In 2 days, I will be leaving Farmville for the third time. Then, in August, I will return one final time to wrap up my fourth year. Wow. How did it all go by so fast? I remember moving in that very first August. I felt like I was coming to summer camp. And indeed, for those first few days, it felt like summer camp for semi-adults with the planned activities during the day and kegs and solo cups at night. Of course, that time only lasted for a few day and I was quickly reminded that I was here to learn. So for the past 3 years, that's what I've (mostly) been doing. But I learned much more than the courses that I enrolled in. I really grew up these past three years. I made decisions freshman year that I would never make now. I learned from mistakes, I gained friends, lost friends, kept friends. I got more and more comfortable with Longwood, and now I'm kind of sad to leave for the summer.
It's bittersweet that I'll be starting my senior year in the fall. In some ways I wish I could just graduate already and continue with nursing school so I can learn things I know I'll use and be able to have a job and be a real person. But then I think of the responsibilities that come with being a real adult, and not an adult-in-training, the way I think of myself now. Well either way I guess I'll find out in a year.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Twenty-one
So today begins the day that I become obsessed with my upcoming birthday on Wednesday. I learned on my 18th birthday that your birthday is always as big as what you make it. I went all out with my 18th birthday by going to lunch at my favorite restaurant with 25 of my closest friends, back to my house for cake, and then getting my belly button pierced and visiting a sex toy shop before dinner with my parents and then going to a club. That was a good day.
My 19th and 20th birthdays were a little less climactic. Especially with a Virginia Tech shooting happening just a few days before my 19th birthday and being an RA the following year, partying was minimal. Well, for my 21st, all of that will change. I have so much planned starting on the actual birthday, Wednesday the 22nd. I'm trying my best to get all of my work done before then, but unfortunately I can't concentrate because I just keep thinking of the fun things I will do and how I can plan for them.
I can't wait to celebrate the last birthday I'll ever be excited for with all of my good friends.
My 19th and 20th birthdays were a little less climactic. Especially with a Virginia Tech shooting happening just a few days before my 19th birthday and being an RA the following year, partying was minimal. Well, for my 21st, all of that will change. I have so much planned starting on the actual birthday, Wednesday the 22nd. I'm trying my best to get all of my work done before then, but unfortunately I can't concentrate because I just keep thinking of the fun things I will do and how I can plan for them.
I can't wait to celebrate the last birthday I'll ever be excited for with all of my good friends.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Wicked
I've always been a fan of musicals. The first songs I ever remember singing were from the Phantom of the Opera cassette tape my dad played continuously in his car. My sister and I would sing our lungs out (she always made me be the boy though - maybe that's why my voice is so severely alto now) while my dad drove us to school, ballet practice, and piano lessons. So I guess it was no surprise that when we went to New York in elementary school, Phantom of the Opera was the first show I saw (followed by Cats the next night... which was equally spectacular). As much as I loved singing to that cassette, seeing the show was so much better (even though I knew the whole story by heart by this point).
Since then, I've seen plenty of stage performances and even became involved in the theatre department of my high school. I love everything about musicals. The singing, dancing, story line. I love the fact that it's all happening right in front of my face. I love that so many little things have to go right or the entire production is doomed. I love that it takes so many tens of people to create a show for my viewing pleasure. While I appreciate all of these things in every show, Wicked blew me out of the water the first time I saw it.
It was my senior year in high school during my winter break, and even though I was about 15 minutes late (damn DC traffic), at that December matinee in the Kennedy Center in our nation's capital, I was blown away. I was awed by the costumes and scenery, blown away by the singing and acting, and choked up at the end of the first act (ok I actually bawled my eyes out).
Since then, I've been waiting for the traveling show to bless Virginia (or really anywhere vaguely nearby) with its presence. Unfortunately, with my strict class schedule and the fact that Wicked's shows generally sell out within hours, this has been a difficult task. However, on May 16 in Norfolk, I will be seeing this show again with my roommate and friend Megan. I absolutely can't wait.
