5 Tips For Beating Procrastination In The New Year

By Elissa Rosenthal

So your new years resolution is to beat your procrastination habit, well I have some tips for you from a proven procrastinator, me! Since my junior year in high school I have been working on my procrastination habits and there are five key factors which help me when I need to get stuff done.

#1 Put Away Distractions

Now you have probably heard this before over and over again, but it really does work. By having your phone off and away from your working area it really does help with productivity. It makes you less likely to go diving into your social media or other online entertainment. Though the thing with this, is it not only has to do with your electronic devices.

Put your hunger and/or thirst away before going into your work area. From my own experience, nothing is a better procrastination excuse than being hungry in the middle of a project or paper. "Oh, it will only be a snack.", I say in my head as my stomach rumbles, causing me to lose focus on what I was doing. Then it ends up being where I realize it's around dinner time, make myself a full meal and a few hours has passed by. The only slight exception to this is if you are going to be working for a long period of time on something and you know you will get hungry. Have a filling snack and a beverage close at hand within your work area, this way you don't get distracted from your project or paper by the demon I call The Stomach Monster. 

#2 Make Your Work Environment Work For You

Do you work better in complete silence, or if you have music playing? Do you work better sitting on the floor with your plans spread out before you or in a chair at a desk? Finding what works for you can help immensely! Personally, I used to love the quite and still do periodically, however, I've grown more accustomed to having some minor sounds in the background while I work so if a room is completely silent it bugs me to where I find it hard to get stuff done. So if no one is around when I'm working I'll turn some music on low in the background, nothing with lyrics though those have a tendency of getting my mind off track. 

Sometimes in order to get your ideal work area is next to impossible, particularly if you have other humans or animals to take care of, however, there are ways to get creative to get close to what you need. Do you like working in a quiet environment but you have kids? If they are young enough try to work while they are napping, or see if your partner or a friend can take care of them while you get some work done. However, if they are older children, but still need your vigilance to make sure they don't burn the house down see if you can get them to work on something while you do. 

Note: No I do not have children, however, these are tips I have picked up from people who I've known who have children or take care of them for a living. 

#3 Be Okay With Telling Others You're Busy

If you live with your parents you may know what I mean when I say they can be a big distraction to productivity. Though this tip does not only pertain to parents, in my own life they were the main inspiration for this tip. If you know anyone who will go over to you and start talking and talking while you're working, getting you off of task and pulling you away from what you're doing, be okay with telling them that you need to be working. Of course this is different if you are at your job and the boss it talking to you, but it still does apply if a co-worker starts talking to you while you're not on a break. 

You do not need to be rude while mentioning this, though be ready for some people to take it that way. Most people will understand that you're in the middle of something important to you and will stop talking to you for the time being. You can mention how you can start up the conversation later during your work break or when you're done with what you have to do for today. 

#4 If You Can, Do The Harder Parts First

If you have a massive research paper due for class, you need to do the research first, however, in other projects you may have a bit more flexibility on what you can do first. Figure out which parts of your project will take the most time and can happen first, and do them first. By having the harder parts out of the way the rest of the work will seem easy in comparison. Plus, from my own procrastination experience, if I did the easy work first instead I would take around twice as long on those tasks than they needed because I didn't want to do the hard stuff afterward. By doing the hard parts first everything is given its proper amount of time and effort. 

#5 Try To Make Your Work Interesting

There is nothing worse than doing something for a long time that you hate. If you have any flexibility in what you do, some way to make it a bit more fun, try it. If you are doing a research paper, do a creative twist on it which may make it more fun for you to write about. For example, if you are doing something for school, ask how flexible the subject matter can be for your project or paper.

If these tips have helped let me know in the comments! Let's have a conversation!

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Happy Holidays From The Elissa Post

By Elissa Rosenthal

Hello to everyone who reads my, currently, little blog. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to read my writing and sometimes share it. I am very grateful.

While helping set up plans with family for this years' holiday celebration, the word grateful had popped up in my head quite a bit. The question in my head of what I am grateful for swirled around. I know how I always heard the stereotypical: being grateful for your family, house, food, and the like; however I never heard of my answer to what I'm grateful for this year, so I thought I'd share it with you.

