I Ate 100 Tacos In 100 Days And This Is What I Learned

New Years Resolutions are always a hard thing. I hate them. I think it’s stupid that when a new year rolls around in that moment when the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops you should magically make yourself a better person in one specific way.

However, this year I decided despite my qualms with New Years Resolutions, I was gonna make one and it was going to be ridiculous. And thus was born: #100daysoftacos which consisted of me eating a different taco, every day, for 100 days (you can check out the quest on my Instagram which I did for proof -Pics or it didn’t happen, am I right?!). At this point, it doesn’t really matter how or why it came about but it did, and I did it, and hell if I didn't I learned a few things along the way

1)  Your Friends are Super Supportive (when they feel like it)

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to go on a diet or give up a vice but I have and I never get more than a week or two in before caving. And honestly, while I clearly put the most blame on myself for not having the will power, I also put a pretty hefty amount of blame on my friends.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a large, strong, amazing network of friends that I would be nothing without, however, those super amazing people are always on the sidelines, while I’m trying to diet or cut back on drinking, with a cheeseburger and pint of tequila in hand, waiting for me to cave. I believe their passive-agressive non-support is a strong combination of loving me the way I am and not wanting me to be healthier than they are. And I am no better. For Christ's sake, I’m a bartender, which is basically the Latin translation for “instigator”.

BUT TELL YOUR FRIENDS YOU WANT TO EAT 100 TACOS IN 100 DAYS and they’re the most supportive human beings on the face of the planet, Earth. I had friends give me all their best taco recommendations in the city, ask to come on taco dates with me, make tacos for me and even deliver me tacos. I had people send me gift certificates for taco joints, every day at least 10 people asked me, “How are the tacos going? “, “Did you have a taco yet today?," I've been made into a meme (pictured above right), I've seen every funny taco article, video, and meme on the internet, and even received taco fan mail (picture below right).

I'm making a vow right now that if you decide you want to be vegan, go on a diet, loose a specific amount of weight, give up smoking, become buddhist, or anything else as long as I’m not morally against it, I WILL SUPPORT YOU IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE!  Because doing something that not a lot of people do sucks, and is super hard especially when doing it alone and I couldn’t have possibly gone through with eating 100 Days of Tacos without the ridiculous love and support of my family and friends.

2) Power to all the Vegans, Vegetarians, Pescatarians, people with Food Related Allergies, on a Gluten-Free Diet and Picky Eaters around the world..

Jesus. I have a new found respect for you amazing humans. All I did was decide to eat tacos for 100 days and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever committed to do. It was a lifestyle change, not a serious one, but a change nonetheless. Everyday my schedule revolved around somehow finding a taco. It was frustrating to be invited to dinner and find out that there were no tacos on the menu (god forbid). I admire all the adversity and challenges you face every day when just trying to consume a meal and being the best version of yourself.

3) There are A LOT of Mediocre Tacos in Pittsburgh (and probably any place that isn’t in the Southern or Western regions of the United States)

I feel like this shouldn’t really come as a surprise but it’s definitely true. I had very few outstanding tacos, only a couple of terrible tacos, I did have a few surprisingly-not terrible tacos, but mostly the tacos were just fine.  I refuse to give any ratings or opinions on specific tacos because despite eating a lot of tacos, I, in no way, find myself to be a taco-connoisseur and the point was not to praise or bash any establishment. It was in pure fun and ranking food establishments is always going to make someone feel shitty. Not my jam. All tacos fed me well and I appreciate all the places who helped me in completing my quest.

Also- there are more fish tacos in the city of Pittsburgh than any other kind of taco. I swear to God. I haven’t, for the life of me been able to discover why, but that’s a damn fact. If you know why- GET AT ME, SON.

4) Corn Tortillas Are Good But No One Knows How To Cook Them Properly So They Suck

Corn Tortillas are just like Brussel Sprouts. Brussel Sprouts are terrible and bitter if you over-cook them which is why everyone hated them until the last like 5 years or whatever. Corn Tortillas are the same way. Unless you have someone cooking them properly you’re gonna hate them. And there are only a few places in Pittsburgh doing it right. THIS IS A TEACHABLE MOMENT. There’s always room for improvement. #learning

5) It Doesn’t Matter, None Of This Matters

I ate tacos for 100 days. So what? I now have a taco philosophy. So what? I can pretty much tell you every restaurant in the city that has tacos on their menu. So what? I have a few taco opinions. So What? And I gained a decent little taco belly. So what?

For me this quest started out funny and then got pretty annoying. I hope it brought a little amusement for some but all in all it didn’t matter. I promise that if I ever decide to do something for 100 Days ever again or make another New Years Resolution it’s going to be invested in making the world a better place.

Peace, Love && Tacos.

The 208 Times It Wasn't About "The Mother" and Why It Still Isn't

I gave you a week to release all your frustration and anger about the series finale of HIMYM via social media outlets, reading and reposting Buzzfeed article after Buzzfeed article, bitching to all your friends over drinks, and, of course, the personal wallowing. But the time has come for you to discover that in fact the series finale of HIMYM was the perfect ending but you're too emotionally connected to the fictional characters to see it. [Yeah, I know you're not supposed to insult the readership in the first paragraph but, “SUIT UP!”]

First, you must understand that I get it. I'm a TV junkie. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the amount of TV that I keep up with during the week equates to the hours of a full time job. I feel the connection. I cried, I laughed, and I felt heartbreak for the past 9 years with Ted, Marshall, Barney, Lily, Robin, and the 13.1 million of you who all watched last week and most likely have been watching all along for all 208 episodes. But let's get it straight. You're mad because you finally accepted that Ted and Robin weren't right for each other because the writers for the past 7 years (since Ted and Robin broke up in Season 2, SEASON 2 PEOPLE) have been writing, line after line, about how Ted and Robin could never work. And you were mad. We were all mad. We all wanted Robin to be the mother. But the more the writers wrote why it wouldn't work, the more we began to accept and believe it.

You're mad because the writers convinced you they weren't meant be. And you believed them and then they gave you the biggest plot twist of your life [which BTW good on them!] AND YOU FELL FOR IT. They had you convinced for 7 years that Robin wasn't going to end up with Ted because it's supposed to be a story about how Ted meets the mother and Robin isn't the mother so how could this possibly be the finale?!

Here's where you say, “YOU'RE MAKING MY CASE FOR ME, IT'S ABOUT HOW TED MET THE MOTHER. IT'S IN THE TITLE!!”

And you're right...that is the title but there is a line in the last 5 minutes of the show that maybe you forgot about because 4 minutes later you were just so angry that he ends up with Robin. THE LINE is from Ted's daughter, Penny, who tells it like it is...

 

"You made us sit down and listen to this story about how you met mom. Yet mom is hardly in this story. No, this is a story about how you're totally in love with Aunt Robin. And you're thinking about asking her out and you want to know if we're OK with it."

And that was the show. “How I Met Your Mother” was just a title, not some gigantic 9 year ruse to keep up ratings. Everything that has happened since the show began is about how Ted is in love with Robin and how selfless and true that love is. He continues, episode after episode, whether as a couple or as friends, to go to the moon and back for her. So while we were convinced it could never work out, thanks to those pesky writers, it also shouldn't have come as a shock. Those same damn writers ensured in almost every episode that you knew that Ted had the most beautiful, unwavering, true, and selfless love for Robin even until the very end when she's going to marry Barney, he loved her so much he let her go.

I could go through the another 17+ examples of why the writers and show creators did a stand up job and why this shouldn't be ranked as one of the worst finales of all time or I could just leave you with this.

The title was “How I Met Your Mother” not “How I Met The Love of My Life” and that's something that's honest, and true, and messy and sometimes how life works out. If you reflect a little deeper and a little harder, I don't think you're mad about fictional characters and story lines, I think you're mad because no one wants to believe that they don't get to marry the love of their life.

I Live In A Townhouse With Cats

A year ago, as a wide-eyed senior in undergrad I thought I had it all figured out. I had a full-time job offer, I was counting down the days until graduation and I could see the light at the end of a year old long distance relationship.

I was so excited for the next chapter of my life to begin and don't get me wrong, I don't miss school. I miss every social aspect of college but I don't miss staying up late writing papers, studying till my eyeballs dry out, and sitting through lectures. I actually enjoy paying bills, living on my own and figuring it all out but IT'S SO FREAKING STRESSFUL.

And I have a reputation to protect. A reputation of fearlessness and cold-hearted sarcasm. Stress for me results in slight panic attacks, which as you can see, doesn't fit well with my reputation.

Another thing that doesn't fit well into my reputation - my current status of being madly in love with my roommates cat. Damnit. A person like me doesn't feel love for animals (Sarah McLachlan's commercials help out a great deal with that) ESPECIALLY cats. Gross. If anything my personality constitutes that I should be a dog person.

If blogging were the appropriate format for hashtags I would do this right now #whitegirlproblems #fosho

I know these just seem like random strining of thoughts and feelings but they boil down to this. I no longer feel like myself. I no longer know or understand where I'm going.

So who am I? What do I have left? I've done a lot of refelecting recently (which apparently results in blogging?) and I came up with an answer that I've known all a long but really lost sight of in the past year.

The most important thing in my life are the people in it because they're the ones who are going to be supporting me and keep me going. I definietely feel as though I haven't been doing my part in nurturing these relationships in the last year as I tried to focus on myself but this is my wake-up call. I'm embracing life with all it's stress, cats, and relationships.

"How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to."

Apparently I've decided today is going to be the day I blog again after over a year. It's also the day I've realized why I never blog. I only blog when I' m having a lot feelings about something and writing about it makes me feel better (as it does to many people). However anyone that knows me, sees the irony in this. I have very few feelings, hence why I don't blog.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a cold-hearted bastard (although sometime I wonder...) it's just I don't really care. It takes a lot to get my emotions flowing. However today happens to be one of those days which is why I am finding myself blogging.

To understand completely you need a little backstory: 4 years ago I came to Temple University and the number of people who I knew in a 100 mile radius you could count on one mutilated hand. And it was awesome! I got exactly what I wanted out of the college experience: a fresh start. I have met so many amazing people (also a lot of stupid people) but more importantly life-long friends.

One of those amazing people as well as life-long friends I have to say goodbye to tonight. They're moving on to another place and in another month so will I. At that time we'll no longer have our shared place to return and reunite in. And it's hitting me. Hitting me hard.

This individual in the course of a single academic year has managed to top the ranks in the best friend category. A year ago it would have been hard enough to imagine someone so amazing come into my life and it's even harder now to come to terms that she won't be down the hall when I did to decide what shoes to wear, or in my room cooking dinner for me when I come, or offering to drive me to the bus at 7 am and not taking no for an answer.

I've had a lot of roller coasters in the past few years when it comes to making and breaking friendships but no matter how many changes the circle of mine has gone through I never like being forced to say goodbye. The worst part is I'm not a good long distance friend. I don't make an effort to stay in communication. It's not that I don't care, I just don't try. It's a character flaw and I hate it but it's one of those complicated self-defense mechanisms I'd rather not divulge. It kills me that this might be about to occur. But we'll see.

I'm not going to end this with any sappy cliches because that is definitely not me. Guess that's life.

Working For The Man

The days are so long. I can't believe it's only been a little over a month of this routine. It feels like so much longer. It's true I'm enjoying this semester but I am going strong from 7 am-7 pm daily an it's a tad exhausting. Good thing I haven't had a lot of homework yet. I just wish I didn't have so much going on so I could relax a little. I'm so tired. While this semester has been draining, it is going by so fast. I don't know how I feel about this. A lot of my close friends will be graduation and I'm not the biggest fan of being at Temple alone. I feel like there's a lot of deja vu moments to come in my future.

