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Bumbling through one day at a time

Easing Your Abdomen

7/8/2016

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​Throughout my Mirena Crash till now, as my immune system is clearly still healing, I have dealt with a lot of stomach and abdominal problems. Digestion, aches and pains, you name it, I’ve had it. And as I write this I happen to be plagued by a super-painful strain of stomach issues that is also wreaking havoc on my brother and male companion. Because I’m fairly overwhelmed by the discomfort at the moment, I figured I would include some of the mini-treatments I’ve learned and leaned on throughout this annoying journey.


  1. Relaxation: I know, if you’re in serious pain this probably sounds mean and absurd. Unfortunately, it’s a natural reaction to tense up and focus on the pain when it comes, because of course it is. Most of the things I do to ease stomach discomfort are in one way or another aimed at relaxing my body and mind.
  2. 4-7-8 Breathing: I usually can’t get through a meditation when I’m in serious pain, so 4-7-8 breathing is my stepping stone to mental relaxation and natural chemical soothing. This practice is breathing in for 4 counts, holding it for 7 counts, and exhaling for 8 breaths. Now I’ve included the instructional video link, and in it Dr. Weil says that all the benefits come from doing this regularly. Yes, doing it regularly is good. But breath controls the brain and the brain controls everything else. Even though I haven’t been doing 4-7-8 breathing regularly, bad on my part, doing it when I’m in pain still always helps. It’s also my go to for anxiety spirals. It’s awesome. Watch the master here: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/VDR00112/The-4-7-8-Breath-Benefits-and-Demonstration.html
  3. Peppermint Tea: A more mainstream, gentle source of help. Peppermint is heralded for soothing stomachs, and when I consume it in tea form it really works. Peppermint tea is caffeine free, so you’ll also enjoy hydration benefits from drinking it. One of the most frustrating parts of many digestive issues is that they dehydrate you while also making the drinking of liquid into an unpleasant experience. This herbal elixir helps me feel a little more relaxed, a little more warm, and a little more happy, all while getting water into my sad, dehydrated body.
  4. Distraction: For when you hurt too much to do anything of substance. This about knowing what works for you. Whether you live for vapid, silly, reality TV or you’d rather spend your time basking in a glorious playlist of your own creation, the only aim is to transport yourself. That your mode of distraction is transportative is key. When the pain is too much, the Netflix binge is what I turn to.
  5. Lavender Essential Oil: In the past year I have come to adore essential oils, and there is none I love so much as lavender. Lavender oil can treat everything from discomfort to anxiety to insomnia. It clears your head and relaxes your body far more efficiently than any over-the-counter medication I’ve ever tried. Right now I have a large drop split between my wrists and I’m inhaling whenever I need to. Sometimes I put this in my little old-fashioned diffuser, a pottery one heated by a tealight, but if the air-flow of my home is achurning (as it continually is) then the oil doesn’t always reach me. Instead I usually end up using the tissue method: 4 - 6 drops of oil onto a tissue and inhaling at my leisure. This is especially nice for sleep because you can put the tissue right next to your pillow and its magic will work all night long, or at least until the tissue relocates itself to the depths of your bedding. I’ve put a few drops directly onto the pillowcase before, but that can get in your eyes or mouth accidentally and be really annoying. One word of warning: Like with vitamins, there is no guaranteed standard for anything marketed as essential oil. The fear of buying “snake oil” has never been so literal! I personally use Aura Cacia oils, which have treated me very well and are never tested on animals.
  6. And when it’s an emergency, Imodium: Never have I ever (before this year) used an antidiarrheal medicine. And unfortunately, I hate to use it. It makes me spacy and dehydrated and it sucks, but at least it makes me feel like I’ll be ok if my digestive system is freaking out when I need to go be a real person. It’s not the most fun thing, but it works. So thanks, Imodium, for getting me through the whole Florence + The Machine concert on a very sick day.

Welp, those are my tummy tricks as they stand. Few things are more annoying than abdominal pain, especially when it makes you scared to be without a bathroom. At least you build a toolbox during the tough times! I hope mine might help you to ease your abdomen in the future :)

-K

*I’m obviously not a doctor. So grain of salt, strangers on the internet who might try to sue me out of some silliness.*

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5 Great Films To Add To Your Netflix "List"

7/1/2016

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So much talent in just one picture, but if only they were in a toilet stall for nostalgia's sake.

