Hi all,

I haven’t been so forth coming on my blog in the past several months. Partly because I’m ashamed and partly for safety issues. However, I’m just going to come out and describe what’s been going on with my living situation because, frankly, I don’t care anymore.

Last year, when I accepted this internship, I was very excited. Normally, you receive a salary for these types of internships but because of the economy and various others reasons, I did not get a salary but opted for free room and board at the school where I work.

Yes. I am living and working in the same place and it’s DRIVING ME INSANE. Think about it: I wake up every morning, walk out my door, and *poof!* I’m at work. There’s little separation between my personal and work life. Visitors are almost restricted (I had to fight to have Dan visit… they didn’t tell me this when I accepted the internship) and I can’t have candles which may seem insignificant, but I feel like I’m a child sometimes.

I basically live in a college dorm-like situation. I live alone (wouldn’t have it any other way!) and I have two bedrooms and one “living area.” One bedroom, I use for storage space. Let’s not forget that I’m coming from a full apartment from DC… I had a lot of stuff. So, that room is off-limits for me and others because I literally can’t walk through it.

The living area has an old couch, a small kitchen table and a small kitchenette. I have a VERY small refrigerator (smaller than the one I had freshman year of college!), a TINY oven, and a stove top. I haven’t used either the stove or the oven because they are so old that I don’t want to turn them on. Even if I wanted to cook (which I do, desperately), it would be almost impossible because there’s barely any food storage space. It’s just not the best living situation.

So, I’ve been living like this since late August when I moved to Pittsburgh and I’ll be here until June. The situation has many pros but also a lot of cons. Pro because I am living for free and there is no daily commute. Con because it’s seriously messing with me! I want to cook, I want to decorate! I want to have people over for goodness sake. I’m so over it! I’m a 25 year old woman and I feel like I’m stuck in a college dorm. I feel so in-between and it’s taken me a loong time to actually be happy.

Back in the fall, I was so depressed I couldn’t stand it. It probably showed through in my blogging too. I felt like I had nothing to write about. It’s one thing to move to a new city and not know anyone. It’s another thing to also hate your living situation. Luckily, I’m happy now and counting down the days until June.

You don’t even realized or understand how nice it is to let this all out! I feel so liberated that it’s out in the open!

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On another note, today I went to a doctor’s appointment located in a hospital. While I was driving out, my car just DIED on me. It did nothing! No lights, no start-up, nothing. If I had a penny for every time I had an issue with my car in the past month, I’d be rich. So, what I wanted to be an hour-ish appointment turned out to be 5 hours.

A new battery later, I was out.

I don’t think I’m going to DC this weekend – at least not today and I doubt I’ll wake up tomorrow wanting to go for just a night. The roads on the way to DC are not in the best conditions because of the recent snow fall.

My current plans for the night include watching all my DVRed shows What are your plans for the night?

xo,

Julie

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Tonight, I went to Piper’s Pub on East Carson’s street for a Pittsburgh Tweetup. I’ve previously been to a Pittsburgh Blogfest, but this was my first Tweetup! It was so much fun meeting with people I interact with daily on Twitter. At events like this, you might as well have a big sign on your forehead that says, “I’M A NERD!” Aka, it’s at these Tweetup’s that your real name goes out the door and your Twitter username walks right in. I am no longer, “Julie” but rather, “Wearing Mascara” and yes, that is mascara on my eye lashes. I am, indeed, wearing mascara, just in case you lose me in the crowd.

Anywho, here are some fun pictures from the night! Jenana stole my camera (we just met and five seconds later she literally snatched my camera out in front of me. I like her, she has balls). Enjoy, all you Twerds

Julianne and I

Rachel (check our her graphic designs! Love them!)

Jenana and someone else I didn’t meet (who are you?)

Jenana and Andrea

Me and Techburgh, aka Andy

It was a fun night and I’m excited to do it again!

Oh and I have to note this. I would be a social media failure if I didn’t. For all you Pittsburghers out there, please do not EVER, and I mean EVER go to Lifetime Auto in Squirrel Hill. They suck and are thieves of your hard earned dollars. Trust me If you want more info or a guy you can trust, email me.

Life is good.

I’m attempting to go to DC tomorrow to celebrate some of my favorite ladies birthdays!

