Realized today that I couldn't remember the URL for my blog. My goal in leaving it alone for so long was to avoid thinking of life in blog post updates and to refrain from putting my whole life on the internet, and I think I have succeeded in both. Rereading these entries just now brought back good memories, though, and made me realize I do like having a record of my day-to-day life and what seems important at any given time. We'll see about going forward, but for a moment let's look back...here are all of the entries I've started and haven't finished in the past 2 years. It's not a bad summary:
4/28/09
just sent an email to jon and quentin that had zero introduction, just two words in the subject line and a link in the body. just hit me that maybe
8/11/09
OPINIONATED
while having a get-to-know-you conversation recently, i realized i'm not one to express opinions. my philosophy towards everything is the same as my philosophy towards pandora radio stations -- i certainly like certain songs best but i never formally "dislike" something because i'm afraid of the opportunities that will close off. in pandora i might miss an amazing new song, in life i might miss a new friend or a new understanding.
10/25/09
i love LA
i wanted my last saturday to be a spectacular celebration of life in southern california. knew just who to call. what am i going to do for adventures in minnesota when nikki isn't there?? (followed by "[IMAGE]" 22 times)
11/23/09
bought a car today! a 2010 silver honda fit. i wondered if i would feel really happy or really excited when i signed all of the papers, but i found that i just felt like i was renting another car, except this one was really expensive. i also felt like i really don't care about cars and wish i could spend that money on something like a trip around the world or presents for everyone i know or a month of really really good dinners.
12/25/09
2010
1. Read 26 books
2. Follow the news and have opinions
3. Feel healthy
4. Refuse boredom
1/28/10
i read catcher in the rye last summer for the first time. i didn't quite get it, i don't think. maybe i read it too old. maybe i was too happy of a teenager, and i had a hard time relating. regardless, i enjoyed it. i love that other people love it. i love that melissa loves salinger. and i love that i was able to read at least one of his books while he was still alive. i don't know why that means anything to me, but it does. to have read salinger, vonnegut, classics already by the time i got to them but
3/14/10
muchness
i saw alice in wonderland last week. i liked it. didn't love it -- i've never been a fan of obvious computer animation that doesn't fit with the feel of the movie (thumbs up for the jabberwocky scene and for the hare, thumbs down for tweedle dee&dum and the hatter's dance) -- but really liked it. one line hit me (and the rest of the blogging world, apparently) hard: when the hatter accused alice of losing her muchness.
i am thinking back to when i was in elementary school. i regularly wore three soccer socks in seasonally relevant colors lined up on each leg like ice cream scoops. i claimed to strangers and friends that i was an alien and that i came from lima, peru. my friends and i scheduled time daily for pretending we were animals. bryanna and i played on my swingset nearly everyday, turning that small collection of pipes and swings into wild horses galloping through fields, hammocks out by the lazy river, beds of straw in the barn loft, sickbeds and deathbeds, stages for victories over enemies, disease, society, and expectations. i cared about whether i did my best in school. i thought i was good at everything: acting, running, dancing, academics, poetry, everything. i chased ariel around the field with silverware. i shouted and sang all the time.
not all things have changed. i am still me. but i think if you compared us -- little lauren and 2010 lauren -- you'd notice something was gone. the given assumption that i am 1000% comfortable in my skin. that over-the-top, ridiculous, individual presence. my weirdness. my muchness.
i'm trying to remember when my friends and i first started valuing normalcy in others. middle school i guess. everyone tamed their individuality while emphasizing how well they fit in. now i'm afraid that i couldn't access that part of me again if i tried. which i haven't. but if i did.
