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There aren't too many material goods that I am gaga for; however, there are a few things that I couldn't live without.

THESE SHOES: camel colored leather. enzo angiolini.

I found them years ago at a crazy, crazy designer discount store in Miami. They were a lot of money for my 16 year old self, but I went for it. And boy am I glad that I did. I have worn these shoes more times than I can count, and although they're getting a little rough around the edges, I refuse to give them up. I wear them in the winter with warm socks (the grandma in me is peeking out) and in the summer with cut offs. They are my go to shoes. Cute, comfortable, a hint of pilgrim. PERFECT.

A gift. For myself.

Today was a good day for a bowl of garden veggie soup and some girl time. We ventured out in the monsoon like weather to do a bit of shopping. I ended up with a pair of gorgeous (and reasonably priced) earrings and a chocolate chip panettone. Interesting purchases, I know. But I needed both of them (actually I could have done without the panettone. note to self: dessert from a discount warehouse is a BAD idea).

Tonight is devoted to One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl and maybe my third cup of tea.

Picture: my new earrings and my moleskine planner, two things i couldn't live without.

Puddles

There is nothing better than the occasional day of rain. That day is today. It has been pouring for hours. I'm laying in bed, with the windows open, a cup of tea by my side, and a delightful morning talk show on. It's the perfect day for running errands, doing some spring cleaning, and having lunch with a friend: all in rainboots.

Enjoy some time soaking in the...rain. It's good for you.

Hello OHIO

I'm back in Marietta for the summer, and while it's a little bit of a culture shock, I am ready to enjoy every moment of it!

I've been back for a week and have already participated in some of my home favorites:

Tea with my mother at the Betsey Mills
Making tons of desserts
Random, unnecessary afternoon naps with my boyfriend
Game night with my gal pals
Chatting with my gramma about "the old country"

Friday was wisdom tooth removal day, so I've been laying low for the past few days. But I'm feeling brand new and ready to devour another fabulous Marietta summer!

Drops of Love

As yoga class was ending today my instructor reminded us to remember that love isn't about feeling perfect all the time or grand gestures, it's about the little things that make us happy to wake up in the morning.

My drops of Love...

• A cranberry muffin


• An endearing "goodnight" text message from someone I love


• A letter from my mother


• Purchasing a new book


• Mastering a new conjugation in French


• Trader Joe's Tea Lemonde


• Late nights that don't invlove a lot of work, but plenty of chatting


• The sun shining


• A perfect apple


• Hearing from someone I miss terribly


• An afternoon of pretending to be 7 years old again

These are the things that make me love my life, not a new car or an extravagant vacation (although those are always welcome). For me, being happy is about enjoying the little things.

Picture: "Everything is Illuminated" my newest book purchase by Johnathan Safran Foer.

Dinner.

If I could have dinner with anyone, the following would be included

1. Jackie O. She was polite, intelligent, generous, and an impeccable dresser. I want to be her when I grow up.
2. Bob Dylan. My dad is his number one fan so I had no choice but to appreciate him. His voice is fascinating and his songs tell stories.
3. Toni Morrison. Many say that she's a one trick pony in the literary world, but her stories are so intense you can't help but to be enthralled.
4. Clarence Greenwood aka Citizen Cope. He's hands down my favorite musician. He is one of a kind and fabulous.
5. My Great Uncle Steve. He is the kindest, most energetic, most cultured 76 year old I know. Being in his company is always enjoyable.
6. My old Sociology professor, Dr. Harper. He knew so much about the world around him, I could hardly keep up. He challenged us to always question what's happening.
7. My old ballet teacher, Jill. She shaped me into the person I am today. The impact that she's had on my life is huge.

Unfortunately we were unable to go to the zoo today. It was free for kids so every child in Allegheny County was present. They stopped letting people in. However, we went somewhere just as fun...THE BUFFALO PRESERVE.

In South Park there is a giant field that is fenced off and filled with nothing but buffalo. It's been there forever, but I was a new visitor. It was pretty darn awesome, let me tell you. The buffalo were congregated at the top of the hill so we had some hiking to do. It was well worth it though (although I'm not one to talk as Donnie carried me most of the way so my new shoes wouldn't get dirty). It was fun to watch them meander around aimlessly.