It will be fun to see it while knowing the ending, story, and music even better than before. Also, it's always interesting to see a different cast. The last time I went, I was with my mom, sister, and 2 friends. So this time, it will be nice to not have the stress of traveling with so many people. What a great event to look forward to.
Since then, I've seen plenty of stage performances and even became involved in the theatre department of my high school. I love everything about musicals. The singing, dancing, story line. I love the fact that it's all happening right in front of my face. I love that so many little things have to go right or the entire production is doomed. I love that it takes so many tens of people to create a show for my viewing pleasure. While I appreciate all of these things in every show, Wicked blew me out of the water the first time I saw it.
It was my senior year in high school during my winter break, and even though I was about 15 minutes late (damn DC traffic), at that December matinee in the Kennedy Center in our nation's capital, I was blown away. I was awed by the costumes and scenery, blown away by the singing and acting, and choked up at the end of the first act (ok I actually bawled my eyes out).
Since then, I've been waiting for the traveling show to bless Virginia (or really anywhere vaguely nearby) with its presence. Unfortunately, with my strict class schedule and the fact that Wicked's shows generally sell out within hours, this has been a difficult task. However, on May 16 in Norfolk, I will be seeing this show again with my roommate and friend Megan. I absolutely can't wait.
It will be fun to see it while knowing the ending, story, and music even better than before. Also, it's always interesting to see a different cast. The last time I went, I was with my mom, sister, and 2 friends. So this time, it will be nice to not have the stress of traveling with so many people. What a great event to look forward to.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Me? A runner?
So I've taken up running. I never thought I would actually choose to exhaust myself like this, and I made a promise to myself after I ran the mile senior year of high school that I would never do it again.
Well, I lied.
About a week ago I started running, and in that short amount of time, I can feel myself getting addicted. In that time I've gone from not being able to run half a mile without stopping to running over a mile fairly easily without stopping. I understand that for those of you who are "runners," this seems like something simple. However, for someone like me who has tried and failed at it before, this is unbelievable.
I guess I can thank Mallory for all of this. After seeing her over Spring Break and seeing how incredible she looked, I asked her how the hell she was looking so good. Her answer? "I started running." Granted, she started running months ago, but she has the same body type as me and asthma on top of that, so if she can run 6 miles without stopping after a few months of running, I knew I could do it too.
So I did. And it sucked at first. But the next day I did it again. Then again. Then again.
I'm hoping to run to and around Wilke's lake by the end of the semester. I'm glad my roommates run too, because once I start feeling more comfortable with longer distances, it would be nice to have a running partner or two. Maybe next year I'll even run the 6 miles to Hampden-Sydney like they do... but for right now I'll just continue to be elated that I ran over a mile without stopping for the first time in my life, and I did it two days in a row.
I wonder how far I'll go tomorrow.
Well, I lied.
About a week ago I started running, and in that short amount of time, I can feel myself getting addicted. In that time I've gone from not being able to run half a mile without stopping to running over a mile fairly easily without stopping. I understand that for those of you who are "runners," this seems like something simple. However, for someone like me who has tried and failed at it before, this is unbelievable.
I guess I can thank Mallory for all of this. After seeing her over Spring Break and seeing how incredible she looked, I asked her how the hell she was looking so good. Her answer? "I started running." Granted, she started running months ago, but she has the same body type as me and asthma on top of that, so if she can run 6 miles without stopping after a few months of running, I knew I could do it too.
So I did. And it sucked at first. But the next day I did it again. Then again. Then again.
I'm hoping to run to and around Wilke's lake by the end of the semester. I'm glad my roommates run too, because once I start feeling more comfortable with longer distances, it would be nice to have a running partner or two. Maybe next year I'll even run the 6 miles to Hampden-Sydney like they do... but for right now I'll just continue to be elated that I ran over a mile without stopping for the first time in my life, and I did it two days in a row.
I wonder how far I'll go tomorrow.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Something is bound to go wrong
So I had a great day today.