10/14/10
oh hello
ha! remember this?
sometime between the time i last updated and the time i would have updated again, it finally dawned on me that maybe the old people are right: having your life on the internet isn't the greatest thing in the world. not that i write anything here that is scandalous or even very interesting, but anytime i started typing in this window i'd think "ehhh" and stop. UNTIL TODAY!!!!
today the topic is: current events
i don't have tv now and i usually only read/skim the most popular articles on nytimes.com, which have increasingly become op-ed columnists about politicians and random health-related arcitles, which means i am completely out of the loop on real, actual-events-are-happening-in-the-actual-world news. so the first time i heard about these chilean miners was maybe a week ago when a friend had a link to this infographic in his gchat status. i was like, "oh neat...WAIT, this is real??" after gathering from several facebook statuses that the miners were being rescued last night, i searched and searched until i found a website with a live news stream (cnn.com, who would have guessed?) and watched the 29th, 30th, and 33rd miners come out of the ground.
i was struck by how HAPPY everyone was. obviously the people being rescued and their families and their rescuers were happy, but everyone, everywhere was happy. everyone, everywhere was watching. i, the apathetic self-absorbed american youth without a news channel, found a way and the time to watch. i
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, December 27, 2009
never done this before
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
spend time in LA, stand at the front of a rock concert (hello okgo!!!!), drive a car in new york city, pay rent
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
if i had any i don't remember them, but i plan to make ones for 2010
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
cousins! we're not especially close, but they (and their babies!) are family :)
4. Did anyone close to you die?
yes
5. What countries did you visit?
egypt, italy, and all corners of the USA (florida, massachusetts, indiana, minnesota, nevada, utah, arizona, california, new york, and new jersey)
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
a budget
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
no dates stick out, but there are several days that i will remember forever
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
living by the advice i heard from jenny: "you'll have the money later but you won't have the time."
9. What was your biggest failure?
not keeping up with new friends after moving away, not keeping up with old friends even when they make an effort to stay in touch
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
nothing beyond the normal scrapes and bruises. 18 months of work with zero sick days!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
S+G concert tickets for sure :) :) :) :) second place: magic lamp from egyptian market
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
amy for working hard to be valedictorian, getting into awesome colleges, being brave going so far away all alone, and having an amazing first quarter at dartmouth
nikki -- i love how nikki prioritizes people and experiences over comfort and convenience. i hope my whole life can be like this summer.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
every new infidelity scandal. people and politicians that refuse to respect the other side.
14. Where did most of your money go?
travel and a car
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
living in boston again, living in southern california again, seeing rome and visiting muriel, amazing trips to new york city, simon and garfunkel concert
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
every paul simon song, especially the boxer, late in the evening, 59th street bridge, scarborough fair, and the obvious child
Compared to this time last year, are you:
17. Thinner or fatter?
fatter?
18. Richer or poorer?
about the same -- the car cost all the money i made
19. What do you wish you'd done more of?
making the most of the places i actually lived (salem, fulllerton, minneapolis)
20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
wasting time at work
21. How will you be spending Christmas?
spent it at home and playing bananagrams! wonderful
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
no
24. What was your favorite TV program?
the office was the only show i made an effort to watch. but thanks to reruns and dvds i discovered how i met your mother, dr. who, house, and arrested development season 2
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
of course not
26. What was the best book you read?
i really liked the time traveler's wife! and world war z, although it creeped me out.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
simon and garfunkel -- you can trace it from early january when i bought the concert in central park from newbury comics for $5 to late october when i flew across the country to see them live (and all the different CDs on endless repeat in between)
28. What did you want and get?
a chance to wean myself from harvard life, a wonderful long-term living situation, to see my sister's graduation
29. What did you want and not get?
a job in california
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
so many super great movies + venues to choose from! discovering the $3 theater with star trek, my first made-for-3D movie with up, sitting on top of the camry with time traveler's wife, crazy awesome retro theater with 500 days of summer, subtitled italian movie theater with harry potter, hollywood cemetery "theater" with some like it hot, avatar (at krikorian hey!!!), but i think the best day by far was SUPER AMAZING CHINESE THEATER with astro boy!!!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
23! marching band casino night fundraiser. the whole house sang to me.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
becoming a great cook
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
default pants have finally graduated from sweats to jeans
34. What kept you sane?
neha's jpmm!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
? ...paul simon?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
the inauguration
37. Who did you miss?
ifp friends, blockmates, harvard mormons, new friends in fullerton, and family, as i moved away from each of them in turn
38. Who was the best new person you met?
the harvard ldssa freshmen and my friends in the fullerton 10th ward!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
double-check your departure time, tell someone else what time you're leaving, then check it again
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
life is an adventure!