A lot of shitty stuff is happening out there in the real world at the moment. Hopefully these films will be escapist and joyful enough to distract you, each in their own very different way.

Chicken Run
I just rewatched Chicken Run a few weeks ago and let me tell you, it has aged brilliantly. This story is feminist, funny, terrifying at times, and generally made me question my love of chicken as an edible substance. The characters are so great and so British. British back before the whole Brexit business. Cooperative and carefree British, one might say. As with all good animated films, the periphery characters shine. The rats, who want to eat the chicken’s eggs, are also their friends and often the comic relief. The old rooster in charge actually really respects women and is only crotchety in the good way. The chickens themselves are a smorgasbord of fun and lady-power. And who doesn’t love old-fashioned claymation?!? It is true art and we should all respect the endless, dragging hours that it took to bring this film to life.

Ali Wong: Baby Cobra
Technically this is not a movie. I don’t think anyone minds. This is one of the best comedy specials I’ve seen and I can’t stop thinking about it for so many reasons. Ali Wong is a badass female comic who happens to be Asian and happens to be very pregnant at the time of filming. Her humor is biting, smart, and had the sides of my belly actually hurting. That’s the definition of side-splitting! I’m honestly baffled that I haven’t heard of her before now, but Netflix, I can always count on you to empower the lady comics who I love or will love! Ali also is a writer for Fresh Off The Boat, a cable show which follows an Asian immigrant family and has received a good share of critical acclaim. I’ll admit that I’ve only seen a few episodes, but the performances are truly amazing. Of course, that’s a family-friendly sitcom. Ali Wong is a standup comic. Like most of those, her material is more adult. And I love it so.

Adult Beginners
I watched this film because it was produced by the Duplass brothers, who I love, but to be honest I wasn’t sure just how much I’d like it. I was pleasantly surprised when it charmed my socks off. Adult Beginners is about the relationship between two siblings, a sister who has settled down with a family and a brother who has just experienced an Elizabethtown-esque business flop. Instead of taking more drastic measures like in the Orlando Bloom flick, he goes to stay with his sister and becomes the nanny of her child while she is working and pregnant. Adult Beginners is charming, warm, and pretty nuanced. The performances are great. Rose Byrne and Nick Kroll play the siblings and Bobby Cannavale plays the husband/brother-in-law. You might pause at the idea of that sibling pair coming off realistically, but I think it ended up doing so. The end is a bit grand in some sense, but besides that the writing is really enjoyable and down-to-earth.

Boogie Nights
Wow. I was 100% sure I’d already posted about this film but I hadn’t, so that’s on me. But now it’s time to strap in for the 2 hours and 35 minutes of this porn epic. That’s right, this huge ensemble cast film examines the porn industry shift from actual theatre films to digital tapes that you can take home with you. It may not sound all that appealing, but believe me, it’s great. The performances alone make that runtime fly by. Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, William H. Macy, and Burt Reynolds are included in this powerhouse cast. Plus Julianne and Burt were nominated for Academy Awards for this film, which also got a Best Screenplay nod! Boogie Nights was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. You may know him as that guy who does a lot of heavy films, ie There Will Be Blood and The Master, and/or as Maya Rudolph’s husband and the father of her many children. This film explores so many sides and effects of the porn industry from the late 70’s through the early 80’s, while also examining complex characters and their own wants, needs, and dreams. A truly great work, worth the watch for any cinephile.

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Again, AGH! How have I not covered this one before? I’ve believed this film is incredibly underrated since I was in middle school! Well, if you haven’t seen it yet, now is the time. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is musical, fun, period yet contemporary, full of recognizable characters, and beautiful in its composition. The costumes alone are amazing. Amy Adams and Frances McDormand star and their chemistry is exquisite. McDormand as Pettigrew is one of the most relatable, likeable characters I’ve ever seen onscreen. If that isn’t enough to snare your interest, you’ll also get to see Moaning Myrtle as Not Moaning Myrtle! Don’t worry though, her voice still sounds the same, which is awesome. This is a story about overlooked wisdom, about standing out whether you want to or not, about love and loss and an underscoring fear of the great threats facing your nation. It never ceases to make me laugh and cry. I hope it does the same for you.


