Friendships..

The Postal Service have the perfect calming effect when life overwhelms you and makes you sad.
I'm both right now - overwhelmed and sad.

I'm overwhelmed because, for whatever reason, one of my professors decided to give a test the Monday before Thanksgiving and another decided to have project presentations the Tuesday before. Sure, it will be helpful to get them out of the way, but I just want to go home to my parents and not study.. But I'll do those two things and a million other little things, I'll see friends and have turkey dinners with them.. and I'll go home after work on Tuesday.

So that's one thing.
I'm sad because it just hit me that I have officially lost another friend. I hate when that happens. And not because they've moved away or something, but we've just ceased to be friends. The worst part- I don't know why. So here's the deal. I've been friends with a girl since my freshman year here, we were never really close until she became my roommate last fall. At that point we were very close. From there I met her befriended her boyfriend, listened to wedding plans and was invited to the shindig following her engagement.. not to mention, I was there with her through the good and bad times of that semester. We dealt with tough situations in our house and we grew a lot together. But upon my return to school this semester she seemed distant. I just assumed we were both really busy and she was even more so, planning for a fall wedding and all. Then there was no contact and no wedding invitation. No big deal, she waits till last minute to do a lot of things... then there was the brush-off at church... ok, still not understanding... Well, she got married this weekend. I'm not offfended that I wasn't invited, it just hurts because now I know for sure, our friendship is over.

I'm not the best friend; I try to be, but I know I fail. I've had at least two close friendships end because I was too stubborn to see someone elses point of view; that is hard to admit, but it's true. I've had multiple friendships end because someone's moved away or lives have taken completely different directions, those I accept as just a passing of time and part of life. But I hate when something ends because I've been stubborn or selfish, or due to unknown circumstances.

So if you are my friend and I'm being a jerk, let me know and have patience - I'll do the same for you. I want friendships to last, especially the ones that make my heart smile.

For Thanksgiving - I give thanks to the wonderful tried and true friends that I have. I have definitely become a better friend, but I still have friends who were around when I was too selfish to be a great friend. Thanks for sticking by me and understanding me :)

Love God, Love People.

M

Wal-Mart Sells Drugs

I was going to add "kills children" but since that's not completely true.. I suppose I won't slander them too much. Anyway, I received the "Wal-mart wish guide" in the mail, though I don't have children.. and one of their "top 12" toys is aquadots.
It's right there, in big bold letters, the toy that is associated with a deadly date rape drug is sold and supported by Wal-mart. Shame on them. They kill off small businesses, they create a monopoly, they provide terrible customer service and then they start in on our children.

Love, Movies, Senior Year

It's nearly 2am, the latest I've stayed up in ages, and I'm sitting in my living room watching Sleepless in Seattle. Meg Ryan is my favorite actress, next to Audrey Hepburn. And I love the soundtracks for Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, they are just fabulous.

There's this one part in the movie when Rosie's character is talking to Meg Ryan's character and she says: "That's your problem. You don't want to be in love - you want to be in love in a movie."

That's so me. I adore the love stories in movies. I don't have it yet, but I'm holding out, one day I'll get my love story.... I wonder if I love NY in part for how romantic it is and seems to be. Hmm just a thought..

So anyways, I felt really old tonight.. Meagan, Amanda and I decided to go to an ATO party tonight after a dance party at CG. It was going to be a fun night of dancing - or so we thought. The CG party was fun. Really it was just all of the typical people, plus a handful of other kids, goofing off and dancing to fun music. But once we got to the ATO party, that was when I felt old.

I hadn't been to one all year and I thought it would be like old times, but it wasn't... I realized that most of my ATO friends have graduated. Most of the girls there were freshman and the guys were probably mostly sophomores and juniors. I was among the oldest people there. As sad as I am to graduate, I guess it really is time.. time to say goodbye and move on.. well, I guess by May I'll be ready to do that. These small moments in time are definitely preparing me for that time.

Well, the movie is over and I'm much to tired to write anymore.

Good night everyone. I hope you all get your love story too :)

Pretty Girl

So... I don't always feel pretty. Well, I'll probably feel pretty more often than I feel that other people view me as pretty. Let's just say that it's not an everyday occurrence for someone to tell me how great I look. I'm ok with that, I'm not conceited and I know there are plenty of gorgeous girls out there, especially here at Baylor... but here's the worst. When you are told you're pretty, only to be followed with the hint that you are a just pretty face, nothing else.

I'm an intelligent girl. I don't want to defend myself, but a conversation just left me feeling like I should. Here's how it started; I was hanging out with a bunch of friends last night that I've known for years. I was in a goofy mood and unusually flirty, which apparently wasn't the best since there were a few people there that don't know me as well. Through a conversation it came off that I'm always this way. The worst part- a close friend was a part of the conversation. Now I'm left wondering if anyone knows me at all. There are some friends that do... but the rest of you?

So here's how it goes - I am intelligent. I am pretty, but not conceited. I can be flirtatious, but I am reserved. I won't get into a deep debate with someone upon first encounter. I tend to keep political, religious, and similiar topics, to serious conversations in which I feel I will have freedom to express my opinions. It's not that I always want to be right or that I know a great deal about every subject, but I'm interested if you have a differing opinion or if you can inform me on something unknown to me. I'm not interested if you are just going to tell me I'm wrong and my opinions are stupid.

That's my rant for the day.
Your average pretty girl probably has a brain, but she isn't going to walk around spouting off how smart and pretty she is. We are the type that you have to get to know.

Earlier today I thought an evening to myself would be dreadfully boring. I need excitement in my life...

But I just found an amazing recipe for relaxation - a glass of wine, a piece of chocolate cake, and Harry Potter. My mother wouldn't approve of anything but the chocolate...

So with my sister and two best friends off at retreats, I'm left to my own defenses and muses. Here is one: my sister made a "soundtrack" to her life mix CD. While we were listening to it in the car her friend said she had the same soundtrack as Bri. Though my sister and I are very much alike, we do not have the same soundtrack. I love some of the songs on her CD, but I just can't get into some of them. But it's perfect. As I said, my sister and I are very much alike. But we don't agree on everything; we have our distinct diffferences and not only in our tastes in music.

I've almost decided what I will do after graduation. Almost. But for some reason I'm afraid of talking it through too much. Possibly because it's so much my heart's desire that I don't want to jinx it.

Now I'm tired and not in the mood of writing much more - let's just say, life is crazy as a senior.

Published

I have officially been published on Newswire and the Internet.

Check it out:

http://www.baylor.edu/business/news.php?action=story&story=46688

I want to hold your hand...

Last Sunday my pastor was talking about changes in the world and how “I want to hold your hand” used to be such a hit song, but now all of the popular songs are talking about things far from the holding hand stage… It’s sad to realize that he is right. I love Fergie’s new song and the part that say “yes, you can hold my hand if you want to, cuz I want to hold yours too.” But then the music video shows them living together… wait… what? Why can’t love be simple anymore? Why can’t the "living together" come after marriage? Why is holding hands considered juvenile or not a big deal?

I have had two conversations as of late with different girls on this subject. In the first conversation one of my sister’s friends was saying that she saw holding hands as an intimate act. She said that, in her opinion, it is a big step in dating. Even if the couple had not yet defined themselves in a relationship, she definitely thought it was a step in that direction. I completely agreed with her and loved the fact that she referred to it as an act of intimacy, even though she was hesitant to do so. I feel like the word “intimate” is only used nowadays in association with something sexual, but really it was first meant to mean cozy, private and personal, closely connected – it was more about a relationship.

