Life in Pictures and Sunsets [Part 2]

Blogging is like a weird drug.  When you're on it, you can't stop it.
I suppose it is best to get this out of the way now.  But if you're reading this you probably already know... it's funny how that works.  I have a boyfriend.  It's pretty awesome having someone in your life that you can sit down to have a quick chat with... and not look at the clock until hours later to realize that the sun is about to rise.  The cool thing is we had that kind of friendship before this whole dating thing.  But, yes, he's pretty awesome.  But don't tell him I said so.
The day we decided to give dating a shot, we were at the zoo and saw this three month old cheetah cub. Not a bad sign, right?

The weather here in San Diego has been amazing and there have been sunsets to match.  No, this is not 'rose-colored glasses' talk, these sunsets are genuinely breathtaking.

<< A few minutes after sunset in Revelle, walking home after class with Amy

Dusk, overlooking the canyon in Warren college with the moon rising >>

Last weekend, I had a lovely and long overdue lunch date with my sister.  I was scheduled to pick up Mike that afternoon but he missed a train (or two) so I made my way down to Carlsbad State beach with a biological psychology book.  I spent a few hours out there lying on a bank of sand, reading and watching the sun make its way to the horizon.  My reward for a solid hour of reading was to explore the beach and take some pictures.  There is something amazingly blissful about being quiet and letting the sound of waves and beach-goers fill your mind as you walk down the shore.  It is almost better than retail therapy but I think I'm going to say this one is too close to call.

As I was driving down the coast and away from that incredibly peaceful place, windows down with Angels and Airwaves blasting, I kept thinking about the lady I had just talked to.  As I was leaving the beach, an older woman approached me.  I think she was staying at the beach with her family in the RV parked nearby.  She told me that she loved my car and that it reminded her of the old 'beetles' or "at least that's what we called them back in the day".  The look in her eye told me the memory of this car would always possess a special place in her heart.  We made some small talk and before I drove away I remember saying, "Thanks, have a good night.  And enjoy the sunset".  I know the fluffy, white vw with some killer black racing stripes will always have a special place in my heart, just as one of its ancestors' does in hers.  I hope that it may be the catalyst for some brief but meaningful interaction with a complete stranger someday.  And, mostly, I hope that everyone remembers to enjoy the sunset.

This post has a decidedly Jack Johnson/day by the beach feel...
"Do you remember when we first met? I sure do, it was sometime in early September, You were lazy about it, You made me wait around... So I was late for class"

Life in Pictures [Part 1]

I could start by saying sorry for being a terrible blogger..again.. but, at this point, it is probably unnecessary.

It's been awhile-- long enough to where I don't remember the things I wanted to write about here. But, thankfully, my camera does. There are about 200 pictures lying around from when I last blogged and I can almost put everything back together in my head. It really does seem like you can relive life through pictures.

Winter break came to a bittersweet end with a lovely trip back down to sunny San Diego with my mom. We stopped by *our* happiest pit stop on earth-- The Storybook Cafe in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. We have an insane number of amazing memories from this place as it has always been the perfect escape from either a long, hot day in the theme park or a long, exhausting day driving.
She stayed in San Diego for a couple of days and got to relive college for awhile. I'm not too sure if she wanted the whole 'reliving college' bit. Amy and I will never forget the physics class she came to and the quote she left us with the night she flew out of San Diego (something along the lines of microwaving sour cream.. I'm guessing it is one of those moments where you just had to be there). I just hope she had as much fun as I did.

Once school started, it felt like life had decided to go back to the fast lane.  School got busy and my social life got busier.  But that's more than okay with me.

Sprinkles La Jolla finally held its grand opening after months of hype.  Shelby, Amy and Yoyo joined me at the grand opening where we waited a couple hours for cupcakes.  The company, sunshine, and (duhhh) the dark chocolate cupcakes were definitely worth the wait.

Amy and I would always talk about going clubbing together in San Diego.  We finally went.  It was definitely a great experience but not because clubbing is that great or anything.  It was one of those experiences where the company made all the difference.

That takes me about halfway through winter quarter and about halfway through the pictures.
Part two will follow shortly.

"So wake up, wake up dreaming"
--Ryan Star

Here and There

The concept of equilibrium is simple. In science, forces pull equally and oppositely to equal a zero net force on the object/particle/whatever. I randomly became obsessed with the meaning and ideas behind this word and its applications outside of science. According to Merriam-Webster, ‘equilibrium’ is from the Latin roots ‘weight’ and ‘balance’. I began unpacking the concept of equilibrium in my life and the concept as it applies to our society.
I realized my life is never in equilibrium. At first this thought terrified me—it just sounds bad. Who wouldn’t like to say that their life is perfectly balanced? Admitting that my life is unbalanced is socially comparable to saying I don’t like cheeseburgers, pizza and baseball.. and I think kittens are ugly. We are supposed to have our lives perfectly packaged. Our lives are to be presented to others as a well-written summary; preferably tied with a bow.
But my life is not in equilibrium. I go through days where I have class and homework for ten hours straight, days where I sleep through lunch and watch tv until dinner. Amazing people surround me, yet friendships are never in equilibrium either. I can eat grilled cheese for four days in a row, then want nothing besides smoothies for the next week. Middle ground seems to lack pure existence.
But I’m happy. So as socially unacceptable as this is, I would like to share this confession with you: my life is not in equilibrium and I like it.
"When we live such fragile lives, It's the best way we survive, I go around a time or two, Just to waste my time with you" --The All-American Rejects

