2009

I know. I’ve been horrible and negligent to my blog. My excuses: finals & winter break. Between studying & family, I haven’t had much available time to update. But here I am now! Since tomorrow is New Years Eve, I’ve found myself reflecting on the past year, as I’m sure many others are as well. It’s been tough- more challenging, heartbreaking and difficult than probably any other year of my life & I’ll be glad to see it pass. However, keeping that in mind, I think I’ve learned more about myself & what I do/don’t want in my life in this year than any other previous one. For that, I’m thankful.

I’ve composed a list of things, observations & ideas that I’ve learned and want to remember from this year. I can’t wait to see how 2010 adds to it and transforms the things already present on my list.

• Just because the chips might be whole grain and the cheese is a source of calcium, nachos are still not a healthy snack.
• Secondhand books are just as good as brand-new ones. Maybe better.
• Your intuition is with you for a reason. Trust it & it will serve you well.
• If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then take 1,000 pictures & more. Leave yourself & others with as many thoughts and memories as you can.
• Yes, for you and most other people, your waist size is bigger than it was in high school. It’s supposed to be like that so stop obsessing. (but please, stay healthy.)
• When you watch your younger siblings have an attitude & act like little punks, you may say “GOSH, I would never have talked/acted like that.”…. Oooohhhh, yes you did.
• People make enough of their own excuses. There’s no need for you to make more for them.
• Getting a tattoo, lip piercing & drastic new haircut all within a couple months of each other causes people to think you’re trying to make some kind of statement or undergoing some kind of transformation. Cool it. (& no, I wasn’t trying to do either of those things!)
• People will only change for themselves & if they want to. Nothing you say or do is going to change someone’s ways. LET ME REPEAT & CLARIFY: YOU CAN’T MAKE YOUR BF/GF CHANGE. PEOPLE ONLY CHANGE FOR THEMSELVES!!
• Does it come with age? Because I’ll never understand how an older person can pour a glass of scotch or sip on straight vodka and not gag.
• New Moon is just as good the 2nd time around… & the 3rd…
• Forgiveness may be divine, but sometimes forgetting is just too damn hard.
• The closer I am to graduating college, the more I am considering joining the Peace Corps & it excites me.
• There is no elegant-looking purse for going to a social gathering that’s big enough to carry around my big ol’ Nikon.
• Facebook chat is and always will be the worst instant messaging program ever.
• Go to New York City. Once you’re there, walk everywhere & find places you love that DON’T have the publicity & big names. Once you’ve done that, then of course go to Rockafellar Center, Ellis Island, etc. (& by the way, hailing my first cab was even more thrilling for me than I thought it would be!)
• Online window shopping is almost as good as actually buying the stuff you’re looking at. Just remember to X out of that window before you give them your credit card number.
• Your ex is your ex for a reason. (This goes back to people only changing for themselves) That doesn’t mean, though, that after time, patience & a lot of self-pampering & loving, that you can’t become friends.
• You can only say ‘yes‘ to favors for so many people before you have to stop and say ‘yes’ to yourself. I’m still trying to learn this one.
• Bolthouse Farms drinks have some sort of addictive drug in them.
• Don’t think that cars are watching out for you & your bicycle. Even in Marquette.
• According to Stuff White People Like, I’m probably one of the whitest people ever.
• My heritage is German. That doesn’t make me a Nazi, people.
• No matter how much it sucks, any music sounds a little bit better after a couple gin & tonics.
• I still want a lemur.
• No matter what, 2010 HAS to be a great year because of all that I can apply to my life that I’ve learned in this long year.
• For gosh sakes, guys, BE NICE TO PEOPLE & TREAT OTHERS THE SAME WAY YOU WISH TO BE TREATED!

It runs in my blood

Let’s just cut to the chase- my Uncle Craig is seriously one of the coolest people on this planet. You think I’m joking or making a crazy exaggeration, but I’m not. A quick and less-than-thorough rundown of his life: graduated high school & joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1980, met & married my awesome Aunt Sue, had 2 of the greatest cousins I could ever ask for, Dana & Ryan, worked at the U.S. Embassy in Venezuala for a really long time, retired from the Coast Guard but still works I dunno… like 3 jobs? One of them puts him over in Abu Dhabi for a couple weeks every month. Like I said, definitely not thorough, but you get the idea.

He got me my first hookah (which I named Aaminah, meaning ‘lady of peace & harmony’) from Abu Dhabi, which I’m totally in love with. Oh and here’s my favorite part: he’s an amazing photographer. I’m starting to think this hobby runs in the family! He’s gotten into a lot of hdr photography and if you want to see some really stunning pictures of his time he spends in Abu Dhabi, visit his photography blog: http://craigcorlphotography.blogspot.com/. The best part about his blog is that he gives you advice for improving your own photography & shares with you all of his awesome experiences. Seriously, camel races?!! That’s not something that most of us get to see everyday. I urge you to check it out. Whether you like taking your own pictures or not, you’ll be amazed at everything you see on his blog. (He’s also got a wicked sense of humor which makes the reading even more fun.)

Meanwhile, I’m stuck here in Marquette, which is no U.A.E. and I’ve got a few projects, presentations & papers due in the next 3 days. Thank you, blog, for providing me with another unnecessary distraction. Now I get to go hunt down a friend who’d like to be my next portrait victim for this mock art review presentation that I have due on Wednesday. I’m seeing a lot of caffeinated beverages in my immediate future.

Want to see my first, lame attempt at hdr?! please don’t judge too harshly- I just sat my camera on the table surface and shot what was already there. It’s no sweet landscape but the moment I read about it, I wanted to try it out.

so lame in comparison to uncle craig, but i had to start somewhere!