Rainy Days & Introductions

October 24th 2017

Hi, my name is Jessica and it took me over 100 posts to truly introduce myself…

I am really bad at formal introductions. Some people could just sit down and tell you everything they want to about themselves and their lives and wrap it up nicely in a little bow. I am not one of those people.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am an incredibly open person who has become quite proficient at sharing information about myself and who I am, but I am just not the “stand up and tell everyone your name, what grade you’re in, what you’re majoring in, and one fun thing you did this summer” kinds of people.

However, now that I have hit over 100 posts and my follower count is growing little by little, I figured it would be as good a time as any to share a little more about myself. So without further introduction…here is my introduction:

**Update: I know this blog post is very long so I put a little subject next to each section so you can pick and choose what you wanna read**

GENERAL: Hi, my name is Jessica and I am 22 years old. I was born on February 25th 1995 and hail from the good old suburbs of Long Island, New York. People outside of New York have this common misconception that any person who says they are from New York is automatically from the city. As soon as I state that I am from the suburbs, people become far less interested in where I live.

I don’t hate the suburbs though. I get to have my own car and drive around, but if I want to explore the city, I am just an hour train ride away. Living so close to the city makes it incredibly easy for me to see concerts as well!

MUSIC: I am really into music and going to concerts is one of my favorite hobbies. I have a stub journal that I keep my tickets from almost everything I do and after counting them up recently, I have found that I have gone to over 60 concerts in the past 4 years! I really can’t pinpoint my music tastes though. I think I have come to the conclusion that I am open minded to tons of music, but often gravitate towards indie pop and any music that brings me back to my pop punk early high school days.

Some of my favorite artists include:

1. Betty Who
2. Poppy
3. Paramore
4. Misterwives
5. Grouplove
6. Missio
7. Ellie Goulding
8. Zella Day
9. Ryn Weaver
10. Jon Bellion

…and many many many more. My spotify is jessicasimeone13 if you want to hear what I am listening to!

My love for music branches out to the realm of theater as well. I have been in quite a few shows throughout my life and, living so close to Broadway theaters, seeing musicals has been a big part of my growing up and bonding with my mom and my grandmother. Broadway was originally what inspired me to start singing.

I love singing but I do it more recreationally than anything else. I performed a bit throughout college for different events, but there are no videos of those performances anywhere and I think the only video on the internet of me singing is from my high school drama production in 2013 where I had laryngitis so it wasn’t exactly my prime. I may muster up the courage to do a cover on YouTube one day though; small steps.

YOGA/SPIRITUALITY: Aside from music, one of my largest passions is yoga. I discovered yoga about 4 years ago when I started college. And when I say discovered, I really mean that I found my passion for it about 4 years ago. I was aware of yoga’s existence, but never really gave it much thought until I was able to take free classes at my college gym. I used to do yoga at home by myself using YouTube videos by a channel called Yoga with Adriene (which I would recommend to any new yogis out there), but then I started going to a studio at the beginning of 2016 where I started practicing 5 days a week in studio and focused on meditation on weekends.

I am also in the process of obtaining my yoga teaching certification which I should hopefully be done with by December, which means I can teach what I love to other people. Yoga has also helped peak my interest in metaphysical things like crystals and such, as well as inspiring to educate myself more on Buddhism!

I am not a Buddhist, I fall more under the “spiritual non-religious” umbrella if we are talking about belief system. However, I was born in a half-Jewish, half-Catholic household in which neither religion was particularly upheld or pursued. I respect people who are devoted to religion though. I find belief, whether it be spiritual or religious to be incredibly beautiful, if practiced lovingly!

 

TRAVEL: I am also a lover of nature and travel! I created my series “Wish You Were Here” as a way to not only document my travels, but also inspire me to travel even more. I am really looking forward to my “Wish You Were Here: Buffalo 2.0” when I make an attempt to make time for another visit to one of my best friends upstate! But there are so many other places I would love to add to the series. Here are just a few though:

1. Toronto
2. Boston/Salem
3. Los Angeles/San Francisco
4. Disney World
5. Vermont
6. Williamsburg
7. Baltimore

…as well as tons more! I hope to one day be able to take my love for exploring worldwide and travel to places like Spain, Italy, Japan, Thailand, India, and a plethora of other wonderful places! But for now, exploring the country I call home (and Canada) would be a lovely start!

READING: When I can’t travel, I love to read. I find that reading gives me a similar mental break to what traveling does, so I like to find time to read some good books. Sadly, I fall in and out of reading kicks. I use my “Bookshelf Reviews” series as a way to motivate me to read. My all time favorite books are A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki and We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I am also really big into personal growth/self-help books. My number one favorite self-help author is Jen Sincero who wrote the You Are a Badass books!

I also love reading because it contributes greatly to the growth of my voice as a writer. I really need to get back into reading because my voice hasn’t felt as strong lately. I usually use my own writing as a sign of whether or not I am reading enough.

FASHION: Shopping is definitely not a new hobby of mine, but fashion is…sort of. I used to be very fashion conscious when I started college as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed freshman who just want to look pretty and frilly all the time. However, my style preferences changes greatly and as a result, so did how I presented myself. I found that I lost my stylistic edge and started repeating outfits too much. This really inspired me to start posting more fashion related posts on my blog.

I found that making blog worthy outfits has helped me enjoy getting dressed, even on the days I am not taking blog photos! Now, when I go shopping, I look for better pieces and really keep my eye out for things that could help me build on my personal evolving style!

MISC.: I thought I would just round this post out with some miscellaneous facts about me that can’t be divided up into their own sections. So enjoy:

1. I live with anxiety (I don’t like to say I suffer from it because it doesn’t defeat me)
2. Fall is my favorite season, October is my favorite month, Halloween is my favorite holiday.
3. I live at home with my mom, dad, brother, and dog.
4. I have a boyfriend but he lives over an hour away so I see him mostly on weekends.
5. I am a lover of 90’s shows like That 70’s Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World (my all time favorite), Full House, and more. I prefer them to the shows of today.
6. Pugs and Sea Otters are my favorite animals.
7. I love going to museums and aquariums.
8. I work as the Social Media Coordinator for a Performing Arts Center (and love it).
9. I love finding pretty walls and murals to take pictures in front of (because I’m basic).
10. I love the matcha lemonade and chai tea lattes from Starbucks because they trick me into believing I make healthy choices.

If you have made it this far, then thank you so much for reading and for encouraging me to write over 100 posts on this blog. Here’s to many more~

Jess~