Not so cheap date

I've always said I am such a cheap date, because I am so relaxed and go with the flow. However, my favorite restaurant would tell you otherwise. Of course I would be happy with something simple like McDonald's or some local pizza place, but my favorite place has got to be Longhorn Steakhouse. We have one about 30 minutes away from my house, near our local mall. Every chance I get, I beg to go there. I few days ago, we went again so I thought I'd share my favorite meal from there with you.

When you first get there, like every restaurant, they ask what drink you'd like. I always go for their unsweetened ice tea. They also have sweet tea, but I've found that I like their unsweetened the best. 

One of my favorite things about Longhorn is their bread. They have endless honey wheat bread that they serve to your table while waiting for your meal. It is always warm and beyond delicious! 

Next up in my meal is the salad. I always get their side salad with bleu cheese. I do have to say that their salads aren't the best, however still enjoyable all the same! 

And finally, we come to the main course. This one happens to be my favorite. It is a 6oz white cheddar and bacon stuffed fillet with a side of mashed potatoes. I'm not even exaggerating when I say that was the best steak I've had in a long time! It was perfectly cooked and I enjoyed eating every bite more than I probably should have. The mash potatoes here are also my favorite. They are always creamy and just plain delicious! 

Sadly, I never have room left for dessert after I eat this meal! However, they do have a quite appealing chocolate stampede cake that I eye up every time I'm in there! Nothing special, but still meaningful.

Much love,
Elly


YouTube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Vine

Surviving Summer Sadness

It's that point in the summer again. The point just about in the middle of a summer break where lounging around all day doing nothing just doesn't cut it anymore. On my YouTube channel (imagineworkshop), I recently posted a video (that you can watch HERE) giving some tips on "How to Survive: Summer".

In warmer months, the first thing I recommend is to stay cool. Personally, I get migraines whenever the temperature hits over 70 degrees (See previous blog post HERE). This can be quite inconvenient when you want to have a day in the sun, and conveniently I live in Pennsylvania where the temperature likes to rest in the 90 degree range. I find my days spent in rooms in front of a fan or air conditioner. Of course they work well, but sometimes you just want to be outside. Now, ice pops aren't my favorite thing because they are essentially just frozen juice (I don't like most juices), but they are an effective way to stay cool. If you munch on an ice pop while outside, they cool down your body in the heat. Ice cream and frozen yogurt work just as well. The only problem with these frozen treats is being careful of unintentional melting and sticky fingers.

Another tip for the boring summer months is to always have a book on hand. My whole life I have loved reading, but never had the time. Summer gives you that extra time to dig into a book. I like to carry a book with me wherever I go. If there is time I have to waste, my book is the first thing I grab for. They are educational and fun. Plus they are an easy break from technology. If you aren't a fan of reading, you can always look into audio books. Sometimes we find ourselves busy and we don't have the time to put everything down and pick up a book. Audio books have the advantage of allowing you to multitask, whether that be with just listening to it while on Tumblr, tanning, or even something artistic like painting. They bring a new meaning to reading, but they still have every book you could ever want to read.

Sometimes, one of the easiest fixes for summer time boredom is just to go outside and do an activity with friends. Summer is when I find myself alone for about 95% of the day. This gets boring fast because there are only so many YouTube videos you can watch before you get bored or only so many times you can refresh Twitter or Tumblr before you've seen it all. Going out for lunch, to the pool, an amusement park, or even just on a walk are easy ways to get out of your room and get people involved. One of my friends and I love doing spontaneous Dunkin Donuts dates. We will randomly ask if the other wants to meet at Dunkin (since it is about half way between our houses) and we spend an hour or two sipping on our drinks and just chatting about our lives or whatever is going on in the world. Even something as simple as that could lift your spirits as well as get you out of the house for a few hours.

Throughout the rest of the year, you are constantly putting your face and hair through stressing routines to look your best. However, I see the summer as a chance to give your body a break. You most likely won't be going out everyday. When you don't, it is okay to skip makeup or washing your hair. One of the best feelings is not wearing any makeup. Also, if I am going out and want to add makeup, I minimize what I put on. Just a little powder and mascara can go a long way. As for your hair, take full advantage of dry shampoo. It isn't good for your hair to wash it every day anyway. By spraying dry shampoo in your hair in the morning instead it takes out the unnecessary oils and leaves your hair in better condition than if you washed it. Using dry shampoo can cut the number of times you wash your hair in half, thus making your hair stronger and healthier.