For one, I just had an entire week of nothing, but not enough nothing where I was completely bored. I bonded with my family, caught up with several different friends, slept late, and watched a lot of TV. Big difference from the previous week of needing to know every bit of information about every muscle in the human body, memorizing chemical structures, debating abortion in a correct way, and regurgitating a foreign language that I think I have actually only tricked myself into thinking I know. Yes. 4 midterms. A midterm in every class. I really deserved that week of nothing. This was also the first long break since I started going to college that I didn't work. It was glorious.
Anyway, I went to Wal-mart with Megan this evening, which I usually don't look forward to (especially since it was the Sunday after a break so EVERYONE would be there stocking up on food and supplies after trying to go through everyone before the break). Also, I always spend WAY too much there. I think because everything there costs about a dollar, I seem to forget that it really adds up when I throw random things into the cart. Usually once at the checkout line, I quickly figure out about how much money it will be to prepare myself so I don't puke all over the cashier when she tells me how much I owe to this thriving store of everything. My guess for how much money I've spent is usually about $20 less than what I actually owe, which is very depressing. But not today.
Today, after throwing lots of food and other things into my cart, I prepared myself for a $50 check. But it was only $35. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how swell my life has been going lately. I'll list exactly what I mean.
1) Things have never been better with my family. I think I've decided a week is the perfect amount of time to spend at home. You're there long enough to have plenty of time to bond, but you aren't there long enough for them to revert to their instinctual controlling and judging parental nature that they learned to do when their children were in high school.
2) I have a boyfriend who cares as much about me as I care about him (which, I've come to learn is actually not as common as you might think). We appreciate every second together since going to colleges 70 miles from each other has limited how often we'd like to see each other. After a year and a half, we've also reached the point in our relationship where we're entirely comfortable being apart, but being together is just perfection.
3) I have a lot of really great friends. I have a very different relationship with each of my roommates, and I appreciate them all equally. We may not have deep conversations everyday and we mostly just giggle together, but our loyalty to each other is astounding, and I'll never forget that. I'm also very lucky to have a strong group of friends that has for the most part stayed the same since high school. My best friend, Alli, falls into this group. Without her, I don't know how I would survive. We give each other deep advice and she's always the first person I turn to when I need a boost of confidence or loyalty. No wonder we're dating identical twins. Sometimes it just hits me out of the blue that I'm a junior in college and still best friends with the same group of people from high school. I don't think many people can say that.
4) I'm turning 21 in a little over a month. I'm having a fun party and then 2 other "celebrations." I learned a long time ago that a birthday is only as big as you make it. I'm not an attention whore, but I can't wait to celebrate my birthday with everyone I care about.
5) I'm seeing Wicked in 2 months with Megan. I've seen this show before and I listen to the soundtrack often. Even though I know the story backwards and forwards, I can guarantee that I will burst into tears at the end of the first act during "Defying Gravity." And I can't wait.
6) As I've mentioned before, Europe for the month of July.
7) Then senior year! Unfortunately, it won't be like high school where the final year of school is just breezing through classes. No, it will be the dreaded Biochemistry among other horrific classes. But the point is, I'll be one year away from graduating and starting a new chapter of my life.
The point is, with so much wonderful stuff happening and nothing to dread, I'm deathly afraid that something catastrophic will happen. I always psyche myself out for things like this, but things are really just too good right now. I can only hope they stay that way.
For one, I just had an entire week of nothing, but not enough nothing where I was completely bored. I bonded with my family, caught up with several different friends, slept late, and watched a lot of TV. Big difference from the previous week of needing to know every bit of information about every muscle in the human body, memorizing chemical structures, debating abortion in a correct way, and regurgitating a foreign language that I think I have actually only tricked myself into thinking I know. Yes. 4 midterms. A midterm in every class. I really deserved that week of nothing. This was also the first long break since I started going to college that I didn't work. It was glorious.
