Saturday, December 5, 2009

love

I'm 100% bitten by the bug. He went home with me for Thanksgiving -- I was more apprehensive about spending 5 straight days toghether...something we have never done...than him meeting my family. Of course he was wonderful with them in and fit in like he was made for us.

I have gotten over my anxiety about being in a relationship generally, and have decided to just dive right in. He's become my best friend and it is crazy to think how someone you didn't even know 6 months ago can affect you so much such that you cannot imagine life without them.

I am going to meet his family for New Year's in Seattle, about which I am very excited. I'm excited about this ride that I'm on...he brings me so much joy and is so good to me. It makes me look back on relationships past and just marvel at the way I was treated. I never put up with more than I should have, but there are certain individuals in my past that I let have way too much control for way too long. It is so gratifying to have broken free from those attachments now. The main one that comes to mind is A. The time I spent pining over such a broken and impossible relationship is just hilarious at this point. I can't even bitter...I'm just amazed and awed at how far I have come, and how an amazing person like B can heal so much baggage.

love him.

Monday, November 16, 2009

more firsts

tomorrow is my first hearing :) I have to admit it is a tad anti climatic, as two previous ones have been cancelled. But I am excited nonetheless, although I am not arguing anything, just appearing.

went to see my grandparents outside Pittsburgh over the weekend -- they are so awesome. what an example of true love. makes me do a lot of exploring and self-questioning as to the pureness of my heart and motives.

antsy. i want to go around the world. getting that stagnant, routine feeling. Thank God the holidays are coming up.

The bf is heading home with me, and I will be going with him for new years. I would be lying if I said I could put a finger on the way I feel about it. I am so excited in so many ways, but part of me does not want this to be the end-all. And I know that it may or may not be, and I have no idea, but it is a scary thought to think or feel that is possible. i don't know why I can't just be a normal person and not be apprehensive about having met a wonderful guy, and where we are going together.

let me put on my analysis hat. yuck. why do i keep wanting to run away from this stuff? Yet he makes me so happy and fills up so much of my life. I think I am just still tempted with the single world, that is not really as glamorous as my grass-is-greener self makes it. In fact, I know this yet continue to torture myself. Like, what am I going to do right now anyway? learning to take one day at a time is truly a learning process.

a book i read recently made me stop and consider how much time I spend in the past, present, and future....clearly spending waaaayyyyy to much in the future. making a concerted effort to live every moment right now.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

That damn single itch

itches me sometimes. But he is still there by my side. I feel like "we" are in synch, but I am out of synch. Not sure where I am, where I am going.

"23. wow. ok when did THAT happen? Somewhere between high school and college and boys and parties and traveling and law school and moving i've turned 23. it's craaaaaazy!"....from the blog I kept at age 23. I feel the same now. craaaaaaazy! Excuse all the birthday reflection and drama, but it truly is wild to see the numbers on a page.

I just thought about the 21 - year old mix interview yesterday. wow.

Reading over these old posts...yup...first year I have not been plastered on my birthday since probably 21 :) ahhhh but what great years!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

another year

older means another year wiser, they say, right? At least on paper I feel I got it this year. Every day is a lesson, that is for sure.

Twenty-five was a good one....graduating law school, passing the bar and going to Thailand are definitely the highlights. NOt to mention Vancouver and some fun road trips (with A and D) and SF trips with Dust. Feeling like I am truly a woman now, an adult, a young adult. A professional. Really a great time in my life, I am happy where I am and exactly where I want and need to be right now. I am starting to feel the snowball effect of life, like it is just coming really fast, but I feel empowered to handle it minus the occassional freak out. I am starting to fear the rut, the easy road, and the possibility that I will get sucked into it. I always want to have an adventure on the horizon. I fear that I will lose the desire to have the adventure more than that I will actually fail to have adventures. I guess one is a catapult into the other.

Life is really good though and I am so thankful for so many things. Every day is something new and another beautiful suprise. Obviously, birthdays are full of them :), but they make you realize how loved you are and that even at the end of the day someone actually cares enough to write you a card. Even if it is mom.

I wonder where I thought I would be as I ended 25 and began 26, when I was 16...or 21...Probably thought I was going to be a hot shot executive with a corner office and adorable suits and a rich boyfriend and a red convertible and the social climber lifestyle. I can say I have the suits, and I have a great boyfriend no matter how rich he is or isn't, and the other stuff seems less important somehow. My office keeps bread in my basket so that is all that matters, and the car will come soon enough.

Well for that thought, I imagine by 31 (5 years) I will be with the man I want to spend my life with....probably close to marriage if not already. BTW it is so crazy to think I could be maried in five years. Be pretty satisfied with my career, set so that I can have a baby within a few. Will have lived abroad for at least a year. Will have tried a case. Will have had a heartbeak. Will hopefully have that little convertible, or at least had it for a temporary time. Will have passed at least 2 other bars. Traveled extensively in South America. Life changing honeymon. Still in Miami? I think so.

This makes me wish I had bought this neat "5 year plan book" when I was at a rummage sale with Dust. I was too scared to. As much as I would like to think I am not a planner, I am. Thank God for Amazon.com.

By 36...hopefully married and if not, probably FREAAAAKING out about it, haha. Baby or toddler....yeah. Fun to think I will hopefully be a mommy in the next ten years. Fun to think I will eventually be that selfless. Career...hopefully baby is taking over that part of my life for the time being. Transiberian railway...check. Africa...check. Patagona...check. Still in Miami....maybe not. Although the thought breaks my heart. Temporary residence in Miami...hopefully.

It is so fun to dream about the future....here's hoping they all come true as they already have :) And I have to say, I'm not sure what happened between 22 and 26....wow....time FLIES.

Friday, October 9, 2009

dependency

it is amazing how quickly a person can come into your life and completely change it. For better or worse, we become dependent so quickly.

Our relationship recently hit a transition point... we had a few fights, a few moments of disrespect, and a few moments of oh, crap, I need this person. I won't go into the details but one of them involves something he said about me, to my boss, that was completey disrespectful. Now, that being said, in my heart I kind of don't think he actually said it, but instead that my boss or his girlfriend who heard it misinterpreted. BUT, he also said something to me right before that makes me think he WAS capable of saying what he said. I mean it really disguts me what he said, and the fact that he said it to my boss is humiliating. but we all make mistakes...but it was just shocking to me because he has never acted in the least bit disrespectful to me.

so that is what makes me think we are reaching that "comfort" zone where he is getting a little lippier, a little drunker around me, etc. which is what i HATE about relationships. i love the first few months of deceit, i guess. which maybe has been my problem in the past, like i can't get past the point where you have to just accept someone for who they are, faults and all. of course there is a fine line when respect issues are on the line and stuff...and for that reason, my radar is out and finely tuned right now... i don't want to get fooled the way i did with the Virus.

and beyond that, the other thing i hate about relationships is feeling like i am losing my independence. no matter how much you think you are independent and don't need anyone, a relationship makes you realize how much more pleasant and easy life is when you have someone to count on.

it is all a love-hate thing for me, constantly.

beyond that, work is good. i'm starting to settle in, but i still feel sooooo lost. but i thank God every day for my ocean view :)

Friday, October 2, 2009

the devil wore black sweats

And a pink top that got her all over thailand. This time two months ago I was well on my way.

i fucking hate emotions. I hate how i feel right now...torn up, exhausted, no end in sight. just all over the board, shocker. waiting for my own boyfriend to get his shit together. digesting the problems that are starting to come out. and just trying to deal with it and knowing that no one is perfect, mostly me. i mean i am completely blameful in this situation but i still want to angst at him.

tryyyyyying to be strong. what do words really mean anyway?

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

having my cake

and enjoying it.

I swear, they are on opposite schedules. One is out of town, the other is here. One is perfect, the other one...I can pick out flaws like strawberries. But for some sick reason it is still fun to somehow tease myself with the past...even the future.

I guess this is all part of falling in love...it is truly amazing how the past and its accompanying baggage has just faded into this wierd haze of fun memories, tinted with rose and all. At the same time, the past is defining, and strong and even beyond that I feel like I almost owe it to my old self and my new self to settle the score in some things. And I don't even mean settle forever, just settle in my heart so I can get through the day accepting that this is me now and it is wonderful. and all the changes that encompasses. changes that are hard for me, but welcome...i've always liked a challenge

in other news, I told my mother today that I wanted to bring him home for thanksgiving. there was a long silence followed by "Well, you know we only have the one bed now..."....yes mom...He can sleep on the couch. Seriously? But then she was excited. So now I think she knows this is something "real" .... at least moreso than in the past for me. I mean, i have NEVER brought a guy home...i'm sure this is rocking the K household tonight, I don't really feel like dealing with it in terms of returning her phonecall.

I was just telling Rebs how I feel like working is really good for me in terms of not stressing about the future... like right now I am just looking to get to the weekend, enjoy that, and face Monday. Before it was like, ok what is happening in thre months, waht's my next trip, when am I getting this place, etc....now I just have to go with it.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

who knew having a boyfriend would be fun?

i always thought having a boyfriend was the end of my fun days.

Au contrare....

I'm sending a box of gingersnaps and pink lace panties to his hotel room in South Carolina since he is away for work for the week. Along with a card with one of the slickest kinky messages I've ever come up with.

I stand corrected.

Friday, September 25, 2009

he's out of town

so i'm lonely :(

but good for me to spend time alone. Amazing how the work week zaps your time...this leaves like 4 hours on Saturday to get EVERYTHING done...along with the rest of the city. And Miami is not a fun city to run errands in.

