Just in case you ever thought that you or your problems were important:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
25 Random Things.
Here we go...
1. I set my alarm an hour earlier than im supposed to wake up. its exciting to wake up and know you still have an entire hour. for some reason, im always surprised when i realize i have an extra hour.
2. at any given moment, you will find at least 8 different types of chap sticks, lip glosses, lip sticks, lip balms, etc. in my purse. a.d.d.i.c.t.
3. i love to drive long distances and i like traffic. but only when im in the car by myself; my mind is more entertaining than you will ever be. (jk) (sorta)
4. im a loner, hermit crab, introvert. its only because of my 4 friends that i actually socialize. if u meet me, youll think im a snot, but im not. im suuuper sweet. i just dont like to talk.
5. The Secret changed my life.
6. i judge you by the strength of your signature and the hospital you were born in. i know its wrong to judge but at least im honest : /
7. I heard " I gotta feeling" before you ever did. i swear. in new york at an after party with fergie, she played it. its my claim to fame and if u are next to me when this song comes on, i will tell you the story all over again. every single time.
8. If i ever got a tattoo it would be a drawing of a scrolled map with a circle on it after my fave quote, " This place where you are right now God circled on a map for you". DONT COPY ME.
9. i relate more to the character Charlotte in Lost In Translation than i relate to others. on a side note, more people should watch Party Monster.
10. crocodiles terrify me
11. since i started working in corporate america, ive been more republican (fiscally).
12. I never thought id get over Hello Kitty products. i thought that was it for me.
13. Sleeping Lessons by The Shins should be played continuously throughout the day because ill never get tired of it.
14. My tv routine consists of ABC World News at 6:30pm followed by E! Entertainment News at 7:00pm. i think that pretty much sums me up. two extremes in one.
15. i hate shopping. i only go to the mall when i know exactly what i want, never to browse. if you love me, youll never ask me to go to the mall with you. please dont.
16. i like my humor dry and sarcastic with a splash of darkness. my lil sister is the gothic version of me. weve admitted that we are jealous of one another and wish we were like the other.
17. i have the temper of a cobra. id like to blame it on my Colombian and Irish roots and an incessant need to always get my way. clearly its not my fault.
18. i get nervous walking in anywhere. sometimes i pretend im on my cell phone. most of the time i just need patti valdez on my left side.
19. i was born on the Pisces/Aries cusp. run, run far.
20. i run like an ostrich and have been told that all my life. im traumatized and will never run in
front of you unless im running away from you.
21. Jack Kerouac is my male counterpart.
22. i love candy and cake. id rather eat candy and cake above anything else. if the dessert is served at the same time as my meal, i'll surely eat the dessert first.
23. my mother is my obsession. she knows everything, always. shes never ever been wrong about anything and when she likes an outfit you can be damn sure everyone else will.
24. i wish i lived in cold weather so i could have a giant St. Bernard named laverne.
25. i wish i was a more consistent blogger.
1. I set my alarm an hour earlier than im supposed to wake up. its exciting to wake up and know you still have an entire hour. for some reason, im always surprised when i realize i have an extra hour.
2. at any given moment, you will find at least 8 different types of chap sticks, lip glosses, lip sticks, lip balms, etc. in my purse. a.d.d.i.c.t.
3. i love to drive long distances and i like traffic. but only when im in the car by myself; my mind is more entertaining than you will ever be. (jk) (sorta)
4. im a loner, hermit crab, introvert. its only because of my 4 friends that i actually socialize. if u meet me, youll think im a snot, but im not. im suuuper sweet. i just dont like to talk.
5. The Secret changed my life.
6. i judge you by the strength of your signature and the hospital you were born in. i know its wrong to judge but at least im honest : /
7. I heard " I gotta feeling" before you ever did. i swear. in new york at an after party with fergie, she played it. its my claim to fame and if u are next to me when this song comes on, i will tell you the story all over again. every single time.
8. If i ever got a tattoo it would be a drawing of a scrolled map with a circle on it after my fave quote, " This place where you are right now God circled on a map for you". DONT COPY ME.
9. i relate more to the character Charlotte in Lost In Translation than i relate to others. on a side note, more people should watch Party Monster.
10. crocodiles terrify me
11. since i started working in corporate america, ive been more republican (fiscally).
12. I never thought id get over Hello Kitty products. i thought that was it for me.
13. Sleeping Lessons by The Shins should be played continuously throughout the day because ill never get tired of it.
14. My tv routine consists of ABC World News at 6:30pm followed by E! Entertainment News at 7:00pm. i think that pretty much sums me up. two extremes in one.
15. i hate shopping. i only go to the mall when i know exactly what i want, never to browse. if you love me, youll never ask me to go to the mall with you. please dont.
16. i like my humor dry and sarcastic with a splash of darkness. my lil sister is the gothic version of me. weve admitted that we are jealous of one another and wish we were like the other.
17. i have the temper of a cobra. id like to blame it on my Colombian and Irish roots and an incessant need to always get my way. clearly its not my fault.
18. i get nervous walking in anywhere. sometimes i pretend im on my cell phone. most of the time i just need patti valdez on my left side.
19. i was born on the Pisces/Aries cusp. run, run far.
20. i run like an ostrich and have been told that all my life. im traumatized and will never run in
front of you unless im running away from you.
21. Jack Kerouac is my male counterpart.
22. i love candy and cake. id rather eat candy and cake above anything else. if the dessert is served at the same time as my meal, i'll surely eat the dessert first.
23. my mother is my obsession. she knows everything, always. shes never ever been wrong about anything and when she likes an outfit you can be damn sure everyone else will.
24. i wish i lived in cold weather so i could have a giant St. Bernard named laverne.
25. i wish i was a more consistent blogger.
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Cyrina Fiallo is Amazing.
This blog is dedicated to my Cyrina..my June...my wrikey..my 'whoomp there is it'...my 'best friend that makes me laugh to death with the simple utter of the phrase 'ele bebe''.
Cyrina is about to go to Canada and do 'big things'. You see, unlike most who would publicize their 'big news' on facebook statuses in a 'look at me, nanana boo boo!' kinda way, Cyrina is the most humble, whole-hearted, down to earth individual I can say I will ever meet, and you too if you ever get the privilege of meeting her.
Therefore, I must go and brag and boast on her behalf and tell all the world what a phenomenal human being she is. She has been my best friend, near or far, since the tender age of 8 when we were luckily seated at the same table in 3rd grade. It was an instant connection when we realized we both dressed cool, found humor in 'Star Search', and would drive around asking random strangers "who let the dogs out?". Cyrina is the only person who could pull up at the valet of a club wearing crocs, a messenger bag, hat, flowered tank top, blasting the theme song from the Seinfeld, and I would never flinch but just flail my arms up in the air in pure enjoyment.
There are a few things I know in life and one of them is this, Cyrina Fiallo will always be my heart, and Cyrian Fiallo will one day be the next Tina Fey.
June, best of luck in Canada. May they all ready for the lil muffin thats about to come their way and knock them off their socks. I LOVE YOU. - Gertrude.
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
by Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet
in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy
who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em
over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too
smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head
straight out of town.
It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as
brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to
happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start
happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your
way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have
the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you
will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you
won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your
gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from
the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that
you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for
much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some
windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your
elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much
can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn
left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or
go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you
will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get
so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a
break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward
a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just
waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow
to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to
grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or
waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or
waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or
Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for
you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll
find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner
flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the
sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll
go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games
to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make
you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they
don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play
against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will
be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a
very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you
so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the
weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will
go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening
creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up
to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as
you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and
remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be
dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent
guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or
Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
Cyrina is about to go to Canada and do 'big things'. You see, unlike most who would publicize their 'big news' on facebook statuses in a 'look at me, nanana boo boo!' kinda way, Cyrina is the most humble, whole-hearted, down to earth individual I can say I will ever meet, and you too if you ever get the privilege of meeting her.
