10 things of 2010

Around this time, I have noticed that in lieu of New Year's Resolution Lists, more and more people have started writing Favorite Moments Lists. I am totally a fan of this: why waste your time thinking about the future? Lose ten pounds, think positively, volunteer more often, stop being mean to your sister....yadayadayada. We rush into the new year before it even gets here, never stopping to reflect on what will soon be no longer! I mean, 2010's gonna be gone forever-what better way to remember it then by...writing a list..?

Rather than naming this the "TOP TEN" moments of my 2010, I will leave 2010 with simply, "10 Really Nice Moments of 2010." These may not be the best moments of my past year, but they were certainly, well, nice.

10 Really Nice Moments of 2010

1. The Accent's 30th Reunion Concert

On the day before my 22nd birthday, the Accents, my acapella group at Skidmore, held a 30th reunion concert. AKA, freshman accents to senior citizen accents...ages 20-200 (roughly), singing songs together that go back decades. A powerhouse of women on stage.

And then partying with their babies as the clock struck midnight and I turned 22.

2. Finishing my Anthro Senior Sem Paper

I spent a majority of my spring semester slaving over my thesis paper for anthropology, which was on analyzing rhythm in Ghanaian music and showing how it reflects and reproduces rhythms in their daily lives. After a million hours of classes, workshops, library sesh's, mental breakdowns, and looping a twenty-second clip of a funeral drum sequence, I was finally DONE. I was on the second floor of the library in a window seat, and finally compiled a portfolio with my thesis, three other papers I had written, a reflection piece, and my resume. I clicked send, did a little happy dance in my cubicle, and walked home. I took a nap.

3. Graduating with the right name

I gradated from college. That was pretty cool. But walking across stage and hearing "Schwecherl" pronounced correctly was even more cool.

4)Waking up in the Rockies.

Just look at this picture. This was me and Nic's first night camping on our road trip, and we were greeted by a wonderful mountain chill in June as we woke up. The dry chill, the smell of moss and dirt, the peaks surrounding me: I felt incredibly at peace.

5. Driving into Arches National Park

Okay, now look at this picture.

Imagine driving and then all of a sudden seeing this in the distance? And as you continue turning bends, you keep seeing more arches and fins popping up in the distance? Totally natural, yet completely surreal. I cried. Yep. This shit is beautiful.

6) A trip to Florida to visit my grandma

I had a little mother-daughter-daughter action this summer as well; my mom and I flew (by ourselves!!) to visit my grandma in Florida. We went to the grocery store for my gma atleast three times to buy her wine. We shopped, went out to eat, and sat around talking for hours. We also went to the beach and took this picture. It was so lovely.

7) Getting an internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art

Desparate to have ANY sort of job/internship that reflected my four hard (and expensive) years at college, I was thrilled when I finally found out I landed an internship at the NMAfA. I had to wait about two weeks after I "thought" I had it...and was in Vermont with my parents when I was finally given confirmation. The position meant more than an internship- it also meant moving to DC and starting a new life. It didn't take me long to realize that my supervisor was horrible and the bureaucracy inside the museum's walls disheartening; I quit less than two months later. But still, I'm in DC! And that moment when I got the call was definitely.."nice," which is why it is on my "nice moments" list.

8) Seeing Sufjan Stevens live.

Sufjan, are you there? Will you marry me? It's okay that we haven't met, for I'm sure we'll get along just fine for the rest of our lives. By the way, I heard you perform at the Beacon Theatre this past November. You were marvelous. I love you. And, just so ya know, "I do." -Laura

9) A walk in the snow

Just yesterday, I was walking from Brooklyn toward to L train to get to Manhattan; here is the aftermath of the east coast's "White Christmas." I walked by McCarren Park in Greenpoint and fell in love all over again with the snow. It was crunching under my feet as the sun kept me comfortably warm. I was listening to something cute on my ipod. This moment was also when I decided to make this list, so I figured I had to include it.