Transit is, by far, the best bar in Miami...and I can't wait for a.m. yoga. So glad I have found a few things to center me during the week. I just need to make time for the grocery store and NOT spending money on going out to lunch every day.

Goals for the week:

2 lunches out.
3 salads.
4 workouts
send Babe a card.
clean.
organize new dresser.
be good at my job.
look good doing it :)

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

what an amazing day

Passed the bar!!!

the wait was absolutely making me batty....the nausea every time I thought of it...that tense feeling in my stomach...the being testy and anxious. But it is over, and I PASSED. My heart was thumping out of my chest yesterday while waiting for the results. I was literally on my knees in front of my computer screen in my office, shaking like crazy. What an incredible wave of relief. And it has slowly been setting in over the past day that I am an attorney, just like I have been striving for for so long! It is truly a surreal feeling...

So far loving my job. I feel clueless and clumsy, but my cases are interesting and I'm learning a ton -- basic office type stuff, and legal stuff.

The boyfriend is awesome...he amazes me and I love him more every day. He suprised me by taking me to this adorable, delicious hole in the wall Peruvian restaurant last night... picked out Pinot Noir...ate mashed potato/avocado/mushroom/octopus glory with me. Incredible man...I feel so great these days, the sun is bright, I saw a rainbow this morning...:o) Loooooovvvvveeee is such a beautiful thing, and it has been so long. But every day that I've had to wait makes it so much better.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

4pm

today...i decided that i am ready for retirement. my shoulders and eyes were aching, i wanted a beer. but the flip side is having nothing to do or lacking a challenge. i mean, i truly like my job...I'm interested in what I am doing. just the grind of 9-6 (and being SPENT at 4 but having to stay because of guilt and obligation) SUUUUCCCKKKKS....but it was my FIRST payday so that was super exciting and amazing. and then i had to turn around and pay off my bills. sweet. but i am just happy that i can pay them.

besides that, something else that i knew was inevitable happened...the phone call invitation from Work guy to happy hour. yup. and you KNOW i went. i thought of all these work-related reasons to go, but the reality is i wanted to and it raised as many questions as it answered.

B and I had a nice drunken conversation the other night about the future. him going back to school and how i don't want to be dating a student for the next 5 years. how he wants two kids, i want one. how we have this whole life planned all of a sudden, and i don't even know where i want to live 3 years from now. but somehow that also seemed to fit into his plan. but now in the haze of the week i don't even know. i love it here. i can't imagine leaving. so now i am questioning how much of my loving it and feeling content is from meeting HIM and him being my partner in crime lately. and WHY i still act this way with work guy. i wonder what he and Dam are talking about with Terrance right now.

i love life.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

9/9/09

that's pretty cool, right? At 9:09 p.m. on 9/9/09 i was talking to Baz...at 9:09 a.m. I was sitting at my desk, most likely.

got roped in to doing fantasy draft for the boys tonight. free beer and dinner? sold. we had an atty meeting wherein I had to introduce myself -- tres shy and awkward --- its nice to see everyone again...i just wonder how long the new fun-ness will last? Ok, don't be a debbie downer. just trying to watch my lip at this point and not do or say anything stupid. sometimes I feel like I need my hand held. there are a lot of things i prefer to do by myself, but i find at work i am like ok i need someone to be with me, go with me, what are others doing kind of feeling?

tired. moving to Thailand or Peru.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

firsts.

there are a lot of firsts in life related to professional development...first day of school, first day of high school, first day of college, first day of law school, first day of bar study...and now the first day of "associate" is nearing to an end. It was quite nice...a nice smooth transition for the most part. It did not feel overwhelming, until just now i stopped to think that maybe the reason I was so cold to B was that I am feeling just a tad overwhelmed...not with workload or anything like that (yet), but just the general life change. It is not a bad feeling...just one that I am trying to savor every minute of because I want to make sure i tread carefully, wisely, and make the right decisions. At a crucial turning point, decisions become vitally important and cannot be made through smoke and mirrors.

I don't mean to overdramatize a particular "day" or "week" or "month" or whatever, and I know that in time it all tends to fade into more of a feeling or a glimpse than a specific, stark memory. But, it is very important for me to feel every minute of it and experience every second of the excitement to the fullest because that is how I love to live my life...It makes me very happy when I feel that way, as opposed to stressing about what might happen a day, week, year from now. Kind of ironic that the beginning of a career such as mine has a strange calming and centering effect on me in many ways.

In other thoughts...is it bad to re-use lines that have been given to me in the past? For example, I remember Lawyer once telling me that he "has trouble letting people into his life"...it stung so horribly at the time, but with the understanding that only comes with age and experience, I have come to realize that it may have stung him more to say it. I feel that way incredibly sometime...and wonder why I can't just include or embrace or let myself go into someone that seems right on so many levels. I can always think of an excuse to avoid it. Some days i feel incredibly welcoming and receptive and open, but then a glance or a word or a silly memory can seem to derail me. Or center me...although sometimes I cannot seem to tell whether I am being centered or derailed.

again, overwhelmed, in a beautiful way.

Monday, September 7, 2009

feeling Thai-sick

that is, I miss Thailand.

Start the big J-O-B tomorrow...what an incredible transition to be going in one door and out another. On the cusp of my career...really just savoring the moment. I am truly excited about starting...nervous...and wondering most of all how my life is about to change. And then wondering if it will really change all that much, at the core. And whether I want it to?

Are my carefree beach days and yoga classes and cooking hours going to stick around? Are they really all that carefree as it is? There is always something to stress about I suppose.

I am beginning to really see what a learning experience school is socially...wondering how that plays out into the workforce. I have spent so much time training! Bring it on!

Its funny, I've been noticing all these "job" or "new career" tips lately... such as...firm handshakes, eye contact, being respectful. All very simple things that I think make a huge difference. Curious to see my office, my secretary, my view, my cases, my co-workers. Hoping I still remember something from law school.

got the suit picked out ;)

go canes!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Miami is beautiful

I don't know if I could ever leave this place. It has the most beautiful clouds and sky, the weather is unbeatable. It is vibrant and chaotic, but set against the calmness and beauty of the sea and palm trees it strikes a perfect balance. And there is nothing like finding sanctuary in your own home. I love my windows :)

I love my outdoor, FREE (thanks, city of Miami, for doing something right) yoga class by the bay. Yesterday this random parrot came out of nowhere and landed on a few people during class. I never could tell whether it was wild or belonged to someone as a pet, but it is the kind of thing that would only happen here.

I rode the mover home and there were 3 European tourists...I was trying to figure out where they were from and watching the mannerisms and excitement was cute. Trying to imagine what they see of this city through their eyes.

7 days.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

reality awaits

took the bar...what a terrible experience. I don't even know how to feel about it, but fortunately was so mentally exhausted afterward that I have not spent a lot of time stressint out, at least not compared to how much i spent before I took it.

Went to Thailand for 3.5 weeks with my mom -- completely the trip of a lifetime....we went to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, Krabi beach, Koh Tao, and Koh Samui...so many great memories...I kept a diary on it.
Asia truly felt like being in another world...it continually amazes me how other cultures are so much the same yet so different. It is hard to chose a favorite place or activity or memory, but suffice it to say I did my best to enjoy every single minute of not having any concerns.

I start my job a week from now...I am looking forward with anticipation, a little nervous, excited, happy...I basically have my dream job and am exactly where I want to be, or at least I have that in my head...so it will be interesting to see how reality measures up. Obviously 9-5 (or 8) sucks and is a total life change, but one I feel I am ready for...could not handle any more school and honestly am a little bored and need somewhere to put my energies. And also keep telling myself that if it is absolutely terrible, I have other options.

I've met a truly sweet guy. Of course I have my committment issues and what not, but he is incredible and every day amazes me with reminders of how I should be treated. It is becoming strikingly clear how a relationship should work and can work when it is right, as compared to my strings of meaningless dating in the past. I shouldn't say meaningless, I just mean everything with he and I seems to fit really well. Like, we have the same group of friends so there is no awkwardness of wondering whether he will "fit in" with them...he has a good family...we like the same things....he likes to have adventures...he's tall...blue eyes...well-educated and smart...makes me laugh and smile....the opposite of flaky...

during the Bar he brought me a beautiful sunflower to the dreary library, made me dinner and brought it to me to eat late at night, always reminds me that he is thinking about me. He was so supportive during the bar, and I most certainly was not a pleasant person so that really impressed me. He's just as great as can be and I honestly believe that he came to me at just the right time. he was exactly what I needed then and there and everything has been good.

I was feeling a tad overwhelmed with it right after the Bar because it was like omg I have my life back, now what? But at the same time I wanted to spend every second I could with him before I left for Thailand. And then I got back last week and we have spent a ton of time together and its awesome. Although I do feel like life is coming at me fast right now, its like I trust him enough and he is realiable enough to be there with me through it. He's a strong guy, he remembers the randomest details so i know he actually listens (most of the time...after all he is still a man...)...

anyway, I'm gushing, but he's refreshing and I am thrilled. He's so good to me that it makes me just want to be like that with him....I've always felt like I wanted a person to just shower with affection and care and all that but no one ever seemed right to reciprocate it...he does and I have had so much fun showing him how I feel....although I'm not sure what it is yet, I know it is something special and different.

He left for a week for work and to go home for a wedding, and I am dreading the boredom without him around, but I also think the space is good, especially since I am starting work I need to just get my head together and do all MY stuff that needs to be straight.

