Working Existence

I spend a lot of time these days in an office building sitting in front of a desk. Side note: sitting for 8 hours a day + normal amounts of food + added chocolate + no exercise = not healthy. I don't recommend it.

I digress.

Look! Here I am! Sitting at my desk!

Yes. Yes I did take a selfie in my office by myself. I'm awkward like that.

For a long time (oh, two years), I sort of forgot that in order to make life interesting, you can't just go to work, talk to clients, go home, and repeat. Of course, that's not what I did all the time, but it often felt like most of my "living" was only happening on weekends. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and do something about it. 

Step 1 happened without trying. Making friends at work is easy when you're surrounded by good people! So...check. One thing off the list. Maria and Erica are awesome (one time Maria gave me binoculars - the mark of a true friend), and now they're bridesmaids. Win. Also I work with my fiance. Double win.

It probably should have been sufficient to stop there. Having good people surround you should be enough to make you a human instead of a request-answering robo-drone, right? No. I stayed stuck in my little routine, and I remained mostly dead. 

Enter step 2: making my office interesting. 

I got a cool bookshelf. I added an amusing grammar phrase in a frame. Later, I added an engagement photo. (That certainly helped because every time that I see it, I smile.) Then I added some fake plants.

That was almost enough. I even added a snazzy (real) succulent (also courtesy of Maria and Erica). 

But as I continued carrying on and feeling numb, I finally realized that filling my office with stuff and even having wonderful people around me wasn't enough for me to come out of my stupor and back to life. I mean, the fact is that I still look at this for most of the day:

Well, if I'm looking down and to the left.

The bottom line is that I can't count on external forces to make me an interesting person with an interesting life. I'm responsible for doing that. I'm not sure how I lost that for so long, but the eureka moment arrived, I felt like I woke up. And I'm hoping I can stay this way! I don't ever want to get bogged down like that again. 

As Julie says in the best movie of all time (Julie and Julia, in case you were wondering), "I could write a blog. I have thoughts." And that's where I am now. I can write a blog. I do have thoughts. I answer a lot of work requests, it's true. But no one says that the things I happen to do during the day need to govern my entire existence.

But just to make sure, perhaps I too should consider going to culinary school.

P.S. If you haven't seen that movie, do it now. Then tell me. But don't tell me if you hate it, because that's just not allowed around this part of the world wide web.

Thoughts of Late

For the first, oh, 23 years of my life, things just went along fine. There were struggles and joys, of course, but I can't say there was anything too out of the ordinary in either direction.

I feel like that's changed in the last two years. If we're talking day to day existence, life is very routine: I get up, I go to work, I do my job, I come home, I eat some food, I go to bed, and repeat. That, I think, is a major difference from college and prior, because during college and prior, every day somehow felt more unique. I would get up, go to a class, get some food, hang out with friends, go on various adventures, and find plenty of blogging material. 

I think that's why I've struggled with writing these days. There aren't enough minor, daily adventures to fill the (web) pages with regular goings-on. Life, it seems, has gotten...bigger. The things that happen are more profound, more important, and somehow less blog-worthy. Or perhaps more blog-worthy. I haven't yet decided. 

Previously, low points were friendship tensions, tough classes, and extreme amounts of homework. High points were random escapades, living with dear friends, and enjoying short term milestones. Now? Low points look more extreme - it seems like I hear of death far too often these days. My brother's best friend. An acquaintance from high school. A beloved community member from home. A college professor. Two grandparents. That type of life-content certainly isn't bloggable. Nor should it be. High points are also extreme: weddings, engagements, new babies (I'm not exaggerating when saying that I know approximately 10+ people who are expecting). Some of that is bloggable, but those events aren't things that are happening on a daily basis.

All that to say, it seems like the bits of life that I got used to writing about are now fewer and farther between. And I don't think that's bad. It simply means that I need to look at my life with a new viewpoint. Daily existence isn't boring. It's just different, and I need to train myself to look for the daily things that are worth capturing in writing. The routine doesn't need to be turned up to a hyperactive degree in order to see small, blog-worthy adventures. In case you're looking for examples, here are a few that happened just this week!

