• My Faves

    My 5 Favorite Spotify Playlists for Sleep

    The Recovering Pessimist: My Favorite Spotify Sleep Playlists -- I have moments where sleep eludes me. Listening to some of my favorite Spotify playlists usually relaxes me enough to fall asleep. | www.therecoveringpessmist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistI’m a creature of habit and my nighttime routine is no different. I stop using my computer 45 minutes to an hour before bed. I avoid drinking sugary drinks a few hours before bed. I turn off all the lights in my apartment.

    Usually, this routine works like a charm.

    Keyword: usually.

    Some nights, despite my most valiant efforts, sleep still manages to elude me. On top of that, just one restless night ruins my sleep for the entire week. When I have those restless nights, I go to my favorite Spotify sleep playlists.

     

    1. Sounds of Home | Noise Therapy

    This playlist is full of white noise! Think along the lines of ventilation units, electrical appliances, fans, etc.

    2. Gentle Rains

    As a child, I would dance in the rain. It was so relaxing to feel the water against my skin. This playlist puts me in the perfect mood for a good night’s sleep.

    3. Nightstorms

    There’s something about night storms that make me want to cuddle up with a comfy blanket and a soft pillow. Thunder + nighttime are the perfect ingredients for a sound slumber.

    4. Nature Noise

    Living in the city, I miss the sounds of my country upbringing.  This playlist hits the spot.

    5. Dreamcatcher

    I found this collection of Native American flute music on a whim. It’s unique and soothing. Perfect for when it’s bedtime and your mind doesn’t get the memo.

    These are my five favorite Spotify sleep playlists. Do you use sleep playlists? If so, please feel free to share in the comments.

    Until next time,

    MsWalton

  • My Faves

    5 Interesting Things About Me (Part 3)

    The Recovering Pessimist: 5 Interesting Things About Me Part III -- I'm long overdue for the third installment of this series where I share some of the things that make me the awesomeness that I am. Enjoy! | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimist

    One of my favorite things about this blog is that I can share all of the facets that make me who I am. Which brings me to the third installment of this series (click here and here for previous installments). I’m sorry this is long overdue, but let’s jump right in:

    1. I am Daria (and Daria is me).

    I’ve been sarcastic and what some would call a smartass (I prefer quick-witted) for most of my life. I find it entertaining when people don’t pick up on my sarcasm or get upset that I’m really good at one-liner commentary. Sarcasm and quick-wit are gifts and because you don’t waste gifts, I’m sharing my gifts with the world.

    Daria/Giphy.com
    Daria/Giphy.com

    2. I don’t own a pair of heels.

    I have a love/dislike relationship with heels that borders more on dislike. I love the streamlined look of heels. However, I don’t like the pain that results from wearing those heels that give that streamlined look.

    Plus my style for the past couple of years embraces flats and the occasional wedge, both of which are much easier on my back. At some point, I’m sure I’ll have to break down and buy a pair of simple black heels to go with that gorgeous LBD (little black dress) I’ll score on sale. Until then, no thank you.

    3. Bad spelling/grammar makes my eye twitch, seriously.

    I’ve been in love with words since I was a kid. Spelling tests were my thing, and I worked my adolescent behind off to make sure I aced them each week. It might be my own doing, but I expect adults to do better when it comes to spelling and grammar. At least know the difference between there/their/they’re & lost/loss.

    Robot/Giphy.com
    Robot/Giphy.com

    4. I have introvert tendencies. 

    When I was making the shift from my late 20s to my 30s, I found myself developing introvert tendencies that I still keep to this day. I enjoy going out and spending time with friends, but after a few hours, I start craving alone time on the sofa. It’s a real struggle.

    5. I don’t like shrimp (99% of the time).

     The moment I realized what shrimp looked like alive was the moment I lost all interest in eating them. There are the rare (and I do mean rare) moments where I’ll consume a few cooked and deveined shrimp. And even then, I will only eat them if certain people cook them.

    That’s it! I hope you enjoyed this. Let’s put the (flat) shoe on the other foot. Share one interesting thing about you. You can drop it in the comments or share via my social media.