Therefore, I must go and brag and boast on her behalf and tell all the world what a phenomenal human being she is. She has been my best friend, near or far, since the tender age of 8 when we were luckily seated at the same table in 3rd grade. It was an instant connection when we realized we both dressed cool, found humor in 'Star Search', and would drive around asking random strangers "who let the dogs out?". Cyrina is the only person who could pull up at the valet of a club wearing crocs, a messenger bag, hat, flowered tank top, blasting the theme song from the Seinfeld, and I would never flinch but just flail my arms up in the air in pure enjoyment.
There are a few things I know in life and one of them is this, Cyrina Fiallo will always be my heart, and Cyrian Fiallo will one day be the next Tina Fey.
June, best of luck in Canada. May they all ready for the lil muffin thats about to come their way and knock them off their socks. I LOVE YOU. - Gertrude.
Oh, the Places You'll Go!
by Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet
in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy
who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em
over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too
smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head
straight out of town.
It's opener there
in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as
brainy
and footsy as you.
And when things start to
happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start
happening too.
OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your
way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have
the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you
will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you
won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your
gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from
the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that
you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for
much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some
windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your
elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much
can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn
left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or
go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you
will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get
so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a
break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward
a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just
waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow
to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to
grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or
waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or
waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or
Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for
you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll
find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner
flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the
sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll
go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. there are games
to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make
you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they
don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play
against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will
be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a
very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you
so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the
weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will
go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening
creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up
to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as
you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and
remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be
dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent
guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or
Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
Friday, September 25, 2009
40 years from now...
I can look back at my life and say that...
I once chopped off all my hair and dyed it platinum blonde, just for kicks.
I learned how to fly a plane.
I had front row seats on Bastille Day and heard "La Valse D'Amelie" playing in the background.
Okay, so I was bored (my job doesnt start till october 15th, shoot me.) and looked up different blog ideas and this one blog is about a guy who just names random things he's done in his lifetime that surprise him.
Its a nice lil self-experiment, to look back at all those things you've done and wonder if a.) would I ever do that again? or b.) when can I do that again?
Most of them, for me at least, fall under category B.
Happy Friday Everyone!
"Have a good weekend, make good choices!"
- Ms. Kumen, 8th Grade Bible Class Teacher
- Ms. Kumen, 8th Grade Bible Class Teacher
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Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Nirvana
No matter what's happening in the world, I know that with these certain ingredients, I can obtain a momentary state of Nirvana.
Ingredients:
1 tea spoon of evening
10 cups of good weather (windy, non humid)
1 convertible car ( top down, chromes' spinnin')
3 handfuls of the different roads that make up the drive from Brickell, through the Grove, down
3 handfuls of the different roads that make up the drive from Brickell, through the Grove, down
Sunet and all the way to US1
1 ipod car adapter
1 ipod
4 songs
1/4 Pink Floyd- Breathe
1/4 The Shins- Sleeping Lessons
1/4 Imogen Heap- Hide and Seek
1/4 Imogen Heap- Hide and Seek
1/4 Radiohead- Nude
1 care-free mind
Mix those all together and.....tada! Nirvana. Peaceful bliss. A state of feeling that nothing in the world can be so bad when you have moments like this.
Since I was the tender age of 7, I always begged my parents to drive down the winding, mazy roads of the Grove instead of taking the Palmetto or US1. Even when I'm late as hell, I will always go out of my way to take the scenic route. Ask my friends, they've been witnesses many-a-times. I just absolutely love beautiful things and being surrounded by them at all times, hence my never-ending love for Paris and its many hidden lil streets.
I did that drive last night and then I came home and watched Jon and Kate plus 8 which reiterated the fact that life is so good. Is that wrong? That a good life is one that is compared to Kate Gosselins? Poor girl, I feel worse for her than for Jen Anniston. Okay, that might be borderline mean but its true. I hope they find love and happiness and shut all these tabloids up once and for all.
On a side note, in 2 days, my noble nobbe is becoming a noble new yorker!! I'm sad, for selfish reasons of missing her, but more than happy for her. Its like an episode of Trading Places and I know she'll absolutely love it and stay there happily ever after. Its a magical town, a cold town, but a magical one none-the-less and one that only a lil nobbe can make the best of.
Tonight, my friends and I are giving her a Bon Voyage party, vulture style. This may be the last time all 5 of us are living in the same city, but oh what a great run it has been.
Best of luck to my Noblest!! 
"May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
"May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,
May good luck pursue you each morning and night"
- Irish Blessing
Monday, September 21, 2009
How and Why I Feel Old.
I know I'm a measly 24 years old but going back to a college town after a 2 year hiatus will really make you realize just how far you've come and how much energy you've lost.
Granted, Ive always been on the 'boring' side compared to the Average College Kid aka ACK but let me go ahead and put it all into perspective:
1. We went to Midtown to go to 101 Cantina, the newest 'hot spot' in town, the line was too long so we left and went to a quaint lil obscure bar instead.
The ACK woulda scooted themselves to the front, knocked some people down on their way, and done whatever it took to get in, or sneak in.
2. I walked a mile and a half in heels and didn't quit complaining for a single minute.
The ACK would have either taken off their shoes, hitchhiked, or been too drunk to notice the pain in their feet.
3. We walked into a house straight out of Old School with the oh-so-typical moose hanging off the wall and girls underwear used as antler decorations. I sat on the cleanest couch, warned people not to sit on the bean bag, and then counted down the minutes till we were out of there and I could take a shower in Purell.
the ACK would think this house is really 'sweet', sit on anything, pee on anything, and probably pass out on the floor in the bathroom.
4. It was 4am and I wondered what on earth I was doing out at that time.
4am is standard time for the ACK to order Gumby's and then move on to the next after party.
5. Tail-gating consisted of diet coke and water because i didn't 'want to get dehydrated standing all day in the hot sun'. geez.
The ACK uses the diet coke to mix into their rum and the water bottle to sneak vodka into the stadium.
6. Went to the game for a total of 15 minutes because it was 'too hot' to stand in the sun.
the ACK doesn't feel heat because he's too busy starting a wave, cursing at the other team's fans, or getting escorted out of the game for starting a fight.
7. Didn't go out Saturday night and stayed in to watch Transformers 2 because we were too tired after the game and fell asleep at 12am.
the ACK fell asleep at 12am too, except they passed out on the front lawn of a house party they were celebrating the big win at.
Granted, Ive always been on the 'boring' side compared to the Average College Kid aka ACK but let me go ahead and put it all into perspective:
1. We went to Midtown to go to 101 Cantina, the newest 'hot spot' in town, the line was too long so we left and went to a quaint lil obscure bar instead.
The ACK woulda scooted themselves to the front, knocked some people down on their way, and done whatever it took to get in, or sneak in.
2. I walked a mile and a half in heels and didn't quit complaining for a single minute.
The ACK would have either taken off their shoes, hitchhiked, or been too drunk to notice the pain in their feet.
3. We walked into a house straight out of Old School with the oh-so-typical moose hanging off the wall and girls underwear used as antler decorations. I sat on the cleanest couch, warned people not to sit on the bean bag, and then counted down the minutes till we were out of there and I could take a shower in Purell.
the ACK would think this house is really 'sweet', sit on anything, pee on anything, and probably pass out on the floor in the bathroom.
4. It was 4am and I wondered what on earth I was doing out at that time.
4am is standard time for the ACK to order Gumby's and then move on to the next after party.
5. Tail-gating consisted of diet coke and water because i didn't 'want to get dehydrated standing all day in the hot sun'. geez.
The ACK uses the diet coke to mix into their rum and the water bottle to sneak vodka into the stadium.
6. Went to the game for a total of 15 minutes because it was 'too hot' to stand in the sun.
the ACK doesn't feel heat because he's too busy starting a wave, cursing at the other team's fans, or getting escorted out of the game for starting a fight.