Anyway, maybe in my new life I will actually get around to blogging more. I miss it.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

whooooaaa

it just hit me that I'm taking the Florida Bar Exam next week. It obviously didn't JUST hit me, but it did in a different sort of way than before.

It just sounds so...major and serious and adult-like. I'm excited in a strange way. It is definitely a point I have worked my whole life for.

Now back to the books so I can make it happen.

Monday, July 13, 2009

is it really mid-july?

time is flying....

went home for the fourth of July...in midst of Bar madness right now. It really is as bad as they say, but I am doing my best to keep positive and not stress myself out so much...i'm definitely the direct cause of 90% of my stress.

not that i haven't made time for a certain new someone...a crush...distraction...that is all i am going to say. just trying not to let my head get in way of my heart.

the days have blended to weeks and now the Bar is within sight...as well as the end of it. It is such a routine, literally wake up, run, breakfast, library, lunch, library, dinner, pass time til bed, sleep, wake up. i've had a few random stress induced freak outs about random things and general stress and waking up early -- some days are a lot worse than others for some reason... i really just have to get ahold of the self-doubt because I think that is the most destructive for me.

I really hope it is just a matter of putting in the time. I'm trying my best but practice test scores can be discouraging when its been nothing but study for 6 weeks and I don't see the results i would like. but I also think that is the name of this game...at least I hope so.

its hard to come home and turn off too... like i feel guilty leaving school at 7 after having been there all day and i feel guilty messing around at home instead of reading or doing practice questions. planning my THAILAND trip is a fun distraction....I'm SO excited...

talked to work today -- start the day after Labor day...weeeee!!!

Monday, June 22, 2009

moping

so i let myself cry last night and today, mope around and feel sorry for myself becuase of the Brad engagement. i thought about the past and analyzed all the different ways my life could have gone. but the point is there was a beautiful sunset tonight, one of those big, orange, suns... and i had already decided that tomorrow is going to be a new day and i'm done being upset about decisions i have made regarding past relationships. it is destructive, counterproductive, exhausting, distracting and just plain silly. so as the clock turns tonight i am excited more than ever for the promise of a new day. (enter Celine Dion).

As usual, I felt what I needed to feel, let myself do it, and now i'm just plain worn out on the topic. life goes on. carpe diem. life is too short and too exciting. I mean honestly there are so many amazing things and experiences and people in my life i can't believe i actually wasted this day of my life (not to mention other people's time who were forced to listen to me complain) being so ridiculous. no mas.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

i knew he had been on my mind for a reason

just found out brad is engaged. damn fucking facebook i knew i never went on there for good reason. he's been on my mind a lot lately and i had a dream about him last night. i guess some small vain hope in me thought i would get him again.

i feel so lonely and i went through this whole day of really regretting the way that i handled our relationship last week. i mean i know that ultimately i made the right decision, but it is just really hard to see that happening for him and not me. i am of course happy that he found someone that makes him happy but it breaks my heart to know the ring he gave me still sits in my jewelry box AND that the decision had ultimately rested with me. beating myself up over my selfishness that resulted in the destruction of that relationship. i hate this feeling.

oh, and the irony that summer 2009 was when we were going to get married. he got engaged instead. he asked me and i wouldn't have him.

Friday, June 19, 2009

back to zero

so studying for the Bar this week has not been THAT bad... i think i wore myself out with the stress the past few weeks that now i am just like whatever. not whatever about the Bar, but like, whatever, I can do what I do and I feel like I am getting it.

very comparable to first year...the same kind of stress level and unknowing-ness.

I feel like i am going through a lot emotionally, mentally, relational-ly, sexually...basically just trying to process and get through the days. it is unarticulable.

..."all i ever wanted was your life...." Chili Peppers...

So I just realized it is mid-june. That's so crazy. One of my best friends from high school is on her second marriage in a few weeks. I can remember when one year into her first, she asked me to be her divorce lawyer. I haven't had my first. so crazy how myspace and facebook etc. let you keep up with everyone's life. Amazing how perceptions and interpretations of marriage change and evolve as much as with your own experience as with everyone else's.

still talking to DJ. still concerns about emotional attachment yet somehow it is fitting. learning daily to live in the moment. Back to zero. Thailand in 1.5 months.

I feel like trolling memory lane...

Thursday, June 4, 2009

and then...

my mom sent me this. Super cheesey, but still encouraging:

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear your nice clothes. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we would grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

is this what obsession feels like?

or just puppy love? or unrequited love?

WTF I can't stop thinking about Work guy. I go back and forth between thinking this is my mind's way of being distracted from Trusts and Real Property to thinking maybe something real is going on, maybe I should talk to him, gauge things. But then rational-me thinks maybe I am in this wierd life warp called bar exam and nothing is really normal and everything is tense, myself included. So it probably isn't the best time to take my feelings seriously.

I just got this waive of fear that he is going to meet someone else. I pictured it, and the accompanying feeling, and lost all focus. That would kill me. Anyways, why am I even thinking like this? I'm just wondering if maybe i should say something to him or let him know or if I am being completely unreasonable. There are plenty of fish in the sea, right?

Monday, June 1, 2009

what is it about testing that makes you crazy?

I can't explain it...but since the Bar came into focus I feel "it" slowly slipping away...and by "it" I mean my sanity.

The dumbest little things are bothering me, like the fact that my roommate ate the rest of the pizza and hasn't offered to drive. The fact that Country told my other friend that i have a boyfriend...what is motive behind this is remains to be seen...when I asked him about it he came at me like a big shot lawyer, and i was just like DUDE shut up, I am human...talk to me like a friend, not a lawyer. the fact that I want to be nothing but alone, yet am consumed by loneliness at the same time. the fact that i am being uuuubbbbber dramatic about everything, psycho about my workouts and meals and planning accordingly...the complete mood swings from bitch to Miss Sunshine.

wow. it felt good to get that down. then again, perhaps one happy side effect of the Bar is the excuse to be a little bit nutty...and it sort of defines the whole transition from "studenthood" to "adulthood"....and wow what a fun time THAT is. *enter serious sarcasm*....

i just feel and know that i need something bigger than me to get me through this time right now...and I like the good excuse not to go out every night and not feel bad or awkward about it. contrast that with feelings of being completely anti-social one minute and restless as all heck the next. yuck.

on a happier note, am still on contact with DJ. he's so cute. He's like "why are you studying so much"....which presses me on towards thinking seriously about the benefits of dating non-lawyers.


...again ...the bar...

A lot of it seems to be getting a schedule study down, which I am trying to do. it is getting easier day by day. i defintely need the structure to make myself do work. but i also need my space which freaks me out because i dn't want to spend the summer completely alone and blocking everyone out. when i do get around others it is so unusual that i feel a little nutty. what the HECK is going on!?!? I need this little adjustment phase to pass...

Thursday, May 28, 2009

no one gives a damn about her hair

weeeeee Bar study....ahhhh I missed you blogger!!

for some reason Work guy has been on my mind all week...probably because I saw him last week...although slowly fading (i thank my brain for that).... maybe seeing him was a mistake, but i am trying to figure out why i cannot shake his thought...maybe it is just obsession for something to obsess over in the midst of Constitutional law and Real Property and MBE and Florida distinctions. eww.

Bought a last minute ticket to San Fran on Thursday and spent Memorial Day weekend with Dust. it was awesome...we saw Kaskade on Friday and spent Saturday pillaging Whole Paycheck, Taqueria Cancun, the pirate store and some neat shops that I can dream about affording one day. Dust had to work, so I went in search of a sourdough bread bowl and failed...wound up with amazing lasagna in North Beach and getting lost and feeling like I was in Europe meets China town.

Sunday I got up early to study, we hit a rummage sale...I passed on a "5 year plan" book and opted for the RasaExotica CD and some cool history of rural women book. Then we went to La Mar for Pisco Sours and Ceviche...felt just like being in Lima again. I want to go back there....take my mom...or a lover...what an amazing place. We went from there to the slanted door for old time sakes, then to fisherman's wharf so I could get my bread bowl...then Buena Vista for Irish Coffees and on to all-you-can-eat sushi.

We topped off the night with some wine from Whole Paycheck and watching The Reader. What an amazing film...makes me want to seduce a younger man.

Had dinner with Jank tonight...she was Ms. Positivity tonight which I really needed. We talked about the neccessity and beauty of living in the moment and where we are in our life and how bad we need to seize every moment. Possibilities in my five year plan:

1. teach for america
2. clerkship
3. man and babies
4. write a book
5. LLM


In no particular order. It is exciting to think about options.

Studying for the bar sucks...but in a sick way I like the routine and the excuse to be a little bit nutty...

Monday, May 18, 2009

bigtopworld, J.D.

Graduation week was absolutely perfect and incredible, and everything I dreamed it would be. I was once again reminded how awesome and supportive my family is, how much I appreciate them, and how much they center me back to reality.

Everyone got here Thursday and Friday...we went to Fairchild's and Monty's to eat, then caravaned to my apartment so everyone could see it. We cooked out and caught up and then Saturday we had a bbq out at Key Biscayne in Crandon Park. There was a reception on campus Saturday night for families to mingle, and it was so fun to show off my grandparents and parents. funny moments were Rocks telling my mom that I throw great parties, and Country introducing me to his dad as his "girlfriend" right in front of his real girlfriend. i had a beautiful new pink and white flowered sundress....After the reception, me, D, and Uncle went for drinks at Area 31...it was great to talk to him and get to know him a little. I've always thought he was such a neat person and it is so hard to get away from everyone and get to chat about stuff that maybe isnt so appropriate for the dinner table. He told me some family drama and we talked about books and politics and my job. Very cool.