1. It was pretty windy this afternoon, which made for a bad day for the paper shredding company that was visiting our office building. Suddenly, the entire "back yard" of the office was covered in thousands of pieces of highly sensitive documents in need of shredding, and our entire team was glued to the windows watching the poor shredding people pick up the mess!

2. Wedding planning status: checking a ton of things off the list. Hooray for productivity!

3. Official Blog Fiance comes home from his 1,298,237,546,892nd business trip to London tomorrow!

4. I thought I made it through the entire season without catching a cold. But alas - I came down with illness the day after Official Blog Fiance left for London. Yuck.

5. This whole working-at-a-desk-all-day thing means a serious lack of exercise, and that's bad news right before having a wedding dress fitting. Enter 3-day diet. Thanks, Pinterest, for providing me with something that feels like it's working miracles. I think I'll do it again next week...

So there you have it. Five items that should have been blogged earlier but weren't. I apologize for both this post and yesterday's - I definitely don't think they have been the most exciting reads, so if you've made it this far, you deserve a reward! Here's an entirely unrelated picture that requires some recognition. 

My brother is awesome. 

The end.

An Announcement

People.

I finally - finally - have internet in my apartment.

With less than three months left at this lovely abode, I'm finally wired up and can actually blog. From my bed. Or my desk. Or from wherever the spirit leads. Prepare to see an increase in blog posts in the near future.

Stage Note: Drastic subject change.

Lately I've been chomping my way through a lot of books. Just in case you want some recommendations, here's what I have to say about what I've read.

1. Memoirs of a Geisha: ok, ok, I'm way behind the bandwagon on this one. Seriously...I think it's probably required reading for some high school somewhere, and I originally picked it up because I saw it on a list of "100 Books that Every Person Should Have Read" and I was convicted. I hadn't read it! I should have read it! I needed to read it right then!

 But honestly, I was mesmerized the whole way through. The writing was so good that I was almost convinced that it was non-fiction. While I can't say that I was totally in love with the main character (I though her motive through the entire story was a little silly), I can say that it was a very compelling plot, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I'd give it 4 stars.

2. Doomsday Book: I wouldn't consider myself a sci-fi fan, so even though this book is technically considered sci-fi, I don't think I'd put it in that camp. Yes, there was time travel involved. But that wasn't the point. The point was that the story showed how people cope in the face of massive suffering and death, and how regardless of time period, people all struggle. Obviously, it was a really happy book (insert sarcasm here). If you feel like reading about that, I'd tell you to pick up this book. Although be forewarned - I finished the book and couldn't sleep until I'd done Wikipedia research on the bubonic plague to remind myself that it was something that happened in history, and wasn't happening to people that are my nearest and dearest friends. I'd give this one 4.5 stars.

3. I Am Malala: I thought this book was fascinating. Since it's non-fiction, it's a little different than my usual fictional fare. But it was well worth the departure from the norm! I got to the last page and felt like I'd learned a ton about Pakistani culture. I think this is an important book - it helped open my eyes to the fact that the American perspective is certainly not the only one, and if we're going to try to help people, it's best to really understand them. What a concept, right? Atticus Finch really had something going on when he mentioned walking a mile in another person's shoes...4 stars.

4. Theft of Swords, Rise of Empire, and Heir of Novron: These books are just pure fun. I haven't read anything quite that good in a long time, and I have nothing but good things to say about them. There are two smaller books in each book (in the style of Lord of the Rings), so reading all of it is definitely a commitment. Technically it's in the fantasy genre, but I think the beauty of it is that it's just a good story. How often does adult literature aim to just tell a good story? I won't give you a synopsis. Just go read it and enjoy. 5 stars, no question.

This certainly hasn't been my most interesting post as of late. But I think it's probably better than nothing, and who knows! Maybe you'll now go pick up a book. What should I read next? Throw me your best suggestions!