    Until next time,

    MsWalton

  • My Faves

    My 2016 Fall Favorites

    The Recovering Pessimist: My 2016 Fall Faves -- With Fall approaching, I wanted to share what I'm looking forward to this year. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistAutumn 2016 began September 22 and with that comes cooler weather, which we need here in RVA. So without further adieu, I’m here to deliver my fall favorites for 2016 (click here for last year’s post).

    Food and Beverage!!

    In last year’s post, I mentioned several of my favorite food and beverage items. It’s apple butter and pumpkin butter time! Absolutely delicious on toast, bagels, and in oatmeal. I’ve been obsessed with finding bread pudding and cobbler recipes to my Pinterest account. Also, seasonal beers appear on shelves, ready for my taste buds to enjoy.

    Layers

    The weather is still warm, but the nights get a bit chilly, so layering clothing is essential for me. There’s something about a light, chunky sweater, boots, and a light infinity scarf that make me so happy. I’ve been online window shopping for all new clothing. Soon as a sale starts, I’m on it!

    Home Fragrance

    For fall, I love scents such as leather, wood, musk, bergamot, and sandalwood. I tend to buy these scents in the forms of candles, incense, room sprays, and air fresheners for my car. A few of my favorite home fragrance lines are by Glade, Bath and Body Works, Yankee Candle, and various Etsy stores. The first three usually have coupons and/or coupon codes available this time of year.

    Cozy Nights

    Fall nights are great. I tend to open the windows to allow the crisp night air to enter the apartment. It feels so relaxing to read, watch TV, sleep, etc. with the window open and crisp air surrounding you. The cooler air mixed with the home fragrance of your choice is divine.

    Festivals

    Festival season doesn’t stop at the end of summer. Here in RVA, my favorite festivals are the Richmond Folk Festival, Armenian Food Festival, and Richmond Italian Festival. Put on your comfy layers and enjoy!

    That’s it, folks! I hope you enjoyed this year’s list. Leave a comment with some of your fall favorites.

    Until next time,

    MsWalton

  • The Recovering Pessimist: What I Love About Summer -- Hot weather and outdoor drinking are a few of my favorite things about summer. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimist
    My Faves

    What I Love About Summer

    The Recovering Pessimist: What I Love About Summer -- Hot weather and outdoor drinking are a few of my favorite things about summer. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistToday (June 2o) is the first day of Summer Solstice 2016. Longer days from the Spring Equinox combined with warmer weather lead to all kinds of awesomeness.

    In fact, as I’m writing this, we’ve experienced our first 90-degree day of the year here in #RVA.

    I can’t put into words how elated I am about summer starting, so I’m going to drop this GIF:

     

    Kelly Rowland / giphy.com
    Kelly Rowland / giphy.com

    Nailed it!

    And without further adieu, here’s what I love about summer. Enjoy!

    The Heat

    My skin finally gets some sun exposure, allowing it to become a gorgeous shade of bronze. Dresses, skirts, rompers, tank tops, shorts, and sandals are my standard summer uniform. People watching becomes an outdoor event for me and my friends. We find a heavily populated area (usually the outdoor malls), grab a drink, snacks, and a comfy place to sit. Then we chit-chat and watch the people passing by. It’s inexpensive entertainment, trust me.

    Outdoor Drinking

    Drinking + outdoors = thank you! In Richmond, rooftop bars are all the rage at the moment. That’s cool because I intend on having several drinks on top of each one of these rooftops, soaking in the #RVA skyline. If you can’t get to the rooftops, there are also a lot of patios and breweries I can hang out at. Speaking of drinks, I have a lot of sangria recipes I’ve saved from Pinterest just itching to be made. Fruit + alcohol = win.

    Food!!

    It’s grilling season!!!! There’s something about grill marks on food that makes food taste 10 times better. I eat excessive amounts of watermelon and BBQ. Oh, and I get to attend (and occasionally crash) cookouts. Word to the wise: pay attention to how food is prepped for the grill. Just because it’s going on the grill doesn’t mean it you can skip out on seasoning. I don’t want to bite into ribs that are sauced to capacity and not seasoned. So disrespectful.