Sunday was the big graduation day, and I woke up just thrilled and filled with adrenaline. I went over to the hotel for breakfast with the family and hung out chatting in the room and at the pool. Headed home to get ready and had to be to campus at 1. stood around with people, the majority of which I will never see again. It reminded me of college graduation a lot. The ceremony was very nice and when they conferred the degrees I just got the neatest feeling in my heart. Walking up to be hooded was very cool too, such a surreal moment. Amazing how the time flies and what a fantastic accomplishment. My mom waved wildly everytime i looked over, and later told me her and my dad were in tears when I walked on stage. I love them so much.

we had dinner at Fogo...I think everyone really got a kick out of it. the manager was very accomodating and we had delicious papaya ice cream with creme de casis topping. after I walked with my aunt and cousins to Lincoln road for souvenirs.

So I'm a J.D. now which is amazing and so exciting. Bar review class started today and 6 hours of learning was tough to deal with after all the exitement and climax of the weekend. I was so sad to leave everyone last night and it is always almost a scary feeling for me. everything was perfect and wonderful and truly went off without a hitch.

I actually feel very mentally prepared and ready to take the exam. I am looking forward to the routine and the challenge in a really sick way. it will be nice to have a very definable goal to work toward and I am pretty amazed at everything I learned just today. Its just crazy how the last three years culminated over the weekend...its like going up over a little hill, coming down, and then looking up and there is another one right in front of you. but then when you get there you don't even realize that you'd reached the top of the other one. like, I graduated law school yesterday. that's such a wierd feeling!!!!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

and then

THIS comes on ITUNES.

City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile
A rich old man
And she won't have to worry
She'll dress up all in lace and go in style

Late at night a big old house gets lonely
I guess every form of refuge has its price
And it breaks her heart to think her love is
Only given to a man with hands as cold as ice

So she tells him she must go out for the evening
To comfort an old friend who's feelin' down
But he knows where she's goin' as she's leavin'
She is headed for the cheatin' side of town

You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin eyes

On the other side of town a boy is waiting
with fiery eyes and dreams no one could steal
She drives on through the night anticipating
'Cause he makes her feel the way she used to feel

She rushes to his arms,
They fall together
She whispers that it's only for awhile
She swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever
She pulls away and leaves him with a smile

You can't hide your lyin' eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide you lyin' eyes

She gets up and pours herself a strong one
And stares out at the stars up in the sky
Another night, it's gonna be a long one
She draws the shade and hangs her head to cry

She wonders how it ever got this crazy
She thinks about a boy she knew in school
Did she get tired or did she just get lazy?
She's so far gone she feels just like a fool

My, oh my, you sure know how to arrange things
You set it up so well, so carefully
Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things
You're still the same old girl you used to be

You can't hide your lyin eyes
And your smile is a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes
There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes
Honey, you can't hide your lyin' eyes

He had a yellow Corvette

So...I went to starbucks on the beach this a.m....soy latte, extra hot. Family law study guide in hand.

This guy pulls up in a yellow Corvette. I'm partial...I love Vette's, he looks like Dwight, he has a girlfriend, he has blue eyes, he "does Real Estate," I'm lonely, I have coffee, I don't want to study. Recipe for perfection.

We chat for awhile about the mundaneness of life. My job, his job. I head to the beach for sun. He joins, after trying to get me a margarita and failing. He told me about quantum mechanics and how his friend has a seaplane. He wants to take me for a ride. I think about how i TOTALLY know his type. I am doing whatever he says for the next 6 hours. We both need something right now.

So, I have this damn review session at 2. I go. Then he calls me. Then I meet him at Key Biscayne, and only paid $0.95 of the toll b/c I thought it took Sunpass. His friend takes me up in an Aerospace Superlight or some ridiculous machine that is half rowboat, half sea plane. Its like parasailing with a motor instead of a boat. Totally hot. We see Madonna's house, Charley Sheen's house, Rosie O'Donnell's house, etc and then we fly by my home and office. I waived at the ole' Plaza to say hi to my future life. I am in a sea plane right now. Over the bay. With the friend of someone I met at Starbucks this morning.

Corvette boy says he wants to call me. I ask him what his girlfriend thinks of that. He says he isn't going to tell her. I told him that is his decision to make. Grimy. Use somebody...Kings of Leon...aren't we all?

i've been roaming around
always looking down at all i see
painted faces fill the places i can't reach

you know that i could use somebody
you know that i could use somebody
someone like you

and all you know
and how you speak
countless lovers undercover of the street

you know that i could use somebody
you know that i could use somebody
someone like you

off in the night,
while you live it up, i'm off to sleep
waging war to shake the poet and the beat

i hope it's gonna make you notice
i hope it's gonna make you notice
someone like me
someone like me
someone like me

go and let it out
someone like you
somebody
someone like you
somebody
someone like you
somebody

i've been roaming around
always looking down at all i see

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

the morning after

strange feeling today...like it was all some kind of dream.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Airtrain to Jamaica...all aboard track 8...

Thus how it began...and ended....

Made it home today in a bittersweet cloud of love and hate. love of the experience, hate of the crash, but overall love and sweetness of the beauty of the paradox between the two. Watching him walk away again, onto the train as the conductor made the final call, I shed a tear or two and grasped the moment of my life.

The first grasped moment of the trip was making out in the train the entire journey to Bridgehampton, and just feeling like a beautiful young lover in his arms. There was a woman across the aisle reading "Connecticut Design" and I hoped that I am never her. I hope i am always riding a train, lovingly.

Then there was the woods. He wanted to test me, I think. One of the self-proclaimed laziest people ever all of a sudden wanting to climb hills and explore bunkers. I was game...and when he grabbed me and kissed me at the crest of the hill with the sun trying to break through...wow. He ripped off his shirt and we fell to the forest floor, mosquitos buzzing around his head and clothes haphazardly strewn around. This followed by more exploring and rule breaking.

Another grasped moment was this morning in the sheets...the cover was the color of his eyes and his skin the color of the walls under the shine of the sky light. The colors seemed so vibrant and perfectly matched. It was this beautiful ray of blue and white light in my life of craziness and confusion and vibrance and color.

I wonder what was going through his head at any given moment...the way one minute mine would be blank and the next swirling. It took me a good day to settle in and feel normal, and then I realized I had to grasp every single second of this amazingness.

The first time his mom took interest in what I do was in the car on the way to the train...but I actually like that. For some reason I feel like I was not validated to her until the end -- maybe something changed in his behavior that she sensed...or maybe I am being crazy. But I'm onto this whole tension and sensation thing now...and how noticeable these things are between people if you pay attention, and how to reign it in.

He's just amazing...and we are better together. It is clear that he needs a motivating force in his life. There are concerns, warning signs if you will, and I intend to keep my head. But i can't think about that now...I don't know how much time to spend on it. I don't know what our boundaries are. and I don't know if I want to know.

Anyway, I got home and instead of stewing around the house in madness roomie and I headed to a Cinco De Mayo celebration down the street. Sure enough her ex's friend walks in and they start chatting; naturally i start chatting with his other friend. Long story short, the guy is cool and the three of us sort of break off and have group therapy...trade recent relationship stories and bounce thoughts off eachother.

And it occured to me that my life is becoming about business now. no more school. Like when I meet people I have to be concerned about my professional reputation as well as my personal reputation. And i have to be double on guard for getting screwed personally OR professionally. Yuck.

DJ has this vagabond existence; It brings out that free spirit in me, which I like. But it makes me question a lot of stuff that I do not feel like getting into right now. Things I have already been questioning and are just brought up to the surface. Aye, I thought it would get easier.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Craigslist and learning about people

So, I find myself in the Hamptons at DJ's moms house. She turns out to be legitimately cool...and I definitely see where he comes from. Something strange about meeting one's parents so early in the game.

He met me at the airport and I ate at a buffet style, cash only place in Queens. We were too cash poor; he had taco bell. Rode the LIRR and watched the working class meld into million dollar Westport mansions.

We went for a hike down the street and looked out to the ocean, after a nap, heavy petting, and some talks.

This guy his mom met on Craigslist comes over and we barbeque. I make pigs in a blanket, there are hot dogs and apple pie. Astronaut farmer and he had to leave to work as a bouncer at a sweet 16. Yes, I want to see craigslist guy's hundreds of pictures of the underwater world of the Phillipines.

Where am I and how did I get here? I love it.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

let us not forget

I am going to the Hamptons on Saturday to see DJ. There is so much I want to explore and learn about him and just relax and have an amazing time. I just dont want my ridiculous emotions and freak-outedness and anxiety to get in the way of me realizing and seizing every second of what is going to happen and the wonderful experience that it is.

In the year after....

the troubled man

so...DJ and I had this conversation about dating people with "troubles"...he asked if I was still in that stage of life where I liked that...my response was that EVERYONE has their troubles...some more than others maybe...but that is what makes a person.

I look back on my past, and Lawyer was probably the first guy that I dated that had troubles and ADMITTED he was somewhat troubled. I don't mean troubled in a bad way or good way, just had issues with his life, the way he was brought up, where he was at, where he was going. To me, these are not troubles because I deal with these issues every day. We ALL have issues. It is unfair for a person to say they are a "troubled" one...although I think these artists types tend to milk that label for everything it is worth.