Super Bowl 2014 - A Live Blog by a Fair Weather Football Fan

Alright folks, here's the back story:

Official Blog Fiance is from Seattle, and (it should probably go without saying) he's a Seahawks fan.  I've never been a huge football lover personally, but in an effort to add to pre-marital bliss, I'm now officially a Seahawks fan myself.

Official Blog Fiance unfortunately had to go on a business trip to Abu Dhabi over Super Bowl Sunday (whaaaaat??!), so he had to miss one of the few times that the Seahawks actually made it this far.  Because I didn't want him to miss out entirely, I figured I'd do a live-blog version so he can experience the game without having to watch the entire thing after the fact.


6:17 - The Seahawks head to the field.  Kurt Russell gives them a glowing intro speech.

6:19 - The Broncos hit the field.  Kurt Russell gives them a glowing intro speech too.  (Why didn't they pick two different celebrities for that?)

6:23 - Renee Fleming sings the national anthem five million times better than anyone else who's ever sung at a Super Bowl.

6:32 - Three out of the four of us miss the kickoff while going on a house tour.  Peyton Manning apparently misses catching the football, and Seattle mysteriously ends up with two points.

6:57 - We all finish making homemade pizza.  Seattle is up by 5 points, and we're six and a half minutes away from the end of the first quarter.

7:11 - I take the pizza out of the oven.  Seattle scored a field goal during the 10 minutes I was in the kitchen.

7:16 - First quarter ends.  Score report: Seattle: 8.  Denver: 0.

7:22 - Seattle makes a touchdown!  The following field goal brings the score to 15 - 0 (Seattle).

7:24 - Commercials.  More pizza.  This is definitely the best homemade pizza I've made yet!  Pepperoni and ham.  Good combo.  Tim Tebow's commercial gets shown!



7:38 - Denver has possession, Seattle intercepts, and runs the ball ALLLLL the way to the other end.  Touchdown!  Seattle: 20.  Denver: 0.  Shoot.

7:39: Field goal follow through.  Score report: Seattle: 22.  Denver: 0.

7:52 - Finished my pizza!

7:54 - Peyton gets to around 20 yards on 4th down.  Seattle intercepts and it's back in their hands.

7:57 - End of the second quarter.  Time to make cookies!  Oh.  And the half time show.  "Oh yeah yeah.  Oh yeah yeah yeah yeaaaaaaah...."

8:10 - WHAT.  Bruno Mars can play drums?  Really well?  "That's cool," says the audience in attendance here.

8:11 - Bruno predictably starts with the few measures that have been in every halftime commercial up until now.  Who knew that there's more to the song that "Oh yeah yeah..."

8:13 - This is a shocker.  I'm actually enjoying the halftime show.  I think I'll dance around the kitchen while making the cookies.

[via Google images]

8:16 - Well, scratch that.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers are pretty much the worst.  I mean, they're shirtless and wearing black shorts with patterned leggings.  What the heck.

[via Google images]

8:20 - It's ok.  Bruno came back, told everyone that we're beautiful just the way we are, and redeemed the show.

8:31 - Quarter 3 starts, and it's Seattle's ball.  

8:31 - Seattle gets an immediate touchdown.  DUDE.  Percy Harvin takes the cake.

8:32 - Field goal.  Score report: Seattle: 29.  Denver: 0.

8:55 - Yet again, we have a ball turnover from Denver to Seattle.  I'm starting to feel pretty bad for Peyton.  But...Seattle's winning.  So I don't feel that bad.

8:57 - Awww.  Budweiser outdid itself with commercials this year.



9:01 - Mmm.  Framboise Lambic is good from a bottle.  Now it's gone.

9:02 - Seattle makes yet another touchdown!  This. is. crazy.

9:03 - Field goal.  Score report: Seattle: 36. Denver: 0.

9:10 - I'm beginning to think that my high school SAT class teacher was right - I'm the world's worst guesser.  I guessed that the Broncos would win, and it looks like I'm being proved wrong.  I'm glad about this fact in this particular case.