I am grateful for those who make the days in life a little brighter. For me that is you guys who read my blog. Though they are also the stranger who goes out of their way to help someone, people who try to understand before they judge someone, those kinds of people.

What are you grateful for this year? Leave a response down in the comments!

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Book Review: Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps

By Elissa Rosenthal

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps by Kelly Williams Brown is a well worth read! Brown has gathered information useful for both those new to the life of adulthood, and the old timer who wants some advice from others. Her book touches on practical subjects, like cleaning and cooking, as well as personal subjects, like love and family relationships. 

While reading this book I could not put it down! Being a young adult, I found the advice she presented as quite useful and I can see myself referencing to it often in the future. My favorite part was when she broke down the idea some people have, that induces them to think, that everyone should care for their needs, whether or not they know them personally. I laughed so hard at this early part of the book since I see this idea pushed many times over within my age group. 

I would recommend anyone who enjoys advice with a dash of comedy thrown in to read this book. The chapters go by quickly, so I am thankful it is not a particularly thin book. It is well written and the categories are well structured so it is easy to find information. 

The only real critic I have on this book is how she steps around the topic of radically unpleasant or abusive family when it comes to her chapter on how to deal with the lot. In this particular chapter she does address how unhealthy families exist and, though I do understand that she is trying to address the larger crowd of readers, I would be interested on her views on what to do in unsavory family circumstances. Some examples could be: if your parent is a drunk or if your cousin is a radical racist by following the ways of their parents. I would find it interesting. Who knows, maybe she is making that a book on it's own! If she publishes it I will be delighted to read it!

Have you read this book? Leave your points down in the comments! Let us have a discussion!

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Seattle Snow and Little Joys

Photos and story by: Elissa Rosenthal

On Thursday night we saw one of those rare glimpses of snow in the city of Seattle. While some worried about their after-work trek home, I marveled at my luck with not having to be anywhere in the morning. The sight of the white fluff gave a peaceful glimmer outside of my window, which drove the child-like need to go out and have some fun.

My partner and I went out into the snow with our gloves, coats, and waterproof shoes. The snow made the city noise mostly disappear into the background. A crisp crunch was underneath our feet as the snow grew in thickness. I picked up some snow from a nearby railing, packed it into a loose ball, and gently threw it in her direction. She of course returned the gesture. 

We walked in wonder at this moment, where everything appeared to be peaceful and quite. We hoped the snow would last through the next day. The snow however, did not last long at its' original strength once the night had passed and Friday morning was here. The streets which had been littered with snow were now mostly clear, a happy sight for the commuter, not so much for the snow lover. 

I am not bitter though. It is times like these when I am thrilled to have taken the time to enjoy the little joys in life. It means so much to make as many good memories as possible, no matter how short. Those memories are what makes life worth living that much more. 

About Me : Photo Reveal

Hello Everyone,

My name is Elissa Rosenthal, and besides my name, I have been contemplating on how much I want to share on this blog. I want to share some experiences of mine, however I want this space to be professional too.

One of the main subjects I have been contemplating, is if I want to present my face to the public or keep the illusive profile picture of flowers I took a while ago. Recently I have come to a conclusion and it is this, I will show my readers my face. Not in a cartoonist drawn fashion, though there is nothing wrong with those who choose that route, but in a photo taken by my partner in life. She is a photographer and her specialty is portraits. If you, my readers, wish to know more about her work please comment in the comments section!

So here it is, me in my glasses and all! :) I will be making this my profile picture, starting tomorrow.

I know I am not perfect, but then nobody is. All we can do in this life is embrace what we have, and do the best we can. 

Musical Wonders And Curiosities: The Sugar Ponies!

By Elissa Rosenthal

Two weeks ago I was contacted through twitter by the band called The Sugar Ponies. I was asked to watch their music video on their song "Give This Girl a Break", the link for which I will provide HERE , and to give some constructive feedback. In reply I checked them out and found that I love their sound. Then, given that they asked me to give some criticism, I felt compelled to. I respect the ability to put yourself out there and ask outsiders their opinions so you can become better, and I encourage my audience to do the same with my posts as they see fit. As I have said at the end of every post I want the comments section to be a conversation where opposing ideas can be discussed in a civilized manner. 