Today, while driving home, my friend and I were listening to the Fergie song and I made a remark about the line I like and we got into my second conversation on holding hands. She said that she viewed it as a sign to show everyone else that you are with this person, you might not be serious or dating just yet, but you’re willing to make a leap and say that the two of you are with each other. She also said that it shows the guy that you trust him.

These girls are amazing. They don’t view the first step as kissing or jumping into bed with each other. They aren’t looking for a guy to live with. They are the type of girls that define those of us who really are your nice Christian girl who still wants to hold a guys hand. We want to find intimacy by developing a close relationship that isn’t sexual. We want to go back to the way the world used to be. Back to the Beatles.. well.. maybe not the "yellow submarine" Beatles, but you know what I mean.

I know I have been flippant in the past about relationships, maybe even kissed a few too many boys, but as I grow older I am defining what I want in a relationship. I am taking to heart what each action symbolizes, what each word really means. My dear friend holds wisdom when she says that she doesn’t want another “I love you” until the guy is sure she is the one, until he is ready to propose. Why mess with a relationship that causes hurt or pain, or might lead to pregnancy, or causes God’s heart to break? Why not search for the real thing? Why not take baby steps in relationships and treasure the joy of those small things, looking at everything else as a blessing in marriage?

And guys… seriously… take note. Realize what you do affects us and we really will analyze everything because we believe actions speak louder than words.

So, I’m sticking by it. I will encourage my friends with their “ridiculously high standards” because I have seen the girls who have had those standards met. I have met the boys who have turned into wonderful men of God and faithful, loving husbands. I haven't found him yet, but I’ll wait until I can have one of my own; one who will first show me his affection through simply holding my hand.

Have I stopped breathing?

Life is beyond trying to catch my breath. Now it's more like, holding my breath and hoping everything doesn't come tumbling down around me.

How am I supposed to do it? How did I do it before? For some reason being gone one semester and taking two extremely blow-off Spanish classes this summer have combined to throw me out of the swing of combining school and life.

Yesterday there was a lady bug on my car. All I could think was, oh I hope she's bring me good luck! I was in a good mood. Well, I must have shut the car door on her or she must have been thrown off when I took off down the highway.. whatever it was she's brought me bad luck instead of good. Well, there is one good thing that has happened in the last 24-hours. I got tickets to Austin City Limits, I'm just hoping it is as awesome as I'm foreseeing it to be. But this morning.. has been rough.

For one of my classes I have to work an internship, not for internship credit, but it's just a requirement, like a major project. Well, last week I found an amazing internship and so far I've been enjoying it, then I was told I won't be paid for the hours worked. I know, I know, a lot of internships are unpaid. But I dont have the resources to spend 6-10-or more hours a week working somewhere without pay. My one job on campus barely pays enough for groceries. And the thing is, my supervisor wants to pay me, but the internship is on campus too and federal work study doesnt not allow for students to be paid while working at an internship. Has the government lost their ever lovin mind?? I wanted to scream at the financial aid lady, but instead I came close to tears, and to top it all off my professor is not answering my emails. So where do I turn? Nowhere. So far, no one is proving able to help. So I work for free and pray to God that I somehow have money to pay bills in a month.

That's my main dilemma today. Either I find a new internship, which has not proved to be easy, or I work without pay. Another issue of the day is photography. I love photography. I get joy from taking pictures and seeing the end result. But, I know nothing about film photography. Really, nothing. I ruined three rolls of film in the last week, just trying to figure out how to use my stinkin camera. Three rolls. And they are not your cheap kodak film rolls, nope. But I'm learning and the experience is good. Learn from your mistakes, right? I definitely am.

So that's that.
Labor day was nice, though instead of getting caught up on homework, I stayed behind. But we had a cookout at our apartment and had lots of random friends unite for food and fun. Now I have another cookout to go to tonight, a guerilla comedy troupe show, and film to be developed. Yes my dears, every hour of my day is booked (and already it's a challenge to sit still in class with so much to do).

For those of you back home, I'll probably see you tomorrow night at Jess' graduation party... it's going to be fun! :)

Hello, hello.
It's been awhile.

School started back in full swing on Monday and I am officially a Baylor senior. Scary. I'm taking 17 hours, I'm working one job at the moment, I'll be starting an internship in a week or two, and besides that I'm in one campus group, trying out for another organization, going to church, visiting home, catching up with old friends.. and trying to catch my breath..

Let's backtrack a month or so. I finished out Spanish II and now I'm waiting for my grades to transfer over. The class was difficult but somehow I managed an A; maybe because one of the other students brought our professor a bottle of tequila and said it was a present from all of us - he is a huge fan of tequila. Or maybe my hardwork payed off.

I didnt get a job for the end of the summer, but for a little bit I helped out my parents with church stuff, then we were busy the last few weeks. My parents bought an aparment for my sister and I in Waco, just two weeks before school started. Which means we spent a week and a half remodeling the whole place, as well as a day moving everything down here. The apartment is great and almost perfect (we still have a few things to hang on the walls and such). Bri got here Saturday so we've been trying to catch up and get settled, as well as go to class. It's been good and hectic.

So that's a very quick update. Summer ended with a lot of work at the apartment, though up until then it was rather lazy.

Sign of a Promise and Hope

I saw a rainbow today.
I started summer II on Monday and as I was walking out of class tonight, it was pouring. I had my umbrella, but my jeans are still soaked to me knees. So I was a lil chilled, but as I drove away from the campus I saw a gorgeous rainbow sitting over the main building. After all of this rain, it was good to see a rainbow. As I drove away though, the rainbow was behind me, the sun was peeking out of clouds in front of me, there was lightening to my left and the flood gates had been released upon my car. But for once, I just enjoyed the craziness of weather as I drove to the church.
Thank you Lord for the rainbow :)

So.. my life.. I finished summer I, summer II is already starting to worry me. I quite my job (my manager liked me.. a lil too much), and now I'm more or less thinking about getting a job for the month I have left before going back to Baylor. I really have a negative attitude about it, but I really am going to try.. :) Anyway, having some time off to finish my class and visit family and celebrate the 4th without working has all been a blessing.

Living with the parents has been ok, but I really miss my friends and Baylor. I have made a few friends here though. Of course there is everyone at church, but I also met a girl in my summer I class who goes to Baylor, so she has helped keep me from going insane. Also, I'm still close to a few co-workers from TD. Mainly Gustavo, who is just a fabulous guy, and Eder. Eder is... just crazy. After working with him for a while, he decided to pretend that I was more Mexican than the rest of them, and in doing so I was in need of a Spanish name. First, I was Maria, soon after it was Guadalupe - Lupe for short, then Pancha. Even now, he uses a mix of all three when he sees me :) My GM, however, decided that Megamillion was a better nickname for me. So if you call me by any of those names, I will probably respond with a smile :)

Well, that's the quickest update on my life as of late. I go to school, church and spend time with my parents. Someday, when I have more internet access, I will definitely blog more.
I hope you are all marvelous!!

