Experience: Gallon of Water per day challenge

Hey Guys and Gals! Sabrina here, wanting to honor my promise to share my experience drinking a gallon of water a day. The challenge allowed me to drink tea and coffee without sugar and milk. Personally, I already drink my coffee black, so this was not an adjustment for me. The goal of the challenge is to eliminate sugary drinks for the week, but I’m sure adding some honey or a teaspoon of sugar won’t break you. Some people use the water from their gallon for their tea and/or coffee, yet I advise you to not do that. 

During the first day of the challenge, I was drinking the water a little too fast. I primarily focused on getting through it, which taught me that I can take my time for the second day. The second day was difficult for me, considering I had a mild stomach bug. Despite the bug, I still pushed to drink the entire gallon of water, and I did! It felt great not giving up on the challenge. My symptoms from the bug did not last longer that a few hours, thanks to the water. 

By the third day, I really started feeling refreshed. I started waking up in the morning with my alarm clock without wanting to go back to sleep instantaneously. If you are like me and have sleep inertia, getting up in the morning is tough. Drinking enough water really kicked it out of my system. Another benefit from being hydrated was curved hunger. Of course, I was hungry when it was meal time. However, I did not feel hungry again an hour after eating. This day of the challenge was the day I decided I needed to make drinking this much water a part of my daily routine. I enjoy feeling hydrated, and realized I probably was walking around slightly dehydrated for way too long. 

The rest of the challenge was a breeze. I noticed my body was not reacting harshly to the rising temperatures. I am very sensitive to temperature change, but being hydrated helped my body regulate the change. My skin felt softer, and my acne went down significantly. Honestly, I do not have any cons for this challenge. I will share that this challenge is easier if you have a gallon water bottle, but buying seven is not great for environment. My suggestion, which I did, is buy only two gallon water bottles and refill them with Brita or filter water. You reduce your waste, and you have an accurate measurement of a gallon! It helps to keep your drinking water separate from your Brita. 

I have been keeping up my water intake since finishing the challenge. I weighed myself on the last day, noticing I shed a few pounds. Highly recommend this challenge to anyone who wants to restart their journey towards a healthier lifestyle. 

My first experience participating in NaNoWriMo

Welcome back! As much as I miss everyone and wish this quarantine would be over already, staying safe indoors and social distancing when outside will really get COVID-19 under control. Like many people, I do not have work for the time being. I challenged myself to expand my writing portfolio by participating in something called NaNoWriMo. 

What is NaNoWriMo? 

It is a virtual writing camp that encourages writers to write everyday for a month towards a completed draft of 50,000 words. The goal is not to write a perfect piece ready to be published. It is to establish the daily habit of writing with the end goal of a first, or rather a rough, draft of a novel. With that, your daily goal is to write 1,667 words a day. Seems like a big number to reach every single day of the month, but it is possible with enough preparation. 

My friend, who was the first person to tell me about NaNoWriMo, shared their experience participating a few years back. After listening to their experience, I was hooked into doing the challenge. 

Honestly, I never felt this invigorated about a writing project ever. I attribute my energy to the Pre-Writing work that nanowrimo.org provides. They give you a downloadable PDF that forces you to get thinking with cool prompts. I did not start my month of writing with a concrete idea, which is perfectly fine. The Pre-Writing work stimulates you to get thinking of an idea that you will passionate about! It did for me. Once I finished the prompt section, the Pre-Writing dives into character development and outlining the events taking place. 

Preparing character sheets and a beat sheet really motivated me to keep going with the challenge. If I was unprepared and started free writing a novel, I definitely would lose motivation thus leading to giving up on the challenge. What really helped me keep up was knowing how I want to start and end the novel. Knowing your ending drives you to get there, not matter what. Once I finished developing, it was time to start writing. 

In the Pre-Writing outline, NaNoWriMo gives you suggests on how to incorporate time in your schedule to write. I chose to use the Pomodoro method every day. The Pomodoro method is working for 25 minutes then taking a 5 minute break four times. Essentially, using Pomodoro method means I was writing for two hours a day. I went from barely reaching an hour of writing to two uninterrupted hours of blissful writing. Not having concrete work schedule allows me to write as long as I want without having to worry about obligations. 

