These streets will make you feel brand new

What I should be doing right now: packing for a trip.

What I am doing instead: realizing that I have way too much stuff to fit into my suitcase and hoping that, by distracting myself, my pile will somehow magically shrink and fold itself neatly into an appropriate size.

It's much more fun that way.

Let's see, it's been quite a while, so let's play some catch up. Tomorrow I'm going to New York (whoo!) for a while. Maybe this explains why I've been humming Jay-Z/Alicia Keys in my head all day long. (badum-ching)

In other news... well actually there's not a lot of other news. BUT I've been reading a little this summer (mainly when I'm bored at work, which my bosses are totally fine with, bless them!) and I have a couple book recommendations if you feel so inclined to stop by your local library:

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. Holy crap what a great storyteller... this woman is a role model for me. She hit worldwide fame with her memoir Eat, Pray, Love which, I am very ashamed to say, I have not read yet. Why? Because the damn library is always out of it. But, as a substitute, I picked up a journalistic endeavor she had completed before writing said masterpiece, and I was quite pleased! It's a story about a man who eschews modern conveniences and, well, civilized life in general. As a result, he scampers into the woods and decides to be a true "American Man"... like a 20th century Daniel Boone. Two thumbs up!

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Again, with this author, can you really go wrong? I think not. Every book of his I've read has had me aching at the sides with laughter pains. Contrary to most of his other books, however, this is no humorous story; this is the story of our planet. Bryson admirably chews textbooks and journals full of scientific fact and history into pieces that that every lay person can swallow, mixed with plenty dashes of humor. I highly recommend it not because of its literary brilliance but because this is the sort of stuff that every member of our species should remember and appreciate. Simply put, it's an intriguing and fascinating read.

There's another great one I've read but, unless you are a budding psychology student, I doubt you would be willing to read it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to do yoga. Maybe if I meditate I can will my suitcase to expand.

p.s. I've just realized that I've been averaging about 1 post a month for the past 5-6 months (check out the tally on your right). How pitiful! This will be changing asap.

the.child.at.the.stream

I'm trying to clean out my closet at my old house (a daunting task) and I came across a poem I wrote in high school. As might be expected, I have forgotten about most of the stuff I wrote back in high school. This poem was no exception, but as I glanced over it I found myself thinking "hey, I actually kind of dig this." I consider it a small insight into the person I was in high school -- a person I feel like I barely know now. It's nice to get back in touch with your old self every once in a while.

The Child at the Stream

The hair curled every so delicately,
as if an angel's hand was tenderly holding it in place.
The round blue eye's glittered,
seeing the world as it is meant to be seen:
fresh and pure,
innocent and welcoming.
The soft skin radiated,
shining with the light from the sun,
ever so gently tinted with a dash of rose.
The child played, splashed in the clear stream,
feet nudging the pebbles underneath as if they were personal friends,
and she knew all their secrets,
and they loved her touch because it was full of life and fancy.
The hair danced every so freely,
waltzing about the child's face;
a waltz so lovely and simple,
so angelic and carefree.
I watched from afar,
ever so dismayed,
ever so jealous of a life so simple;
a life of harmony, a life of color:
sunshine yellows and sky blues,
grassy greens and tickle-me-pinks,
the gentle and sincere colors that I always picked first from the crayon box.
My eyes sank ever so deeply,
as I would never know that life again,
never see the world again through a darling child's eyes.
I felt plagued and contaminated, suddenly, all at once.
I knew not of a life so beautiful,
a life so free from the smudge of charcoal blacks and smoky grays.
I watched with remorse the child at the stream,
whose face spoke every so happily,
whose lips smiled every so simply,
whose hair danced every so freely.

Shame on you, salons!

I walked into the salon and told the receptionist I was there for an 11:15 appointment with Patricia. For a minute she looked at me as if she hadn't quite heard me, but then told me to take a seat. Patricia came in and whisked me off into her room, where I draped myself with a smock and took a seat in the oh-so-entertaining swirly chair. She proceeded to touch up my highlights and wrap my head in so many layers of foil that I thought I might soon be picking up radio waves. She then informed me that we needed to let the color set for about 20 minutes, and that I was free to help myself to some magazines conveniently arrayed on the nearby table.

So far so good.

Until I looked at the magazines and a wave of disappointment rushed over me. People. Cosmo. The San Antonio Woman. WTF? Suddenly I became an enraged feminist, asking myself why it is that salons assume that all women want to read about are celebrities and the best sex moves.

