99 Luft Balloons

In an attempt to put off actual work that needs to be done, I am instead playing around of iTunes.

Listening to music is magical. I realize that that sounds cliche and lame, but it is in fact very very true. Sure, some songs I listen to because they have a nice beat or cool sound, but most songs take me back to somewhere. That's the amazing thing about music. You hear a song and can immediately relate it to a time and place. Maybe it was one of those perfect days where you were walking around the park in silent bliss or maybe it was one of those days where nothing in the world seemed right and all you could do was cry or maybe it was even one of those days when you were with a group of people you love doing something you know you will never be able to forget or maybe it was a day when the whole world came crashing down around you. Regardless, music evokes emotion. That is the point. That is why I love it.

Just a few...

Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"- Driving over a bridge into Savannah, GA on a perfect summer night with a car full of my best friends. We all felt untouchable. I am sure of it.

Rick Ross "Hustling"- Going to a dance workshop with my dance girls. We listened to it on repeat the entire way. I learned every word. Unfortunately.

The Kooks "Naive"- A concert I went to. One of the most fun nights of my life. We drove to Columbus, jammed ourselves into a full concert hall, and spent the rest of the night doing nothing but dancing and being happy.

Dave Matthews Band "Crash into Me"- An absolutely horrible day last winter when I had no idea what to do. I was at my dance studio, went into a room alone, and danced until I cried.

Nena "99 Luft Balloons" (The German version, of course)- When my little sister found this song she was thrilled. We'd loved it for years and stumling upon it made the day complete.

Regina Spekto "Us"- This is the song I listen to and then feel inspired. I feel like when this song is playing the world is perfect and I am capable of doing anything.

I'm back in the burgh.

It took a bit longer than expected to get back here due to the fact that my greyhound got stuck in a pothole for 5 hours. Sad but true. Luckily the bus was full of other kids going back to college. I met some really fun girls that go to school here and this hilarious guy from Point Park who made the whole delay much more bearable.

It was kind of hard to come back, I got into the groove in Marietta when I was home for break. But when I came out of the tubes and the city was shining brightly in the dark I breathed a sigh of relief. I felt like I was coming home and that is a great feeling.

Today is probably the worst day Pittsburgh has ever seen. Absolutely freezing out and raining. I almost died walking to class this morning. Nothing a plate of cheese fries and a new fall coat can't cure though. Hopefully the weather improves; nothing is better than a sunny fall day.

Overwhelmed.

One word to describe how I feel right now: OVERWHELMED.

I have spent the last week basking in the glory of doing nothing. I went to parties with my friends, had dinner with my cousin, visited my grandmother, watched copious amounts of television with my little sister, and enjoyed a few nights alone watching One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl and eating raw cookie dough.

I now have to head to back to school. My workload is insane. There are papers to be written, on-line quizzes to be taken, labs to be understood. It's ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I have no qualms about working hard. I love giving something my all and accomplishing it. But that's the problem I have currently, I am taking all these classes, but I'm not really sure where they're leading me.

It's rather difficult to be passionate about something when you can't really see the end. Everything I have ever worked hard on, I could see what I was working towards. I realized the goal. Sure, I realize that the point of college is to get a degee, but it's challenging to give your all when the goal is that broad.

I am rambling.

Thank you, Nicolas Sarkozy.

The G20 Economic Summit is currently going on in Pittsburgh. I am in Marietta; classes were cancelled for the week. As I was heading out of town on Tuesday, the city was already starting to get crazy. The protestors were out and police were in their riot gear.

The G20 is a big deal for the city. We've spent the last month beautifying town: everything from trash clean ups on the South Side to the complete renovation of the Hilton. The city looks great, everyone is proud.

My grandmother who has lived in Pittsburgh her entire life, is especially excited for all of the visitors. She lives less than two minutes from downtown and is refusing to heed everyone's recommendations to stay at home. She is fearless and determined to go to town and see what all the fuss is about. I can picture her now: cardigan, button-up shirt, slacks, slightly gaudy jewlery and oversized sunglasses fighting through the crowds of downtown Pittsburgh. She infomed me that her goal is to have a protestor accost her. My grandmother has no problem saying what's on her mind. She plans to remind the protestor that America is the best country in the world and there is nothing to complain about.

This got me thinking, she is partly correct. America is a great place to live. Sure we have our problems, but overall it is a magnificent country. I am thankful to live here.

So for now, I can just sit back and enjoy my week of nothing, while Pittsburgh has its fifteen minutes of fame. Congratulations Pittsburgh. You deseve it.

Picture: protestors in London at a previous G20

I am in my hometown of Marietta this week with nothing to do. Ah, what a magnificent feeling.

I have lived here for almost my entire life and genuinely love it. Granted it's a pretty small place, with not a lot to do, but it's still my home. The people are friendly, there are a couple of delicious restuarants (hello, Buckley House and Austyn's), the houses are gorgeous, and the Ohio River is always shining brightly. It's a great place to be.

I was chatting with a friend last evening and she informed me that it's her goal to never return to Marietta. She said that there are better places in the world and this town means nothing to her anymore. She claims to only remember the bad things that happened here and none of the 18 years of fun she spent here. Personally, I believe that she is being semi-ridiculous. Sure there are larger, more vibrant, more cultured places on the earth, but that doesn't make Marietta any less special. This town is great, a quintessential American town. And I love it. Regardless.

Today was perfect. I spent the afternoon meandering around town visiting some of my favorite places and people. I had lunch with two of my very best friends at Marietta College. It is one of the lovliest college campuses ever and they both seem to enjoy their time there. I went to Giant Eage (my favorite grocery store), and took some photographs around town as well. It was an all over good day.

My sister promised to make me a delicious spaghetti dinner and I have a date with my dearest friend Ashley tonight. This week is going to be grand.

Home Again.

Today I boarded a greyhound and headed home to Marietta.

I got dropped off at the station in the pouring rain this afternoon, checked my bags, picked up my ticket, and settled into a highly uncomfortable chair to wait with others until our bus, #10, arrived at the station. Eventually everyone got in line to prepare to board. 30 minutes, half an episode of Las Vegas, an embarrassing fall off my suitcase, and a nice chat with the woman in front of me later I got on the bus.

I happened to be a greyhound virgin at the time and didn't really know what to expect. I sat in the front, as my mother advised, next to a seemingly nice man. The next 2 hours were quite an experience as I soaked in the culture of the colorful people surrounding me. I'm pretty sure the man next to me was making a bomb. What else does one do with a Zip-loc bag filled with batteries, petroleum jelly, hand sanitizer, and paper clips? The man behind me was even more of a trip. He was sporting a pair of Daisy Duke cutoff shorts and large sunglasses. He spent the entire trip talking to himself and singing Born in the USA. I was ready to kill him AND Bruce Springsteen.

3 things helped me keep my sanity: a bottle of Lipton sweetend black tea, Regina Spektor's "Soviet Kitsch" album, and a few humorous text messages from my friend Vince.

What seemed like eons later I got off at my stop. A quick fact that I was not aware of: Truck stops count as bus stations in small, out of the way cities. That being said, I perched on a slab of concrete outside of the Shenandoah Truck Stop and waited for my ride.

I made it back to my town and am looking forward to a glorious week of doing nothing.

I love a lot of things in life.

Delicious food, my cat, fabulous vacations, evenings out with my friends, trashy magazines, the occasional bike ride in the park, and most recently my new life in Pittsburgh.

I've been in the city for a month and have grown to absolutely love it. I am thrilled that I picked to continue my education here. I am having a ball. Plain and simple.

Picture: Strip District. Pittsburgh.