Packing?

Hello readers! Sorry for the terribly long time I was post-less. I was hanging out in the middle of the ocean with my lovely familia.

Some highlights from my trip which included a cruise and a stop in Florida to see multiple grandparents: the cookies at the Doubletree hotel, the towel animals, free pizza, E! True Hollywood Stories, finally figuring out which Kardashian sister was which, boot camp, fancy pants night, millions of crazies, very hot weather, zip-lining, real Mexican food (no offense Baja), Outback, mom's old modeling pictures, very minimal sunburns, pineapple, sing-a-longs in the car, Dunkin' Donuts, Deception Point, by Dan Brown, a 70's Dance Party, ABBA Kadabra, music from Hairspray, learning about all of Riley's boyfriends, and quality fam time.

Now that I'm home, and wearing far less sunscreen, I realize I have far too much packing to do to get ready for school. I should not be writing on this blog, but I figured I owed it to you to at least tell you what I'll be doing for the next 3 days, which is precisely thinking of other things to do to avoid packing, one of my least favorite tasks in the world.

Oh well, what I've learned from the last 2 years, is that however much I resist packing, it always seems to get done, which is reassuring.

Rockstar of the Day is the wonderful people who Marisa and Charley told me about from their RA training who mentioned Spread the Love, because that was just so nice of them! P&B. Hope the next time I write something Harry Potter-style happened and all my stuff was packed for me...doubtful, but very worth wishing for.

A greeting card?

You might think the following suggestions are from a book, but they're not! All of these tips were on a gift card someone just gave me! I thought they were really cool, and wanted to share. Rockstars of this post are the people who wrote the following:

"That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least. Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp. Practice yoga so that you can remain active in physical sports. Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions. Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself. Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer. Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment. Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to. Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life. Do one thing a day that scares you. Take various vitamins. Dance, sing, floss and travel. Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counter. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter. Friends are more important than money. Live near the ocean and inhale the pure air that flows over the water, Vancouver will do nicely. Stress is related to 99% of all illness. A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress. SWEAT once a day to regenerate skin. The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought. Communication is complicated. Mediocrity is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life. Successful people replace the words "wish, should, try" with "I will." Do it now, do it now, do it now.

The end of a chapter?

Hello lovely readers. I have many updates for you all tonight, so enjoy!

First of all, I'm done being a working girl for the summer! This is very exciting, because it means that I no longer have to commute, which I'm very happy about. I have become very used to sprinting to mass transit stations this summer, so I might be a little confused when school rolls around, but I'm sure I'll get used to leaving only 5 minutes before my classes start pretty quickly. Also, being that I'm not the best at time management sometimes, I'll probably be sprinting places anyways...some things never change.

When my internship started, I had no idea what to expect, but I cannot tell you how happy I am that I decided to do it. On Wednesday, when I was saying goodbye to everyone (including the security guards and the GC and my supervisors, and other interns aka The Entourage), I got so sad! It was like the end of an era, a whole chapter in my life that kind of came at me really fast, and then was gone just as fast- too fast for me to probably comprehend everything I learned. But, as I rode the LIRR home for the last time (I treated myself to a trashy GLAMOUR magazine to read on my final commute because I love reading that stuff), I thought that chapter had closed, but it really hasn't at all. It really just started, and it's so exciting (and freakin scary) to think about what kind of jobs I'll eventually get, or try to get, or other work friends I'll make, or where my friends will end up. So, all in all, quite the positive experience. Oh, and to top it off, there was a dog on the train going home on that last day. I thought it couldn't get any crazier than the nail-clipper, but oh wait, it did.

K, switching gears now, after I'm feeling all reflective and trying to take in everything that I experienced this summer, I spent some time with my Smithtown twin. And, as always, we were utterly twin-like, and I decided we were going to backpack through Europe upon graduation (GP TBD= game plan to be determined). Either way, it was crazy because in catching up, you realize how much things can change over just a few months, but it was really cool, because you also realize that as much as things change, things that are perfectly great often stay the same.

