Life is too short for Kickball.

Hold up ya'll. It's time for a serious moment today. A few weeks ago, I was talking to one of my very best friends on the phone. She has known me for most of life... we met in second grade and became best friends the instant we figured out that we'd rather write plays and read novels than play kickball (seriously - that game is SO stupid).

On this particular night I was crying over a boy who really put a huge dent in my sense of self. First of all, it's embarrassing to admit that I would ever cry over a boy... but I guess it happens to even the toughest of us at some point, right ladies? (Oh shut up, don't lie. You've all been there.... Unless you have no heart, and in that case I'm just concerned for your blood flow situation). I've always prided myself on being so tough, and the fact that I let such an unimportant person make me feel like I was anything less than kick-ass is, in retrospect, ridiculous.

But back to the point. My friend, who has provided nothing but love and support throughout the entire crazy nauseating weird winding lurching truck on a corroding dirt road journey of my life so far - told me to stop. "You are NOT worthless. You are the example I use when someone needs a success story. You've had some really tough breaks - and look where you are now."

Okay, fine. She's right. I've had some roadblocks. But haven't we all? Haven't we all felt like giving up at some point and surprised ourselves when months later we were the happiest we've ever been? Weren't you glad that you didn't quit? We all know a person who's picked themselves up after an immeasurable setback. We all know someone who has figured it out when things were stacked against them. This world throws some crazy stuff at all of us.

People are amazing.

Perhaps the most miraculous thing about our world is the resiliency of the human spirit. We are adaptable, pliable; we can turn ourselves into whatever or whomever we need to be in order to survive. It is amazing how an individual can experience horrific circumstances and still find the strength to rise inthe morning, brush his teeth and begin a new day. A villain can smash our world into tiny fragments and we still figure out a way to collect all of the pieces and put them back together with the scotch tape and Elmer's glue that we found in our apartments' junk drawers.

These people are everywhere. They pass you on the street. They wait in line at the bank. They pour your French roast at the coffee shop and they return your change at the grocery store. He is waiting next to you at the bus stop. She sits behind you in your English class. You would never give them a second glance otherwise.

How do we do it? We have entire communities destroyed by hurricanes; many of our neighbors become ill. Yet we still find the strength within ourselves to keep moving and help the person next to us off her knees. We take our newly single friend out for a romantic comedy and chai lattes. We listen closely as our sisters tell us the second doctor's diagnosis. The human spirit itself adapts constantly to the environment and rises above and beyond disaster.

We are survivors.

Oh and that boy I cried about that night? He ended up to be nothing more than a small pinch of salt in the really awesome story that I'm creating. He'll find where he needs to be, I'm sure. But the world is at my feet, bitches.

How to Grocery Shop on a (Seriously Sad) Budget

Well, at 6pm tonight that thing happened again. Dinnertime.

Considering I don't even have enough money in my checking account to buy a small pizza until pay day, I had to get creative with this one. Luckily I had leftovers in the fridge. Score!

I know that I am not the only young, aspiring New Yorker with this problem. So I've come up with a few tips for grocery shopping on a serious budget. It has taken a few years to balance the art of saving cash and eating healthy - so here it is!

1. Buy Grains in Bulk
You're hungry. You want carbs. The best thing to do is to buy pasta at the grocery store when it's on sale (my favorite whole wheat pasta usually goes on sale randomly 10 for $10 and I stock up). Places like Trader Joes sell whole wheat couscous by the giant box that lasts for weeks. Large boxes or bags of rice usually sell for less and last a while. Do not - I repeat DO NOT buy the single meal boxes of flavored pasta, couscous, and rice. These are packed full of sodium, preservatives and the cost of them really adds up after a while.

2. Buy Fruit from the Fruit Stands
You can't find cheaper fruit! Here's how to find one: Walk outside and spin around in a circle until you see a fruit stand. Walk towards it. Viola! Fruit! Yes, this fruit has been sitting outside for a little while, but whatever. Wash it off and put it in your fridge. The city is trying to fight obesity by providing us with easily accessible produce- so take full advantage of it.

3. Spices, Spices, Spices.
Okay, this is actually very important. These may break the food budget bank at first, but you NEED them for cooking - especially if you are buying plain grains. Some of the spices in my fridge are: salt and pepper (duh), cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, ground ginger, thyme, basil, oregano, curry, garlic.

4. Beans are Your Best Friend. 
A bit cliche- but these add protein and fiber to your meals. I add kidney beans, garbanzo beans and any other beans that may be on sale to my rice, pasta and couscous. Did I mention that beans are ridiculously cheap?

5. Soup!
Soup is a wonderful thing because you can't really mess it up. What I usually do is cook a huge batch of soup or chili and freeze all of the leftovers. You can share with your roommates and still eat it for a week (but because it's frozen you don't have to eat it EVERY day for week). You can splurge a little bit on soup ingredients because you'll get multiple meals out of it. Some of my favorites are eggplant vegetable soup, vegetarian chili, lentil soup and black bean.

If you're not much of a soup chef, or if you don't have a kitchen and a ton of time, canned soups can do the trick. I usually buy soups that are high in fiber and protein so that they keep me full and can call themselves a meal. Some good examples are Amy's Black Bean, Lentil and Vegetable and Tomato Bisque. These are a little more expensive but the cheap soups are full of gross stuff and will leave you hungry and spending more anyway.

 6. Dollar Stores Are Not Always Below You.
Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Dollar stores are actually goldmines for things that won't give you awful food poisoning like crackers, chips and dry goods (we don't eat chips though, do we?!). What dollar stores are really great for are other kitchen and cleaning supplies. Soaps, detergents, wipes and cleaning sprays. Clean away! There are many money-saving treasures in there. So pull down your cap and go!

7. Plan Before You Go to the Grocery Store.
Having a plan guarantees that you'll spend less at the store, even if its on the walk over. Think about what you already have in your kitchen and what can be made with just another ingredient or two. This means you'll get the most out of the money you've already spent and you'll have less stress later. Plan a few meals and snacks. When you're at the store, check out the sales and think about whether or not you will eat the sale items in the next two weeks.

8. BE CREATIVE
You need to be creative to save money on food. Come up with combinations of your favorite ingredients. Experiment with spices. You will save money and become an amazing cook in the process! Some day when you can afford really good food all of the time, you will be able to impress everyone with your cooking skills and creativity.

Have a great night New York!