For dinner we went to a rather fun restaurant in the Southside called The Library. The weather was gorgeous so we ate on the second floor patio. The menu came inside of a huge book and all of the dishes were named after famous stories. We had The Wings of Icarus (buffalo bleu flavored), The Billy Goats Gruff Stuffed Peppers (to die for), and 2 Animal Farm Sandwiches. It was so adorable, I could hardly handle it. I love when restaurants do things out of the box.

At precisely 8:12 we stopped to have a look at the Space Station that was visible at that time and that time only. It was pretty impressive, Donnie was thrilled. All in all, it was a marvelous FIRST DAY OF SPRING.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!

When I was a kid my parents LOVED taking my little sister and I to zoos. I am fairly certain that I've been to every one within a 4 hour radius of my home. And let me tell you, that's a lots of zoos. We've seen the really good ones AND the really bad ones, and all of those inbetween.

Today I am keeping the zoo spirit alive and heading to the Pittsburgh Zoo in about ten minutes. I haven't been to a zoo in quite some time and I keep getting more and more excited. Zoos are one of those things that you never outgrow. Regardless of your age there is something magical about seeing a mother tiger play with her cub or a flock of hundreds of flamingos. That never gets old, ever.

The sun is shining unusually brightly for a March afternoon so we are taking full advantage of it. Animals here we come!!!!!!!!

An Old Friend

Meet Abner, one of my closest friends. Yes, I realize that he is a stuffed pig, but that's not what matters...

Abner came into my life in the 5th grade. My friends and I were in Coulumbus after a big basketball tournament and we persauded our parents to take us into Build-A-Bear. I was no stranger to Build-A-Bear so I knew the ropes. I already had a rabbit, Caroline, a bear, Peanut, a lamb, Mac Daddy, and a koala bear, Mr. Snicklefritz. I saw a pig sitting there and I knew I had to stuff it and make it my own. And so Abner was born!

Over the years the other stuffed friends fell by the wayside, but I have never spent a night without Abner. He's been to 23 states and 5 countries. I must admit that I'm attached to him. It seems childish and somewhat pathetic, but I can't help it. Abner is one of those things that's remained stable in my life for years. I know that even if my day is absolute insanity, he'll be there waiting when I get home.

The two of us have been together for years: gradutions, deaths, vacations, new schools, new boyfriends. Almost everything in my life has changed since I got him, but he reminds me that that's okay.

2 million dollars?!?!?

Today was spent at Cleveland Browns Stadium. After surviving the pat down and the long trek to our seats the game began. The Browns were playing the Raiders (not of much interest to me, I'm more of a Steelers girl) and my only goal was to attempt to stay warm. That lasted for about 2 quarters, which is actually like 27 hours in football time, but something besides the biting cold was upsetting me even more...

Before the game started I asked my dad how much money NFL players made per year. He casually responded, "Like 1 or 2 million dollars if you play for a bad team, even more if you play for a good one". I more and more I thought about that the more and more upset I became. I finally lost it when they were doing a tribute to 2 men that served on the New York Fire Department and helped save people during September 11. According to the NYC.gov website their firefighters make an average of $60,000 a year.

How absolutely insane is it that the men that devote their lives to rescuing people make about 1/25 of what men who are good at tossing a ball make? It's ridiculous. These men are good at a sport and make more money than 99% of other jobs. Doctors, lawyers, teachers: the people who make the world go round make a fraction of what professional sports players make. We are the ones who have made it this way, that's what really hurts. Guys in college play and practice just as hard and don't earn a cent all while going to school. Some pros never even went to college, they are stupid as rocks and earn a painful amount of money.

Half way through the game the Browns were handing out a scholarship to a college age girl. It was for $10,000 which seems quite generous. But in reality, that's 1/200 OF WHAT ONE PLAYER MAKES IN ONE SEASON. That's not right, not at all.

The question I have is, would people stop watching if the players only made $500,000 a year? Hell no. Would people no longer be interested in sports? Hell no. Would the world crumble if NFL players made less money. Hell no.

What happened to doing something just for the love of it?