spend time in LA, stand at the front of a rock concert (hello okgo!!!!), drive a car in new york city, pay rent
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
if i had any i don't remember them, but i plan to make ones for 2010
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
cousins! we're not especially close, but they (and their babies!) are family :)
4. Did anyone close to you die?
yes
5. What countries did you visit?
egypt, italy, and all corners of the USA (florida, massachusetts, indiana, minnesota, nevada, utah, arizona, california, new york, and new jersey)
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
a budget
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
no dates stick out, but there are several days that i will remember forever
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
living by the advice i heard from jenny: "you'll have the money later but you won't have the time."
9. What was your biggest failure?
not keeping up with new friends after moving away, not keeping up with old friends even when they make an effort to stay in touch
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
nothing beyond the normal scrapes and bruises. 18 months of work with zero sick days!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
S+G concert tickets for sure :) :) :) :) second place: magic lamp from egyptian market
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
amy for working hard to be valedictorian, getting into awesome colleges, being brave going so far away all alone, and having an amazing first quarter at dartmouth
nikki -- i love how nikki prioritizes people and experiences over comfort and convenience. i hope my whole life can be like this summer.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
every new infidelity scandal. people and politicians that refuse to respect the other side.
14. Where did most of your money go?
travel and a car
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
living in boston again, living in southern california again, seeing rome and visiting muriel, amazing trips to new york city, simon and garfunkel concert
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
every paul simon song, especially the boxer, late in the evening, 59th street bridge, scarborough fair, and the obvious child
Compared to this time last year, are you:
17. Thinner or fatter?
fatter?
18. Richer or poorer?
about the same -- the car cost all the money i made
19. What do you wish you'd done more of?
making the most of the places i actually lived (salem, fulllerton, minneapolis)
20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
wasting time at work
21. How will you be spending Christmas?
spent it at home and playing bananagrams! wonderful
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
no
24. What was your favorite TV program?
the office was the only show i made an effort to watch. but thanks to reruns and dvds i discovered how i met your mother, dr. who, house, and arrested development season 2
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
of course not
26. What was the best book you read?
i really liked the time traveler's wife! and world war z, although it creeped me out.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
simon and garfunkel -- you can trace it from early january when i bought the concert in central park from newbury comics for $5 to late october when i flew across the country to see them live (and all the different CDs on endless repeat in between)
28. What did you want and get?
a chance to wean myself from harvard life, a wonderful long-term living situation, to see my sister's graduation
29. What did you want and not get?
a job in california
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
so many super great movies + venues to choose from! discovering the $3 theater with star trek, my first made-for-3D movie with up, sitting on top of the camry with time traveler's wife, crazy awesome retro theater with 500 days of summer, subtitled italian movie theater with harry potter, hollywood cemetery "theater" with some like it hot, avatar (at krikorian hey!!!), but i think the best day by far was SUPER AMAZING CHINESE THEATER with astro boy!!!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
23! marching band casino night fundraiser. the whole house sang to me.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
becoming a great cook
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
default pants have finally graduated from sweats to jeans
34. What kept you sane?
neha's jpmm!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
? ...paul simon?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
the inauguration
37. Who did you miss?
ifp friends, blockmates, harvard mormons, new friends in fullerton, and family, as i moved away from each of them in turn
38. Who was the best new person you met?
the harvard ldssa freshmen and my friends in the fullerton 10th ward!
