Weekly Musings #3: volunteering and spotify addiction addition

I know I usually do these on Fridays but this has been a pretty hectic week/weekend so I had to push it off until I had some time to myself. I'm in the two weeks of midterm exams here at uni so things have been more than a little rushed and overwhelming the past few days, so taking a break with some tea and catching up on posts is just a good way to decompress for me.
So, without further ado!

Volunteering: A couple of weeks ago, I sent in my application to volunteer at the Women's Resource Center on campus and I sat an interview and got selected! It's been a whirl-wind of getting familiar with my duties and such but it's essentially a really amazing group of feminist ladies providing a safe space, information & resources and peer support as well as a bunch of other things to the campus.
I really struggled my first year meeting like minded people and it is beyond lovely to be able to hold conversations with like minded women and take part in organizing events that are relevant to the beliefs I hold strongly. It's just been excellent for: my sense of self and mental health.

Spotify addiction: Not quite as intrinsicly meaningful as aforementioned volunteering but still something that's been making me über happy. Living in Canada, Spotify isn't a huge thing here but J got an early invitation and of course, sent me an e-mail invitation so I could peruse the amazing music libraries and playlists. I've always been a fan of music platforms like this (re: 8tracks), and it's definitely way more efficient and streamlined and has been treating me to an abundance of new songs and artists, which, is really what I'm happy about because music is so important to me and how I feel.

honorable mentions:

• Night Vale • baby biceps forming (!) • acai tea • weather finally being cool enough for scarves and boots • lovely messages from people on tumblr • vigorous debate • calls from my dad • baked goods • post run feelings • buying new school supplies • chatting with lovely girls at my bus stop • warm laundry from the dryer • collecting pins for my school bag • awaiting stuff coming in the mail • sleep overs with J • mexican food dates • massages • bright fall days • happy dogs • cross words • holding hands • finally being over my ridiculous head cold • good hair days • smiling at strangers •philosophy class  • helpful, kind customer service workers

link love:• Michelle's TilT for all things fall related - I am so here for this.
• I am so in love with the photo's Amy share of her beautiful King's College dorm.
• The Beauty Department serves it up again with this hella cool upside down cat eye makeup look.
• The Pomodoro Technique for studying is proving super effective for any other students out there!
• This stunning botanical illustration; I wish I had a hundred of these for my room. • This snarky comic totally firing some shots on this pertinent issues.

So darlin's, what made this week wonderful for you? (p.s. all photo are indeed mine)
r.

Reflection on September Goals

photo credits to: tumblr/respective photographer

Hello all! I honestly can't believe October has come around this fast - it always seems to slip my mind how fast the time goes when you're back on a semester-ized schedule. So It's time to reflect on the goals I had set for September!

1. Make time for reading
I failed horribly at this one, not going to lie. The first week I found I had the time but then my workload started getting a little more intensive and on top of trying to balance volunteering and such it slipped as a priority.
And, admittedly I've been conditioning myself to fall asleep to Netflix rather than using that time for reading, I'm ashamed to say. So that will definitely be a goal I carry into October.

2. Get to the gym on the regular 
I was doing pretty darn good with this one (baby biceps are growing folks!) until I got hit down with this absolutely horrendous head/chest cold that I'm only just getting over. I know it's some people's philosophy to push through and go to the gym regardless but I find that just hinders my healing process and I feel like a bag of crap and can't focus on my work or whatnot. But now that I'm on the flip side of better I'm carrying this over into October (ties in neatly with #teamnocheats) and hopefully make some more running and muscle progress.

3. Get organized and stay that way 

Surprisingly I did good on this one. Once I got all my respective syllabuses for all my classes, I transferred over all my relevant dates immediately, invested in a Moleskin and grabbed a daily planner from the student offices on camps and made writing all important dates and "things-to-remember" into those as soon as my professors mentioned it in class. As well I've been excellent at copying over my notes and hole-punching everything and making sure my study space is always clean and I can easily say this has contributed to my peace of mind hugely.

5. Be more aware of my spending 

Yes indeed folks, even after buying textbooks, weekly groceries, study supplies, new shoes, bus passes and such my bank statement still looks good. I posted about my views on alcohol earlier this month and ultimately decided that drinking is something I wanted to give up for a little while and just generally avoiding impulses purchases has kept me (for now) at a good place financially. in my view it's worth it to sacrifice some social events for my peace of mind of finances just in case something happens that requires a big chunk of change.

6. Document more 

I failed miserably at keeping regular diary entries but in terms of photography I've been excellent at capturing my first month back on campus via pictures. As I predicted it's been a good way to make me really look to find beauty in my every day goings on and I really appreciate past Rachel for considering this. Being able to look back at my scenic campus shots, selfies, and shots from my neighborhood makes me grateful for the opportunities and things I do have in my life.

So, that's all folks! I think I did pretty good personally - October Resolutions will be up soon and a weekly reflection! 

Have any goals for your September; how did they go?
r.