Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Send me away with the words of a love song.

So here are some super cool photos from the last few weeks in Philly. Things are cooler and hipper and more artsy when you Instagram them. Sepia and edge blur filters make my life look more exciting than it actually is.

The beautiful Temple University after some snow...


My brother, Michael, eating his first Sketch Burger...


Vegan burger with garlic aioli, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and avocado!


Baby's first hip-hop concert! (When I say hip, you say hop. Hip hop, hip hop). Moosh & Twist at the TLA...


My cool friends doing cool things...have I mentioned how cool my life is?


College is weird and awesome. I'm kind of hoping it never ends. How do I make that happen?

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Night Class.

I discovered a new form of torture today. It's called The Night Class. It's a device used by colleges and universities in which a course is strategically placed to start before and end after dinner time. I managed to avoid it for two and a half years. Not anymore.

Just kidding. The first day of classes was great. I'm tired.

Obligatory blog post to fulfill New Year's resolution...check.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Staring out on top as the Philadelphia skyline caves in.

Well, winter break came and went. I'm off to Philly tonight. I'm excited to get back, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for school to start. One of my roommates bought this lizard and brought it to our house over New Years:


She said she bought it because it was a dollar. Now that's not really a deal if it's useless, right? The thing is, this lizard, who we adoringly named Lizzie McGuire, made us laugh for three days. I think that's worth a dollar.

And that's the best way I can express how it feels to leave home again. Is it really leaving home if you're going to your second home? I don't know!

Monday, January 9, 2012

If I live the life I'm given, I won't be scared to die.

Here goes the first of many posts that I only write because I promised myself I'd write often. It's weird to write in here and know that I'm the only one reading it right now, but that eventually other people might read it. It makes this blog limited, which makes the process kind of challenging and fun.

So I had one of those pre-semester days when I make lists, set goals, and basically try to do everything I have to do before the first day of classes. This semester, my music therapy fieldwork will be at a community clinic for people with HIV, psychiatric diagnoses, and addictions. Everything is in order, so I should be starting right on time! I'm excited and very very nervous. I'm excited to be working with people who want to help themselves and who will value my presence as much as I value theirs. I'm very nervous to deal with issues of death, depression, and sexual identity. I definitely have a lot to learn.

I tried to make some summer plans today. I have a few things I'd like to do. This is what I came up with today:
May-June: summer class at home and work
Last week of June and first week of July: service trip to South America (either Ecuador or Paraguay)
Third week of July: family vacation :)
End of July and first two weeks of August: work
Third week of August: Esopus :)
End of August: back to Philly

This is a tentative plan, but I know I have to start laying everything out or none of it will get done. I'm really excited for this summer. It kind of feels like my last summer of youth. I know that sounds depressing, but if I get a job right out of college, it's not likely that I'll be able to spend a summer like this one for a long time. We'll see how it goes!

I just started watching the show Dexter. It's weird. Updates as they happen...

I had the most delicious white peach sangria the other night. Here's a picture:


...and here's a recipe: http://wine.about.com/od/howwineismade/r/Whitelightsangr.htm

I think sitting down at the computer and opening this page and clicking "New Post" even when I don't have anything to write is a great idea. I guess I always have something to write.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Is everyone hanging out without me?

Great things happened today. I went to Maureen's Kitchen for breakfast with two of my favorite people in the world. I ate a delicious spinach, tomato, and feta omelet with rye toast. I went to Target (my favorite store in the world) and bought Mindy Kaling's new book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns). I'm already halfway through it and I've been caught hysterically laughing by my parents and brother at least five times today. I also went for an hour long run today. AN HOUR. Crazy. It was cold. I made a delicious dinner, helped take down our Christmas tree, watched "Chopped" with my mom, and now I'm about to finish up season four of True Blood.


Picture I took walking home from my run:

Thought of the day: Some adults have entire closets devoted to Christmas decorations. In my future home, an ENTIRE CLOSET will likely be filled with things that are only used for a few weeks of the year. Interesting.

I ate chocolate before bed and I didn't floss. Sup 2012?

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Writing a blog is kind of cool.

Writing a blog is kind of cool because you start really thinking about all these things that you usually just pass by every day. Like today I had the thought, "Wow. Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha Latte is one of the most delicious things that has ever existed. I wonder if I should write about it in my blog." I guess I shouldn't because it would be boring, but I guess I kind of already did. Moving on...

I realized today that my New Year's resolution is going to be to write in this blog at least once a week. Hopefully I'll write more than that, but when considering vacations and finals weeks, once a week is reasonable to hold myself accountable for. Here are some more things I'd like to do/change this year:

1. The aforementioned "overreaction" problem. I'd like to be a tad bit more passive.
2. FITNESS! I want to run on a regular basis. I always go through a few months of keeping up with my fitness, followed by a few months of completely slacking.
3. Become a better musician. This is general and a constant goal in my life, but this year will bring me another two semesters closer to graduation. Soon I'll be a real music therapist, leading real music therapy groups, with real music therapy clients. AH!
4. With that said, I don't want to push myself as hard as I did this semester. I ended up with tendinitis in both of my hands and wrists. I stopped playing when the doctor told me to, but I think I knew much earlier on that I should have stopped. Seriously though, how do you stop playing "Someone Like You" by Adele? Like, seriously? Someone tell me.
5. BE OPEN! I want to explore and learn and accept with a clear and open mind.
6. Affirm people to their faces and behind their backs.
7. Do a little more "truth searching."

I'll add some more if I can think of them. I watched the movie "The Help" last night. It was quite inspiring.

Goodnight!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Where do I start?

Well, I guess I'll begin with today, January 2nd, 2012. Today I traveled from Philadelphia, where I go to school at Temple University, to Long Island, where I've lived for all twenty years and nine months of my life. My roommate Emily drove, while I tightly gripped the sides of my seat. Sometimes she forgets to brake, and sometimes I overreact.
 
I guess I overreact a lot of times. I've always kind of felt like overreacting is better than under reacting, you know? If a friend has had too much to drink and is as white as a ghost, I won't be the one saying, "Let's just ride it out. I'm sure he'll be fine." I start braking when the person four cars in front of me starts braking. I put protective cases on my cell phones and I always floss. (Maybe I'm also a little bit "over preventive").

When it comes to people, I always react. I can usually view that as a strength, but in the last few months I think it may have been a weakness for me. I am not passive. Sometimes I wish I was. I can't overlook injustices, no matter who they affect. I like that about myself. But I hate that I have so much trouble forgiving. I hold grudges, even when I talk myself out of them. They stay with me. I'm hoping that I can change this in the new year.

I don't think this blog will be about forgiveness or overreacting. Quite honestly, I think it will be about me. I think it will be the most genuine account of my human experience that I am capable of sharing. I think it will be a way for me to discover more about myself so that I can better understand the life story of every person I encounter. I think it will be a place for me to share a pretty picture or a biased movie review. I think I'll talk about music and love and technology and friendship and books and boys. That is, if this blog even makes it to February.

Happy, Happy New Year.