I wish i could sell everything I own and write a book about the experience...maybe in a few years I will. Yet, I do not feel the need to label myself as a "troubled" individual, outside of this blog.

Which raises the question...I obviously consider myself "troubled" on some level...but not the level I project to others (that I know personally).

but it is all a matter of comparison too....my basis for "troublesome" range from Lawyer who gave up the "dream" legal career and moved to South America (love it) to DJ who has parental issues to Roomie and her suicidal brother. My troubles stem from only-childism and forced religion...neither of which i consider to be particularly tough. seriously.

This whole sprained wrist thing BLOWS...but every day i am so thankful because it could be so much worse.

on another note...as Rebs says...I've reached the point with people that i know and law school experiences in general that I find myself just saying completely outlandish things just to get a response. many times i don't even care what the response is but i just want one. i just want to hear the response to i can analyze it and think wtf, did that person really just respond that way OR hmmm what can i say now to get another reaction, and what will that reaction be....

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Haitian Mangoes

I just had one for breakfast, and was transported back to the beach in Montezuma, where Michi tought us how to eat the juciest mango in the world with our hands and mouth. What a beautiful time in all of our lives, and I am so so so thankful for that wonderful trip. We were all at our wits end with men and came together to make each other stronger. Since we have been back, I know Rebs has met a guy and is taking it by the reigns, and I am very happy where I"m at with guys (guy:DJ) too. I feel like I am finally strong enough again to be wise about it, but still give way to my feelings. I know that I am in a place where my life is about to change incredibly, and I am cherishing and trying to grasp the significance of every single moment.

I still cannot believe I am done with law school. Like, I have a law degree. Strange. Well I still have one exam and graduation, but the reality of it is really astounding and exciting. I don't get people that hate law school or are unhappy with their choice -- look at what you are getting! It is something to be so thankful for and proud of. I can't wait (well, I can) for graduation...to see all my family and be around loved ones. We are doing a beach barbeque and there is a reception at school for families.

Then, the Bar...dun dun dun dun....ahhhh!!!

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Last day of law school...

no way!!!! Craziness...I feel so restless...but in a good way....next weekend I am going to NY to see DJ...weee....I have a trip booked tomorrow to Portland, but I am 85% cancelling it...I like traveling alone and all but I really shouldn't spend all the money and my wrist is sprained and that's kind of a pain to deal with while traveling. Staying in a hostel while trying to keep infection at bay is not cool. Will have time to travel later...go in style next time. I dunno, all these justifications but I just kind of don't feel like going any more.

Yesterday I drove up to Ft. Lauderdale to meet up with this guy I met in Costa Rica. he lives north a little bit but was down for work. We had beers on the water up there... very pretty and a new place to explore. It is so fun meeting people and having little random adventures like that. I put on my Ipod, was on the phone with DJ while going to meet Costa guy...something about it feels wrong yet that is the beauty of being young and single I suppose. I am so excited for NY trip... he lives up in the Hamptons so I am actually kind of excited to not be in the city but see a different part of the area.

it is amazing everything that has happened and changed over the past three years. life has been so good, and I've gotten to experience so much of it. All while living in paradise. Law school was definitely the right choice for me, let's just hope the career turns out to be as well!

Monday, April 20, 2009

first day of my last week of law school

i can't believe it. i basically began blogging on the old site when i was going through the admissions process, and now my last class will be on Thursday. Graduation is still a month away, but as I only have one exam I am pretty much done being a student. the hardest thing to believe is that my formal education is over. ahhhhh!

i fell off my bike Saturday, majorly spraining my wrist. Choco drove by immediately after it happened which was just funny, and then i spent 4 hours at the ER hoping I'd get a hot doctor. I'm very thankful it wasnt broken, and it feels worlds better than it did two days ago.

Yesterday we went to Jimbo's Birthday, this 82 year old guy who lives out on some city property by the water and has huge bashes every year, kind of a hidden Miami gem. It was a good time, and then we went to eat at Joe' Tiki Bar where I had gone with the evil one last year on the exact same day....kind of funny how life is so cyclical sometimes. End up being the same places the same time of year (Monty's in the fall, for example, then dates on the beach and then the holidays and starting all over...) I wonder if that kind of feeling continues post formal education?

My friend Jess came along, I basically watch everything that happens to her during the year and see myself at a similar place next year; we have a lot in common and have similar lifestyles *and yet not so similar* but she's doing the career thing and the boyfriend thing and just trying to figure it all out, and I look up to her in a lot of ways. She's very smart but she always has fun, never uptight but a good girl nonetheless. i just see my life of work work work ahead of me and the sort of dejectedness or jadedness or reality of it all that is currently setting in with her...

its such a bummer being injured, i need to do a ton of stuff around the house but i don't want to exert my hand. so i guess it is kind of a blessing in disguise and i should jsut enjoy the downtime because it is so hard for me to just relax sometimes and force myself to sit and read or watch tv. but i like that about myself too, you know? i mean at least i fell off my bike and didnt have another stupid drunk accident haha. but showering is a hassle so i'm avoiding going for a run as we speak.

i booked a flight to portland this weekend...never been there and just want to take advantage of this time that i have off to explore. however i don't actually FEEL like getting away at this immediate moment but at the same time i know i will go apeshit sitting around the apartment. as evidenced by the boredom i am feeling right now. well i guess that answers my question about whether i really want to go through with it.

thinking of going to NY the next weekend to see the DJ. update on that after i talk to him today.

Friday, April 17, 2009

samba pa' ti

as Michelle's father said: the best love song ever.

this sounds completely WHACK-O, out of left field, crack-smoking crazy. but awhile ago, on a flight, i had this wierd VISION thing of work guy. like i just saw him in my life for a really long time. weaving in and out, this constant force. WIERD, i KNOW!!! so today roomie and i were on our way home from going out on the beach last night, and i get a call from work peeps to have lunch. i at first declined because we had just bought a pizza, then i realized i wanted to go and particularly see HIM. i panicked over my outfit, my face, my hair, my smell and rolled over to the restaurant. as soon as i saw him it was like ok wow you are still the same. i still feel the same. i instantly was drawn to him as if no one else was there. WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY do you have to work at my firm? but maybe that is all part of the attraction, i don't know. i mean i tend to get a little boy crazy pretty often, but this one is different. i KNOW it. something is there and festering and this was fuel to the friggin fire.

i know the first time i saw him, i thought oh boy he works at my firm, this is disaster. and i still feel the same. i just do not ever want it to end in disaster so i have been very careful with it, and i will continue to be. i just want to take all the right steps with him. i am torn between spilling that to him or just letting it ride. heaven forbid he find someone else. i would be absolutely crushed. i'll never forget when he was like, you know, we are going to be going to Christmas parties for years to come when we are both married and have families and we have to deal with this. but i want HIM to be my family. that's crazy.

emotions are so amazing, i can be so all over the board sometimes. but the spice of life is amazing and i love every minute of it.

i get more and more respect for Lawyer all the time, because he truly seized on the passion of life. i can't believe the point at life in which we met, we could not have been further from the same. and now i can see what he was doing.

we played footsie under the table and i texted him across the table to tell him i liked his cute checkered flannel-ish shirt. and his glasses. and his broken thumb. and the way he ordered a salad instead of fries. and ate the entire sandwich. and didn't touch his water. and did not want to go back to work. i wanted to tell him to come home with me and get in my bed and sleep. sleep.

give me a break, let me make my own pattern. all that it takes is some time but i'm shattered.

no, like i REALLY like you, we used to say to eachother over beers and Terrance in the back yard. his pacing. like i REALLY like you, and i'm scared of what that means for everything. what an amazing time of my life. he's going to this same party as me on Sunday, so we will see how that goes. i just hope i can keep my head on straight.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

heading toward the black hole

of Bar Study...
40 days I was informed today. It is really just hitting me that I am graduating from law school next month. like i am done with school. when i started, 7 years seemed like FOREVER, but now i just can't believe it is done. and I am about to be a lawyer. wow. wtf. the last three years have been so amazing...sigh..

went to a law school alumni function tonight...mah...free wine and food... i probably should make a concerted effort to "network" at these things...but i AM shy believe it or not and just generally don't know what to say to people. talked to one guy who interviewed me second year for a high-powered firm. that was awkward. he was telling me what he does...boooorrrrring. i'm like, do you like that? he's like, yeah its challenging and we're busy. that translates to i don't know what the fuck is going on and i work a lot of hours. can't wait.

so that side of me is like get off your ass, go out every night, enjoy your freedom and your life. and then the fat, lazy, poor, dedicated student side of me wants to sleep...

Monday, April 6, 2009

boop a doop

hanging out today, as my last six weeks of freedom dwindles before my very eyes. i have a nice two week stretch at the end of classes before exams, for which i am searching for ideas to fill my time. i thought of going abroad or to Panama with this guy that I met in Costa Rica...but nothing was feeling quite right. Then it occured to me that I've never been to Portland...I kind of want to go out there, drive around the mountains and coast, take yoga, hike, camp, etc. Looks like it would be a solo trip, maybe Dust coming up for a few days. I asked DJ about it but he dismissed it...but i am ok with it being solo. I think it will really help me clear my head before studying for the bar and I am just in the mood for a random adventure....i don't want to deal with a language barrier, it would be relatively cheap, its beautiful, there've gotta be chill people out there, and i'm sure the food/drink is amazing. I mean who takes off to Oregon for a week by herself? IS that strange? I really enjoyed traveling in Europe alone but this is a longer time...and camping? Alone? really? kind of wierd. I guess once I get past that thought I will go through with it.

