on the road (not kerouac)

i've essentially been away from my home for a month and a half. i now call Berkeley home. I've been living out of a suitcase for most of the summer and it's been the best summer ever.

For two weeks around the fourth of July I was couchsurfing in LA, meeting up with my lovely friends who call socal home. It was simply incredible, getting up one day and heading on that adventure, figuring it all out as I go.

My brother and I are on the road right now, roadtripping. Dallas, New Orleans, Savannah, Charleston, Richmond/Yorktown, Monticello, Gettysburg, Washington DC, Buffalo/Niagara Falls are the cities we've hit thus far. Art, monuments, American history, landscapes, reading, moving, diners, old friends, rain.

Here is my list thus far of cities and museums I've gone to thus far, mostly because I like making lists:
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Texas
Sixth Floor Museum-JFK, Dallas Texas
National D-Day Museum, New Orleans Louisiana
Voodoo Museum, New Orleans Louisiana
Savannah History Museum, Savannah Georgia
Davenport House Museum, Savannah Georgia
Charleston Museum, Charleston South Carolina
Joseph Manigault House, Charleston South Carolina
Middleton Plantation, Charleston South Carolina
Monticello and Thomas Jefferson's Plantation, Monticello Virginia
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
National History Museum, Washington DC
Freer-Sackler Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC
Every monument DC has to offer, except Teddy Roosevelt
National Civil War Museum, Gettysburg Virginia
National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown New York
Niagara Falls

I love museums. and American history.

nostalgia

I couldn't sleep. I'm moving out tommorrow, and I think thats why. Nostalgia, anxiety, blah blah human emotions.

So instead of tossing and turning, I got up, went to my laptop, and spontaneously began the application process for the Peace Corps even though I haven't thought about it in months.

The more I watch my college graduate friends struggle to find the jobs they want (graduates of University of California, Berkeley by the way hnyuh nuh nuhhh) the less optimistic I become about finding a job next January. Because they're actually brilliant, have solid GPAs, activities, work etc. The strongest thing I could potentially put on my resume is "College Activities and Self-reflection activities connoisseur." I am great at everything, even doing nothing.

I'll go back to Plan A. Which was originally Plan 8675309, but whatever. That's only because I've changed my mind frequently in my adult life. I'd like to blame it on my prefrontal cortex finishing its development.

Berkeley is my new love. In May I was somewhat sad that I wasn't graduating and walking and saying goodbye to it, but now it feels so wonderful to be here in this city. Especially since I get to say hello to it again in a month, after my USA roadtrip with my brother. I've only got three more classes and then I'm done with both of my generally useless majors.

If only I had done something practical like majored in business, or gotten on a pre-med track for math/science back in middle school... maybe then my career path would be clearer. Catch the sarcasm, please, I know I'm bad at intonation.

"I will collect you, and capture you."

The other day my brother was driving around and we were listening to the 80s channel on his satellite radio. A charming old song came on: Obsession by Animotion. Yeah, who remembers that? As with most eighties songs nobody remembers the band names, but most people will recognize an eighties song if they hear it.

I looked up this song on YouTube and found the original music video. It is the most hilarious thing I have seen in a very long time. I love it so much that I have decided to list all the reasons why I think it is so great. As if the lyrics weren’t ridiculous enough, the video is also outrageous.

In no particular order, here are some of the highlights of this music video.
1. The video begins with a jester’s costumed foot tapping to the music.
2. A dance move in which each arm is snapped to both the left and right can be seen repeatedly by both lead singers.
3. Near the beginning, the male singer has a dance move which consists of banging one closed fist into his open hand, which ceases quickly.
4. That dance move involving the rolling of the shoulders.
5. Random shots of the “shiekh” turning one brow upwards.
6. How convincing the lead singer man is as “Spartan warrior” – especially when he claims to refuse to accept defeat with his puny sword.
7. Gratuitous shots of the band members playing their instruments while a variety of characters writhe on top of a bed.
8. Spartan costumed guy cannot tap his foot to the beat of his own song.
9. The look of danger in the female singer’s face when she sings the lyrics about “seeing danger.”
10. All of a sudden a guy in a blue astronaut’s costume is slithering around while lying on top of a made bed.
11. The lyrics are amazing. Especially the logical refrains such as “You protest / You want to leave / Stay / Oh, there’s no alternative.”
12. Jester costume man begins drumming on everything in the garden while Sparta and an unidentified ninja/jedi swordfight and Cleopatra looks bored while Shiekh stares at her like a creeper.
13. Her face is very convincing of the fact that she WILL have you.
14. The camera zooms in and out of Astronaut’s mouth.
15. His shoulderpads.
16. Male lead singer’s fake smile/change of expression when he sings “My fantasy has turned to madness / and all my goodness / has turned to badness.”
17. Everybody’s hair is great.
18. Aviator costume randomly appearing on female lead singer.
19. Blue eyeshadow.
20. Tight red leather pants upon the keyboardist’s body, whose face is never seen.
21. Each of the band members make stupid faces when playing their instruments.
22. In the last ten seconds, all that is seen is the costumes hanging without their previous bodies occupying them, ooh!

food-random

Food is probably the thing I think about the most. What did I eat last, what am I gonna eat next. Most of the time I'm not even hungry. I anticipate foods.

Anyways, for the first time in a long time, I have felt boredom. My summer days consist of friend phone-tag, gym, eat/drink-ing, and reading. Lots of reading, in fact. I'd watch more movies but a lot of my monies go to the activity of eating. Summer is amazing. I have plans to take myself on a date soon. It'll be cute.

I've been thinking a lot lately about memories, hurt, flaws and dreams.

The only indecisive conclusion being this: I have no idea what I want. I might think I know, then the next month that idea can be turned around completely. This doesn't scare me, it feels familiar.

I'm going to get some almond-milk boba tea, read, and people-watch.

summation

"The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for."
-Oscar Wilde

progress?

I am a work in progress.

I just feel the need to declare that, to throw that out into the world.

MTV's The Hills

Yesterday I had a long day of working out, meetings with friends, looking at apartments, going to classes, eating, etc.

I came home around 7:45 really excited because I have a fridge full of fresh fruits and veggies. Nothing is more relaxing than coming home and steaming broccoli for dinner.

Thus I steamed my organic broccoli. I dumped about half a cup of garbanzo beans onto my beautiful blue plate (from Urban Outfitters, artsy, i know.) One hard boiled egg was peeled and placed beside it.

Broccoli takes forever for me to steam for some reason. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.

I gather up my plate full of glorious goodies, salt and pepper, and sit down at my laptop. Now, what will I do with my time while consuming these delicious things?

I googled MTV's The Hills because its Tuesday and the new episode just aired last night. When it loads with the dramatic music I get kind of excited. Giddy, if you will.

Absolutely nothing of consequence ever happens on this show. Nobody on this show says anything or does anything remotely interesting. Nothing happens! But I still get this stupid grin.

I don't think it is because those girls are beautiful or rich. Perhaps I enjoy it just because it is so vapid, in a lovely way. What, Lauren and company are in need of a new place to live? Poof, next episode the gang moves into a beautiful house. Who pays for that damn house? I know those intern girls cannot be making that much money, right? There are so many questions! Why? How??

Words fail.