Tomorrow is my last day as a waitress..
I'm wondering how long I was expected to last at the Mexican restaurant... My mom thinks my co-workers had bets going. Haha that's possible, but when I decided to quit today, everyone was surprised. I think they were expecting it within the first two weeks, but after two months they were sure I would be there till August. And I thought I would be... but I got tired of my boss hitting on me, not getting enough sleep, not having more than a day off a week, not having enough time for homework, and such.
So once again, I'm jobless. Hopefully I'll be able to find something that I can transfer to Waco. This really has been an interesting experience.
Before working there I was so against illegal immigration, and I suppose that I still am, but I have a different view.

Finally... a weekend off.
I asked off for the Collide Festival, but with all the rains - it was cancelled. I was shocked that I even got the days off and then bummed that the festival was cancelled.. no Relient K this weekend.. how sad is that?! So I made up my mind to get out of town.
Yesterday I drove down to Austin to hang with my "cousin" and ended bumping into one of my real cousins when we were walking to dinner.. random. Anyway, now I'm sitting in her lovely apartment, waiting to go meet a friend for brunch. After that I'm thinking of doing some shopping in San Marcos, they have a killer outlet mall and I need a new swimsuit ;) Then it's on to the wonderful town of San Antonio. I think it's starting to become tradition to visit San An every year in the spring/summertime. I'm excited though, I get to see two of my best friends, enjoy the river walk, some floatin' on the river, and then I'll head back to Austin for another fun night before heading home.
Yes that is my weekend in a nutshell. I officially love having friends all over Texas that I can go visit on a whim.
So next time I blog.. I'll fill in any and all random adventures I had along the way.
Take advantage of the summer!! It only comes once a year! :)

Finally... I can blog.

I've been with limited internet access since being back home, so everytime I'm online I have a million things to do... and blogging just hasnt fit in. And then the few occasions I have had to blog, I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of information and the things that are happening in my life right now.

So it's summer. It's starting to feel like summer, though it is raining - a lot. My older sister is in New York this weekend, and I must say I am very jealous. I wish I had the money to fly back once a month and see a play, drink in the business of the city and eat at some of my favorite restaurants or have coffee at the Tea Lounge. Instead, I'm working. That has been the sole purpose of my life lately--work. I'm a server at the Mexico City Taqueria. While it's not actually in Mexico, I feel like I live there; I'm the only blonde hair, blue-eyed, English speaking person in the place. Everyone else is, you guessed it, from Mexico. It wouldn't bother me, except for the major language barrier. I understand some Spanish, but not enough to hold a decent conversation, and most of what I have learned has been written. Meaning, I know the words, but not how to pronounce them or it takes me a minute to understand what someone is saying. Ugh.. and I'm scared to death to try to speak Spanish.. I dont know why.. but I'll get over it very soon. I started Spanish 3 on Thursday. Haha I think I must be destined to live in Latin America or Spain. Aside from trying to understand Spanish 24/7 and half the time looking like an idiot as I have no idea what everyone is talking about, I have made some good friends and I do love working with them. Waitressing as a whole though, it's not for me... thank the Lord, this is temporary.

So my summer so far, I'm a server and I'm taking summer classes. I'm exhausted, but blessed. I'm hoping to visit friends soon. I'm missing the City. This is my life. I'm happy to be with my family, though one sister will be gone as a camp counselor all summer, and the other lives close to an hour away.

I'm sure a million other things are happening.. but thats all for now..
Once again.. I'm back in the blogosphere.

Grampa Dan's Rockets

My awesome Grampa - he's the one in the tan jacket and khakis that is helping the guy on the scooter. He's always loved gadgets and rockets! Apparently, he brought the scooter to Thanksgiving dinner (one that I missed) and showed off his new toy. Later he added the rocket. Take a look, you'll be among the millions!

Another rocket:

Hooray for the sun

I dont understand how my prof expects me to study when it's in the 60s outside?! He must be crazy... So I'm sitting upstairs at Connecticut Muffin, once again, attempting to write my paper that is due at 5pm tomorrow. But in reality, I'm staring out the window at all of the people walking along in the bright sunshine, while listening to some old school tunes that are being played and occasionally staring at my paper.. maybe something will magically appear.. maybe not.

The past few days have been glorious. On Wednesday, I went to the Bronx Zoo with my roommate and Faith. It was rather cold, but we still enjoyed seeing some of the animals, once they came out in the afternoon. Apparently, the power had gone out that morning so nothing was open at first... it wasn't a bad experience, just not the best. It will be great once they finish with the renovations they are doing and once it's warmer

Yesterday it was supposed to rain so Faith, Elisa and I made plans that were somewhat indoors. First, we went up to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, which is on the edge of Harlem. It will be the largest church in the world if they ever finish it. Then we charged up on caffeine before walking over a few blocks to Columbia. The sun actually came out of hiding while we were there and it was gorgeous, I love the campus. Eloy met up with us and gave us a quick tour, pointing out what each of the buildings were. Then the four of us walked down a few more blocks to a Mexican food restaurant he knew of, the food was great and not too pricey. But sadly, we had to say goodbye and move on... We caught the 1 train up to the tip of Manhattan and checked out Fort Tryon Park. Unfortunately, the sun was hiding again and the trees were so bare it was a bit dreary. We did take a quick tour of The Cloisters, an extension of the Metropolitan Museum that holds medieval art. Then it was back to the train for a long train ride through Manhattan..

Our last stop of the day was Soho. None of us had actually been there, odd since we seem to be in Greenwich Village all the time and they back up to each other. So we walked around a bit and went into a few shops, before making our final stop at H&M. That store is a-mazing! It could be my closet and I would be happy :) Finally.. back home to grab some dinner and attempt to study. Like I said, attempt.

Now I'm back at the CM, pretty psyched about tonight (it's Donelle's birthday) and ready for the next few days of sunny weather. I'm thinking playing in Central Park is the goal for tomorrow!

I'm not ready to leave NY for good..

Summary of My Week! :)

The best time to blog - when you should be doing homework, but instead you want to tell the world how marvelous life is! :)

Currently I'm sitting at my desk, listen to Vicky Beeching, thinking about how great God is, how crazy life is, and how gorgeous it is to have the sun streaming through my windows (even though it's a bit overcast).

This past week has been crazy. I helped at the Mad Hatter Tea Party on Easter, pics of which will be on my flickr account shortly. I met a few new people there, one of which was a guy I hung out with a few times over the week. The whole day was insane. People were wearing the craziest hats and outfits. My own hat wasn't too bad... but it was freezing, I was bundle up.. and well, let's just say I fit in :) It even snowed for awhile, something I dont think I've ever experienced on Easter. I'm sorry Al Gore, where is that global warming you are so worried about?? Apparently, not in NY.

Well, Sunday was just the kick off. This was also my last week at work. It was so odd and I still feel like I'll be going back tomorrow.. A few of the girls from one team brought me chocolates, mmm I love chocolate. One of my bosses gave me the hat I wore on Sunday. And my supervisor is planning a goodbye party. It was sad to say goodbye. I wont really miss the LH&A, just some of the people. I cant believe how much I learned there. The girls who gave me the chocolates (Leonidas, fresh belgian chocolates to be exact), were suprised that I am only a junior and they said they always expected me to have more questions than I did. I'm glad I was useful and good at helping them. Not trying to brag.. but I love compliments on my work, it is something I put all of my effort into.

