cruisin'

My life is consumed by working, a lack of sleep, and occasionally going out with friends after work. I love it! I'm having more fun this summer than I've had in a very long time. Very convenient that I'm leaving so soon.. Wahh!

The fourth of july was very fun. I had to work in the afternoon, but later in the day, jennelle and I met up with one of her high school friends to watch the fireworks. She had gotten there much earlier in the day and put down a blanket RIGHT on the charles river. It was beautiful! Naturally, Boston doesn't kid around with the celebration of America's birth, so there was music, lots of food, lots of alcohol, lots of people, lots of laughter, and the most incredible fireworks display I've ever seen. The Boston Pops played, followed by a jet fly-over, four songs by Neil Diamond, and the final fireworks show. It was completely choreographed to music that was played through speakers set up all down the Charles.. I know they're just fireworks, but it took my breath away. Celebrating America's birthday in America's birthplace? Yes, please.

The next day, we went up to Wilmington to Jennelle's house for a big cookout with her family, and then went into her little town to see their fireworks show. Not in the least bit comparable to the night before, but it was really nice to be in the small town scene again, where the whole town comes out to celebrate. Made me a little homesick.... Anyway, that whole day/night was so much fun, just swimming, drinking mojitos, eating, and relaxing.
On thursday night at work, my manager hired a musician to play after dinner, and I was bouncing around all night in anticipation. He ended up having an incredible voice, so I kept telling everyone that I wanted to sing a duet with him, even though I wasn't completely serious. I did ask my manager at one point to see if it was okay if I did, but his lack of enthusiasm was enough to convince me that it wasn't a good idea. About twenty minutes after I had asked him, he comes barging into the kitchen, angrily demanding I come out to the dining room with him. He seemed so angry that I assumed I had done something wrong, someone had complained, or something to that extent; I was wrong! He grabbed my hand, walked me straight up to the singer, and said, "Yeah, excuse me? She's going to sing with you next." The guy looked a bit taken aback but asked if I knew "cruisin'" (the version by huey lewis and gwyneth paltrow that is...) "I know that one!" I stated, and he replied, a bit surprised, "well, okay then. Um, let's go!" It went perfectly! The harmonies were beautiful, neither of us forgot the lyrics, and it was so unbelievably exhilerating, I cannot even begin to explain! From my perspective, the audience was fairly big, since people crowded around, but I'm not sure how many were actually there. Either way, I'm so glad Todd made me go up there. I left that night without saying goodbye to anyone (a complete accident, I swear!) and I guess the guy wanted me to sing the last song, and I was nowhere to be found! Oops. Thanks for letting me sing with you, rocker man. It made my day/week/month.

Now, Jennelle and I are sitting on a bus to New York to go apartment hunting! I'm going to panic if I come up empty-handed. Less than three weeks until I have to leave, and as of right now, I'm homeless! Yikes. Wish me luck!!

a brief photo montage of the last two days in NY

"don't walk" sign from the east village


top of the empire state building


the guggenheim


upper west side, as seen from the jackie o reservoir


cute little turtle (one of three we saw swimming around the shoreline!)


the dakota...


imagine mosaic, the day after the death of MJ and farrah.. simple and powerful :(


MJ montage in times square


"i'll be there" in the 42 st subway


beautiful skies on the drive home through connecticut


back in boston, result of flip flop being consumed by the escalator.

quick!

orientation was this morning! i nearly burst into tears on a number of occasions (not totally unlike me, but a tad embarrassing) but all in all, it was a great day. i have one chance this coming spring semester to study abroad, if i so desire, and then it's student teaching for the next two years.. as far as this semester goes, i've got 8 AM classes every day, until 4 PM or so, and no class on fridays! so nice. I want to try to get into a tutoring program for fridays though, to teach little ones how to read and whatnot.. a little preparation for my impending career :) so exciting!

what a nerd, huh?

"i couldn't help but wonder..."

As I sit here waiting for the bus to work, I feel like writing down some thoughts I've been having lately. (If this post turns out looking funny, visually, please pardon me.. I've never posted via Blackberry before!)

In the past week, since I've been back in Boston from my lovely visit home, I've gotten quite nervous about this whole New York thing. The only time I've moved anywhere was from Sonoma, I was young, adventurous, and curious. I wanted to get out, leave, and it didn't really matter where I went, just so long as I was no longer in the same place I had always known. These emotions that are drawing me to New York City are completely different; this time, I want to go, emphasis on "go." This decision, academically and professionally, is the most important of my life so far, and I know it's the right one. At first I was worried that I was leaving Boston too soon, that I was only leaving because other people wanted me to. But then it hit me: this time, it's not about leaving but going.

When this thought first occurred to me, I thought I was thinking myself in circles, but my dad gave me the exact advice that I had thought of. Earlier in the week, I had dinner with my Uncle Tod, and while talking with him about my apprehension, I mentioned the word "comfortable" in regards to my life in Boston. At this, he quickly interrupted me, baffled, saying, "Ash, you're twenty years old! You're too young to be comfortable! Wait fifteen years and THEN see if you're ready to say that." While constant moving and adventuring is somewhat terrifying, I really valued his advice. Who am I to settle down at the young age of twenty, when I have a whole world of opportunities, cities, and people waiting to be seen?

