All grown up and having comp-ed business trips...

So, this weekend I'm at a Gender conference in Roanoke at the stellar Hotel Roanoke Conference Center... and so far it's a pretty bangin' experience. I happen to have the world's most entertaining boss, for starters, so the 7 hour drive wasn't at all bad from the passenger seat, save the need for like, 16 bathroom stops after our excessive Starbucks consumption. We listened to good music, and I got to see the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! :) But no pictures, because it was weird from the passenger seat. If I have a good view from outside tomorrow, I'll take something mediocre. We didn't stop to see the Paul Bunyan statue because we couldn't find it.

We got to the hotel around 8, checked me in to the goooorrrgeeeooouusss hotel, found my little (but lovely) room, and I got free cookies! But, I didn't really see myself in a place that I'd be given a credit card number for internet, food, and champagne? Um, my job is pretty cool?

I'm finishing the slideshow for our 9 am presentation, and it's purple. We're pretty psyched about that.

Also, did I mention? AUTUMN AND SHUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE! Okay, well, we didn't go to white castle, we just got burgers from sev. And he didn't eat them, just me. Pretend.

So, I'm getting pretty exhausted and don't feel up to glorifying this.

That other love of my life.

Hey, look at that, Scott has a camera:

I once traveled the mediterranean around the ripe age of 17, and for 4 hours, visited the world's stunning city of Debrovnik, Croatia. Whilst roaming the crowded streets, we stopped in a small bakery called Nika, and my group took a while between its larger size and an unfortunate serbo-croatian dispute. So I spent a while sitting at a table, waiting as the local business also poured through, when there came a man to the counter.

And I will never forget his face, his hair, his eyebrows... he was probably about 25 at the time, wore all black and a white waist apron, and he was tall and thin. He ordered in croatian and then turned and looked at me, and it was one of those times you awkwardly make eye contact and then turn your head, except neither of us turned. It was a very long wait, because it was a very busy place, and he paid without looking away from me.

I decided then that he might be the love of my life, and neither of us could say a thing to each other.

He eventually took his order, smiled at me, and carried a bundle of about 30 baguettes up the crooked cobble street. I hurried outside to watch him disappear in the crowd, and my heart broke. I came home and broke up with my silly boyfriend of the time because i realized how i could never even begin to love him like I loved that stranger in a bakery.

A few years later, i was watching television, when I happened about a silly show, in which there was a tall pie maker with just the right skin tone, dressed all in black, with a white waist apron, and the exact same face, same hair but with sun, exact same everything. It was him, except another person with a slightly broader frame. But from then on I was entirely dedicated to the television program on every monday night that enabled me one hour with the love of my life.

Who could guess all the places our feelings take us? Desires for adventure, longing for reality, longing for fantasy, love for family and home, romance and heartbreak... I've been there and back again, always driven by the power of emotion. So here we find ourselves again, or rather I find myself, passionate for a boy not at all what I would have initially been picking in my infinite freedom for man meat selection, but I suppose that's the way I've always worked. People's personalities have always been necessary for their utter beauty to prove true, and I find this skinny, broad smiled goof more perfect by the moment, from his dark hair with widows peak to his metro sexual fashion sense and unique athletic talents. How unfortunate that every day I like him more, though every day is one day longer I've been 5000 miles from him. Oh, bother. :)

I find that, while my life has been through a beautiful reform these past few weeks, waking early, being work efficient, cleaning and cooking and better managing my life and time and happiness, I've also lost my desire to "go out." I am 21 and have not yet legally gone out, and the peak of my whole drinking thing is a glass of wine in bed. I like pretty dresses and tea, not nights and city lights. I cannot pretend otherwise without the most appropriate company. To those that seem offended, there were times when I wanted to go and it wasn't in your cards... so now I suppose the tables have turned, and I'm just not up for it or the lifestyle. Though every Thursday I hear the walk to Blockley and smile a little bit. :)

I'm including in this playlist some Francis Cabrel, my favorite french singer... I especially love Le Petit Gars, my favorite, but it wasn't available to add. I recommend looking it up!

Zu Poland, mit Gott.

How to Grow a Woman From the Ground

An unrelated amusing quote:

"Girls are dumb! Its not what you look like naked that counts -- its the naked."

You have made me a sucker for seersucker, and pleased with corny pastel polos. Where is my head when you put on knit ties? None of this quite makes very much sense, except that I love that I love so many new things!

So pardon me, but this is going to be a very like-y post. And by "like" I mean something else.

You know what really gets me down? When people lie. Like, they do a really great job of convincing you to believe them, and then, suddenly, when you believe them and the time is now, they're letting you down. It's heartbreaking. And all you can do about it is make sure you have enough of the right kind of people around you at the time to help you with the fall. For this, I really am grateful for my family of amazing women, along with Alex Weiss, Kattie Kranich, and Stitch.