On Saturday, we had a girls night. We had dinner at an italian restaraunt in Greenwich Village, then watched the off-broadway production of Anne of Green Gables. It took us back.. what wonderful childhood memories of reading and watching Anne Shirley :) I loved it. Then we walked around until we found a bakery and had some sweets! After returning to the dorm, a few of us decided to do something crazy... so we jumped back on the subway and headed back to where we were and got piercings. Yep. This time it was my cartilage, which is what another girl got pierced to, while my roommate had her belly button pierced. The guys were great and the whole place was sterile. (I promise, mom, they had everything individually packaged and properly disposed of used items..) Anyway, it was random and fun :)

So yesterday was just generally not a good day. I got into an argument with two different people and it was rainy all day, with no sun to speak of. But you know what.. in your lowest times, God really shows you the value of friends who love you. Even friends who are miles and miles away.. aka Ben.. and my family.. all of which embrace me, love me and really turn me back to who will always gives me strength and happiness -- God. So, following their advice, I spent sometime alone, journaling, praying and listening to worship in a coffee shop down the street. That has been the hardest thing this semester - just taking out alone time and spending time with Jesus. Some of the girls here have really been faithful in doing that, and I'm impressed, I've definitely struggled. There's just always something to do, or my roommate to hang out with, or homework that has to be done.. but He should always come first...

Well, here's a bit of Vicky.. enjoy...

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace
In the light of His glory and grace

Isn’t He beautiful?
Isn’t He beautiful?
Outshining sun and stars
It’s indescribable
How breathtaking You are

So I turn my eyes upon You now
Look full in Your wonderful face
And the things of earth
They grow strangely dim
In the light of Your glory and grace
In the light of Your glory and grace

You are so beautiful
You are so beautiful
Outshining sun and stars
It’s indescribable
How breathtaking You are

It's a rainy, lazy day.
A northestern has blown in and parts of the city are flooded.
After sleeping in, we went to Target - just a few stops away and no walking in the rain.
Now we have the game of Life to play.
And Carrie Underwood to listen to.

"I Ain't In Checotah Anymore"

Where 69 meets 40,
There's a single stop light town,
And back when I was really young,
A part of that burned down,
On any given Friday night,
We'd drive a hundred miles,
Between the Sonic and the Grocery Store,
Laughing all the while,
With as many friends as I could pack,
In my daddy's Ford,
But I ain't in Checotah anymore.

My hotel in Manhattan,
Holds more people than our town,
And what I just paid for dinner,
Would be a down payment on a house,
I'd rather be tipping cows in Tulsa,
Than hailing cabs here in New York,
But I ain't in Checotah anymore.

I'm in a world so wide,
It makes me feel small sometimes,
I miss the big blue skies,
the Oklahoma kind.

In a world of long red carpets,
The bright lights of Hollywood,
All the paparazzi flashing,
Could make a girl feel pretty good,
You can get anything you want here,
Except a Wal-Mart store,
But I ain't in Checotah anymore.

I'm in a world so wide,
It makes me feel small sometimes,
I miss the big blue skies,
the Oklahoma kind.

Where the Wildcats beat the Ironheads,
Old Settler's day and the Okrafest,
After prom, down at the bowling lanes,
Catching crappie fish in Eufaula lake,
I ain't in Checotah anymore.

I'm in a world so wide,
It makes me feel small sometimes,
I miss the big blue skies,
the Oklahoma kind,
But I ain't in Checotah,
No I ain't in Checotah,
Oh, there's nothing like Oklahoma.

Where 69 meets 40,
There's a single stoplight town.

My broken heart

It's nearly 2 o'clock in the morning. I was going to write a blog about how lonely New York is, but I couldn't begin to describe it. I think there are some experiences and feelings that can't be explained through words. Suffice it to say, New York City is one of the loneliest places on earth.

My heart broke tonight. I was sitting in my room, watching TV with my roommate and two of our guy friends, but I wasn't to into the show so I started reading the New York magazine I just bought. I came across a story about Lucilia. A girl who was tossed around by CPS as a child, unloved by her parents, abused by the people who were supposed to protect her.. and by 13 she ended working as a prostitute, owned by a pimp. 13. Apparently, we have girls starting prostitution at the age of 12. In a country that prohibits prostitution of any kind, these pimps are owning girls and selling them. I guess it's not that I didn't imagine it could happen, I just didn't want to. I would like to think that our government protects against this. I would like to think that there are social workers who keep kids from falling through the cracks or from ending up under poor guardianship. I would like to think so much.. and hope for so much more.. I would like to think I could make a difference.. but I dont know how. All I can do is read there story and pass it along to you.
Read her story, maybe it will change your life. If it doesnt at least sadden you then you will know that you are as cold hearted as this world has made a million other people.
http://nymag.com/news/features/30018/

I just want to love this girl and all the other ones out there like her. To let her know that she was not meant to be abused, that it's not right. That God loves her and find her precious to him. Oh but I want to know why it happened I do. I want to do something. I live in this city and at times it disgusts me; right now is one of those times.

The money in this city is ridiculous, but the there is a great lack of it. I dont know how the people with the money could help the city. Maybe clean up the streets, or the subways. Yes, I've heard the story that the crime was lowered in the city because it was cleaned up to have the impression that crime didnt exist. Well, the city needs another cleaning. The streets aren't always that bad, but really - our subways are a disgrace. Something needs to change, to make the city into a better place. Whether it's make it "feel" better so that it will be better, or whether it's doubling the police squad. I dont know but it needs to change. Why is it that America thinks it's so great and yet we are lacking just as much, but usually more than other cities? We are one messed up nation.

The lack of love in the city is also ridiculous. There is this false sense of love that is sickening. There is also a general distrust in your fellow man that makes you easily irritable and generally unpleasant.

I feel like I'm just trashing the city, but tonight it has broken my heart. The city and I have a love/hate relationship.. tonight my feelings are on the hate side. I hate it because it allows things to happen to girls like Lucilia and it does very little to protect them, though it tries to punish them. But maybe I should just hate the world, because it happens in places other than NY.
For now I'll just be disgusted with the culture of today.

Slightly incoherent ramblings..

As soon as I found out I was moving to the City I immediately decided to set up a blog to keep track of my activities and keep in touch with family and friends. Oddly enough, I already had two blogs.. first xanga, which I gave up for myspace, which I gave up for this.. I was thinking about this as I read my sister's blog on myspace, because I realized that the xanga was a simple recollection of my days events, while myspace was turning into a deeper spiritual reflection area, but I'm not sure what I'm doing here. The blogosphere is an interesting place. Myspace has protections so I can keep all prying eyes out; here I could have the same, but I invite all to my page. But because everyone can view my page, it makes me hesitant to talk about my beliefs. Why? Probably because most of my ponderings are on my failures at being a Christian, not at how great of a Christian I am. But can anyone be a "great Christian" since that means they are "exceptionally Christ-like"? Probably not.

So.. I give in, here are my ponderings.

Currently, I am 1600 miles from home and yet I am still affected by the actions of some of my friends, none of which have actually been directed towards me. How odd is that? I've never imagined that my poor attitude or behavior would affect people far away. I know it's plausible, but it's just not something I consider, and I'm sure it's nothing they have considered. But here's the hardest part - there's nothing I can do. I wanted to call them out on being poor examples of Christ, but I dont think I have been the best example myself in awhile. I feel like if I tell them they've dissapointed me, then I'll be judging them.. but they have dissapointed me. I may not be the perfect person and I dont expect perfection from them, but I do expect more because I know they are kind, loving people. Anyway, that's a situation I've been praying for all semester.. I sometimes just wish you could force people to be kind, intelligent and considerate ;) But then, where would free will be?

