To Do:

- Stay overnight in the Chateau Frontenac, Montreal, QC.

- Swim in a natural hot spring in Reykjavik, Iceland.

* - Eat french fries at Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Brasserie, NYC.

- Eat dinner in La Tour Eiffel.

- See Macbeth performed at the Globe Theatre, London.

- Buy a matroyshka doll in Moscow, Russia.

- Visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.

- Visit a Ganesh temple in Mumbai, India.

- Become internally and mindfully gorgeous. (work in progress)

moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!moving!

i told you to be patient

(...skinny love)

Today, I am older.

In the last year i have:

sustained and lost (and gained in innumerable ways)

graduated college

been accepted into grad school

made great friends, re-built bridges

gained much confidence

read in the area of 50+ books

made many people happy with my delicious treats

got promoted at work

This year I will:

Work hard in grad school.

Always aim higher at work.

Move into an apartment and be an amazing hostess.

Get a quarter sleeve tattoo.

Obtain a different position at work.

Always keep looking forward.

Keep a positive attitude, hard and unnatural as it may be.

Go to Europe.

Take more photos.

rocking the Roc

I decided I needed a quick change of scenery and quickly realized that I had many to visit in Rochester. Last night was amazing, full of woodchuck, Ithaca, "gines," "gitzes," "gitzing on gines," and plenty of re-hashing of the past. Purchased some gorgeous blueberries at the Rochester farmer's market - and already have some whole wheat muffins in the oven.

Tattoo appointment made for July 30 - Mike at Cowpok seems really excited to work on my design so for that, I am thankful.

Is it time for grad school yet?! I miss Canisius - and I know I'm an idiot for this.

(i) can do better than (you), but (you) can't do better than me

Who really knows what happens in one's consciousness on the cusp of a new beginning, or how revelations are processed and placed. 

What I do know for certain is that my blinders are off and my eyes are wide open and willing to take this in. A new beginning, a new chance to see and learn what had been hidden before.

This is the summer of festivals, of living, and of control.

Bon Iver - Skinny Love

A Writer at War

A Writer at War: A Soviet Journalist with the Red Army was at first, approximately the driest book i'd ever read. I can't really be bothered with minute details of war and battles - they keep my attention for a few pages and then i don't remember them anyways. Towards the end of the compilation of news articles, however, there was a chapter entitled Treblinka. Based mainly on testimonies from Holocaust survivors found in the area, the chapter is rich with repulsive details about SS officers and the methods of killing they employed. It made me think about the Holocaust and how we learn about it objectively - not necessarily in conjunction with WWII but more so just a bad event that happened. It also made me wonder if genocides in Tibet and Darfur will be taught in schools further down the line. 

-- Go Sabres! 2-0 so far, people are jumping back on the bandwagon quicker than you can say Stanley Cup Contenders. 

-- Back to school and work tomorrow - how depressing. These few days off have been great, minus the Mark vs. John paper, Buddhist Ethics paper, and U.S.S.R paper...