warning: sushi photo overload

I spent my beautiful 80 degree wednesday at the park across the street from my house. I packed up a book, my water bottle, my puppy, & off we went! I was working on my tan, catching up on my reading, all the while, sushi was munching and rolling around on the grass. often I feel bad about cooping her up in the apartment all day while I'm off at classes or what not; I can tell how much she appreciates being outside when I do take her out.

we spent most of the afternoon just laying outside on the grass, a rare amenity in Philadelphia. a few dogs stopped by to play and smell Sushi, including her best fellow-shiba friend, akita. of course I had to have an mini-impromptu photoshoot - particularly for sushi's instagram: sushi_the_shiba.

how cute is it that akita's tail isn't curly anymore. also, the last picture of her eating a treat & sushi just staring at her is priceless.

other than the photoshoot of sushi, the best part of the day was honestly being able to finally just relax without my phone in my hand and constantly obsessing over checking it. putting it in the bottom of my purse & just people watching was lovely. being able to disconnect, even if its only for a few hours, is a beautiful thing.

also here are some songs I've been digging, I always do this, but these songs are so dance-y.
much love for cherub lately.

here's what I'm listening to:

monogamy - cherub

&

doses and mimosas - cherub

sushi, the social media princess

If you're anything like me, you're addicted to all forms of social media. I check twitter and instagram like a nervous tick. I'm obsessed with looking at all of the pictures and just generally seeing what people are doing; something to occupy my time.

So why wouldn't I make my dog an instagram?

Yup. It happened. & It's pretty awesome, but also the lamest thing I've ever done.
After I realized 90% of the "people" I follow on my personal instagram are all just dogs, I knew she stood a chance. So what the hell. I try to post every day at least one picture of her. Sushi_the_shiba is the next ~* ig princess *~.

So follow sushi_the_shiba on insta now!

Rainy Tuesday

I generally enjoy the idea of a rainy day. Finally having a good excuse to be a hermit and stay inside and drink tea. Music always seems to sound better on a rainy day and showers feel so much more refreshing - am I right?

The idea of going out in the rain is a totally different story.

I always thought I enjoyed the rain until I moved to a city, where doing anything requires walking and walking outside at that. You really just haven't experienced rain until your umbrella flips inside out and you get completely soaked or if a car splashes up rain water (sex and the city reference is real). Basically, living in the city sucks when its raining.

My dog agrees with me on this motto. She refuses to go outside when it rains and would absolutely rather hold it in for another day. I bought her a rain jacket and she looks adorable even if she was completely embarrassed and absolutely hid behind me when other dogs walked by.

Here's what I'm listening to:

The Trapeze Swinger - Iron & Wine

Loving/Hating Philadelphia

Christ Church 

After moving full-time to the city of brotherly love over eight months ago, I have had many ups and downs with the city. Moving from a city like New York City, where every place is extremely accessible via public transportation, and then moving to Philadelphia.. makes me frustrated to say the least. Trust me, if you have ever had to deal with SEPTA you know what I am talking about.

My pup at the National Constitution Center

Philly sunsets

There are also a lot of reasons to be in love with a city like this. Huffington Post has determined Philadelphia to be the most underrated city in America… and has given us 31 reasons why. If the over 200 BYOB restaurants don't make you fall in love, then going to a Phillies game or grubbing out at the Reading Terminal will. I have found myself in love with the city just walking my dog in my little neighborhood. I mean whats not to love living next to a book store and a record store? Or living directly across the street from a park or even living walking distance from the Constitution Center? I walk my dog past Betsy Ross's house every night for christ sake.

If that isn't convincing, Philly is also significantly cheaper than living in Manhattan and being a college student, cheap is my favorite word. I also came across this article for doing Philly on a budget. Basically, I will be definitely doing a lot of what is in that article when it gets warmer out and so should you!

In case you haven't noticed, I gave my blog a little touching up over the weekend. My new banner even has a little Sushi in it! (It's really iiwaken, a Japanese cartoon Shiba Inu that happens to look exactly like Sushi) I guess my Myspace html days are really coming back to haunt me in a surprisingly positive way.

My weekend was spent pretty much just as I had stated on Friday: studying. I am procrastinating at this very moment for my three exams tomorrow. I'm sorry but if I cram my head with any more american government, biology, or anthropology I will absolutely stick needles in my eyeballs.

After classes on Friday I came home and Sushi and I went on a lovely adventure around my neighborhood. We meandered to a pier that overlooks New Jersey, watched the melting ice on the Delaware River float by and relaxed in the finally "warm" sun. The Race Street Pier is one of my favorite hidden spots in Philadelphia - total zen area for me. We also got lost in the bookstore next to my apartment and I took home some F. Scott Fitzgerald. Later, boyfriend came over and we got some delicious sushi at a local restaurant the size of a closet. Yummy things come in small restaurants? Is that a thing? We fell asleep with full bellies & watching Game of Thrones.

Portobello mushroom & zucchini pizza

Saturday I crammed for the exams and made us a lovely dinner. Since becoming a vegetarian, Pinterest has been a godsend. Before finding the website, I was basically just eating pasta (with the post-stomach pains, unknowingly I needed to be eating gluten free) or salad. Boyfriend found me at a good time because I am utilizing the Food & Drink category like no other and making some goddamn delicious food.  I made portobello mushroom & zucchini pizzas. Super easy & quick meal - got good reviews from me & the boyfriend too!

I hope you all had a lovely & relaxing weekend!

Not really relevant to anything but this video is hilarious. Guys have no idea how much anything we use/wear costs. at all.  I guess I should know this by now considering my boyfriend definitely has not even the slightest idea what I spend on anything related to being a female. Thanks for sharing Rubi!