-K
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The Worst Possible Things A Person Can Say On A First Date

6/27/2016

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So proud of this eeriness.

This could also be used as a list of quick tips for how to get out of a first date.

  • I can’t wait for you to meet my mom!
  • Do you want children?
  • How much do you make, annually?
  • We should adopt.
  • What’s your foot size?
  • Least favorite movie? Mean Girls.
  • Have you ever considered corseting?
  • I love you.
  • Oh, you almost looked cute there for a second!
  • I know. (Following every statement about your own life. Every. Single. One.)
  • Spiders are my passion. I have seven aquariums of them back in my room, wanna see?
  • Beyoncé’s ok, I just think she looks like a man.
  • You eat like a starving animal.
  • Wow, I’ve never seen anyone eat that slow.
  • Which Axis dictator would you be? I’d be Hitler, cause of my artistic side.
  • Credit cards are amazing! I’ve got 10. Gotta keep up that Yeezy lifestyle till I’m making that Yeezy money, amiright?
  • I’ve never gotten through a musical without falling asleep.
  • Guess it’s time for you to make peace with your god. Or whatever.

Ugh, the shudder is real. Friday I’ll be bringing you more worthy film picks, so I’ll see you then! Metaphorically!


-K
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5 Shows To Netflix When You’ve Binged OITNB & Now Have Only Sadness

6/24/2016

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I wrote so many words this week that I won’t waste time on an intro. That way maybe you’ll cave and read all my rambling recommendations!

Documentary Now
Old or young, classic sitcom lover or indie weirdo (reppin the latter!), you will likely L-O-L at Documentary Now. Every single episode is a brand new adventure in a totally different tone. It has some really smart humor and a lot of stuff that’s downright silly. I could easily see my dad or a stoned college kid enjoying it equally. And the twists! Oh, the twists. And the episodes are shot and edited in an artistically-intriguing stylistic manner! That’s a plus for all us film nerds. If you’re an SNL buff, you’ll be pleased to hear that this show centers around many characters played by Bill Hader and Fred Armisen, who created the program with Seth Meyers. It’s hosted by Dame Helen Mirren and features a slew of special guests who are sure to make you smile. Jack Black does an especially great job, in my opinion. If you love weird, off-beat, sometimes super-intellectual humor, watch an episode tonight. And if you don’t like the first one, the next will be 100% different, so that should bring you comfort. Though the first one is pretty good, so you’ll probably like it. Also the show was renewed for two additional seasons before the first episode had even aired, so that might give you an idea of the quality we’re blessed with here.

Good Eats
I had gone through life assuming that everyone my age had seen Good Eats. This is not so. I realized this when Adam said the near-fatal words, “Who is Alton Brown?” *shudder* In an effort to educate, I started rewatching the Good Eats Collection on Netflix, and man, I was far from disappointed. 25 episodes of fun facts, weird staged moments, and extremely creative camera work for a cooking show. I could watch this all day long and I bet you could too. If you like Cooked but actually want to get more kitchen savvy by watching a program, and prefer a host who is really fun and engaging, Good Eats should definitely be added to your “List.”

How To Get Away With Murder
Some of you have yet to accept your one-way ticket to Shondaland (I assure you, there’s no coming back). I get it on some accounts, I was diehard for Grey’s in High School, but then too many people died hard. But, if you’re ready to dip your toe in the water, How To Get Away With Murder is the show that will do more than just stamp your passport. It’ll blow your mind. The cast is diverse, the characters are all intriguing, and the twists and turns are UN. REAL. You will be genuinely surprised by the end of every single episode. I don’t watch any other show that guarantees that. It’s so hard to surprise people these days! We’re all so desensitized and used to the dramatic format, but this show somehow does it. I maintain that this is one of the most brilliant programs on TV today, even if just for its format. Episodes are bookended by flash-forwards to a very bad thing that happens. With each episode you get an additional detail or two about the bad thing, all while watching the characters struggle towards the horrifying climax. It’s addictive and worthy of all the praise. Also, Viola Davis won one of the most deserved Emmys ever for her portrayal of Annalise Keating, becoming the first black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. So this show has legitimately made history. And both seasons are on Netflix now, so you can totally catch up and be ready for the absurdity that I’m sure awaits next season.

