Listen, I trust you. Here is the key to my diary. Please only look at the entries from Monday, March 26th to Sunday, April 1st, do not take any screenshots, and return the key when you are finished.
Monday began on a very optimistic note. Around 1 a.m., before drifting off to sleep, I set my alarms for 5 a.m., 5:05 a.m., 5:10 a.m., and 5:15 a.m. 6 a.m. spin class, here I come!
After what felt like 10 minutes of sleep, I was rudely woken up. Who set that alarm? I cancelled the remaining three wake-up calls, cranked up the temperature of my heating pad, and turned back over.
This is a regular occurrence for me. As a result, I know to always set a later alarm for when I have to pull myself out of bed. It is 9:15, Emily. Get up.
I opened my planner to see how many monotonous school tasks I would have to complete by the end of the week. Huh, not many. That's weird. As expressed in previous blog posts, I do not have much free time. I strive to fill every moment of my day with activity because when I do have random spurts of free time, I do not know what to do with myself. As the morning quickly progressed to the afternoon and I finished everything I had to do for the day, my mind began to wander. Why have I not heard anything from the 2,948,529,485 internships I applied to for the summer? Why do I not have a blog to post today? Why did I do poorly on that test when I knew the material? Like I said, this is why I strive to fill every moment of my day with activity.
I went for a drive with the music blasting to put my anxiety at ease. Thankfully, I was able to end the night how it began -- on an optimistic note -- with a homemade dinner prepared by my good friend Hannah. Then, before falling under the drowsy spell of my weighted blanket, I set my alarm clock for a realistic time.
If you have yet to notice, I am not a morning person, which makes Tuesdays and Thursdays dreadful. I practically sleep walk to my 8 a.m. on both days. Once my coffee kicks in, though, I am good to go.
Although I have to wake up early on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I finish classes for the day at 11 a.m. I endured the 16-minute walk back to my apartment, changed into comfier clothes, and brewed another cup of joe using my new Chemex Coffeemaker. My goal was to cross off some of the tasks on my long-term to-do list since my short-term to-do list was scarce, but my brain was fuzzy, so I moved my workspace to my bed for a more relaxing environment. Yeah, I had no intention of working. Good night.
My brain was even foggier when I woke up from my nap. Mom and dad, in my defense, it was raining outside and I would not have gotten anything done even if I had tried. Plus, I never take naps.
I needed to get out of this funk, so I slipped on workout attire and drove to CycleBar. Finishing in first place was enough to turn my mood around. I was finally ready to tackle this week.
Off to my morning classes -- Women in Sales and Consumer Behavior. They both suppress my burning urge to check my phone and mentally list everything I need to do when class is over because I am so engaged in the interesting material.
It was still grey outside, so I made chicken noodle soup for lunch. Wait, no. I warmed up Trader Joe's chicken noodle soup for lunch.
Then I called my grandma to say happy birthday. Happy Birthday, Bema!
Wednesday nights are my favorite because I get to see all of my Lindner Women in Business pals. I tried to convince them that they have to call me "boss" from now on, but they refused. Psh, fine then. To top the night off, I ate a Chipotle burrito with guac for dinner.
Thursday was a repeat of Tuesday, except I was more motivated. I woke up 10 minutes before I had to leave (spent those sacred 10 minutes making a cup of coffee, instead of making myself look presentable), was pleasantly greeted by warm weather when I stepped outside of my apartment, and walked 16 minutes to the esteemed Lindner College of Business. There, I learned about inventory management systems in Operations Management and, well, I could not tell you what I learned in Marketing Research. Sorry, Dr. Cook, but if you are not going to put in the effort to change the tone of your dry voice at least one time during class, I am not going to put in the effort to listen.
The only fuel I had in my system at that point was coffee, so I was quite hungry. After class, I took part in a couple of meetings and then headed home.
I spent the rainy afternoon at Panera working. I have been playing this fun game with myself lately that entails typing in "Panera" or "Starbucks" into Google Maps and driving to the first location that pops up. I am hoping to try out and write Yelp reviews on every Panera and Starbucks in Cincinnati before I graduate (yes, I am basic).
The last stop of the day was CycleBar. The Thursday night class with Drew is my favorite class, so like always, I signed up, eager to showcase my strong agility and endurance. However, as soon as I found my bike and buckled in, I realized that none of the other Thursday night regulars were there. Am I at the right studio? As soon as the lights dimmed and Drew adjusted his microphone, he began chanting, "CBYP, CBYP, CBYP, CBYP." The whole room erupted. I guess I had signed up for a CBYP-only ride (whatever that means) on accident. After 50 minutes, I bolted before anyone could ask me why I love being a CBYP member.
Ahh, Friday. After attending all three of my Friday classes, the sun made an appearance for the first time in five days. Bring on the weekend!
I celebrated the fact that I attended all three of my classes with my friends at our local taco joint. Then, around 8 p.m., the whole McDonough gang arrived in Cincinnati, bearing gold, frankincense and myrrh. Tim initiated the pregame by cracking open a Corona and Danny followed with a Diet Coke. Jack played Lil Dicky on the speaker, but Tim quickly shut that operation down.
Once everyone had chilled out, we grabbed a delicious Japanese dinner and departed to our Airbnb for the night. It was a strange feeling sleeping in an Airbnb in my own city.
I am thankful that my parents did not wake me up at an unbearable hour like they do when we are at home. Shelly whipped up a bomb breakfast and we all set out for a day of fun.
Our itinerary began with a group tour of the University of Cincinnati led by moi. I showed them the prettiest parts of campus with the hope that Jack would love it as much as I do and apply next year, but I do not think my scheme worked. At least Danny can still be swayed to eventually become a Bearcat.
Next stop: Mount Adams. We ate lunch at a local bar and walked around the eerily quiet town. When I first toured UC as a high school junior, my dad took me to an underground bar in Mount Adams, and as I maturely sipped my alcoholic espresso, I decided right then and there that I would become a Bearcat. Moral of the story, being in Mount Adams always reminds me of the time I fell in love with the city and school.
We drove back downhill to the Contemporary Arts Center where Jack snapped more artsy pictures than an army of 14-year-old girls would. I think he was starting to like Cincinnati at this point. Our final destination before dinner was the riverfront. Danny almost fell in the water.
At dinner, Pete the Penguin joined us and I ate way too much cheese. I have not had much self-control lately when it comes to dairy. Back to the Airbnb for "family time."
I was a little worried that the Easter Bunny would not be able to locate us in our Airbnb, but she/he came through. Shelly made an eggcellent breakfast, but the morning was cut short because the clan had to head back to Cleveland. I hate goodbyes.
The rest of the day was lowkey. A Trader Joe's trip, work session and overall life clean-up. Before going to bed, I set my alarms, beginning with one at 5 a.m. I will make it to spin class tomorrow.
And she lived happily ever after.
I hope you enjoyed being a fly on the wall. Please hand over the key, now, and go have a productive, fulfilling next seven days.
Cheers to making the most of every single week.