Writing the first half of my novel up to the midpoint felt like a breeze. I was surpassing my daily word goal of 1,667 words easily. The ladder half of writing my novel was more of an uphill battle. I would reach between 1250-1500 words opposed to my daily goal. As much as I wanted to beat myself up for not reaching the goal by a small margin, I chose to keep going. To keep getting up and writing first thing in the morning. My future edit could also be the blame for lacking some momentum, but I challenged that thinking with “Well, there won’t be a future edit until you finish this draft first.” 

Finally, I finished the novel by reaching 50,000 words. Is the ending written the way I want it to end? Not exactly. Do I need to go back to write more in-depth character backgrounds for some major players in my story? Definitely. Was I exhausted from writing? Yes and no. The catharsis from spilling on the page can be exhausting in the best way possible. I can best compare it to exercising. While you are exercising, you might feel tired or down, but you always feel great when you complete your workout. It was important that I take a few days of rest from this intense writing before I dived back into my work. Currently waiting for two people to give me notes on the draft before I go back to edit the crap out of the novel. My plan is to adapt the novel into a feature length screenplay. I cannot speak on when or how I plan to release the novel, but it will be accessible one day. 

I am extremely grateful for this experience, because it made me fall in love with writing, again. Highly encourage anyone with a story on their mind, in need of a writing habit, or need something to do to participate in NaNoWriMo! Usually, the month to write your novel is November, but you can participate anytime at your speed. 

Thank you all for reading! What kind of creative endeavors have you dived into during quarantine? I would like to hear about some of the stuff my readers are working on, especially if it is just for your enjoyment. 

My Quarantine Watchlist

Hey, everyone! After writing my post about feeling overwhelmed by content, I decided to make a watchlist. It came in handy due to the Coronavirus Quarantine. Some of the titles on the list I have been able to watch in the last few days. Hopefully, I will be able to get through these, so I can watch more stuff. Let me know what you think of some of these titles.

Without further ado, here is my watchlist!

The Wire

Marriage Story

The Bling Ring- I watched this one the other night. I am a Sofia Coppola fan, so I was psyched to see her name pop up as Writer and Director. The film dissects the idea of privacy, and how it easy it can be to have access to other people’s lives. I wasn’t really attached to the characters, and didn’t have any feelings toward them. Still something I recommend.

The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez – I am in the progress of watching. This is extremely heavy.

On My Block

The Talented Mr. Ripley 

A Wrinkle in Time 

The Little Hours 

Horse Girl 

Wanda –

Tie me up, Tie Me Down 

A Brief History of Time

Orpheus 

Paris, Texas – A fan of slow cinema, I really enjoyed this film. The color palette works to bolster the emotions of the characters. This is definitely not a watch for people who need a lot of stuff happening. This film is definitely unique.

A Woman Under The Influence

The Seventh Seal

Seven Samurai 

Drunken Angel 

High and Low

The Witcher – “Throw a coin to your Witcher..” Although I think this might have been a bit overhyped, I really enjoyed watching this series. Unlike Paris, Texas, this show has a LOT going on. Lot of timelines to follow. Looking forward to the next season for sure.

Lock and Key 

Daredevil

Laser Wolf

Did Anyone Order Astrology Predictions for Bob’s Burgers?

Hey, everyone. I’m glad to see you again! Listen, I just want to share a quick update before I start. The Coronavirus and the straight hysteria drives my anxiety crazy. Instead using my nervous energy towards spiraling and overthinking, I will channel it in my writing and hobbies. Plug time, only for a second! Make sure to check out my Instagram, @sabrinaeperri, if you are interested in booking a Tarot Reading with me. Pricing is in the photo’s description. ALSO, go follow the project I am producing’s INSTAGRAM @f.u.niversity! I started posting some stuff on there. Check it out and maybe you’ll learn something. 

Okay, now, the real reason for this blog post. Due to recent events, I have reigned “Bob’s Burgers” to be my favorite tv show. It was my favorite, then Bojack came, but now Bojack moved down a spot. I will discuss that reason at a later time. Yeah, Bob’s Burgers is my favorite tv show. Animation is not for everyone, so I understand if you have never watched it or do not like even after giving it a shot. In my opinion, it is one of best episodic animated series on tv. The cast of characters grow more into themselves with each season that is it so hard to not love them for all their quirks. Obviously, each character has their distinctions. As a long time fan and astrology lover, I began to speculate what sun sign these fictional characters were born under. Throughout the season, it has been made clear that Linda is a Gemini and Gene a Sagittarius. I was only left guess the other three Belchers, and Teddy, because he is a main cast member. When my understanding of astrology grew and I learned about the importance of your “Big 3,” I decided to create some theoretical “Big 3” predictions for the cast of Bob’s Burgers. 