The answer is: social constructivism. Society creates gender. Parents give their sons legos and their daughters Barbie dolls. They let their sons play aggressively and tell their daughters to play nicely. It may be unconscious, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it. Gender--that is, masculinity and femininity--are not inherent traits. They are acquired and shaped by culture. And a widespread change in our cultural values could redefine what we consider "masculine" and "feminine."

So, with that being said, I believe salons carry strictly trashy magazines because they are one small part of a society that is enchanted with rigid gender roles. What I would love to see is a salon that also carries the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Scientific American, National Geographic, PC Gamer, etc. It would be wonderful for a "feminine" place, such as a salon, to recognize that women are intelligent, diverse creatures, and have a multitude of interests beyond just gossip and fashion.

Ranting over.

love.

I'm sitting here on my bed staring at the walls around me littered with memorabilia and artifacts that represent who I am: Audrey Hepburn poster, photos from travels, a picture of my grandfather, a giant obnoxious A&M quilt (yeah so maybe that doesn't represent me too accurately, but whatever). And I can't help but think about the people who have gotten me to where I am today. My family. Mi madre y padre. And the incredible love and support they have provided through everything, rough and smooth. They consoled me when I came home crying from a bad day at school. They held my hair back when I retched all night long from a bout of food poisoning (too much information?). They bought me a seemingly endless supply of Chili's potato-soup-to-go when I had jaw surgery and could only consume my meals through a straw. They listened to me with silent understanding when I changed my majors (twice!) and complained about how confused and lost I felt. They greeted me with beaming smiles when I got something I really wanted, happy to share in my joy.

It hasn't been all roses. But the fact that my parents are separated doesn't diminish the contribution each of them has made to the person I am right now, typing on these black plastic keys.

So, thanks mom and dad.

In other news, I got an acceptance letter from Yale today. I was moderately excited, in that wow-I-can't-believe-this-actually-happened kind of way, which is always more understated and collected than I imagine it will be. Yale's offer of admission is only as good as it's offer of financial aid, though, so it remains to be seen if they will deliver on that end. In my eyes, Yale has one serious thing going for it: Edward Norton's alma mater. And before I give any notice of acceptance or rejection, I just may have to inquire about the likelihood of Ed coming to speak as a former student... ;-)

Work it move that bitch crazy!

Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah!
Roma-roma-maa!
Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!...

Damn you Lady Gaga and your stupid catchy songs.

It's been a while since I last updated...the past 1.5 months have been all different flavors of crazy so I'll just skip right over that and say Happy New Year!

Ah, January. The month of wintery weather, national figure skating championships, new semesters, broken resolutions, and... my birth! It's really the best month, isn't it? Besides maybe December. Christmas is hard to beat.

As a matter of reference, my New Years Resolutions (yes, plural) are top secret, but rest assured: they are fabulous.

Update on the grad school front: all of my applications are in and I've heard back from two so far, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Michigan. Both seem positively interested in me, but I won't know any admissions decisions until some time in February. But although both of those schools are my top choices, neither one of those programs is my top choice, so hopefully my preferred programs will bring equally pleasant tidings. *crosses fingers*

Lastly, I want to offer a shameless plug for the movie Brothers, starring Natalie Portman and other people. It's a beautiful, albeit heart-wrenching, exploration of human nature and how situational influences can necessitate evil acts, even if we would otherwise consider such acts to be far below us. It jives perfectly with the book I'm currently devouring, The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. Check 'em out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today my mom, brother, and I are going over to a friend's house to celebrate and EAT. My contribution is to provide the pies, which are currently in the oven baking themselves into yummy confectionery delights. Whenever I try out a new dessert recipe, I always remember one of the classic Friends Thanksgiving episodes...






Have a tasty, turkey-filled day!

And they're off!

My first round of graduate school applications are officially in, albeit a couple weeks after the deadline I set for myself. Just one of the many things I've been late on recently... add it to the list of utilities bills, credit card statements, papers, research deadlines... you name it.

Yeah, I'm a little stressed. But handling it.

Time to get down to business on the second round, which is due December 15. But once again, my deadline was November 15, which has already come and gone. Translation: I will be living at the library and sleeping on the couches in Rudder Auditorium until these get finished!! I can do this!

Peace out.