Cuckoo
I love a lot of British TV, but it doesn’t often get heralded as “heartwarming.” In that way, Cuckoo shatters the mold. It also overcomes so many opportunities to fail. The premise, that the daughter of a pretty cool but not too cool British couple falls in love and gets married on her year abroad without telling them and shows up with this annoying hippy husband to live in their house as a big happy family and shirk all the plans she had before much to her father’s chagrin, it doesn’t sound too good, does it? That’s because annoying, better-than-though, white hippy guys are the worst, and the whole stiff dad thing is the worst too, but somehow it works. It does help that Andy Samberg plays Cuckoo, the dud in question, and that the dad is secretly a big softy. The second could-be-death-blow to accost this show was Samberg’s departure. He left before the second season to film Brooklyn 99 (so good), so they killed his character. How do you continue Cuckoo without the character of Cuckoo? They filled the void with Taylor Lautner, playing Cuckoo’s long-lost son who doesn’t realize that he’s spent his life in a cult. Good god, his portrayal is so adorable that by the second episode you don’t miss Cuckoo at all! This show keeps on kickin’, and if you watch it you’ll likely be glad it does.

Lady Dynamite
Usually I try to promote a range of genres in these posts, ie only one really weird one at a time, but this off-beat comedy deserves to be on every list. Maria Bamford, who you might know as the woman who Tobias Fünke met in the MethodOne Clinic or as the emphatically-training lady from those Target Black Friday commercials, is the star of this deconstruction of the sitcom. The semi-autobiographical season follows Maria during three stages of her life: her dreary, blue-toned time in rehab after the big bad moment, the hyper-saturated period of mania leading to the big bad moment, and the tentative healing but still saying yes too much present. The fourth wall breaks and it breaks hard. The performances are great from one and all. Patton Oswalt is a recurring character, but besides his presence, which is fun, it’s really fun to see all of the female comedians who take a turn on-screen. Some play themselves, like Tig and Sarah Silverman, others play recurring characters, like Maria’s two best friends. One of these friends is played by Bridget Everett and I’ve sincerely never been so into her. She’s really fun to watch be the straight-ish woman. I know I’ve said fun a lot, but that’s what this show is, so I won’t apologize. There’s also probably too much going on in this show for me to sum it up and do it justice, so just support female comedy and watch Lady Dynamite. It’s awesome and totally different than anything you’ve ever seen.

P.S. The new season of Grace and Frankie is even MORE spectacular than the first! If you haven’t watched this program, you should really consider doing so. You’ll find my first argument for that here.

-K
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Sorry, Y'all

6/20/2016

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Accurate depiction of how together my shit is right now.

Sickness and mind-fog and basically a week of travel have totally impacted my blogging. Lo siento. I will be back being real and impactful (ha!) on Friday. 

Also, yesterday was the birth of my Ma and the national celebration of my Pa, so here is a cute picture I took of them a long time ago that they never truly appreciated for its cuteness. "It looks like I'm eating her face," he said. Sigh. Can't account for taste.

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No one is perfect, but they come pretty close.
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What To Wear To A Florence + The Machine Concert

6/13/2016

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Ughhhhhhhh yassssss!

​Tomorrow I’m going to my first “big concert,” not counting my family jaunt to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra a few holiday seasons ago. I love everything that Florence has ever done, so I’m really really excited. But as I packed for this trip to experience great music and hopefully also lease an apartment AGH, I realized that I have no idea what to wear.

A “basic” problem, but I was approaching it intellectually, not actually worrying about it. Somehow this issue seemed specific to Florence + The Machine. It’s easy to pick what aesthetic suits most of the other icons I’d like to see perform. For Beyoncé I’d wear something that makes me feel like a badass bitch, accented with daring, semi-aggressive makeup. For Adele I’d go classy, perhaps a little retro, with some edge and some glamour. Rihanna? Something so out of the box that I’ve never been able to get myself to wear it out no matter how much I love it. Lady Gaga? Full drag. Easy peasy. But Flo, she’s complex. Her vibe is singular in a sea of sameness. Her style is everything I’d ever want to wear, over and over again, spanning and spectacular.

