I figured I just drop a line or two to let everyone know that Irene did me no harm. I am perfectly fine, and now, it is perfectly lovely outside, again. I got off with just some rain and gusting winds, but nothing drastic. My heart goes out to those that actually had to deal with crap dealt by her (and to the poor sea turtle that got washed up on a road by the coast! :( ).
I was stuck inside all day, though. So what do I decide to do? Bake cookies, of course. Naturally! haha! However, it did not end up as wonderfully as I had planned. I do not like the oven that I have to work with one bit, and it ruined my cookies. :( They taste okay, but they are no longer the same cookies I set out to bake. *Sigh*
I also spent the day reading Jane Eyre. I am hooked! Why have I waited so long to read this book?! (It could be that I hated her sister's book, Wuthering Heights, about as much as I am enjoying this book! ha!) I can't say that I wasn't doing something intellectual, but it did distract me from studying for my exams...ugh. I am probably subconsciously (...or consciously...) avoiding it, because of the daunting amount of info and the reality that I most likely will have to take the review courses. Not a terrible thing. C'est la vie. But it will add to my workload, despite their zero credit status. Oh, well. All will be as it was meant. ;)
Orientation begins tomorrow...ACK! The madness is about to really begin... Nervous, excited, ready for it, not ready at all, happy, overwhelmed, slightly daunted, not sure what is really to come, but knowing there is a bigger purpose driving me to continue this path, which some say I've chosen...and I sometimes feel has chosen me. (Only time will reveal that one.) Let's do this!
☼Sun Drop☼
Finding this in the archives: Wisdom....and, of course, this.
Cheers!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Off in Massachusetts...
...The sun shines, but sometimes it rains...and there is the occasion threat of an oncoming tropical storm via the lower East Coast.
...Even if you obey pedestrian crosswalk laws, you may still be nearly murdered by a careless car that plows through without mercy at 80mph.
...There are a million things to do and amazingly lovely places to see, although your map may lie to you as to what some particular places actually are, so you will be momentarily disappointed...and then end up inadvertently on the lovely Harborwalk.
...You meet tons of wonderfully nice people...and some not so nice that you just must ignore.
...Everyone and anyone takes the T, so you certainly meet a diverse crowd of characters.
...It is like Ivy League sea out here between all these smarty pants schools...sometimes I feel super intelligent to be amongst them...and sometimes the complete opposite.
...It is interesting to observe the various reading material each person carries on to the train/bus, with the range being from the newspaper/magazines to kindles/books...today, while I was reading Jane Eyre (something I admittedly have not read yet and finally decided to pick up after many friends' recommendations...very good thus far!), the girl next to me on the train was reading Tina Fey's new book...and then the guy next to me on the bus pulled out The Picture of Dorian Gray (which I actually also have never read...we'll leave it at my high school was not exactly the keenest in curriculum, sadly).
...Every day I pass the Harvard Law School, my first thought is always of Legally Blonde...I think this may be a sad example of Hollywood's influence on our lives! haha!
...Encountering freshman move-in day in Harvard Square makes you laugh at the overheard conversations of crazed parents...and crazed yourself when walking amongst the wall-to-wall traffic through all of Cambridge. (Wouldn't you loved to have done that for me, Mom and Dad? Ha! I think my dad would've died!)
The list of things could go on forever. Boston is seriously amazing, and its possibilities seem endless. So much to see, do, observe, and be a part of. I feel almost like an "expat" living in a new culture at times; I fit in, but there is always that objective perspective that appears when one is observing the newness and/or oldness around them.
Unfortunately, this has been a fairly rough week, but all will be well. Since my last post, I've explored Back Bay, the Public Gardens, Boston Common, Beacon Hill, a bit of the waterfront, a strolls through North End, along Esplanade/Charles River, and over much of Mass Ave. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Back Bay with its colorful, vibrant streets is filled with life and fun little shops to browse. Newton Street, Commonwealth, Beacon Street...they are like a step to another world almost. Same in the North End and Charles Street on Beacon Hill; even the Starbucks signs are tailored to create a facade like another time era. I am in love with the green spaces scattered liberally around the city, places of rest and repose, picnicking and leisurely strolls. Yesterday, I decided against a grand exploration and headed for Boston Common, where I laid for a few hours reading, listening to music by Sara Bareilles and Jack Johnson, and cloud watching. :)
Then today, with the imminent threat of thunderstorms, I thought I might be stuck inside, but alas, I ventured to the Charles River and meandered a bit on the Esplanade and settling on an Adirondack chair on a dock while the winds created a lovely mix of cool and warmth. It never did storm, although a few sprinkles ended my lounging and persuaded me back across the river. Even rainy days bring a bit of sunshine, though. :)
☼Sun Drop☼
I continually keep running into this design everywhere and in various forms of products bearing it. I very much like it. :)
...Even if you obey pedestrian crosswalk laws, you may still be nearly murdered by a careless car that plows through without mercy at 80mph.