9:11 - The Broncos finally get a touchdown!  There are zero seconds left in the third quarter, but they still get a 2-point conversion attempt, I guess, since they're still playing.

9:12 - Annnnnnd they get another 2 points.  Yay, Denver.  (Pity yay.)

9:13 - A commercial with a montage of teams including Seattle shows Pete Carroll saying, "We're going to New Jersey!!"  Audience member responds, "Wow, that's the first time that going to New Jersey is good news..."

9:15 - Fourth quarter starts, and it's Seattle's ball.

9:23 - Seattle makes another touchdown.  WOOOOOO.

9:23 - All the Broncos players look totally demoralized.  Pete Carroll looks beyond elated.

9:23 - Field goal.  Score report: Seattle: 43.  Denver: 8.  11:45 minutes left in the game.

9:28 - Richard Sherman is apparently hurt (for the second time).  Timeout.

9:32 - We're back, but we're now on injury number two.  Didn't quite catch which Seahawk it was.  Richard Sherman is out for the rest of the game.

9:41 - 6:30 left.  This is looking good.

9:44 - 5 minutes.

9:46 - 3:45.  Another ball turn over from Denver to Seattle.

9:50 - Richard Sherman is on crutches, but they're all so happy that he doesn't seem to care at all.

9:50 - 2 minute warning.

9:52 - I'm racing my computer battery here.  14% to 1:59 on the clock.  YOU CAN DO IT, OLD COMPUTER!

9:54 - Russell Wilson dumps an entire cooler of yellow Gatorade on Pete Carroll's head...out of extreme joy?

9:55 - THE SEAHAWKS WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!!

[via Google images]

Well.  There you have it.  And if you too want to become a Seahawks fan, just watch this video and you'll never turn back.

And...Re-start.

For the past several months, I've felt like I'm in a get up-work-go home-eat-sleep-repeat rut.  I tell myself that I have nothing worthwhile to blog about, and therefore I don't write.  This is bad, and in reality it's just not at all true.  The fact that life if more of a routine than it was during college does not in any way, shape, or form mean that it's less interesting.  And while it is true that much of my time is spent at a desk each day, there's a lot of life that happens outside of work.  For example, here's a list of things that I haven't blogged about and should have over the past several months (in no particular order):

1. At least four business trips to places I've never been to before.

2. The fact that Potomac, Maryland has the most enormous mansions.  And a Tesla store in the mall.

3. The gardening project on my office's windowsill (I'm now a gnat-killing ninja).

4. Downhill skiing after not skiing for over six years.

5. Buying a wedding dress.

[No picture available due to pre-wedding secrecy.]

6. Traveling to Milwaukee to see a Tolkien exhibit in two days.

7. Hiking in the rain in New Hampshire.

[The view from the top.]

8. A trip to the Grand Cayman.

9. Making new friends from work.

[Well, I guess I don't have pictures of said new friends...yet.]

10. The gloriousness of crock pot cooking.

[Yet another thing I didn't take a picture of.]

11. My new-found obsession with NPR.  (I'm the nerd with the NPR app on her phone...)

12. 2013's goal of trying several new restaurants in the area.

13. Not-so-small brother heading to college.

14. Oh, I don't know...planning a wedding.  Obviously not a big deal.

[There is no picture.  We're too busy emailing people.]

15. Getting engaged.  (BOOM.  DONE.)

[This photo is actually two years old.]

So clearly, my imperceptive view that nothing exciting happens anymore is a total and complete lie.  College does lend itself to random, exciting, blog-worthy activities, but college ended more than two years ago - and for crying out loud - my life is just as good (if not better) than it was then.  So in short, I am without excuse.  The no-internet-in-my-apartment thing is just a cover.  If I'm going to "suck the marrow out of life," as Kelle Hampton is fond of saying, then I better start recognizing the fact that everyday life is worth capturing.  I've said it before, but I think there's a good chance of succeeding this time: it's time to bring this blog back from the dead.  I might even give it a fresh coat of paint.  Here's to 2014 - the year of weddings, blogging, adventures, and the beauty of the routine.

