hey hey hurricane

first day of summer!

2011-06-21T20:01:00.001-07:00

now what?

2011-06-10T10:18:00.001-07:00

fml.

everything has something

2011-06-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

via

ways to stay creative

2011-05-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

"Creativity is like sex. You fumble your way through, you get lost in it, you fall in love. Both are passionate, rhythmic, pleasurable, and flowing. Both can bear fruit. And both can rack your soul with vulnerability, bliss, fear and awkwardness."

1. talk to a monkey. explain what you're really trying to say to a stuffed animal.
2. Take a shower; change clothes. Give yourself a truly clean start.
3. sing in the shower.
4. Get away from the computer. Take pen and notebook, and go somewhere new.
5. Do one chore. Sweep the ﬂoor or take out the recycling. Try something lightly physical to remind you that you know how to do things.
6. Write ﬁve words. Literally. Put ﬁve completely random words on a piece of paper. Write ﬁve more. Try a sentence. Could be about anything. A block ends when you start making words on a page.
7. surround yourself with creative people.
8. Develop a morning ritual. (bowl of mixed cereals with fruit, a glass of orange juice and a magazine please)
9. Do an info-dump so your head is clear enough to create instead of worry.
10. go outside.
11. strike up a conversation on the bus.
12. carry a notebook everywhere. keep a journal.
13. if possible, walk away and do something completely unrelated.
14. outline.
15. jot down notes every night before bed and actively place worries onto paper.
16. let your mind wander.
17. wake up early, then let yourself go back to sleep.
18. imagine waking up somewhere distant and exotic.
19. count your blessings.
20. clean up your working space.
21. go jogging.
22. start small.
23. drink coffee.
24. don't be afraid to be stupid or silly.
25. ignore the naysayers
26. but let criticism help you grow
27. look for inspiration all around you, even in the smallest places.

via

tick tick tick tick...

2011-05-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

.

when we emerged, wiped out by that play
9'oclock stars and moon lit the way -
i thought hey, what a way to spend a day
hey, what a way to spend a day...

.

have it all, play the game - some recommend
i'm afraid it might be time to give in

.

what does it take
to wake up a generation?
how can you make
someone take off and fly?
if we don't wake up
and shake up the nation
we'll leave the dust of the world
wondering why...

.

cages or wings?
which do you prefer?
ask the birds...
fear or love, baby, don't say the answer
actions speak louder than words.

.

~ jonathan larson ~

i graduated today

2011-05-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

whoa.

if music be the food of love...

2011-05-20T13:29:00.001-07:00

via

play on...

just came back inside from making music with adam on the front porch - violin, viola, guitar, just playing makes me feel better - i don't know much right now, i don't know what i'm doing the day after tomorrow, tomorrow i graduate, i don't know what i'm doing - all i know is that i want - no - i need there to be music in my life, all my life, for the rest of my life.

a jumble of gray

2011-05-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

via

a jumble of color

2011-05-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

via

via

via

via

hey sweet lady

2011-05-07T06:54:00.001-07:00

yummy apple pie
sugar coated kisses
and a chocolate chip sigh

it's a beautiful day

2011-05-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

via

dopamine zoom

2011-05-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

music makes you happy.
if this smiling bright-eyed baby isn't enough proof, here's more.

dream a little dream of me

2011-05-05T12:35:00.001-07:00

meaning in the process

2011-05-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

a bit to brighten this rainy day.

do i dare?

2011-05-04T15:25:00.001-07:00

i'm ready for the world to start feeling like this again!

may the fourth be with you

2011-05-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

i'll know my name as it's called again

it's been a long, long day

2011-05-03T21:00:00.001-07:00

now it all just feels like rain...

hello sunshine, come into my life...

2011-05-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

from worstromance

and today feels like this

2011-05-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

it's hard to believe, but today is my LAST DAY OF CLASSES... EVER!

from here.

boy, you're gonna carry that weight

2011-05-03T12:33:00.001-07:00

cigarette by ~5tellaWasADiver

fun day, fun day, fun day!

2011-04-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

mmmmm, body paint.

i think i'm in love...

2011-04-22T15:04:00.001-07:00

then and now.

2011-04-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

for more of this:

go here.

makes the world go round...

2011-04-13T14:13:00.000-07:00

Lovesong by ~sannnaw

mahler grooves

2011-01-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

"i am hitting my head against the walls, but the walls are giving way."

"if a composer could say what he had to say in words, he would not bother trying to say it in music."

"it is strange how one feels drawn forward without knowing at first where one is going."

lyrics to live by

2011-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

~ and at least i've got the sense to sense what's coming - and realize that good things never come to those who wait too long...

~ love, it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you - it will set you free...

~ too young to hold on, too old to just break free and run...

~ fly on, little wing...

~ in these bodies, we will live, in these bodies, we will die. the way you invest your love, you invest your life...

~ whoa, i'm twenty-one and invincible. whoa, can't wait to screw this up.

(matt caplan, mumford & sons, jeff buckley, jimi hendrix, mumford & sons and something corporate. respectively.)

illuminations

2010-12-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

.

Track 01:

the first song off josh groban's illuminations album sounds like mumford & sons + cheesy garageband sample tracks. with violin and accordion. holler.

Track 02:

and then he starts singing, and i start swooning and sighing and melting into a puddle of a thousand little snowflakes...

p.s. nice leading tone usage, joshie-poo.

Track 04:

oh, do me, josh.
with your voice, please.

.

rock it for me

2010-12-18T17:24:00.001-08:00

.

now it's true that once upon a time
the opera was the thing
but today the rage is rhythm and rhyme
so i'll just satisfy my soul
with rock and roll

you can't be tame
while the band is playin'
it aint no shame
to keep your body saying
beat it out in a minor key
oh, rock it for me.

now i'm all through with this stuff they call symphony
c'mon, boys, and sorta rock it for me.

~ ella fitzgerald

.

paper-writing @ coffee-traders on broadway

2010-12-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

. . .

when asked, "when did this obsession [with music] begin?", leonard bernstein replied -

"and i just put my hands on the keyboard and i was hooked... for life. you know what's it's like to fall in love; you touch someone and that's it. from that day to this, that's what my life's been about."

from rolling stone magazine, issue 592, 29 november 1990.

. . .

i'm working on my bernstein paper right now... kinda. just met a dude who likes swing-dancing and cigars and who is going to melbourne next year! the barista's name is scott, his birthday is tomorrow and he's excited to drink DAS BIRTHDAY BOOT. there is a dude in the corner wearing a red & black plaid flannel shirt with brown leather dress shoes and camo-print pants... winna!

clearly, i'm getting heaps of work done.

. . .

venturing into the amazon

2010-12-07T07:12:00.001-08:00

. . .

