The In Between (Boston and London edition)

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The view from my dorm.

The view from my dorm.

With a flip of my (extremely long at this point) hair, the fall semester of my junior year at BU appears to be over. After a semester of literal blood, sweat, and tears, I have to say this ending seems more bitter sweet than others.

Being a junior in college is great. You know who your friends are, you’ve declared your major, you’re on your way to becoming…well, a real person. So to end a semester filled with friends and fun, pack everything up into (6!) boxes and move out of your comfort zone of beautiful Boston to study abroad in London–seems a little terrifying to say the least.

Anywho, my family packed me up and moved me out of my dorm of two years at BU, to return next fall–my senior year of college. Let me repeat, I will not return to Boston until my senior year of college. Let that sink in. While that is only 9 months away, that is insane to think that the next school year I spend in Boston will be my last as an undergrad.

I feel like just yesterday I stepped off of the plane at Logan Airport into the tundra of possibilites that Boston holds. Now, I find myself two and a half years older, substantially wiser (in my opinion), diabetic, and with a whole new outlook on life.

Life isn’t always the perfect creme brulee. I am finding that perhaps, it’s those low moments (in blood sugar and life) that define us. Maybe, those lows make the highs all the better, make the good times shine brighter than the shadows of the darkest days. (Wait, were those song lyrics?)

Although I miss my amazing friends already, I cannot wait to make new ones in London, and explore a country new to me. I cannot wait to travel and taste and see new things. I cannot wait to meet new people. I cannot wait for tea and crumpets and accents! London seems like a new page–not an end to an old book, but more like a new chapter to an ever-growing novel.

This is real, this is me, these are my thoughts. el oh el.

Happy Holidays everyone! Expect a few more posts before I hop across the pond (as they say).

Stay classy! To my friends up north, stay warm!

XOXO

A Diabetic Thanksgiving

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Shoutout to my talented twin for making the pies!

I love Thanksgiving. I always have, and I always will. Thanksgiving and I go way back, and our love blooms from the fact that my mother is a chef. She is an amazing chef that cooks the best (in my humble opinion) mashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar and pecans, the best cranberry sauce, the best fudge pecan pie and pumpkin pie—well you get the picture. She’s fantastic. She’s like Martha Stuart minus the jail time and uptightness. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh on Martha. Martha, if by some odd twist of fate you’re reading this, you rock don’t ever change.

This Thanksgiving was my first as a Type 1 Diabetic (RIP pancreas, it was a great 20 years).

While I longed to fill my plate with large unwarranted portions of carbs and fat and everything delicious… diabetes got in the way.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Poor Emily, not able to over eat on a holiday that exacerbates Americans’ issues with obesity and their climbing rise of obesity, also ironically, type 2 Diabetes. So yes America, you are literally eating yourselves into a disease where you cannot eat what you were eating before. Irony? Moderation people. I digress.

Anyways, back to my first Carb-controlled Thanksgiving.

While I got to eat almost everything that I normally do (except the ice cream AND pie, but I mean, that really is gratuitous isn’t it? Well that’s what I’m telling myself at least), I still wished I could eat without worrying about how much insulin I gave myself and if my pump could handle the carb-load that is Thanksgiving dinner.

Shoutout to my talented twin for making the pies!

That being said, I had a few high blood sugar numbers, while on the whole, it went well. I learned that diabetes, although sucky and just a bad disease in general, does not mean that I have to swear off of the foods that I love. Everything is about moderation. I have learned self-control, and maybe, just maybe, that is the silver lining of having a faulty pancreas—andType 1 Diabetes.

This Thanksgiving, I realized that I am thankful for my family, friends, food and most of all: Insulin. While I hope that one day I can be thankful for a cure, until now, insulin will have to do.

So as finals approach, and I find myself reaching towards chocolate instead of carrots, I’ll take what i’ve learned and realize I can have one square, and then eat the carrots and pretend that I am eating chocolate. They say seeing is believing… well if I see the chocolate and eat the carrots… that works too, right?

There actually might be such a thing as too much icing, but there is not such a thing as too much beach. I miss Florida sometimes.

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Stay warm you beautiful people~

~XOXO

Fashionable Friend of the Month: Crystal

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With fashionable fabulous friends like mine, they deserve to be acknowledged. This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the amazing people in my life– and thankful they share my love for clothes and all things fashion.

Crystal, the stunnah featured this month, hails from Atlanta, Georgia. She studies Public Relations at Boston University and is one of the smartest people I know. She is truly beautiful on the inside and out- and I live with her so I can vouch for that.

She struts down Com Ave. while listening to Beyonce (Sasha Fierce amiright?) with a smile on her face, stopping to say hello to the hundreds of people she knows on campus. With style like hers, who wouldn’t want to be friends with her?

Please enjoy these photos of Crystal, and the goofiness and smiles that shine through.

Stay Pretty

XOXO

Chivalry Is Dead

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Long time no blog! My bad, I’ve been wrapped up in all-things internship and classes and friends and being 20 years old in Boston. Throughout my hiatus and endeavors transversing subway lines and dodging deadlines- i’ve managed to accumulate a certain amount of anger towards… well… to be honest, towards certain members of the male species.

Okay, now before you go freaking out and begin writing a hate letter, let me preface by saying I do not hate men. I do not hate all men, In fact, I love men. I hate the lack of respect that passes as human interaction these days.

As featured in many articles, movies, t.v. series, Vlogs, digital shorts, etc., women seem to be suffering the brunt of an uptick of sexual harassment and verbal abuse cases.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1XGPvbWn0A

Now, not every cat-call warrants the title of sexual harassment, but most of these acts do, and as society accepts them as reality, we slowly transfer this form of harassment into socially acceptable interactions.

I miss the days where I could walk down the street holding hands with my mom and twister (twin sister, obvi) and not feel sexualized or violated by a look.These days, I can’t buy a power bar at the local City Co. without some man asking me to keep him “company” later. No sir, I shall not keep you company. Ladies, I know I am not alone in this. 

My question is, at what point will society realize this behavior is unacceptable? Cat-calls, inappropriate gestures and names- all make women feel smaller and objectified. I do not understand. Have these cat-calls worked in the past? Did you, sir, meet your ex-girlfriend by cat-calling her? Trying to grab her arm as she walks past you? Making eye-contact that turns into a molesting stare? What quality woman dreams of her “Prince Charming” cat-calling her heart away? News flash: NONE.

Here’s another plot-twist for you, these same cat-callers retort with an explanation of “it was just a compliment.” Last time I checked, compliments tend to bolster people, not make them feel preyed upon.

Anyways, I digress… for now.

I hope everyone stays safe and helps with this anti-cat-calling initiative. I know that I plan on having a few choice words for the next less than civil interaction I have walking down the streets of Boston or New York, or really anywhere these days.

Check out my latest articles at Bostonmagazine.com, and feel free to comment below with any ideas for future articles.

Stay Safe and Classy Boston.

XOXO