Given that the music video I watched was their very first music video it is completely understandable why some improvements could have been made, all of which I told the band through my twitter response. They were very polite and thanked me for the criticism I provided and were lovely people to talk to even during the brief conversation we had through twitter. Heart emojis abound! So, since they were being so nice and I was starting to look more into their music I asked on twitter if I could do a post about them and here we are! They thanked me for asking and said yes! 😃 💗

The Sugar Ponies are an indie band with a blend of rock, pop, country, and folk sound. They are based in San Francisco and produced their first album in 2009 called I Better Better. They have recently released their new album It's A Sign which is available to purchase on their website, HERE . The new album, according the bio page on the, The Sugar Ponies website, is produced by Ed Stasium, a big league in the producing industry, having worked with the Ramones, Talking Heads, the Smithereens, and Living Colour.

Their sound is unique and their lyrics pull you in. The vocalist, Suzanne Kramer, has a pretty, yet mature tone while singing which creates an atmosphere where you can lay back, relax, and enjoy a cup of tea. My favorite song right now of theirs is their song "Lately", link HERE . The percussion and stings are showcased so perfectly in this song I find myself wanting to do a little jig. The guitarist, Michael McGovern and vocalist, Suzanne Kramer have been together since 2004 and take inspiration from several different musical artists and it shows. 

There of course are other members in the band who are incredibly talented as well. These people are, Kenny Aronoff, Jason Slota, Tim Vaughan, Aaron Leigh, Jamie White, Tony Glaser, Austin de Lone, Ed Stasium, Danny Allen, and Rebecca Roudman. 

I highly recommend looking at their music and following them on their twitter @sugarponies !

A giant thank you to the band, The Sugar Ponies, for allowing me to post about their band! I hope they go far and do enormously well with this new album release!


I am not sponsored by The Sugar Ponies, this post was done purely out of my love for their music. 

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Celiac Life: Favorite Beauty Shops of 2016

By Elissa Rosenthal

Ever since I was, well to be honest, born, I have had very sensitive skin. Not so sensitive to where it bursts out in hives to any sent, but sensitive enough to where the only detergent my body has ever agreed with has been the kind made for infants. 

Now, I do not know exactly if my sensitive skin has anything to do with my celiac. Quite a few say  the gluten molecule is too big to go through the skin barrier in articles like "A Glutton for Gluten: Should Skin Care Be Gluten-Free?" by Dr. Diana Howard , or in an answer by Dr. Michael Picco published by the Mayo Clinc answering "I have celiac disease. Do I need to be concerned about sunscreens, shampoos and cosmetics that contain gluten?" . Though their statements are very possibly true, in that unless you ingest the gluten nothing will happen, I encourage you as a fellow celiac to determine a few risks. 

Note: As someone with Celiac disease you should always look for lipstick, toothpaste, and any other beauty or body product which will go in your mouth as gluten free. 

Some Risks to Think Over Before Not Looking For Gluten Free Beauty Care As A Celiac

1) How likely are you to touch your face and then your mouth or around your mouth? 

2)Are you planning on having any part of your hands be part of your beauty routine and how often do you think your hands will go near your mouth?

3)Do you think you can wash your hair and body perfectly without any splash back going into your face and therefore, perhaps, into your mouth?

Now Do You Want Gluten Free Beauty Care?

I chose from day one of finding out I had celiac disease to go as gluten free as I possibly could with my beauty care. The only part I have become a little relaxed with is my sunscreen because it has no gluten containing ingredients, but has no testing for cross-contamination. Plus, I do not put any on my hands during the day to day and when I do I make sure not to touch my face. The brand I currently use is Hawaiian Tropic. Here is a link to buy it on Amazon, I am not sponsored. Please make sure to check their current formula before you buy, since beauty product producers change their ingredient lists all the time! The year I checked to see if the formula was gluten free was in 2015. I will also be checking their formula the next time I get some. 

My main tip: Check formulas and call customer service if you can for any beauty products you buy as a celiac!

The Brands/ Stores I Currently Trust 100% 

I am not sponsored for any promotion of these products. I am giving you advice from my experiences with these companies' products and staff!

- ELF  

A highly trusted brand in my 2016 book since all of their products are gluten free! I prefer their eye shadows in the pots, though their pallets are quite nice once you roughen them up a bit. Plus I am currently loving their matte lip color in Rich Red. 