Of course there are a lot more summer tips I could list, but these are just a few I like to live by over my summer break. If you haven't checked out my YouTube video on the subject, please do by clicking HERE. It took ages to film and I am quite happy with it! Nothing special, but still meaningful.

Much love,
Elly


YouTube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Vine

Worst thing in the world

One of the worst things in the world is waking up with a migraine. You go to bed thinking about what you will accomplish the next time you wake up, but after some unforeseeable event in your body, you wake up an aching zombie. I have suffered with migraines my whole life. With my nineteen years of experience, I'd like to think I've learned a thing or two about my migraines.

1. Dehydration
Dehydration, I believe, is the biggest contributor to a migraine. I never drink enough liquids. That should be a well known fact about me. Another is my undying love for Yorkshire tea. Tea doesn't hydrate a person, only dehydrates them. Once I learned this fact, I tried to cut tea out of my life (and failed). Lately, I try not to let myself have more than one cup of tea. If I do have tea, I make myself drink at least two full glasses of water with it, in hopes of balancing it out. However, most days I will go with barely a half glass of liquids, let alone water. I believe this takes a toll on my head. Today for example, I believe I got my migraine because I had two cups of tea yesterday and a strawberry and lime infused water. Neither of which hydrated me. Hence the thumping head I am currently experiencing.

2. Screens
Staring at computer, phone, or television screens all day definitely doesn't help either. The majority of my migraines stem from the bottom of my head, the occipital lobe. The occipital lobe is located at the back of your cerebral cortex and is responsible for your visual processing. (I gave a presentation on it in high school. I don't just know random brain facts. lol.) Because the majority of my life is spent staring at screens for long periods of time (for enjoyment as well as for school and for a career) I start to strain my eyes. This leads to the pain in my occipital lobe which travels through my ears and onto my eyes. This reason also seems legitimate because of the sensitivity to light and sound I experience with a migraine. Even the tiniest bit of light will hurt my eyes and send my head into an unstoppable pain.

3. Heat
Finally, heat is another factor, yet I also feel it circles back to dehydration. For as long as I can remember I could never be outside during the summer for longer than 30 minutes. This was because the temperature was over 70 degrees, which would without a fail trigger a migraine. However, coming to think about it, if I drink more water will I not be as dehydrated and maybe the heat won't affect me so much? Not sure. Recently, I spent a hot day at a local amusement park. I made sure to drink several water bottles while there as well as before and after. Yet by the end of the night I found myself with a splitting migraine, which eventually lead to my head in the toilet. This not being my only experience with this, that leads me to believe that the heat also takes it's toll on my body.

The obvious answer for this migraine problem of mine would be to see a doctor and get medication, correct? Wrong. Truthfully, I have medication that I take when I feel a migraine coming on or if I already have one. The problem is, they don't help much. My migraines have always been past the point of help. Additionally, the medication I have for my migraines must be taken on a full stomach. If you have ever had a migraine like mine, you would know it is nearly impossible to eat, let alone keep everything down long enough for the medication to get in your system and work. If you try taking the medication on an empty stomach, just don't. It doesn't end well and you will be spending far too much time with your head in the toilet than you'd like.

So why am I writing about my awful migraines without a cure that randomly appear in my life and put everything on hold? I'm not sure. I guess it was just because of the time I spent lying in bed this morning thinking about the work I should be doing, but physically couldn't. Maybe it was just driving me insane. This wasn't some pity blog post. Gosh, please don't even feel bad for me or try and search for answers. I've lived with it my whole life, and it's just something I'll always have to deal with. This blog was created on a complete whim. And for some reason, I feel like I should be sharing whatever stupid or crazy thought that pops in my mind. Simple as that. No sympathy needed or wanted. Just an update. Nothing special, but still meaningful.