I just bought Lenny Bernstein's "Findings" off Amazon.com...
and this is what they reccomended for me to buy next...

1) Leonard Bernstein: Symphony Edition.
2) The Communist Manifesto
3) Mumford & Sons: Sigh No More (Deluxe Edition)
4) Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer ... ???

Yah. That's cool. Thanks Amazon... You know me so well.

. . .

i'll punct u ation

2010-11-12T09:28:00.000-08:00

.

This is a proper sentence:

That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is.

How so?

. . .
. .
.
. .
. . .

"That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is."

.

the desk behind me

2010-11-11T08:03:00.001-08:00

.

why are you always so miserable? why bother staying here if you are so completely unsatisfied and unhappy?

i don't get you. i don't get you at all.

.

so, everyone sucks and is worthy of judgment because they didn't go to the lecture last night that you attended? which OF COURSE was totally amazing and inspiring and how could ANYONE not go - but you're fine for not going to one of the biggest concerts this season and not supporting any of your friends or peers in their shows?

oh, okay, i get it.

NOT.

hypocrite.

.

famous last words

2010-11-09T18:25:00.001-08:00

.

"what is this?"

- leonard bernstein

.

i just can't help it

2010-11-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

.

those who dream by day are cognizant of many things

which escape those who dream only by night.

- e. a. poe

.

thought.

2010-10-28T07:23:00.001-07:00

.

More than anything else,

i want to live

an interesting - no, fascinating - life.

.

the galapagos: wiki style

2010-10-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

1) The Galápagos Islands (official name: Archipiélago de Colón; other Spanish names: Islas de Colón or Islas Galápagos) are an archipelago (cluster of islands that is formed tectonically) of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, 972 km (525 nmi) west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site: wildlife is its most notable feature.

2) A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the United Nations Educations, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of special cultural or physical significance.

3) UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States (there are 21 in total) include the Everglades, the Grand Canyon (I WANNA GO THERE!), Mammoth Cave, Monticello and the University of Virginia (lol), the Statue of Liberty (the only place on this list that I've been to!), Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park.

4) the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Australia (there are 18 in total) are :
- the Great Barrier Reef (check!)
- Kakadu National Park (DAMMIT SO CLOSE. we went to Litchfield National Park instead)
- Willandra Lakes Region
- Lord Howe Island Group
- the Tasmanian Wilderness (fuck yes! awesome title, also)
- Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
- Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (HELL YES. totally awesome!)
- Wet Tropics of Queensland (check! it includes the Daintree National Park, which we went to! The Mossman Gorge was especially magnificent)
- Shark Bay, Western Australia
- Fraser Island (check! omg. amazing.)
- Australian Fossil Mammel Sites
- Heard & McDonald Islands
- Macquarie Island
- Greater Blue Mountains Area (check! great day.)
- Purnululu National Park
- Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (WTF this shit was RIGHT by where I lived in Melbourne. WHY didn't I check this out?!?!)
- Sydney Opera House (hands down, one of the greatest moments of my entire life.)
- Australian Convict Sites: includes Port Arthur in Tasmania. The day we went there was the day we saw SIX rainbows. magical.

5) Meh. 8/18 isn't so bad. guess I have to go back and check out the 10 other sites. OH WELL.

6) The Galápagos islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a biological marine reserve.

7) The principal language on the islands is Spanish.

8) The islands have a population of around 23,000.

9) The islands are geologically young and famed for their vast number of endemic species which were studied by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle.

darwin. what a babe.

10) Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a particular geographic location, such as a specific island, habitat type, nation or other defined zone. To be endemic to a place or area means that it is found only in that part of the world and nowhere else. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the island of Madagascar. There are 50 species, all native to the island.

11) Darwin's observations and collections contributed to the inception of his theory of evolution by natural selection.

12) Natural selection is the process by which traits become more or less common in a population due to consistent effects upon the survival or reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution.

13) The first crude navigation chart of the Galapagos islands was done by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley in 1684. He named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after the noblemen who helped the privateer's (officially commissioned pirate, basically) cause.

14) buccaneer = a pirate who attacked Spanish shipping in the Caribbean Sea during the late 17th century. (Now: the term buccaneer tends to be synonymous with pirate.)

15) The Galapagos Islands is (are?) one of the few places in the world without an indigenous human population. Cool.

16) Motherfucking badass species found on the islands: land iguanas, galapagos (GIANT) tortoises, sea cucumbers, blue-footed booby (teehee), galapagoes penguin, waved albatross, galapagos hawk, sweet mockingbirds, darwin's finches and galapagian (is that a real word?) sea lions.

17) The Galapagos tortoises are basically the coolest things ever. They can weigh over 800 lbs and be up to 6 ft long! Ahhh! Also, they're known to live for over A HUNDRED YEARS . Be afraid.

thank you, wikipedia.

even if its not so clear

2010-10-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

we are gaining speed
i can barely breathe
i'm caught in suspension

say anything
but say what you mean
i'm caught in suspension

~mae

lover, you should have come over

2010-10-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

looking out the door, i see the rain fall upon the funeral mourners
parading in a wake of sad relations as their shoes fill up with water

maybe i'm too young to keep good love from going wrong
but tonight, you're on my mind
so, you never know...

broken down and hungry for your love
with no way to feed it
where are you tonight?
child, you know how much i need it
too young to hold on, too old to just break free and run

sometimes a man gets carried away,
when he feels like he should be having his fun
much too blind to see the damage he's done

sometimes a man must awake to find that, really, he has no one...

so i'll wait for you... And i'll burn
will i ever see your sweet return?
oh, will i ever learn?
oh, lover, you should've come over
... 'cause it's not too late.

lonely is the room, the bed is made

the open window lets the rain in
burning in the corner is the only one who dreams he had you with him
my body turns and yearns for a sleep that won't ever come

it's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
it's never over, all my riches for her smiles when i slept so soft against her...
it's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter...
it's never over, she's a tear that hangs inside my soul forever...
oh, but maybe i'm just too young to keep good love from going wrong
oh, whoa, lover you should've come over...

yes, and i feel too young to hold on
i'm much too old to break free and run
too deaf, dumb, and blind
to see the damage I've done
sweet lover, you should've come over
oh, love, well I'll wait for you
lover, you should've come over
'cause it's not too late...

