Break Time!

Ok, so it's hard to call what I'm about to do a vacation, since I'm pretty much always on vacation, but this weekend I will be heading to my beloved New York City for the weekend to take in all the Big Apple has to offer and to see my darling friends from NYU. Until I return with what is sure to be an oh-so-glorious recap, I urge you to go check out the thing I am currently obsessed with, which is Radiolab. I'm listening to it as I write it and I must tell you, it is exceptionally awesome. Go, enjoy, feed your brain. It's delicious, I promise.

RADIOLAB!

New Rules

Before you do anything, turn the speakers up on your computer. Have pesky roommates? Headphones, my friend. That's how I got through my first year of college. Put them on right now. If you have a fancy music system of some kind, crank that shit up. Now, press play on the above video. Watching the video is less important (though insanely adorable. The dog and the pregnant woman are my favorites). You can come back and read this after you've started it. Go Go.

Welcome back. Now, why all the directions you ask? Well I've come to the realization that in the next few months I am going to be directing a very little bit. I've come to terms with this conclusion, so don't be sad for me. I'm finding new little ways to stretch my directorial muscles and you, dear reader, are my test subject. Exciting, no? Test Number 1, because directors are in charge of molding your experience as you view their work, is trying to better mold the experience of those who read this blog. In fact, Test Number 1 is an attempt to make each time you read this blog a fully, sensory experience by including little fun instructions at the beginning of the post. Ok, instructions not the right term for what I am asking you to do because certainly you are welcome to ignore them. Suggestions? That might be a better term for the new direction I have decided to give this little bliggaty blog. With this in mind, I suggest that we make a pact, you and I. A virtual handshake of sorts. We (that's you and me) will try, to the best of our ability, to participate in each blog post, whatever that entails. For me, it is including experience-rounding suggestions, and for you it is following these suggestions to the best of your ability. Deal? DEAL. Awesome.

You will be noticing a few new things here. First, of course, is what you are listening to. Think of it as a blog entry for your ears. With any luck, things like this will be included with each post to better round out each time you visit this blog. Plus, hopefully, you'll hear something new you like. Second is to the right of the page, just after the blogroll. Here you'll find images that I have taken recently that I am particularly fond of or photographs I am drawn to. I collect images, something I learned from my mother, and so my computer is literally overflowing with pictures that I find interesting but that no one ever sees (sometimes including me). This is unfair to these beautiful snapshots and so I will be sharing them as often as I can. Right now, all the images to the right are my own, but a lot of the time they will be from outside sources, which I promise to note when they go up (Hopefully I can remember where they are from. I have been collecting for quite a while now).

I'm going to try to stretch the artistic limits of the blog medium as I figure out how to work things (my computer learning curve is, well, slower than the average bear). For now, thank you for entering into this agreement with me. I'm pretty stoked on this new direction. Now go enjoy the video. It really is adorable.

In the Mirror

My current fun-employed state has afforded me lots of time for reflecting and since NYU basically gave me a degree in being a reflective practitioner (I have definitely reflected on my reflecting and then analyzed and reflected on that reflection. I wish I was joking), I seem to come by it pretty naturally these days. And this reflecting (why, yes! I am trying to see how many times I use that word in one post. How did you guess?) covers all aspects of my life, including this blogy blog, and so I was struck recently by this question--Why do you write? Certainly in my family we already have writers, two of them in fact, who are gifted wordsmiths, far superior to me. And yes, when I talk about my family, I refer specifically to my immediate family, in which there are only 5 members...

(some belong to more than one category)

-2 of whom are writers

-3 of whom are visual artists (though I'm not exactly sure I should put myself in the same category as my supremely gifted mother and brother)

-1 of whom is a performance artist (hey, that's me!),

-and 1 of whom is a dentist whose work is so good it should be considered art.

We are a motely crew to say the least. And despite not really needing more writers in the family, I still find myself writing this blog and I still find myself wondering why I do it. There are certainly lots of reasons I can come up with as to why I should just quit while I'm ahead. Let's look at the evidence:

a. My life is just not that interesting. I'm an unemployed college grad living at home with her parents. I am the textbook definition of boring (or loser, or whatever).

b. I don't write that often, so obviously there aren't a plethora of things going on in my life, as exhibit a already explained.

c. This thing is pretty much an extention of Facebook, except here when I write long, ranting paragraphs it isn't as weird as when I do it on Facebook, which always seems vaguely narcisistic. Then again, so is this.

d. The purpose of this? To inspire me to action, originally. To remind me to be bold and unafraid and try new things. Has it worked? Survey says: not so much.

f. I'm pretty sure the only person who reads this regularly is my mother, who is biologically obligated to be interested in my life.

I could go on and on, coming up with more and more snarky comments, but that just isn't good for company morale. Certainly there are an equal number of reasons to do it, right?

a. It's fun and gets the creative juices flowing.

b. It gives me a hobby to fill my many empty hours.

c. I work and think better when I talk stuff out, so this affords me the ability to do that and the ability to reflect on it later (cha-ching! that's 8 times I've used that word in this one little post. Score!) because it is in print on the internet, and we all know that the internet is forever.

d. Did I mention it's fun?

Ok ok, so most of my reasons are because I enjoy it, but that is a good enough reason to do most things, right? I absolutely think so. In reflecting (yes!) on what I've written, I've come to the realization that for now, writing this thing, attempting to make some art, taking small steps forward (hell yes, substitute certification!), is the way to go for me. For now.

Final "reflection" count in this one thing (and yes I am counting the one in this sentence): 10

Not too bad.