I'm bringing the art back into my life. It starts with white backdrops and ends with a sigh. Sometimes people inspire you to share the beauty. When there's so much happy in you that it's spilling over and you don't know what to do with all that beautiful elation dripping from your heart, sometimes art is a good idea, and it is finally one of those times again. I don't care if the products look mediocre or amateur, because we'll know that the looks will be deceiving... there is no way all the love I put into it will show entirely. (Similar to that time I made you tortellini.)

"To my heart I must be true, there's nothing left but me and you. You're the one that I want, the one I need."

I started taking my Greek class, and I'd just like everyone to know... I am pretty awesome. I learned to read in 20 minutes, and write an hour later. I am flying through my homework, learning words for real by heart, and only mildly intimidated by using cases and grammar again. I'm pretty thrilled that this is one of my languages this term. Hopefully french gives me so much mercy. I hope french is anywhere near this fun. I really love what I've gotten into already with Greek... I just take a little time to adjust to my professor's accent!

Also, supposing I manage my time, you know, AT ALL this term, now that I'm not depressed from a broken heart and have some spring time motivation, I have some great plans for my non-homework hours! I will learn my instrument better, in addition to a language. And before you know it, my renaissance woman features will be flourishing. Haha. That was a moment of vanity. No one cares, Autumn.

There's no need to complicate, our time is short, this is our fate, I'm yours.

I really love just nice, acoustic, clean-voiced music. It can be so refreshing to take a vacation from most radio and bathe in Jack Johnson's prowess pond, spend some time on the Outer Dave Matthews Banks, swim with Hootie and the Blowfish, and soak up some sun on the Beach Boys in their acapellas (see below playlist.) It just reminds me of pure, perfect times with the most gentle of kindness, happiness, and good feelings. Like warm sun and fresh cut grass at a concert in the park.

This is possibly the girliest playlist ever:

Today's photos compliments Springtime good feelings!

It's TOMS Shoes barefoot awareness day!

Millions of children in the world do not have foot cover for trips to school, hikes to water, or daily life, increasing risk for injury and infection. Go today, part of the day, or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life without shoes firsthand, and to help spread awareness of the impact a simple pair of shoes can bring to a child's life.

I don't want these blossoms to ever end!!! I wish I had a non-webcam camera with manual capabilities.

So, I was finally able to register for classes today because it was taking forever to update my cycle status. A tidbit on that from my friend Joel (was probably more hilarious to me at the time):"My economics professor has a thing in his syllabus that's like 'I won't teach anyone who is having financial issues to resolve wth Drexel.' I'm like.. dude, thats 97.5 percent of everyone in this room."


I used sex appeal (daisy dukes and faux ignorance) to get complimentary vehicular service yesterday. I live in a world where I embrace women that use sexual harassment and discrimination to their advantage/ for the amenities, because if there exists conditions where women are actually given a one-up for male stupidity, then men deserve to have it exercised/ taken advantage.

Happy Springtime, enjoy this beautiful day!

p.s.- "tell him that you belong to me"

I'm really glad all this talk about punching infants has subsided.

Every opportunity I miss makes me panic so badly, and I'm not even busy lately. I can only imagine what this term will do to my spirit with every missed chance to see your face.

Springtime outside my window, though no photos are doing it justice...

Stitch and I finally went to get sushi and it was pretty much a blast, because we're pretty much extremely fun and entertaining people. Add exotic fish to the mix and success was unavoidable. I wish I'd been able to get pictures, because his reactions were wonderfully priceless. And to capture those moments in both stills and video, this would have been perfect:

It's a carabiner, and it's a camera, and it's a video camera. And I got 2 on woot yesterday. They weren't as good as this one, though, I'm sure, Mine have the batman logo on them. But sometimes we wish we had a camera and we don't. I figure if it's on your keyring, you'll always be ready.


So, I'm just going to put this out there, that I really would love being a housewife. Every day I cut flowers for my apartment, make tea, sweep my floor, and cook something delightful. I want to make my guests breakfast in the morning, and it takes restraint to not put effort into it. I have gotten out both my iron and sewing machine officially. Where is my husband?

I went to Trader Joe's with a gift card and bought ginger beer, a 4 pack. I wish I'd only bought one. It's kind of gross.

There's something hauntingly beautiful about being able to watch things progress from the beginning, like the hours of a butterfly fresh out of chrysalis fanning its wings dry. I've been able to watch the trees outside my window blossom over the past few days, from the first day when the dark pink buds formed, and the next day when few petals poked out, and in the night, the flowers emerge, like a snowfall that sneaks up and covers the world while you sleep. These flowering trees outside my window before sunrise are painfully gorgeous in their quiet, elegant progression.

Finally, yesterday was wonderfully wonderful in that I was able to help my friend Scott from afar. I'm so glad his trials and tribulations will soon be coming to an end and that he can start enjoying himself without so many worries, now! Bring on the hot foreign girls...

"Rent? I'd rather have a fucking sandwich than pay the rent."

Shakira speaks to me

If there's one thing I'm learning from these boys, it's that I'm learning about boys.

The beautiful weather finally simmered down, and today looks like rain. I've lately been waking up magically around 7:30, then going back to sleep until 8:30... both of these actually too early for me. Must be that 6 hour sleep thing I like. And time zones.

