Healthy, Happy...and Gluten-Free

Food allergies are terrible. To name just a few ways in which allergies can be the worst things ever: Some people with nut allergies experience such a severe reaction to even infinitesimal amounts of nuts that they can’t go to baseball games because they might inhale particles floating around from all the peanut shelling. People with milk allergies get to discover that “whey,” a cheese-making byproduct, is in everything from ice cream and cottage cheese (where you’d expect it to be) to pastries and crackers (well, obviously, once you put the cheese on there…no. BEFORE the cheese. IN the cracker). And to people with soy allergies: respect. You guys are soldiers. I don’t know what you eat instead of food, seeing as soy is added to just about every product in the Western world, but whatever it is, you give me hope.

Unfortunately, millennials and subsequent generations seem to be more afflicted with food allergies than generations past, possibly because the Western diet has made us more susceptible to developing such sensitivities.

Budgeting Made Easier

Money, it seems very simple when its viewed from the principle of spending or not spending. Having the room to spend or not is basically how I used to manage my finances. I don't think I ever had terrible spending habits, except for using my credit cards as an extension of my income. When the credit cards popped, the burst effect in my pocket didn't leave room for much. Regardless of how much I was making, I always had the same problem, I'd run out of funds before time. I knew I had to revise my money strategy.

Newport Folk Festival To Go

Photo by Ryan Mastro Photography

A few years ago, after a series of likes and dislikes on Pandora lead me to Justin Bieber and subsequently away from the cute guy looking my way from the neighboring treadmill, I decided to rework my musical algorithm. Cue Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan, Ray LaMontagne, and Iron & Wine, to name a few. Yes, folk music! I don't always understand the lyrics, and definitely can't unfold those complicated melodies, but I always feel at ease when I listen. 

This weekend I'll be posted up at the annual Newport Folk Festival, pretending I own one of those gorgeous sailboats around Fort Adams in Newport, Rhode Island.

The (Twenty-Something) Idiot's Guide to Bitters

Gone are the days when it was acceptable for our generation to be spied sipping on a White Russian, Whiskey Sour (or its weaker and even more shameful cousin, the Midori Sour), or Long Island Ice Tea. I ordered a Long Island this St. Patty’s Day—mostly for old times’ sake, and because it’s in the best interest of a sober millennial at a bar full of undergraduate youngins to dispense with sobriety as quickly as possible—and was appalled by just how foul it was. Yet I downed those babies every weekend for almost four years of college. How could I have been so misguided?
 

Wawa: Fueling the 20-Somethings

Morning is my favorite time of day. I rise with the sun and greet the day nearly every morning at 6 am, much to the bewilderment of my other 20-something roommates. There is nothing I enjoy more than waking up to a quiet house and sitting on my back porch with a good book and fresh cup of coffee. But not just any coffee.

Food (And Drink) For Thought

Until this past winter there were few things I looked forward to more than nice meals out and a few cocktails to wash them down. It was my reward for slaving behind a desk all week.

And then, come January, I found out I was pregnant.

Housesitting as a Travel Method?

My boyfriend and I have a pretty modern setup with our jobs: we both work remotely. One of the major advantages of this setup is that we can take our jobs with us wherever we go. Last winter, for example, we stayed with family in California for three weeks and only took three vacation days. Needless to say, winter on the west coast was way more enjoyable for us than our good ol' Boston winter.

Come September, what's been keeping us in Boston (my graduate studies) will no longer be relevant (I'll be graduated). In light of our imminent freedom, we've decided not to renew our lease and to spend the next year traveling around the country. Sounds pretty cool, right?

Free Fun: Geocaching

So there we are, my boyfriend and I, attempting to be inconspicuous on the Boston side of the Charles river, but we are floundering. I'm laughing and failing as look-out, and Patrick is trying figure out where it’s hidden. Of course, everyone and their mother is out for a walk and they are watching us inspect this tree like a work of art. But finally, a gap opens in the traffic of people, and Patrick moves some debris around, shoves his hand in the tree, and pulls out a Nalgene bottle filled with stuff. We found our first geocache.