7. Didn't go out Saturday night and stayed in to watch Transformers 2 because we were too tired after the game and fell asleep at 12am.
the ACK fell asleep at 12am too, except they passed out on the front lawn of a house party they were celebrating the big win at.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Gong Li
I'm road trippin' to Gaynesville today to see the Gaytor game.
Yes, I'm their biggest fan. NOT.
However, it should be fun. I haven't been back to a college town even since I graduated from good ol' FSU. It should be nice to see what the degenerates are up to these days, you know, reminisce a bit. So forth, So on.
I can see it now though, Monday's blog subject will definitely be about how and why I feel old (thank you young, skinny, tan college girls for the rude awakening).
Lastly though, let me leave you with a little present. For some inhumane reason, my Playlist has been acting up these past couple of days. Its driving me clinically insane because I genuinely select a song specifically for a post. To me, it just doesn't feel the same when I read it but I know others (DIANA PUENTE), don't really care.
I introduce to you..............Gong Li, an obscure and underrated Red Hot Chili Pepper's song that has the rhythm and melody capable of changing a life or momentarily, your mood.
Disclaimer: You must site me when you introduce this song to others. I take full credit.
Yes, I'm their biggest fan. NOT.
However, it should be fun. I haven't been back to a college town even since I graduated from good ol' FSU. It should be nice to see what the degenerates are up to these days, you know, reminisce a bit. So forth, So on.
I can see it now though, Monday's blog subject will definitely be about how and why I feel old (thank you young, skinny, tan college girls for the rude awakening).
Lastly though, let me leave you with a little present. For some inhumane reason, my Playlist has been acting up these past couple of days. Its driving me clinically insane because I genuinely select a song specifically for a post. To me, it just doesn't feel the same when I read it but I know others (DIANA PUENTE), don't really care.
I introduce to you..............Gong Li, an obscure and underrated Red Hot Chili Pepper's song that has the rhythm and melody capable of changing a life or momentarily, your mood.
Disclaimer: You must site me when you introduce this song to others. I take full credit.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A New Era
Good Bye Non-profit world, Hello Corporate America.
Gone are the days of my shallow commentary being followed by "its okay because I work for the American Cancer Society". That was my redemption; my scape goat. I could do no wrong in this world as long as I could back it up with my charity-girl status.
After a two and a half year career of 'saving lives', I am entering the for-profit world, Corporate America, the Rat Race. This means I must now actually go out of my way to do good things on the side so I can sleep well at night and retain my golden ticket I once so nicely preserved. After
all, it would be a shame if I had to go through my past posts and profile and delete all 't'is better to serve' quotes.
This is good, though. I must now prove to myself that not only do I talk the talk, but also walk the walk. I am committing, both privately and publicly, to do volunteer work for at least 10 hours a month. And WHEN I'm a fajillionaire, I will use my money to do good and help those causes I am deeply committed too such as caring for our elderly. The ones that are 'left behind' due to either economic status or even their own off-spring just not having the time.
Do you know that the elderly have the highest depression rate out of any other age group? I mean, you spend all your life living contently and taking care of others and right when you are nearing the finish line, you become sad and depressed. Shouldn't these be the happiest times; times of memories and recollection of those moments that made your life worth living?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/):
Older Americans are disproportionately likely to die by suicide.
-Although they comprise only 12 percent of the U.S. population, people age 65 and older accounted for 16 percent of suicide deaths in 2004.
-14.3 of every 100,000 people age 65 and older died by suicide in 2004, higher than the rate of about 11 per 100,000 in the general population.
-Non-Hispanic white men age 85 and older were most likely to die by suicide. They had a rate of 49.8 suicide deaths per 100,000 persons in that age group.
What Role Does Depression Play? -The risk of depression in the elderly increases with other illnesses and when ability to function becomes limited. Estimates of major depression in older people living in the community range from less than 1 percent to about 5 percent, but rises to 13.5 percent in those who require home healthcare and to 11.5 percent in elderly hospital patients.
-An estimated 5 million have subsyndromal depression, symptoms that fall short of meeting the full diagnostic criteria for a disorder.
-Subsyndromal depression is especially common among older persons and is associated with an increased risk of developing major depression.
Isn't Depression Just Part of Aging? Depressive disorder is not a normal part of aging. Emotional experiences of sadness, grief, response to loss, and temporary “blue” moods are normal. Persistent depression that interferes significantly with ability to function is not.
Two years ago, in a young women's mentorship program I participated in, we were assigned a project consisting of writing our own obitiuaries. It really got me thinking about the issues I cared for and the legacy I wanted to leave behind. I came up with "Friends of the Eldery", a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting the elderly who otherwise would not have anyone to care for them. The organization would have a heavy focus on Nursing Home and Home care advocacy, Volunteer programs, Mental health, and medical rights. To this day, I still outline and plan this all in my head and one day when I am ready, I will undertake this project. It will start off locally and then develop into a national organization.
Below is a pic of my Mama Claire and Papa Bob. They lived a happy life full of love and family and made each other content by just sitting around watching Wrestle Mania and the Home Shopping Network together.Unfortunately, Mama died before Papa so he went through the sadness and heartache any man would feel after losing his life-long love. I wish were around more in Kentucky to help heal his heartache and cheer him up but I was too far and too young.
However, I am dedicated to making sure there are more volunteer and advocacy programs around in the future to help ease the the transitions we will all face one day. You wait and see.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Eat, Pray, Love
Leave it to the season premier of 'Gossip Girl' to be that magical thing that inspired me to write again.
No, it wasn't Serena's new found celebrity or Chucks deliciously-devilish charm, but a simple mention of "Eat, Pray, Love", a book that apparently went as far as to even inspire Serena Vanderwoodsen to visit India and take a vow of silence (okay, fine, maybe she lied about that but still, it was worth putting in the show.)
"Eat, Pray, Love" is the type of book I love so much I force it down people's throats. In fact, I like it so much that it gave me anxiety when Chantel started reading it because I wanted so much for her to be obsessed with it too that I would secretly find any way to mention it without sounding too overzealous just to see how far along she was. Unfortunately, this book didn't hit the spot for Chant like it did for me. After one final attempt of reading my favorite passage to her out loud on the balcony I realized, hey, that's fine, maybe that makes this that much more special to me, maybe its MY book written for ME. (and the millions of other women who feel the same but whatever).
I kinda set off on my own version of an "Eat, Pray, Love" Journey except I did it backwards. I first moved to New York, where Elizabeth Gilbert (the author) begins her journey of escaping the entrapment of love she feels has overcome her life and has made her lose sight of all that is truly valuable in her short-lived chance here on Earth. Granted, after my 5 month stint I moved back and, well, now I want to move again and keep on looking (for what? not sure, but something)
Is that normal? No. But tell me something that's normal and I can be damn sure that Ill definitely vote against it and consider it boring. My friends are also a little worried and tired of hearing of my self-reinventions but God love 'em cause they stick with me anyway. I want to live a life worth writing about and I did for awhile. However, moving back to Miami, its very difficult to go from the experiences of walking down Lexington Ave, Fifth Ave, and 42nd Street to getting inspired by my experiences of driving down Kendall Drive, Bird Road, and US1. Sorry Miami, much love to ya anyways.
I don't know why I cant stay put in this city I just feel like there's a glass ceiling for all of us Miamians (do not get offended, or do, but don't complain to me about it.) There's just no charm, mystery, or elegance here that can keep me satisfied or inspired for a long period of time. Yes, we do have the best boat days, weather, and 'Green Street' that other cities cant compete with, but that doesn't do it for me. I want more, and although I don't know where it is I will go to find it, I rest assured knowing it will happen.
In the meantime, if I cant force feed an entire book down every one's throat, PLEASE, read these awe-inspiring quotes that Ive marked as my favorite. Maybe, just maybe, it'll entice you to take a quick drive to your local book shop and have that 'life changing experience' all us going through a quarter-life crisis are looking for. And by the way, that quote right under "Prime 24" that says "This place where you are right now God circled on a map for you" is from this book, inspired yet? Fine, hold on..