Friday, April 3, 2009

i'm going to take this moment

of complete satisfaction with my weekend fling to reflect on the nature of chemistry. its really just so fascinating how i can troll around the city weeks at a time and never feel anything special and then meet some guy at a party for 40 hours and during that time feel this incredibly strong chemistry. now that he's gone it is obviously a different thing, but i am still on the high of that and think about him on and off throughout my day.

i am definitely a "fling" type of person -- i've had more than I can count...but it always amazes me that I can feel that way...and that's what makes me so happy. Even though a fling is often times not "real," it gives me faith in the institution of love. Ok, it ends too, and that crushing feeling reminds me that there is a down to the up. but whatever, one can't live life in fear of the downs. listen to me, i sound ridiculous!

ha, so while i have many "flings," this one is as intense and powerful as the one with A, back five years ago, almost to the day. It was so strong and intense and beautiful and it left me in a puddle of absolute surrender and vulnerability and hopelessness and obsession towards the end.

The difference? I was 20 then. Now, I am the first to admit I am not going into this eyes wide open, but I have been there and done it before so I am more apt to take it for what it is, ride the train, and hope and pray I know when to get off. I really do believe in things like this, and that the feelings are genuine; it is every day life that gets in the way. I have no doubt that traveling the world on a shoe string budget and hoping for the best is a much easier way to cultivate a relationship that "I have my life here, you have your life there, but we do have incredible feelings for eachother"

So much of me so frequently wants to dive into a life like that...hit the open road with no plan and no money and no ties. but so much of what i love about my world is my plan and my ties...the money...well it comes from my plan and my ties so it is what it is.

but whatever, i just am expressing all this positive emotion that feels so good. not that i have been down, but when you are on such a high it is like oh, i forgot how it feels to LIVE sometimes. like taking every single breath and every single second and just rolling with it.

of course that fear in my chest of May 18 (bar classes start) and the rest of the summer (not bad compared to my corporate life as of September) are impending and likely a catalyst for my feeling of freedom; the contrast of the two times in my life will no doubt be black and white. but i love every second. i feel creative and inspired and beautiful and healthy. I felt that way before he came along but this has magnified it x 100. and not that i give HIM the credit, but i give the feeling that developed between he and i, and that is largely the feeling that oh, yes, i am still human...and that is just what i needed.

when i have told the story to a few friends, i realize how ridiculous it probably sounds, and maybe it is. but it is incredible and beautiful how two people can share something that seems so utterly absurd to everyone else.

maybe its the season. Spring was practically MADE for flings...and i seem to have fallen victim in many a springtime hour. but as i said earlier, every year brings more and more satisfaction in knowing and understanding myself and being in control of my destiny.

that being said, i've been thinking a lot lately about things happening for a reason, right place right time, and purpose in the small things of life.

it blame the Costa Rica trip...it just flowed so smoothly and we seized every single second of every single day...not even wasting time to shower or complain...when time to turn of the world, the ipod came on and time to turn it on meant another round of pilsner. i've taken a lot of amazing trips in my short life, but this one was hands down top five. amazing how a dynamic can entirely make a trip. side tracked...but coming back from that trip and diving into last weekend was absolutely perfect.

anyway, i am convinced more than ever that every single thing happens for a reason; if we do not see it or understand, then it must being happening for someone else's reason. i can look back over my life and see how things haven't gone my way but i would have missed other more amazing opportunities. and every single thing that has come my way has brought me right here. a great spot!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

these are beautiful days

i've had a beautiful week...i'm on cloud nine...i need this and love it so much. it all started with Winter Music Conference last Wednesday...the whole week was fun, but I am most excited about Saturday night...went to an industry house party with D and Pat and a couple other friends from school. Typical night...having fun...saw this beautiful guy. We made eye contact and I commented to them that he was amazing, but saw him with a girl I assumed was his girlfriend so I was bummed. Then I saw him later dancing and introduced myself, super shy, that I couldn't hold the conversation. Later I said some random stuff to him in passing. Then he came up to me while I was on the phone...then D and Pat snagged him, gave him my number, and made him promise to call me. I tried to rush off the phone because I could not imagine what they were saying to him...we spoke briefly but he was leavin (this is like 5 am) to catch a flight back to New York. He said he'd call, I told him basically to screw himself, he tried to kiss me, I told him in his dreams. He left and D and Pat told me how he was super nice and couldn't believe I acted that way to him. Then I felt like an idiot, but what could I do, he was gone.

About an hour later he walks back in the door. He did not come right over to me, so we all started scheming that he was some awful liar who made up that story to get away from me. Crazy. So we started to leave, he found me outside, asked to kiss me again, I told him I don't kiss random club guys, told him to call me the next day if he wanted to see me, etc. He had changed his flight. Besides Eyes and his friend were with us and the last thing I needed was school friends seeing me make out with a random dude at a party. So we left it like that, he texted me later, I fucked with him some more, never dreaming a guy that beautiful would be into me. Also a little drunk and just feeling the be mean vibe because I'm like who is this random dude trying to fool, he obviously is trying to get ass and forget it haha.

so next day he texts me like, I really want to see you. I'm thinking what am I possibly going to do with this random guy from New York all during the day in Miami, he had not slept, I had slept like 3 hours, but something in me just said go see him right now. So I came home at like 2pm, showered and went to his airport hotel to pick him up. I decided to take him to eat at one of my favorite local restaurants and just show him my Miami. Then if it was awkward I could easily escape and so could he.


The first few minutes in the car were like, what is this, what do we talk about. So I started asking him questions about himself, telling him random stuff, etc. I'm driving to little Havanna, thinking this guy is probably freaking the heck out like what am I getting into. We had lunch, croquetas and pork and yucca and black beans and rice...at this point i'm just trying to entertain some random person, kind of show off my city and just look at his amazing face.

we finished up lunch and walked out to the car. There was this sexy tension and I was nervous. We got close and slowly kissed. Super sexy. We giggled a little, he teased me for not kissing him in the club...I asked him what he wanted to do...knew he had to be tired running on zero sleep but did not want to put myself in the situation of being back in the hotel room on a bed yet.

So I drove him to the beach on Key Biscayne...it was a gray-blue day, with a breeze and lots of windsurfers on the water. We pulled over to watch and kissed against my car. He later told he was picturing a cheesey walk on the beach holding hands but that it was really cool what we did. i wouldn't have wanted the cheesey-ness either, but we were meshing great and wow what a great kisser. There was Spanish music playing in the background which set a cool scene. We talked a little, he suggested we "watch tv"...I told him I knew where he was going with that, but finally was so exhausted that I relented.

We drove back to his hotel and went up to the room. He played me this song that he wrote (he's a dj/record label owner for house/trance music....so perfect meeting for WMC)Some more talking and kissing...i told him pretty quickly where the boundaries were, but didn't elaborate too much...he was silly and playful but respectful. We layed there talking and looking at eachother, slept briefly and more making out. Around 1030, I decided I should leave, again trying to avoid a difficult or compromising situation of staying overnight. We tried to get dinner but the restaurant was closed...made out in the elevator, letting it take us to random floors and I went home.

He had said he wanted to try and change his flight again the next morning (taking advantage of over-bookings, so basically he's collecting free flights and staying in hotels on the airline's pocketbook...smart!) I waited with mucho anxiety for him to call me when he woke up in the morning, wondering if he would, or if it was a dream or if it was just him trying to get sex, failing, and being done with it. When I heard from him I rushed to the hotel. We hung out for like an hour before I had to drive him to the airport to see if he could change it for another night. We had this crazy hot makeout session in the elevator again...felt like a high schooler.

We got lost on the way, but listened to Tiesto and found we have the same favorite song -- Put Your Loving Arms Around Me...it was so sexy. We pulled up at the airport, wondering whether we would see eachother again. good byes are terrible...we had a beautiful and passionate make-out sesh with great tracks on the sound system...sweaty as heck because it was hot and my sun roof was open....he walked away from the car with his bag slung over his shoulder and it was just a beautiful moment. I burst into tears and drove in circles until I felt better. I drove back to my place through Brickell at lunchtime, seeing lawyers in suits and ties and blue shirts and wanted to scream that my life is going to become that (even though that is exaclty what I want). But experiences like this make me so scared that all my adventure is going to have to come to a halt.

I went home...failed miserably to focus on a paper that was due in a few hours...texted him "don't go" right before I knew his flight was taking off. He called to say he got it extended one more day....phew!!! Since I had to take a friend to the airport in a couple hours, I told him I would stop by then before going to the tennis match I had planned with a friend. Obviously part of me wanted to cancel the tennis, but I told myself I would not rearrange my life for this still largely random guy...he was super cool about it anyway, teasing me about having a date and understanding that my life is here.

I got lost trying to find his different hotel this time...drove in circles...finally found it literally 15 minutes before I had to be back at my house for tennis. I couldn't stand the thought of not running into see him, so i literally ran in, kissed him, told him I would call later, and rushed back to my house.

After the tennis match, i called him and went over to the Marriott. I was so happy to see him, and we had an amazing night talking about our lives and eachother and kissing passionately. It is so easy to talk to strangers about anything which makes it really easy to bond on these crazy deep levels. We talked about wanting to see eachother again, but were honest about how crappy the situation truly is. I stayed with him until about 5 in the morning...it was so incredibly hard to leave and we kissed until i thought my face would fall off... in the best way...