You ready to find out?

I want to start with a fan favorite, Linda Belcher. A Gemini, Linda loves to talk and crack jokes! We see that often, especially when Linda talks to background characters at a house party. Gemini love art, music, and film, a big reason for all her singing. Of course, Gemini’s need their alcohol. Linda always has a bottle lying around the house. But, what else do we know about Linda? We know that she enjoys being the Mama bear, extremely protective and supportive towards her family. This characteristic applies to her relationship with her other family members, especially Gail. Her love is passionate, leading her emotions to be filled with passion as well. This fiery energy leads me to believe Linda has a Leo Moon. Leo moon also love to be the center of attention, something Linda is notorious for. What about her rising sign, the first sign people see? Well, I think Linda has a Taurus Rising. Venus, the planet of love and beauty, rules Taurus, which I find applies to Linda’s outward personality. She can appear to be stubborn and aggressive towards people in her way. Whether that means driving or in the grocery store. A Taurus Rising loves sleeping, and Linda loves to snuggle in bed with her Bobby.

Now, let’s talk about Gene, who is a total Sagittarius. Gene is adventurous, spontaneous, progressive, and loves his freedom. Sagittarians do not like being bossed around, which Gene never allows to happen. I keep thinking of the line in one of the episodes where he says “Tell that to my vagina!” Then, Mickey, a bank robber, questions if he is a boy. It’s a funny scene. Anyway, Gene has a child-like outward persona. He is not as immature as he was in the early scenes, but he expresses his inner child immediately upon meeting new people. Some people would consider him to be immature, but I am trying to be nice here. He also tends to star things without finishing, or he will do the famous “Gene-ing out.” So, I have concluded that Gene’s rising sign is Aries. On an emotional level, I discovered that Gene understands a lot of his emotions, but does not open up about them much. He also really loves comfort and food. Honestly, I think he has a cancer moon. Gene can show a crabby side when pushed in direction that makes him uncomfortable. 

A character who I went back and forth on figuring out was Bob. He drive towards his dream of owning and running his own restaurant despite the setbacks and low customer count tripped me when it came to figuring out his sun sign. At first, this perservance made me believe he could be an Earth sign. Honestly, I could not really find one to fit his sun sign. However, this immediate response to him makes me believe he has a Capricorn Rising. A common theme among Capricorn rising is never having a childhood, which Bob often reflects on throughout the show. Earth signs tend to focus a lot on money, which Bob does not really do. He is not in it for the money, even though he needs it. Making burgers is his dream. Then, I started to realize, Bob is a dreamy guy. He makes up voicing for inanimate objects so he can have a conversation with himself. Bob tends to be stuck in his past, especially when it comes to his interests from his childhood. All this got me thinking that Bob is a Pisces! There, I said it. He loves to do things for others, often never giving himself necessary days off or alone time. Now, what about his emotional, inward side? To examine this side of Bob, you really have to look at how he interacts with the kids. Bob is definitely the favorite parent. The kids love to play with Bob, and spend quality time around him. He lets them be whoever they want to be without judgement. Bob is a model father figure, FYI. Be more like Bob, dads. Anyway, Bob is fair with all the kids. His fairness and being well liked leads me to believe Bob has his moon in Libra. Yeah, I said it. 

Teddy was an easy main character for me to figure out. He is definitely a Scorpio Sun. He holds onto grudges and the past, often getting angry when the feelings around those elements arise. He is somewhat of a ladies man. Always looking for love or talking about an ex. Also, he does not move on from anyone or anything. Very much Scorpio energy. Teddy’s willingness to always give a helping hand, especially when it comes to his inward persona, makes me believe that he has a Pisces Moon. I mean, he lets his emotional side rule him. And, he is a hoarder. Now, what sign tells all when Teddy gives a first impression? Teddy definitely comes off intense, not always in the good way. He can talk a lot, or say something awkward. That does stop him from talking to people. Since he can be an off-putting chatter box, I have to say his rising sign is Gemini. 