...There are a million things to do and amazingly lovely places to see, although your map may lie to you as to what some particular places actually are, so you will be momentarily disappointed...and then end up inadvertently on the lovely Harborwalk.
...You meet tons of wonderfully nice people...and some not so nice that you just must ignore.
...Everyone and anyone takes the T, so you certainly meet a diverse crowd of characters.
...It is like Ivy League sea out here between all these smarty pants schools...sometimes I feel super intelligent to be amongst them...and sometimes the complete opposite.
...It is interesting to observe the various reading material each person carries on to the train/bus, with the range being from the newspaper/magazines to kindles/books...today, while I was reading Jane Eyre (something I admittedly have not read yet and finally decided to pick up after many friends' recommendations...very good thus far!), the girl next to me on the train was reading Tina Fey's new book...and then the guy next to me on the bus pulled out The Picture of Dorian Gray (which I actually also have never read...we'll leave it at my high school was not exactly the keenest in curriculum, sadly).
...Every day I pass the Harvard Law School, my first thought is always of Legally Blonde...I think this may be a sad example of Hollywood's influence on our lives! haha!
...Encountering freshman move-in day in Harvard Square makes you laugh at the overheard conversations of crazed parents...and crazed yourself when walking amongst the wall-to-wall traffic through all of Cambridge. (Wouldn't you loved to have done that for me, Mom and Dad? Ha! I think my dad would've died!)
The list of things could go on forever. Boston is seriously amazing, and its possibilities seem endless. So much to see, do, observe, and be a part of. I feel almost like an "expat" living in a new culture at times; I fit in, but there is always that objective perspective that appears when one is observing the newness and/or oldness around them.
Unfortunately, this has been a fairly rough week, but all will be well. Since my last post, I've explored Back Bay, the Public Gardens, Boston Common, Beacon Hill, a bit of the waterfront, a strolls through North End, along Esplanade/Charles River, and over much of Mass Ave. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Back Bay with its colorful, vibrant streets is filled with life and fun little shops to browse. Newton Street, Commonwealth, Beacon Street...they are like a step to another world almost. Same in the North End and Charles Street on Beacon Hill; even the Starbucks signs are tailored to create a facade like another time era. I am in love with the green spaces scattered liberally around the city, places of rest and repose, picnicking and leisurely strolls. Yesterday, I decided against a grand exploration and headed for Boston Common, where I laid for a few hours reading, listening to music by Sara Bareilles and Jack Johnson, and cloud watching. :)
Then today, with the imminent threat of thunderstorms, I thought I might be stuck inside, but alas, I ventured to the Charles River and meandered a bit on the Esplanade and settling on an Adirondack chair on a dock while the winds created a lovely mix of cool and warmth. It never did storm, although a few sprinkles ended my lounging and persuaded me back across the river. Even rainy days bring a bit of sunshine, though. :)
☼Sun Drop☼
I continually keep running into this design everywhere and in various forms of products bearing it. I very much like it. :)
Friday, August 19, 2011
☼Sun Drop☼
The street I live on is between two bus stops, and if I get off at the first one, I see this:
The street I live on is between two bus stops, and if I get off at the first one, I see this:
Even when it rains, there are blue skies somewhere in Boston. ;) I so would live in this house! Just for the amazing terrace, alone! hehe! (I miss my balcony...)
Today, I ran into Alex while I was on my way to the school. (He is the admissions director and also a main recruiter in my being here...he met me for coffee to talk about the program/school/etc. while he was on a business trip in Ohio last year.) It was a welcome face to see. I am stressed about the exams and the overwhelming amount information about to be thrown at me, but I am so excited to begin school! Here we go adventure (and butt-kicking, meaning they are going to kick mine!)! Also, have I mentioned yet how much I seriously love Boston? ;)
This all still seems so surreal; I feel like I am in some alter-universe or something. I've been here a week now, and it seems like it's been much longer. In a good way, of course! I have settled in quite quickly. I thought there would be a huge "adjustment" period, but I feel like I have just fallen in step (a la Mary Poppins's "Step in Time" haha! ...and I've definitely been doing A LOT of walking!). Still lots of stuff to figure out and much more orienting to be done in my brain, but life is good. God is good to me, and I feel very content about this decision. :) Now, I just need to make some new friends in this place...
