One thing I miss while at BMC is baking. I really love to bake. I’m actually pretty good at it, too. It’s a stress relief for me, but also I enjoy making baked goods for people I love.

Being Fall, I decided that I should make my Ginger Spice Cookies

I’ll give it to you- they look bland but I pinky promise you they are not. It’s one of those cookies that go really good with a cup of tea, and weather below 65 degrees. So here you go-

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

• Whisk 1/2 cup of white sugar, 3/4 cups of salted butter, 1 egg white, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

• Keep Whisking it!! Until it looks like fluffy clouds.

• Finely chop 4 tablespoons of crystallized ginger.

• Sift through 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 pinch of Allspice.

• Roll the dough into little balls (half a fist full), and then roll them into sugar.

• Put them on a non-stick cookie tray and cook for 13 minutes!
• Nah-Dah! Done! Enjoy your cookies, and the smell of spices in your kitchen!

Florida, like any state, has it’s problems (if you’re feeling brave of heart – TW death/murder/rape). But, I do need to give it credit- it has beautiful natural landscape.

One of my favorite things to do when I’m home is just to sit and look at the nature around me. It may sound cliche, but when I’m home I’m really looking to relax and unwind, and nothing does that better for me than a light breeze and a nice view.

One of my favorite places is the everglades, which is proudly the largest subtropical wilderness in the USA. Because of it’s unique geographical position, the everglades is home to endangered plants and animals. It also is home to a vast history of indigenous peoples (for example, the Seminole Tribe, who are the only tribe in America who has never signed a peace treaty)

Alligator spotted!

It’s honestly beautiful. Luckily for me, I live right on the edge of this wilderness, so in the mornings I can drive to the docks and watch the waters. Sometimes, its hard to tell where the horizon begins and the sky ends. Those are my favorite moments- catching the world at a paradigm shift.

Usually, you’ll see alligators. It’s really funny to see tourists wave their hands at each other excitedly, pointing out this jurassic beast, far enough to run away if needed. Locals reel in their lures, muttering something along the lines of, “G*d D****t this is the fifth time today, that gator is going to scare away all the f*****g fish!!” This is normally when I leave the docks, and head around the back of the settlements in search of peacocks (I have no clue how they got here to be honest, but the everglades parks are full of them)

I’ve grown up with the everglades, learning about them in elementary school. Once, we took a field trip Slough Slogging through the everglades. For those of you not familiar, it’s when you literally walk through the waters and pray to god that nothing is swimming below you. Normally, you walk along a naturally raised path on the floor of the everglades (so the water comes up to about your knees, depending on your height), but if you mistakenly step off the path, you’ll fall into 9 foot deep waters. Luckily, you have a guide who shows you the cool flora and fauna, and also kindly reminds you to stay away from certain areas, and to not touch anything unless they tell you it’s ok first. My third grade mind vividly remembers a friend of mine who suddenly dropped below the surface of the water, having accidentally stepped off the path. I’m pretty sure because of that incident that was the last time my school went slogging, but I’m not sure.

Another beautiful part of Florida would be the beaches. Again, being me, I tend to prefer the quieter beaches to the more popular ones. I much prefer Hollywood beach (don’t let the name fool you, it’s mostly retirees and couples with young children ) because it’s quiet  and it also has a protected area for turtles on the end of it. Although I’ve never seen a turtle lay its eggs or give birth, I feel like that is a common bond that South Floridians share with one another. It’s just one of those things, like Jaxsons Icecream or finding a pair of dentures washed up on shore. 

All is all, Florida is teeming with natural beauty that, luckily, lets me forget about the other wild things that are happening in the state.

I made it home!! It feels so nice to be back in Florida- I got in last night at about 9:30pm, and got home at around 10ish. Both of my parents were there to pick me up at the airport, which was a really nice sight to see after the long plane ride (I have a pretty big fear of flying even to this day). When I got home, I was greeted by my one true love- Effy (my cat).

Although Effy tends to reserve his emotions, he was super excited to see me. He didn’t leave my side until I went to bed. He likes to share space, which is a trait I think he gets from me. He isn’t necessarily what one would call a “lap cat,” but he shows his love and affection in other ways. This suits me perfectly as I’m super allergic to cats, but gladly take medications when I go home to see my kitty.