~ jeff buckley

some mixes

2010-09-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

Europe
1) Europe (Matt Caplan)
2) Amsterdam (Anberlin)
3) Amsterdam (Coldplay)
4) Mr. Amsterdam (Sum 41)
5) Half the World Away (Oasis)
6) London Beckoned Songs About Money By Machines (Panic At The Disco)
7) London Calling (The Clash)
8) Landing in London (Three Doors Down)
9) Traveling Soldier (WHS Octets)
10) Layla (Eric Clapton)
11) Hallelujah (Martin Sexton)
12) Angie (The Rolling Stones)
13) Paris Burning (Hunchback of Notre Dame Soundtrack)
14) The Bells of Notre Dame (Hunchback of Notre Dame Soundtrack)
15) Penny Lane (The Beatles)
16) Strawberry Fields Forever (The Beatles)
17) Miss America (Something Corporate)

Looking For Alaska
1) Something Corporate - Hurricane
2) James Horner - Piano Instrumental
3) The Spill Canvas - All Over You
4) Muse - Butterflies & Hurricanes
5) Seal - Fly Like An Eagle
6) Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
7) Motion City Soundtrack - Feel Like Rain
8) The Spill Canvas - All Hail the Heartbreaker
9) The Spill Canvas - Sunsets and Car Crashes
10) Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane
11) The Hush Sound - Hurricane
12) 30 Seconds to Mars - Hurricane
13) Counting Crows - Colorblind
14) Kym Mazelle - Young Hearts Run Free
15) Coldplay - Green Eyes
16) Something Corporate - I Want to Save You
17) Something Corporate - You're Gone
18) Something Corporate - Drunk Girl
19) Nickel Creek - The Fox
20) Jeff Buckley - Lilac Wine
21) Jupiter Sunrise - Cherry Wine

Perks of Being a Wallflower
1) Ride - Vapour Trail
2) The Beatles - Something
3) Rocky Horror Picture Show - Time Warp
4) Fleetwood Mac - Landslide
5) Procol Harum - Whiter Shade of Pale
6) The Smiths - Asleep

Summer 2010
1) Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man
2) The Starting Line - 21
3) Art vs Science - Hollywood
4) The Higher - Insurance?
5) Air Traffic - Shooting Star
6) Something Corporate - Watch The Sky
7) Something Corporate - Break Myself
8) The Beach Boys - California Girls
9) The Beach Boys - I Get Around
10) Birds of Tokyo - Broken Bones
11) The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition
12) Blur - Song 2
13) The Rocket Summer - Of Men and Angels
14) Something Corporate - Space
15) Something Corporate - 21 and Invincible
16) Mumford & Sons - Dust Bowl Dance
17) Art vs Science - Parlez Vous Francais
18) Sick Puppies - Maybe
19) Art vs Science - Flippers
20) The Getaway Plan - Where the City Meets the Sea
21) The Butterfly Effect - In These Hands
22) Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire

mumford & alaska

2010-08-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

.

'cause i need freedom now
and i need to know how
to live my life
how it's meant to be

i was supposed to be the hurricane, and you - just drizzle.
now it all just feels like rain.

.

not ten, but still things i hate about you

2010-07-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

i want to talk to him to see where we stand but i already know that all he is going to say is "i don't know"

and

don't even get me started on her

and

on the bright side, perhaps all the puking i do next semester will lead to me losing some extra weight. bring it on.

warning: spoilers!

2010-07-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

thoughts on true blood
season 3, episode 4

hellooooooo were-hunk. ooowwwwww-oooooooooo!!!!

sookie saying "shut the fuck up" = fantastic.

i have no interest in a shirtless bill compton.

i love how nate took bill + sookie's theme and warped it while bill was dumping sookie... BRILLIANT!

i want to do real bad things with you.

were-hunk has a yummy yummy back and a yummy yummy stomach. me like.

well, i don't have a nut sack... sookie, you're adorable. i love how she's acting like such a teenybopper.

we run hot. YEAH YOU DO.

no. come back. you putting on your shirt is the last thing anyone wants.

what the hell is sookie doing in an enormous ridiculous castle-looking thing?

you smell like the ocean in winter... ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

bom chika bom bom - this is what i'm talking about!

did anyone else laugh out loud hysterically when it cut to eric sitting in the bar at looking angsty? i did.

lafayette always makes me so happy.

i LOVE were-hunk's sister. i hope she becomes a major character.

DAMN SOOKIE YOU LOOKING FIIIIIINEEEEE

when hunk-man punches the wall.... DELICIOUS.

women, smoke, cigars, shakespeare, spoons, WHAT IS THIS CONVERSATION!?!

yo. this chick won't quit dogging me, dude. can we kill her and not report it? is that cool? she really annoys me. k thx bye.

she drools, he says it's magical. okay.

i wish i was a red-head.

jessica has the most beautiful smile.

awwwwwwwwww hoyt!!!!

lol, brother-cousins.

if there is one thing that i miss more than sunshine, it is good fruit.... THIS GUY IS SO FUCKED UP. i love it.

boss man. have you seen this face? it aint nothing but art. - if the two of them have sex right now, i will be so happy.

leave me alone in a room with a drunken jason and i will be the happiest girl in the world.

fuck yeah! go sookie, go! WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! SHOTS!!! YEAAAHHH GIIIRRRLLLL!!!!

did true blood just quote the crucible? I LOVE THIS SHOW!

ten things i miss about you

2010-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

well, i'm back. back in the states, back in new york, back in this little town. back from the greatest, grandest adventure of my life.

now life is boring and it sucks and i'm totally broke and i have no future and i miss everyone and everything back in oz.

i already miss:
1) all of my wonderful aussie friends (x a billion)
2) traveling (x a billion)
3) tim-tams
4) EuroTrash
5) hopping the trams
6) the convenience of having a convenience store right next door
7) being surrounded by beautiful aussie accents
8) being able to drink legally
9) being able to go out (clubbing, drinking etc) at night
10) thinking "hey, i'm in australia"

so... now what am i supposed to do?

East Coast Playlist

2010-06-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

1) The Shins - Australia
2) Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life
3) Good Charlotte - East Coast Anthem
4) Art vs Science - Parlez Vous Francois
5) 3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me
6) The Sundance Kids - Drive Away
7) Chuck Berry - Johnny B Good
8) Incubus - Drive
9) Flight of the Conchords - Business Time
10) Matt Caplan - Sideways
11) Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
12) Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
13) Blind Melon - No Rain
14) Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
15) Ben Folds - Landed
16) Bob Dylan - Everybody Must Get Stoned
17) Scared Weird Little Guys - Come To Australia

hello hurricane

2010-06-29T04:31:00.000-07:00

quick summation of June:

Tasmania:
Devonport
Launceston
Richmond
Port Arthur
Hobart

Eurotrash: the last night

Sydney:

Wahroonga

Kogarah

King's Cross

Sutton's Forest
Newcastle (lost in)

Woolgollga

Ballina

Queensland! (all of the above has been Victoria/New South Wales)

Gold Coast:
Surfer's Paradise
Burleigh Heads

Brisbane:

South Bank

Army Barracks

Sunshine Coast:
Noosa Heads
lost on a mountain (Cooloola Mt?)
Rainbow Beach
Fraser Island

Brisbane

Surfer's Paradise

Byron Bay

Byron Bay, i fucking loved

Byron Bay

Lennox Heads

Coff's Harbour

Sydney: Wahroonga

Sydney: Kogarah

Sydney: City

Canberra (Australian Capital Territory! - wow, we hit up 4 states on this trip!)

