Jeans

So I have to be honest...this wasn't an original idea. I have to credit my friend and housemate Laura. She was talking about jeans and how finding a pair of jeans is kind of like finding a man. It may take a while and you may have to try on a lot of pairs, but when you find them, they are usually perfect.

I kind of laughed at this idea. But I went shopping today and I needed a pair of jeans. Normally that is a process that I hate doing, because I have to try on a million pairs and often don't even find a pair. Today was different, I walked into the store, determined to find a pair of jeans. I found a pair that was the right wash and right size, however I didn't want to get my hopes up. It seemed too perfect that these jeans would fit, I never have that kind of luck. However, I tried them on and they were amazing. They fit perfectly, not too tight, not too loose. They made my butt look awesome and were very slimming. Even the fitting room attendant commented on how they looked. I had to get them. It was so painless.

So after I paid for them I started thinking about what Laura had said. I never find jeans this easily, and I don't find good guys easily. They usually aren't interested, or there is something wrong with them. Or they stick around for a little bit, then split. What I'm trying to say is, I try on a lot of "jeans" and still haven't found that right pair. So what if this is a sign, a sign that the winds are changing for me. Hell, it's almost a new year, I'm 22 now. Last year was a big change for me, what will the new year bring? Suddenly Laura's crazy idea, didn't seem so crazy. Will I find my perfect pair of "jeans?" Will I get to stop trying on every pair that I see (ok so that's a pretty exaggerated metaphor, but the concept still holds true).

So Laura, you and your crazy idea about jeans got to me.....and to be honest, I kind of like it.

Snow

We have had a large amount of snow...unusual for this part of the USA. But it is pretty, hardly any cars because people can't drive. So I can walk everywhere. It'll be a white christmas/my birthday...haven't had one of those that I can remember.

PLU is so pretty in the snow!

I love Christmas lights and snow

"Downtown" at night all snowy

Look at all that snow....no coffee dates outside in this weather

Why?

Sometimes I just have to ask myself why I do the things I do. Are they making me happy? Maybe. For a few days....weeks. But ultimately I know that's not what I want. I guess it's just the time of the year or maybe it's restlessness...cabin fever kind of things that make me go crazy. Its not really in my nature to act out in this way. Maybe I'm just too stuck in a kind of fantasy of sorts. I keep thinking that each time something will be different.....haha see my definition of insanity entry....but even if things did end up differently would that make me happy?
I feel stupid for thinking this way because really, this year has been fantastic. I'd have to say maybe the best I have in college. I have amazing friends....who while they do tend to push me a little to close to the personal cliff I seem to have been inching closer to every month...they support me completely and will always be there for me if and when I need them. I'm not sure what is going on in the crazy mess that is my head, but something just isn't connected right at the moment. I think it might be the stress of finals, but I'm not sure.
In some ways I'm afraid of what I'm turning into. I've discovered I usually always get what I want....maybe not right away, but eventually I do. While it might not always be in the healthiest way...I have just accepted that when I see something I want (whatever it will be) if I stick it out long enough I will get it. I know how terrible that must sound, but honestly I don't know what is better. To not get it and just deal with it, or continue down the path I'm on and accept it. I've seen this happen to other people (on a grander and ever more unhealthy scale) and I've seen what it did to them. I know I am probably a stronger person but even still. One person can only hold so much inside them for so long and this isn't something I can talk about because I don't know how to say it. Even now, this probably doesn't make any sense unless you are in my head.
I should probably just deal with it. Its not like I'm using hard drugs or anything really life threatening, I'm just having fun. I don't think I'll be in therapy when I'm 35 because of the crap I did in college. I just wish I could travel 5 years into the future and see what I am doing. See what kind of choices I made so if I need to eject and take a new direction I can do it now.

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

On Thanksgiving 2008 I want to express the following sentiment, as sung by the wonderful Josh Groban.

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for

I love this man

For whatever reason, I decided to watch youtube clips of Anderson Cooper. Seriously:



Fantastic:

PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!!!!!!