Next weekend is Easter, for all of you who haven't been to church, that is a good Sunday to go.. and I'll be joining you. Yes, the pastor's kid, who grew up in church and who has grown to love church, has only been to church three times in the past three months. I have plenty of excuses, trust me. Like yesterday- my roommate and I wanted to go running and then we were joining the crew for a double birthday celebration. The night before we had stayed up late, so the thought of getting up, running, going to church, then going to lunch was a bit much - worst of all was trying to find somewhere to go. The only recommended churches have been those that are so large it's like going to a free concert -- you may get in, you may get a seat, or you may not. And that's wonderful, churches should be packed to capacity, everyone should be eager to learn more about God. But is that why they are packed, or is it just another tourist attraction? Just thinking about it tires me out. I did find one place, but it's in the middle of the afternoon, which sounds marvelous and would be in Waco.. but by then I'm either in the midst of homework or somewhere in Manhattan, too far from this distant Brooklyn church. So I'm giving up. Sad, I know. I hope to find a church this Sunday that I can go to before heading over to Tavern, but it will probably be just another attraction. We shall see.

In just a few weeks, I'll be back home. I'll go to church every Sunday and everything I need will just be a ten minute drive, at the most, away from me. No more 30 minute subway rides, no more smelly stations, or deranged homeless people. And.. then again.. no more New York.

I can think of a million reasons as to why I'm ready to be back with my family and friends, but when I think hard about it, I can also think of about as many reasons why I would stay in the city. I thought I would come here, get the longing to live in NY out of my system, move back home, finish school and then move on to wherever and whatever. Well.. there's not solution to this strange pull between two very different lives. But that is why I titled this "ramblings."

Dr Pepper

I love the fact that Dr Pepper is readily available here; not necessarily in all of the restaurants, but nearly everywhere. I try not to drink it too often, it's really not good for me.. but tonight is a night of indulgence :) After eating chicken lo mein from Sea Asian, I'm having my DP with a small chocolate bar from Jacques Torres, while watching movies with my roomie. It's really a great end to a great weekend, and hopefully a good kick-off to the week.

On Saturday, after the chocolate shop, a few of us girls went into Manhattan to try to get tickets to Phantom. They didnt have standing room at that point, so we stepped over to Les Miserables. There we secured the last three standing room tickets for myself, Nat, and Erika. Our original intent was to get student tickets to Les Miz, and that might have been a better idea in the long run, but other than standing for three hours and not being able to see the very top of the set (the slanted balcony roof above us sucked), I still thoroughly enjoyed the musical.

Before attending the play, we headed to Little Italy with Ruth for some dinner at Le Mela. The food was wonderful and it led into the great experience at Les Miz. The singing was phenomenal, the props were spectacular.. and two of the actors extremely good looking ;) Afterwards, Erika bought a poster and I bought mug and still we payed less than the people sitting in the back of the orchestra who had the same view as us. Once we made our purchases, we moved outside to get some pics. Soon the cast started filing out and I was able to get all of the main characters (who came out) to sign Erika's poster. The woman who played Fantine was the singing voice for Princess Jasmine and Mulan in the Disney movie, she was pretty great! We also got a photo with Marius (one of the good-looking guys).

Sunday was lazy until the early evening. Then Erika and I got dressed up to go to the Edward Scissorhands ballet with Stephen at BAM. It was a little corny, but we all enjoyed it nonetheless. Afterwards we walked down to Veliis for a nice dinner, at which time Hunter met up with us. It was a fun night.

Chocolate

It's Saturday :) Finally! I'm really ready to be done with work.. I like it for sure, but I just want summer to be here I suppose (more on that later). So far today we have gone to Jacques Torres' shop in Brooklyn, which is actually only a few blocks away.http://jacquestorres.com/dumboLocation.aspx
It was a great little (emphasis on little) shop, filled with chocolate delights. Erika and I did agree and that some were a bit odd, and not very creative-- like chocolate covered cheerios or corn flakes? Gross. The chocolate covered peeps did look interesting though; the whole store was decked out for Easter and the peeps were part of that display. Perhaps when it's not Easter it's more similiar to the shop in "Chocolat" but that is doubtful because his hot chocolate was far from life-changing, instead it nearly made me sick. It was literally hot chocolate; I believe they melted rich milk chocolate, put a bit of milk in it and steamed it. It was just too much.

Anyway, we're off to more adventures...

Cupcakes..mmm.. yum

The day before my sister came in town I attended a Relient K concert here in New York. It was amazing! I was going to write about, but I wrote a review of it instead. So you can read that: http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=44707
I also saw Chicago the following weekend. However, that was dissapointing. Roxie was old and there wasnt such much dancing. The second half was better and we got to sit in the balcony, though we bought standing room tickets. Overall it was the best or the worst, and we watched the movie tonight to make up for it.

Ok that's all that I have :)

I love cupcakes.

Sister and time

It's been a long time since I've blogged. My life has been crazy lately and I think New York is starting to weigh on me. My hair is darker, my mood less Southern :) And I'm actually getting homesick. I think it happens when you leave a place and you know it's not for good, but it feels like it is. If I was going to leave home for good, then I would be prepared for it, but I'm not finished with school and I miss my family. I can't help but think, just one more month. But the other half of me hates thinking that. I hated when my roommate was counting down the days until we would go home, granted she was doing it from day one, but still. I'm here, this is an amazing experience. Seriously. Thankfully, I have quite a few plans and much more to see before I leave. I'll be busy over the next few weeks, but in the end at least I'll be happy to be home and not dissapointed.

So my sister visited for her spring break. It wasn't my spring break, mainly because we dont really get one, but I took a few days off anyway. She got here on a Saturday and I rode the subway to JFK to meet her. I dont think I was able to stop talking for awhile becuase I was so excited. I'm afraid I wore her out while she was here though.. That night we had my favorite pizza, Grimaldis, followed by ice cream and then we walked along the river. Sunday was the Central Park Zoo-which is very small but still good. They have red pandas, which are the cutest things, though they are more similar to foxes I think. Then Sunday afternoon we explored the Park, rode the carousel, picked up my camera (that is finally fixed!!) and visited the National History Museum. The evening plans were dinner at Sea Asian and the Upright Citizens Brigade comedy show.. Are you getting tired just hearing all that we did in two days?? I can't believe I actually drug her all over the city in that amount of time.

Other than that, over the next few days we had lunch in Chinatown and went shopping in Union Square--where we saw Stacy and Clinton from "What not to Wear"!! We visited Times Square, went to the Met, went shopping on 5th Ave, had lunch at Prime Burger, watched Scrubs, went to FAO Schwartz, visited the Sony Wonder Tech, went to the Disney store, saw Midtown, and had hot dogs at the corner stand. I think that's the gist of it. Then Thursday morning I rode with her for a bit on the subway as she headed back to JFK, then I turned around and headed into Manhattan and to work. It was sad to see her go. We had some great weather while she was here, the best so far, but the next day -Friday-we had a winter storm. She barely missed seeing the snow in central park. And when it's back to being warm we'll have even more to do.

Here is one wonderful thing I have learned here - there is always something to do. I have spent to much time sitting at home, wanting to go out but not knowing what to do. That's just crazy when we live in an age of the wonderful Internet. It holds all the event calendars to anything worth attending. From now on, even if I have to drive to Dallas or Austin, I'll make sure I have entertaining weekends and not let life pass me by as I sit and veg. Not that I wont do a fair share of that as well, I guess I'm just learning how to better make use of opportunities. Hopefully that makes sense.