Melbourne

hakuna matata

2010-06-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

woke up at six am, fully dressed, on my bed. confused about how i had gotten there, and where the night had gone. went back to sleep.

woke up again, around eleven. tried sitting up and was instantly shot back down by dizziness and my stomach overturning several times. lazed about, trying to remember the night before. i was freaked - i remembered getting to eurotrash... and that's it. freaky.

got up, showered, attempted to be a human being... and failed miserably. my body hurt and my head was spinning - i think i was still a bit drunk - and my stomach was killing me - so back to bed. watched Up. love that movie.

hannah came in halfway throughout the movie and told me about last night. how i was running back and forth between the bathroom and the dance floor. how i yelled at daniel - "i'm an expert!" and pulled him away from her. how chloe took me home, in a cab that i apparently brutally insisted i paid for.

after i finished up, andi came to visit - helped me piece together more bits of the night (i really didn't remember a thing) and told me her own stories of her night. we hung out for a bit, until she ran off down the hallway to the bathroom and vommed. sweet. we got water and bread and trekked down in our pajamas to daniel's room.

he was still in bed, and we climbed into bed with him. the three of us cuddled for quite some time, cursing our hangovers and discussing the details of the previous evening. at around 2:30pm we finally, finally got our act together, got out of bed, got slightly more dressed than we were, and we walked outside - OUTSIDE! it was so bright! - and down to KFC and got wonderfully disgusting food. i bought orange juice and andi bought cookies & cream ice cream. daniel bought ten pieces of chicken. we stopped at the library on our way back and took out the nightmare before christmas.

back at the lodge, we pushed the couches together to form a bed and we lazed, ate our food and watched the movie. which was beautiful and amazing and wonderful. people kept passing through, short conversations - i couldn't believe how hungover we were. and how long this hangover was lasting. when the movie ended, we still felt like shit.

some time later, the three of us trekked over to the studio to attempt to get some work done. i remember sitting at the computer, staring at the screen, wondering how the hell my head could still be spinning, and could i really expect myself to be able to form complete sentences?

after a bit, kielan and chloe joined me, andi and daniel in the studio. in between bouts of youtube videos and textsfromlastnight, we actually managed to get some work done.

we left the studio at around midnight, and went back to the unilodge lobby, where we all joined veronica, carol, umberine, amy and raz for popcorn, blankets, 5 people to each 3 person couch and the lion king. another beautiful, amazing, wonderful movie.

the movie ended at around 2:30 am-ish. we stuck around and cuddled for a bit longer and hung out and such. then, exhausted, separated.

and now it is 3:11 am and it is technically 3 june and i don't understand where all this time has gone. i don't want to leave. i want to stay here forever, here in australia, with daniel and chloe and kielan and andi and veronica.

i want to keep this.

a grand adventure

2010-04-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

whoops, i haven't updated in forever! where has all this time gone? where the hell did april go? i'm not ready for this to be over... ever .... in the meantime, quick update.

1 April - departed Melbourne for a tiny road trip with andi, raag and jonathan. drove to apollo bay and played on the beach and spent the night there.

2 April - rode the great ocean rode to the 12 apostles and port campbell and the london bridge and landed in warnambool, where andi and i ditched jonathan and raag (jonathan was being a weenie)... wandered warnambool (we nicknamed it warmabong), laid on the beach, went on a beautiful coastal walk, broke into a hostel and watched bubble boy, stumbled upon a local group of kids, drank and danced with them, started walking the long walk back to the train station... worried that we weren't going to make it to the bus in time - and some girl pulled over and picked us up and drove us! warmabong for the win! so we caught the 10pm bus to mt. gambier, arrived in mt. gambier at 2 am.

between 2 and 3 of April - wandered the dark and freezing mt. gambier (nicknamed mt. gambino) after being unable to fall asleep on the bus station benches, looking for any sort of shelter. everything was closed. finally stumbled into a bakery that was pulling an all nighter to prep for easter, begging the lady-worker to let us in and just sit on the floor in the warm. not only did wendy (that was her name) allow us in, but she brought us to the back room and let us sleep on the floor. she woke us up around 5am and invited us home with her, where she let us shower and sleep on her couch, and she made us breakfast! best part was around 6am when her husband wandered into the kitchen in his pajamas, baffled by the sight of two strange girls sitting and eating eggs at his kitchen table. winnah!

3 April - at around 7am, Wendy and her husband took us for a short tour of mt. gambier, and we got to see the awesome crater that mt. gambino is known for. they then drove us to the bus station, where we caught our bus to adelaide. I LOVE AUSTRALIA. people here are SO MUCH nicer and cooler than anywhere else i've ever been. i still can't believe that some wonderful lady would take in two girls off the street, and give them so much! she also gave me a blanket! 'cause i left mine at the hostel in apollo bay... cause jonathan was stupid. but thank you wendy-lady! i'll never forget her. what a champion. and so, we made it to Adelaide, got coffee, met two boys and hung out with them for a bit in a park... wandered around... adelaide was boring. I don't know whose idea it was to go to the city of churches on easter weekend. whoops. but andi and i found a way, as we always do. we made our own fun. and then adelaide was less boring.

4 April - walked the billion miles to adelaide parklands terminal and caught the Ghan train... an epic 24-hour train ride through the outback! we made bunches of friends, once people started going to sleep, all the kids gathered in the dining cart and played. so that was cool. at one point, this girl emilie and i ran alllllll the way down to the front of the train - wow, the ghan is HUGE!

5 April - arrived in alice springs. stayed at alice lodge backpackers, played around alice springs - it's only two bars/clubs...funfun.

6 April - moved to annie's place, explored alice springs. i bought a motherfucking digiridoo! hell yes!

7 April - embarked on mulga's outback adventure! climbed king's canyon. slept around a campfire in sleeping bags and swags under the stars

8 April - mulga's adventure continues. the group starts to get closer. watched the sunrise at uluru, explored kata tjuta, trekked through the valley of the winds, had a blast watching the sun set at uluru, partied with the gang. had a half-romantic moment with a cute french boy laying on our backs and watching the stars - we saw so many shooting stars! so many wishes.

9 April - another uluru sunrise. attempted the base walk around uluru, but andi and i soon got so bored that we hitchhiked a ride back to the parking lot. winner! lonnng drive back to alice springs. that night - epic rage fest at annie's party, with all of the mulga tour family. fantastic night.

