sweet caroline, bom bom bom.....

I have just arrived back to the dorms from monkey barrel... should I be writing a blog in my altered state? of course! soooo... lets see, this day started off horrible because I was 90% positive I had lost my wallet forever after going on a great day trip to NYC. I think the worst part was not that I had physically lost the wallet, but that I would have to face my parents about it. I searched my room high and low, and came to the conclusion that it was either lost somewhere in the path from the bus to my apartment or that it was still literally on the bus. I decided to call campus police for the first time ever, and they actually were surprisingly helpful, I got a police escort to the van I had ridden on to NYC, and I found my wallet as soon as the doors were opened. It was one of those excellent moments where you almost want to cry and hug everyone surrounding you just from pure joy. I chose not to do that, but the joy from that moment was still superb! I then went and processed two of my rolls of film in the development room, which did not produce as many excellent negatives as I had been hoping for, but I still have 2 rolls from that trip to develop too! after that I went to dinner with julie's parents, julie, and kristen. for some reason I find eating meals with other people's parents to be beyond awkward, but it was a great meal at any rate, and I'm glad I went! We then came back and decided to go to monkey barrel, in honor of my recovered wallet, and especially since it was a half off drinks night! As soon as we got there, I ordered a long island iced tea barrel, which is usually delicious, but was absurdly strong, thanks to this particularly horrible bar tender. I tried to drink it down, but honestly couldn't. so, I went back to the bar to ask them to make me another one, and while I was waiting, this random guy (who just happened to be super-cute but also super-taken) asked if I would like to take a shot with him! he was actually really sweet, and it was his birthday! so I took the shot with him, and continued to run into him several times during the night! then, I came back to the table, and shortly after, me and kristen decided to go dancing, and when we got up there, two guys got on either side of me and just completely sandwiched me!! haha. kristen pulled me away, and we went back to the table to finish our drinks, then we went back and danced some more before julie met a guy by the pool table who insisted upon her playing a game with him til we left for the night. I thought that brian and ian would have joined us at some point, but apparently they were too busy with their other ladies. oh well, it turned out to be a really fun night anyway and definitely a good end to this busy week!

i left my heart in fran sancisco

(n) love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. hard to understand how one little four letter word can pack so much meaning, but it does. artists and musicians have felt the joy of it and been inspired by it for generations. love is a many splendid thing, all you need is love, love dont cost a thing! and this past weekend was the holiday which honors that most honored of emotions. overall, i think it is a little overrated, people should appreciate the people they love everyday, but i still enjoy it regardless, because despite the fact that people should appreciate their loves every day, they don't always remember to do so, so it's nice to have this specific day of the year to remind couples to take special notice of each other. having gone 21 years without a valentine, this annual ritual did not go unnoticed by me. generally, i get a little mopey around that week because despite my best efforts i have ended up alone once again. and this year was not particularly different at first, by wednesday night i was already laying on the couch watching a sappy movie accompanied by my most loyal of friends, mint ice cream. but, by friday the tides surprisingly turned, instead of being overwhelmed by the plethera of public displays of affection, i actually came to an odd sense of well-being, went out to an anti-valentines party with my best friends, and had a great time. i realized it's dumb to fret over the lack of a relationship. we all have soulmates and there is a guy out there for me. there's just no rushing fate.

My Bucket List

So, I was bored last night and started thinking about what I'd like to do before I graduate from college (ride around in a shopping cart? epic laser tag war?)..... which led me to a larger question: what do I want to do with the rest of my life? At first, I thought it would be stupid to even attempt writing this list as I thought I would have wayyyy too many things I want to do, and on top of that, I am at the ripe age of 21 (so I shouldn't be thinking about things to do before I die quiteeee yet). But, oddly enough, when it came right down to what I want to do with my time, the list came down to 28 objectives. Some are very simple, little things, while others are a little more elaborate. What writing this whole list actually made me realize is that I just want to enjoy and appreciate every moment I have, I don't want to miss out on opportunities because of fear or anxiety, I want to embrace the entire human experience and make it count. So, here it goes:

1. Take a pastry arts class
2. Go on a road trip to every state in the United States (every state that can be reached by car)
3. Attend a major sporting event (World Series or Superbowl)
4. Be in two places at once (straddle a state line)
5. Sew my own dress and wear it out on the town
6. Learn how to snowboard
7. Send a message in a bottle
8. Go to Times Square on New Years Eve
9. Stay up to watch the sun rise
10. Do a cart-wheel
11. Have a paint ball war
12. Jump out of a moving car
13. Join a flash mob for a random group dance in public
14. Kiss a stranger on New Years Eve
15. Go on a cruise
16. Eat a bug
17. Write a short story
18. Go to Germany for Oktoberfest
19. Learn sign language
20. Sleep under the stars
21. Get a tattoo
22. Find the Cash Cab
23. Go to Italy, Ireland, and Greece
24. Ride in a hot air balloon
25. Walk on fire coals
26. Open my own restaurant or bakery
27. Make a difference in someone’s life
28. Fall madly and deeply in love