After practicing, my plans to explore Back Bay and the South End were thwarted by a sudden torrential thunderstorm. At first, I was slightly irritated, but then, I found myself laughing as I ran through Cambridge in the rain. It was actually a welcome relief for the cool water to splash around because it was extremely hot! Unfortunately, it stopped raining just as quickly as it began and became steamy heat. :-/ Oh, well. It was fun while it lasted. :) More melty heat tomorrow... Blech!
In other news, my friend Anthony may be coming to visit on Monday and Tuesday...crossing fingers!! And according to a photocopy of a computer printout that was mailed to me a month or so ago (tacky, right?! yikes! That so would not fly on Project Runway! haha!), tomorrow afternoon is my 5-year high school class reunion...at an aesthetically unpleasing park pavillion. Oh, boy! Am I saddened to be missing it? Ha! That'd just be a hot mess! Don't have a desire to go to any...although I think it would be highly amusing to show up to a reunion one day dripping in jewels, a kick-ass outfit, and a gorgeous man on my arm (a la The Wedding Date...real or hired would do the trick!) Muahaha! Perhaps... ;)
Lastly, I'll leave you tonight with a smidge of wisdom that I saw quoted on someone's bag on the T this afternoon: "Do something every day that scares you." :)
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
A Sunny Day in Harvard Square
☼Sun Drop☼
 |
| Just one reason why I love Harvard Square...coming up out of the T and seeing this. :) |
The museum: awesome! Sadly, the Chihuly visit ended the day I arrived in Boston. :( So lame! However, I did get to see the Monet Cathedrals series on loan from Musee de Orsay and some absolutely stunning van Goghs, Renoirs, and other Monets! It also always blows my mind when I see things that were created in 200AD or whenever that are still in incredible shape! I mean, I understand that there is restoration and preservation involved, but still. The impeccable details are still there despite the wears of time. Basically, if you want something to last thousands of years, make it in marble (and just pray that limbs and noses won't be lost! haha!)!
I stood/sat staring at the impressionist paintings for probably a half hour. I am just in awe by them. Here are a couple of photos I took that turned out well. (I look anxiously forward to the day when I can afford one of those lovely Nikon digital cameras with a manual zoom lens... *sigh*)
I seriously love this city! I am so meant for this place. Sometimes, I forget that I am still in the U.S. That may seem silly, but it is true. It is at once a quintessentially "American" city and seemingly not on this continent. It feels so "European"; my senses forget that I am still on this side of the world...the languages I hear surrounding me, the city squares, the green spaces sprinkled all around the buildings, the old architecture, the T/subway, the museums! The only times in my life I've seen all these things in one place have been in my travels overseas. (My brain also wants to slip into "foreign language communication" mode...which is sometimes true between East Coast English and Mid West English! haha!) Additionally, I love how there have been numerous occasions when I have been asked for directions/information. My favorite game...fool the locals that I am a local! Muahaha! I think I've got this place under control. What do you think? ;) (Although, I, without fail, get lost in the streets around Harvard Square. It's not like it's difficult, either!)
I am so tired lately, so it's off to bed now. Plus, I need to start inching my schedule up so I am not a zombie once school begins, and I have to be up at dawn! Studying for these entrance exams are stressing me out, too, so that is wearing down my alertness, too. (Prayers I pass the proficiencies please!) New mattress foam came this afternoon, so hopefully that will give me a better night's sleep and pull the kinks out of my neck!
Tomorrow: grocery shopping...and hopefully my throat will be doing better, so I can practice!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Oh My Smurfs!
I think I may have jinxed myself by putting a "Singin' in the Rain" photo with my "Sun Drops" intro...because it's been raining here nonstop since before dawn. I don't mind it per say, but I hope that's not a sore throat I feel coming on now! That just will not be acceptable! Nonetheless, the rain has given me an excuse to wear my pink floral rain boots, again. ;) (I am definitely going to have to get me a bigger umbrella, though!)
