Rise and Shine

I might have pointed out the other day that sometimes things just don't go right. Sometimes, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try, things fall apart.

Lucky for me, that time is not now! School is about to start on Thursday and I've never been better. All of my money issues are sorted out, all of my classes are sorted out, and all of my technology is sorted out. With all of these issues solved, my life is indeed easier.



I also find myself struck with love and happiness by my darling boyfriend. I've never felt more loved than when in his company, and it tends to brighten my day and lighten my heart. It's just what I've been hoping for.



It seems that everything is coming together. I feel like I did just after I finished watching 'Wonderfalls', everything is seeminly perfect. Everything is in order and working, the lyrics in the background are "Love will come through, it's waiting for you," and I'm just smiling.



I get to start classes and work in a few days too, which is good. I've been aching to work and be productive. Hopefully, this term will be a shimmering time full of music, laughter, and love.



Hmmm, this has put me in a 'Pushing Daisies' mood.



Which is a little disheartening as there won't be any new episodes for quite some time. I am a full supporter of the Writer's Guild, I encourage the use of strikes and Unions to make the working world a better place. But Pushing Daisies makes the world a better place too, through the cunning use of Lee Pace and pies. So, give them their money!



Alright, I need some Chinese food.

2007 Meme (via Mom)

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? I went to college!
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? If I had a New Year's resolution last year, I don't remember it. This year I plan to stop biting my nails -- a habit I've had for as long as I can remember.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my darling friend Stephanie had a baby boy.
4. Did anyone close to you die? My friend Al.
5. What places did you visit? I spent the summer in Ireland, and almost didn't come back.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? As greedy as it sounds, money would be nice...
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 23rd, because I finally became an adult!
8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? I was accepted to a wonderful university, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and I immediately was successful in classes, in singing, and in friends.
9. What was your biggest failure? Calculus....
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I intercepted the pavement while playing football and had to get three stitches on my left knee. That hurt. I was sick a lot, too.
11. What was the best thing you bought? I didn't quite buy it, but a college education is pretty nice.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My mom.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My dad.
14. Where did most of your money go? Into the economic system of Ireland.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Being able to visit my family in Ireland.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Lizzie -- Ben Kweller
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? Definately happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Definately fatter... eek.
c) richer or poorer? Damn college -- definately poorer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Socializing and studying.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Socializing and studying.
20. How did you spend Christmas last year? With my family, as always.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Just maybe.
22. How many one-night stands? Zip.
23. What was your favorite TV program? Pushing Daisies
24. What did you do for your birthday in 2007? I drove out to my Grandmother's house and watched the sun set over the hills of Hebron. And I had cheesecake.
25. What was the best book you read? For Whom the Bell Tolls -- Earnest Hemminway
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? The Jazz Clubs of NYC.
27. What did you want and get? Plane tickets.
28. What did you want and not get? Perfect skin.
29. What was your favorite film of this year? I can't remember which movies I saw...
30. Did you make some new friends this year? Absolutely -- and I do believe they will be friends I will have forever.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? .... more cheesecake?
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? A combination of Vogue, Pushing Daisies, and Kate Winslet.
33. What kept you sane? Devin -- although she might have had the opposite effect.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Lee Pace -- mmm, pie.
35. What political issue stirred you the most? Guantemano Bay.
36. Who did you miss? My highschool friends and my grandmother.
37. Who was the best new person you met? Dora and Bryan -- I wouldn't have survived without their wonderful company.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. Life is what you put into it.

AND that was a neat review of the year. It reminded me of things I hadn't thought about and also made me grateful for the many positive changes that have happened in my life.

Those In Between Days

You know how some days you feel as though you can take on the world? That the Gods are smiling down at you? That everything can turn out alright?

Today was not one of those days.

It started out alright. I woke up, drove my mom to work, and then went to the bank. That's when it started. For the fourth time in the past two weeks, Soveriegn Bank told me to come back another day when they could deal with my Overdraft Issue. So I left the bank angry that I have to travel back there again on Wednesday.