    Summer Nights

    There’s something about spending summer nights outside looking at the stars and watching fireflies light up the sky. I love to grab a good craft beer (or sweet wine) and enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature. Oh and don’t let it be raining at nighttime. Rain during the summer is very sexy. Think along the lines of “Summer Rain” by Carl Thomas.

    Enough about my favorites. Let’s chat. If you had to plan your ideal summer day, what would you do? I’d love to read your ideas in the comments.

    Until next time,

    Jae

  • My Faves

    What I Love About Spring

    The Recovering Pessimist: What I Love About Spring. -- Spring is the gateway season to months of warm, long days. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistThe Spring Equinox of 2016 begins March 20th. As I’m writing this, I’m imagining the warm breeze on my skin and the smell of blooming flowers as I sneeze from the pollen activating my allergies.

    *squeals with excitement*

    In honor (yes honor) of the upcoming Spring Equinox, I wanted to share with you a few things I love about Spring.

    Enjoy!

    Longer Days

    Daylight Savings Time (DST) began March 13th, and you know what that brings? That’s right, LONGER DAYS!!!!! For the next six months or so, where I live it will be sunny when in the morning and sunny when I get home from work.

    I feel more energetic, which boosts my productivity.

    When I get home during the fall/winter, the sun is going down. My body thinks it’s time to wind down for the night, even though it’s 5-6 hours from bedtime. During spring/summer, when I get home it still looks like midday outside. So although it’s still 5-6 hours before bedtime, I have enough energy to work on side projects, do housework, etc.

    Longer days = more time outdoors.

    Here in #RVA, people are always out and about. More so during the warmer months. Nothing makes me happier than spending a Saturday afternoon sunning it up on Brown’s Island & Belle Isle with a good book, a cool beverage, and some good snacks.

    Shed Layers

    Spending six months draped in layers isn’t fun. I don’t like wearing socks…or shoes for that matter. Spring allows me to shed those layers. My skin gets to absorb Vitamin D as it proceeds to get its bronzy tan.

    Festival Season Starts

    In VA, festival season tends to kick off in March. Crowds of people + cool/warm-ish weather + music + food + beer = WIN!  Besides longer days, this is my second favorite part of Spring.

    Those are a few of my favorite things about Spring. Tell me, what do you enjoy most about Spring. I would love to hear about them!

  • My Faves

    5 Interesting Things About Me (Part 2)

    The Recovering Pessimist: 5 Interesting Things About Me (Part II). -- To know me is to love me...or hate me after you find out which condiment I absolutely hate. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistIt’s been a while since  I originally wrote five interesting things about myself. So, I figure I would ease into this week with a new round of interesting things about me. One of them may or may not start a war, but I’m willing to take the risk. Enjoy!


     

    1. I HATE mayonnaise!!

    I don’t really care for condiments on my sandwiches in general, but you better NOT put mayo on my sandwiches! It’s disgusting and disrespectful to my taste buds. I’ll throw a fit! Trust me, it’s happened.

    2. Chicken wings are my weakness!!

    Like seriously, I LOVE them! I know that many restaurants usually put chicken wings on the appetizer section of a menu. My favorite happy hour spot, Fat Dragon, has really good Szechuan Pepper Wings. So good that I’ve been known to order a basket to dine-in and order another to eat at home. Yes, they’re THAT good!

    3. A philosophy course changed my life.

    In college, I took a philosophy course. The course didn’t focus on finding a right or wrong answer to problems/theories. Instead, the professor taught us to break down the problem/theory into the individual components, then analyze those components to solve the problem/theory. My critical thinking and problem-solving skills have greatly improved as a result.

    4. Black is my favorite color.

    I kid you not, I could wear black every single day of my life for the rest of my life. It’s a powerful color to me. Plus it allows the rest of my personality to shine bats eyelashes.

    5. I’m left-handed.

    That’s right, I’m a proud member of the Southpaw Brigade. Some of my favorite people in the world are left-handed: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Ned Flanders, Jimi Hendrix, and Barack Obama. Can’t beat that.


    I hope you learned something interesting (and maybe unexpected) about me after reading this. Share something about yourself in the comments.

