It’s time for this week’s Friday Four, a fun survey I’m doing so that my readers can get to know me a little better.

Four books I’d recommend: This is a really tough one because I don’t know if I can pick just four! I really enjoy reading but I don’t feel like I have enough time to read for fun (grad school life) and I don’t really read any of the best sellers, I just read what sounds interesting. I also like reading books before they become movies; I’ve read the Sookie Stakehouse Southern Vampire Mystery novels (the books that True Blood was based on) and the Stephanie Plum series (the books that One For the Money – the movie with Katherine Heigl was based on). So, anywhere, here are four books that I’ve really enjoyed.

1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler. “In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like “Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend,” “Plain Girl Versus the Demon” and “The Robots Will Kill Us All” Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous,Yes Please is full of words to live by.”

Technically I’m still reading this one but I love Amy Poehler and will support anything she does. So far this one has been very inspiring so I would definitely recommend it to any and everyone.

2. Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti. Feminism isn’t dead. It just isn’t very cool anymore. Enter Full Frontal Feminism, a book that embodies the forward-looking messages that author Jessica Valenti propagated as founder of the popular website, Feministing.com.

This book is terrific for anyone who is interest in learning the basic foundation of feminism or for any seasoned feminist who wants to have a reference guide. I love this book because it explains the bad-ass principals of feminism for all of us bad-ass feminists. It’s definitely worth a read!

3. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty. “Most people want to avoid thinking about death, but Caitlin Doughty—a twenty-something with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre—took a job at a crematory, turning morbid curiosity into her life’s work. Thrown into a profession of gallows humor and vivid characters (both living and very dead), Caitlin learned to navigate the secretive culture of those who care for the deceased.”

This is one of the most informative and thought-provoking books I’ve ever read. It made me reconsider death and how I would want to be cared for after it happens to me. Doughty has the ability to navigate this difficult subject in a way that makes it interesting and fun. It’s definitely worth a read.

4. Blindness by José Saramago. “A city is hit by an epidemic of “white blindness” which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness has swept the reading public with its powerful portrayal of man’s worst appetites and weaknesses-and man’s ultimately exhilarating spirit. The stunningly powerful novel of man’s will to survive against all odds, by the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.”

This is another though-provoking read because throughout the book, I found myself wondering if humanity would really react the way they do in the book, how I would react if this situation were to happen in real life, and the chances of this situation happening in real life. I will also say that you should see the movie because it is really good! It’s as close to the book as any movie I’ve ever seen.

Bonus: The Sookie Stakehouse Southern Vampire Mystery novels

*All photos by me.

As a Christmas gift to each other, Nick and I decided to upgrade our bedroom closet and maximize space as much as possible. We’ve ordered one of those DIY-install closet systems and while we wait for it to arrive, I’ve been trying to reorganize/whittle down my clothes. I realized I haven’t worn this red sweater all winter, and as if she was reading my mind, Laura from I Do DeClaire posted this outfit.

I decided to copy Laura’s outfit and wear this one for Galentine’s Day. If you’re not familiar with this event, then you need to be watching Parks and Recreation1 Seriously, it’s okay, I’ll wait. See, wasn’t that great? 🙂 Two of my friends and I spent the day together, shopping and eating and having a great time. It really was one of the best Galentine’s Day I’ve ever had.

Laura wore knee-high cognac boots with her red sweater and pixie pants, which looked really cute on her. When I tried it with my cognac boots,I felt like I looked a lot shorter than I already am so I ultimately decided to wear my new ankle boots. I haven’t had them long but I’m already in love with them; they’re the most versatile boot I’ve had because they go with everything. EVERYTHING. But wearing them for a day out with the girls probably wasn’t the best idea considering we did a lot of walking and I haven’t really had a chance to break them in yet. Needless to say, they’re broken in now and my feet are only a little sore!

Sweater: Banana Republic | Pixie Pants: Old Navy | Boots: BP Trolley via Nordstrom | Red Bead Necklace: Target | Layered Necklace: Claire’s (old) | Bracelets: Old Navy

UPDATE: I just realized that this week’s Style Challenge from Audry at Putting Me Together is Wear an Old Piece (aka something you haven’t worn in at least 6 months). Technically, I haven’t worn this sweater since last winter, and not at all this winter – until now – so I think it counts. Therefore, I’m linking up!

Linking up with InDuffinitely Me | The Tiny Heart | Mix & Match Fashion | The Penniless Socialite | Putting Me Together

As I mentioned last week, I’m participating in a fun survey as a way to let my readers get to know me a little better. Each week I will answer four questions.

This week’s question is Four jobs I have had. Most of my jobs have been administrative, which is one reason I decided that it was time to graduate school; I was having a hard time moving up. So anyway, here are my last four jobs.