Alternative Friday Nights

Last Friday night I was invited to go dancing in downtown Boston. Multicolored drinks in large plastic buckets, loud music, and close proximity to curious smelling strangers- the whole delightful experience. It had been a long week of class and work and the gym (that one time), so I wasn't exactly feeling energized. In fact, I can't remember a Friday in the past month where I felt up to going out. So I've been using Fridays to explore Boston at my leisure. Here are a few Friday night alternatives for the weary, but social:

Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA

1. An old movie at an old theater- The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge and Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline are two of my favorite independent movie houses. Where else can you see Casablanca for half the price of a regular movie ticket?
2. Dinner- Possibilities are endless here, but I recommend anything Italian in the North End. I have yet to go wrong.
3. Trivia night- Hosted at Joshua Tree in Brighton, 21st Amendment in Beacon Hill, or The Tam downtown- to name a few.

The Esplanade docks, Boston, MA

4. The Esplanade- take a stroll by the Charles and relax on the Esplanade's public docks. They're perfect for relaxing with a good book or a good friend.

Reduce Your Travel Stress: Pack Light and Carry-on

During a month-long visit to Israel this summer, I took a trip to Morocco with my company. Packing for Morocco was easy. I took pretty much everything I'd brought to Israel for the month. I packed all of my casual clothes for the daytime, the three dresses I had with me for the evenings, and some cute tops "just in case." Needless to say I had no clothing concerns in Morocco.

But I had some serious concerns when we landed back in Tel Aviv and my suitcase was missing. At first, these concerns were abated by a conversation I had with a fellow passenger whose bag also didn't show. She said this happens to her all the time, and that the bag would arrive at my doorstep within two days. I was also somewhat reassured by the fact that nearly half of my coworkers didn't get their suitcases, either.

Walking: Free, Easy, Accessible

At the risk of sounding like a 65-year-old grandmother, I’d like to come clean. I walk for exercise.


This wasn’t always the case. In high school I did a different sport each season. When I was in college, I ran outside. Then running began to hurt my knees and I transitioned to using the gym four times a week — working out on the Elliptical and swimming.


Last fall, I moved to Boston for graduate school. My budget was strictly curtailed and I thought a great way to save money was to use my school’s gym versus buying a membership for $70+ per month. While this plan seemed like a practical one, in reality I never seemed to make it down to my school’s gym. Seriously never. Not once. In other words, I am that girl from the Tufts Heath Plan that Keira alluded to in an earlier post. So, I had to find another way to work exercise into a hectic schedule.

Break Away from the Grab-and-Go

As a twenty-something-year-old student juggling work, classes, internships, and friends, I need a space to simultaneously unwind and tackle my ever-growing workload, a refuge that combines the comforts of home with the structure of a classroom. Coffee shops provide the idyllic setting for me to write, relax, and recharge with delicious cups of freshly brewed coffee. Luckily, most major cities offer a plethora of such retreats for busy, young professionals to grab-and-go if they’re on the run, or to sit, sip, and collect their thoughts.

Party on Wheels

So I found myself, not all that long ago and against my much better judgment, on a party bus.

Cheap Beer Was Built for Summer

I am all about the microbrew. About the care that goes into a single bottle, the unique flavor that each yeast brings to the process, the story behind the product.

But I recently shared a precious moment with a Narragansett.  It was a very hot summer evening, sticky and uncomfortable. Someone thrust a red, green, and white sweating can into my hand. To tell the truth, what I really needed was water, but it was a backyard BBQ and this can of beer was the next best thing. The Narragansett was light, crisp, and seemed to pair well with whatever I ate — from hamburger to fruit salad to the microbrew I enjoyed after.

Later that week, while browsing the coolers at the liquor store, those same tallboy cans caught my eye. I walked past them, and then retraced my steps. They were imbued with the mythical qualities of that hot summer moment. I grabbed a six-pack. This was the first time I’d bought “cheap beer” in several years. I think I was scarred from too many years of Mountain Creek Classic Lager in college (which cost $8 for a 30-pack in Beloit, WI).