retail therapy.

when i was a freshman in high school, i discovered vera wang perfume. heaven on earth, basically. i would refer to my perfume by her first name Vera, and soon enough, all of my friends had my scent cemented in their minds. for the next couple of years, i would ask for nothing but a bottle of it for christmas, but now that i'm a grown-up (pfsh...) or maybe because i think other things are more important, i haven't had a bottle of it for a couple of years now. the other day while meandering through macy's, i found myself at the counter which stored this magnificent perfume. one squirt and i was hooked once again. even now, as i'm typing this, i catch little whiffs of it here and there, and it just paints a huge grin on my face. how i've missed this scent! it's funny how a little retail therapy can make all of the difference.

p.s. three weeks until home!

xoxo

2.18

Waves

I yearn for the surf.
Where are you?
I wish for nothing
more
than to swim, carelessly,
surrounded.

I find you.
There you are,
wild and energetic,
much too deep, much too intense.
Perfect.

I dive in,
feeling those chilling arms around me.
I feel refreshed, free.
I am safe.

................................

The Professor

his long hands cradled his face

grey, weary, full of wisdom.

his brow furrowed

like ripples on a pond.

and his eyes,

though desperate and exhausted,

glistened in the sunlight.

the physical baggage

that he had stored below

those spectacular eyes

spoke to his audience.

he unpacked them,

for educational purposes of course,

and shared his stories.

one by one.

away he wandered.

from his sanctuary,

his family.

so sad, alone.

but those eyes never faltered.

they continued to breathe,

to tell his story.

the wisdom, 

immeasurable.

................................

[untitled]

I seem to find 

my biggest inspiration in

the ocean.

Perhaps it is

the tide. Or the wind.

Or the glare.

The glare is especially bright off the surface.

I wish I had sunglasses…

No, I can handle the glare on my own.

The fencepost next to me

has two legs and is smoking

a cigarette.

The smoke dances with the breeze,

occasionally switching partners and

dancing with the boats instead.

I wish this breeze wasn’t

clouded with nicotine.

So many people

walk alone,

sit alone,

read alone,

attempt suicide alone,

write alone.

I wish I wasn’t alone.

I think I would like my sunglasses now.

[untitled]

my dad posted this poem on erika's facebook wall (yep, dad AND mom have facebooks. love 'em) on valentine's day. pretty much, i love my sissy.


Sand by Erika 7/7/97


I like the sand,


it never goes.
I like the way


it feels on my toes.
But you and me


have fun together,
And we will be friends


for ever and ever.



how precious is this? how she used the eternity and comfort of sand as a metaphor for the innocence of a childhood friendship makes my heart flutter. see, even as a child, my sister was brilliant. i talked to my dad today, and he told me that she didn't think much of this little bit of poetry, but erika, you're wrong! this has to be one of the sweetest things i've ever read. please, just read it with a twinkle in your voice and accept the compliment. it's adorable.

4:14 AM

i awoke with a start at exactly 2:30 AM, according to my cell phone clock, and now it's 4:14 and i'm still wide awake. my ipod died about 45 minutes ago, and it's uncomfortably warm in my room, despite my two windows being open. ugh!


i watched "bottle shock" tonight (erika inspired me ;) ) and oh my god i miss those sonoma sunsets. if anyone back home who has never lived somewhere else is reading this, you have no idea how absolutely lucky we are to have the honor to witness something so breathtaking on a daily basis. granted i get ocean sunrises, but i'm never up at 530 when they occur, but a sunset over dirty industry? not nearly as exquisite. i also caught a glimpse of my old friend/ ex-mary's coworker david hinkley and literally rewound the movie three times to reassure myself it was him. SO COOL!

i want this:



how cute is her little shack/home?



:D love you all

valentine's day

i hate that i have no motivation or new news to write about. Classes are going, work is going.. The weather has been beautiful, then ugly, then beautiful, then ugly once again. Valentine's Day is Saturday, and I have never felt so lonely. I'd rather not bore you with that though, so I won't! Instead, I'll leave you with a lovely video.. 'Tis the season, huh?

brrr.

i had the most repulsive realization today, and i'd like to share it with you. earlier this morning, as i was looking at weather.com's hour-by-hour report (which i do religiously, at least three times a day), i noticed that the temperature tonight is going to be 17 degrees but feel like 9 degrees fahrenheit around the time i expect to get off work, and i thought to myself, "okay cool, it's not going to be too cold..." as i was recalling this fleeting thought on my walk home from school, i was practically disgusted. it is not natural for humans to live in such freezing weather! i know boston isn't nearly as bad as some other places in this country, or the world, but it's seriously wrong. california in one month and ten days!