Woo Hooo Obama is kicking butt. CNN is saying they can't seem to find anyway that McCain can win more than 260 some odd electoral votes now that he has lost PA and Ohio!!!! LANDSLIDE BABY.......at least I sure hope so.
To night this post is going to be my little outlet for excitement and opinions on election info...be it Presidential, Governors races (WA in particular), or Senate races (can the Dems get a filibuster proof majority?).
READY.....SET......COUNT THE VOTES!!!!!!

6:51 p.m. Pacific Time
Obama gets New Mexico according to CNN. I love tonight.....Obama kicking ass and lots of dear little Anderson Cooper on TV. Oh hey even FOX News is reporting Obama ahead in electoral votes.

7:01 p.m. Pacific Time
According to CNN Obama already has 207 electoral votes (not including Cali=55, Oregon=7 and Washington=11). Obama has also won Iowa.

7:17 p.m. Pacific Time
According to CNN (can you detect my "liberal bias") that Democrats currently hold 54 seats in the Senate. Now that the Presidential race has basically been decided (its all down to how big of a margin of victory Obama has) it's time to focus on the Senate races and the Washington Gov. Race between Gregoire and Rossi.

8:19 p.m. Pacific Time
OBAMA WINS!!!! OBAMA WINS!!!! McCain is giving his concession speech. I couldn't be happier right now!!!! This is an amazing night. I give my absolute congratulations to President Obama and Vice President Biden. I also wish McCain and Palin a good game, they tried, but their best couldn't quite do it. America was ready for a change.
The Electoral College currently stands: Obama-306 McCain-155

9:07 p.m. Pacific Time
Obama is giving his victory speech. He truly is a wonderful speaker and will make a wonderful president. I am so proud of America right now! For the first time in 8 years I can watch a presidential victory speech and be truly happy about the election outcome.

Hilarious!

This is why I love election years.....I'm such a nerd.

Time for Some Campaignin' | Funny Jokes at JibJab

It's been a while

I really haven't had much to write about the past few weeks...........actually that is a giant lie. I've had a truckload of stuff happen in my life. All of it good of course :) But none of it I really felt like writing about. But today I have something to write about. What follows is really just a tiny little rant......so feel free to stop reading now.

Don't act like a smart ass then turn around and mispronounce the name of a very prominent journalist who has been on multiple news shows that have pronounced his name correctly.
Backstory:
I am currently in a Political Science classes full of crazy, annoying people who think they know everything. There are several kids in particular that I get annoyed with but one of them struck my last nerve today....I almost wanted to open my mouth to correct him...but then I just would have looked like a bitch. So this kid thinks he is Gods gift to PolSci classes...well today during current events this kid brings up something a very prominent journalist who is also an editor of Newsweek wrote. The name of the journalist is Fareed Zakaria...well the moron called him Fareed Zakary (pronounce the "y" like an "i"). STUPID, MORON, IDIOT, STUPID!!!!!!!!! That was all I wanted to scream at him.
Who honestly....who claims to pay attention to the news and pronouces his name wrong.....what person who watches The Daily Show on a regular basis pronouces his name wrong, i mean he's only on about every 5th episode.
I wish someone had corrected him....this kid is just do damn full of himself. Someone needed to shove him off his high horse, bruise his ego a little.
You can't do that.....you can't act like a big shot but mispronouce this mans name!!!!!.........

Thank you for reading....if you made it this far. Next time I write hopefully it will be more interesting.

Poetry

The following is a poem I read as an assignment in my English class. I think it might be my new favorite poem.

Daybreak by Galway Kinnell

On the tidal mud, just before sunset,
dozens of starfishes
were creeping. It was
as though the mud were a sky
and enormous, imperfect stars
moved across it as slowly
as the actual stars cross heaven.
All at once they stopped,
and, as if they had simply
increased their receptivity
to gravity, they sank down
into the mud, faded down
into it and lay still, and by the time
pink of sunset broke across them
they were as invisible
as the true stars at daybreak.

insanity

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

VMAs

So on the eve of starting my senior year of college I'm sitting relaxing with my housemates watching the MTV Video Music Awards. Instead of driving everyone I'm sitting with nuts, I'll critique it here.
Let me start off by saying, everyone who listens to music knows MTV has gone downhill, but I think this year they have hit rock bottom. The first shot of the awards was in an area that has clearly been significantly downsized from previous years. The stage is tiny and the audience has been reduced. There is no center area where the crowd gather for the performances. Oddly enough, as of 45 minutes through the show the best part is Russell Brands intro and jokes about George W. and Republicans......which wasn't anything the Daily Show hasn't said before.