In Memory and Merry Christmas

This week we got a call. One of those calls you never hope to receive but cannot avoid. A longtime family friend had passed away in November and his wife had wanted to let us know. We first met Timo the Clown at our county fair when I was very young. I am fondly reminded of those summers when I clean my desk and find ribbons and photographs from the hula-hoop contests. My parents tend to make friends with people that we often come across, and Timo quickly became a close family friend. I still smile when I remember one of my birthday parties at the park where he let me drive the clown car—I remember feeling like the coolest kid alive. Years later, we had not seen the family but kept in touch during the holidays. Timo and his wife had sent me an email this summer asking how I was doing and about college. The correspondence was miraculously well timed, as I was in Rome and able to send them this blog and catch up with them. Even though we had not seen them in years, it was hard to hear of his passing. I remember him as a person who simply cared about people, with a heart big enough to hold the entire universe. His wife said that he was always watching over me from above and I believe it. He is there, along with others who have moved on from this life. When I consider that group I realize that I have the best guardian angels out there.

If Timo’s life and death taught me anything… well they taught me a few things. First, love everyone. Our hearts are perfectly designed to hold enough love for everyone. Everyone is worth our time and our love. Next, go out of you way to make someone’s day. I guarantee you, whatever energy you expend will be paid back tenfold. Finally, if you have an odd feeling that you should send someone an email, send him or her a text or give them a call, do it. It may be something that they really needed or it could be something they fondly look at when they miss you.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and my wish is that it is shared with at least one person that they love more than life itself. I am blessed; surrounded by love to say the least.
Again, I have been bad at keeping up the blog so I have decided to make a New Year’s resolution out of it. I will attempt to blog once a week (probably with the deadline of Wednesday or Sunday night) and blog anything else as I feel like writing.
I stumbled upon Timo’s facebook page while looking at his memorial online. I want to end this post with one the quotes on his page, “Whenever you see someone who doesn't have a smile give them one of yours”. Merry Christmas.

Not a Creature Was Stirring

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.

Got Rhythm?

Once again, I have been a bad blogger.  What can I say besides finals?  Not much.
BUT I am about 14 hours from being done with finals for this quarter and then starting Christmas break. :)
In the meantime, here's another one of my favorite songs at the moment.  I can't say the video is incredibly creative/ground-breaking but the song is amazing and the video does make me smile and anticipate beach weather all the more.

Until next time :) <3

My Take

I'm back!  So sorry for the delays, again.  But I'm back in San Diego and my computer is fixed.  So let the blogging begin.

To get back into things I thought I would give you guys my take on the movies I have watched recently.

Life as We Know It: Easily one of the best romantic comedies I have seen in a long time-- and I am a sucker for romantic comedies.  The polt is not what you would expect and the story takes its time developing.  You will feel like you are on an emotional roller-coaster and I recommend bringing a tissue, just in case.  A very refreshing take on your stereotypical feel-good movie.

Morning Glory: This movie has a bit of everything.  It is witty and that alone got it major points with me.  I would not classify this as a romantic comedy although there is a decent amount of love in this story.  Overall, though, it is the story of a young woman finding a work-life balance who ends up helping others do so on the way.

Love and Other Drugs: I had extremely high expectations for this movie.  I thought the story was interesting and I liked how it, again, isn't your typical rom-com.  However, the highly-publicized nudity is a little disheartening.  I felt like the multiple instances of nudity did not contribute to the storyline in the way that it was intended.  Regardless, I understand why the movie is rated "R" and would hope that it would be despite the nudity.  The topics addressed run deeper than PG-13 appropriate.  Overall, a very well-written, emotional and intimate story that feels, for lack of a better description, true.  But I could do without the multiple awkward scenes.

Tangled: Disney surprised me with this one.  Yes, it is the story of Rapunzel but revisited.  They added the perfect amount of spice to make for an interesting movie.  The music and animation were extremely well done.  Still doesn't come close to the Disney movies from when I was growing up, but definitely one of their better movies from the 2000's.

I would recommend all of these movies depending on the audience.  Morning Glory and Tangled are more appropriate for kids while Life as We Know It is a good "going out with friends"/"date" movie.  Make sure to see Love and Other Drugs with someone who will laugh off the naked scenes with you.