10 April - sadly leave alice springs, flight to darwin! arrive in darwin!

11 April - day tour of Litchfield National Park. Saw enormous termite mounds and a bunch of amazing waterfalls. Night - ragefest at monsoon's. Andi + I brought a cute kiwi boy and a cute irish lad back to our hostel with us... didn't get to sleep 'till 7 am. yep.

12 April - woke up two hours later, ughhhh. Explored Darwin! Went to kareoke at shenanigans and then monsoon's. had another crazy night.

13 April - the last day of our trip :-( explored darwin, the owner of our hostel gave us a lift to the museum, which was super cool and had a bunch of awesome exhibits... walking back to the city we got a little lost and found ourselves in a high school... whoops... we then planned to take the bus back, but the bus stop was full of sketchy people yelling sketchy things at us soooo we hitched yet another ride into town... I LOVE AUSTRALIA ... that night andi and i went out on a romantic dinner date to celebrate our last evening of our adventure. Night - Monsoon's, yet again. Got drunk and partied and danced and caused trouble and havoc and mischief and caught a cab to the airport in the middle of the night

14 April - walked into the airport at around 5 am, totally drunk and totally overwhelmed. Flew back to Melbourne.

aaannd there ended our adventure. it was a good one. but already i'm bored with melbourne and ready to go on the next adventure. yaayy! sydney, here i come!

roses

2010-03-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

It was just one of those nights. wandering starry-eyed down swanston, gigglying with hannah. it felt so good to laugh like that - ding! and so many little moments - her screaming SYDNEY BOYS! and me jumping a foot in the air, climbing six flights of stairs only to arrive at the top and realize it wasn't what we had wanted, ordering two beers and sitting on the open aired patio staring intently at the pretty, skinny girls surrounding us. First stop, Cookie, and then on to the Carlton, and then Croft - girls night out! and finally, deciding on walking back up Russell, finding the spot where it turned into Lygon, stopping at Safeway and ending the evening with Chloe and TimTams and She's The Man.

Except, the evening didn't end there. After the movie, Hannah went to bed and Chloe and I trekked down to the 4th floor, out onto the fire-escape stairs, up onto the 12th floor, where we met Dan. what happened next seemed crazy, but it i knew it was something i wanted to, had to do. so, up onto the staircase banister, and climbed up through the wiring surrounding the stair case. knees shaking, i climbed up onto the roof, dan's hands tightly wrapped around my waist as some sort of protection, i suppose. if i did fall, though, it wouldn't have done much. but i didn't fall, i reached the top, climbed over the edge, turned around, helped chloe up... her jumper (sweater) got stuck on the barbed wiring and i had to reach out over the edge and help untangle her... and only then could we breathe and look around.

the view was to die for.

endless lights, the city at our reach, at our disposal, at our feet. we could see for miles, thousands of tiny lights, blinking, calling to us, like fireflies. we climbed a ladder to the higher part of the roof, where there was more room to spread out, feel the cool air on our faces, lay back and watch the stars. the southern cross was so close i thought i could reach out my fingers and touch every point that made up the constellation.

it was magic, it was beautiful, and like all good things, had to come to an end when a torch (flashlight) suddenly pierced our eyes and an RA was climbing up the staircase from a locked and much safer route. she could have gotten us in a huge amount of trouble, not just with the UniLodge but perhaps with the police - but she didn't. And she was terrified of being up so high, and we didn't want her to get in trouble, and we didn't want her to be scared, so we left calmly and peacefully, through the gate she had opened for us, descending the much-safer stairs and turning our backs on the endless, open night.

phillip island!!

2010-03-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

this weekend was wonderful! friday morning ali, luke, dan, justin and i caught a bus from Southern Cross Station to Phillip Island! what a relaxing ride, especially after the great race to find the bus station/catch the bus. Luke only just barely made it! We had to stall the bus driver. tons of open land, endless farms, cows just chilling on the side of the road, little houses... as much as i love melbourne, it was nice to get out of the city. we transferred at Koo We Rup - the quaintest little town. Crossed the bitty bridge, and then we were at Cowes, Phillip Island! A lovely, adorable place. A tiny city.. if you can even call it a city... a tiny island, one main road, only one nightclub, beautiful beaches...

When we got there we figured out our location and made our way to the hostel... slightly confused when we turned onto a residential road, only to find that the "chill house" hostel was actually just a house!

... but ever so much more than just a house! the owners bonnie and paul converted bedrooms in the house into a dorm room and a double room, turned their garage into a play room + dorm room and added an extension in their backyard with two more dorm rooms, an extra bathroom and a kitchen! so cute. so comfy and cozy. like a home away from home (away from home). with purple and seafoam green walls and picnic tables and christmas lights...

we changed into togs + bathers (nice) and walked down THE ROAD (basically the only main road on the whole island) to the beach

it was such a beautiful day. after some wanderings, ali, dan and i laid down and passed out in the sand while luke and justin continued exploring. so relaxing. we saw lots of wittle fishies... and a sting ray! wow! we went out for dinner, found this cute half-outdoors italian resturant, ordered two pizzas and devoured them within seconds. we explored the city, but in all honesty, its nightlife had nothing to offer, so we went back to the chill house to drink some goon - we played kings, and taught this french boy, steve, how to play! it was the funniest thing. then we went with these gorgeous european girls back down to the beach to stargaze... it was such a beautiful night, the sky was so clear and the air felt so good. i've never seen such vivid stars, the milky way was so surreal, so vibrant! it was unreal. it was so nice, laying in the sand, eyes to the sky... when we finally got back to the chill house, we were all so tired that we went straight to bed. i've never slept so well in my life.

saturday was chock full of wonderous exploration, adventures and fun! we hired a bunch of bikes, packed a lunch, and biked all over the island! first stop: the Koala Conservation Centre! Which was pretty much a small, wooded nature park with lines of paths and boardwalks... and we went koala hunting! think where's waldo, but in trees and looking for gray blobby blobs. sleepy, lazy, globby, cute, cuddly koala bears! and we found a whole bunch!

we named them too - alberta, bruno, calypso, derek, eeyore, fabio, globby, horton, inigo and jalyssa! and we saw a wild wallaby, and possible the coolest thing - at a lookout point we caught a gang of wild kangaroos jumping, leaping, cruising across the distant horizon. it was incredible.

our next destination was churchill island, but we never made it because we pulled our bikes over after passing an interesting sign! We hiked up a bunch of wooden stairs built into a hill - and couldn't believe our eyes when we made it to the top. Perfect, beautiful, empty, endless stretches of sand, bright blue clear perfect water - on the other side of the hills was a 'secret' beach! Huge, vast, empty - only a couple of people surfing. We raced down the beach running headfirst into the waves, full of pure, absolute joy and excitement... swimming and body surfing and just general messing around. It felt so good.