Even as I type my blog post, he’s keeping me company, occasionally hopping off his bed to rub his face against me. He’s a bit of a diva, and isn’t one for letting me take photos of him. That’s fine, because he puts up with it just enough for me to snap a few photos and then gush over how pretty he is. He’s grey with white blotches, and blue-yellow-green eyes. His white blotches make it look like he’s wearing little socks and a tuxedo bib. Apparently these are ‘undesirable traits’ for a cat to have, but they make him pretty desirable to me, and I wouldn’t change a thing about him.

I’m a huge fan of giving my pets ‘actual’ names with significant meanings, so Effy is actually short for Efron. He’s named after Ephron, the biblical man who owned a cave that Abraham wanted to purchase to bury Sarah in. Ephron wanted to give the cave to Abraham for free, but Abraham insisted on paying for it. In biblical Hebrew, Ephron comes from the root עפר, which has disputed meanings, but is associated with dust/bits of earth/loose earth. Upon noticing that my Effy was a grey color, I realized the name would be a perfect match for him. I altered the spelling of his name because, just like my family, it’s an Americanized version of the original. The nickname ‘Effy’ derived from that.

I have an intellectual stake in Effy’s name, but also the idea that ‘dust’ is ash, which is symbolic of a whole lot of things. It reminds me of “Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust” (yet another biblical reference, although misquoted and taken into modern contexts).

To prevent this entire post from becoming an etymology of my cat’s name, I have included some Florida plants below.

Look how much color! So much sunlight!! How!! Red AND Green!!!!?? Is fall even a season here???

My Saturday Studying Playlist

1. Play It Right by Sylvan Esso
2. # 88 by Lo-Fang
3. Pressure by Milk & Bone
4. The Fall by Rhye
5. Postcard from 1952 by Explosions In The Sky
6. iT’s YoU by ZAYN
7. Technicolour Beat by Oh Wonder

Today officially began my fall break! I rang it in by spending the day at Pam’s house, catching up on homework, and fighting off a cold. It was really nice because it was the first time I’ve been able to wake up, roll over, and realize that I don’t have any commitments to go to.

After spending the morning lounging in bed, I decided that I really needed to catch up on my homework.

I made myself a nice little corner on her couch, and started to do my readings. Being just the teensy-tiniest behind on homework, I’ve crafted a pretty regimented schedule for myself that I must admit is almost feasible. Unfortunately, the day was just calling to me, so I spent quite a good portion of my morning just sitting in her backyard, attempting to do my readings, but in reality just enjoying the cool fall breeze. (Debatable if this is actually unfortunate- unfortunate for my schedule, fortunate for my sense of being)

Pam’s backyard is one of my all time favorite places. It’s really cute, and in the night time, fireflies like to congregate there. Fireflies are something that I’d only ever seen once in Florida, so to be able to see them here is quite a fantastic thing for me. I even caught one in my hands!! This to her, having lived in both New York and Colorado, is a common-place thing, but she still indulges me when I get super excited as a firefly brushes past me.

I spent the remainder of my day trying to accomplish my readings, and testing out my process of scientific inquiry with myself as the test subject. Having found a package of stale popcorn, I deemed it safe to eat.

However, about halfway through the bag, the rational side of me overcame and I decided to google search any possible warnings about eating four month over due ‘Movie Theatre Buttered’ microwaveable popcorn. Besides the warning about the butter going bad, I figure that the chemical preservatives in the popcorn were probably more dangerous to my health anyway, and I finished eating the bag. Developing a sense of no concern about food regulations is one of the quality perks of an undergraduate career. Not caring about where food came from as long as it is free, eating food that has fallen on the floor, and taking home left overs no matter how small are also top contenders, but tend to fall just short of the overall food quality process.

Overall, I’m just really happy to be with Pam in her cozy little house in Philly. I get to go home Sunday, and I am so grateful that my family and friends are safe and sound from the hurricane.

I’ve always loved going home for break because by the time Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer breaks come around, I’m in need for a mental vacation. As much as I love BMC, I find that I need a change of scenery in which to go, recharge for a bit, and then return ready to work again. Added plus- I live in Florida, so the weather is always warmer than it is here in Philly. Plus, home is where my mom and dad are, and I miss them a lot. I’m a bit bummed that my break going home is shortened due to something completely out of my control this year, but I’m trying to make the best of it.