Winter Break Part II

So...I have survived yet another Christmas. It was filled to the brim with cookies, strange church services, insane family members, trips to Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and of course ham and cheese potatoes. A success I would venture to say.

I have zero plans and zero things that have to be done for the rest of the time off. The snow is falling, I'm snug in bed with a cup of tea, and all of my house is quiet. Isn't life grand?

Winter Break Part I

I just spent the last half hour listening to Christmas music and laying with my head up against my sliding glass door watching the snow glisten on the trees. Then I ate some eggs. A perfect morning.

Winter break has been wonderful thus far. Tuesday involved some tasty Lebanese food, a little Christmas shopping, and a pretty funny film. Wednesday was cookie baking day! Followed by the best winter date ever. Thursday involved a surprise trip to Columbus to rescue a stranded friend. Friday was a delicious lunch with mom and visitng some old friends. Saturday involved chopping down the Christmas tree, a walk in the winter wonderland that is my backyard, and some much overdue grocery shopping.

It has been a pretty great week. There is nothing I have to do; no deadlines, no papers, no awkward small talk with adults I don't actually like, just what I want to do. I feel like such a kid, it's the best.

I am an incredibly lucky girl.

"If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you must then have the courage to live it."

This was posted on the board when I walked in the room to take my psychology final today. I've been thinking about it since.

If you are lucky enough to find something that you love, you have to be willing to fight for it. To think that some people have found that something, but don't have the courage to stick up for it is a shame. I refuse to let that happen to me. Granted, I haven't found that something yet, but when I do I will fight for it. To have the opprotunity to find something you love, genuinely love, is one of the luckiest things in life, but you have to be brave enough to pursue it.

I now know the history of Lebanon and the importance of sticky ends in recombinant DNA, but it's things like that quote that really matter. The other things won't mean a thing, if you aren't passionate about the life you have.

That's my goal, to be passionate about my life, every single aspect of it.

Life has been busy. The kind of busy where you don't have time to brush your hair, let alone update the ol' blog. But all of that is coming to an end soon. Why? you may ask. Because today was my last day of classes. Sure, I have to survive a week of finals, but classes are done! No more dragging myself out of bed at 7 am to attend molecular and cell biology.

Soon I will be ready to devour 21 days of nothingness. All I have to do is survive this week. Word on the street is that there's Nakama sushi at the end, so that shouldn't be too hard.

Winter break is going to be a delicious mix of making cookies, wrapping presents, eating tasty tasty food, and spending time with the people I love. Sounds pretty perfect to me.

Let's see, what has been happening...

On Sunday, my mother got me a bus ticket and wished me adieu. I was on the ol' greyhound, on my way back to Pittsburgh. I sat with a guy who was a truck driver and let me tell you, he did not stop talking the entire time. I guess life is lonely on the road. He was amusing though, so it was quite alright. I even got to see a picture of him as a child dressed up like Peter Pan.

Tuesday was a perfect fall day. The sun was shining, the leaves were blowing around, and the air just smelled like fall. I love that. That night, my friend, Abby, and I were feeling brave so we decided to attend a yogarythmics class. The flier promised that we would leave feeling a greater sense of well being. As it turns out, it was totally right. The class was small, only 9 of us. We worked on being in touch with our chacras and releasing our "inner child". The entire class was about free form movement and doing what felt right for your body. We ended by meditating with the lights off for a long while. I entered one of those strange states where you can recognize that you're alive, but that's about all. You don't think about anything and you aren't aware of your body. It's perfect. I love yoga classes and I sometimes forget that, but not anymore. I am making people refer to me as "yoga girl" currently.

Today I recieved a package from my mother filled with lots of Halloween treats. It was the perfect pick me up. :)

Your Own Bed

Being sick away from home is no fun. No fun at all. There is no mom to make soup, no dad to tell jokes, no little sister to offer hugs, and no cat to pet.

I have the flu. The I can't move, my head hurts all the time, I'm not hungry, I want to die FLU. I went to the doctor yesterday and her advice, aside from consuming grotesque amounts of gatorade, was to go home. So that is exactly what I did.

My dad came to get me and I'm currently laying in bed. I am feeling better already.