For Louise, she definitely has a lot of mystical energy around her. She is good at communicating and leading the pack. Her first impression is intense. She is one tough cookie you do not want to mess with, making her a Leo Rising. Louise definitely not one want to be apart of the crowd. She likes to be different and be ‘weird.’ Yeah, she is like the poster child for Aquarius suns. Swift communicator, she does always look out for the greater good. Now, what about her emotional side? Louise is actually a very deep character. She will seek revenge when crossed, hold a grudge even on someone hurting her loved one, and finally emotionally closed off to most of the world. In the episode where Bob saves the Wharf, amidst drowning, Louise says “I love you guys, but let’s keep that between us.” She keeps her emotions a secret, only every really acting out of frustration or anger. Louise has a moon in Scorpio without a doubt. 

Saved the best for last. Even if you do not know anything about the other characters, chances are you know who Tina is. She might be the most notable character in the show for her relatable hormone changes and obsession with horses. Definitely, Tina had to be born under the sun in Cancer. Cancers fall in love with strangers so fast, then love fantasize scenarios where they fall in love. Cancers are also very caring, which Tina exhibits when babysitting her siblings. Although, they almost always bulldoze her leadership. Tina gives off a dreamy first impression. She appears to be in her own world, yet in tune with her surroundings. This leads me to saying she is a Pisces Rising. It also adds to daydreams and fantasies, often written down in her erotic fan fictions. Speaking of her fan fictions, Tina’s emotions are ruled by love. Tina has a passion for love, and this fiery energy leads to her to creative pursuits. I would have to say that Tina has an Aries Moon. Even though Aries moon are assumed to be all about themselves, Aries energy is extremely protective and caring for others, even when they know it might not be in their better interest. 

So, to recap:

Linda Belcher is a Gemini Sun, Taurus Rising, and Leo Moon.

Gene Belcher is a Sagittarius Sun, Aries Rising, and Cancer Moon.

Bob is a Pisces Sun, Capricorn Rising, and Libra Moon.

Teddy is a Scorpio Sun, Gemini Rising, and Pisces Moon.

Louise has an Aquarius Sun, Leo Rising, and Scorpio Moon.

Thank you for reading! I hope everyone enjoyed my take on what I believe are the ‘Big 3’ for each main character in Bob’s Burgers. Let me know what your thoughts are! Do you agree or disagree, and why? I’ll be posting more this week, so make sure to follow me! 

Overwhelmed by content consumption

Our consumer society has reached a point where all media platforms flood you with content. Original or not, consumers scroll through tons of content daily. Between Instagram, Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, Tiktok, the 24 hour news cycle, your friend’s podcast, the list goes on. None of us can successfully ignore content we do not want to see. 

Everything feels as though it is considered content these days. What I considered content is correct, yet it just covers a fraction of the definition. My personal definition of content was anything pertaing or promoting a business or some form of art. When I say business, I discuss platforms that use advertisments to sell a service and/or product. For example, cleaning products, make up, where to file your taxes, stuff like that. Now, the concept of content has grown into encompassing everything that can be manipulated into digestablie content. I grew deeply interested in what can be considered content upon graduating college. As a writer, clearly I needed to learn how I should brand my creative content. That is where I started to dig. Quickly, I learned that practically anything can be content. A picture of yourself doing something related to your field, content. A post workout picture, content. Vacation pictures that people post days, months, and years after, content. Pictures of your pets, content. Hanging out at a party, content. Bonus points if it is a premiere or launch party. It is simply not enough to have your content focus around your work. In order for your content to be successful in the values of views, likes, and followers, you must sell everything that you identify with as your content. Simply put, just posting one aspect of yourself is not enough. A TV series’ social media cannot just post about a new season premiering soon, but also show content that interacts with its audience. It is not enough to follow, or binge, these shows and ingest their exclusive content on their social accounts. People want to click on a profile and see authenticity. Despite catfishing and people embellishing their lives that people seem to keep following and falling for, most people have a good radar for bon afide content on social media. 

