i almost wish...

...i didn't love traveling so much. well, not that i would love it less, but that there was something less expensive that i loved as intensely.

i went to san francisco this weekend, and got back late last night (sunday). i went for a social work research conference, but had a good amount of time to explore a bit. i went alone, which i actually really loved. i'm coming to learn that traveling is something i find really calming. i think appreciate the opportunity to be out of control--as in, there are much less demands on my time, and i have very little control of it. so, i'm able to take everything in, meet new people, see/hear/smell/taste new things, and not feel as though i should be spending my time on "more productive" things.

also, when traveling, i am MUCH better at recording my thoughts--even the smallest and seemingly insignificant. so, here are some of the highlights and thoughts i jotted in my journal, planner, or conference booklet over the weekend.

--the el (train) on the way to the airport in chicago at 5am smelled overwhelmingly like expensive cheese. but, in a really, really bad way.

--i've found that EVERY time i fly, during take-off, i lean forward and contract my abs to get a little ab workout. this is 100% my mother's doing. i remember her telling me to do it the first time i ever flew, and i've done it ever since. and i think of her every time. thanks mom!

--my hotel was in the heart of chinatown! it was great. here's a picture:


--the conference was downtown, in the financial district, near the pier. it was beautiful, but i saw more brand-label stores, banks, and coffee shops than i have EVER seen jammed in one area. ever.


--the conference itself was pretty great. it was a forum to present research papers, so it was extremely academic, but the topics were also extremely interesting. as far as i know, i was the only masters-level student there, all the rest being doctoral students or phds. i went to presentations on research about: adolescent alcohol use in chile (!), low-income housing in chicago, post-traumatic stress related to natural disasters and terrorism, latino day laborers, and welfare policy, among others. and the hotel where the conference was held was unbelievably gorgeous. which was an uncomfortable contrast, for me at least, with the pretty crazy number of homeless people--young and old--right outside. the hotel:


--friday night, i explored a neighborhood called haight ashbury that was really great. lots of interesting people, great art, amazing thrift and music stores. here's one of my favorite pictures i took while walking around there:


--saturday, during my lunch break from the conference i went to a great farmers market down by the bay. there were street performers, great produce, and lots of joy. i'm tired of posting pictures on here, so i'll put the rest on facebook later that you can see if you'd like.

--saturday night i explored chinatown a bit more. it was pretty touristy, but that was to be expected. it was still great.

--sunday, after the conference, i headed home. i would have loved to spend some more time there.

i had intentions of writing more, but since i start classes tomorrow and am getting pretty tired now, i'm not going to. i'll put up the pictures soon, and captions will undoubtedly be included. i think everyone that may possibly read this is on facebook, so you'll know when i do.

peace!

things i'm loving.

ok, clearly i didn't do too well at the 31 days in december thing. but, it definitely reminded me to be constantly aware of the beautiful things around me, which is always good.

here are some things i'm currently loving:

--music by passion pit, especially the song "little secrets." i'm unable to hear it without dancing.

--the last couple books i've been reading. i finished "naked" by david sedaris over christmas and loved it. i then read "what is the what" by dave eggars. it was really great as well. it inspired a lot of specific thoughts about not only the world and the ways it (doesn't) work, but what it means to be human as well. i'd love to discuss more with you, if you want. call or email! now i'm reading 'eating animals' by jonathan safran foer. it's really great too. it's definitely re-affirming my decision to be a vegetarian, but i'd love to hear the thoughts after reading it of someone that isn't. anyone read it? i'm not sure which book is next. i have a big stack on my desk.

--the show 'entourage.' i've never really watched it before, but i've been watching a few episodes the last couple days, and it's pretty great. it's no '30 rock' or 'the wire,' but it's good.

--fader magazine. i got a subscription for christmas, and i've been devouring the first couple magazines. they've led me to do the following: watch some really funny videos online, most involving zach gallifinakis, explore and listen to some new artists, work on some new art projects of my own, and watch old 'yo mtv raps' videos on youtube, especially of wu tang clan. any magazine that inspires all that is a pretty good one by me.