Quotes from "Eat, Pray, Love: One Women's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia."
"Look for God. Look for God like a man with his head on fire looks for water."
"Still, despite all this, traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt, ever since I was sixteen years old and first went to Russia with my saved-up babysitting money, that to travel is worth any cost or sacrifice. I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless, newborn baby--I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because it looks exactly like me. It can barf all over me if it wants to--I just don't care."
"But is it such a bad thing to live like this for just a little while? Just for a few months of one's life, is it so awful to...nap in a garden, in a patch of sunlight, in the middle of the day, right next to your favorite fountain? And then to do it again the next day?"
"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."
"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."
"To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life."
"There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. How much do you love me? and Who's in charge? Everything else is somehow manageable. But these two questions of love and control undo us all, trip us up and cause war, grief and suffering."
"eventually, everything goes away."
"Until I can feel as ecstatic about having a baby as I felt about going to New Zealand to search for giant squid, I cannot have a baby."
"There’s a crack (or cracks) in everyone…that’s how the light of God gets in."
"Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be... a prudent insurance policy."
"You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions."
"I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on the water."
"There's no trouble in this world so serious that it can't be cured with a hot bath, a glass of whiskey, and the Book of Common Prayer."
"You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight."
"I have good idea, for if you meet some person from different religion and he want to make argument about God. My idea is, you listen to everything this man say about God. Never argue about God with him. Best thing to say is, 'I agree with you.' Then you go home, pray what you want. This is my idea for people to have peace about religion."
"When you're lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you've just wandered off the path, that you'll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and its time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you dont even know from which direction the sun rises anymore.
"I thought about one of my favorite Sufi poems, which says that God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. I was never not coming here. This was never not going to happen."
"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. "
"...God never slams a door in your face without opening a box of Girl Scout cookies..."
"According to the mystics, this search for divine bliss is the entire purpose of a human life. this is why we all chose to be born, and this is why all the suffering and pain of life on earth is worthwhile--just for the chance to experience this infinite love. And once you have found this divinity within, can you hold it? Because if you can...bliss."
"So tonight I reach for my journal again. This is the first time I’ve done this since I came to Italy. What I write in my journal is that I am weak and full of fear. I explain that Depression and Loneliness have shown up, and I’m scared they will never leave. I say that I don’t want to take the drugs anymore, but I’m frightened I will have to. I am terrified that I will never really pull my life together. In response, somewhere from within me, rises a now-familiar presence, offering me all the certainties I have always wished another person would say to me when I was troubled.
This is what I find myself writing on the page: I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long. I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it—I will love you through that, as well. If you don’t need the medication, I will love you, too. There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and Braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.
Tonight, this strange interior gesture of friendship—the lending of a hand from me to myself when nobody else is around to offer solace—reminds me of something that happened to me once in New York City. I walked into an office building one afternoon in a hurry, dashed into the waiting elevator. As I rushed in, I caught an unexpected glance of myself in a security mirror’s reflection. In that moment, my brain did an odd thing—it fired off this split-second message: “Hey! You know her! That’s a friend of yours!” And I actually ran forward toward my own reflection with a smile, ready to welcome that girl whose name I had lost but whose face was so familiar. In a flash instant of course, I realized my mistake and laughed in embarrassment at my almost doglike confusion over how a mirror works. But for some reason that incident comes to mind again tonight during my sadness in Rome, and I find myself writing this comforting reminder at the bottom of the page.
Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a FRIEND… I fell asleep holding my notebook pressed against my chest, open to this most recent assurance. In the morning when I wake up, I can still smell a faint trace of depression’s lingering smoke, but he himself is nowhere to be seen. Somewhere during the night, he got up and left. And his buddy loneliness beat it, too."
"In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted. Only artistic excellence is incorruptible.
No, it wasn't Serena's new found celebrity or Chucks deliciously-devilish charm, but a simple mention of "Eat, Pray, Love", a book that apparently went as far as to even inspire Serena Vanderwoodsen to visit India and take a vow of silence (okay, fine, maybe she lied about that but still, it was worth putting in the show.)
"Eat, Pray, Love" is the type of book I love so much I force it down people's throats. In fact, I like it so much that it gave me anxiety when Chantel started reading it because I wanted so much for her to be obsessed with it too that I would secretly find any way to mention it without sounding too overzealous just to see how far along she was. Unfortunately, this book didn't hit the spot for Chant like it did for me. After one final attempt of reading my favorite passage to her out loud on the balcony I realized, hey, that's fine, maybe that makes this that much more special to me, maybe its MY book written for ME. (and the millions of other women who feel the same but whatever).
I kinda set off on my own version of an "Eat, Pray, Love" Journey except I did it backwards. I first moved to New York, where Elizabeth Gilbert (the author) begins her journey of escaping the entrapment of love she feels has overcome her life and has made her lose sight of all that is truly valuable in her short-lived chance here on Earth. Granted, after my 5 month stint I moved back and, well, now I want to move again and keep on looking (for what? not sure, but something)
Is that normal? No. But tell me something that's normal and I can be damn sure that Ill definitely vote against it and consider it boring. My friends are also a little worried and tired of hearing of my self-reinventions but God love 'em cause they stick with me anyway. I want to live a life worth writing about and I did for awhile. However, moving back to Miami, its very difficult to go from the experiences of walking down Lexington Ave, Fifth Ave, and 42nd Street to getting inspired by my experiences of driving down Kendall Drive, Bird Road, and US1. Sorry Miami, much love to ya anyways.
I don't know why I cant stay put in this city I just feel like there's a glass ceiling for all of us Miamians (do not get offended, or do, but don't complain to me about it.) There's just no charm, mystery, or elegance here that can keep me satisfied or inspired for a long period of time. Yes, we do have the best boat days, weather, and 'Green Street' that other cities cant compete with, but that doesn't do it for me. I want more, and although I don't know where it is I will go to find it, I rest assured knowing it will happen.
In the meantime, if I cant force feed an entire book down every one's throat, PLEASE, read these awe-inspiring quotes that Ive marked as my favorite. Maybe, just maybe, it'll entice you to take a quick drive to your local book shop and have that 'life changing experience' all us going through a quarter-life crisis are looking for. And by the way, that quote right under "Prime 24" that says "This place where you are right now God circled on a map for you" is from this book, inspired yet? Fine, hold on..
Quotes from "Eat, Pray, Love: One Women's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia."
"Look for God. Look for God like a man with his head on fire looks for water."
"Still, despite all this, traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt, ever since I was sixteen years old and first went to Russia with my saved-up babysitting money, that to travel is worth any cost or sacrifice. I am loyal and constant in my love for travel, as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible, colicky, restless, newborn baby--I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because it looks exactly like me. It can barf all over me if it wants to--I just don't care."
"But is it such a bad thing to live like this for just a little while? Just for a few months of one's life, is it so awful to...nap in a garden, in a patch of sunlight, in the middle of the day, right next to your favorite fountain? And then to do it again the next day?"
"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it."
"There is so much about my fate that I cannot control, but other things do fall under the jurisdiction. I can decide how I spend my time, whom I interact with, whom I share my body and life and money and energy with. I can select what I can read and eat and study. I can choose how I'm going to regard unfortunate circumstances in my life-whether I will see them as curses or opportunities. I can choose my words and the tone of voice in which I speak to others. And most of all, I can choose my thoughts."
"This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something. "
"To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life."
"There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. How much do you love me? and Who's in charge? Everything else is somehow manageable. But these two questions of love and control undo us all, trip us up and cause war, grief and suffering."
"eventually, everything goes away."
"Until I can feel as ecstatic about having a baby as I felt about going to New Zealand to search for giant squid, I cannot have a baby."
"There’s a crack (or cracks) in everyone…that’s how the light of God gets in."
"Faith is walking face-first and full-speed into the dark. If we truly knew all the answers in advance as to the meaning of life and the nature of God and the destiny of our souls, our belief would not be a leap of faith and it would not be a courageous act of humanity; it would just be... a prudent insurance policy."