     

    Updated January 7, 2017

  • My Faves

    My 2015 Fall Faves

    The Recovering Pessimist: My 2015 Fall Faves -- With the fall season approaching, here are a few of my faves. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #optimisticpessimist #recoveringpessimistFall is in full swing. Despite my allergies/sinuses being all over the place, I’m extremely excited for the next couple months of cooler weather.

    1. Combat Boots

    –  Cooler weather brings boots. Combat boots are my shoe of choice. Paired with some skinny jeans, a light sweater/sweatshirt, and cute boot socks, I’m in heaven.

    2. Hot Chocolate

    – I’m a huge dark chocolate fan! Hunkering down on the sofa wrapped up in a blanket with a hot mug of dark chocolate hot cocoa is perfection during this time of year. Hold the marshmallows though.

    3. Stews/Soups/Crockpot Goodness

    – Chillier air calls for heavier meals in my house, specifically stews and soups. With sunset occurring early, cooking these meals with a crockpot is mandatory. I have a ton of stew and soup recipes on my Pinterest page.

    4. Taking photos of all the color changes.

    – When the leaves start to change colors before they fall, I put my camera to good use. It’s the last splash of color from Mother Nature until Spring. *insert loud sigh here*

    5. Jumping in leaf piles

    – Once I’m done taking photos of the pretty leaves, I release my inner child and jump in piles of leaves. Don’t judge me. We all have to indulge our inner child once in a while.

    6. Rainy days/nights

    – Rain + cool weather = Pure Bliss. Enough said.

    7. Snuggle weather

    – Cool weather = Get cozy with a comfy blanket of your choice. Feel free to substitute or add your favorite snuggle buddy to that equation.

    8. Apple everything!

    – Most people associate this season with all pumpkin everything. I, however, obsess over apples. Fried apples, apple crumble, apple pie, apple pie smoothies, apple cider, etc.

    9. Dark lipstick/glosses

    – I don’t even wear makeup, but I LOVES me some dark lipstick/lip gloss. I have a dark purple in my arsenal already, but my makeup board on Pinterest has me adding a black lipstick to my shopping list.

    10. All my favorite shows come back to TV!!!

    – When you’re a dedicated fan of a TV show, having to wait alllll summer for its return is painful. Thankfully Scandal, Greys’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder,  and Empire have already premiered for the fall. Just waiting on The Walking Dead, American Horror Story: Hotel, and The Blacklist.

    Tell me, are you looking forward to the start of fall? If yes, let me know what a few of your favorite things about fall. If no, tell me why you aren’t excited about the change in season.

  • My Faves

    Elf on the Shelf + Horror Movie Trailer = Awesomeness

    I’m not big on Christmas, however, I LOVES me some Elf on the Shelf. While I love Elf on the Shelf in general, it gives me the giggles to see him/her used in a way that’s inappropriate.

    When I saw this video on Pinterest, the title made me cackle. When I watched the video, I laughed to the point of tears.

    Now, with further adieu, I present to you:

     

    Updated December 13, 2016

  • My Faves

    5 Interesting Things About Me

    The Recovering Pessimist: 5 Interesting Things About Me. -- Just a few things about me that I wanted to share with you. | www.therecoveringpessimist.me #amwriting #recoveringpessimist #optimisticpessimistI’m a pretty awesome person toots horn. At least, that’s what my friends tell me. So, I wanted to share five interesting things about myself with you.

    Ready?

    Let’s do this!

    1. I’m (sarcastically) hilarious.

    Not funny, but hilarious. Yes, there is a difference. My humor is based in sarcasm, so it’s no surprise my jokes/comments tend to fly over some folks’ heads because they miss the sarcasm. Oh wells.

    2. I don’t like people.

    Kidding! Well, sorta. My day job involves interacting with the public and let’s just say after a long day, I’m over John & Jane Q. Public.

    3.  I hate being awake before 10 a.m.

    Which is ironic considering the majority of the  jobs I’ve had had start times of  8 a.m. My brain isn’t fully functioning before 10 a.m. and neither is my creativity.

    4. I love drag queens.

    Drag queens make me happy. We all need something that makes them happy right?

    5. When I’m stressed, I hum the “Peanuts” theme song.

    You can’t tell me that song doesn’t lift your spirits.

     Now it’s your turn. Tell me something interesting about you.

     

    Updated October 8, 2015