At one point, we questioned the emptiness of the beach... this is australia, after all. sharks, jellyfish, killer seaweed? but it didn't matter. we wandered down the beach, and found these huge rock formations, climbed all over them, and discovered a cave within! climbed over more rocks, across some water - went inside the cave! it was just waiting for us to explore! Absolutely unreal. Except it was real. Ahhhh!! Totally bailed on churchill island, but it was totally worth it. What an unbelievable find.

We eventually tore ourselves away from the beach and back to our bikes, and rode back to the chill house, (oh man, what a ride. so exhausting!) where we changed into heavier clothing and caught a cab toooooo the big event, the main attraction of phillip island: the penguin parade! we sat on the beach and waited for the sun to set, and watched the little penguins waddle and stumble their way from the waves up the beach - so so so so so so so so so so so cute. itty bitty precious little things.

afterwards we went back to 'the city', attempted to go to the only nightclub - and they wouldn't let us in! said it was because we were wearing thongs (flipflops) but so were the people in front of us! and they got in! ugh. i'm pretty sure it was because we were americans. whatever. it didn't seem that great anyways. so instead we got ice cream and wandered around and relaxed back at the chill house. wouldn't consider it a failed evening in the slightest.

and sunday - woke up, packed up, trudged out, returned the bikes, played around town for a little bit and caught the bus back to melbourne! home sweet home. what an absolutely fantastic weekend. now back to real life. if you can call this real life. i'm still pretty sure that this is a dream. loving living the dream, man!

i firmly believe in productive procrastination

2010-03-11T19:51:00.000-08:00

australia is fantastic. you don't even want to know where i got all these facts from.

26. people do not get sick from cold weather: it's from being indoors a lot more. (what kind of a fact is this?)
28. a one-day weather forecast requires about 10 billion math calculations.
67. the bird that lays the largest egg in relation to its own size is the Kiwi.
90. google is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. (is this what you learn when you google google?)
92. just 20 seconds of fuel remained when apollo 11's lunar module landed on the moon.
111. if you attempted to count the stars in a galaxy at a rate of one every second it would take 3,000 years to count them all.
118. the average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
139. on average, a four-year-old child asks 437 questions a day. ( i would love to see the study that determined this one)
157. the mona lisa has no eyebrows.
173. elephants cannot jump.
218. camel's milk does not curdle.
231. every day, the moon moves a further 3.82 cm from the earth
237. the average person spends two years on the phone in his/her lifetime. (yikes)
281. there are one million ants to every human in the world.
291. the bullfrog never sleeps.
293. rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
334. flamingos are pink from the shrimp that they eat.
341. mageiricophobia is the intense fear of having to cook.
388. there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. (Australian dollar?)
389. the toothbrush was invented in 1498.
390. the eiffel tower has 1792 steps.
391. slugs have four noses.
393. august has the highest percentage of births.

pointless post

2010-03-07T03:03:00.000-08:00

raining, raining, raining, raining. raining, raining, raining, raining. raining, raining, raining, raining. raining, raining, raining, raining.

today was not nearly so boring as yesterday. hannah and i trekked down to queen victoria market (overshot it by a ton, i think i was following her and she was following me... ooopsies) and then to aldi to pick up some groceries and then we had dinner with lots of people on our floor and now i'm waiting for 10:30 'cause i'm gonna skype with my mommy and daddy and compared to any other day it would have been boring but compared to the last couple of days i've been having it was absolutely riveting.

^ some cool graffiti hannah and i saw on our way to the market. ^

i cannot wait until i am healthy.
the adventures will begin again. and never end.

i have so many songs stuck in my head right at this moment. one of which is one of my own - having a song of my own stuck in my head makes me feel like such a douche... fellow songwriters out there, do you understand?

rain rain go away, come again some other day / wish you would step back from the ledge my friend / i'm a creeper, you're a keeper, i just want to fall asleep-er with you. / oh look! but there he is! WHAT WILL HE SAY? / it's not complicated, it's not that hard - you don't even have to be a hip-hop star.

class again tomorrow. 9am. yippie. i really don't wanna do my homework. i guess i should get on that. peace.

the end of the world?

2010-03-05T20:10:00.001-08:00

so, just ten minutes ago i was lying in bed, reading harry potter (and the deathly hallows) when all of the sudden - it starts HAILING outside. hail, cracking on the windows, loud and sudden > i ran into the corridor, into some floormates, and we decide to go downstairs to check out this WTF hail > needless to say, the elevator DROPPED from the 2nd floor to the basement, just suddenly DROPPED and there was this loud THUD as we hit the bottom floor > we pushed the door open button, jabbed the alarm (no alarm went off) and then the lights went out for a split second, and finally, eventually we made it to the ground floor alive and safe. but it was TERRIFYING.

^ WTF HAIL?!? ^

and now, i'm back in my room, it's pouring rain, with the occasional burst of lightening or clap of thunder. a little bit more than creeped out. don't let me down, australia.

grumble grumble grumble grumble

2010-03-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

hello world. world that i adore so much. why did you do this to me? why keep me cooped up like this, in pain pain pain stabby rip stab stab. it hurts to laugh, hurts to sneeze, hurts like hell to swallow.

ahhhhhh! i'm sick. like, fuck-my-life, might be dying, totally incapable of doing anything, bored out of my mind, restless as hell sick. what a way to spend the weekend. i literally can't. do. anything. i tried reading for class/doing homework/ being productive but my attempts are just futile. (although i seem to be doing a decent enough job here? mindless babble, yippie! i can do that!) i think i'm going to go crazy. for realsies. i'm sorry to be complaining but i'm so mad right now at my stupid weak body.

dear body, I'M IN AUSTRALIA HOW THE HELL COULD YOU FAIL LIKE THIS RIGHT NOW AND END UP WITH STREP THROAT? YOU SUCK. love, me

so instead of exploring and wandering and adventuring this weekend, i'm stuck in my room full of angst angst angst. and i am SO BORED.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

P.S i miss my mommy so so so so much right now. i want her cold hands to check my forehead for a temperature - i don't know why but that always felt so so good.

here we are now, entertain us!