So here are some possible ways to dress for a Florence + The Machine Concert, what makes them enticing, and what makes them not so enticing.

Modern Flower Child
Crotchet, fringe, boho-prints, kimonos, and you’d better not forget your flower crown! This aesthetic focuses on projecting a oneness with nature while not bothering to hide how very manufactured the execution actually is. Alternate title: rich-girl hippy.

Pros: Florence has been known to rock flowers in her hair semi-regularly! This suggests you could be on a similar wavelengths! Groovy!
Cons: You very well might look like one of those Coachella chicks who seems to be way more into maintaining her “effortless” look in the absurd heat and desert dust than she is into actually enjoying the music. Not the best comparison.

Off-Beat Vintage Dame
You march to the beat of your own drum and have a style that is truly your own. Gorgeous fabrics and detailing from another time somehow become timeless in your styling, you pinacle of personality!

Pros: Perhaps the strongest aesthetic for reverberating notes ala Florence. Your individuality will shine through in every fabulous article.
Cons: Concerts are full of sweating, dancing, and spilling, aka potential rippage and stainage. Also, comfort is key when you’re trying to shake the Devil off your back! You don’t want your pieces to be so good that you have to worry about their wellbeing.

Rock’n’Grunge Gal
Leather and boots and jeans and an I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-you-think attitude? Very tempting. Everybody loves a t-shirt, a flannel, a choker, and general statement-making simplicity!

Pros: Moving is easy. You appear as carefree and sound in yourself as you are. If you like loud lipstick but don’t feel like wearing any other makeup, that’s great! You own that! You own everything!
Cons: It’s summer. You’re in a jam-packed arena. The weather alone was gonna contribute to 81 degrees of unpleasantness, but with all this goddamn body heat? This look sounds like it utilizes a lot of body coverage and layers on layers. If you do it without those aspects you’ll probably be happy, but be careful not to overheat!

Burlap Babe
Nothing says, “I refuse to suffer in this wardrobe-picking purgatory” like a good, very old-fashioned, burlap sack. You can make it your own with accessories, or just embrace the simplicity of bein’ a babe in a bag. Bag-tastic!

Pros: No one else will have this look! Statement making on a whole new level, and truly asserting that you do not give a fuck. You really don’t. It’s a burlap sack.
Cons: Not a very breathable fabric. Definitely running the risk of some pretty severe chaffing as well. Also, someone could mistake your disdain for the fashion olympics as a journey into the avant garde! You could end up on a street style blog when you were really going for the opposite effect. How embarrassing.

Ultra-Minimalist Maven
If burlap isn’t minimalist enough for you, there’s always nudity. Nudity is available at any budget and shows not only a disregard for the pressures of concert fashion, but also a disregard for everyone around you in this public place!

Pros: Oh man, so many. You won’t overheat, you can move easily without any restrictions, you won’t damage any clothing since you aren’t wearing any, and NO ONE will categorize your style based on this encounter because your style will be elusive. You’ll be mysterious. That’s pretty impressive in the digital era where we all share everything all the time!
Cons: Possibly getting arrested.

Options, options. Whew! Leaning towards burlap myself. I don’t really mind being mistaken for a master of the avant-garde, though of course I would pretend that I did. Reluctance to the public eye is alluring, right? Probably.

-K
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A Drinking Game For This Week’s Bachelorette

6/6/2016

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The cast of this year's Game of Roses

​I started watching
The Bachelor as an ironic group activity, but there’s truly no better way to shut off your brain and forget your own problems than by watching this madness unfold week to week. Here is a drinking game that I’ve put together for the next two nights of The Bachelorette, as it’s on two nights this week to maximize the use of their villain before he is ultimately disposed of. I assume.