Rockstar of the Day is the security guard in my (old) building, just for being nice and complimentary. Tomorrow I'm going leaving for a family vacation, so I won't be writing for a while, but have a nice end of the summer! P&B.

August?

Yes, if you can believe it, it's August already. This summer is literally flying by, and today I realized that almost every second of the next month is accounted for. Now, I am really excited for the next few weeks, don't get me wrong, but how crazy is that! I feel like I was just starting my fly, fancy lifestyle as a working girl, and now I'll be heading back to Jefferson-Land before I know it!

This weekend was filled with excellent company, and it involved: lots of driving and fun CD's, Maureen's Kitchen, SNL digital shorts, the beach, a lifeguard triathlon contest (we won, NBD), volleyball, Mannino's and some loud-talkers, pool time, hot tub time, the clams casino, getting lost, Short Beach, cliff diving, shark attacks, making unreasonable requests (like asking to be carried to the car in a beach chair), a BBQ with tequitos and far too many tostitos, SNL hosted by Ashton Kutcher, this funny video, lots of bagels, lots of pancakes, a lovely hike, ice cream and lots of samples, putting music on far too loud, Crazy Pete, and some quality bonding time with the GPS, and enjoying the sights of this damn loud Island.

Overall, a positive experience. Rockstars of the Day are my lovely visitors, and Enrique, for providing arguably the greatest summer-jam song of the summer. P&B. Tomorrow marks the beginning of Party-Train Month, so if you're riding the LIRR for the next three days, don't forget your dance moves.

A farmer's market?

That's right party people. There was a farmer's market right outside of my work today! So great! Not only was the weather perfect, but there was legitimately a farmer's market selling plants and fruit and cheese and lots of pies and apple turnovers right outside.

Now, yesterday, the city literally knocked the crap out of me.

I ran late for my train (surprise, surprise) and I actually had to bang on the train doors for them to open to let me on. I'm actually still not sure how I got on that train?! So, after coming home, I was a little burnt out.

But, the tables were turned today, when there was a farmer's market outside. It made the city seem all the less stressful and crazy, and made everything just seem really awesome and great. And, while I still don't like sprinting through the Big Apple, I sure do like all the things I get to see when I take the time to look around and take in everything around me.

Sidenotes: I'm excited for a legendary weekend. The farmer's market made me excited to head back to school and to make a conscious effort to go to Charlottesville's farmer's market. I have lost all of my badminton playing abilities, which is really sad. I have not lost my volleyball playing abilities, which makes up for some of the sadness that are my current badminton skills.

Rockstar of the Day is Coach Brown's 3-year-old son, Tyler, who I got to play with tonight at open gym. P&B!

Stay classy NY?

In the spirit of keeping it classy, I would like to make a public service announcement to all those riding the Long Island Railroad: Please stop cutting your nails on the train. Nothing about it is ok.

Rockstar of the Day is the girl who sat next to me on the train home who watched Anchorman with me. She was so nice and friendly. Monday = Donzamillion! P&B.

Could the weekend possibly be over?

This weekend was the NYA- New York Adventure. It involved some wonderful friends, family, and lots of fun.

Highlights include getting pizza at Mannino's, performing minor surgery on some cupcakes, seeing Inception, or wait, was that a dream...oh gosh, who knows (see what I did there?), lots of girl talk, also some manly bonding, Tata and Ichi, eel, a sassy sleepover, Team North, Team South, team driving, a few guidos, crazy big waves, extra wittiness, extra bedextra pb&j's, power naps, slurpees, grillin' steaks, pool time, tub time, a short sing-a-long, trivia, way too many chocolate chip cookies, aloe, bagels, port jeff, no puppies, and sweaty hugs.

But, the best thing about this weekend was all the laughing. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard for so many days in a row! Some would say that being super over-tired makes everything seem extra funny, but I honestly think I would have laughed just as hard even if I had slept a full 12 hours each night.

Rockstars of the Weekend were my lovely, hysterical, wonderful visitors for being such stellar friends and for ALWAYS making me laugh so hard it's impossible to hold it back. Hope everyone's weekend was grand. P&B.

New favorite quote: "Don't yell at me." Thanks B-ski.