quite long...

when i was deciding to start blogging, i realized that i needed a name.

something catchy.

something unique.

something that would be "me" all squashed into a title.

alas, i am neither witty or creative... 

i am an extremely logical and realistic person that likes to try a whole lotta stuff. and for no particular reason most of the time.  

i tried stuff about "starving student" and "health nut", but none of them really seemed to click.

"bookworm" didn't really fit either. (not my fault though! school seems to sap every spare minute of my life away. the last time i read a book for fun is almost too distant to remember anymore. and by that i mean like a month ago. when i didn't have 6 tests in one week. i told you my teachers were evil.)

what else do i doooooo?

hmmmmm... 

i shop.

nah.

i bake.

so does everybody else on the web apparently.

.

.

.

i dabble?

hmmmmmm... 

i say! i think we might have something here...

and voila!

this little baby was born.

don't judge me.

it's the best i got.

:)

and just in case you didn't get the memo:

i love this blog.

i have been feeling really stressed lately.

you know, the usual...

tests.

registration.

grad school.

boys.

(or lack thereof.)

trying to be social.

being healthy.

working out.

real life... 

i don't really think that i am a fan of this whole "growing up" thing. i really liked it when i could just mooch off of mom and dad for everything. (we had this awesome arrangement where i got a car and gas if i just ran errands for them. those were the days.......)

i don't want to lose that sense of adventure. especially in focusing so hard on trying to be successful and completing goals. i think that it is easy to lose sight of why we do things in the first place. is is to succeed or to have the experience? is it to simply pass the class or to gain the knowledge?

i want to take some risks. to get out of my little bubble of security and smooth-sailing, and go paddle my little canoe out into some bigger waters! (it might sound stupid, but it's my metaphor thank you very much!)

{andre gide: man cannot discover new oceans until he has courage to lose sight of the shore.}

now get out there and make some waves.

ready or not... life here i come!

i need some chill music right now.

this is just one of those days when life just seems to press down on you from all sides.

you know?

the feeling that you have to make a decision, but the stress alone threatens to incapacitate you...

i'm feeling that way about grad school right now.

(lame right?)

scared out of my wits.

the future is a scarrrrry place.

do i really have to grow up?

not that i don't have a plan for my life,

i just don't know what to do with the 5 different plans that i have. (i'm the type of person that has the plan, the backup plan, the backup-backup plan... you get the picture. i don't believe in failure.) 

the problem with that is that sometimes i don't make a decision because i'm afraid that it won't work out.

so while sitting in class, plotting out my life (for about the gazillion-th time this semester) i came to a conclusion:

life is gonna happen.

no matter what i decide to do, the rest of the world is going to continue to spin, and everyone else is going to keep going on with their regular day-to-day lives.

so what am i going to do about it?

two words.

no.

fear.

imagine me gritting my teeth and attempting very hard to look like a very menacing individual...

you ready mr. future???

{cuz you gotta deal with THIS!}

:)

so no matter what happens, i'm going to give life my 100%.

i know it's cliche, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, and the worst thing that can happen is that they say no.

well what do you do when they do say no?

time for plan b.

and then plan c.

plan d?

you keep tryin' stuff until something works!
(and by george something will!)

so here is to all of the plans, and the backup plans...

but never give up!

(that's the only time that i believe that failure exists. when you decide that you aren't going to try anymore.)

so we are making a pact.

right now.

you and me.

to never

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

ever

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

give up!

(pinkie swear.)

alright.

good luck!

now for some light-hearted kicks and giggles:

(i was in my exercise physiology class, and i got this brainy idea that i wanted to develop my own line of energy bars... so i started doing a little research. and this is what i found.)

scooby snack protein bars

scooby poo bars 

(i didn't come up with the name...)

th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks!