#4: Monday in my life

big apple, small worm aka me

Happy Mondee. I just found out Philly accents are on the decline thanks to millennials, so consider this my contribution to the future.

In this installment of my lovely little newsletter, I’ll be taking you through a day in my life. Why? Two reasons: 1) the majority of my subscribers come from my family tree, and I think they’d enjoy hearing about my college experience, and 2) I know I’ll like to look back on this ~chapter of my life when my time is up in New York.

I spent the entirety of my junior year in online classes, away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. It was both a blessing and a curse. I lived on a more traditional urban college campus, and got a taste of what it would be like to go to a school with spirit and on-campus coffeeshops and a whole building dedicated to athletics. Here at The New School, we have none of that, and I didn’t think I’d miss the pockets of peace I found on Temple University’s campus back when I “studied abroad” in the City of Brudderly Luv, but sometimes I do! Then I remember I’m right where I’m supposed to be—finally.

I’m sure there will be more sappy I-❤️-NY content coming at you later in the school year as graduation approaches, so I’ll keep it short for now. One of my earliest trips to Manhattan was after Thanksgiving about fifteen years ago. My parents took my sister and I to the American Girl store near Rockefeller Plaza, and we were lucky enough to each score the doll of our dreams (for those of you wondering, I got Molly and Maura got Felicity). Then we ate at Carmine’s Italian Restaurant. It was the most magical experience. Everything was large—the pasta, the buildings, the noises—and I felt important. Each time I saw the words “New York City” after that visit, my heart fluttered. Now, over a decade later, I’m a living, breathing transplant New Yorker. 🥺 Okay, on with my day. 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

MORNING

My alarm goes off at 7:30 during the week, and I’m out of bed by 8. Boring morning routine stuff happens, and once I’m in a decent outfit, I pour some cold brew in a glass and get to work at my desk. At some point I make breakfast (lately it’s been a cherry smoothie) to fuel my grind; this morning I worked on some stuff for a magazine I run on campus (check us out here, if you wish). On Mondays I like to take my time getting to school, so I leave at 9:45 to make it to my 10:15 class. I also get COVID tested every Monday, so I need an extra five minutes to do that. It’s about a fifteen minute walk to campus, and I listen to the CBS Sunday Morning podcast since I don’t have a TV and can’t watch the program when it airs on the weekends. Anyway, here are some of the sights from my walk.

My first class of the week is called “Eleven and a Half,” and we work on the promotion and production of my college’s literary magazine. This semester I’m running the Instagram account and also planning all of our events. It’s new and fun work for me. Since I worked more than usual this past weekend, I’m a bit behind on my homework, so I went to the library after class to get some menial tasks done. It’s my favorite place on campus so I relish each almost-final moment in it.

AFTERNOON

By now it’s about 12:30. This morning I actually started a baking project which needed tending to by this point in the day. I made some sourdough discard granola (recipe linked here), and then felt inspired to formally introduce myself on my food insta (final shameless plug linked HERE), so I did that. Did some more homework and vacuumed my apartment, too.

At 2:10, I “went” to my online lecture about the history of baseball in New York City. I’m not great at explaining it, but it’s more interesting than it sounds. The Langella Yankee fans would certainly enjoy it. Sometimes I multitask during this class since I’m home. Today I ate lunch while taking notes on what it means to be a “New York fan,” and I also roasted some squash to have for the week. #mealprepqueen!! Once that class is over, I pack everything back up and go to my writing workshop.

EVENING

Advanced Nonfiction lasts from 4 pm to 5:40—it’s the last class I’ll take for my major before starting my capstone project—forty pages of prose and a ten page craft essay. We use our advanced workshop as a place to draft all the work we’ll revise in the semester before graduating. It’s my toughest class, but also the most rewarding. I enjoy sharing my writing with other writers—it used to scare me, but it’s all part of the process, and something I’ve learned to appreciate over the years. Not much to report from today’s class. I discussed my ideas for my final piece of the semester with my (awesome) professor after class, and then I walked home.

In a way, my nightly routine at home mirrors my morning one: I move quickly to make sure I cross off everything on my to-do list. Tonight I worked out, submitted a proofreading assignment, made dinner, and phoned home. After huffing and puffing on the phone to my parents about how my university decided to give us zero (0!!!) days off this semester, I sat down to pen this, accompanied by a very geriatric dessert: applesauce. (After hearing how lame that sounds, I opened a bag of tortilla chips.)

Mondays leave me tired and, quite honestly, not looking forward to the rest of the week, BUT I’ve been making an effort to shift this mindset by setting intentions and writing out some affirmations in my journal to remind myself that I am that betch. 🤌 I spent the rest of the night tidying up my apartment for what Tuesday will bring—it’s an even bigger catch up day since I only have one class.

That’s all for now, folks! Thank you for making it this far, and a happy November to u & urs.

PS: Please feel free to give me a like if you enjoyed—it helps me decide what I’ll write about next. <3