Much love,
Elly


YouTube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Vine

I have never been a writer

A long time ago, in a land, personality, and seemingly lifetime away, I had a blog. It was a silly little thing that I never did much with. I'd write silly little stories or update no one in particular on my life and aspirations. Looking back on it, I wish I never stopped. In today's internet based world, there is so much that is offered, experienced, and forgotten. If I had taken the time to write down more of my thoughts, maybe I wouldn't have the awful memory I do, or maybe I could have made something worthwhile out of it. 
I have never been a writer, despite all the short stories, novels, scripts, lyrics, poems, and English Literature teachers that would tell you otherwise. Growing up I had a love for reading and writing. It all came so easily to me, like breathing or blinking. Hand me a blank piece of paper or an empty word document and within minutes it will be filled with the nonsense that pours from my brain. I never particularly thought it was any good. Why would my rambling appeal to anyone? I'm not anything special. But like I said, my English teachers would protest otherwise. My mind is a constant flow of words that I need to put on paper as soon as I think of them, in fear of losing them forever. Once I start, I can't stop writing until the metaphorical water jug in my mind is drained dry, leaving very well hydrated metaphorical flowers on the once blank page in front of me.
In school I would always hate everything I wrote. I didn't think it was a high enough standard to turn in or be read by other living beings. The thing that surprised me, every single time, was that I always, without a fail, got the highest grade possible. It didn't matter what I was writing about or how much of the "facts" were made up or rephrased in fifty different ways. The power of my words always somehow managed to trigger something in the teacher grading it to give me a 100% grade. Of course there were a few papers that weren't quite 100%, I mean I am only human, but the majority were unbelievably successful. 
That got me thinking about this so called "talent" I have that I never fully believed in. Teachers would pull me aside and ask to use my work as a model for other students or ask how I became such a brilliant writer. Brilliant writer. I hate that description. It makes me sound like the kind of person that can manipulate someone into believing what I say or have them do anything I please, and that is just not the case. I don't see myself as a brilliant writer. I don't even see myself as a good writer. I see myself as a wannabe writer who somehow managed to fool everyone into a cloak of brilliance. 
I'm not shy, but I am also not very outspoken. Sure, I have opinions like everyone else, but I never voice them. I'm always the quiet girl in the corner of the room that does what she is suppose to with no complaint. So where did this "brilliant writer" status come from? Maybe it is an internal need to have my opinions heard in the most ironic way possible. The girl that doesn't speak, but will chat your ear off in a letter. Maybe its the structure or thoughtfulness of it. When you speak you can't take anything back. It is permanent with little thought processes behind it. Writing thoughts, however, allows you to take the extra time (though I generally just ramble anyway). It allows you to expand on your ideas without interruption or instant judgement. It leaves room for error and a chance to go back and elaborate on previously mentioned points. 
Brilliance was never something I strove for. I still don't believe I am a "brilliant writer" in the most obvious form of the phrase. I am an okay writer, better than average, if I have to say it, but still just okay. I feel like I was molded that way. I went to an excellent school and had excellent teachers who taught us excellent lessons about excellent topics. So does that mean they produced all excellent students? No. But that did get me thinking, do I owe my writing success to them? Did they unknowingly mold me into the "writer" I am today? Probably not. Did the books I read as a child and growing up turn me into the "writer" I am? Once again, probably not. And I will probably never know how I got to this point.
But what I do know, is that some people are better writers than others. If I learned anything in my first year of university, it would be that. I had an English professor who had us write nearly 25 essays in one semester. Every essay was read by my class mates, and I read most of theirs as well. The more I read, the less confident I was in myself as a writer. Not because I thought I was bad; quite the opposite actually. I lost my confidence in the fact that I thought I was just an okay writer. The norm I knew from schooling back home turned out to be beyond average, to the point of pure excellence. So when I came to university, with different people who experienced different writing backgrounds, I found out that I was in a select group, those of the "brilliant writers". 
I still don't see myself as a "brilliant writer", and I probably never will. To me, writing is a jumble of words I throw together to get my point across. It just happens that, I guess, I am better at it than most. I don't pride myself in my writing abilities, though I don't discourage them either. I love writing. If I didn't, you wouldn't have this to read right now. Yes, I have written countless stories and novels, but none I will ever share. Even if the whole world deemed me as a "brilliant writer" I still wouldn't believe it. I have never been a writer, and even if in ten years time I some how, miraculously, managed to acquire a slot on the best seller's list, I won't call myself a writer. I just let my mind wander and type what comes to it. Nothing special, but still meaningful.

Much love, 
Elly


YouTube | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Vine