"You are, after all, what you think. Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions."
"I want God to play in my bloodstream the way sunlight amuses itself on the water."
"There's no trouble in this world so serious that it can't be cured with a hot bath, a glass of whiskey, and the Book of Common Prayer."
"You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight."
"I have good idea, for if you meet some person from different religion and he want to make argument about God. My idea is, you listen to everything this man say about God. Never argue about God with him. Best thing to say is, 'I agree with you.' Then you go home, pray what you want. This is my idea for people to have peace about religion."
"When you're lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you've just wandered off the path, that you'll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and its time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you dont even know from which direction the sun rises anymore.
"I thought about one of my favorite Sufi poems, which says that God long ago drew a circle in the sand exactly around the spot where you are standing right now. I was never not coming here. This was never not going to happen."
"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that is holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. "
"...God never slams a door in your face without opening a box of Girl Scout cookies..."
"According to the mystics, this search for divine bliss is the entire purpose of a human life. this is why we all chose to be born, and this is why all the suffering and pain of life on earth is worthwhile--just for the chance to experience this infinite love. And once you have found this divinity within, can you hold it? Because if you can...bliss."
"So tonight I reach for my journal again. This is the first time I’ve done this since I came to Italy. What I write in my journal is that I am weak and full of fear. I explain that Depression and Loneliness have shown up, and I’m scared they will never leave. I say that I don’t want to take the drugs anymore, but I’m frightened I will have to. I am terrified that I will never really pull my life together. In response, somewhere from within me, rises a now-familiar presence, offering me all the certainties I have always wished another person would say to me when I was troubled.
This is what I find myself writing on the page: I’m here. I love you. I don’t care if you need to stay up crying all night long. I will stay with you. If you need the medication again, go ahead and take it—I will love you through that, as well. If you don’t need the medication, I will love you, too. There’s nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will protect you until you die, and after your death I will still protect you. I am stronger than Depression and Braver than Loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust me.
Tonight, this strange interior gesture of friendship—the lending of a hand from me to myself when nobody else is around to offer solace—reminds me of something that happened to me once in New York City. I walked into an office building one afternoon in a hurry, dashed into the waiting elevator. As I rushed in, I caught an unexpected glance of myself in a security mirror’s reflection. In that moment, my brain did an odd thing—it fired off this split-second message: “Hey! You know her! That’s a friend of yours!” And I actually ran forward toward my own reflection with a smile, ready to welcome that girl whose name I had lost but whose face was so familiar. In a flash instant of course, I realized my mistake and laughed in embarrassment at my almost doglike confusion over how a mirror works. But for some reason that incident comes to mind again tonight during my sadness in Rome, and I find myself writing this comforting reminder at the bottom of the page.
Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a FRIEND… I fell asleep holding my notebook pressed against my chest, open to this most recent assurance. In the morning when I wake up, I can still smell a faint trace of depression’s lingering smoke, but he himself is nowhere to be seen. Somewhere during the night, he got up and left. And his buddy loneliness beat it, too."
"In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted. Only artistic excellence is incorruptible.
"Someone has to write all those stories: why not me?"
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Pura Vida
My grandparents aren't like most typical grandparents. When they retired, they didn't think to go to Century Village in Pembroke Pines or 'Millionaire's Row' in Miami Beach. They went were few cool grandparents have ever gone: Jaco Beach, Costa Rica. A small lil surf town known for surfing, the beatle bar, and Tsunami sushi. They are living up to 'pura vida' standards in a phenomenal apartment that has both mountain AND ocean views. Every evening, they have 'un cafesito' and watch the sunset from their balcony.
I want to be like them when I grow up.
me in the sea.
this is NOT a microsoft screen saver.
their backyard.
my abuelo cookin' up a storm in the kitchen.
nicole, andrea, and megan. NicAndMeg, Inc.
my lil squit gettin ready to zip line. she is fearless. 
the world's most perfect living room.
...sigh..
Wake up and smell the mountains.
two lil goldfishes
I love a great foyer.
pensive meg on the balcony. Tuesday, August 11, 2009
the problem with the letter 'B'
If you're an outta-towner in New York City,you are instantly more special when you go to the Bloomingdale's on 59th and Lexington.
How special? So special that if you show proof of ID, they give you an 11% discount all. day. long. Even better (or the TRAP, I might say) is that when you spend over $200.00 and bring your receipt back to Customer Service, they give you a FREE gift.
Ive been eligible to receive two free gifts throughout my stay in this glorious city but the one of significance is the first one I got. A Key chain with a Big ol 'B' for BLOOMINGDALE'S on it. Not too clunky, not too flashy, just perfect. The two holes in the letter 'B' even allow for perfect hangin' on our impromptu Key Rack, or shall I say, 4 nails sticking out of the wall.
Minor problem though. I live with a girl named BRETT, and her name also starts with a B. You would think, 'okay that's fine, I mean clearly its a B but that's not reason enough for her to grab the keys just because her name starts with a B'. But no. My roommate BRETT also went to Bloomingdale's, used her St. Louis ID, and also received the Golden Free Gift of the B for BLOOMINGDALE'S key chain. Why would someone get the SAME exact key chain that their roommate already has and not take the other gift, a free BAG,instead, you ask? YEA, SO DO I.
In fact Ive asked myself that question not once, not twice, but FOUR times. In particular, today. When the City is at its hottest, and you just tripped walking up at the stairs at Grand Central Station, isnt comforting to know you can always walk a few blocks home and hide out in the comfort of your dark, air conditioned apartment? Nope, not I. I got out of the subway, fell up the stairs, ran to Duane Reade to buy Dish Detergent and it wasn't until I got to my door did I realize that I didn't have my keys. BRETT must of mistakingly taken them this morning.
To make matters worse, my phone died 30 minutes earlier so I had no form of contacting my roommates who's numbers I have yet to learn by heart. I decided I had two choices, 1. make the best of it or 2. make the worst of it.
I chose option number 1. Me, along with my skinned knee, bruised ego, and heavy container of dish soap walked my happy self 10 blocks over to Chipotle in 95 degree heat. I realized I'd have my tacos and guaclamole (which I didn't have the night before, thankyouverymuch) and maybe some magic would happen that Id come home later and they'd open the door. If not, I was gonna go see The Ugly Truth.
Magic happened two tacos in. I attempted to turn my phone on to try to get Brett's number one more time and all of a sudden I had two sticks of battery, enough to call Brett who knew exactly why I was calling when she answered. In the end, she was apologetic, I was happy with my tacos, and she texted me with " You are my most understanding friend :) " ain't that truth.
So in the end, my friends, when life hands you lemons, go to Chipotle.
How special? So special that if you show proof of ID, they give you an 11% discount all. day. long. Even better (or the TRAP, I might say) is that when you spend over $200.00 and bring your receipt back to Customer Service, they give you a FREE gift.
Ive been eligible to receive two free gifts throughout my stay in this glorious city but the one of significance is the first one I got. A Key chain with a Big ol 'B' for BLOOMINGDALE'S on it. Not too clunky, not too flashy, just perfect. The two holes in the letter 'B' even allow for perfect hangin' on our impromptu Key Rack, or shall I say, 4 nails sticking out of the wall.
Minor problem though. I live with a girl named BRETT, and her name also starts with a B. You would think, 'okay that's fine, I mean clearly its a B but that's not reason enough for her to grab the keys just because her name starts with a B'. But no. My roommate BRETT also went to Bloomingdale's, used her St. Louis ID, and also received the Golden Free Gift of the B for BLOOMINGDALE'S key chain. Why would someone get the SAME exact key chain that their roommate already has and not take the other gift, a free BAG,instead, you ask? YEA, SO DO I.