This afternoon, I bounced my way over to the school for a bit of practice. The "pipes" are feeling a little squeaky right not, but I am sure they will be fine once I get acclimated to the new environments and weather patterns. I wanted to do some exploring, but the rain hindered that, and then my throat started feeling scratchy. (Plus, I almost died crossing street! Literally. I was almost 80mph road kill. Dude, Mass drivers are the worst I've ever seen! I'm thanking my lucky stars right now and going to be looking 17 times before I cross anymore streets!!!) On my walk back to the house from the bus stop, however, I did venture into a couple really cute little shops on the block. :)
☼Sun Drop☼
I love moments when I find myself witnessing courtesy amongst total strangers and also returned smiles even when the first smile was never directed at anyone. :)
This afternoon, I bounced my way over to the school for a bit of practice. The "pipes" are feeling a little squeaky right not, but I am sure they will be fine once I get acclimated to the new environments and weather patterns. I wanted to do some exploring, but the rain hindered that, and then my throat started feeling scratchy. (Plus, I almost died crossing street! Literally. I was almost 80mph road kill. Dude, Mass drivers are the worst I've ever seen! I'm thanking my lucky stars right now and going to be looking 17 times before I cross anymore streets!!!) On my walk back to the house from the bus stop, however, I did venture into a couple really cute little shops on the block. :)
☼Sun Drop☼
I love moments when I find myself witnessing courtesy amongst total strangers and also returned smiles even when the first smile was never directed at anyone. :)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Revealing my next "project"...
"The sun itself sees not till heaven clears." ~Shakespeare
Sun Drops
Here it is! I am calling my new project "Sun Drops." Kind of cutesy/cheesy, I know, but I think that makes it all the more appropriate. Plus, I really like it. :) (Yes, I am also aware that it is a soda brand...and a candy, but I don't care.) Each post, I am going to post something that makes/made me smile. It could perhaps be a quote, a simple photo, a piece of art, a story, a website...basically anything. I am also hoping to incorporate more photography into this new theme (mostly my own, but I'll be snitching some others along the way). I suppose it isn't too much different from my gratitudes project, just a bit broader in the scheme of things. I haven't decided on a "quota" for this one yet...I suppose I'll just go with it till I come up with another brilliant idea! ;)
"Count your smiles instead of your tears. Count your courage instead of your fears." ~Annonymous
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Here we go, bluebird...
My sincerest apologies for ignoring the blog this past month! Life has been pretty overwhelming, and besides a daily email check, I tried to take a sort of hiatus from the connected world while I was at home. Additionally, I have decided to "reveal my new project" in the next post, and I am sorry for extending the anticipation.
My time at home always seems so brief. There are days I wish that wasn't so (and others when not so much! haha!). I spent the days watching too much Project Runway with my little sister, playing with my nephew, random gallivanting, and getting my stuff together for this move. Our campfire was rained out and too many mosquitoes or overcast skies to lay out stargazing, but nonetheless, I appreciate my time at home...always makes it hard to leave, again.
Xander says "Happy Mother's Day" to everyone and for anything and even has a song now:
I am sorry to say I did not take very many photos, but I guess I lived the moments anyhow. Mom took lots of great pics, which I'll have to nab from her sometime, but here are a few I took:
And now, I am officially in Boston. Here we go, bluebird, on the "great Boston adventure". Let's see if my wings will carry me. ;) I arrived on Thursday afternoon via our neighbor Larry who was on his way to New Hampshire. (We won't talk about the drama of packing the car's trunk the evening before...oy!) New experiences are certainly overwhelming to begin, and I cannot deny a feeling of homesick, surrounded by everything new and uncertain...always the hope of finding a familiar face among the strangers but never finding one. Just takes some adjusting. Yesterday, I took a trip to Trader Joe's...nothing like a trip there with such nice people working there to set you upright a bit, though. ;)
There is a reason God put me here in this place at this time...I just don't know it yet. I can only hope that He will reveal it to me in due time. The lady I rented a room from is very nice but rather particular about things, and the room is fine, too. Shower sucks and no cable. :( Guess I'll have to "make it work," as Tim Gunn would say. haha! All takes time to be comfortable, though. I was certainly spoiled by my placed in Columbus. (Definitely missing that wonderful apartment!) Yet, when I step outside to the street, I somehow know just how to do what I need to...like I "belong"...or maybe I'm just growing up and learning to better spread my own wings. It took three stores to find salt for my neti pot, but I found it. I even got off at the right bus stop! Go me! ;) I opened the door for the older guy behind me at the last store, and he looked me in the eyes, said thank you with a big smile, and then said it, again, when we passed at the counter. Maybe it's the "mid-western, small town girl" influences in me, because that's just what we do, but it made me smile that he smiled. Now that is what life is supposed to be like. (All that sort of leads to the idea of my new project...not to hint or anything. hehe!)