- The Body Shop

This is where I go for most of my body care needs. Though as a celiac I would deter from buying on their online shop unless you recently bought the same product at their store recently, or have called customer service. Their customer service is great! As far as I have seen they always have an allergen list in the store and you can ask the sales person at the store if a product is gluten free. They as well have makeup available, though I do not know how much of it is gluten free. 

- Pharmaca 

This is where I have been currently getting my shampoo products. Their staff is very knowledgeable and on their website you can even filter out their gluten free products under the ingredient concerns tab.

I hope you found this information useful. 

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Explaining The Seattle Chill

By Elissa Rosenthal

It has been a while since I have heard of the term The Seattle Chill. The first time I ever heard of the term was from a friend I had at the time who was from Phoenix, Arizona. Though today, while on a bus watching the quiet raindrops drip down the window, I thought of the term once again.

You do not truly realize how captivated it appears Seattleites- including myself- are to our phones and our own little bubbles of safety until you put the phone down and look around. Truly look around.

The Seattle Chill, also known as The Seattle Freeze is a term I never knew until that friend of mine told me about it. So, in case you are like me when I first heard the term, where you do not know a clue of what I am talking about, I will give you the description that, that friend of mine told me those years ago.

The Seattle Chill is a term some people outside of Seattle use to describe how unfriendly or welcoming Seattle is to newcomers or outsiders. Now, I do not deny that, that statement is true. I have come across this chill myself and I am sure other people who have grown up here have as well. It is just, until I heard the term did I start to question if the rest of the country is different when it comes to conversing with one another.

My bus trip was a good example of The Seattle Chill. No one was talking to one another, even people who clearly knew each other, and there was so little sound on the bus you could hear the leg of the guy sitting behind you wiggling. Plus, everyone was either on their phone or looking off somewhere in the distance to do their best not to look at someone else by accident.

With the way I grew up, I know why this happens and I really do wonder how it would be if it was different here.

When I was younger, one of the main points we learned early on is you did not talk on the bus, no matter how urgent the matter was. This unspoken rule was drilled into my head so many times by my peers that now I feel extremely awkward talking to someone while on the bus for any reason. The point, when I was younger, was enforced by the glares we would get, as growing kids, from the adults around us. These glances would clearly tell us that we needed to shut up. These glares told us how we were disturbing the others on the bus by saying anything at all, even whispers. At least that is the reason I put toward how people in Seattle act on the bus. The bus is quiet until you get on the bus: you are the loud one, therefore you are the other, so therefore you are bad.

It is a way of trying not to be an outsider I guess in this, mostly cloudy, city. Part of which is part of The Seattle Chill as well.

The associating certain people as outsiders is part of the Seattle culture for some people. Like how in particular conversations, one may ask you if you grew up here, or if you are a transplant. A transplant is a term to describe those who have moved here from somewhere else. The term has negative connotations for inadvertently saying that you are one of the reason the prices for everything from housing to soda has gone up. This is because the majority of people who refer to transplants are referring to those who came from California for cheaper house prices, bringing in a lot more money, and then, therefore, making it where retailers can ask for higher prices.

The Seattle Chill, from an insiders perspective, is a way Seattleites are trying stay together and try to be part of a common whole, while slowly welcoming others, since so many more people are rushing in from different countries and states. It is a way of trying to preserve the culture of Seattle being a comfy city where anyone can find a place, while seeing everything change so quickly around you all of the time.

It is like the child in the corner crossing their hands over their chest, looking down with a grumpy face, because their teacher told them to share their toy with the child next to them. They let the other child barrow their toy, carefully looking here and there to see if the toy is still okay, hoping that nothing happens to it. This is mostly because the child does not know what the other child's plans are with their toy.

It is truly hard to exactly describe what it is like coming from an inside perspective when describing The Seattle Chill, and I wish I could iron it out more into strong reasons why, but from my own experiences I cannot. I grew up hearing stories from my parents on how the city used to be before the Seattle World's Fair, and when there was a reason for the counterbalance to be called the counterbalance. I grew up when there was still a train along the waterfront. One that I now have to once in a while tell tourists does not exist anymore.

So many things change in Seattle all of the time, it is sort of hard to keep track.