Anyway, I went to Wal-mart with Megan this evening, which I usually don't look forward to (especially since it was the Sunday after a break so EVERYONE would be there stocking up on food and supplies after trying to go through everyone before the break). Also, I always spend WAY too much there. I think because everything there costs about a dollar, I seem to forget that it really adds up when I throw random things into the cart. Usually once at the checkout line, I quickly figure out about how much money it will be to prepare myself so I don't puke all over the cashier when she tells me how much I owe to this thriving store of everything. My guess for how much money I've spent is usually about $20 less than what I actually owe, which is very depressing. But not today.
Today, after throwing lots of food and other things into my cart, I prepared myself for a $50 check. But it was only $35. It wasn't until that moment that I realized how swell my life has been going lately. I'll list exactly what I mean.
1) Things have never been better with my family. I think I've decided a week is the perfect amount of time to spend at home. You're there long enough to have plenty of time to bond, but you aren't there long enough for them to revert to their instinctual controlling and judging parental nature that they learned to do when their children were in high school.
2) I have a boyfriend who cares as much about me as I care about him (which, I've come to learn is actually not as common as you might think). We appreciate every second together since going to colleges 70 miles from each other has limited how often we'd like to see each other. After a year and a half, we've also reached the point in our relationship where we're entirely comfortable being apart, but being together is just perfection.
3) I have a lot of really great friends. I have a very different relationship with each of my roommates, and I appreciate them all equally. We may not have deep conversations everyday and we mostly just giggle together, but our loyalty to each other is astounding, and I'll never forget that. I'm also very lucky to have a strong group of friends that has for the most part stayed the same since high school. My best friend, Alli, falls into this group. Without her, I don't know how I would survive. We give each other deep advice and she's always the first person I turn to when I need a boost of confidence or loyalty. No wonder we're dating identical twins. Sometimes it just hits me out of the blue that I'm a junior in college and still best friends with the same group of people from high school. I don't think many people can say that.
4) I'm turning 21 in a little over a month. I'm having a fun party and then 2 other "celebrations." I learned a long time ago that a birthday is only as big as you make it. I'm not an attention whore, but I can't wait to celebrate my birthday with everyone I care about.
5) I'm seeing Wicked in 2 months with Megan. I've seen this show before and I listen to the soundtrack often. Even though I know the story backwards and forwards, I can guarantee that I will burst into tears at the end of the first act during "Defying Gravity." And I can't wait.
6) As I've mentioned before, Europe for the month of July.
7) Then senior year! Unfortunately, it won't be like high school where the final year of school is just breezing through classes. No, it will be the dreaded Biochemistry among other horrific classes. But the point is, I'll be one year away from graduating and starting a new chapter of my life.
The point is, with so much wonderful stuff happening and nothing to dread, I'm deathly afraid that something catastrophic will happen. I always psyche myself out for things like this, but things are really just too good right now. I can only hope they stay that way.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Snow snow snow
So today is the first snow day of the school year. It's March. It's also the first snow day since I've been at Longwood. I'm a junior. This is all very strange. But yesterday afternoon when I went outside with Raquel to play, I felt like a child again, even though I haven't experienced a snow day in probably about 5 years. I immediately got the urge to run, make a mess, build a snow man, make a snow angel, and start a snowball fight. What is it about snow that brings out the child in us?
I guess, for me, it goes back to the Blizzard of 1996. I lived in Lynchburg at the bottom of a big hill and I was out of school for what felt like an eternity. I remember walking down my driveway with my dad while the inches of snow went halfway up my calf and spilled into my purple snow boots. Snow days were pretty crazy around my house. My dad would usually have work, so he would have to drive to the top of our big hill the night before the snow to make sure he could get to work in the morning. After my sister and I woke up, we would hurriedly eat some breakfast and wait impatiently for Mom to put our snow clothes on. I could never zip up my coat because I would put my mittens on first. Half an hour and about 18 layers of clothes later, Betsy and I would make a mess of the beautiful snow that had fallen on our front yard. We were all about the sledding.