Starting Over

Well, 2012 is over and we all lived to tell the tale.  So much for the world ending, Mayans!  I, for one, am glad to have a brand new year to look forward to.

I've been reflecting a lot lately.  2012 was a wonderful, full year, but it was one marked with a strange sort of internal struggle for me.  2013 is a fresh start - the opportunity for renewed perspectives and rejuvenation.  I've let many of my convictions and passions take a back seat, and it's time to bring them to the foreground again:

Music

I no longer have any excuse to not practice.  Someone asked me for lessons, and in order to teach well I need to be able to play well.

Blogging

I used not having internet in my apartment as the reason to assuage my guilt over being too lazy to blog.  I love the idea of having a place to record thoughts, and as I've never been much of a journal-keeper, blogging solved that problem.  I'm not going to let another year go by un-blogged simply because I read so many others that I think are more well-written than mine.  The point of a blog is not to become rich and famous.  The point of a blog (or at least mine) is to have an outlet for thoughts and a record of events.  Therefore...the blog is coming back to life!

Faith

All throughout college, I had this image of myself juggling various items - faith, academics, music, friends.  At various times, I struggled to maintain all of them at the same time, but faith was the one that never wavered, but instead held all the others in balance.  Post college, apathy has gotten in my way, and my relationship with God was the one that took a hit.  I can't let that continue.  I'm going to read through the Bible again this year, and do my utmost to "act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with [my] God."

Friends

I have been so incredibly blessed to have the most amazing friends anyone could ever ask for, and I think it's too easy to take that for granted.  My two closest friends are both getting married this year, and I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate with them!  Those weddings will be such joyous occasions, and it will be a privilege to take part in them.

Organization

If I'm going to juggle well this year, I need to reevaluate how I spend my time off.  I'm completely capable of using time wisely, and yet I've found myself wasting time on the computer, sitting around doing almost nothing, or generally not using free time to its full potential.

So my resolutions this year can be boiled down to just one thing: I need to appreciate the many blessings God has entrusted to me so that I can use them, whether practicing, investing in friendships, church, free time, work, or anything else, to the best of my ability and for his glory.  Here's to a new year ahead!

Bloglovin'?

I don't really know what Bloglovin' is, but it sounds a little like Google Reader. Since I love Google Reader as much as I do, why not use this too?

It's asking me to post some code in a new blog post, so....I'm not sure what's going to happen. Here goes nothing.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

On Fame (of the blogging variety)

At one point in time, I came up with a list of things that seem to make a blog legit. I have since realized that there is no way under the sun that I will ever become a Highly Successful Blogger (HSB). Here I present you with a list of reasons why that is the case.


1. HSBs can abbreviate any word and it sounds cool.

2. HSBs each have a Story. These Stories are different, life-altering, funny, sweet, or any other adjective that grabs your attention.

3. HSBs have husbands. Intelligent, good-looking, the-kind-you-see-in-movies husbands. From here on out, they will be referred to as "blog husbands."

4. HSBs know all the other HSBs, and are therefore unafraid to comment on each other's blogs.

5. HSBs have the best cameras available to mankind and know how to use them well.




DO NOT CHANGE THE CHANNEL; WE WILL RETURN AFTER THIS MESSAGE.

[Random side note: according to a common online acronym finder, HSB also stands for the Latin phrase "Hic Situs Bonus," meaning "This place is good." Somehow, that fits well with this topic, don't you think?]

AND WE'RE BACK.




6. HSBs are the most photogenic people in the world.

7. HSBs have the best fashion taste in the world.

8. HSBs can cook anything, with a recipe or without one.

9. HSBs have Highly Successful Blogs within a year of entering the Blogosphere.

10. HSBs have perfectly imperfect lives. [This is not universally the case, I know. But we're generalizing here, people.]