The introductions to performances are lackluster, everyone sounds exactly like they are reading off a teleprompter, which granted they are, but at least try and sound better. The entire show looks like it was thrown together. Winners don't know where they are supposed to go, people have to scramble for mics. The audience doesn't even look like they want to be there.

The performances thus far are sub par, Rhianna can't sing live, Katy Perry can't sing in tune to her own songs and T-pain needs to pull his pants up. What happened to the VMAs of many years ago. Memorable performances by NSync and others are past. Instead we get Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

Pop music really has gone down the crapper. My housemates made the observation that we have no idea who most of these people who are up for awards are. Even I, and I'm pretty up in the music scene, have no idea who some of these people are. Where is the creativity? The showmanship? The experience that pop music used to be. Paramore thank goodness wasn't completely terrible. They know how put on a show and Haley is a pretty fabulous live singer.

But even after that, I'm still not sure why I have watched just over an hour of this show. I think I keep hoping it will get better, even while secretly knowing it never will. I keep being told "things aren't what they seem" tonight....but so far I haven't seen that to be the case.

I had hope for the Best Rock Vid category with the Foo Fighters in there and Paramore, hell I might have been okay with FOB....instead it was Linkin Park, while not awful, not amazing....they are slightly washed up and a little bit sissy now.

Oh hey, Pink is still around.....shes decent enough....So with 45 minutes remaining I give up. I'm off to watch House and listen to Jack's Mannequin.

hmmm

Oh goodness why is Jon Stewart the only one who points out the ridiculousness of all this.....

Clip 1: Karl Rove on Tim Kane as Obama's possible VP pick



Clip 2: Karl Rove on Sarah Palin as McCain's VP Pick


America please don't let there be 4 more years of this....

Bumbershoot

This past weekend I spent two days at the Seattle music festival called Bumbershoot. It was fantastic, the weather was wonderful both days and the music was great.
August 30:
First day of Bumbershoot, arrived around 2/2:30ish just in time to get my bearings and head over to the Starbucks stage to catch Seattle musician Ian Moore. Recently I've started listening to more mellow music and Ian Moore was a perfect example of that. It was a perfect mix of rock and soft guitar. After the show I made a quick stop to let him know I was a fan...it was my first time ever hearing him.


Next was some wandering before a meet and greet with Anti-Flag, who as it turned out are not only a great band but really nice people. We talked for a bit and joked about the election and the candidates and had a little bonding over our home state of Pennsylvania. I got asked if I was amish after telling them where in PA I was born....Next was a set by The Walkmen. Today was my day to discover new music. I had only heard a clip from them on iTunes, so I decided to check it out. I wasn't dissapointed. After that it was off to see Anti-Flag perform and of course they didn't dissapoint. I don't think they know how to put on a bad show. Chris got everyone to throw up the peace sign and had everyone singing along "so loud that the mother-fucker Beck can hear you" (Beck's set at the mainstage started during Anti-Flag). Their set even contained a cover of "I Fought The Law."

Instead of following the crowd to the mainstage for Beck I wandered back over to the Starbucks Stage to see Nada Surf. A wonderful set with the Space Needle in the background behind the stage and a brief conversation with the band after the show provided a wonderful close to the evening.

Sept. 1:
Final day of the festival, second day for me. Started out with back to back mainstage performances by Paramore and The Offpspring. Which had a strange kind of contrast. The scene newbees Paramore put on a great show but it struck me as odd. It was only 2 years ago that I was seeing this band open for other bands at small clubs. Now they are playing for hundreds of people on a huge stage. Their performance was followed by "punk-rock" veterans The Offspring, a band which I have been listening to for years. The never seem to want to quit. Age was not slowing the band down, singer Dexter Holland's voice sounded as good as ever. To my excitement the set contained a good number of older songs and as the set concluded the band encouraged as many crowd surfers as possible to "break the record of 999."