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
double-check your departure time, tell someone else what time you're leaving, then check it again
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
life is an adventure!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
the gods envy us
i just finished watching the movie troy on tv (LOVE dvr) and...it left me upset and disconcerted. i thought i would really like it since i love ancient rome/greece and inspiring battle cries, but when it finished i mostly felt mad that so many brave, loyal, good good people died for (mostly one individual's) pride and greed. maybe this was the point -- war is not glamorous, war is heartbreaking, war is terrible, war can be unnecessary, war is the thoughts and feelings of few affecting the lives and families of millions. everyone on every side is human and everyone on every side has someone who loves them. maybe i'm glad all war movies are rated R and i haven't seen them. i don't know if i could handle a story about people that actually existed and that could have been my grandfather and his friends.
today was a big day. went to a couple of estate sales and goodwill, chipped in for our christmas tree, a glass pie pan, and lots of cheap picture frames. i'm excited to start decorating my walls! also today i finally went into the dealership and picked a car to buy -- i'm going to get a honda fit, and assuming they're both still there on monday, i'll need to choose between black and silver. it turns out car shopping, as a process, is much less fun than i imagined. it's mostly worrying about whether you're getting the best deal and being on guard in case you're being cheated. i hate the feeling that you're not allowed to trust someone and treat them how you feel they should be treated. that happened in cairo -- a person would start helping you and you'd want to say thanks and accept, but if you did he'd start asking for or demanding a tip, following you, not leaving you alone unless you adamantly ignored him and made it clear you are no longer acknowledging his existence. it felt terrible. i had similar feelings talking to the car salesman. i had been warned by several sources: don't give him any details about yourself. don't tell him whether you're there to buy today. it's okay to ignore his questions. he's trying to wring the most money out of you he can, don't trust him, don't feel sorry for him, don't be fooled by him. it was my least favorite part of the car buying process by far.
BUT, that part is generally over, and i'm glad i'll have a car soon. i'm more glad that amy's coming in less than FOUR DAYS and that my roommates are fantastic and our house is wonderful and i have a challenging yet possible task to complete at work and i get to pretend i'm still in school because i need to (re)learn how to program in scheme and that i have wonderful blockmates whom i still love and who still love me even though we've been living apart for a year and a half (almost). i miss summer adventures, but so far, minnesota hasn't been so bad. turns out life is good wherever you go :)
today was a big day. went to a couple of estate sales and goodwill, chipped in for our christmas tree, a glass pie pan, and lots of cheap picture frames. i'm excited to start decorating my walls! also today i finally went into the dealership and picked a car to buy -- i'm going to get a honda fit, and assuming they're both still there on monday, i'll need to choose between black and silver. it turns out car shopping, as a process, is much less fun than i imagined. it's mostly worrying about whether you're getting the best deal and being on guard in case you're being cheated. i hate the feeling that you're not allowed to trust someone and treat them how you feel they should be treated. that happened in cairo -- a person would start helping you and you'd want to say thanks and accept, but if you did he'd start asking for or demanding a tip, following you, not leaving you alone unless you adamantly ignored him and made it clear you are no longer acknowledging his existence. it felt terrible. i had similar feelings talking to the car salesman. i had been warned by several sources: don't give him any details about yourself. don't tell him whether you're there to buy today. it's okay to ignore his questions. he's trying to wring the most money out of you he can, don't trust him, don't feel sorry for him, don't be fooled by him. it was my least favorite part of the car buying process by far.
BUT, that part is generally over, and i'm glad i'll have a car soon. i'm more glad that amy's coming in less than FOUR DAYS and that my roommates are fantastic and our house is wonderful and i have a challenging yet possible task to complete at work and i get to pretend i'm still in school because i need to (re)learn how to program in scheme and that i have wonderful blockmates whom i still love and who still love me even though we've been living apart for a year and a half (almost). i miss summer adventures, but so far, minnesota hasn't been so bad. turns out life is good wherever you go :)
Monday, October 12, 2009
i'm freezing
it's 64 degrees outside and 70 degrees inside and i'm freezing. ready for minnesota FAIL.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
can i just say
that i love it when people are passionate about their interests?
http://biscuitrecipes.org/
http://biscuitrecipes.org/
Sunday, June 28, 2009
will actually update someday
until about 30 seconds ago i thought keane and kanye west were the same person.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
weirded out
just realized the VHS band facebook group has been taken over by people who were in the band 20-30 years ago. crazy!! maybe they remember the beefeater tunics...
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