So that's my reasoning. One day, perhaps I will have a life story that merits widespread attention, but for now, I will resign myself to my relative anonymity. I have, however, coined the acronym "HSB." That should count for something, right?

Catching Up

I have to admit...I'm not feeling inspired in the writing department these days. Probably because most days are exactly the same: babysit, beach, practice, ice cream, sleep. Sometimes we throw a movie in the mix too. So...sorry. MLIA. Whatev.

That's not to say, however, that summer is being wasted away. No sir. (Or ma'am.) It's been a long time since I've had a more lazy summer, and I'm really enjoying it. I guess I can't be completely footloose and fancy free just because - ya know - I'm looking for a job and all that. (Have I ever mentioned that before? Yes? Mmm. How redundant. Again, sorry. Chalk it up to networking?)

I've discovered a new-found love for lying on the beach with friends, even though it requires wearing sunscreen (which I hate almost as much as I hate folding laundry).

I've rediscovered the glory of ultimate frisbee, and I've eaten way too much ice cream for my own good (to the point where I finally ordered sorbet instead. Uncharacteristic).

My family is currently is Switzerland, and I miss them a lot. (As in more-than-expected-a-lot.)

I've cried too much. Also uncharacteristic. (Uncharted territory stresses me out, apparently.)

And I've seen so much more to be grateful for. Transitions really make me want to hold tightly to the things that I've treasured in the past, but I really can't do that forever. Thus being grateful for new things is imperative.

In the meantime (while I figure everything out - ha!) I will try to eat more Pinkberry than ice cream, I will try to gain more freckles than sunburn, I will try to branch out from frisbee to whiffle ball, and I will try to practice more than two hours per day.

Brohan the Second

yay i was watching tv when my sister called me and said that i should write on her wall so thats what i'm doing. so im going to tell you a story. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. "it was a dark and stormy night, and three men were sitting in a car and one of them said, "Lets tell a story", the other one said "ok i got one" and this is how it went. well anyway thats pretty much it.



(He's a funny one, that one. Did you laugh? I did. Well...maybe the first few times around.)

Caution: blog design is currently being reevaluated. Changes may be imminent.

Mislead.

Poo.



This evening I spontaneously decided to respond to this job ad where you write for a company that publishes articles online and you - the author - get paid for it. It was advertised as, "Blogger: part time, work from home." Sounds pretty ideal, if you ask me. Who wouldn't like to get paid for writing stuff he or she wanted to write about?

One of the possible topics was "Boston Easy Meals," and I thought to myself, "Behold! Thou dost enjoy feasting upon simple fare. Thou shouldst aspire to such greatness and glory! Thou shouldst put pen to paper and describe such a topic in great detail, as doing so wouldst aid thee in thy future."

Maybe I didn't think in quite such Shakespearian language.

But I would have liked to.

I digress.

I got almost all the way through the (fairly simple - why am I complaining?) application process until it asked for a writing sample. That seemed easy enough. I opened up a Word document, wrote approximately 200 - 300 words to meet the requirement, and went to go post it only to find the following directions:

"Please submit a writing sample here. No more than 300 words. No use of first person."

[Stunned (keyboard) silence here. My entire article is solidly in first person.]




So much for that. I thought it was pretty decent writing, too.

Stats

I just discovered the stats tab on the blogger dashboard today. (I've been using this for over a year...you'd think I'd have discovered that sooner than this morning...) In doing so, I found out that after the US, the country with the most representatives that have at one point or another looked at my blog is Turkey. As far as I know, I don't know anyone in Turkey. Interesting.

Aspirations

I would like to make my blog super legit. You know. The kind that boasts multitudinous followers, is full of spectacular photography and other interesting graphics, and is constantly both hilarious and utterly intriguing. I've been researching, and I've come up with a list of things that might make it better.

1. never capitalize anything. even when starting sentences. i am not sure i can use this particular method since improper grammar, usage, and mechanics bother me so much.

