New Tips Group - Snacks!

You don't have to rely on a cheeseburger for that afternoon energy fix, or a bag of chips for a midnight snack. You have choices out there, from healthy things to not-so-healthy things; and you can have fun things to do while you're having snacks. Part of the fun of enjoying your food is getting to share the experience (not necessarily the food) with somebody else.

Now, then, get some savings together, because you will have to treat yourself some time. Watch this site for more snack ideas - not to mention mini get-together ideas so that you don't end up obsessed with work and study. Work hard, play hard - eat smart.

New Tips Group - Be a Kid

The difference between being childish and being childlike is not at all subtle.

CHILDISH - throw a tantrum, blame others for your faults, play stupid and harmful tricks on people, turn people into playthings (in so many different ways, both decent and indecent)

CHILDLIKE - want to learn new things (not new things about people to the point that you end up gossiping), be happy with the smallest things, TRUST

The last is not something that you can learn from this blog, and neither is it something that you can learn in a day or two. It's something that you will have to learn on your own, and it can take years to work out.

As for this blog, it's just meant to help you find ways to feel like a kid again.

And with that, I welcome you to a new category! The Feel Like a Kid Again tips are meant to re-introduce you to your childhood favorites, from Play-Doh to Lego. Ever wonder why kids can spend an entire afternoon just sitting down and playing with clay, while you're seething at your computer and hoping to escape?

Let's not go psychological over this. You probably get the picture by now.

So hey, don't be afraid to be a kid! Watch this blog for more posts on how you can have fun for a few hours as you relive your childhood days with your old friends, furry or mechanical.

Journal Keeping, TIP #1

I know, I know, this sounds like one of those Oprah things where you have to stare off into space and ruminate on the world while chewing on the cud of your troubles.

It's slightly like that, except that you don't have to stare off into space, and you can actually chew on something edible and nice while journalling.

I am now filing a whole host of journal keeping tips and ideas, so stay tuned!

Your first tip, grad student, chained office worker, person generally alienated from the world, is to discard all your negative notions about journal keeping. If you can, read this list aloud to yourself.

First, journal keeping is not about being weepy and telling your notebook how unlucky you are, and what a martyred mortal you are for being in such a quagmire/rut/mess.

Second, you don't have to write every single day. You don't even have to KNOW how to write well. Who's checking, anyhow?

Third, you set your time for writing in your journal. You don't have to do it when you get up in the morning, or while your experiment is running, or before you go to bed. Write when you want to.

Fourth, you don't need to just write; you can put in memorabilia from your walks or your travels, like those dried autumn leaves, that nice piece of squirrel tail, or that ballpen you stole from your crush in class. Ok, maybe not the squirrel tail.

Fifth, if you run out of ideas, you can always check back here. No kidding. I have verbal diarrhea when it comes to giving writing advice.

So - watch out for more journaling tips!

Here's to Insanity - the Only Way Back to Not Being Crazy

Dear World,

I am a graduate student. I have the workload of a workhorse. And I have the sanity of -

I do not have any sanity.

However, I have not lost hope. There are a few things in life that come free for those looking for a quick fix-my-head-up fix. There are ways to stay sane, and sometimes, all you need is a little know-how.

So this blog goes out to all of you, who are chained to your office desks, to your study desks, to your houses, to your jobs and your work and your books and your studies. This blog goes out to everyone who wants to be sane by being insane once in a while.

Let's get our sanity back!



NOTE: Do link back to me, and do post comments! If you have questions and suggestions on little ways that people can keep their sanity and stay happy, do post your comments! Welcome to the blog!

New Tips Group - Share it With Friends

Share anything with your friends whenever you can: recipes, love stories, heartbreak stories, this blog...

I have a new tips group, this time devoted to stuff that you and your friends can do when you are hanging out. And no, this will not involve body shots, binge drinking, drag racing, or taking drugs. My techniques are wholesome, thank you very much; they're ridiculous, too, so you're welcome.

My first tip: don't be afraid to be ridiculous.

I don't mean wrapping your heads in stockings and hanging out at the local cafe while constantly checking your briefcases, or suddenly jumping onto your table at the restaurant and reciting to all and sundry the Declaration of Independence - backwards.

I mean conversations, topics, subjects of discussion, and new schools of thought (or castles in the sky) that you can build while you sip your coffee or chew on your burgers.

Don't be afraid to laugh. In a world like ours, we need smiles and happiness. Badly.