  • Drink every time one of the guys wears a suit so tight you think it’s gonna burst. Drink again every time they move in such a way you worry it might hit bursting point. Down your drink if one of those suckers actually pops
  • Drink every time a man mentions “butterflies,” “fireworks,” or feeling “giddy.”
  • Drink every time any/all of the men break out in song. Drink twice if it’s that same damn JoJo song they spent last week bellowing.
  • Drink every time a man gets critical about something that is clearly a regular aspect of the show, so why did they sign up?
  • Drink every time someone mentions Jordan Roger’s brother.
  • Take a shot every time they go in a sky vehicle of any kind.
  • Drink every time two dudes (or more!) have an uncomfortable glare-off.
  • Drink every time JoJo says something deluded and clearly wrong about one of the men.
  • Take a shot every time inter-male violence is threatened.
  • Drink every time a slouchy beanie appears onscreen!
  • Drink every time you hear “protein shake.”
  • Take a shot for every weird, private concert that happens on a one-on-one date.
  • Drink every time someone overreacts.
  • Take a shot every time a guy takes of his clothes for no real reason.
  • Drink every time a man makes fun of another man’s appearance! (You could get drunk on that alone)
  • Drink 2 glasses of water as the previews for next week roll, as you likely can’t stand up anymore.
​
For those of you who only do wine when you watch the franchise, I wish you luck.

-K
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Things I Think Will Happen When I Try Standup

6/3/2016

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My reaction to being asked if I do standup.

What is the thing I fear doing the most and also the thing that could most help my comedy writing career right now? Standup. I shudder even thinking about it. I love to watch standup, but I fear for my wellbeing on many levels if (when) I eventually ovary-up and perform it. Here are just a sampling of the things I think will happen to me when I bite that atomic bullet.

  • I will stand on stage and be surrounded by a sea of silence, no laughs to be found.
  • I will get only a few pity-laughs. Obvious in their meaning and far worse than no laughs at all.
  • I will forget the English language.
  • I will mix up the orders of jokes like some bad movie and/or mom moment.
  • I will be sandwiched between two extraordinarily funny people, emphasizing my unfunniness.
  • I will have a wardrobe malfunction. Not something I’d really care about in life, but here an insult-to-injury kind of thing.
  • Actually funny people will make fun of me behind my back.
  • I will be so mortified that I actually faint, upping my mortification levels significantly.
  • I will have a panic attack onstage and be stuck up there, in that shitty bar, having a panic attack, surrounded by strangers.
  • Someone important in the TV/film industry will see me bomb, then blacklist me from ever working for the rest of my life.
  • One of my idols will see me bomb, then never respect me.
  • I will be possessed by a demon, just once, who is really funny. I will develop a taste for the laughs that the demon gets, but once he leaves by system I will be unable to reap them for myself.
  • The Flop Sweats.
  • I will literally die.
  • I will hurt bad enough from the bombing and all the anxieties already primed in my system that I will give up and never do standup again.

So. I guess I should do standup now. Whoop whoop.

-K
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Things You Do When Your Parents Leave You Alone In The House:  Post-Grad Edition

5/30/2016

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Just look at the happy traitors!

Within 48 hours of my arrival back in Mt. Joy, our parents
abandoned Rico and I to go off on a romantic weekend at Rehobeth. I think it’s Rehobeth, I don’t even really know because that’s how little notice I got about this separatist jaunt of theirs. Left with no groceries, $300 bucks, and the car (or rather two cars, as dad kept reminding me, even though only one of us can drive), the house was ours.


What craziness did two 20-somethings get up to? It was pretty epic!