10) A new adventure

This final "nice" moment is something that happened today. I officially found out that I am going on another adventure across America. Instead of hiking, I will be singing. I'll keep you posted...

I'm off to go ski and greet 2011 up in Vermont. If all goes well, this trip might make it to my "Top Ten Pleasant Experiences of 2011" list. We shall see..

merry merry

Merry Christmas All! I have a little down time between gift opening/breakfast eating/mimosa drinking at home and dinner eating/cocktail drinking/christmas conversation and cheer at a family friend's house, so I figured I would give a shout out to the ol' blog world on Jesus's big day.

My parents, brother and I have had a lovely morning. In fact, my time at home has been extremely relaxing, comfortable, and stressless. I arrived home Tuesday morning, at 1:30 am to be exact. My friend dropped me off in Brooklyn where I so peacefully woke my brother up and crashed on his futon for five hours so he could get to his office breakfast on Long Island by 7:15. No matter-my mom picked me up and we had a glorious breakfast at Sweet Mama's before I rightfully passed out in my bed until the sun was setting.

Since home, I'm finding that some things never change. Charlie, my cat, is the same ol odd furball. He can't really meow since his voicebox is all screwed up, but his appetite has grown recently. Sooo, he gives it all he has to get us to hear his pleas for food. Result? He sort of sounds like a possessed demon cat; how adorable, right? When he finally gets his food, he immediately throws it up, then immediately begs for more. Like I said, some things never change.

I've been seeing some friends from home, I plan on going into the city a few times, and I'm looking forward to a serene New Years up in Vermont to go skiing and get my fill of New England air before I head back to the Mid-Atlantic.

But, back to Christmas morning. My dad and I were in charge of breakfast: I made a carmelized banana and pumpkin baked oatmeal, and he made baked eggs n cheese. Of course there was bacon. I also bought a bottle of Andre for mimosas, since I am constantly striving to be classy.

I came away with wonderful things, as always. Some things of note: see that picture of the Colorado rockies on the top of this blog? Yeah, I took that picture, and yeah, my brother printed it for me so I can hang it in my bedroom in DC. How awesome! In lieu of some very nice clothes, I also received a sack of grits, an exotic chicken calendar, perfume (to hopefully attract a fine gentleman), and a calvin klein bra (incase the perfume works...KIDDING)...

I was excited to give my fam their gifts as well: my dad: software that transfers VHS to DVD (we have a ton of great home videos), my mom: a moose papertowel holder and adirondack-bear placemates for our new kitchen (I swear it's cooler than it sounds), and my brother: an LP for his new record player and the world's largest crossword puzzle. Think I'm kidding?

I also received this t-shirt. Watch out world:

Hope everyone has a wonderful day......merry merry merry!

Just my luck

I had another one of those "really?" moments the other day. I was minding my own business in the grocery store when my phone rang; a mysterious (301) number was calling. "Hello, this is 'so n so' from =++===+ Corporation in Washington D.C. Are you still interested in our research position?" I couldn't hear the name of the organization, or the person who was calling, but I was so thrown off that I said yes to an interview time, got the address, and figured I could work backwards to see who had just called me.

After some detective work, I found out it was the Valbin Corporation, and vaguely remembered sending in an application in October. Now, I try to research every company I apply to; I stopped writing form cover letters and really have improved my abilities to incorporate my knowledge of the organization into my every plea for employment. Yet, I guess I missed the mark on this one. I looked up their blurb on idealist, and here is the description of the organization:

Valbin Corporation is devoted to international development and cross-cultural understanding around the world. Valbin achieves its mission by providing foreign language and cultural training services in over 60 languages to non profit organization, government agencies and the private sector.

Sounds right up my alley, no? I probably skimmed their regular website before putting some sort of letter together, attaching my resume, hitting send, and picturing my email being hidden among a thousand others in overflowing inboxes.