My old roommate from last year came to visit during spring break too, but I only got to see her the first day she was here. Whenever she wasn't out, I was and vice versa, but I hope she enjoyed New York. There were tons of people here for spring break, actually, and quite a few who were stuck here when the storm hit. But as far as I heard, they all made it home safely.

Ok I'm going to try to update, tomorrow and be more consistent. Things have just been crazy. Miss you all.

Love you and good night :)

Train Race

What we do on Saturday nights.. in the subway, on our way home.

It's snowing!

It's funny, but I've always associated snow with Christmas. The gorgeous lightly falling, snow that turns everything white. But it's nearly March, and it is snowing. It's so gorgeous.. I'm loving it.

Also. .the Oscars are about to start and we're having a partay in my room.

Ok I'm turning my attention to the food, friends.. and watching all the pretty people :)

Hooray for snow!! :)

Ponderings and activities.

Does it make any sense that you should get annoyed with people who are immature, when deep down you know you, yourself, are not quite to that epitome of maturity in which you envision yourself? Or when you are such good friends with a person, but one things leads to another and suddenly they annoy you.. and all you can see are the poor qualities.. How does this happen? Or better yet, how can it be reversed? Life is so strange and, oddly, never without drama. Friends create drama. You lose touch and they are upset, but dont bother to contact you. They make poor choices, you make poor choices, you irritate each other. Too much time is spent together, or too little time. Personalities differ so much, neither can fully comprehend the other. Sometimes.. I just wonder why it's really worth it. The only friendship that I can ever understand and always fix when broken is that with my sisters, even if I talk to one much less than another. They'll never go away... and that's good. So with the others.. is it really worth telling them how their actions make your heart hurt or irritate you? Or that your sorry when you know they dont care to forgive your actions? Or call them when you know they havent been calling you.. for whatever reason. The pursuit. What does it come down to in the end.. a friendship to shallow to matter or a life-long friend? I guess that's why you have to keep trying, so you will know one way or the other.. I guess.

I havent blogged in awhile because I really dont have the time. Like right now, it's 3:25am. I should be asleep. But I'm not going to church for another 12 hours and I may or may not go to lunch with the group tomorrow... I should get up and do homework.. but that's not happening... Anyway, here is what I have been up to.

Last weekend was a lot of movie watching at the dorm and some drama (long story). Then Sunday was Chinese New Year - to ring in the year of the pig. We went to Chinatown to celebrate, it was great :) First we walked in a few shops, then we heard the drums.. soon a dragon came out to the beat of the drum, then a second, and finally a third. They danced and we watched, then we moved on. All throughout the streets there were these small parades which the masses gathered round. At everstore you could buy confetti throwers -- they are launchers about the size of rain sticks that throw confetti into the air when you pop it open. The confetti is constantly flying in the air and whisking its way back down. Plus, if one of the throwers releases a toy parachute it's apparently good luck for you to catch it... For lunch we stopped at an amazing place just off the main road, then we headed down to the 100-year old ice cream factory -- it was amazing. The day ended with coffee in Korea town. Man I love the melting pot experience here!

Monday was errands.. and sending my poor camera to the Canon doctor. The rest of the week was school, homework, and working (a lot). Friday was the Nuyorican Poetry Slam -- it was amazing. True, a bit vulgar, but still.. the kids had talent. Today we spent a large part at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where I fell in love.. a few times.. with men such as Degas, Picasso, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Rothko, Pollock and so many more, I could hardly name all that I saw. But the one Jackson Pollock.. well that made it all worthwhile. The man was amazing.

This afternoon we headed over to a theater by NYU to see the Oscar nominated, animated short films. They were great and very enjoyable, there were two I wasnt too keen on, but overall I liked it. Then I got home and moved next door to my first room. That's right, I currently have a new residence. No hard feelings with my roommate, but one of the girls left the program earlier this week, so I took her bed and my old bed is now empty.. how odd. Anyway, my roommate Erika is great.. though hopefully not annoyed that I'm still awake and typing away... Ok I should go to sleep now. Hope you enjoyed the quick catch-up. I apologize to any and all that I have not called or been in poor contact with. I miss you and love you all!

Take care.

Subway...

The subway is an interesting form of transportation, full of dichotomies.

Tonight, Natalie and I got on the subway at Union Square. While we were waiting for the train there was a guy standing to our left wearing headphones plugged into a cassette player that seemed to have a voice recorder. He looked a little odd, so I hoped he would step onto another car.. but no. He stepped on just behind us and stood with his back to us, facing the door... then it started. He sang with a rap then a deep voice into his recorder. What was he saying? No one knew. Slowly the whole car was watching and laughing. It was great. True, the poor guy was the center of our humor, but he was probably crazy and either didn’t care or didn’t notice. The odd thing was how quickly the people were bonded together by the strange event. At first everyone had that look of "what is going on," then some awkward laughing and finally out-loud laughter. Kids, adults, the grandma nearby.. all were laughing, or they had the look stuck to their face. No one could figure it out. Just as we reached our stop.. an older lady, a girl about my age, and a teenage girl each pulled out their cells and snapped a photo. It was a perfect ending to an interesting performance.

That is just one interesting encounter. Each day is full of good, bad and typical occurrences. This morning started off pretty great as the train driver wished everyone a great day as we reached my stop. Last Saturday, two men began playing as we made our way to Queens. One had an accordion and the other had a guitar.. then they began to sing. I was taken back to Mi Tierras and began to miss home.. and Mexican food! Can someone please ship some homemade tortillas to me?? Man.. I miss it...

I won't share the ugly, it exists. Even the inconsistency of the trains, constant contruction, trains running behind, having to switch from one train to another and finding new routes home. Oh the joy of it. I do miss knowing that when I'm five miles from home I'll be there in five minutes.. not so here; five miles is typically half an hour.

Well there you have it. Not a whole lot has been going on. Just stuff here an there. Yes, yesterday was Valentines. Oddly, it turned into a girls night out and not completely on purpose. But Jason and Austin gave it a sweet touch by giving each of the girls a pink rose.

Ok I have to get to bed kiddos.. Goodnight :)

Meeting the rich and famous...

The past few days have been amazing, not perfect but still great :)

On Thursday four of us decided to try to get tickets to Wicked. Each theatre has a lottery a few hours before their night shows in which you place your name -- more like a raffle really. Well, after work D and I met up. If we both won the lottery then we would be able to buy expensive tickets, cheap -- two each, which would be enough for all of us. Well it was early so we had sometime to walk around. We then stopped by the Neil Simon Theatre to see what time the Hairspray lottery was at. We had missed it.... but..... the guy at the ticket booth gave us 4 front row seat for only $25, instead of the typical $110. It was great :)

The show was my first Broadway musical.. well my first Broadway anything... And I loved it. The music was fun, the storyline was fun and intriguing. I truly enjoyed the whole experience. Jere Burns played the dad - he's really not "famous" persay, but he's been in episodes of some of my favorite shows throughout the years. I think he's a fabulous actor. One of the girls from 3LW played a younger girl -- and proved Natalie right when she started singing -- it was wonderful. Plus... Ashley Parker Angel (from O-Town) was the male lead. Hunter definitely laughed at us girls, but Nat, D and I were loving it. We kind of acted like school girls at a concert, but I promise we didn't embarass anyone!

