On a side note…

Last weekend I sampled Port wine for the first time, paired with warm chocolate lava cake.

And truthfully? Better than sex.

It’s probably a good thing I can’t afford to live with such luxury regularly, otherwise I’d gain about 50 pounds over the next week.

From California, with love.

I know, I know…

I suck at this. But cut me some slack- who wants to write something around a million papers for finals and then write some more in their free time? (The fact that I do this regularly, or often in lieu of real work, is not to be entered into evidence here.)

But the good news is I have lots of stuff to write about. Upcoming details include exploits of my first champagne experience, my first wine tasting experience, dune surfing, and the nearing premiere of my Etsy store. I know- this excitement just doesn’t make up for my lengthy absence. But its summer now, and I’m unemployed (so far), so you can probably expect to be hearing from me a lot more soon. You’ll probably be sick of me by September (though I hope not).

From California (back in California!),
with love.

My illustrious return…

Well, as predicted, I started slacking on keeping this updated. Who knew* that college would be so hard sometimes?

As it stands, I have some catching up to do! I have successfully checked a couple things off my list (details and photos to follow shortly), and I’m considering changing some things as well (I’ve decided that watching more movies isn’t really going to expand my horizons, especially since I’m probably going to do it anyway, whether it makes my list or not).

Updates coming soon to a blog near you.

From California, with love.

*Note: Not my mother- I called her recently in despair because I had not done well on an exam, to which she replied, “Well maybe you should try studying next time.” (smacks self on forehead) But of course! Why didn’t I think of that? That’s obviously not what I spend my time doing here at college, no, I let my parents pay thousands and thousands of dollars per year for me to drink beer and flirt with frat boys! I never do any real work!

**Sub note: my mom is a nice lady who is very supportive of my pursuits (even if she does say things like this, which makes me wonder sometimes…).

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

“But in the ruins there is still a canvas. There is still beauty in your brokenness. The faded scars show healing reminding me that even though I’ve been in dark places, I’ve survived and learned and become stronger.

Although the war is over, the world still takes its toll. You have calluses on your hands from me writing too much and concentrating too hard. Yet the words are beautiful and the studying is worth it.”

You are beautiful. Spread the word. <3

Love is the movement.

To write love on her arms.

“We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don’t get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won’t solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we’re called home.”

“Drinking champagne from a paper cup…”

Its my birthday! I got my nose pierced! Photos and details to follow soon.

And these secrets may chain us…

This week I got the new PostSecret book, Confessions on Life, Death, and God. As always, I feel this huge opening in my chest when I read the secrets. Sometimes my heart wretches as I read a secret that I might as well have written myself. And even though I didn’t… sometimes it still sets me free.

My secrets? The 18th one down on the website this week, and the one on page 185 in the book.

“A secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept.” -Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind

Netflix is going to ruin my GPA

I decided to be a homebody this weekend since I wasn’t feeling 100% on top of my game. So it seemed like this was a good time to sign up for Netflix and get started watching movies for my 101 list (#9- watch 101 movies). I watched:

-Dakota Skye
-The Other Boleyn Girl
-Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
-Corpse Bride
-WALL*E

Most of these feature couple-y things that make me go [sigh]. This cannot be healthy.

On an unrelated note

Today I was surprised to find out that I rank in the top 15% of my class.

I am not sure if I am impressed with myself or concerned about the other 85% of my graduating year.

Tomorrows

So in an effort to get myself writing more (particularly since short stories aren’t typically my forte), I finally decided (with Mike’s encouragement) to submit something to 1,000 Words. Every week they post a new photo from Flickr, and then you can submit a piece inspired by the image (more information here). I would love to here what you all think of mine (“Tomorrows”) but I definitely recommend checking out what other people have written as well- some of it is rather brilliant.

In other news, I read Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, which won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s definitely one of the best plays I’ve read in some time (which makes sense, you know, with the Pulitzer thing and all). In the words of Ben Brantley of the New York Times, “The sad, sweet release of Rabbit Hole lies precisely in the access it allows to the pain of others, in its meticulously mapped empathy. This anatomy of grief doesn’t so much jerk tears as tap them, from a reservoir of feelings common to anyone who has experienced the landscape-shifting vacuum left by a death in the family.”

The play strikes a beautiful balance- the humor between the characters:

“Becca: You’re trying to seduce me.
Howie: Am I?
Becca: Plying me with liquor.
Howie: It worked in college.”

-and spot-on expression of the palpable grief:

“Nat: The weight of it, I guess. At some point it becomes bearable. It turns into something you can crawl out from under. And carry around- like a brick in your pocket.”

David Lindsay-Abaire shows beautiful mastery of everyday language and carefully plotted-out poignancy rarely seen in modern theatre. Five stars, two thumbs up, etc.

From California, with love.