I hope I can also meet up with Kristen from Puddles of Run for a run or lunch possibly! I need to get in 5-6 miles this weekend depending on how I feel! I’m SO excited for my races!

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

xo,

Julie

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Hi everyone!

This week has been unusually stressful! Sometimes, I wish I had a sound proof room everywhere I go so I could run in and scream my face off. Ever feel like that?

Remember how I got in that little car accident? Well, it turns out it wasn’t too safe for me to drive because my bumper might fall off. Oops. So, I immediately took it to a body shop in Pittsburgh (the best body shop EVER.. so honest.. so honest.. if you need a recommendation, let me know!) and tomorrow, I am taking it to another place to get some interior stuff fixed. My car has been through a LOT lately and I hope this is the end of a problem streak.

Today I had a billion errands to run after work but I still wanted to get my run in. Luckily, the sun is currently setting around 6:05 pm! This makes me unbelievably happy because I can get runs in around 5 pm! Spring is just around the corner. Sooner or later, we’ll be in sundresses and shorts!

To prepare, I wore my running outfit and shoes to run errands. Then, I found an awesome 3.5-mile run and ran around Pittsburgh.

It was a great run, however, Pittsburgh has some major sidewalk issues and I ain’t talkin’ about the snow fall. I’m talking about cracks, potholes, and other forms of cement issues. I almost wiped out once and luckily, I landed perfectly on my other foot. Yikes! That was a close one! It’s scary, you know? One wrong step and there goes my half marathon dreams.

How are you doing tonight? How are your new years resolutions or goals coming along?

Cheers!

Julie

P.S. Please pardon the dust on my site. I’ve been playing around with it

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Now I’m caught up (picture-wise!)… onto this weekend!

Friday night, I met Akirah, Andrea, Julianne, and Maggie for dinner at Mad Mex. It’s so nice to have these girls around and I’m stoked that Maggie is moving back to Pittsburgh very soon!

Picture stolen from Quarter Life Lady

The food was great! We went to the one in South Hills and it’s SO much better than the one in Oakland. The Oakland one is way to crammed (you can barely walk!). Plus, I thought the food was better in South Hills (less spicy!). They are also very accommodating of different needs. For example, I was able to order whole wheat tortillas with my fajitas and the waiter was awesome to do whatever we needed. There are even vegan and veggie options! (Brandi, if you ever come to Pittsburgh, you know where to go!).

Saturday, my mom came to visit for the day. She arrived around 10:30 and we immediately went to visit my grandmother (which went pretty well!). Then, we went to Sesame Inn in Mt. Lebanon. Growing up in Pittsburgh, my family frequently visited Sesame Inn for the best Chinese food we’ve ever had. To this day, I have not had a better Chinese meal. It’s a MUST go in Pittsburgh! Then, we went to my mom’s favorite hardware store and ended up driving around to our old neighborhoods and houses. It was awesome spending time with her and it was nostalgic going down memory lane.

Our second to last stop was Dick’s Sporting Goods because I was on a mission for a new running bra. I tried on several brands and ended up with the Under Armour Heat Gear Endure Zip Front Sports Bra. It’s awesome and definitely holds me in well. Lastly, we went to the grocery store where my mom so nicely bought me groceries I needed them badly! I stocked up on Greek yogurt, bananas, and healthy juice to go with my Amazing Grass shots. Thanks mom!

Saturday night (last night), I met my friend Cami for my first Ethiopian food experience! We went to Abay and… um… WOW! I cannot believe I didn’t discover Ethiopian food before last night! Shame on me. It was amazing!

We started off with Vegetarian Sambussa which had lentils, onions, peppers and herbs inside.

There was no silverware at the table. For the entree there was a big piece of doughy bread. On top was the entree in which we ate by using pieces of bread ripped off.

It was delicious!

This morning, I woke up bright and early to fuel up for my 5-mile run I had planned with Julianne and two of her friends. We had a fantastic time! It was the first time I ran over a Pittsburgh bridge Typically, I run around my neighborhood instead of going into the city. Running over a bridge was awesome because it’s total foreshadowing for the half marathon in May.

source

Now, I’m finishing up laundry and getting ready for the week. How was your weekend?

xo,

Julie

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