The next morning a group of us met up at 5am and headed into Manhattan. We first stopped at Dean & Deluca (being a Felicity fan... I was excited about that stop) just by the Rockefeller rink, then D, Nat, and I headed to Good Morning America. We were outside for maybe 10 or 15 minutes before the media coordinator came out to tell us that they had decided against filming outside and asked us to join everyone inside. Well of course we said yes! By then we had made friends with a group of girls and their moms from Houston, plus an older mother and daughter from Pennsylvania. Everyone was excited. At first we had to stand in the back, but by the end we were able to meet Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts. Plus, Charlize Theron was there for an interview with Diane and we were just inches away as she walked past us. She is gorgeous in real life.

It was truly and experience to be at GMA and it's quite possible that you saw us if you watched the show that morning, but I'm not positive.

That night was a fun night of dancing with some friends. Saturday we slept in then a few of us headed over to Ground Zero. It may have been 6years ago, but it's still not an easy thing to see.

The day was ended with a trip to the Tea Lounge -- officially our favorite coffee shop in all of New York... it was study time and a great place to... lounge ;)

Today I went to church.. and now the Superbowl BABY!!! Go Colts!!

Surviving..

Being away from my family isn't easy, but I think I can handle it... Well, I think I can as long as Bri doesn't write anymore blogs that make me cry and I see her before May. But honestly, so far it hasn't been hard. I can make it.

My job -- not always the best, but it's an internship. I take the highlights and I hold onto them, knowing this is going to help get me wherever I'm going. It's all a part of life and even if I want to throw the phone out the window, I'll push through and be the southern girl that I am to the person on the other end.. it's about the only time that part of me comes out -- New York is not a place to be happy and make random friends with the people standing next to you... So I'm going to make it. I'll treasure the experience I'm getting here.

I say New York isn't happy, but that isn't quite true... it just isn't friendly. I enjoy the time that I get to spend with my friends, even if it's goofing off in the subway on our way to class. But I miss the fact that back home, if you were standing as close as I was to some people this morning, you would know their name and where they were from by the time you reached your destination. If I tried that here (and trust me I havent) people would be searching for my angle, while blowing me off. It's just the way things are here. I understand it, but I dont really like it. I know I would do the same though.. you can't trust anyone in a big city..

So what's the hardest part so far?? Staying sane when all of the little things here and there come crashing in on you and a kid in class says something that tops it off and there is nowhere to go because.. you all live and breathe together... *sigh* But my RA is awesome. She has sound advice and listens when I just have to blurt out how I'm thinking of screaming or throwing that phone out the window... She may not always understand and I might not always seek out advice, just a sounding-board. Someone to listen and not gossip or get annoyed with how annoyed or frustrated I am.

Plus I have a few pretty great friends here. I mean, all in all, each of the kids in our program is great. I love our group and I'm happy for the time spent together. But I'm glad that I have those few who will go with me to see the places that are in my favorite movie, or venture off to some random food spot that is supposed to have the best-whatever-in-new-york. That's what I am happy for.

I'm going to survive. Slowly I'm finding my balance. It's kind of been like riding the subway. Some day you get a seat and you are completely relaxed, other days you have a rail and you are steady but have that possibility of slipping, others you are slipping around though you have a hold.... and like today... there are days when you are stuck in the midst of the crowd, with nothing to hold onto, praying that you will be able to steady yourself with your own weight.... It's unpredictable, but safe, nonetheless.

This is my life.
I will survive ;)

Notes about work

Today I worked on a new product -- Squid Soap. It's the coolest thing; when you use the pump it inks your hand and if you dont wash your hands for long enough (15-20 seconds) the ink stays on. It's the new way to teach kids how to wash their hands. Check out their video: http://www.squidsoap.com/video.html

I also learned about VNRs today -- Video News Release -- it's a pretty neat way to get a free commercial/free advertising.

Oh and I keep forgetting.... My boss received an AeroGarden as a gift from some client. It's the strangest thing. It sits behind me in my office, growing herbs. Well, just check out some pics I pulled off the web.. We're only in the first stage, but I suppose it will be overflowing by the time I leave, right now it's just got the weird plastic things covering the seeds.

Ok that's my random information for the day :)

Have a good evening!

Famous People

I've found a new favorite diner, it's just down the street from my work and across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral -- Prime Burger (http://primeburger.com/). I walked down there for lunch my first day of work. The other night I realized it was on my list of places that I wanted to visit because I had read it was a famous place to eat and many celebrities stopped in. Then today H and J met me for lunch and we walked down again. When we were paying out the owner or manager let us know that when Sarah Jessica Parker stops in she enjoys a burger covered in chili... also she apparently shot a scene there for Sex in the City (according to a flyer hung up by our seats).

Dinner was another experience. Five of us headed into Manhattan to check out Peanut Butter & Co. which is near NYU on Sullivan (http://www.ilovepeanutbutter.com/). Mmm it was good. I had an Elvis sandwhich: peanut butter, honey, and bananas grilled on wheat bread -- aaamazing :) The honey could have been sweeter....but it was good all the same. The owner was nice too.

So there's my almost brush with celebrities. I think I'm off to bed. Night friends :)

A quick summary of the past week :)

It has nearly been a week since I've blogged, and I can't believe it. Nearly every night I make a promise to my self that "tonight will be the night" and I'll go to sleep instead. Well, I'll catch you up on the active lifestyle I have been leading.
I worked Tuesday through Friday of last week. We had class again on Wednesday and Thursday night a group of us went to dinner at an amazing pizza place. Grimaldi's (http://www.grimaldis.com/zagat.htm) is listed on the top ten of most New York pizza charts, often topping out at number 1.. and.. many stars visit there ;) After some great pepperoni pizza, we headed down to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory for dessert. Triple Chocolate = heaven. Their ice cream is also listed among the top in New York; though they have only a few flavors, they are amazing and located on the promenade. A walk outside provided a lovely view across the water to Manhattan. It looked peaceful all lit up and surrounded by water.
On Friday, four of us went to a improv comedy show put on by NYU students. It was hysterical and suprisingly clean. I love improv and they did an impressingly good job at it. Afterwards, we enjoyed a pleasant hour or so of trying to figure out how to get home. Certain trains close after midnight, and other trains run new routes.. needless to say, it took us awhile to figure out where to transfer and such, but we made it home.
Saturday was our first outing as a class. We met at the AMMI or American Museum of Moving Image in Queens. It is mostly an interactive museum, which was so much fun. The first activity included dancing in front of a camera that recorded your actions, then tranformed them into stills that were printed in a flip book form.. I now have a flip book of me and two other girls dancing. :) Next we created a short film by taking stills and running them to make motion.... just the opposite of the first. Then.... I got to be Audrey Hepburn. Kind of. In a sound booth I was able to dub my voice over Audrey's in a scene from "My Fair Lady." After taping two lines, I was able to watch Audrey say "The rain in Spain, falls mainly on the plain" -- while listening to my voice say it. It was pretty neat. Others included changing soudtracks or sound effects in clips, or playing with a green screen. Overall I enjoyed it. To top it off we had lunch at an authentic Greek restaurant, Uncle George's. It was amazing and the lamb on my gyro literally fell apart as it was so tender. Mmm now I'm hungry again. After that we watched a rather boring documentary.. I won't mention the name, mainly to spare the director, but let's just say I kept falling asleep and I never do that in movies.
Saturday night ended with a group of us taking Times Square by storm. First stop -- Starbucks. We were in much need of caffeine regeneration. Next we headed down to Roxy for dessert, since our lunch was so large. Their cheesecake was good, though we didn't have a sandwich, we did catch a glance of one and they are ridiculous. Next we headed to a tourist shop, it was a must. I actually found some cute boots there :) Random, but it worked. From there... It was Toys "R" Us. The store is wonderful. I swear I became a kid again. We wandered around for at least an hour, then I stood in line with two other girls to ride the giant ferris wheel (which is located in the middle of the store). We got the Toy Story seat... it was fun.
The next stop -- M&Ms World. There we were scanned to find out what kind of M&M we were. My roommate and I took a pic with the green M&M, then we bought some to snack on :) we ate her friends.. haha... ok. Across the street we checked out the Hershey's store. While the lights on the outside are amazing (seriously) the inside is small and rather unimpressive, but we still found a photo-op with a lady dressed as a Hershey's factory worker. From there it was home.. we were pretty tired by then.
Sunday: a day of rest and church. A group of about 14 of us met for breakfast at the Park Plaza Diner, then took the subway down to Brooklyn Tabernacle for the noon service. The choir was just as wonderful in person as on their CDs. The pastor that preached was good as well. The building -- gorgeous. Overall it was a great service. The rest of the day was lazy until dinner when we went to Supermac, a diner that serves variations of macaroni and cheese.
Monday -- again a lazy day, though I did get a few things like cleaning and laundry done. Plus Heroes was on tonight. Ohh it was good.
Well that is all I have for you. It was a quick summary.. but I have work again in the morning, and once more I've managed to stay up later than I ever planned. But if you want to check out my pics go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31179820@N00/

