Detox

I've already completed one of my 2013 goals- do a juice detox! I started the 3 day detox on Friday, so now I'm on the last day. Its been awesome! For this detox, I made veggie smoothies to drink all day. The smoothie for each day is different. The first one was apples, tomatoes, celery, carrots, cucumber, lemon, beets.

 You eat 8 oz. of protein. I had an egg over hard in the morning, and some chicken with lots of veggies for dinner.

 The next day I was in College Park. Being that I was 40 minutes away from home, I should have prepared a smoothie for the morning after I spent the night. My blood sugar was very low because I hadn't eaten any sugar the day before, and my body was definitely not used to it (I am a major sugar/carb-aholic.) I felt weak, shaky, and nauseous, so I ate some crackers. My stomach couldn't keep it down I got a bagel at the grocery store and ate half of it, slowly. That seemed to be what my body needed. When I got home, I made the day 2 smoothie: parsley, spinach, apples, cucumbers, and celery. Detox lesson learned: have the right foods on hand if you won't be home during the detox. Its OK to eat some carbs and sugar to help your body adjust to the difference.

Now I'm on day 3. I woke up at 8 am this morning- and felt wide awake, even though I went to sleep at 2 am. My body feels really good, and my mind feels clear! My cravings really have decreased. I feel a little hungry, but not like I how I usually crave carbs. Its great! This smoothie has celery, cucumber, ginger, carrots, beets, lemon, parsley, and spinach. I know it looks gross, but its good! My dad tasted it. He made a face and put it down, "You have fun with that." I love the smoothies. They taste healthy. Its made a difference in my body- my body wants veggies, fruit, and water. I'm really happy with the results. I got the recipe for this detox from The Skinny Confidential. Its based on the Suja Juice Cleanse. Email me if you want the recipe! amandasimonds9@gmail.com.

2013

Lord knows I've changed this year. "I feel as if I'm always on the verge of waking up," which is how I do feel, but occasionally, every week or so, I feel as if I am waking up. I have an awakening Oh, that's what I want. That's where I want to go. This is how I really feel. This is how I really am.

I've never felt so content and happy with myself, in this place I live in, and the people around me. I've accomplished a lot for myself in 2012- I changed my major, volunteered as a teacher at a non-profit, interned for a gallery, studied abroad, found myself.

I have many goals for this coming year. After a reveling 4 seasons, I'm ready for another round.

• Exercise more regularly
• Do a juice detox
• Plant a herb pot
• Drink tea instead of coffee
• Eat healthier, broaden my cooking abilities
• Read as many books as possible
• Professionally document my artwork, and finish my website
• Purchase a DSLR
• Intern at a museum

 Some pictures from the last day in Florence, on top of the Duomo.

 The bell tower

 The last sunset. Arrivederci, Firenze! I will definitely be back.

But now, I'm back in Maryland, getting drunk and happy with my boyfriend.

Florentine Christmas

 The Christmas Market at Piazza Santa Croce

 Incense holders- the smoke comes out of their mouths. I want one so bad!

 The glorious tree at the Duomo

"Christmas Eyes" artwork in a shop window

Christmas in Florence is like magic. They string lights across the street on every block, and everything is glittery and twinkling and beautiful. That moment when it really feels like Christmas time? Walking down Via Servi at night in my red wool coat, underneath the bright lights. Decorations in the shop windows, seeing my breath. My cheeks are cold and everyone looks happy. It was a magical feeling.

Art Show

 

The MICA class of Saci had their art show on Friday. It was called 14 Degrees of Separation, curated by 2 of my classmates. I showed my installation: Italy, a Journal

 

I did a number of small drawings of places around Italy. They are mostly of landscapes and buildings. My intention was to document my experience here in a visual way, and remember how everything felt and looked in my eyes.

 

 Our work looked great together.

We came home to a lovely congratulations display from Shannon and Shuyler, and Italian Christmas beer, from a local brewery

Parchi e Mercati

With the  year coming to an end, I've been coming up with goals I want to accomplish in the next year.  One of them was to start a blog. This mostly came from my wish to start documenting the things I do, get all of this "self-reflective-y" stuff out, and work on my writing skills; I've been lacking in that department since becoming a full-time art student. So hence, the first post (of the last week I have as a student in Florence):

It was really beautiful yesterday. I decided to get up early and skip my screenprinting studio to go to the Tuesday morning market at the Parco di Cascine. It was a pretty long walk down streets I've never been to before, but I got there without getting lost. I finally have this intuition-in-a-different-place thing down. When I got to the Arno I saw this man standing on the edge of the bank, reading a newspaper in solitude. Like a scene out of a movie..

 

The Mercato Cascine is like a flea market, with housewares and outdated clothes, clearly meant for locals and clean of souvenirs. Even though I still feel out of place when I don't really know what I'm doing, or how to speak Italian well, I felt like I belong here, in Florence. It really feels like a home.

 I took a walk through the park. It felt so nice so have leaves and grass under my feet, and the quietness of being alone, without the crowds of the city.

On the way back, I found the perfect pair of leather boots for my Mom. The leather is so buttery and soft- and I found them for under 100 euros. It felt like divine intervention had occurred.

Yesterday was great. Today we worked on setting up for our show. I installed my drawings, and I'm very happy with how it looks. Finishing it up tomorrow, then the opening is on Friday night.

Now I'm having a glass of wine and finishing some drawings I hope to add to the piece.
Salute to my first real blog post!