Get to Know Someone New!

As you've might have read around here before, finding happiness through health is where I've decided to focus my blog, and while I'm working on a lot of major structural changes to the setup of That's Better, I'm going to keep posting like usual until everything's up and ready to go.

...But in the mean time I'm SO GIDDY INSIDE!!!

It's so fun to think that today is the day I can start making my dream job become a reality and that anything I do today can bring me just that much closer to what I want to be doing in life: 

Inspiring people to be healthier in all areas of their lives, whether it's Mentally, Emotionally, Spiritually, Socially or Physically.   

I'm excited to share my passions and excitement with others, and my professional training, as well.  If big companies like Coke and Kellogs can utilize marketing strategies for negative health behaviors, then why shouldn't Public Health Professionals be able to use them for positive ones!?  

OK, I'll stop diverging from the original topic of this post, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm SO incredibly excited for where 'That's Better' is going and I hope that you are, too!  In the weeks to come I hope that you can catch the vision with me and commit to making your life a healthier one, as well.

But back to the title... :)

I've told you how much I just adore lunch dates with friends before, and since then I've kept the streak running with more and more of these events with amazing ladies from my networks.  Most recently, I had a chance to go to Mulan, a Taiwanese place, with Alane, and thought I'd just say again that lunch dates are such a great way to get to know someone new!!

And if you're lookin for a super simple and easy way to be happy, this is one that works!!  Don't believe me?  Give it a try :)  Ask someone you don't know that well, or someone you'd like to get to know better to go out to lunch, and see how it goes!  Chances are:

1.  They'll be flattered you asked.  (Most people are happy to be invited to do things with someone new, it means other people are interested in them.)

2. You'll get to try out a great new restaurant (usually of your choosing!)

3. You'll have a great time as you get to know someone new and develop your friendship!

Win-Win, hombres!!  So what are you waiting for? Go grab your calendar and text a friend you don't know that much about.  At the very least, it's a great networking opportunity and hey, they might even take a picture with you while making a monkey face with an orange :)

PS  Mulan is fantastic!!!  Highly recommend the Salt & Pepper Pork Chops!! :)  So good I forgot to put my fork down and take a picture!! 

Lunch Dates: That's Better.

Don't get me wrong when I tell you I'm a lot less social than I used to be, because ya might think I'm still kind of social.  Not gonna lie, I think something inside me seriously changed after we lost my Mom, but I've recently started taking baby steps towards becoming who I once was.  It's required me to push myself out of my comfort zone and really stop thinking about myself so much.

Let me explain... When I first learned that we were seriously losing her I started to realize how much people didn't know about what was going on in my life and this huge problem that was haunting me.  Of course you don't want to bring something like that up to just anyone you talk to, so I didn't really mention that little tidbit of information to anyone except those closest to me at the time.  I've never felt something so painful, and it's a strange feeling thinking that maybe I should be asking for help or talking to someone to help get me through it.  Of course the family was all there for me, but it's different having someone in your physical presence and 2000 miles away on the phone.  I'm just not the type of person who typically relies on others for too much emotional support, so it was a strange concept and one I wasn't really adapting to very well.

Since then I guess I'd say I started being more self-centered and thinking about the issues in my life more than others.  After all, I was the only one who was going to deal with them, so why shouldn't they come first?  Note to self anyone reading: Don't do that.  It's lonely.

Fast forward about 3 years...

I got tired of being lonely and have decided to take a proactive step towards getting out of that comfort zone I haphazardly fell into.  In wanting to take advantage of more of the City and the amazing people in my network, I started planning lunch dates with the great people who were around me that I wanted to get to know more and can I just tell you they are amazing!!  Both the City and the people have quickly become some of my favorite things in life and surely my favorite things on my calendar!

Two recent excursions have taken me to The Squealing Pig by Harvard SPH and Aceituna Cafe in Kendall Square in Cambridge with some of the most amazing people I've met in Boston!  First of all, can I just tell you that most people are down for a lunch date, all you have to do is suggest it!  I am a hand-down full-on proponent of lunch dates now.  There are lots of reasons to not to go on them, but there are way too many reasons you should!  On top of the chance to get to try new dives to eat at, they let you have an intimate conversation with someone you want to get to know better.  Maybe I'm late to the band-wagon here, but my vote's in and I say go for it.

Here are some pictures from my outing with Makenzie P. to The Pig, and I'll add more from Aceituna after lunch today.  The Pig is a fabulous Irish pub that's definitely not even labeled outside.  I probably walked around the block twice before I finally saw a tiny sign above an inset door labeled 'Pig Country'. If you get the chance, definitely try the prosciutto, gorgonzola and fig spread sandwich with the homestyle potato salad.  It's made with whole-grain mustard and is hands down the best potato salad I've ever tried.  Be jealous of this.  Then go try it cause it's awesome.

And after your meal they give you a Ferraro Roche.  Yum!!  Makenzie said they looked like 'chocolate testicles' haha, love it.

I'm on my way to Aceituna right now for a weekly gig with Chelsea A. and Alane I. so I'll be sure to snap some shots and post 'em on here later today.  That place is one of my favorites in Boston.  It's a mediterranean place where literally everyone else but my table is Persian.  Um, baller!!  That's the true test of a good ethnic restaurant, if the natives eat there. :)  Aight, hasta hombres.

Sunset Cantina: That's Better.

Mexican food is something anyone who knows me knows I love from the bottom of my heart. Homemade tortillas, bubbling cheddar cheese, lime spritzed shrimp with a fork pressed fresh cilantro guacamole... oh my gosh, I'm getting hungry again. No, but really, I've enjoyed trying new restaurants all over Boston and found a gem tonight, right by the main campus! The Sunset Cantina is a busy, upbeat joint right across from the Agganis Arena, and you should definitely try it if you're in the city or ever coming in to visit! They have a HUGE menu with the widest variety of foods I've ever seen on a plastic-covered folding piece of paper. Highly recommend the lime shrimp quesadillas (see below). And, in advance, you're welcome! :)