It's 2:23 a.m., my head hurts, my eyes hurt, my neck hurts, but none of that matters because I am basking in that post-study glow. Sure, I may not know everything about microfilaments and the actin that makes them, but I do know that I've studied as hard as possible. And that's as good as it's going to get Dr. Moore. That's as good as it's going to get.

I'm leaning back in my chair, looking out the window to the city, and listening to This Providence. Well deserved in my opinion.

Yesterday

Once a month for my Global Sociology class we gather together late at night to watch a foreign film. This evening was one of those nights. I put on all of my layers and left the comfort and warmth of my dorm room to head to the farthest possible building where the film was being shown. It was bone chillingly cold outside, and the whole time I was walking there I kept thinking to myself “This had better be worth it.”

Yesterday was the title of the film. I knew nothing about it, except that it depicted life in South Africa. 94 minutes later I was sitting in my seat trying desperately not to cry. The film was simple it told the story of one woman, her husband, and her daughter. That is all. It took place over the course of only one year. Yesterday, the wife and mother, learns that she has HIV. Her husband has contracted the illness as well and is suffering much more so than she is. He is forced to leave his job in Johannesburg and come home to their small village. The villagers are frightened and do not want the husband around, so Yesterday and Beauty, her daughter, build a make-shift hospital for him. Eventually the husband dies and Yesterday realizes that she too will die soon. The most emotionally intense scene in the film occurs right after the death of her husband. Yesterday is so upset and angry that she destroys her hospital with a sledgehammer. It doesn’t sound like much, but the grief on her face, the stark African landscape, and the music in the background make it one of the most upsetting scenes I have ever seen.

Yesterday is intense, simple, and poignant. Exactly what a film should be.

It's Monday. I am in the library. Shock. I lost a cottage cheese eating contest today.

Saturday night was not one of the best nights I've ever had. Actually it was one of the worst. So, by Sunday morning it was time for something fun. I bundled up in a cute fall outfit and hit the street. I had no destination. Just a lot of time, my iPod, and a building hunger for a delicious bagel.

My first stop ended up being a bookstore where I was able to replenish my stationary collection. I got these really cool cards with hand-sewn flowers on them. I also got a fresh moleskine that I believe is going to have a very interesting life.

Soon after I ran into a bagel shop, and let me tell you, bacon cream cheese is the BEST idea ever. Absolutely delicious.

I kept meandering and ran into this tiny church. It was smack-dab in the middle of town. It was fenced off and had a gorgeous garden surrounding it. The place was almost magical. It was perfection surrounded by definite not perfection. I desperately wanted to go inside, but the door was locked.

After spending plenty of time meandering around, I noticed that 9 out of 10 people were carrying little white paper bags filled with mini doughnuts. I stumbled out of a really fun coffee shop and low and behold the doughnuts were right next door. I got a bag of powdered sugar ones and spent ten or so minutes in a state of pure bliss. They were that good.

A perfect Sunday morning.

Run Run Run

Today I got one of those urges to run. Now, you must understand, this doesn't happen very often. Generally, intense physical activity is something I shy away from. I'm more of a yoga girl. Anyhow, I threw on a tee-shirt, excersise pants, my super awesome new tennis shoes and went for it.

At first I was just going to run in the Power Center, but since it was an absolutely gorgeous fall day out, I decided to run around town. It was marverlous. I ran for blocks and blocks and blocks and it felt great. Eventually I decided to take a side street and see what there was to find. Unfortuantely I soon became lost. The buidings were a maze and I was stuck inside.

I figured that my best plan to get un-lost was to follow a person that looked like they were going somewhere that I might want to be. I did just that. The man I was following quickly figured out that I was being suspicous. He kept turning around and shooting me death stares. I decided that I should probably stop.

I was still very lost, but I embraced it. I took my time and ran slowly checking out all of the buildings around me. I stumbled upon some pretty neat places. My favorite was this magical looking toy store that I spotted across the street. It was glittery and colorful and looked like the best place on earth. I made a mental note and hope to find it in the future.

I believe that I am also in a new movie. I ran straigh into filming. It was incredibly cool. There were cameras and lights and props everywhere. I did some research and it happens to be a new Russel Crowe film. Neat, huh?

An hour later I finally made it back here, got an overpriced strawberry smoothie, and called it a day.