Graduate Assistant: As my current job, I’m a graduate research assistant for one of my favorite professors in my MPH program. This mostly consists of helping my professor with research, literature reviews, data entry, etc. One of my favorite tasks has been going to the state department of public health and reviewing every county’s community health assessment to find out what issues are considered a  priority in each individual county. It was  very interesting to see how each area prioritized health issues like cancer, diabetes, and obesity.

Communications Assistant: For three years I was the administrative assistant for the communications department of an international nonprofit organization that worked for women’s health and rights. It was my most favorite job by far because I learned so much about an area I’m incredibly passionate about.  This is where I had difficulties advancing because I didn’t have an advanced degree so I decided to go to graduate school to get my Master of Public Health so I could continue my career trajectory in women’s health.

Administrative Assistant: Prior to working for a nonprofit, I worked in community mental health. My Bachelor’s degree is in Psychology which is an incredibly broad field. This was something I both loved and hated. I loved it because I could do just about anything. I hate it because I could do just about anything! I decided after undergrad that I would work for a while to get an idea of where I wanted to go next, and that’s how I ended up as the admin assistant for a specialized program working with high-functioning adults with mental illness. It was a great learning experience because I found out that I didn’t want to be a Psychologist/Psychiatrist as I had originally thought.

Health Center Assistant: My very first job out of undergrad was working in a women’s health clinic, checking in/out patients, doing patient work-ups (i.e. blood pressure, height, weight, etc.), and my favorite (yet least utilized) duty was discussing birth control options with patients. I was only at this job for a few months because they asked me to learn how to draw blood and administer shots and I just wasn’t comfortable with that. I didn’t go to nursing school for a reason!

What jobs have you had? Have you ever felt stuck, and what did you do to overcome it?

The lovely Brynn of BrynnAsh has taken me back to my middle school/early high schools days by participating in a weekly survey on her blog. I say this takes me back because I grew up in a time way before social media and email was *THE* way to communicate with friends, so my girlfriends and I would always chain email each other with completed surveys that always asked the same questions and we always gave the same responses but, for some reason, it was the most fun thing ever. (Tweens, amirite?!) So, anyway, I liked her idea and have decided to participate… for old times’ sake, if you will. As she noted in her post, other bloggers have answered all of the questions at once, but I’ll follow her lead and answer one or two each Friday for the next couple of weeks. It feels like a good way to get to know me a little better.

And if you’re not reading Brynn’s blog, then you’re really missing out. Get over there and read it; she’s pretty awesome!

Selfie!

So, the first Friday Four question is: Four names that people call me, other than my real name:

Nikki. S0, I know that’s technically by name BUT I often go by my middle name, Nicole, at school and work and there are very few people that ever call me by my first name.  My friends and family have called me Nikki from day one, but it’s not the name on my birth certificate so it counts 😉

Snickerdoodles. This was my high school softball nickname and I loved it. During games, it was often shortened to Snickers (like the candy bar – even though I didn’t eat snicker doodle cookies or snickers candy bars very often) and I even have an old jersey with “SNICKER” across the back.  That nickname went away after high school, though, so it probably doesn’t really count being on this list.

Crewsinator. This is a newer nickname that my friend from my school program calls me. Interestingly, she and I are from the same hometown and went to the same high school, but we’re 5 years apart so we never knew each other back then. We connected in our MPH program and I love this girl; she’s so much like myself that it’s almost scary! Anyway, she calls me Crewsinator as a play on my last name and the terminator because I’m tough as shit. True story.

Mrs. Castillo. I’m including this one because it’s how some of our older family members address letters/cards/etc. to me, even though I didn’t change my last name when Nick and I got married. I don’t know who Nikki Castillo is, but she doesn’t live in my house!

Do you have any cool or fun nicknames that you go by?

I don’t consider myself to be very artistic or creative. In fact, I was a very late to use Instagram because I didn’t feel creative enough to use it, but sometimes I surprise myself and take photos that turn out kind of nice. These are the best/my favorite Instagram photos that I took last year. Not only are these somewhat artistic, but most of them just give you a little glimpse into my life. Some of them I may have already posted so I apologize if you’re seeing them again but I do hope you enjoy!

Snow falling outside of my kitchen window.

Snow in the back yard.

The perfect Valentine’s date night includes ice cream.

Wild onions in the spring time.

Coffee!

Enjoying a sunny day in the hammock.

A beautiful night out.

Flowers on the beach.

My furbabies.

I really enjoy exploring old, beautiful, and peaceful cemeteries.

My gifts reflect my lifestyle: cooking, clothes, reading, and coffee!

Nick made me a sign for my birthday!