2016 Summer Music Festival Bucket List

Hey everyone! So, it's been a while since I've been in this part of the Internet (gotta love the looming finals season). However, as finals approach, which signal the end of the semester, I am looking foreword to enjoying my last "real" summer before I'm expected to be an adult and have a job. One of the things I want to do this summer is to attend a Music Festival. Here's some of the ones that are on my list.

1. '90s Fest In Brooklyn, N.Y.--Who doesn't love the '90s? I am definitely interested in attending. Let's party like it's 1999! 
2. Grand Weekend on July 8-10, 2016 in Lakeville, Conn.--This looks like such an amazing festival, and a fun way to spend my birthday! 
3. Governor's Music Festival on June 3, 2016 through June 5, 2016--With big acts like Kayne West expected to be performing, I am so there. 
4. Northside Festival on June 6, 2016 through June 12, 2016--With a bunch of up and coming indie acts expected to perform, who doesn't want to be here to say "I heard of them first?"

What is on your summer music festival bucket list? Please let me know in the comments below.

*This is a sponsored post. For more information on Eventbrite Events, please click here.

Looking to the Future

Today's the fourth blogiversary of my blog. I started this blog as a senior in high school, someone who just wanted a place to write their thoughts and share them on the Internet. Four years later, I still post onto this blog, although some of the posts have changed. I write book reviews, connect with other bloggers and use it as a way to just tell you all my feelings about the world.
As I head into my fourth year of blogging, I am looking to make this blog go back to its' roots of writing funny essays about, well whatever I'm thinking about. I want to write about issues, as well as writing about what book I've been reading and how I've been spending my weekend. I want to write funny op-eds where I just talk about what matters. I don't know where this will lead to. I also don't know what my posting schedule will be, as I've proven that sometimes I just can't stick to a posting schedule.
At the end of the day, I just want to write a blog with subjects that I'm passionate about. Blogging should reflect the blogger, not how many viewers the blog generates.
So, happy birthday to my little place on the internet. Here's to many more years of blogging and posting. And here's to the future, as I reinvent this blog to being about me, my thoughts and my opinions of the world around me.
Cheers to four years. 

Private Life

Whenever I post things on Facebook, it's usually the following: a post of what I ate for dinner, something about my accomplishments as a journalist or student or something about my dog. Yes, I'm lame, but I think things that are personal--family, relationships, new cars--all should remain offline, in my opinion. I've probably written about this subject so many times before, however, my opinion remains more and more the same.

Sometimes, I go on Facebook and wonder what people are thinking when they click "post." Sure, it's cool to let your friends know what's going on in your life. I have a lot of my friends who I lost touch with on my Facebook that like my things regularly. However, I don't believe it's the Internet's business that I'm currently going through a mental illness (severe anxiety), nor is it the Internet's business that I'm not in a serious relationship. It shouldn't also be the Internet's business when I am in a relationship, because I believe those are private. (Other than the change of relationship status and occasional photo.) 

My qualm is that the Internet has taken over our lives, and is a permanent stake in our millennial world. Shouldn't we set the boundaries by dictating what it should or shouldn't know about us?

Music Monday: What I've Been Listening Too As Of Late..

It seems lately I've been interested in a lot of different types of music! I've been listening to Deep Purple, only moments later to blast the new Tegan and Sara songs that came out on Friday. (It's amazing, I highly recommend listening to them)

As we approach yet another Monday, here's a playlist to cure you of any Monday blues you may have. 

Society and the Single Girl: Is Tinder The Only Way?