In fact Ive asked myself that question not once, not twice, but FOUR times. In particular, today. When the City is at its hottest, and you just tripped walking up at the stairs at Grand Central Station, isnt comforting to know you can always walk a few blocks home and hide out in the comfort of your dark, air conditioned apartment? Nope, not I. I got out of the subway, fell up the stairs, ran to Duane Reade to buy Dish Detergent and it wasn't until I got to my door did I realize that I didn't have my keys. BRETT must of mistakingly taken them this morning.
To make matters worse, my phone died 30 minutes earlier so I had no form of contacting my roommates who's numbers I have yet to learn by heart. I decided I had two choices, 1. make the best of it or 2. make the worst of it.
I chose option number 1. Me, along with my skinned knee, bruised ego, and heavy container of dish soap walked my happy self 10 blocks over to Chipotle in 95 degree heat. I realized I'd have my tacos and guaclamole (which I didn't have the night before, thankyouverymuch) and maybe some magic would happen that Id come home later and they'd open the door. If not, I was gonna go see The Ugly Truth.
Magic happened two tacos in. I attempted to turn my phone on to try to get Brett's number one more time and all of a sudden I had two sticks of battery, enough to call Brett who knew exactly why I was calling when she answered. In the end, she was apologetic, I was happy with my tacos, and she texted me with " You are my most understanding friend :) " ain't that truth.
So in the end, my friends, when life hands you lemons, go to Chipotle.
Friday, August 7, 2009
finish the sentence.
Hi, my name is: NicoleKatrinaCunningham. And it must be said the way it's read.
Never in my life have I been: one to settle.
I hate it when: I get tired after work and take a nap. and then it takes forever for me to fall asleep at night. I really hate that, gosh.
If you're gonna talk smack about me: it better be good.
When I'm nervous: I laugh, cough, eat, look around in a paranoid manner, creep people out.
The last song I listened to was: Coldplay- Swallowed in the Sea...sigh....
If you were to get married all over again today your maid of honor/best man would be: why do you assume Im married? and lets not ask that question, touchy subject when you have 4 bff's and 2 lil sisters. geez, im eloping.
My hair is: officially fried.
When I was 5: i got sent home from kindergarten for biting someone. they tried to take my toy. it was a warranted bite.
Last Christmas: my family had a gingerbread man contest and I came in second place. in return, i bit the head off of the first place gingerbread man.
I should be: leaving soon to go see the Statue of Liberty ON MY OWN.
Instead I'm: blogging in the comfort of my air conditioned home.
My current annoyance is: people who look down when they type. so stupid. i hate you all.
If I could write a movie, it would be about: The Life of a One Dollar Bill.
I think I: think too much
I think I'm: pleasantly awesome.
Yesterday at work: I sat and stared at a wall for a long period of time day dreamin'
If I had more time in the day: I would take piano lessons, tennis lessons, tango lessons.
If I had one talent I would: write Beatnic poetry.
I should: pray more.
I shouldn't: eat tacos 3 nights out of the week : /
In a perfect world: humans could fly. and people would listen to my playlist when reading my blog.
Never in my life have I been: one to settle.
I hate it when: I get tired after work and take a nap. and then it takes forever for me to fall asleep at night. I really hate that, gosh.
If you're gonna talk smack about me: it better be good.
When I'm nervous: I laugh, cough, eat, look around in a paranoid manner, creep people out.
The last song I listened to was: Coldplay- Swallowed in the Sea...sigh....
If you were to get married all over again today your maid of honor/best man would be: why do you assume Im married? and lets not ask that question, touchy subject when you have 4 bff's and 2 lil sisters. geez, im eloping.
My hair is: officially fried.
When I was 5: i got sent home from kindergarten for biting someone. they tried to take my toy. it was a warranted bite.
Last Christmas: my family had a gingerbread man contest and I came in second place. in return, i bit the head off of the first place gingerbread man.
I should be: leaving soon to go see the Statue of Liberty ON MY OWN.
Instead I'm: blogging in the comfort of my air conditioned home.
My current annoyance is: people who look down when they type. so stupid. i hate you all.
If I could write a movie, it would be about: The Life of a One Dollar Bill.
I think I: think too much
I think I'm: pleasantly awesome.
Yesterday at work: I sat and stared at a wall for a long period of time day dreamin'
If I had more time in the day: I would take piano lessons, tennis lessons, tango lessons.
If I had one talent I would: write Beatnic poetry.
I should: pray more.
I shouldn't: eat tacos 3 nights out of the week : /
In a perfect world: humans could fly. and people would listen to my playlist when reading my blog.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
(500) Days of Summer
I have a new Monday Night tradition, its called Date Night.
A date with myself that is. Yes, correct as in meaning that I take myself to Dinner and then to a Movie.
Its refreshing when you come to terms with the fact that you can eat lunch/dinner alone. I remember eating in my car when I was friendless and working at Abercrombie one summer. I mean, why risk eating alone and looking like a loser with no friends? Exactly. I think we are all too caught up on what others will think if we dare brave the Food Court/Restaurant/Cafe solo.
After moving to NY, however, I think that school of though is only in Miami. Everyone in New York eats alone. They eat alone, walk alone, go to the movies alone, dance alone, lay out alone, everything alone. Its the world's most crowded, loneliest city except loneliness doesn't have that negative connotation that is usually associated with it. Its just a bunch loners doing what they gotta, wanna do regardless if others care to tag along. What a concept.
Okay, okay back to my date. So yes, my old tradition was that Monday night was Carl's Cheese steak Night. I would combat the deadly Monday Blues with the joy and anticipation of a Carl's Cheese steak, Cheese Fries, and Diet Coke ("make sure its diet"). I figured I had all week to lose/mask it so why not splurge and make the week's worst day go by a lil faster?However this past Monday, I had to add the 'date' part. Jimmy spoiled me with 6 full days of him being in the city so this past Monday would have been way worse had I not had the distraction of delicious junk food and wonderful entertainment.
I was heading towards my spot on 3rd ave but I veered off course and straight into Chipotle. There is something about Crunchy mixed with Spicy mixed with Guacamole that can make any girl happy. I even sat on the window seat so I could be entertained people-watchin' the herds of tourist walking by and they too could be entertained at the sight of lonelygirl dropping Guac all over the place. to think some people say I'm selfish.....
After that deliciousness I needed a movie. I'm obsessed with the movies. Nothing I love more than the movies. You want to make me easily happy? Take me to the movies. So I headed to my favorite theater which would of course would be the one smack dab in Times Square. Seriously, that place is magical whichever way you look at it.
I called up my girl Nobbe and asked for a quick review of (500) Days of Summer and I was sold. She even said its the type of movie that is better if you watch alone. So after dinner, Lonelygirl struck again. Instead this time I was that creepy girl who goes to watch a love story all on her own.
What. A. Movie. I can honestly say that I left the theater feeling overwhelmingly smitten. Its charming, witty, and whimsical with a soundtrack that has the ability to change your life. Its not a love story, its a story about love; there isn't the usual 'happily ever after'. it depicts real, factual love. The type us mortals experience. Not the ones dressed up and decorated by Hollywood.
Basically boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl doesn't believe in love. Girls live in her own lil bubble. He pops the bubble. Boy and Girl fall in love...I could tell you the rest, but my momma didn't raise no movie-spoiler.
A date with myself that is. Yes, correct as in meaning that I take myself to Dinner and then to a Movie.
Its refreshing when you come to terms with the fact that you can eat lunch/dinner alone. I remember eating in my car when I was friendless and working at Abercrombie one summer. I mean, why risk eating alone and looking like a loser with no friends? Exactly. I think we are all too caught up on what others will think if we dare brave the Food Court/Restaurant/Cafe solo.
After moving to NY, however, I think that school of though is only in Miami. Everyone in New York eats alone. They eat alone, walk alone, go to the movies alone, dance alone, lay out alone, everything alone. Its the world's most crowded, loneliest city except loneliness doesn't have that negative connotation that is usually associated with it. Its just a bunch loners doing what they gotta, wanna do regardless if others care to tag along. What a concept.
