Day 10 – woohoo! I’ve reach double digits! Blogging still feels a bit like a novelty, and what with it being J-term and all I haven’t really run in to the daily pressures that will keep me from accomplishing my daily task. I reckon this will waver in difficulty as my days start to demand more from me.
Today started with Starbucks (always a treat!) and a trip to CitySports to buy a recommended back brace. No, not the bulky metal “aluminum-monster” type, but rather the simple, elastic wrap. The mission proved to be futile, as my only options for braces were shoulder wraps or waist slimming bands.
Today’s practice was very brief, as an intrasquad meet is taking place tomorrow. I, as you’ve probably guessed by now, will not be competing. So, in an effort to give part of myself to the competition, I opted to make little goody bags for the athletes competing. After lunch, I went out and bought fixins for chocolate chip cookies, individuals baggies, and crimson and white ribbon. I met up with Annie and Lexie to bake 146 cookies, create little “GO HARVARD!” cards, and wrap little individual packets consisting of 2 cookies each. It was fun busywork and I’m excited to pass them out my teammates tomorrow!
Today one of my best friends from home, Jessica, shipped off to Rome for the next 4 months. I am so happy for her and admittedly a little jealous! Jess has been my rock through thick and thin since 6th grade and always manages to keep me grounded while also bringing out the best in me. We rarely don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, no matter how trivial or monumental. I will miss her dearly, but I cannot wait to hear about the adventures! She’s also keeping up a blog, along with my dear friend Megan, who will be traveling to South Africa this semester, and my oldest friend Maddy, who goes to school in Scotland! Long story short – my best friends are beyond incredible. It hit me during winter break that I am so beyond blessed to have these amazing women in my life. And more than that, they played such a huge role in my formative years. I can’t believe how lucky I am. All of these young women are powerful thinkers and doers, with inspirational ambitions and remarkable insight. They have all had a hand in shaping who I am today, whether it be through our bonding adventures or how they pick me up when I’m down. The fact that we all are keeping blogs this year doesn’t surprise me at all, and instead makes me beam with pride. If anyone’s words deserve to be read, it’s these ladies’.
After dinner I came back home and played guitar for about half an hour, struggling through Mumford and Son’s “The Cave,” then trying my hand at a few finger-picking ditties. Afterwards, I became motivated to start thinking about my future and looked up different neuroscience Ph.D programs across the country. Before that can be given too much thought, though, I should probably pin down my thesis. I’ll be writing a thesis next year, but conducting the research for it later this semester/during the summer. Thus, I will be spending my summer in Cambridge, most likely. Really wish I could find time to travel. I think I’ve bitched about this already on here, so I’ll move on to a more relevant point: Thesis topic! Or rather, a lack thereof. I have a few ideas kickin’ around in the ole noggin, but nothing has stuck yet. SO – if any of you brilliant readers out there have any pressing questions about neuroscience, psychology, genetics…. really anything that might even remotely concern the brain, LET ME HEAR IT!!! Maybe listening to a few good ideas will help me better develop my own!
Now it’s time for New Girl and Parenthood and sleep. Tomorrow I’ll wake up early, get my own workout in, then head over to the track to cheer on my teammates as they lace up their spikes :)
Ciao
xx
PS – After reading through this post I started thinking about what it means to be inspired, and I remembered that I had written about this exact topic back in 2009 in my little black moleskin. Here’s an excerpt:
“To be inspired is more than to simply admire. It’s more than a desire to emulate. It’s a feeling to better yourself and the world around you. There are many people who affect me, but I feel compelled to make a distinction between those who affect and those who inspire. Who inspires me? Who makes me want to be a better version of myself? Who is in the back of my mind motivating my behavior?”
I’m going to start carrying around my moleskin again, like the angsty Gen Y kid I am.
My Pace Of Life 