2. Use www.polyvore.com frequently. It allows people to admire your impeccable fashion taste and assume that you have enough money to purchase every article of clothing that you've combined to create an outfit. Congratulations, you have now become a fashion icon.

3. Develop your own background (preferably white with some artsy pictures) rather than use one of the several provided by blogger.com. If your background is individualized, you've proved to the world that you're both creative and technically savvy.

4. Provide links to some of your other entries, because people will stay on your page longer.

5. Center all your text. Why the heck would you follow standard writing technique when you can break the mold so easily?

6. Be able to cook and/or bake, wear cool clothes, take amazing pictures, be crafty, have some sort of unique skill, write with pithy sayings and admirable wit, be familiar with pop culture, have read all the latest best-sellers, and have all the time in the world. (This one should be easy.)

7. Have lots of friends who also enjoy blogging.

8. Be able to Google your blog and have it come up in the first five hits.

9. Be vastly intelligent.

10. Lead a generally fascinating life.


By the time I get my doctorate, win the Nobel Peace Prize, or star in the next greatest movie of all time, some of these might be doable.

Happy birthday, blog!

I just checked, and discovered that my blog turns one year old today. Awwwww. It's still so young. Also, if I write three times tonight, I will be at 100 posts. It's happening.

New title...

My blog title is bothering me. I think it's cheesy, and I want to change it. Any awesome ideas?

In addition

I realized that every time I write something and finish it, I think of about a hundred more things I want to say. All of these things of course slip my mind as soon as I go to write them down, but I thought that if I perhaps started right away, I wouldn't forget.

I had the most wonderful evening last night! It started with dinner at Chipotle with some of the world's greatest people. I had never had Chipotle before, so it was a new and excitingly different experience. We lingered for a long time after we'd finished eating, discussing our college ensembles, music technique, the role of women in orchestras, study abroad programs to Salzburg, portraits, etc. We then decided to watch Star Trek VIII: First Contact, which was a whole lot of fun as well as a culturing experience. On the way back home, while laughing over the fact that I, thanks to the laryngitis, sounded like the Nazgul from Lord of the Rings, things took an interesting turn when we witnessed a car accident. That part of the evening wasn't so wonderful, but it was somewhat thought provoking. It's so easy to forget how incredibly fleeting life is. We think of death as being a long way off, something we don't need to think about until we're old and "ready" to leave the world, but it doesn't always work like that. If that car or our car had been in a slightly different place a few seconds earlier, we could have been involved in the accident as well. That being the case, why should I be complaining about simple things like a cold or too much work or a particular circumstance that didn't quite go exactly as planned?

In chapel this morning some members of the senior class expounded upon their lives while at Gordon. They talked about what they wanted to do with their lives, and how Gordon had changed who they were. It made me think about what I wanted my life "signature" to be, and how I should live in relation to that signature. I came to the conclusion that I want my life to be a reflection of who God is, and his love for his precious creation. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" So here I stand: let my life be solely for the glory of my God and for the edification of his people.

A blog!

I've never written a blog before.  This represents a new experiment in daily...well, maybe not daily...but sporadic musings on the everyday things.  Today is December 21st, 2009, and I'm sitting here in front of a lovely woodstove in Vermont, decorating a bulletin board to bring back to my room at school at the end of Christmas break.  My mom has been telling me since the very beginning of the school year that my wall looks positively bleak next to my roommate's highly decorative one, so hopefully the bulletin board will remedy the situation. 

Apart from wall decoration and sitting in front of the woodstove, I've done very little this vacation except for cooking dinner for the entire family and discovering a very large collection of records of awesome music ranging from Shostakovich to Bach to plainsong and Gregorian chant.  As a music major and having just finished the entirety of music history, I found this collection pretty fascinating, and have been exploring it for several days.  However, I've listened to it almost exclusively while home alone because the rest of the family doesn't really appreciate it, with the exception of my dad, to whom they belong.  Nevertheless, it gives me an excuse to use the record player, which I rather miss while away at school.