I experienced a sense of calm within when I was here during my audition for some reason, and that odd sense seems to return when I set about on my way. I don't understand it, but we'll just call it feeling God's presence. Plus, it is very beautiful here. :) For now, it is one breath at a time and lots of prayer! I think the tears I didn't shed the past few months are catching up with me. Perhaps, (okay, certainly) I am overreacting; that's just my melodramatic nature. However, this has been a huge move for me, and that must be a point of understanding.
Unfortunately, the school buildings are closed on the weekends during the summer and by 6pm during the week, so I won't be getting back to my practicing till Monday. Not sure what nonsense persuaded me to take a room where I cannot practice... Wow, I didn't think I would miss my old apartment so much! I begin orientation at the school on the 30th, so till then, I have lots of studying to do for my entrance exams, so hopefully that will occupy me enough to lessen the homesickness. As I learned when I was living in Hungary, distance doesn't really mean anything, whether I am 225 miles, 500 miles, or 6000 miles, it all becomes the same. Thankfully, hi-speed internet will be coming to my home in PA (aka the land of dial-up), so Skype will finally be a constant reality soon! :)
Off to walk to Harvard Square, get a T pass, and scope out a bit. It's about an hour's walk, but I think it'll do me some good to clear my head. :)
My time at home always seems so brief. There are days I wish that wasn't so (and others when not so much! haha!). I spent the days watching too much Project Runway with my little sister, playing with my nephew, random gallivanting, and getting my stuff together for this move. Our campfire was rained out and too many mosquitoes or overcast skies to lay out stargazing, but nonetheless, I appreciate my time at home...always makes it hard to leave, again.
Xander says "Happy Mother's Day" to everyone and for anything and even has a song now:
I am sorry to say I did not take very many photos, but I guess I lived the moments anyhow. Mom took lots of great pics, which I'll have to nab from her sometime, but here are a few I took:
And now, I am officially in Boston. Here we go, bluebird, on the "great Boston adventure". Let's see if my wings will carry me. ;) I arrived on Thursday afternoon via our neighbor Larry who was on his way to New Hampshire. (We won't talk about the drama of packing the car's trunk the evening before...oy!) New experiences are certainly overwhelming to begin, and I cannot deny a feeling of homesick, surrounded by everything new and uncertain...always the hope of finding a familiar face among the strangers but never finding one. Just takes some adjusting. Yesterday, I took a trip to Trader Joe's...nothing like a trip there with such nice people working there to set you upright a bit, though. ;)
There is a reason God put me here in this place at this time...I just don't know it yet. I can only hope that He will reveal it to me in due time. The lady I rented a room from is very nice but rather particular about things, and the room is fine, too. Shower sucks and no cable. :( Guess I'll have to "make it work," as Tim Gunn would say. haha! All takes time to be comfortable, though. I was certainly spoiled by my placed in Columbus. (Definitely missing that wonderful apartment!) Yet, when I step outside to the street, I somehow know just how to do what I need to...like I "belong"...or maybe I'm just growing up and learning to better spread my own wings. It took three stores to find salt for my neti pot, but I found it. I even got off at the right bus stop! Go me! ;) I opened the door for the older guy behind me at the last store, and he looked me in the eyes, said thank you with a big smile, and then said it, again, when we passed at the counter. Maybe it's the "mid-western, small town girl" influences in me, because that's just what we do, but it made me smile that he smiled. Now that is what life is supposed to be like. (All that sort of leads to the idea of my new project...not to hint or anything. hehe!)
I experienced a sense of calm within when I was here during my audition for some reason, and that odd sense seems to return when I set about on my way. I don't understand it, but we'll just call it feeling God's presence. Plus, it is very beautiful here. :) For now, it is one breath at a time and lots of prayer! I think the tears I didn't shed the past few months are catching up with me. Perhaps, (okay, certainly) I am overreacting; that's just my melodramatic nature. However, this has been a huge move for me, and that must be a point of understanding.
Unfortunately, the school buildings are closed on the weekends during the summer and by 6pm during the week, so I won't be getting back to my practicing till Monday. Not sure what nonsense persuaded me to take a room where I cannot practice... Wow, I didn't think I would miss my old apartment so much! I begin orientation at the school on the 30th, so till then, I have lots of studying to do for my entrance exams, so hopefully that will occupy me enough to lessen the homesickness. As I learned when I was living in Hungary, distance doesn't really mean anything, whether I am 225 miles, 500 miles, or 6000 miles, it all becomes the same. Thankfully, hi-speed internet will be coming to my home in PA (aka the land of dial-up), so Skype will finally be a constant reality soon! :)
Off to walk to Harvard Square, get a T pass, and scope out a bit. It's about an hour's walk, but I think it'll do me some good to clear my head. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)