If any of you have questions for me please feel free to ask them in the comments or to tweet me @TheElissaPost on twitter! I will be glad to iron out anything that seems unclear since I know this topic is pretty abstract and has, in my perspective, to do more with building stress than solid facts.

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It's Election Day!

By Elissa Rosenthal

Today is finally election day in the United States for the year 2016. Tension is in the air in workplaces and colleges alike. The whispers between students and teachers can be heard on campuses everywhere.

I will not say who I voted for, but I did vote and I encourage you to do the same. This presidential election has been tense and unfortunately I feel like some are, instead of voting, hiding in their homes and hoping their roofs do not collapse. Even when they want to vote!

If you do not want to vote and practice your right as a citizen of the United States then at the very least do not discourage others from voting. Encourage others to vote for who they think is the best of a messed up situation!

I understand if you do not want to vote because your own ideals do not match with the candidates available. I understand if you voice your opinion on the election! But please do not go around and say how someone votes is a wasted vote, a vote for a mad man, or a corrupt woman. We all have different ideals we want to have our candidate to go by!

However this ends up please remember we are all people!

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About This Blog

Hello, my name is Elissa and today I've started this blog. The reason? Well, one, to get more chances to write every day, and two, to have a platform to share my ideas and experiences that I deem to have substance.

On this blog I encourage for the comments to be a discussion. I do not, nor will I, ever expect any of my readers to believe in everything I do or agree with everything I say. I want this blog to be constructive and understanding of other view points and opinions.

I'm currently planning on posting once a week unless a topic is time sensitive. If the schedule is going to change I will do my best to notify you, my readers.


Thank you for reading, and welcome to my blog!

Celiac Life: The Store and Food Temptation

By Elissa Rosenthal

It has been over a year now since I was diagnosed with celiac disease. The disease where you cannot have gluten as much as you want to without horrible side effects, both long term and sort term. Until I write more, and even when I do, I encourage you to read about the disease if it interests you. I will never say I know everything, because I know I don't. Life is a continuous journey of lessons and experiences that mold your current knowledge base.

Today, while walking through the store, I had another sense of longing. Longing for the foods I once knew and had eaten with no, clear to me at the time, consequences before my diagnoses. The seeing of childhood treats like fig newtons and goldfish crackers had made me sigh a little. It is not easy being completely gluten free, and I have never quite understood why someone would willingly choose the diet, but then I smile at the thought when I look at the cereal on the shelf with clear labeling.

Each time my mind goes into one of those day dreams of remembering past tastes I remind myself how much better I feel when going for alternatives. Now I feel much more energetic. For one I am starting this blog, a feat I never even thought possible to accomplish before. I always wanted to start one, just didn't have the energy.

What helps in those times as well, is knowing I can try to make gluten free versions of treats I once enjoyed. So far some have come out alright, others, well, they need work. I do try though, which is what keeps me motivated to try again in the future, when I have time. If any of you would wish for me to post my food recipe trials, please let me know!

I know how the temptation of food memories can create this inner war within your brain. This happens with me particularly when it comes to foods I was accustomed to when I was a child, and continued to be a customer of the product later in life, until the diagnoses. This is why I hope this post helps you in any way possible with beating the inner dialogue, if nothing else because of reading being a distraction.

Visualization helps immensely, specifically certain images. Here is a list of them, should you wish to use them for your own fight against temptation.  

1) Envision how you feel when you are reacting to gluten. That will be your reality, as it was back then, should you have that food, sweet, or drink. 

2) If you are anything like me, think through how this one decision will make you feel horrible the next few days.

3) This is one I use that those of you who do not have physical symptoms of celiac disease can partake in. It is dark, but imagine how you want to die. Do you want to die from cancer? Of course you may die of cancer anyway, there are many factors which go into it, but do you want to increase your chances? 

I hope that these visualization ideas help, at the very least, some of you who are reading this blog of mine. I remember when I was first diagnosed, being happy because of knowing what was going on with me, but sad that my diet and social eating behaviors were going to change drastically. 

If any of you have questions for me and do not mind if I do a short article mentioning your question, please ask it in the comments. I only ask you please include in your comment how you prefer to be addressed, whether that is with a name or anonymous, and which pronouns you prefer. 

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