Short-post Saturday

Hello all,

It is warm outside, the birds are chirping, and my feet feel fantastic. I went to brunch with some of the girls in my cohort (graduate school speak for the people who were accepted and started with you), then we all got pedicures and spent a relaxing day at the salon. When I got home, I had a surprise waiting for me - my Speed Stick GEAR VoxBox from Influenster!

Influenster is a website where you review products you love (or hate!), unlock badges, share your influence, and qualify for these really awesome things called VoxBoxes. A VoxBox is a set of complimentary products, direct from Influenster, for testing purposes. To qualify for a VoxBox, you simply need to use Influenster's site; the more you use the site, the more influence you gain and the more likely you are to have a chance to qualify. This was my first VoxBox and I was so excited to receive an e-mail telling me I'd qualified.

As the name suggests, the GEAR VoxBox supplied by Speed Stick, makers of deodorants and body sprays. The mysterious VoxBox contained two sticks of GEAR deodorant, two different scents. I'm looking forward to trying them both; as a larger human being, I tend to sweat a bit more than other people. That means this VoxBox would be a godsend if the deodorant holds true to its claim of "48hr protection."

As it is so late in the day, I won't be applying any of it until tomorrow. I'll be sure to try and keep my blog updated concerning the status of these products; hopefully they turn out to be fantastic!

Signing off,

-Brandon

Watching the Sun Rise

Motivation...it is something we all struggle with at one time in our lives or another. Throughout my tenure as an undergraduate, I told myself "You're going to get in shape!" I always held getting fit as a goal of mine. However, I was never able to get motivated enough to really do anything about it, no matter how hard I tried. As a graduate student, I vowed to be different. New chapter in life, new me. However, there was still the issue of finding that motivation.

Many things can act as motivators in our lives; video games, friends and family, even food (if you're one of those people). It is important to find a motivator that works best for you. In my case, finding my motivation in graduate school was fairly easy. I've reached a point in my life where I am focusing on my future far more than ever. My motivators were, clearly, friends and family.

I have a niece and two brand-new nephews back home, and they're my everything. I love those children to no end. I never thought I'd love a child so much, but I'd do anything for my niece and nephews. Hearing my niece come running up to me, shouting "uncle Brandon!" is the best sound in the world. My friends are also my motivators; I have several friends who aren't in the shape they desire at this point in their lives, and we work out together. This is a motivator because we all encourage each other whenever we reach a milestone. I lost 5 pounds within the first two weeks of our workouts (possibly water weight, but who knows?), and my girls were so supportive and happy for me. Camaraderie is a great motivator.

Not everything has to be so obvious to others, though. For me, one of my biggest motivators (at least on the days I wake up at 5am) is being able to watch the sun rise in the morning...it is calming, serene, and beautiful. I smile every single time I get to watch the sun rise, and it motivates me to make that day amazing. Sometimes, the simple things that no one else would notice are the biggest, best motivators.

Find your motivation, make your life amazing.

With love,

-Brandon

Getting Organized: Easier Than it Seems

I think I've finally done it, blog-sphere. I think I've finished cleaning my room and getting organized. I started very small, beginning with my so-named "caffeine shelf", but progressed to shifting my bookshelf and cleaning my desk space. I even re-organized my dresser and shifted some things to my banana boxes stashed beneath the bed (for moving between rooms at my university). In short, a miracle has occurred.

What I'd planned to be a 2 - 3 week-long Spring Cleaning regimen became a four-day process of epic proportions. What began as a sudden burst of energy at 3am (when the caffeine shelf was organized) ended in a satisfying trip to the garbage can this afternoon. Have any of you planned to do Spring cleaning, yet? I tell you, it is quite the undertaking. I was inspired to get organized by one of my long-time favorite organizational YouTube channels, created by Alejandra.tv, and began to run with it Wednesday at 3am. That's what started all the craziness. I'm looking for more ways to stay organized, and would love to hear some opinions from whoever randomly visits my blog.

My reasoning for becoming more organized is simple - I'm a graduate student and need to be able to keep track of everything in my life. Attempting to keep track of my life without becoming more organized would have stressed me out to no end, which is why I desperately needed to complete this regimen. Now that I have, I can say I wake up each morning just a bit less stressed-out. That's the beauty of having everything in its place (especially for someone as normally meticulous and structured as me) - you don't need to stress because you'll always be able to find whatever you need. Just to give you an idea of how things turned out, here are some pictures of my list and the results (well, some of them). I wish I'd taken before/after pictures - those would have been extreme.

Until next time, readers, thanks for sticking with me! I'm working on getting better!

- Brandon

I've Missed You so Much!

Well, hello there Blogger...I might have completely forgotten about this blog and all of its posts its only post. I'm going to attempt to remedy this, but I can't make any promises. I suppose a few updates are in order, presented in bullet form:

• I graduated from university last May with a B.S. in Psychology
• That wall of positivity I discussed in my first/only post on this blog? That ended shortly after it began. I didn't have the proper time/space to maintain it in any long-term way.
• I applied/was accepted to a graduate program in School Psychology
• I am now pursuing my Ed.S in School Psychology and will receive an M.S. in School Psychometrics in a year and a half. 
• I teach at my university. 
• I'm still terribly, terribly single (but not upset about it). 

Whew, so that was a long list, eh? Not really, just six bullet points. Rest assured, a LOT more has happened over the past year and a half that I'm simply not discussing. I'm going to work on keeping this blog more regularly up to date, perhaps with details of my life as a graduate student. I'm also starting on becoming more organized. I think I'll make a post or several about that situation and update (with pictures) as time goes on! It'll be a fun little experience, and while it is causing me headaches I'm really looking forward to the results. Let's face it, I haven't actually made my bed in several months (if not a year) and I succeeded in doing it three days this week! It looks quite nice, and I feel better having things more organized (and you should see my caffeine shelf). 

I suppose that's all for now. If you have any questions for me, about my life or my current situation, feel free to inbox me or leave a comment on my blog! I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. 

Signing off,

- Brandon