Okay, okay back to my date. So yes, my old tradition was that Monday night was Carl's Cheese steak Night. I would combat the deadly Monday Blues with the joy and anticipation of a Carl's Cheese steak, Cheese Fries, and Diet Coke ("make sure its diet"). I figured I had all week to lose/mask it so why not splurge and make the week's worst day go by a lil faster?However this past Monday, I had to add the 'date' part. Jimmy spoiled me with 6 full days of him being in the city so this past Monday would have been way worse had I not had the distraction of delicious junk food and wonderful entertainment.
I was heading towards my spot on 3rd ave but I veered off course and straight into Chipotle. There is something about Crunchy mixed with Spicy mixed with Guacamole that can make any girl happy. I even sat on the window seat so I could be entertained people-watchin' the herds of tourist walking by and they too could be entertained at the sight of lonelygirl dropping Guac all over the place. to think some people say I'm selfish.....
After that deliciousness I needed a movie. I'm obsessed with the movies. Nothing I love more than the movies. You want to make me easily happy? Take me to the movies. So I headed to my favorite theater which would of course would be the one smack dab in Times Square. Seriously, that place is magical whichever way you look at it.
I called up my girl Nobbe and asked for a quick review of (500) Days of Summer and I was sold. She even said its the type of movie that is better if you watch alone. So after dinner, Lonelygirl struck again. Instead this time I was that creepy girl who goes to watch a love story all on her own.
What. A. Movie. I can honestly say that I left the theater feeling overwhelmingly smitten. Its charming, witty, and whimsical with a soundtrack that has the ability to change your life. Its not a love story, its a story about love; there isn't the usual 'happily ever after'. it depicts real, factual love. The type us mortals experience. Not the ones dressed up and decorated by Hollywood.
Basically boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl doesn't believe in love. Girls live in her own lil bubble. He pops the bubble. Boy and Girl fall in love...I could tell you the rest, but my momma didn't raise no movie-spoiler.
“The boy, Tom, grew up believing that he’d never truly be happy until the day he met ‘the one.’ This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total misreading of the movie The Graduate.
The girl, Summer, did not share this belief. Since the disintegration of her parents’ marriage, she’d only loved two things: the first was her long, dark hair. The second was how easily she could cut it off and feel nothing.”That's all I'm leaving you with.
Go check it out. Trust me.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Mean Girl
Its happened. I'm turning into a mean girl.
A couple days ago I posted the Sunscreen Song which stated "live in New York once, but leave before it makes you hard." I've been hearing that sentence since I was 17yrs old and each and every time I thought : impossible.
Me, hard? I'm the softest, nicest girl ever..to strangers that is.
So it was to my grand surprise that the past several times Ive been on the phone with either my mom or friends while ordering my Subway sandwich, they've shrieked at disgust with the way I spoke to these strangers who staffed the sandwich-makin'line.
"MORE LETTUCE!"
"Umm...can you not only put that on HALF of the sandwich?"
" I said PROVOLONE!!!!!!!"
I have no patience, Ive lost it. It disappeared 2 months ago when I was shoved, pushed, and sneered at on the streets of Manhattan. There is no time for niceness here, it literally is a land of the 'eat or be eaten'.
In fact, I don't even mind when a man isn't chivalrous anymore. There is no time. Imagine if a guy had to wait for every girl to get out of the subway before he got out, he'd be in Staten Island and back by then. Holding the door? Yea, if you want a herd of 76 rushing women to take advantage of it. Umbrella-less waiting for a cab? Oh well sista, wait your turn, so has everyone else.
So yea, you toughen up not because NY makes you a mean person, but because its the only way you can get by. There really is not enough loose change in the world to satisfy all the homeless and charities on the streets out there everyday trying to get by. Its unfortunate and sad but its true. At first I tried but its come to a point where it just never stops and you have to start choosing wisely knowing that by the time you get home, you will definitely have turned down at least 10 people.
I'm going to end this on a good note though. The other day I was walking to work and I saw a dollar on the street. I picked it up, not because I needed it for my daily Diet Dr. Pepper, but because it was going to be the dollar that set off a series of fortunate events. As luck would have it, later on that day at Bryant Park, a mute/deaf man came to me with a card saying "Smile!" that also had the entire Sign Language alphabet and a pencil. He 'sold' it to me for my one lucky dollar.
In my dream world, he then used it to pay his rent which then helped the landlord buy his wife the birthday present she wanted which made her so happy then she took her son to the park and bought him an ice cream cone from the student who needed money to pay tuition...so forth so on.
Maybe it went that way, maybe it didn't. But oh well, we all have the God Given right to dream of a happier world. In the meantime, Im off to the streets to work on my niceness... get outta the way.
A couple days ago I posted the Sunscreen Song which stated "live in New York once, but leave before it makes you hard." I've been hearing that sentence since I was 17yrs old and each and every time I thought : impossible.
Me, hard? I'm the softest, nicest girl ever..to strangers that is.
So it was to my grand surprise that the past several times Ive been on the phone with either my mom or friends while ordering my Subway sandwich, they've shrieked at disgust with the way I spoke to these strangers who staffed the sandwich-makin'line.
"MORE LETTUCE!"
"Umm...can you not only put that on HALF of the sandwich?"
" I said PROVOLONE!!!!!!!"
I have no patience, Ive lost it. It disappeared 2 months ago when I was shoved, pushed, and sneered at on the streets of Manhattan. There is no time for niceness here, it literally is a land of the 'eat or be eaten'.
In fact, I don't even mind when a man isn't chivalrous anymore. There is no time. Imagine if a guy had to wait for every girl to get out of the subway before he got out, he'd be in Staten Island and back by then. Holding the door? Yea, if you want a herd of 76 rushing women to take advantage of it. Umbrella-less waiting for a cab? Oh well sista, wait your turn, so has everyone else.
So yea, you toughen up not because NY makes you a mean person, but because its the only way you can get by. There really is not enough loose change in the world to satisfy all the homeless and charities on the streets out there everyday trying to get by. Its unfortunate and sad but its true. At first I tried but its come to a point where it just never stops and you have to start choosing wisely knowing that by the time you get home, you will definitely have turned down at least 10 people.
I'm going to end this on a good note though. The other day I was walking to work and I saw a dollar on the street. I picked it up, not because I needed it for my daily Diet Dr. Pepper, but because it was going to be the dollar that set off a series of fortunate events. As luck would have it, later on that day at Bryant Park, a mute/deaf man came to me with a card saying "Smile!" that also had the entire Sign Language alphabet and a pencil. He 'sold' it to me for my one lucky dollar.
In my dream world, he then used it to pay his rent which then helped the landlord buy his wife the birthday present she wanted which made her so happy then she took her son to the park and bought him an ice cream cone from the student who needed money to pay tuition...so forth so on.
Maybe it went that way, maybe it didn't. But oh well, we all have the God Given right to dream of a happier world. In the meantime, Im off to the streets to work on my niceness... get outta the way.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
..a wink of the eye and winking stars
I can get over almost everything, except for the fact I wasn't born in 1922.
Amongst other things, I could have witnessed: The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Martin Luther King Jr , Neil Armstrong, The fall of the Berlin Wall, the Spirit of St Louis, The Jazz Singer, flapper dresses, poodle skirts, Gandhi's 240 mile journey, Mae West, Jackie Robinson, Jackson Pollock, I Love Lucy Live, the Double Helix, The King, Ms. Parks, burning bras, Studio 54, the peace movement....so forth, so on.
Somewhere along the line I knew there'd be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me. [On the Road]
“Now you understand the Oriental passion for tea," said Japhy. "Remember that book I told you about the first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy.” [The Dharma Bums]
Pretty girls make graves. [The Dharma Bums]
But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!' [On the Road]
But why think about that when all the golden land's ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see?
My witness is the empty sky.
No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength.
Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become
panic-stricken.
Mankind is like dogs, not gods--as long as you dont get mad they'll bite you--but stay mad and you'll never be bitten. Dogs dont respect humility & sorrow.