Recently, I was complaining to Gabu about not being in a relationship. Gabu, who is in a committed relationship, said to get a Tinder because it was the best way to meet guys pretty much, get dates and therefore get into a relationship.
My question is, is it really the only way? Are the days of actually meeting someone in person now forever gone, replaced by an app that's on a smart phone? Yes, Tinder is great for meeting people, perhaps people that you probably otherwise would have never met. But, it's just showing me people, and adding some skepticism. After all, how do I know that they are an actual person, not a Catfish? Or, better yet, how do I know that they don't want to kill me?
Statistics show that people who met online have a better chance of making it. But, has this become the only way to meet people? I would like to think that's not the case, however, more and more people are meeting each other on Tinder. Look at Gabu and their partner. They met on Tinder, and are extremely committed.
I'd like to think this about Tinder. It's a good tool to have in your toolbox if you're seeking a partner, however, it shouldn't be the only one that you use. Tinder's great because it exposes you to a bunch of people who you probably wouldn't have met otherwise. But, we shouldn't be using it as our only avenue to date people. I think there's cute guys everywhere, and you never really know who you're going to end up with. You could meet someone on Tinder. You can meet someone who was in your class, and fell in love. You can also meet someone at work, someone at church, and in the strangest of places. Just because you're on Tinder doesn't mean that you're going to get dates. It just means you're taking the first step to meet new people. It shouldn't shut you off from meeting people offline, because there's so many people around you that could be perfect for you. You just have to really look and really be open to taking risks. (The same goes for Tinder, I suppose.)
So, Gabu, I'm going to have to say that Tinder isn't the only way to meet people. I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. 

The Cruel Reality of Working Multiple Jobs As A Full Time Student

Being a college student isn't all that easy, at least it isn't for me. I work three jobs, something that I mention quite often in my posts, especially as of late. Add in the responsibilities of being a full-time student, and you got a constant state of anxiety and depression, which is what I am living in. 

I can hear you saying 'why don't you cut something out?' Well, I need one job for the money, and the other two are journalism jobs that I have in my field, which is the much needed experience that every journalism person on the planet will tell you is necessary until they are blue in the face. And, of course, I need to go to school and do reasonably well, because without school or education, I wouldn't be able to get anywhere. 

With all this going on, I have no time for a social life, something that makes me sad. I rarely have time to meet with friends, to do things I enjoy and basically just to be a normal 21 year old. I'm not here to complain, but the reality just sucks. 

As the semester progresses, I have less than six weeks until I get through this tough semester. That thought gets me through, although it's not going to help me now. Going to a therapist helps me learn how to change my habits, to learn to be nice and less harsh on myself and to help me deal with the cruel realities of adulthood. In life, there's sometimes when you have to go through something hard to appreciate the fruits of hard work. 

At the end of the day, that's all I can hope for. 

Six weeks until I can leave behind town meetings, long days at school and trying to squeeze everything in less than a week's time. I know I can do it, but I know I need to add something else to the agendas as well. And that's taking care of Natalie, and just doing things that make me happy. Why? Because it's more important than any grade or salary that I would receive. That's what matters more than anything. 

So, readers, if you're in college and having a rough semester, know that you're not alone. Tell me about your own personal experiences in the comments below. I know we can get through this, together. Just remember your sanity is worth more than any ol' grade. It's even worth more than a million dollars. 

Matters of Mindfulness: Why Is Self Care Considered Selfish?

As a person whose diagnosed with severe anxiety, one of the things that my therapist tells me to do is self-care, which is do something that makes you happy or take care of yourself. For me, this is reading, going for a run, getting a cup of Starbucks' lovely Tazo Iced Tea, eating a particularly good cupcake or just watching Netflix. (Basically, anything that isn't a responsibility or school assignment, which seems to have taken over my life as of late.)

However, to some, taking a few minutes to just relax and take care of yourself isn't essential. It's selfish. I don't know how, because it's important to take care of a mental illness just as you would take care of a physical one. It keeps you healthy, and it keeps you sane.
Let me ask you something. When you're sick, what are you told to do? Get some sleep, get some rest and take care of yourself. The same goes for mental illness. We need to get some rest, and take care of ourselves. It's kind of like being told to eat your fruits and veggies as a kid. Only, it's about preserving your mental health, not your physical one. Maybe the mental health aspect is even more important than the physical one. But, why is it considered to be selfish to take some time for yourself? That I still don't get.
Maybe it was because we are programmed to do things--whether it's work-related, doing something else that's productive or doing school work. By taking five minutes to just chill, we can do those things so much better than if we didn't take those crucial five minutes away from the world and our to-do list.
So, to answer the question I posed in the title, no self-care isn't selfish. It's essential, just as trying to cross something off of a 'to-do' list. In a world that's number and accomplishment based, we often forget that we're still people. We are people who have imperfections and require breaks. That's way more important than crossing things off of a 'to-do' list. And, that's something that we all, whether we are stressed out college students, going through a rough time in our lives or even those who aren't suffering from a mental illness need to remember.