--yoga. i've been doing some after working out the last week or so, and it's been really great.



please feel free to comment with something you're currently loving!

peace.

days 18 and 19.

day 18.

an incredibly peaceful moment last night, listening to good music, drinking good wine, and surrounded by good people.

last night, i went to a venue that i haven't been to in a while, but used to go often during my freshman and sophomore years. my good friend katie was playing a show there, so a few of us went to listen. at one point, while katie was playing, i had this intense moment of nostalgia. i started thinking about when i met katie, over four years ago, and how we've both changed since then. then, i began thinking about who else was around the table, and how we've all changed in that time. i also started thinking about who wasn't around the table, friends that had moved and started new lives elsewhere. and so i began thinking about where we, those of us around the table, might be in 4 more years. it would be altogether possible that not only are we not all in the same city, but that we are not all in the same country. it was as if i was feeling nostalgia not just for the past, but for the future as well.

as the night went on, with the wet snow falling outside, another musician played after katie. he was very good also, and did a cover of the song 'blood bank' by bon iver. and the entire night seemed to come together, at least in reflecting the moment i just described, when he sang the line, "ain't that just like present? to be showin' up like this?" i've been thinking about time a lot lately, and that line really expressed how i was feeling at that moment.

it also made me think of the vonnegut quote written to the side --> that i've written about before here. actually, i think it was the way i began this blog, almost 2 years ago exactly.

day 19.

this song: christmas light by keegan dewitt and the sparrows

busted. day 17. and a few others.

so, i've officially been called out by three people now, which is what i told myself it would take before i would jump back on the wagon here. why do i always start things during finals week that i don't really want to finish? and why have i been busier in the past couple weeks than i was during the semester? life.

well, i'm going to start with today and then write a bunch of other beautiful things from the past couple weeks. i'm not going to number them because i don't want to be limited either way.

day 17: while i was working as a corporate gift-wrapper today in the suburbs (i know, i know), we were listening to a 24/7 christmas radio station (again, it's been a long day), and a song came on that immediately brought me back to 8th grade show choir, when i sang that song. it was such a fun moment of immediately jumping to that time in my life: short, blond hair, lots of sequins and blush, and the belief that this was a really, really important thing. oh, nostalgia.

other things:
--on one of my last days around loyola, i went up in the afternoon to this big ballroom in one of the buildings that is used for big events, where there is a piano. it's a huge room, with an amazing view, but closing my eyes and playing for a while gave me a short time to completely escape within myself.
--sufjan christmas music!!! especially the song 'sister winter.'
--i had a couple nights last week where i just turned up the radiator, poured a glass of wine, and read on the couch. it was beautiful and restful
--seeing old friends--i got to go visit my friend anna last week and it was lovely to feel so comfortable with her. i also spent time with a couple of the girls i studied abroad with last night, which was great as well.
--making new friends--i have met some really cool people in the last couple weeks, which has been really refreshing.
--i just finished the book "holidays on ice" by david sedaris. it has kept me laughing over the past few days of consumerism madness.
--i've watched a few great movies recently: 'no country for old men,' 'city of god,' 'mala educacion,' 'vicky cristina barcelona,' and 'food, inc.' i really enjoyed all of them for very distinct reasons.

okay, i feel like my brain is a mush of poinsettia-patterned paper, green and red ribbons, discussions of the intricate politics of one's daughter's cheerleading squad (i shit you not), all to the soundtrack of 'carol of the bells.'

i promise to try to me a little bit more faithful to this, most of the time.

peace.

day five.

emailing in my last final for the semester and spending the evening celebrating with amazing friends. few things make me happier.

day four.

this quote, from the book Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo:

"Scarcely does one see Africa's (elected) officials or those African policymakers charged with the development portfolio offer an opinion on what should be done, or what might actually work to save the continent from its regression. This very important responsibility has, for all intents and purposes, and to the bewilderment and chargrin of many an African, been left to musicians who reside outside Africa. One disastrous consequence of this has been that honest, critical and serious dialogue and debate on the merits and demerits of aid have atrophied. As one critic of the aid model remarked, 'my voice can't compete with an electric guitar'.

day three.

a kid at the y, probably 10 or 11, with what i wouldn't call a kool-aid "moustache" so much as a kool-aid "clown's mouth." it was quite amazing. seriously, i wish i could have seen him drink that juice. it must have been a show.