I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling. Ecstasy, even, I felt, with flashes of sudden remembrance, and feeling sweaty and drowsy I felt like sleeping and dreaming in the grass.
We should be wondering tonight, "Is there a world?" But I could go and talk on 5, 10, 20 minutes about is there a world, because there is really no world, cause sometimes I'm walkin’ on the ground and I see right through the ground. And there is no world. And you'll find out.
As I grew older I became a drunk. Why? Because I like ecstasy of the mind. I'm a wretch. But I love, love. [Satori in Paris]
and last...but not least..
Amongst other things, I could have witnessed: The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Martin Luther King Jr , Neil Armstrong, The fall of the Berlin Wall, the Spirit of St Louis, The Jazz Singer, flapper dresses, poodle skirts, Gandhi's 240 mile journey, Mae West, Jackie Robinson, Jackson Pollock, I Love Lucy Live, the Double Helix, The King, Ms. Parks, burning bras, Studio 54, the peace movement....so forth, so on.
Most importantly, I would have met Jack Kerouac...
The road is life. [On the Road]
Somewhere along the line I knew there'd be girls, visions, everything; somewhere along the line the pearl would be handed to me. [On the Road]
“Now you understand the Oriental passion for tea," said Japhy. "Remember that book I told you about the first sip is joy, the second is gladness, the third is serenity, the fourth is madness, the fifth is ecstasy.” [The Dharma Bums]
Pretty girls make graves. [The Dharma Bums]
But then they danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!' [On the Road]
As early pioneers in the knowing, that when you lose your reason, you attain
highest perfect knowing. [Book of Blues]
But why think about that when all the golden land's ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see?
Maybe that's what life is...a wink of the eye and winking stars.What is the feeling when you're driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? -it's the too huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.
Write in recollection and amazement for yourself.
My witness is the empty sky.
No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength.
Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become
panic-stricken.
Mankind is like dogs, not gods--as long as you dont get mad they'll bite you--but stay mad and you'll never be bitten. Dogs dont respect humility & sorrow.
You never die enough to cry.
All is well, practice kindness, heaven is nigh.
All is well, practice kindness, heaven is nigh.
I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all. The woods do that to you, they always look familiar, long lost, like the face of a long-dead relative, like an old dream, like a piece of forgotten song drifting across the water, most of all like golden eternities of past childhood or past manhood and all the living and the dying and the heartbreak that went on a million years ago and the clouds as they pass overhead seem to testify (by their own lonesome familiarity) to this feeling. Ecstasy, even, I felt, with flashes of sudden remembrance, and feeling sweaty and drowsy I felt like sleeping and dreaming in the grass.
New York gets god-awful cold in the winter but there's a feeling of wacky comradeship somewhere in some streets.
We should be wondering tonight, "Is there a world?" But I could go and talk on 5, 10, 20 minutes about is there a world, because there is really no world, cause sometimes I'm walkin’ on the ground and I see right through the ground. And there is no world. And you'll find out.
As I grew older I became a drunk. Why? Because I like ecstasy of the mind. I'm a wretch. But I love, love. [Satori in Paris]
All of life is a foreign country. [letter, June 24, 1949]
and last...but not least..
_______________________________________
I like too many things and get all hung-up and confused running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Wear Sunscreen.
When my mom was driving me to school one morning, I vividly remember this song/poem playing on the radio. It never left my mind. It's something I think I've tried to live by. I've gone ahead and bolded/highlighted certain things that stuck out in my mind....
______________________
Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. (oops)
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Hope Lodge
I work in a magical place called the Hope Lodge.
Everyday, I get to wake up knowing that whatever I do within that 7 hour work period has been done to help save lives. However, everyday, I get to wake up knowing that I will run into people in the elevator, hallways, or kitchen that are facing a much harder battle some of us will ever face.
Everyday, I get to wake up knowing that whatever I do within that 7 hour work period has been done to help save lives. However, everyday, I get to wake up knowing that I will run into people in the elevator, hallways, or kitchen that are facing a much harder battle some of us will ever face.
"I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve."
- Albert Schweitzer
Monday, July 13, 2009
Road Rage on the Sidewalks of Manhattan
So my office has recently moved locations. I no longer get to ride the 7 Train which is saddening but at least now I am 15 minutes walking distance from work. I don't know how I feel about this whole walking thing though, its like I am my own car and I have to navigate my way down the sidewalks and streets of Manhattan full of rudeness, idiotness, and the miserably slow.
Since very few people drive here, we all have become our own form of vehicle. We have to tactfully maneuver our way down the sidewalks and streets, steer clear of oncoming pedestrian traffic, and obey our own traffic Signals; walk when the Walking Man on the street sign is white, slow down when it starts to flash red, definitely STOP when its red.
Do you think people obey these signs? Not at all. Even I, for instance, have been caught up in the whole 'yea i can make it across, wait no i cant, wait yea I'm just going to do it. Omg i almost died'. I truly don't think drivers have any remorse for human life so before you even think about crossing the street when your pedestrian light is red, you have to commit, as my roomie brett likes to say.
Another thing pedestrian vehicles have to deal with are the fajillion tourists that don't understand the law of the land. If its 8:47am, and you are most likely on Broadway Ave (where my office is), WALK FAST. Don't waddle, stare at your map in bewilderment, or pause to take pictures (only I'm allowed such behavior). I have to get to work and you're in my way. Another thing, don't walk on the right side of the sidewalk if your going against traffic. Isn't this simple knowledge? On stairs we go down the right, we drive on the right, in school we learned to walk on the right side of the hallway, so why all of a sudden do you think the same law doesn't pertain to the sidewalk? Its like bumper cars sometimes and no one ever apologizes. Even me, The Queen of the Apology, just gives a nasty snarl and keeps on going.
Pedestrian traffic does have its benefits though. Yesterday we were walking to Central Park and a cute lil homeless man randomly looked up at us with a huge smile and said "I LOVE YOU!" as if he truly felt it. It sincerely put a smile on my face. On the contrary though, we were walking down 60th street which was hosting a Bastille Day Festival and a scruffy man told the hot dog vendor in the heaviest accent ever, 'Me, I'm a real New Yorker ya f***in' scumbag".
This city suffers from Bi-Polar syndrome.
Since very few people drive here, we all have become our own form of vehicle. We have to tactfully maneuver our way down the sidewalks and streets, steer clear of oncoming pedestrian traffic, and obey our own traffic Signals; walk when the Walking Man on the street sign is white, slow down when it starts to flash red, definitely STOP when its red.
Do you think people obey these signs? Not at all. Even I, for instance, have been caught up in the whole 'yea i can make it across, wait no i cant, wait yea I'm just going to do it. Omg i almost died'. I truly don't think drivers have any remorse for human life so before you even think about crossing the street when your pedestrian light is red, you have to commit, as my roomie brett likes to say.
Another thing pedestrian vehicles have to deal with are the fajillion tourists that don't understand the law of the land. If its 8:47am, and you are most likely on Broadway Ave (where my office is), WALK FAST. Don't waddle, stare at your map in bewilderment, or pause to take pictures (only I'm allowed such behavior). I have to get to work and you're in my way. Another thing, don't walk on the right side of the sidewalk if your going against traffic. Isn't this simple knowledge? On stairs we go down the right, we drive on the right, in school we learned to walk on the right side of the hallway, so why all of a sudden do you think the same law doesn't pertain to the sidewalk? Its like bumper cars sometimes and no one ever apologizes. Even me, The Queen of the Apology, just gives a nasty snarl and keeps on going.
Pedestrian traffic does have its benefits though. Yesterday we were walking to Central Park and a cute lil homeless man randomly looked up at us with a huge smile and said "I LOVE YOU!" as if he truly felt it. It sincerely put a smile on my face. On the contrary though, we were walking down 60th street which was hosting a Bastille Day Festival and a scruffy man told the hot dog vendor in the heaviest accent ever, 'Me, I'm a real New Yorker ya f***in' scumbag".
This city suffers from Bi-Polar syndrome.
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