It was fun to set boundaries, and I know what's up with me and that. I explained to him that I want to know someone before getting into all that and all the different levels of understanding that need to come before it...at least for me at this place in my life. I think he was somewhat flabbergasted but awed by it...he kept saying he couldn't believe I was going to be a lawyer....green crayon, turqouise and silver. Amazing all the sweet nothings it is so easy to say to someone you just met.

The feelings I am having right now are so refreshing. I forgot that I could feel this way and how fun it is. obviously this is a precarious situation for my heart, which is largely why i held of the way that I did sexually. I don't want to fall into a random city booty call for him and had some sort of passion and attraction with him that I think is extremely rare and I did not want to destroy. The way he was looking at me cannot be faked and I think he felt the way I did. We live extremely different lives but whatever happens we shared this beautiful few days together and it renewed my faith in love and meeting people and my ability to have feelings and express them. Obviously this needs to translate to my real life but it is simultaneously a great time in my life to meet passionate people and learn about them and my self through them ...and help them learn about themselves.

I wrote a poem about/for him. don't know if i will ever have the courage to share it with him, although i would love to. i don't know where this is going or if it is, but i know i am welcoming for whatever is meant to happen. he tried to change his flight again today and i just keep telling meyself that if we should have seen eachother we would have...for some reason i was not supposed to see him today again, but i hope that i can soon. aye the passion of life can be so beautiful.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

so i think i figured out my problem.

i just like too many men... i like about 5 guys at the moment on different levels and for different reasons. maybe more. i think i have an addiction. but i don't know how to STOP. and I don't know if i WANT to stop. I'm having a blast...it is challenging...i'm learning a lot about myself, and strangely, relationships. or at least i think i am. i am learning whatever it is i think i want to know. like what i won't be able to tolerate, and what i will when Mr. Right finally does make his grand appearance.

I need someone who can take my ridiculousness and believe in me and understand it and break the rules with me, but not all the time. he needs to support me, but let me support him too. let me take care of him. he needs to understand my moods and my interests, but i want him to have his own too. he needs to believe in something. he needs to want to travel, but with me :o)

Warz and i discussed the honeymoon stages of relationships last night. see, i am ADDICTED to them. I love honeymoons. I love weekend trips and visits and flings and first, second and third dates. I keep telling myself that I just have not met the right guy yet...but part of me wonders if an internal change is required...but in the meantime i'm having a blast...if it ain't broke don't fix it?

oh, and i am LOVING the Eagles lately.

I just had a flashback of the summer I was in Breckinridge with my parents and met one of the guys working at the hotel for the summer...totally made out with him in his summer cottage after going to an outdoor Skynrd concert and drinking cheap wine. ahhh youth.

Monday, February 23, 2009

there is something about the sounds

of the city on a Monday morning. It is especially notable after the near silence of Sunday. The engines, construction, trains....starts out relatively quiet....slowly increasing to the 9 am rush, then evens out for the day, picks up again later, and then the quiet of night. The sounds of industry and work yet the sluggishness of a Monday morning, the reluctance. The sun rising slowly in time with it all. A big orange one today, particularly pretty. I'm going for a run on the beach then Bikram.
I took a "me" weekend and stayed in...got up early for Yoga and a bike ride Saturday, and then went indoor rock climbing with R. It was super fun and we are going again tomorrow. We went to Scottie's afterward and indulged in steak sandwiches and beer, watching the water and talking about life...what a great place. Sunday I got up and read the paper at Starbucks, rode over to Crandon Park, did laps in the pool, worked on some homework and made sweet potato rolls for a friend's Oscar watch party, which was really fun. I loved Angelina Jolie's look of jade earings with the black dress...I"m ripping that off for my Barrister's dress this year.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

serious glut of material

which probably means there is plenty i'm just not thinking. i was sitting in class earlier and had this thought that i feel a little uninspired lately. not quite sure where to look for it, either. like i don't feel creative. dull. very strange feeling. i guess i just need to shake it up a little. gonna take this weekend "off" -- do healthful active activities like yoga and rock climbing and maybe paint a little. well we will see how that actually goes lol. i need some male excitement in my life, for sure. starting to really think i handled the entire Choco situation very poorly.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

unconventional

i just got really scared. it just hit me that i could end up leading a very unconventional life. i see my life taking two paths: one...working for a couple years, accepting it, meeting a guy, getting married, having babies, lock down, retirement, white picket fence (or gate), suburbs, saturdays at the mall, soccer games and girl scout meetings, dance classes and senior proms. two....working for a few years, getting fed up with it and teaching English in Peru, putting more footsteps on the earth, meeting guys, maybe someone special, maybe not...coming back to the states with a completely unfathomable different perspective and setting out on a new adventure here or there or anywhere.

it is a scary-as-all-hell thought in that it means i have no plan. direction, but no map. i just don't see myself chained to a desk for the next 5 years of my life. i don't know what i thought it was that i'm getting into....and granted i'm at a great firm...but unless something comes along and derails me from work being my focus in life, i think i will soon go crazy. or come up with an exit strategy.

i'm taking spanish and it is very inspiring. everything i learn about it makes me want to learn more. i kind of just want to screw everything and go learn spanish. obviously that is not happening but the girl can dream. man and it is just soooo great taking it in Miami, because it is like a constant challenge...all day every day...i hear Spanish at the store, read it on the roads, and listen to it on the radio....when i don't want to think i can think in Spanish...can't believe i blew it off for so many years...

anyway maybe i am just having a moment of wishful thinking...but one needs those. i actually just really hope i come out somewhere in the middle of all that.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

mini relationships and the things they teach me about myself

so my ex-boyfriend from college, S, senior year....I hooked up with him over new years...came to visit this past weekend. I was apprehensive about him coming because i tend to DO this to myself...short little fling weekends that are amazing and then i get depressed when i realize the reality is anything but like it is for that few days. but i figured finally that, hey, i'm still young and single and if that is going to be the case I am going to embrace it. So he came in...it's funny how some people you are just naturally comfortable with. like, even though we haven't been together in 3 years and hadn't spoken in 2, i just felt natural and comfortable with him. i could be myself and just generally didn't care what he thought about things i say or do...you know, that comfort thing. also part of that is that he's staying with me for four days so he can't piss me off.

anyway. i told him sex was off the table -- freaked out about STD's and pregnancy as a cover for emotionally being freaked out. the first night i thought it would be really hard to stick to that once i saw him, drank tequila, and got in bed. but when we were fooling around i just got this really strange feeling in myself that was like, you know what, this is my body. i have to respect it. i think in the past i didn't take full ownership and control of my SELF. if i do not feel emotionally comfortable with something, no amount of physical attraction is going to make it ok for me. so in that department, we (I) had a great weekend of manual satisfaction, but i just did not feel like i could give myself to him in that way (even though we did in the past)...and i conciously or subconciously blame him for some of my issues in that way for a number of reasons...

but it was nice to hang out with a boy my age who is at my same place in life and is just generally a little rough around the edges. he's just a huge BOY. i'm used to being around guys who are a little bit older and refined...so it was a change but at the same time i NEED someone who can grasp the finer things in life. maybe that is shallow of me but i at least like when someone appreciates certain aspects of fine dining or artistic representation. but then again he would suprise me with other observations that were insightful and cute.

also being around him was an interesting reflection on myself. i realized how much i value my space and my time...about 24 hours in i was going nuts...i just wanted to be alone, go for a run, not have to entertain someone. the thing is it is so FUN to entertain someone and show them all my favorite things to do in town...i felt like some things he did not appreciate...but how much of that is just him being a boy and not "getting" the things i do... again, self reflection. so anyway it is fun to entertain someone, but man, a boyfriend is a lot of work. keeping him fed, showered, happy, entertained...i guess i need the person that i am with to appreciate that i am doing and enjoy doing those things for him. like i made pancakes one morning and a pizza for us one night...i LOVE LOVE LOVE doing that crap for guys...it's rare that i feel like they "get" what it means to me to be able to do that for someone.

Also my moodiness was reflected when someone else was there to receive it 24 hours a day. i can go through an up hour and then a down hour, and while i wouldn't even notice if i'm bustling around the house or running errands, when the switch happens while you are constantly hanging out with someone else, they notice and call you on it.

oh, yes, and i was thinking about Workie quite frequently over the weekend. it is such a wound in the flesh sometimes. i am so crazy about him...see him in my future...reminisce about the summer...paint this rosy picture for myself in my head...thing about where i WAS that summer...just completely obsorbed...i want to tell him so much...but i'm terrified and feel like i have to proceed with extreme caution to protect my livelihood as much as my heart. but how much of it is reminiscience and how much of it is real? How are things going ot be when i start working? does he think about me as much as i do? we keep in touch through occasional emals and phone calls, such as when funny things remind us of eachother or when i have travel quesitons for him. i just want things to be how they were...i want my heart to be open...but then i don't even know if it was right with him.

sigh, oh the matters of the heart.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Game of Life


Remember it? From your youth? Well...this awesome bar near my place offers it in all it's charicatured glory for patrons to enjoy. Me and roomie bet the bouncer the other night when he was working at a club and decided to try out a new spot...played a few rounds of backgammon and then went on to Life once Iceland (guy friend) got there.