2010-03-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

last night was awesome! this picture pretty much sums up the evening...

except by evening, i mean morning, because the peak of the night occurred from midnight up until 5am... whoops. so this morning? whatever. last night/tuesday night/this morning/wednesday morning. was awesome. peace out.

oh, what a night

2010-03-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

so... um... last night was pretty much the best night everrrr?

started off pretty chill. went to get a cup of tea with chloe and hugh (both aussies that live here in unilodge) then Andi called and said they were waiting for me at the Turf Club... so I walked over (Chloe and Hugh escorted me! Isn't that nice?) - hung around there for a bit... dancing with Luke, Ali + Joanna... chatting with Jonathan (he's so adorable) and figuring out Tim-stuff

ended up at this place called eurotrash, just me and andi - and we had the most incredible, fantastic, wicked, fabulous and insane time.

definitely will be going there again.

skates and saints

2010-02-26T23:09:00.000-08:00

went to a skateboarding demo (tournament? show? event? thing?) with brian and miles today, which was actually kind of cool. and afterwards we ventured down to st.kilda, played on the beach, went skinny dipping, drank goon out of plastic cups, walked down the pier, watched the sunset.

a lovely day. followed by a lovely delicious dinner at Leo's! We asked our waiter if Leo was working tonight, and he responded: Leo's working at the great pizza place in the sky.

i come from a land down under

2010-02-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

Travelling in a fried-out combie
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie
I met a strange lady, she made me nervous
She took me in and gave me breakfast
And she said,

Do you come from a land down under?
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.

Buying bread from a man in brussels
He was six foot four and full of muscles
I said, do you speak-a my language?
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich
And he said,

I come from a land down under
Where beer does flow and men chunder
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.

Lying in a den in bombay
With a slack jaw, and not much to say
I said to the man, are you trying to tempt me
Because I come from the land of plenty?
And he said,

Oh! Do you come from a land down under? (oh yeah yeah)
Where women glow and men plunder?
Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover.

some minor panic at the disco

2010-02-25T17:36:00.000-08:00

Last night ended up being a blast. Nicole, Becca, Hannah and I hit the town - girls night out! - and made our way to Russel St. and found the Syn Bar -but a) the line was long b) we're not arts students so we had to pay a cover fee and c) we're cheap so we bailed on that idea and followed an aussie boy we had met in line to another club. I think his name was Jon. Let's just call him Jon. This other club was called the Carlton. We climbed a billion flights of stairs and came out on the roof, this small tiki-tiki themed bar area with palm trees and flowers, open skies except for all the surrounding skyscrapers. Us girls ordered an enormous pitcher of "Passionate Sex on the Beach." Soon Jon's friend Tim joined us as well. We went downstairs into the inner bar - and, oh goodness, what a venue.

Just to give you an idea. A taxidermified giraffe was just chilling right next to our table, watching our every move. There was also an ostrich. Australia is a very interesting place.

first TimTam experience

2010-02-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

so, i heard that tim-tams were the ultimate australian delicacy... but oh my goodness, i had no idea they were SO GOOD.

i feel like i've been reborn.

Australian Slang for the Day:

Cookie = Biscuit

French Fries = Chips

Asshole/Douche/Tool = Fuckwit.

some observations about australia(ns)

2010-02-22T22:49:00.000-08:00

1) australians live in the future.
2) everything is ridiculously expensive.
3) everyone talks funny, yet they do not say CRIKEY! as often as i would like them to
4) so far, i haven't seen any shaggy-blonde-haired, blue-eyed surfer boys.
5) in fact, most people are asian
6) australians start partying very early... like around 5pm?
7) australians dance funny. no grinding. very PG-rated.
8) they're obsessed with the black eyed peas song "i've got a feeling"
9) mr. jones by the counting crows is considered an appropriate dance/club song

collide (with something beautiful)

2010-02-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

today we trekked down to st. kilda and saw the fantastic simon phillips band play their cd release show, it was amazing, the sax player was a girl and she was absolutely adorable and after the show we went and had some lovely nighttime playtime on the beach!

G'Day Mates!

2010-02-20T22:07:00.000-08:00

G'day mates!

Actually, i've only heard that phrase once or twice... but i hear "No Worries" ALL THE TIME.

Hi! Everything is going great, great, great!

Ready for the craziest post ever? To sum up my time here so far:

Day 1 - February 11th, GOODBYE AMERICA. we left the states and flew off around the world.

Day 2 - February 13th. We marvel at the fact that an entire day has vanished and land in Cairnes, Australia! HELLO AUSTRALIA!!!

Day 3 - February 14th. Best Valentine's Day Ever. We went to this place called Rainforestation and played with kangaroos - LOOK I'M MAD CHILLAXING WITH A KANGAROO -

held massive snakes, got to cuddle with a koala, saw a crazy crocodile, took a trip through the rainforest, saw an aboriginal dance and tried to play the didgeridoo. That night we went to dinner to the Woolshed and sweat our guts out dancing on the tables.

Day 4 - February 15th. Adventure Day! Took a JUNGLE TOUR up to the Daintree Rainforest. Just me and three other AustraLearn kids on a bus with a crazy aussie tour guide, a bunch of brits, some irish guys and some german folk. more rainforest trekking, more koalas

isn't he cute? and kangaroos and we swimming in the mossman river (in the rainforest!) climbing on rocks, riding rapids, and we went on a small cruise down the daintree river - saw a crocodile! - went to the beach and then on our way back we saw a cassowary!

for those of you who don't know - cassowarys are these huge, beautiful birds that are extremely important and extremely endangered.

sexy, right? they alone are responsible for the existence of TWENTY FOUR different species of trees, and thousands of other plants/trees rely on them in some way. however, there are only FIFTEEN HUNDRED (1500) left in the whole world! if they die out, the rainforests will be hugely impacted.

but we saw one - a real one, in the wild! apparently a sign of great luck. what a welcome to australia.

Day 5 - February 16th - Community Day! We planted trees and potted plants and helped out around this sanctuary devoted to the cassowary bird.

that night we went on this massive, insane pub crawl. absolutely wild.

Day 6 - February 17th - Best Half Birthday EVER! - WE WENT TO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF. THE. GREAT. BARRIER. REEF. And we went scuba diving and snorkling and it was the most amazing, wonderful, magical experience of my life.

Day 7 - February 18th - Goodbye hot & humid Cairnes! Peace out northern australia! We flew down to MELBOURNE!!! HELLO MELBOURNE!!!

Day 8 - February 19th - International Students Orientation Day at the University of Melbourne! - i can't believe i'm an international student... haha. anyways - we had a HUGE session this morning, then we broke up into faculty (department) groups... i was one of TWO new international music kids! and the other kid is 26 and from the Czech Republic! so we both had private talks WITH THE CHAIR OF THE FACULTY and it took a much much shorter time then everyone else - haha! i also mentioned that i played viola and Andrew (head of faculty) flipped out and dragged me to meet the head of the string players, who already freaked out and wants me to audition for both orchestras, the chamber groups, the string orchestra and so on. i don't know about that yet. I can't wait to start classes. I'm taking Music Psychology, Composition, Electro-Acoustic Music and one more class i haven't decided on yet. oops. i should get on that.

Day 9 - February 20th - Yesterday. Last night we hit the town fancy bar > saw an awesome rock band play (The Wellingtons) > went to a burlesque club... awesome night!

