Weekend

This time change is seriously throwing me off schedule. I feel as though I am wasting my day and everything is moving much to fast. It also doesn't help that I keep forgetting to change the clock on the stove/microwave and anything else that doesn't automatically do it for you.

So this weekend was filled with FOOD. Lots of cooking, eating, and drinking. My friend celebrated her 22nd birthday on Friday so I made her a carrot cake. But being the poor college student that lacks essential supplies, the only cake-like pan I could find was a bundt pan that belongs to my roommate. The cake was delicious, but I thought it was missing some essential carrot cake ingredients: raisins, crushed pineapple, and coconut. But my friend doesn't like those in her cake, and since it was for her birthday I left them out. (Look how nice I am) Recently I've also been making homemade frosting instead of buying it out of the can at the store: SO MUCH BETTER! Not sure if it is actually cost effective though.

I also edited the recipe a bit: I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil to get some heart healthy fats in the cake, I added a tablespoon more of cinnamon, and cut out half the water called for and replaced it with yogurt to give the cake a small kick and be a bit more moist.

And along with the cake, a bar crawl was necessary to celebrate my friends day of birth. And Boston has to be the best place to do such a thing. 

The following morning I went to my friends for brunch where she made a delicious vegetable frittata, with toast, a side of fruit and some orange juice! Not a bad way to start off a slightly hungover morning.

It was really nice catching up with her, as we hadn't seen each other in a while. And it doesn't hurt that she is an excellent cook!

After breakfast I went home and read some of my book. I'm currently reading A Song of Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin. I'm on the second book 'Clash of Kings.' If anyone is looking for a new series to get into, this should definitely be it!

My day was then followed by a half successful trip to the Sam Adams Brewery! It was only half successful because we had to wait an hour and a half for our tour, and during that time we became very impatient and ravenously hungry. Therefore we skipped out on the tour, got on the party/rage trolley and headed to Doyle's! Doyle's was the first bar in Boston to start serving Sam Adams beer so they have a very special connection. And once you're at Doyle's and you order a Sam's you get to keep the glass. I had a Sam Adams Red (my favorite) and got to keep this awesome glass.

Then later that evening, my friend/girl I'm kind of dating/my ex (very complicated relationship and hard to define) came over. And we made homemade pizza topped with caramelized onions, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese. Easily the best pizza we've ever made.

I also hate how when you make a homemade pizza the crust comes out a bit soggy. So I Googled "How to get a crispy crust" and learned the trick. Cook the pizza at a high temperature, we cooked it at 500F, and keep the pizza close to the bottom coil.
TA DA! It worked.

The rest of the night was filled with card games, cuddles, watching the new HBO movie "Game Change" (which I highly recommend), drinking Bushmill's Whiskey, and of course cutesy couple-y stuff.

Then Sunday included walking the Freedom Trail to end up at the New England Aquarium! It was such a fun day. I was able to take a ton of photos, pet some sting-rays, hangout with some seals, and squeal whenever the sharks would swim by in the giant tank.

Can I also comment on how absurdly warm Boston's weather is. Yesterday was fabulous, the sun was shining and I could not stop smiling. And it probably helps that my evening ended with a trip to J.P. Licks for some ice cream.

Easily one of the most enjoyable weekends I've had this year. Here's to hoping that many more follow!

I also need to note that today was my first day commuting to work on my bike. My co-worker joined me (it was his first as well) and it was ridiculously fun. I couldn't help but smile, laugh and enjoy the amazing Spring weather. Plus it doesn't hurt that my commute is about 5.3 miles, approximately 11mi round trip, and totally counts as hitting the gym!

Co-op, Life, Ramblings

Anyone familiar with Northeastern University has probably heard of the co-op program. If you're not familiar with it, it is a part of Northeastern's 'experiential learning' and is basically a six month internship where students are not taking any classes and working a full time job instead.
I am currently on co-op. My third and final co-op to be more specific.

I am so sick of sitting at a computer eight hours a day. Now don't get me wrong, I love being on a computer (blogger, duh) but I like to take breaks and have other options available to me. So at this co-op I sit, type, stare a blinding screen, and wish that I wasn't working in a windowless office space.(I also write blog posts which I'm pretty sure aren't a part of my daily tasks)

One good thing about doing all these co-ops is that I now know what I do not want to do with my life, and I know a bit of what I do want to do.

 Do Not Want:

• Desk Job
• Windowless room
• Robo calling (horrifying experience)

 Do Want:

• Access the outdoors
• Interaction with people besides my coworkers
• Movement
• Fun (But doesn't everyone)
• The ability to continuous learn new skills 
• To be challenged intellectually

Now how the heck do I find any of this!? I've been thinking of potential careers for when I graduate next May (2013) and that just leads to a whole other list of  "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO"s.

Should I move and work abroad like I always dreamed? How will I work abroad when I only speak mediocre French? Do I get an apartment in Boston and find a dead end job to pay back my mountains of loans? Can I actually afford to not move back in with my parents? OMG what if I have to move in with my parents?! How long could I last before offing myself if I lived with them? Should I just teach English so I can travel? What if I start dating someone? Do I bring them into the picture as well? Should I not move abroad but get out of New England? Maybe California? But how would I afford that?

And the list of questions goes on and on....trust me you don't want to know them.

This is the first time in my (short) life that I don't know what I'm going to do next. It's also the first time my next step won't revolve completely around my education.

So for some more background information on me regarding co-ops:

- My first co-op involved living/working in Ankara, Turkey for 6 months teaching English at TOBB University

-My second co-op was with Northeastern University as an Admissions Counselor

-For my third one I am working at a non-profit International Exchange Organization for High School students.

So I could easily work as an Admissions Counselor for a University or get my TEFL certification and become an ESL Teacher.

UGH, LIFE.

I know I have over a year before I graduate but I am stressing hard core about this. How do people get through this!

Introduction

Me!

Welcome to my newly revised Blog! I've deleted all my previous, horribly written posts in hopes of actually being able to create something worth reading. I've been a contributing writer to NEUnited.com and decided to create my own more personal blog that I can update in my spare time.

I hoping to fill this blog with: random thoughts, travel destinations, my adventures in bicycle commuting, exploring Boston, delicious foods, and anything covered in rainbows and glitter!

As a fourth year student at Northeastern University studying International Affairs and Anthropology, I will most likely be complaining/stressing about graduating next year. And because I have no idea what I am going to do, my worries will also be mixed in with some philosophical posts about life, love, and questioning if it was all worth it!

Cheers,
Mackenzie