During that blizzard in 1996, we had the best sled run. It started in my next door neighbor's front yard and started out fast. It went all the way down their yard, across a ditch (filled with snow), across our driveway and sidewalk to the front door, and ended on the other side of our house. Every snowfall after that, I tried to recreate that run, but I never could again.
When I was ready to come inside (which was often, since I don't like the cold), my dependable mother was waiting at the door to strip me of my wet clothes, throw them in the dryer, and dutifully serve me hot chocolate while she started the hot bath. She knew an hour later, after my clothes were dry, I would be ready to go back out and she would have to do it all again.
When I was older and in a bigger neighborhood in Richmond, snow days were more social. In sixth grade, my mother dropped me off in her four-wheel-drive at the top of Jenny's hill. Jenny also lived on a hill, except the incline started at her front door and went down towards her street. We had a lot of fun that year. Making snow angels, starting snow ball fights with the cute 8th grader Scott, and sledding down Jenny's hill. It got a little less fun when I decided it would be a good idea to stand up on a sled and pretend to snow board. It didn't work out and I ended up with a cast on my arm for 6 weeks. Good thing the snow had mostly melted by then.
But the last time I really remember playing in the snow was junior year of high school, with a new group of friends that I didn't know would turn out to be my best friends for life (not to mention the twin with the glasses would be my first love). I looked through those pictures last night and I decided that's the first time I remember hanging out with that group of friends. Who knew that snow could not only magically cancel school, but form lifelong friendships?
Since snow doesn't happen to often, its easy to remember all of the times that I have enjoyed the cold, wet slush that cancels classes. It's snowing more now. I'm going to go play.
I guess, for me, it goes back to the Blizzard of 1996. I lived in Lynchburg at the bottom of a big hill and I was out of school for what felt like an eternity. I remember walking down my driveway with my dad while the inches of snow went halfway up my calf and spilled into my purple snow boots. Snow days were pretty crazy around my house. My dad would usually have work, so he would have to drive to the top of our big hill the night before the snow to make sure he could get to work in the morning. After my sister and I woke up, we would hurriedly eat some breakfast and wait impatiently for Mom to put our snow clothes on. I could never zip up my coat because I would put my mittens on first. Half an hour and about 18 layers of clothes later, Betsy and I would make a mess of the beautiful snow that had fallen on our front yard. We were all about the sledding.
During that blizzard in 1996, we had the best sled run. It started in my next door neighbor's front yard and started out fast. It went all the way down their yard, across a ditch (filled with snow), across our driveway and sidewalk to the front door, and ended on the other side of our house. Every snowfall after that, I tried to recreate that run, but I never could again.
When I was ready to come inside (which was often, since I don't like the cold), my dependable mother was waiting at the door to strip me of my wet clothes, throw them in the dryer, and dutifully serve me hot chocolate while she started the hot bath. She knew an hour later, after my clothes were dry, I would be ready to go back out and she would have to do it all again.
When I was older and in a bigger neighborhood in Richmond, snow days were more social. In sixth grade, my mother dropped me off in her four-wheel-drive at the top of Jenny's hill. Jenny also lived on a hill, except the incline started at her front door and went down towards her street. We had a lot of fun that year. Making snow angels, starting snow ball fights with the cute 8th grader Scott, and sledding down Jenny's hill. It got a little less fun when I decided it would be a good idea to stand up on a sled and pretend to snow board. It didn't work out and I ended up with a cast on my arm for 6 weeks. Good thing the snow had mostly melted by then.
But the last time I really remember playing in the snow was junior year of high school, with a new group of friends that I didn't know would turn out to be my best friends for life (not to mention the twin with the glasses would be my first love). I looked through those pictures last night and I decided that's the first time I remember hanging out with that group of friends. Who knew that snow could not only magically cancel school, but form lifelong friendships?
Since snow doesn't happen to often, its easy to remember all of the times that I have enjoyed the cold, wet slush that cancels classes. It's snowing more now. I'm going to go play.
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