Have a wonderful day... Miss you all!

Ok I have a meeting at 8:30, which means leaving by 7:30 (rush hour), so I need to get up in about 6 hours...

Quick overview.

I'm in New York and I still can't believe it half the time. I have wanted to be here since I applied for Baylor. I saw an article in a Focus about some kids who did the BUNY program and I knew that's what I wanted to do. Before that I really wanted to go to NYU.. basically I just knew I had to move to New York. Well, I'm here. Finally :) It is sinking in.

Work was ok. I updated a media list all day, so I basically called at least half of the 50 states, asking regional publications for an update on their editor for our contacts. But in the morning my supervisor is actually going to explain to me what I'm doing, the rules, the expectations, the teams I'll be rotating between, etc. All the stuff I wish I could have known today :) But it was a crazy day and I made it through. She did say that Tuesdays will probably be my most boring days with remedial work, though, that's a bonus. It really wasn't too bad, so I'm ready for the stuff she views as fun... and she's probably about 24 and a bit crazy, so I think she knows whats fun :)

What else... class started. I love Joe. He's crazy, fun, serious and intelligent. Hoorah for a good professor! We did a lot of just getting to know one another and learning about the class tonight. I found out that Saturday we will be going to the AMMI - Museum of the Moving Image - that should be cool.

Ok I really gotta go.. .love to all :)

Goodnight New York

Today.. I discovered New York.

I took the subway into work today. I found out that using the right directions is key to getting where you want to go. First I used the directions to get from Times Sq to Chelsea Market (my destination, after getting into manhattan), after realizing I did a bit of backtracking and was fine from then on out. My work is located right next door to a starbucks :) No they are not on every corner, almost, but not quite. Also, it's not a terribly busy part so the getting around was easy.

After taking a couple pics I headed down to Bryant Park, which I am in love with, and walked to Times Square. I met up with D at the Starbucks across from the Hershey building, it opened on Friday and the barristas were uncommonly friendly and fun. After sitting for a bit we walked down to the New Amsterdam Theater and then met up with the other girls. For lunch we took the subway to Chelsea and found the market.. Actually we did a bit of walking and finally stopped to ask a girl where it was. Little did we know it was the very cool looking building we had walked past a few blocks back. I really liked the modern design on the outside, but the signs were nondescript.. so anyway, we made it back there. It is a very neat building holding many little cafes, the market, a few bakery's, a florist shop, oh! oxygen network.. and my grandfather's favorite - Emeril Live. Yes the famous chef was just above my head... I think, or he was behind the shops we went into.. Somewhere around there... The VIP line was already forming by the time we finished and were leaving. Anyway, needless to say we enjoyed Chelsea.

This evening was the highlight. After perusing a few webistes I found the Brooklyn Independent Cinema was doing a showing of two films at Barbes, a pub just a bit farther into Brooklyn. So the four of us hopped on the subway and... couldn't find the place. At first, because of the article we read, we thought we were looking for an actual theater. So after walking we asked some folks and they pointed in what happened to be the right direction... still lost.. another guy stopped us, but was annoyed because we were looking for what apparently wasnt a popular place... finally we ran into a few guys who just happened to be going to the showing.. finally. :) We got there in time for standing room only, but at least we made it inside. The first film was Vacationland. It was excellent. It was just under 30 minutes, but afterwards the director, Lance Edmands, and his main actor went to the front for a Q & A time. I love independent films and this was definitely intimate, the room was probably 12X20 or so. Anyway, we think we'll become regulars there..

Ok my big day starts tomorrow so I'm off to bed. Goodnight folks :)

Once upon a time in New York City

I'm finally here.

Our flight was a bit late on Saturday - due to ice on our plane. Once we got here, D and I took a taxi to our dorm. Let me tell you, we had quite a bit of luggage :) After N helped us move everything inside, we signed in with R and made our way to our rooms.... which are huge. Seriously, everything you hear and see about New York is a tiny little room with tiny bathrooms. Oh no my friend, I have a rather large closet -- twice as big as what I had at school. No shelves though, that's a bummer. Two tall windows, high ceilings, a big bathroom. I share the room, but there's room to share. My roommate, V, is pretty cool. Tomorrow we are off with D and N to check out our jobs, see Times Square, and do a bit of wandering.

So far, I've seen the area around our dorm, Target, our school building (aka a Chinese Nazarene church), and places along the way. -sidenote: the target is two stories and insane; seriously it feels like a mad sale is going on and everyone has rushed there. I guess it's just a big city feel, but crazy. The cool part is the escalator for the carts.. hard to explain but it takes your cart to the second story while you ride another escalator.- Tonight was our first stop in Manhattan, other than that it's been Brooklyn baby. I'm ready to check out more of the city, it's just been a lot of getting settled, grocery shopping, getting my internet working and figuring out how I'll afford food ;)

Brooklyn Heights is just as pretty as the pictures. Well, a the drizzly days are not helping too much, but it is still nice, very calm. The weather has been warm, though a bit wet. It has been a bit chilly at times, but not near as cold as I was expecting. I know it's been a warm winter so far, but I think the whole city is waiting for a change.. they're just expecting a crazy switch one day, going from 55 to below 0. We shall see.

I guess that's about it. I've met just about everyone here - they all seem pretty nice. Tomorrow we have another meeting to group us all together, and Tuesday is the big day -- I'll start my internship and school starts.

That's all for now, sorry I'm not bursting full of exciting details... I've yet to meet (as Meagan says) "my future" or any celebrities or see anything really famous... so far, it feels like London with cute little restaraunts, stores, etc. Maybe tomorrow there will be more...

Getting things done..

One more thing to check off my list. I have officially created a blogspot away from myspace.
Welcome to my world :)