It was so strange to play it as an "adult"...the object of the game is to retire with the most money...you start out with the option to go to college or try and score a high paying job without. You are guaranteed at least 40k (teacher) and the potential for advancement if you go the college route. But the caveat is the 100K student loan debt. How much more can I relate to this decision making process than I could at age 12? I remember my mom ALWAYS took the college route and encouraged me to do so, too. In college, you do things like "Spring Break in Florida" for 5k (!!!) and miss a turn for exams. Then comes post-college...engagement, marriage, buying a house. Then babies, the opportunity to go back to school OR have a baby (guess which i chose?), upgrades on the house and car, vacations, private school and college for the kids, more vacations and "dreams" like sponsoring an art show or having a family portrait painted. Amusingly, along the way, are opportunities to sue another player for $100k. Sometimes you win, sometimes they have a card that exempts them. You get to the end, maybe have grandkids, and retire. he with the most toys wins.

What a clever game.

Even crazier -- the fact that I just stumbled across a holiday photo album of three girls that I went to SECOND GRADE WITH on facebook. amazing that I remember this. One of them actually goes/went to my current school and lived within a mile of me...I lied to our teacher in second grade and said that I knew where she lived and would take her homework over when she was sick. I did not, in fact, know where she lived. Now she is on facebook drinking beer.

Monday, January 19, 2009

its a beautiful life

oh ohoh...cue Ace of Base. Why is MLK weekend always so much fun? Last night went to Seggafredo and Set...started talking to some random, ended up having him pay for our cab ride home, got in my bed, he slept on the floor, I woke up and the apartment was trashed and there was food everywhere and he was gone...my camera is MIA too. there were tons of cute guys out last night and it was just a really fun, random night as they have been lately. I'm in a good mindset for it. I know how I get...go really hard for awhile, wear out, get depressed, chill. repeat.

i feel like every weekend of the semester is already taken up with something...its just coming and going so fast and then there is graduation and Bar study -- YUCK!!!!

le sigh. time for yoga.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Leaving law school, joining the circus

Roomie and I just went to Ringling Bros. circus. It was awesome, and left me wondering what kind of person decides to up and join the circus, how the heck they transport all the animals and equipment, where the creativity and inspiration for such an amazing production comes from, the history of circuses in general, and how it all comes together.

The animals are incredible...elephants, tigers, dogs, white ponies, the black stallion....the costumes are beautiful...again, I wonder where the inspiration comes from...i think my favorite is the trapeze or the contortionists...makes me definitely want to hit up yoga tomorrow...

this all follows an amazing South Beach night...I had dinner at the new Morgans hotel at Asia de Cuba...great food, better people watching. Then we went to China Grill for some drinks and the new Fountainbleu for dancing...we were bored and deciding against spending 15 a pop on drinks and walking out the door when some guy offered us his bottle and table since he was leaving. the night just got so much better -- somewhere to sit, our own space, and free drinks! We chatted with the guy and his friends for a bit and then they left...we wandered around dancing, etc. I met a hot brazillian soccer player and danced with him...saw a big group of Workie's friends and one of them very nearly crossing the line with a girl not his girlfriend. Not to judge, but he always seemed like such a sweet, innocent guy and to see that happening was a reality check that you are the company you keep. BUt of course it was the club and everyone was wasted...but THEN when I was talking him he kept grabbing my ass. I was quite shocked. I tried to get info about Workie out of him since he was so obliterated, but to no avail.

We left the club and roomie and i randomly started talking to some guys who said they were from Switzerland...we decided to join them for breakfast and get advice about life from someone who's been there. They were cool -- I love meeting people like that and ahving random, fun conversations. I think they got wierded out by one of our friens who happened to be at the same restaurant and was being obnoxious towards us...they split and we finally rolled home around 7 am. ridiculous...old enough to know better, but still too young to care :)

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

so much to do

so little time. shaping up to be a busy weekend... my first ENGAGEMENT PARTY...friends who just got engaged after 3.5 months of dating....when it's love, it's love, and my relationships tend to fizzle about that time. But WOW. that's just craziness. What's the rush? Anyway so there's that...then some other party downtown...Friday night dinner at Asia de Cuba and Saturday open at this point...either Shakespeare in the Park and/or the circus (yeahhaaahh) and Sunday dinner party or Shakespeare.

I felt like a housewife today. Had coffee with Mich, lunch with work friends, cleaned house, went to yoga, and generally had a great day. Now I am antsy to go out but wtf I guess I have no one to go out with AND i know I should save energy and sanity for the weekend which promises to be busy.

School? yeah...still trying to figure out my schedule but shaping up to be cool...

Went to Tobacco Road today...hands down the BEST pulled pork sandwich in Miami. Amazing. Sketchy, seedy, wooden, stale, busy, ancient and amazing.

Monday, January 12, 2009

first day of the last semester of law school


bummer...i guess....i am relishing every day...sleeping til 9 30, working out for an hour and a half, cooking nice meals for myself, painting, reading, golfing, beaching...yes, this is law school. i DO like structure and i enjoyed working...but this is the last five months of my life of this greatness, and i am seizing every day.

Monday, January 5, 2009

i just spent

an hour discussing my bar trip....over wine and mole...with my madre. I want to do Thailand. I want to sit on a beach, ride an elephant, I want to experience the far east. I want to lay in a hammock, watch the waves crash, get $20 happy ending specials, and look forward to the rest of my life as a lawyer.

I'm having issues about the companionship. While we are talking, I'm watching marijuana references on family guy and become torn between spending 2-3 amazing weeks experiencing my mother vs. 2-3 amazing weeks experiencing my friends and/or my self, and the different worlds that those involve. They can be polar opposite at times, but i know who and what is truly there for me.

I have felt so good being at home. I am loved, I am not judged. Even though the Hawaii trip with Mr. D has fallen through, I came clean with my parents. Rather than ranting and raving at me, my mom dug through her closet to find beach clothes that I could wear. I have spent the last 4-5 years thinking they would ex-communicate me if they knew that a (now 42) year old man was a recipient of my affections.

The same with S... I saw him and even though I broke up with him all those years ago, it felt so comfortable and so normal and so "college" to be with him. I wasn't shy...I was myself...

So basically I don't know what all of these circumstances are telling me...(oh, and not to mention the compelling read "Of Human Bondage" and all the thoughts it has stirring...thanks for the reference Paradox)...Life is so ugly and it is so beautiful all at once...when you realize how vulgar and terrible it is and how many layers lie before you...how low you can get and how impossible it seems...then something beautiful comes up and suprises you....freshly fallen snow or a raging fire in the fireplace or the look of an old friend...when the idealism of youth wears off and you are left standing with things that matter...when you realize that honesty is the best policy and produces the best dividends....when you realize there are some things about yourself that will never change...when you realize that at the end of the day you have no one else to answer to but yourself...when you realize that people around you feel the same ways that you do...but that is so hard to believe or accept...when you realize the beautiful paths that are placed before you...

sigh...this may be the first year it is hard for me to leave home. i am truly excited to be back in the sun and on the beach...but this has been an incredible, introspective trip home to the deep Southwest This was a great read....amazing how the human tradition trancends generations.

yay!


I just registered for a Spanish class for the semester. Great resume builder, a good excuse for more travel to Spanish countries, something great for my self, and an embrace of my local culture!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Recap

Some years I make them, some years I don't. Whether I make them or not, there are few that I have kept. I hesitate to even look at last years' so as not to disappoint myself but I suppose I should.

I always like to do a re-cap of the previous year...what happened...explore how things changed for me.

January: I feel like I was very strong this month. I went through a break up at the end of 2007, so a new start in 2008 was amazing timing and I felt great...I had my health back...I owned my life, 2L year was good as far as grades go, and I was back on the Mr. A high. (remembered how I felt about seeing him New Years 08 from reading my old blog from then just now...) Chili cook-off was in January too...always a great time. Went to New York for Roomie reunion 2008...

February: Was another good month. There was Daytona 500, probably being depressed on Valentine's day, ran into Lawyer at the Pink Party..kicked him in the shin...got it out...went full circle on that train ride.

March: Went to Berlin and Prague...amazing. There was winter music conference... days in the pool with Lawyer...school...tax...

April: summed up by Barristers Ball and the dream/nightmare of C and Key West that followed for a month or so after and resulted in one of the (so far) most influential and educational and traumatic experiences of my life.

May: Always defined by exams...this time also by a violent, heart-wrentching break-up and wasted vacation. Started my job at The Firm...got my first taste of that whole (beautiful) world.

June: Working...meeting work guy...L.A. for the wedding and seeing A. Some talking to Joe...meeting people outside of law school...wait, there IS life out there!....concerts

July: Working...trip to D.C. which confused me more than anything else that resulted from it...more work guy and Joe...slipping into that comfort....concerts...Brooks and Dunn...amazing....

August: Started amazingly with the retreat...sigh...those were happy days...rolling in the sheets, talking, being so sure and unsure of the future all at once...

September: Again, defined by an amazing trip. Peru!

October: Turning 25. I swear, this happened and I hit an awful downturn for the next few months. I think some other factors (absence of Workie) contributed...but whatever...mom's visit...

November: going through the motions by this point....Wine country -- awesome and amzing but bittersweet wake-up call of my ability to convince myself of something that is not. Pre-exam period sucks...Home for Thanksgiving... always nice...

December: day in day out in the library, then straight home. Phoenix with the parents, awesome Christmas...and Vegas for New Years...

2008 was a good year...I feel like there were two or three periods of ecstacy, followed by periods of devastating low-ness. Fortunately for me, 2009 has started on a high note and I feel great, after the past few months of being down in the dumps. This year is a huge one for me in terms of professional change and development...i KNOW that I am at a great place in my life and I am excited to see what the year has to offer.