Yet, alas! Two months later and I get a call while in aisle 6! Could this possibly be my big break?

I went to their website, and was caught offguard. I read their mission statement, which was worded, shall I say, slightly different from idealist's?:

Valbin’s Mission Readiness Support Services (MRS) has the capacity to provide Foreign Language Speakers (FLS), Civilian Role Players (CRP), cultural experts, Subject Matter Experts (SME), and experienced project personnel to support military training exercises that maximize training effectiveness and soldier readiness for changing cultural environments. Among the many Foreign Language Speakers provided by MRS are speakers of Iraqi Arabic, Pashto, Urdu, Farsi, and Albanian.

Okay. Military. Maybe this isn't so bad. It doesn't sound too terrible. I mean, soliders need to be ready to adapt to new cultural surroundings--something I've been interested in and have studied for years. Maybe I can be a part of some sort of change; I can teach them about cultural relativsm and emic points of view! Who knows. It's a job, and maybe they're not all about the military.

Then I saw this:

Download Role Player Application Form Here for Army Simulation Exercises with the Mission Readiness Support Center of Valbin Corporation.

Army simulation? That kind of scares me. But no, let me do a google search, and give this company one more try. Alas, my favorite:

Seeking Amputees for Army Exercise (Ft. Irwin, CA(San Bernardino County))

VALBIN Corporation is HIRING!
Hiring: Amputee Casualty Role Players for Army simulation exercises at Ft. Irwin, CA (in San Bernardino county- between Death Valley and the Mojave National Preserve).

Applicants must be 18 years of age or older, have a clean background check & credit score, and be physically fit to operate long hours in all types of weather. Amputee Role Players will portray insurgents.
Schedule: Up to 12 hours per day, with work beginning in late October 2010.

This here was the icing to the cake. No matter what pay, benefits, or knowledge I'd gain, I know that I never want to work for a compnay that hires amputee role players-even if they have good credit scores.

--

In other news, a Christmas tree was just lit in my hood.

Roofs

Roofs follow me everywhere. For this I am lucky, because I have an infinite love for them. I thought there was nothing cooler than a house with roof access; I remember excitingly stumbling to my neighbor James's house once in the middle of the night when I was a kid to go on his roof and watch a meteor shower. I wasn't just on a roof...I was on top of the world!

Since then, my roof experiences have multiplied. The roof of my hostel in Ghana was a place where our friends would watch the sunset, eat piles of rice, and do illicit drugs (kidding?). My room in my brownstone apartment in Saratoga had roof access as well. It's where I met a boyfriend, where I watched 4th of July fireworks, and where I tanned naked.

So with great pleasure, I realized this morning that it took me exactly two months and two days to see that I, once again, have roof access from my bedroom. I look out this window every morning; I shut the blinds at night. Still, STILL, for whatever reason..I never angled my eyeballs just slightly down to see that if I popped open the screen, I could walk out on the roof:

Now, I want you to click the picture. Do you see anything out of the ordinary? Look especially hard on the left. Yes..yess....it is SNOW!

I am a sucker for winter. I love it. Autumn beats out winter only slightly as far as favorite seasons go, and only because I appreciate the extra hour or two of sunlight. Still, I have met more than a few people in my time that loathe the winter. And you know what I say to them? LAME SAUCE. Suck it up-- the cold weather is one deep, refreshing breath of mouthwash. Twenty degrees gives you an excuse to lay in a fetal position next to a fire, hold a hot beverage of choice at all times, and wear ridiculous furry hats with floppy ears. Topography permitted, you can go skiing. You get to experience the birth of a new year, and lie to yourself (for about a week) that you will fulfill all of these life-changing resolutions. For many, winter means a week off from school or work. Some, even a month. It means holiday dinners, baileys in coffee, and wool socks. Winter rules.