Day 10 - February 21rst. TODAY. Trekked down to the Big W to stock up on supplies... and then went to the Victorian Market to check out the sights and pick up some delicious produce! Yum!

So here we are in MELBOURNE (pronounced Melbin.) the internet SUCKS MAJOR BALLS in this country.... it's been SO DIFFICULT getting online. so, Umberine (a girl who lives on my floor - she's from india!) and i ventured down to mcdonald's, which is one of the few places with free wifi... so here we are, checking out facebook and figuring out orientation over iced coffee and a chicken snack wrap. yay mcdonaldization. tonight we're going to the river and seeing a band play.

Aussie Slang of the Day:

1) what we call majors (i'm a music/psych double major) they call courses

2) what we call departments ( i work in the music department) they call faculties

3) what we call bathing suits they call togs or bathers

how's that for a huge major epic update? now you're all caught up!

to be continued...
-Peri

here we go!

2010-02-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

leaving so soon for the airport... leaving so soon for AUSTRALIA!!!

(i'm literally shaking right now... i've never been more excited for anything in my whole entire life!)

the adventure begins...

2010-02-10T10:23:00.001-08:00

in 1 day, 13 hours and 26 minutes.

california dreaming...

2010-02-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

tank tops and flip flops, clear blue skies and sunshine - i love it here!

but this is just prep for the real adventure, which begins in 3 days, 13 hours and 22 minutes.

oooh baby, baby!

2010-02-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

CALIFORRNIAAAAAA-

so far, so good. pretty low key. mostly just hanging out with my aunt and uncle and their four kids and tons of their neighbors and friends... SO MANY CUTE LITTLE KIDS. check out this guy.

i fear that i might OD on the adorableness that's been floating around.
~P

getting ready...

2010-02-03T11:29:00.000-08:00

oh, i'm ready for it - COME ON, BRING IT! so kiss me goodbyeeee, honey i'm gonna make it out alive, so kiss me goodbyeeee!

tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow!

sunshine, i'm coming for you!

one more day, one day more!

I'M GOING TO CALIFORNIA TOMORROW!

oh man, marsupials...

2010-02-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

last may, i went to a zoo in springfield, mass with pammy, will and molly and met this guy -

i remember thinking - oh man, i can't wait 'till i go to australia and see a real kangaroo!

Aaand now... only 9 days, 4 hours, 52 minutes and 23 seconds until 11:50 PM on Thursday, February 11, 2010 - when i leave for AUSTRALIA!

and only 1 day, 23 hours and 2 minutes until i leave for LA!

it's all happening!
-Peri

just past midnight...

2010-02-01T00:23:00.000-08:00

happy february!

wow... where did january go?

the last couple of days have been kind of crazy. i left skidmore thursday afternoon, only to get torn apart by terrible winds and terrifying driving conditions - thus driving back to skidmore and staying one more night. came home on friday instead. and on saturday night i pulled out some teenage-angst-rebellion moves and drove down to long island (picked up natanel on the way!) to franklin square and had play time with mantha and scotty and mike in honor of scott's 21rst bday!

so it went like this...

Skidmore > Albany > small tiny town past Albany > Skidmore > Bedford > Bronx > Long Island > Bronx > Bedford

today is february 1rst.
i leave for LA on february 4th.
and then head down under on the 11th!

it's so close, i can almost taste it.
-Peri

all different sorts of adventures

2010-01-26T10:15:00.001-08:00

current location: still here at skidmore... still working in zankel...

yesterday was full of all sorts of problems

a) broken down car/no money to fix it
b) need to fix car so i can drive home
c) living in crappy scary dorm in australia
d) no meal plan in australia
e) going to australia with no money

but then, last night - after a terrible day (see above) - i was making dinner (ravioli) and the water was boiling so i went to pour it into the sink and the handle broke off and disaster ensued...

so now i have a second-degree burn on the right arm.

it hurt like pain i've never experienced before, but brett and hussey and all my pre-med friends had a blast checking out the burn and the blisters and telling me all about the cool sciency shit my body was doing and experiencing... i debated going to the hospital but other than the pain it wasn't too bad... brett took me to CVS where we picked up medical supplies and then my sexy nurse lizzie helped me wrap up my arm...

and it's gotten better since last night. still hurts, but not nearly as bad as it was. now i feel like a motherfucking badass, cause i have this baller bandage wrapped up on most of my right arm. i keep telling people different stories - like i got stung by a man-0-war jellyfish. i even told one kid that i got in a fight and ended up killing the other guy. he totally believed me for a second. it was awesome.

and now i'm kinda seeing things from a different perspective... problems a-e don't seem so bad anymore... the water just missed my shirtsleeve, it would have ripped off my skin and a hospital visit would have been inevitable... the water splashed up just inches from my face... i could have been scarred for life... things just seem a little different now.

countdown: 15 days 'til the biggest adventure of my life. only 15 days 'til Australia.

this is my confession to the crimes of wanting you, badly

2010-01-22T09:19:00.001-08:00

Current Location: Zankel Music Building > Skidmore College > Saratoga Springs > New York > United States.

Countdown: 19 days until i leave for Australia! only NINETEEN more days! Ahhh! and only 12 days until i get the f*ck outta New York and head on over to the West Coast!

Although I do rather like being here. Back at Skidmore. Exploring the new, magical music building. Squatting in my old house in Scribner. It's good to be back. For a little while, anyways.

Vermont!

2010-01-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

here we are in Newfane, Vermont! i am currently sitting at the kitchen table with hussey, brett + adam (lizzie is upstairs showering) - they're playing stratego and eating cereal and i'm getting some busy-work done.

so far so good. we all got in pretty late yesterday, hung out and caught up with each other, drinking wine while the boys drank beer and lizzie's awesome aunt came over and played with us and brought her super cute dogs.

this house is adorable. wood floors, big windows, fireplaces, seventies shag carpet (their bathroom is carpeted! how funny is that?) and rooms upon rooms of floral wallpaper (wallpaper on the ceiling too!) - a perfect cozy retreat.

we're gonna go into town soon to play and go grocery shopping.

this is the view from the back porch:

isn't it lovely?

four hundred and ninety-eight...

2010-01-14T19:58:00.000-08:00

hours until i leave NY for LA! (20 days!) after that, time changes, so it is confusing to count down to anything else... but ignoring time differences... only 672 hours (or 28 days) until i leave for Australia!

in other news, i'm going to Vermont tomorrow! cheers for tiny adventures.

counting down...

2010-01-10T10:31:00.000-08:00

24 days 'till i kiss New York goodbye...
31 days 'till i kiss the USA goodbye!!!

happy new year!

2010-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

33 days 'till what might be the biggest adventure of my life...
33 days 'till i leave for Australia!