I was originally supposed to go back home this Thursday, but unfortunately Hurricane Matthew has other plans for me. So instead, I’ll be sticking around Bryn Mawr for a few more days. Luckily for me, that’ll give me more time to focus on my thesis, spend time with Pam, and drink bubble tea in Philly. I’m also hoping to explore the city a bit more, find a nice place to camp out and get some work done, and then maybe just go back to Pam’s home and ~*~RELAX~*~. I’m really hoping to go to A La Mousse – which is, in my personal opinion, the best place in Philly to get bubble tea and a nice snack. If you have time, and the ability, go here. It’s really delicious, and I’ve been craving it for days.

Anyway, I’m a little bit bummed out, but I’m really trying to find the positives in this situation!!!!!

One of the most important things I’ve realized in college is that everyone studies differently. Growing up in Florida, a great deal of my educators stressed to us children that to properly study, you must be in a quiet room, without distraction, giving 100% of your focus on your work. I’ve found that’s just not the case for the vast majority of people. Finding my right study pattern is probably one of the most important take aways that I’ve received from college- but seeing other peoples study habits has been just as valuable to me because I’m able to try things out and see what best fits me as my needs change.

I’ve found that I like to study either in a public space where I can hear/see other people around me, but I’m not necessarily talking to them. I realized that I also like background noise, like a gentle humming of activity. I also really enjoy taking up lots of space at tables, because I like to spread out and stack all of my books. From friends, I’ve learned that I enjoy sitting in a space that has natural sunlight (after hours of studying, it really helps you to feel like your internal clock is still keeping up with the day). I’ve also learned that I taking a quick walk around is good for me- sometimes where you’re so focused on studying and you hit a wall, it’s hard to overcome it. But getting up really helps me out!

I found that a space for me on campus that includes most of the above things is my carrel in Carpenter library. Below is a list of top 5 things I keep at my carrel:

1. School Supplies! I always have everything I need at my carrel so I can sit down and focus on the work at hand, rather than having to gather all of my supplies. I have my books, but also pens, pencils, and paper just in case I run out from my backpack.
2. Decorations! It’s really nice to study in a space that feels comfortable. I’ve found that by decorating my carrel, I have claimed some sort of invested interest in it, which makes me feel more comfortable coming to it to study.
3. Colored pencils/a coloring book! I really enjoy doodling, and it’s the perfect mental break from studying. It’s really peaceful just to sit down and color in a coloring book because it’s mindless but you still are getting enjoyment from the activity.
4. A USB charger! I find that having a USB charger is really helpful because I can charge my phone, or plug in a side light that Lillian bought.
5. Words of Encouragement! Sometimes you’re not in the mood to study and get work done, but you have no choice. I find that little notes to pep me up really help me to refocus and be productive.

These are some things that I value and that work for me, but again, everyone is different!

My lovely girlfriend told me to write about her, so here I am. This is Pam. She’s BMC class of 2016, and is the light of my life. I met her my sophomore year of college, and I instantly had a crush on her. She was traditions mistress at the time, and was running around getting everything prepared. So naturally, I volunteered myself for any and all events that would get me closer to her. We spent the first semester of my sophomore year getting to know each other- talking late into the nights, looking at the time and realizing it was 4am, watching the sun and the moon briefly share the same sky.

I remember once we watched the first snow fall of the year from my window late at night. The sky was dark, but the little flecks came down none the less. As it began to snow heavier and heavier, the sky began to reflect purple and pinks. I could feel the cold chill through the pane, but I remember looking over at her face pressed against the glass looking out in awe at the world outside. It was probably the most at peace I’ve ever felt.

 Forward to present day- this is us now! She’s graduated (with HONORS- still so proud of her!) and working in Philly. Although we’ve had to work harder to see each other, we are still a big part of each others lives. It’s really reassuring to know that if anything happens, she’s only a phone call or a short train ride away.

In this year of #RelationshipGoals:

1. We made each other our emergency contacts for school/work
2. We’re gonna spend our first solo-holiday together!
3. We took our first vacation together (NYC!)
4. She shared her chocolate shake with me once and I think it means that we’re practically betrothed.