You would think because Temple's Health Services has told me to go into self-isolation that I would a) listen or b) update this because I have nothing better to do.... Nah :) Seriously blog, I love you but I don't have time to post or worthwhile things to say but I promise when I have both of those things I will. :)

Down With Love..?

So today is February 14th. I've really never been that into Valentine's Day and also never really properly celebrated it. The few times that I've been in a relationship during the month of February I've conveniently been out of town for the actual day. Therefore any celebrations that did occur were very laid back and completely unorthodox as far as "tradition" of the holiday goes. And I'm okay with that.

To be completely honest I'm a pretty big commitment phobe. I don't like change and so anyway I can prevent change from ever occurring is pretty okay by me. And if that means avoiding relationships, that's fine. I'm also scared shitless of the L-word. It's a pretty big thing for me to tell someone that I love them in that sense. I'm realizing that this makes me more like a guy than anything. But oh well. I feel like when it all boils down, the common theme is Valentine's Day freaks me out.

However as I rode the shuttle to and from Ambler today there was something that melted my cold heart a bit. It was honestly a sea of red. Red balloons, boxes of candy, teddy bears, flowers, the works. I truly believe that Valentine's Day is an extremely over commercialized holiday (it's worse than Christmas) and I don't understand why people need just one day a year to remind the person that they love and care about that they're thinking of them. Shouldn't you love that person unconditionally the other 364 days of the year too?

But today's sight washed away these thoughts. It was sweet to see all the people up and down the sidewalks of North Broad Street caring about others. And I thought to myself, maybe it's not such a bad thing to have one designated day out of the year to make sure the one you love knows you care. I mean it would get pretty expensive buying a dozens roses, candy, and going out to dinner every other weekend!

Even though I had new insight this holiday I don't think I'm converted into a Valentine's Day lover quite yet but I will say I don't hate it quite as much as I did February 13th.

So maybe Valentine's Day isn't as bad after all. It's just a perspective thing.

If only I were profound...

So here's the deal. I often think about writing in this silly thing but when I open a new post to record my thoughts I find that I am a very unoriginal and a not so creative person. I don't have too many profound thoughts that I wish to share with the world and it seems that nothing exceedingly interesting happens in my life that I deem it necessary to jot in my blog.

However, in a desperate measure to make this blog work I referred to the blog I had throughout high school: my dear, old Livejournal. It was fun going down memory lane but it was also a bit of a surprise to me how much I had to say back then. Some of the things I chose to write about are serious concerns for a teenage girl, and that's fine. But other things I wrote about, I don't know, it just surprised me how I adult I sounded. It kind of dissapointed me that I know longer had thoughts like these but then I had a revelation. A lot of my ramblings in my Livejournal were because I was upset or worried about something so maybe, just maybe, this is a positive thing. Maybe my life is just so amazing (with a side of insanely busy) that I have no need for a blog. Or at least I don't have the same use for a blog that I once did. But that does not mean the end of blogging career. No, not in the least. I am determined to find a new use. Hopefully it won't take too long! So until then I'll leave you a link my ridiculous Livejournal so you can amuse yourselves. It's pretty amusing. Oh lord my life.


Ciao loves.

Bring On The Tryptophan

Now that the pumpkin pie has come and gone I can truthfully state that Thanksgiving Break is not a break at all. It's an interruption that made my life more inconvenient. Don't get me wrong. I loved going home for the first time in practically four months and getting to a weekend with family and friends. However, this morning I was thrown back into the real world that is apparently my life now swamped with work to finish in these last three weeks of school.

Good News: The real break will be here in just 3 short weeks. (fingers crossed)
Bad News: Finals suck and Christmas carol's have started on the radio...yuck.

Lord, I'm such a Srooge.

Above is a picture from this past weekend of me & my sisters. Our family played football and made t-shirts. It was a definite highlight of the weekend.

A Week That Will Go Down In History.

I feel incredibly blessed. This week has been incredible for me and the rest of the world. I got to celebrate 20 years of life with the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series and Barack Obama becoming President-Elect of The United States. Change is coming in all shapes and sizes this past week.

And the best part was (especially after Monday night football yesterday)...