Certified Orgo

To keep myself from going insane in times of extreme work, I have a good number of de-stress activities. When I am not pulling all-nighters and am eating regularly, I run a mile or two daily. I read some non-fiction fun before going to sleep. I watch television on Hulu, the guilt of procrastination alleviated by the reflection in my mirror that tells me my roommate is doing the same thing behind me.

I also find that taking some time to nurture something each day diverts me from the path to overworked-depression. Since we're not allowed to have pets in the dorms, and I had not handled the deaths of my last two fish-companions very well, I keep a potted plant with me instead. I grow a lot of my herbs and flowers out of seed babies and the joy of stumbling back into the room after a long day of classes + work and finding little leaflets popping out of the soil is insurmountable. When deprived of live baby animals to cuddle with, I hover over and adore my plants. I think Japan may have gotten it right when it started building cat cafes because I might be turning into the crazy-plant-lady. Not an improvement over cats.

Today, I bought a couple of plants to add to the organic garden collection in my backyard. We have a single strawberry plant, grown from a miniscule strawberry seed baby. It has five leaves right now. I adore it so much even though it's puny.

I started up another pumpkin patch this year. The roots look weak though, I need to do something about that.

Cucumber plant.

Just bought two potted eggplant plants today.

And a pepper plant.

Fabrics of a Suburban June

At the end of my run today, I tipped my head up toward the sky and saw gorgeous pinks and purples, like a painter's revenge swipe on an otherwise gray sky. I ran to get my camera and try to capture the sunset to the best of my ability, but the image quality hasn't been so great ever since I spilled some 'punch' on the thing.

Look up.



Made of red velvet.



These were raised from seed babies.



Mirages.



I see you every day.





In the middle of nowhere.

I live in a house made out of ticky tacky

For a relatively grassy and leafy place next to miles of white sand and beach, Long Island gets a lot of trash from 20 somethings for its suburban stereotypes. I live in Nassau, so from personal experience, I’ll answer some frequently asked questions.

1) Did you have Sweet Sixteens?

Yes, we did. Ranging from the spectacles you saw on MTV’s Super Sweet Sixteen to just renting out a room in a restaurant for close friends and family, it happened for most of the girls I knew. The tiaras, limos, and barechested-men-carrying-the-birthday-girl happened, as did the more sentimental moments, like sixteen candles for sixteen important people. Aw. We were mocktail connoisseurs by seventeen.

2) What are the locals generally up to?

Mall, beach, concerts, and carnivals. I hate carnival rides, so I just go to eat zeppolis. We also go to the city (NYC) and pretend to be natives there quite often.

3) Are zeppolis really delicious?

Yes.

4) Do the people from Supa Sweet Sixteen actually exist?

Now what are you really asking me, sir? Are Long Islanders materialistic? Answering in absolutes always means answering falsely. There is a pretty distinct Long Island style, and in junior high and high school, we went through phases. There was the Hot Topic stage, the Juicy Couture phase, the phase in which everyone wore Abercrombie and Hollister, the Tiffany’s phase, the phase in which everyone made bracelets out of the plastic ring that came out of the cap of Coke bottles, etc. I would label it a problem of conformity rather than a problem of spoiled materialism. Most people I knew worked part-time after school (tutoring, cashier jobs, etc.) to pay for what they wanted to buy, even if their families were affluent. If what we want to battle is conformity, pls look to San Antonio teens.

Do it Long Island teens! Neva congregate in front of Hollister again!

5) Was the Long Island Iced Tea really made in Long Island?

The Briad Group claims that T.G.I. Friday’s invented the Long Island Iced Tea, although wiki entries generally attribute the drink to a mysterious bartender working in the Hamptons. Well, since T.G.I. Friday’s was launched in New York City in 1965, and the Long Island Iced Tea supposedly originated sometime around the early 1970s, it’s very likely it was Long Island inspired. But those over twenty one beware: the Long Island Iced Tea doesn’t actually have any tea in it. It is named an iced tea simply for its appearance, and it is actually one part tequila, four parts more-liquor, mixed with coke, ice, and lots of something sour.

Why the FAQ? I’m staying in the suburbs for the summer, but no FMLs. I plan to keep myself busy.