Thursday, November 14, 2013

5 Things I Can't Live Without

I am a huge fan of lists. I am constantly making them throughout the day, and they really can range from a typical to-do list (or five), to a list of people I need to check in on, to a grocery list, etc etc etc. Consider this post the first of many of my lists that I share with you! Here are the top 5 things I can't live without: 

1. Coffee/Coffee Shops


I am 150% dependent on caffeine, and I really don't like soft drinks so my coffee intake is off the charts. Really, I was that girl that became a Starbucks Gold Card member at the age of 16. I became dependent on coffee in high school as a result of trying to balance my school work with all my extracurriculars, and have been hooked ever since.

I really love local coffee places more than the ever popular Starbucks. Starbucks is great, and I drink Pike's Roast every morning from my Keurig, but local coffee shops are just so cool, and in my opinion, carry better roasts. My favorite coffee spots in Charlottesville are Para and Mudhouse (Para is pictured above.) Para is cool because it's only a 15 minute walk from my dorm, and they have a really cool upstairs area with tables and comfy chairs to work. Mudhouse is absolutely amazing, but I have to take a bus to get there. All their employees are coffee nerds, and they even offer classes on the weekends for people to take on the basics of coffee tasting! Once things calm down, I am definitely going.

2. Books


As Thomas Jefferson plainly states it, "I cannot live without books." Books are great, and I really try to read for pleasure as much as I can - I am currently tackling The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle... but it's slow going considering I am genuinely more than 600 pages behind in my reading for my Politics class (two days out of class and this is what happens). Pictured above is my favorite place at UVa to read - The McGregor Room in Alderman Library. It is referred to as the Harry Potter room, because it looks exactly like the Gryffindor common room.

3. Arm Parties


Arm parties are basically magic - they can turn any casual outfit into a dressy one, which is perfect for me because I am usually in a rush to get to everywhere due to my busy schedule. Because I am left-handed, I party on my right arm, which is a little unconventional, but I think that makes it even more of a party... maybe? 

4. Artistic Expression


Though I am definitely on the novice status in terms of artistic expression, I really do love it and do it as often as I can because it is my number one stress reliever. My friends think it's super weird that I Photoshop for fun, but I find it weirdly calming. I also love to paint, but the dorm environment isn't very conducive to that. I will definitely be making up for lost time over Christmas break with lots of painting! 

5. Avocados


This one is a little weird, but it's also really spot on. I can't remember the last time I went out for breakfast and didn't order an avocado on the side, and in Tampa I eat guacamole every day. If there is anything on a restaurant menu that has avocado on it, I order it with no questions asked. My favorite lunch time treat is a provolone grilled cheese sandwich with a avocado and balsamic vinaigrette... yum. I can't get enough.

What are 5 things you can't live without?


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