It's been particularly cold here in DC- colder than NY from what I've read. And let me tell you- people "down" here are more southern than mid-atlantic blooded. I can sympathize; the thirty degree temps really feel like the teens with the nasty wind chill we've been experiencing. But still...people talk as if we are experiencing a new ice age. I worked a shift at my restaurant the other night and made maaaybe thirty bucks. "People don't want to leave their homes," said my GM. Really? It's so cold that you'd rather STARVE than walk ten feet to your car to drive and get dinner? Humph.

Maybe I have an air of pretension in me, since I repeatedly survived the brisk, Saratoga winters that had us students slaving to class in temperatures below 10 degrees. And maybe I just enjoy saying, "oh c'mon this isn't bad...I've only 30 degrees." A kind stranger inadvertently shut me up the other night though, as we talked degrees over a glass of wine at a bar by my house. "Even if someone is used to colder temperatures, it's still fucking cold out, and it's not comfortable." She was totally right. I sped walked home. I was cold.

Kundalini

Hello world. Sorry these blog posts have become more infrequent. Maybe it's because, like the rest of the world, I'm super busy. Or perhaps all I really do seven days a week is sit around and stare at walls, with the occasional inhale and exhale. You may never really know!

In any case, one of those "ah, these things always seem to happen to me" happened today. I tend to get myself into situations where with retrospect they are pretty amusing, but in the moment they really, really suck. I've gotten so used to them though that I am able to start laughing at myself in the moment, if only to make the present situation more tolerable. Let me explain.

I've now become a common-goer at the gym, yet I usually just stick to what I've been doing for the last eight or so years--run. My muscle memory has become so insane that I can just space out on a treadmill for 5 or 6 miles and not really get tired. I'm not trying to gloat--if anything, this is a bad thing. You are supposed to push yourself at the gym. For me though, I really like feeling extra comfortable, which I guess defeats the purpose. But I just love to space out.

To challenge myself a bit, I decided to try a new machine today. I went over to the stair-master. The stair-master always seemed fun; you get to be physically higher up than everyone else in the gym AND you get to walk up your own mini staircase! How cute! I got on the thing and decided to give it a twenty minute trial "climb."

Holy bajeezus. I barely made it through the twenty minutes, and I had sweat POURING off my body. (I never understood the stories of people meeting significant others at the gym; the only thing I was attracting was fruit flies). I apparently walked up the equivalent of 50 million flights of stairs, which I guess was kinda cool. But still--so painful.

I hobbled off my mini stairs and pondered what to do next. I had only been at the gym for twenty minutes, so I didn't feel like turning around and walking home. I saw that a yoga class was about to begin, and figured a nice session of stretching, meditation, and balancing my arms out as an extension of my heart (or whatever they say) would be a nice recovery from my climbing mayhem.

Well, woops. Turns out I walked into a Kundalini class, which at the time meant nearly nothing to me. We started off breathing and stretching, and I felt wonderful. Then we started doing some mantra chants, which were nice. I felt peaceful. All good things.

Then my teacher started to explain how Kundalini is a consolidation of the hardest physical, mental, and spiritual yoga in the hierarchy of yogas. Apparently, some people get so in the "zone" that their spirits whisk away and they die. Great.

I wasn't too afraid of the mental thing, because my mind can nevvvver just focus on my breath (during the first meditation session I was only thinking I WANT A SANDWICH). Still, the physical part is what got me. I found myself on all fours, punching at the air, relieving toxins in my body, and quickly breathing in and out of my nose. My legs were forced in extension periods for way too long--my arms unhappily moving this way and that. It was painful. It was exhausting. Everyone in the room was sweating. I hadn't stopped. Mantra chats were all around me and I was becoming delirious. "Inhale Peace, Exhale Love!" chanted my teacher. What? I was inhaling "hate" and exhaling "shit this sucks so much, I really want a sandwich."

In an hour, it was over. I ran out of the studio. I went home. I ate my sandwich.