The Prince of Persia movie trailer is each epic, corny, and amusing... I just wish Jake Gyllenhaal didn't share my droopy eye problem when he often just looks like he's in dismay-- how are you supposed to look cinematically badass if you always look in dismay? Regardless... it blows my mind that he's the actor. And the princess in it should be gorgeous but something about the actress herself seems to be off. Otherwise stunning.

So, for the first time, I'm in debt that is not college tuition debt. And I'm really glad I have the sense to know that it's because I've been spending money I don't have. And the reason my paychecks are small is because I work minimum wage, not because of taxes. And my apartment is expensive, but part of me knew it would be. It is not a surprise. My financial situation is not different because Obama is President, I'm not blaming the change on him, I'm taking responsibility for my own screw ups. It really annoys me when people blame Obama for the change in their finances when they're a college student with a part-time job or something. Also, I love Obama, still. He's doing a pretty sweet job.

My latest swoon as far as shoes go: spring time TOMS. TOMS have been my shoe of choice for about 3 years now, and I'm onto my third red pair, in addition to about 5 or 6 other flats and boots. I LOVE TOMS. I reallllly love the Barletta Cordones but they're apparently seasonal. Someone get them for me when they come back out? Anyway, spring time pastel linen yellows and blues?

Yes, please.

Looks like my sushi date is back on? Hosting my non-friend Stitch today in his epic quest to avoid commute. Should be scintillating. I'd like to state that I am one of the best non-friends in the world. I acknowledge and celebrate birthdays of non-friends, let them use my shower, crash at my house, and I later take the heat for it. I can't wait to see what demons he conjures.

Super cute:

Dearest Autumn,

I hereby do cordially invite you to chat with me, on this loveliest of days.

Yours,

Dustin

I realize you are the only person that reads my blog anyway.

Scott might be on Greek tv :) He got interviewed at Agios Nikolaos on Easter midnight... Drexel kids sure do know how to network!

We meet again.

Last year, I got internet in the morning in time to load an escape game. I wore my black tank, and a flowy purple skirt. I was clean, I put my hair up, did my makeup, and stayed home. I put morning glories in my hair, read whatever books we had, collected glass, and everyone magically disappeared. And at night, I had the most beautiful surprise dinner on the observation roof of the research building. They hung moonflowers and morning glories from the rafters, put candles and tables out, and we had dinner with the Arabs and chocolate cakes/brownies with raspberries. There was Abdel's special salad, homemade hummus, pasta salad, shishkabobs... it was amazing. Thank you, beautiful friends. I only wish there were banana leaf and melanga wrapped fantas, pringles, and my own books this year :)

EASTER 2009- We made a wonderful feast for the construction workers, and I wore my "beautiful" pink and blue dress. I made greek salad and heidi made guacamole, and we all made lasagna. We also had barbeque and hot dogs on the grill. Claudio brought a huge box of mars bars variety. I had prepared chocolate bunnies and Easter baskets for Demetrio and Abdel. We sent Abdel on a special scavenger hunt for his. We hit golfballs into the neighboring farms, and the oil workers left smirnoff, fanta, and some other random beer for the house. And it was a good day.

I never finished this post, but thanks, Steve, for being the epic friend I had 8 years ago.

Adios and Vaya con Dios

It's 7am, why am I awake? Because I've been sleeping on the floor.

My parents have been together 30 years and 4 days. They have four daughter, three granddaughters. They've been through 2 trucks, 3 boats, 3 dogs. They were high school sweethearts, have lived in the same town, and 30 years later they have their house to themselves. But they still sometimes do that thing where they can't quite figure out the best way to hold hands and fumble a little bit.

This is a tea plantation. My favorite botanist was raised on a tea plantation in Kenya.

So, Andrew Jackson. He was a pretty cool guy... common man for the common people. And then he went all Hitler on the Native Americans. ftw. Trail of Tears. Just thought I'd remind everybody. I know I have a lot of readers. Furthermore, can we all reflect on Manzanar, and the other Japanese concentration camps? America sure can be gross sometimes.

I have a very exciting week ahead of me socially! In addition to seeing so much family this weekend, I have a skype date on Sunday morning, and two Steves visiting over the week (maybe)! Good thing I cleaned most of my house already so I can host visitors!

It's the one year anniversary of a young couple of high school sweethearts I know. This is significant because over their spring break, they became engaged. When people begin dating older, this is almost frequent. People that start dating around age 28 or 30 often become engaged within 2 years... but when high school sweethearts jump in so quickly, we're skeptical? Why do we feel like we need to prove ourselves to the world with time before being true to our hearts? Okay, many if not most couples don't dive right in because they might not be ready to marry that quickly... but Stitch (unavoidable tag now... great) said it right to me yesterday; "Some people just know what they want." At first I thought "wow" upon hearing their news, but now I am very supportive, and envious of that kind of intensity. Congratulations and Best Wishes, Zach and Chloe! :)

Not even a playlist. :) Ciao!