today marks the end of week two of this semester, and it was equally as time consuming and difficult as last week. for the first time in my academic career, that i can recall, i find myself wishing that there was just one more day in the week, or a few more hours in the day, just so i'd have enough time to complete everything i have to do. perhaps the past has irresponsibly taught me that procrastination is okay, and this need for organization is freaking me out, but i literally have no time to spare. uuhhhg.

also, i had my first nightmare about my job last night. heather had frequent nightmares about olive garden when she first started working there, but i've loved this job so much (as i often admit) that those underlying fears have never existed! it's weird too because when i worked last night, it was so fun and not in the least bit stressful. i have to work in two hours, and i'm terrified and very nervous.

on a more entertaining note, this had to be my choice for the funniest commercial during the super bowl.


have a good weekend, lovies :)

my favorite group of guys.

i cannot WAIT (!) for josh ritter's new album to come out. i have no idea when it is, but i do know that they're recording up in maine this winter. who told me this prized information, you ask? watch this video, and if you happen to notice the guitar player in the dark hat, you will have noticed a man by the name of austin nevins (from mill valley, believe it or not!) and he told me! that's right.. i shmooze with celebrities. it's whatever ;)

25 things.

i did this silly "note" on facebook, and i thought i may as well post it here too (especially since i cannot think of a decent update for you all...)

1. i can't fall asleep without music. i actually can't do anything without music. my favorite genres are classic rock and jazz, and sometimes i'll go through a pavarotti phase. i just really can't stand that screamo shit.. country is mildly tolerable, but everything else = absolutely. i live for it.

2. i am so excited for the day i fill up an entire bookshelf of my own.

3. my independence means everything to me, and it takes one hell of a guy to make me comfortable enough to give that up.

4. there is nothing scarier than spiders or snakes.. ugh.

5. i cannot stand it when people over-use punctuation (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), misspell words for no reason (kool), keep the caps lock on (HEY HOW ARE YOU?), or don't know the difference between the "there" and "your" variations. combine any of the above irritations, and you're in big trouble.

6. when my dad is in a witty mood and erika is tired, they have some of the most hilarious conversations i have ever witnessed. even from the other side of the house, if you hear the pitch of my dad's laugh go up half an octave, there is some seriously funny conversation happening.

7. i'm more of a giver, not so much a taker.

8. i really want to take a road trip across the country, both in the north and the south. i want to see new orleans, the grand canyon, drive route 66.. i also want to see the northern lights, the giant flintstone statues, yellowstone...

9. as much as i've fallen in love with the east coast, my heart belongs in california.

10. josh ritter is my obsession.

11. if i could be anyone in the world, i would want to be beyonce knowles, hands down.

12. i wish i had lived in the days of renoir.

13. give me the beach, a boy, a bottle of merlot, and some classic rock, and i'd be a very happy girl.

14. when i was a kid, i wanted to be a flight attendant SO BADLY, and to this day, i would still love to do it.

15. i wish i had taken advantage of my high school years.

16. my eyes water ALL the time, at almost every emotion. it happens more so when i'm either embarrassed for myself or someone else, or when i laugh, but if you spend enough time with me, you'll definitely see some tears.

17. i am such a chicken when it comes to scary movies, it's a little pathetic. "The Strangers"? Forget about it. "The Ring"? It scared me so badly the first time i saw it that i spent the whole night throwing up.

18. i really want to learn now to play the guitar and/or the piano.

19. it kills me to watch someone take fortunate situations for granted.

20. i can't wait for my little sister to get out of sonoma and be able to do something extraordinary with her brilliant little brain.

21. i'm secretly wishing that some record executive will come across my music myspace and make me famous :D but if he never does, i'll be okay with that.

22. i envy the life my sister leads.. from her cute little loft in the most gorgeous little town, her hilarious friends, to her dreams and aspirations, i just think she is the most incredible person i've ever known.

23. i cannot wait to be a mother. i mean, i can wait, but you know...

24. i wish i was a better cook, like my momma.

25. i can't flip my tongue over, no matter how hard i try, but i can tie a cherry stem in a knot ;)