 




Here's what I'm listening to: Making Plans for Nigel - Nouvelle Vague & Fade Into You - Mazzy Star

Owning a dog is one of the most positive experiences a human can have. I know there are cat people out there but honestly... you're wrong and I hate you. Cat people are a different type of people, mostly because all they can do is not shut up about how much they love cats. I really do hope that such people end up living alone with their dream of a million cats. Thats how much they piss me off. 

Since I adopted my pup, I find myself generally happier as a person. If the ability to wake up every morning and spend at least five minutes cuddling with an adorable fluff ball doesn't already put my day off to a good start, I'm really not sure what would. She is always down for cuddles and sleeping, basically the only two ways to my heart. She is basically the perfect dog for me too, so I am extremely grateful every day for her. She is always on her best behavior and it is the best situation for me, being that I am a full-time college student. I have barely any time to train a puppy or a misbehaved dog, so her perfect behavior couldn't have worked out better for me. Basically, I'm bragging about how perfect my dog is. Sorry not sorry.

My recommendation would be to adopt a dog ASAP if you are considering it. According the the US Humane Society Organization, there are about 2.7 million pets that aren't adopted every year. Many people are convinced that the only way to get a dog is from a breeder or a pet store - you are wrong!! If anything, you could save yourself thousands of dollars. I adopted Sushi for only $90 at a local kill shelter in New Jersey. A Shiba Inu at a breeder would have cost me anywhere from $500 to $2,000, not including the vet bills or the spaying/neutering, which she was lucky enough to have previously been spayed prior to my adoption. 

People are also concerned that they "aren't sure what the are getting" when they adopt a pet from a shelter. Yes, it is true that sometimes dogs come with baggage, just like people. I will tell you from experience, the only animals I've had issues with were the ones that my family had bought from a pet store. A dog that we had bought from a local pet store was extremely sick when we first brought him home, and went on to have severe unstable mental problems. Shelters perform many tests on the animals when they are taken in to make sure they are suitable for specific homes (kids, other cats, etc.) to make sure that they can best fit the animals to an owner. 

Another issue people have is that they prefer buying puppies over older dogs. Puppies are super cute, but they come with huge responsibilities and are extremely time consuming. The first few months of having a puppy requires house-training, which takes a lot of energy and is extremely frustrating.. especially with your adorable puppy continuously is pissing on your favorite oriental rug. They also require just general training… leash training, teaching them basic commands, etc. I never had to deal with any of these aspects because Sushi is an older dog, and luckily, came as a huge bonus that she was already trained. I'm not guaranteeing that every dog at a shelter is going to be trained, but there is obviously a higher percentage than adopting a newborn puppy. 

Adopting has always been the right choice for me, and it should be the right choice for you too! I've been adopting all kinds of animals from rabbits to dogs for almost my entire life, if anyone has any questions be sure to ask me. Sushi has been happy ever since I brought her home and I couldn't be happier with my choice. I hope you make the right one when considering bringing an animal into your life. 

Christmas at the Parents

I haven't had the ability to blog for a bit because I was at my parent's house and mostly I would be hiding at my boyfriend's house without a computer. Sorry!

(Christmas Sushi!)

Christmas at my parent's house was probably a similar experience as everyone when they move out of the house: full of awkwardness and trying to find any opportunity to spike your drink. Our usual Christmas Eve traditions were carried out as usual. The family hangs our stockings on Christmas Eve, reads 'Twas a Night Before Christmas aloud to everyone, and then watches a Christmas Story. Luckily this year I was able to have about three glasses of wine, anisette, and some Maker's Mark and Dr. Pepper. Because of all of that though I was definitely falling asleep after the leg lamp scene during the movie. I was so tired on Christmas Eve I couldn't wrap my presents last minute like I usually do but just passed out instead. 

My mom woke me up at the crack of dawn the next morning. She gets way more excited Christmas morning than I have in over ten years. After peeling myself from my pillow and realizing that I was awake before most of the earliest birds in the morning, I dragged myself downstairs to realize that my parents had put the presents out at God knows what hour in the night. We all opened our presents for a few hours and I sipped multiple mimosas with the concentration levels mostly favoring champagne. Mostly I had received a few books and perfumes I had asked for and this five-in-one music player. Basically it plays any form of music you can think of, from vinyl records to my iPod. It's dope as fuck. Thanks Santa/Dad! I've been playing my Black Keys and Nick Drake records all morning. All in all, Christmas at my house was pretty good this year especially because our family was finally altogether.. and I was drunk most of the time. 

(Christmas Day outfit)

(Mimosas, presents & Sushi)

(Sushi wanting to open her stocking)

My Dog & I Have Too Much In Common

About two months ago I adopted my own first dog from an animal shelter near my parent's home. Our first introduction was while we were pulling into the driveway I saw them bringing in a dog that seemed as though it had ran away and I turned to my mom and sappily said, "Aw! Cute! A shiba inu!". Later, upon being escorted back to look at the dogs, I saw her once more staring at me with an expression on her face that was almost like she was judging me. While all of the other dogs scarily charged the gates and barked ravenously, she was making subconscious comments about my outfit, or the way I smelled.. which was probably like Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and egg and cheese bagels. Not only was she eyeing me up and down, but she almost seemed to disapprove. It was scrutiny at first sight.. so I took her home to my apartment.

So two months have since passed and I have realized that we have a lot more than in common than just how we both enjoy judging people. I'm not sure if I relate to dogs or just specifically my dog, but our favorite past times are all similar: eating, sleeping, and judging people. It has been a match made in human-doggie heaven since.

Also, above is a photograph I took of her doing two out of three of our favorite activities: rolling her eyes me and lounging around.
Since I live alone, most of the time I use the bathroom with the door cracked. She seems to enjoy coming and and staring/judging me while I am sitting on the toilet. Below is proof.