After both sets there was a few hours of downtime before the mainstage opened back up for Death Cab for Cutie. I used this time to explore everything else at the festival I hadn't seen on Saturday. This included spending far too much money on a new pair of sunglasses and a new purse. Then I headed back over to the Starbucks stage (which in addition to having really good music all weekend, seemed to be my default if I didn't know where else to go). I heard the last half set from X Levitiation Cult who were quite good too. Then I decided instead of coninuing to wander I would stake my claim to a decent spot for Death Cab. Somehow I ended up being lucky enough to be right on the front barricade on the left when the crowd finally stood up. I was stoked. I've never seen DCFC live and I got a perfect spot. The "opening" band was Superchunk who no one had ever heard before. No joke the conversations before the show were "so what does superchunk sound like?", "who is superchunk?" After being told the name reminded someone of vomit I was aprehensive to see the band. Luckily they were good and provided good entertainment before the final act of the night.

Finally it was time for the final act....Death Cab For Cutie. The stadium was packed and everyone was antipicating a good show. They certainly didn't dissapoint. The set consisted of songs off "Narrow Stairs" including "No Sunlight" and "I Will Possess Your Heart." It would be really hard to imagine a more perfect ending to a weekend Seattle festival than a thousands of Seattle-ites gather to see a local band.


Thus concludes Summer 2008.....one for the history books....or at least my personal history book.

Curious....

I woke up this morning, turned on CNN to find McCain had picked his VP. It wasn't some well-known hot-shot in the GOP instead it was the female Gov. of Alaska. I was surprised to say the least, I'll have to do some more research on this women but from what the anchors were saying about her, she seems like a good hardy Republican.....and even comes with her own abuse of power scandal/investigation.

It does make sense that McCain would choose a women, after all Obama didn't pick Clinton (thank goodness) so McCain will try and pick up on some of that hype and Clinton supporters....which I'm not sure will work. It's pretty sad if you move to McCain because Clinton isn't the nominee. They really don't line up too well on the issues. However, as some of the anchors pointed out, this women doesn't have much experience....you can't go around attacking Obama over experience then turn around and pick someone who lacks experience as well...but that is the Republican party for you.

I'm just glad it wasn't Tom Ridge. McCain would have never been elected with that guy as his VP. At least he understood enough to know it is political career suicide to pick someone who actually worked with George W. when you are trying to show a difference between the two of you.

Now the VP have been selected one Convention down, one more to go and then this thing can really start. I'm excited, my house mates will probably hate me by November but I love election years.....and this one is shaping up to be extra good. I just hope we pick the right guy in November.

Counting Down and Looking Back

So it is finally starting to sink in that this is my last summer before I have to really be on my own. Not only that, but it is coming down to the last few weeks of that summer. Predictably talk in the house has turned to school and focus on the upcoming year. While I am excited to finish my last year and look forward to the future I don't want to look too far ahead and miss my last few weeks. I know I haven't done anything real exciting like travel anywhere, but I have had a pretty darn good summer. I came in with no expectations of anything and have had a great time with all of my friends and I kept myself busy working, but not so busy that I felt like I didn't have a summer. These next few weeks should be pretty fun, Bumbershoot is next weekend-hopefully the weather is nice.
My internship ended this week which is sad and a relief at the same time. I really liked feeling like I was a part of the concerts and the Seattle music scene in a big way. On the flip side I disliked the drive to Seattle...or moreso the drive home during rush hour. My internship really helped me decide what I want to do with my life. Before this internship I thought I wanted to work for a record label and be an A&R person, but it was really working the Jesse Lacey concert that showed me that isn't what my passion is. It was fun and I felt exclusive with my wristband which let me backstage and meeting, talking and hanging out with the band. But at the same time after talking to Corrie I realized I didn't want to become jaded by experiences like that. I want to always be excited when I see a band step on stage and be able to lose myself in the music (something that I felt I couldn't fully do after meeting the band before the show). I felt like I was no longer a fan, I was something more. I can't really pinpoint it. I still have a huge passion for music and I want to keep that passion forever. I have realized there is a way to work in the entertainment industry without working stage side.
I wouldn't have traded the experiences I had this summer (and will have in my remaining weeks) for anything in the world. If I had imagined my summer in my head before it happened, I don't think I could have ever picked this....and I have a pretty wild imagination. I thought last summer was amazing, but this one is one for the memory books. I'm glad I experienced my last summer as a college student the way I did and with the people I did. I know that this year with bring amazing memories too.

