stepping out of my comfort zone, one jalapeño margarita at a time

Living and working and going to the school in NYC is, at times, a lonely, terrifying endeavor; one which pushes you to the limits of what you're comfortable with and one which encourages you to grow from your experiences. 

So despite how scary and overwhelming it can be, I try to constantly remind myself that life really begins at the end of your comfort zone, and not before. And with all of this in mind, embracing the new and the different was my theme for this week's blog post. 

On Thursday, I started off my "try new things" theme by accompanying my roommate to a lecture about science - something I'm not particularly knowledgable on - with all of her NYU classmates - the majority of which I did not know. Hanging out with strangers and a scientific lecture. Two things outside my comfort zone but two things which ended up paying off in the end. I felt productive spending my Thursday night learning about how big companies will fudge the results of scientific studies in order to make the results favorable for them, regardless of the innocent people harmed by the chemicals being produced. And I felt sociable by meeting and chatting with some lovely new pals.

Free food and beer were provided before the lecture which
was simply an added bonus.

One of the girl's in Bri's program had her camera
on Thursday so we all got some pictures taken to
spruce up out Linkedin profiles. 

This one was just for fun - cuz ya know, I do love books. 

Another one, also for fun.

I learned young to never leave home without
a good book in my purse.

Friday, after spending the night in pursuit of free food and knowledge, I took a stroll down 3rd Avenue to explore the neighborhood a bit more and do a bit of thrift store shopping while I was at it.

I discovered a Salvation Army that has a partnership
with Zara so I was able to beef up my
fall wardrobe for under $20

Then, Friday's main attraction: The Museum of Sex. 

My friend Meaghan and I were intrigued by the museum itself, and we were also drawn by an exhibit called "Not Safe For Work" in which female artists used photographs, sculptures, tapestries and various other mediums to depict the female body and the female herself as a sexual agent rather than a passive object without a voice or dignity. 

It was extraordinarily eye-opening to see and read about the history of porn, the sex lives of animals and how they aren't entirely dissimilar from humans in certain respects, and see so many individuals be so free and open with both their bodies and their sexuality. 

Definitely out of both of our comfort zones in many respects, but a great experience nonetheless. 

After exiting the gift shop portion of the museum - one where all manner of sex related objects were sold - Meaghan and I decided that we were both in need of a drink and headed to the nearest rooftop bar for some fun cocktails to celebrate making it all the way to Friday - finally.

And still bearing the week's theme in mind, I ordered a Jalapeño Margarita - something I would never normally order but which I ended up loving.

Both of us were in desperate need of happy hour
after visiting the museum

From the rooftop bar, you could perfectly see both the Empire State Building
and the Chrysler Building at the same time. 

After returning from happy hour, Meaghan and I parted ways and I went back out to meet up with a few people from the publishing program for drinks - something else which is outside my comfort zone. Making new friends is hard and awkward and wonderful, and putting yourself out there is anything but easy. So huddled around a table in a crowded bar, we chatted and drank and got to know each other a little bit better. And it was a a great night.

The week wasn't all new things though. It was much of the same in regards to showing up at Bagel Boss to slice bagels and make change for eight hours, attempting to learn Spanish so I can understand what my coworkers are saying, soaking up the beauty that is NYC and attempting to keep on top of all of my homework.

I went out on a limb and tried Pumpkin Spice cream cheese and
it was actually super delicious

Candles add a touch of much needed mood lighting
to the traditional homework set up.

My finance professor, Professor Slivken
brought us Magnolia cupcakes on Wednesday to help make
attempting to learn finance just a little bit sweeter.

For my birthday last week, one of my best friends gave me a
copy of Goodbye, Vitamin and it is fantastic! I highly
recommend it to anyone who is in the mood for a lighthearted, slightly humorous read. 

Getting out of the city every once in a while is good for the soul, especially when it's fall and there are apples to pick and hard cider to drink. Saturday morning, Bri and I rolled out of bed, walked to Penn, and caught a train to New Jersey where we met up with our good friend Anna and later on, our friend John who was home on fall break from his university in Alabama.

It was overcast the entire day, but thankfully,
it didn't rain at all.

WE LOVE ALL THINGS FALL!

The fall aesthetic: hard cider, apple cider donuts,
and freshly picked apples

One of John's three adorable dogs which I had the pleasure of
meeting and playing with this past weekend.

We picked apples, drank hard cider and wine, picked pumpkins, pet puppies and jumped out of our skins at the town's haunted village attraction. None of it was outside of my comfort zone but it was a heck of a lot of fun, and I got to spend the day with a few of my best friends. 

And it put me in a great mood for the busy week ahead. And even though this week has come to a close, and this week's theme of trying new things officially comes to an end, unofficially, I'll do my best to keep it in mind during the many weeks, months, and years to ahead. Because there is great adventure in trying new things. Whether they be big or small. 

Cheers,

Katie