So, Sabrina, what is it that you really want to say about content. *Deep inhale* I am overwhelmed by the amount of content. It feels wrong of me to start a new show from my queue without giving it my full undivided attention. Life can have us all multitasking when it comes down to the point of the day where I can digest the content I enjoy, the overwhelming amount of new shows and movies causes me stress and indecision that leads to me rewatching a show. This cycle of “I want to watch somehing new” “There is too much to pick” “I’m going to play It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” I love that there is so much content out there for every kind of person. Do not get me wrong about that. I just struggle to find what I actually enjoy while trying to keep up with all the new releases. Maybe, I am oversaturated by ingesting content from literally everywhere. Taking a break sounds easy, but is it today? As a filmmaker, I am super hard on myself for not always staying informed on new releases, films in the festival circuit, and movies I should have already seen. I need to get out of this rut cycle and find more content I enjoy. With more time and motivation, I will prioritze digesting content that makes me laugh, enlightens me on a point of view not familiar with my own, and entertains me. When I take in better quality content, I will also be able to improve my content naturally. Oh, this is exciting stuff. I need to just be a bit harder on myself when I find it easy to rewatch instead of going for something new. I also need to discern better on what accounts I want to follow on my social media accounts. There’s only so much space I can hold for people I only kind of know. So, it is also a mission of mine to find real accounts by real working filmmakers, writers, artists, etc. I have found a couple accounts so far that I really enjoy, and I have so much faith that I will find more. 

Thank you for reading my opinion on how I am overwhelmed by the mass amount of content I face daily. All the people reading deserve a cozy night on the couch or in bed watching a new show that has quite literally rock their socks off.

Love And Light, 

Sabrina  

 

Let’s Catch Up

What’s up, everybody?! Guess who’s back?

What is new with me? Sticking to things I set my mind to, for one. Okay, Sabrina, be serious for a minute. 

As of today, I officially finalized my script “Frankie.” It is going to be the first of four shorts in a series. I am super pumped to make this short. I definitely will be tracking my production progress, so please stay tuned. Besides making these shorts, I am working on an educational Sex Ed Web Series titled “Fuck University.” Although our team are still in pre-production, definitely give their podcast a listen. Other than those two projects, I have been busy working at my day job. I’ve been getting more hours, which means I can finally have money to spend on useless crap! “Just kidding”, my bills said. 

A few months back, I got the AMC A-List membership, which allows me to see up to 3 movies a week. It’s keeping me busy and up to date on releases. In case you were wondering, my favorite films from 2019 were Honey Boy, Queen and Slim, Parasite, Uncut Gems, and Booksmart. OH, this week, I saw The Invisible Man. I stress ate all my popcorn within the first half an hour. 

My new favorite show is Peaky Blinders. Not only is the storylines incredible and cinematography pleasing to watch, you get to see Cillian Murphy’s fine self in a suit. Honestly, what could be better? 

Other than all that, I don’t have anything new going on. I still in Los Angeles, still at the coffee shop, and still playing Pokemon Go. I hope my readers are doing well. I’m sure you guys noticed some of my poems and writing prompts. In the future, I will be post more of that alongside these blog pieces. Oh, I’ll mix some photography posts in there as well.

It is time for me to wrap this up. It was nice catching up. The ‘Frankie’ instagram will be up and running shortly for everyone to see. If you are interested learning more about the webseries I’m attached to, check out the podcast “F*ck University Presents: Office Hours” on Spotify. 

Love and Light, 

Sabrina 

Thankful For:

  1. My Parents
  2. My Parents’ Parents
  3. My Parents’ Parents’ Parents’
  4. My sister Bella
  5. Not looking like Cinderella
  6. The way you tie your tie
  7. The sparkle in your eye
  8. Kisses
  9. The Missus
  10. Accepting the Passage
  11. Living like a Refined Savage
  12. The Planet
  13. The People, but don’t tell them.
  14. Each Life Challenge
  15. The Pain
  16. The Gain
  17. Most of all, for always being Tall.

 

Here is a list poem I wrote in honor of all the things I’m grateful for this Holiday season. What are some things on your “I’m Grateful for..” List?

 

Water Themed Poems!

Out to Eat with Me

Can I please have a glass of wooder?

Water, okay, so what’s your order?

I would like some eggs with a side of scrabble.

Sorry, did you babble?

Think I need a minute, just the wooder.

 

Wash against the occupants.

Aquarius has no more reigns.

Terra crumples.

Each droplet of smog poisons the blue greenery creation

Rest, Rivers. Please Rest.

W.A.T.E.R.

 

I had a poetry reading at my local coffee shop where I got to debut this short little poems. Please enjoy! More to come.

Also, it’s Giving Tuesday! Check out F*ck University’s IndieGoGo Campaign! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fuck-university-today-s-sex-education–2#/