So I decided I'd do something happy. Well, that means a Dunkin' Donuts medium regular coffee with cream and sugar. So I grabbed one. Now, that made things slightly better. I ran home, picked up my sister, and we went to Goodwill. We dropped off some movies and clothes, went inside and did some of our own shopping.

Then we went to the Mall and decided to join in with our materialistic American cohorts. We didn't actually buy anything, except for our donation to Burger King. I did have my eye on a nice pair of boots at Payless, but they were not on sale. Too bad. I could have used some guilty pleasure buying.

We ended up having to drive to Hartford early to pick up my mom, who then wanted to go to Marshall's and then The Puppy Place. After that we drove home to settle in for the night.

Now, two weeks ago I was invited to a Birthday/New Year's Party in Cheshire. After receiving a 'yes' from my mom, I okayed and we started working on a plan to attend. Turns out, I'm not allowed to drive on New Year's Eve. This is frustrating to me, as I've been such a responsible and mature adult. I feel like I'm 14 again. I feel like I'm grounded.

So, rather grudingly my mother agreed to drive me down to Cheshire before Dad has to go to work. It's dificult because last year, when I was depressed, my parents encouraged me to make friends and go out and do things. Now that I try to do that, I'm not allowed. Maybe it would have been better if I'd been a difficult and unruly teenager. Then my parents would understand that it's time to give me a little independence and freedom.

I mean, I'm only in college.

Time to grow up?

"Fear Not"

Anyone who knows me well, knows that religion is not my thing. I was raised by two athiests. My parents are very open and I'm sure if at 15 I'd chosen to convert to Judaism, Catholicism, or even Jehova's Witness, they would have been very accepting.

However, I personally do not believe in God. I'm very spiritual I think, despite my athiesm, and that is what I think is important. I hope to make life better for other people, for the earth, and for myself. I suppose my religion is kindness. That's all I try to do. I do not need a God to help me to do the right thing. And I find that satisfactory for myself.

Some people, though, need God, want God, and hope for God. This does not bother me. I do not think that God is 'evil' or 'stupid' as many of my athiestic cohorts might be found to say. If you believe in God, that's great. Good for you, and I hope you are right because heaven seems like a pretty cool reward for being nice.

Even though I am athiest, I attend church pretty regularly. My mother gets paid to sing with Sacred Heart Church, and whenever I'm able I go along with her. My mother just left South Congregational Church in Hartford due to the anti-gay, anti-music, anti-women minister. What surprised both my mom and myself about the Catholic church was it's liberal outlook. Father DeVito, the priest at Sacred Heart gave a sermon this morning, at the Midnight mass about Fear. It was a facinating sermon and very moving at times. He encouraged the congregation to "Fear Not" and spoke of the fear we have of our leaders, our friends, our coworkers, and of our lives. He said that fear and anxiety were not good and that Jesus told his people to "be not afraid."

I think this message is an important one. Whether you are religious or not the value cannot be lost. In today's world we are constantly being made afraid. Is someone spying on me? Is that man a terrorist? Will I make it home safely in traffic? Will global warming destroy the Earth? Was 9/11 the work of our government? Can my child walk to school safely? Is that man wearing the trenchcoat a robber? a rapist? a murderer? ...

We are an afraid people. We fear each working day and each night as we lie in bed. Our world is globalizing as we speak. I can pick up my cell phone right now and dial a friend in Korea. I can get on my I-Pod (if I had one...) and listen to any of a thousand songs at the click of a button. With this comes the expansion of an entire network of people. Whereas my great-grandparents had the next door neighbors to worry about, my generation fears people in other time zones, in other countries, and on the other side of the world.

Father DeVito was right. We need to be not afraid. We need to not fear each other or ourselves. As Regina says, "'Cause people are just people like you." We need to bond together and become a stronger, happier world.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!