Morning Musings

The following is the result of lack of sleep and early mornings......

I've been doing a lot of thinking the past few days about a lot of things. One of those things is about letting things out of my control dictate my emotions and how my day will go....there are some people in my life that insist they are happy and have great lives, yet can't seem to have a real grip on certain things in life. They get so wrapped up in themselves and their emotions over on event or length of time, that in the grand scheme of things probably wont amount to much. They let that thing overwhelm their mind and their happiness and suddenly nothing is fun anymore. I just don't understand it. I don't know if I'm just incredibly rational...which I really don't think is the case...or what. I know I have never been in the exact situations, but I have been in similar ones and never handled it this way. I'm not trying to say that everyone needs to deal with things the exact same way I do, but when someone tries to lecture other people on not letting other people control your emotions and turns around and lets that happen, it doesn't make much sense.
I've had to work on that and I think I've made progress, I can always keep working on it. But these past few days have showed me that I can do a lot of things that I never really thought I could do. I just have to put myself out there and not be afraid of the results, which actually weren't bad. Nothing catastrophic happened and life moves on. I think this summer has been the best thing for me right now. I'm living with incredible people and I have done things that have helped me grow and learn a lot. I've been able to put a lot behind me which has probably been the biggest reason my life is so much better, I've stopped dwelling on things that are out of my control. I took a chance and now I'm waiting to see how that plays out, but I'm just so glad I did it. I'm ready to start a new year and I'm ready start preparing for the next stage in life, it's scary but seeing the process one of my housemates is going through as she prepares to move makes me so excited. I'm sure when the time comes for me to actually do that, i will be a nervous wreck, but I'll face that obstacle when the time comes.

Apologies for the run-on sentences and schizophrenic thoughts, but like I said in the beginning, this is the result of early mornings at work where I do nothing but watch people walk through the door and maybe answer 6 phone calls.
I don't expect anyone to actually read all of this, it was mostly for my benefit to try and break my writers block and to keep my self entertained for a little while.

Update: 2:00 pm
I'm looking at law schools to apply to and its freaking me out. Part of me wants to forget school and backpack through europe and write about it. But the other part of me wants to be a business women. I wish I could be a lawyer without the extra school Thats 3 more years I have to devote to studying and more debt I will accumulate. The other idea is, do I take a year off and work or do I go straight in? What if I can't get a job where I want? I thought by the time I was a senior I would have this all figured out and I would have to do is send in job applications.

100 things to do before I die

I've been working on making a list of the 100 things i have to do before I die. I will continue to add to and edit things as i do and think of them.
While these are numbered they are by no means in any order or rank. The ones in bold are things I have done already.

1. See JFKs Grave-1/19/09
2. Travel to India
3. Live in Europe
4. See a shooting star-and wish on it
5. Have a book published
6. Fall in love
7. Visit Abbey Road-1/21/08
8. Get a tattoo.....or 2 or 3....5/11/08
9. Be kissed in the rain
10. Get married
11. Learn Italian
12. Have a song written about me
13. Meet Jon Stewart
14. Meet Brian Williams
15. Try a case in front of a jury...and win
16. Own a DeLorean
17. Be a contestant on Jeopardy
18. Be published in Rolling Stone Magazine
19. Invent or Create a New Popular Product
20. Be In a Movie or TV Show
21. See the Tour de France in Person
22. Become a better photographer
23. Own a Pug
24. Have Kids
25. Meet Anderson Cooper
26. Write a movie or TV show script
27. Sing Karoke-8/14/08
28. Go backstage at a Concert-7/17/08
30. Be Truly happy
31. Meet Stephen Colbert
32. Win an Award for my writing-2/18/09 (well found out I was in the top 3...won't know what place I received until April 25).
33. Own my own house
34. Stay up all night and watch the sun rise
35.

Welcome

Well, here is it my blog. Not really sure what I'll put here, most likely it will be a lot of random things......

The title is Italian in case people don't know. It is means "Truth and Life." That's what will be here. My life and my truths.