  • Screen Time: Binging Cuckoo, The Real O’Neals, and Sherlock, shows that we’ve previously shared together, and then desperately searching for more quality entertainment. Cartoons! Movies! Getting wild and renting movies with our parents’ fancy basic cable subscription! Going to a matinee IN A THEATRE because we’re free agents, and there’s nothing better to do.
  • Exercise: Rico has his gym time, about 2 hours of it 6 days a week. Yeah. Really. He’s getting very broad, shoulder-wise. On my less daunting end, I’m attempting to up my yoga and meditation game to better manage my stress and anxiety. Sure, we could be drinking all night and sleeping all day, but what hell would that wreak on our general well-being?
  • Texting Our Parents: What free entertainment form is better than live-action guilt? Look how you’ve abandoned us! Your own children! You barely even saw me since I got here! Now you’re off, eating fancy meals, reading on a beach, getting homemade ice cream every day if you want to. The shame you ought to feel! The shame! (As Rico and I eat hot fudge sundaes the size of personal pizzas)
  • Taking The Dog For Walks: He needs the fresh air. So do we. No one is telling us to get outside and play, so most of our time is spent either at a laptop setup or on a couch. Or sleeping. We sleep a lot.
  • Takeout: The makeup of most of our dinners. Frozen pizza also contributes to many of our meals, and that includes both boxed frozen pies and the frozen slices preserved in ziplock baggies from earlier this week when dad ordered the fresh, nice kind of pizza that grownups eat. You know, pies that cost more than $6.
  • Question Everything About Our Lives: Are we on the right paths? There’s never been a better time to sprawl out on nice furniture that was not purchased from Craigslist or a Facebook group and question our existence. It’s fair to say that I did far more of this than Rico. Are my dreams too big? Why is my preferred industry so damn hard to break into? Does everyone secretly judge and/or hate me? If I don’t get my anxiety under control, how likely is it that I’ll die at least by age 60 due to stress-related illness? I could go on and on, and I have in my head, believe me.
  • Work: Creative independent stuff and freelancing on my end. A final job interview for Rico, as well as some minor landscaping for a friend’s dad. We are making money that we won’t even spend this particular week, like real grownups.
  • Have Illness-Related Panic Spirals: Get so freaked out by the hives(?) I developed right when I got home that I Google, then cry, then convince myself something is seriously wrong, then make my whole rest of my body feel rotten because hypochondria creates tangible symptoms, then text dad relentlessly till he calls me and attempts to calm me down. He does a better job of this than anyone else. This happens disturbingly often since my hormonal crash.
  • General Waiting: Because we genuinely like our parents. Yup, that much. Enough that being home without them gets quickly boring, especially when all your home friends have real 9 - 5 jobs.

It doesn’t get much realer than this. But they’re back now, so it’s all back to normal (which is still a lot of the above described activities, to be honest).

-K
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Get Li.st, It’s Great.

5/27/2016

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Look how aesthetically pleasing!

I recently downloaded a free app li.st and it immediately became my favorite new form of social media. Li.st is a community of individuals who write and share lists. Content is often funny, sometimes potent and emotional (a lot of lists about how to get through serious illness or loss), and sometimes just plain helpful. If you really connect or want to utilize tips later, you can “save” lists that you’ve viewed for later. Among my saved titles are “Advice for a First Time Standup Comic,” a list begun by co-Founder of the app B.J. Novak (The Office) and added to by others, “Women Filmmakers I Am Very Into,” and “Finding The Best Ice Cream In NYC.” Below is a brief list of reasons why this app is the best use of your social media time.

  • General Positive Energy: Most of the inter-personal interaction on the app takes place in the comments section of the lists. The comments here are nothing like the disgusting vitriol spewed by the ignorant, hateful masses on Facebook or Youtube. Somehow, this community is just kind. It’s so damn refreshing.
  • Learning Opportunities: Seriously, a lot of these lists can be really helpful. That “Advice for a First Time Standup Comic” list had so many tips that I NEVER would’ve thought of. No matter your passion, there are lists that can inform you on it written by people who know.
  • Brain Dump: This community is all about using your brain. It’s about ideas and opinions and jokes and stream of consciousness rambles. I love everything about that.
  • If You Build It: The Li.st community makes it a point to embrace new members, which is cool! It may seem daunting at first, but if you write lists and “like” and comment on the lists of others, you will gain followers. I’ve been on the app for only a week and already have 16, none of whom I know personally. It’s a cool feeling to have your brain and sense of humor appreciated by strangers.

I could say much more, but I’m going to leave it at that for now. And f you decide to get the app, even if you’re just getting it to read the lists of others and not bother with your own, you can find me @KaylaMartine.

Have a great weekend!

-K
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    And so the post-grad struggle begins. Thanks for spectating the merry-go-madness!

    Kayla Martine

    -- Film-Maker -- 
    -- Opinion-Haver -- 
    -- Free-Lancer --

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