Boston has been incredible to me. This first leap, flight if you will, has taught me that I am capable of succeeding on my own, and that in itself is something I value more than anything. I've learned so much about myself, this city, the passion the people here have for everything in their lives, and I've met some incredible people (and some not so incredible people too..) but that's another story in itself. Too infuriating.

It is definitely bittersweet, but, like I wrote in the previous post, this is another chapter in my life. I'm meeting my dad at the airport on Wednesday morning, and then the two of us are off to New York for the week(end)! Its getting exciting.

P.s. Happy Father's Day, dad :) all of these opportunities I've been blessed with and all of my dreams have been made into realities because of your endless support. Thank you so much for never doubting me. You truly are the greatest dad, and I truly am the luckiest daughter. I love you very very much :)

to old memories and new beginnings.

it's been so long since i last posted, it's unbelievable! holy. my sincerest apologies, really. at first, my lack of writing was due to a lack of events, but after i went home this week, there was simply too much to write about!

making tacos with the family.. the result of erika cutting the onions for pico de gallo:






claire's knee surgery!



the city with wiggy and my grandma :)





the initial reason i went home this past weekend was to be with claire just before and after her gnarly knee surgery. i honestly cannot even begin to tell you how nice it was to spend so much time with her. the poor thing is bed-ridden, for the most part, and when she's helpless like that, she can be very sweet. a couple of days before i flew out, we had a thirty minute conversation, speaking only with british accents; because of this, while i was home, we frequently resorted to speaking that same way, and i'm sure jennelle now thinks we are insane. we are seriously the weirdest family! so funny though. the bandages on claire's knee were enormous; there were ACE bandages, followed by a white cushion of sorts, followed by a royal blue pad that circulated ice water around her knee cap, topped off by a brace that went from her upper thigh down to her ankle. The blue ice pad had a tube connected to it that attached to a cooler placed on the floor, and we ended up referring to the shorter part of this tube as her penis.. High on percocet, speaking in a soprano-pitched british accent, asking me to "please plug in her penis" was probably the most entertaining, hilarious thing i have ever heard and seen. as far as sister bonding went, though, i most definitely miss her already.

my only cousin wigg was in town too, with his girlfriend miranda, and it's impossible for me to explain how nice it is to have him back in my life. he was always around, so it's not the physical presence that i've missed, but the emotional and personal. he seems so excited about life, learning, family, love, everything, and i love seeing him with so much passion and drive for his life. i've missed him a lot. when we were really young, he was like the older brother i'd always wished for, yet adolesence, dr. dre, emmett smith, and ICP took him away from us. but now he's returned! woohoo!

i mentioned earlier that jennelle came to california with me, and it was so nice for me to have her get to meet all of my family, more than just in passing. the ciulla's have been truly like my second family here, so hospitable, so caring, making me feel like a complete part of their family. (jennelle just called, actually, and i swear i'm not writing this because i know you're going to read it! haha...) in all honesty, i hope that we showed her as much kindness as her family has shown me the last two years. i know we are so weird - claire giving herself a penis, our british accents, my dad trying to coax the cat into purring with him, erika blow-drying wax onto a canvas, my mom's incredible cooking (maybe not so weird...), and my grandma's goofy nicknames - and, given it was a small family reunion, all of our reminiscent stories must have been so boring, but it was a fun peek into our small, crazy family. i found this quote the other day, and it reminded me of jennelle:
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain
that said, seriously, DO IT! you know what i'm talking about. :)

next week, my dad's flying out here, and we're hopping on a bus straight from the airport to manhattan for orientation! i saw cat and brady while i was home, and my talk with them made me realize how quickly time can pass, and how quickly it can sneak up on you. we started the play four years ago. FOUR. what? and now, in one month, i will be relocating to new york, simultaneously turning my life upside down. what? i found out i was moving to boston in february 2007 and i moved that august, so i had six whole months to prepare myself. this time, however, i have one measly month to prepare to leave somewhere i am actually quite fond of. i realized today that the comfort i feel here is the number one thing that should convince me to get out. i'm twenty years old! i shouldn't be comfortable! i should be out adventuring my horizons, seeing new places, meeting new people, expanding my knowledge. i think that boston has done incredible things for me, and i am so thankful/grateful for my experiences here. everyone i've met will not be forgotten, especially the dirty dozen. what a phenomenal place to gain my independence, huh? i must have been feeling a similar sense of fear before i made the trek across the country, but it's been so long, i've forgotten what it feels like. i don't know if i'm ready for this adventure quite yet, but i'm doing it, and it will be incredible. here's to a new chapter!

imagine.

i don't know how to write about the last few days without it sounding like a chronological recap, but i'll make an attempt. monday morning, i caught the 7:30 AM bus to new york (with much mayhem and chaos, mind you.. my alarm, set for 5:15 AM, mysteriously stopped going off, and an e-mail that jennelle received at 6:57 AM was the first thing to wake me up. somehow, i made it on the bus at exactly 7:29 AM.. lots of panic and anxiety ensued.. i'll go no further...)

i got to penn station a little after noon, found my hotel, freshened up, and walked down 5th avenue to the NYU campus. from there, i walked all around the village, found carrie bradshaw's house, had a delicious little lunch at the soho cafe, and then found the apartment where the lovely heath ledger died [RIP :( ] with death and memorials in mind (not in a sick way, i promise you), i decided to walk to strawberry fields in central park to see the imagine mosaic. at least 70 blocks later, i found myself sitting on a little bench, watching a little boy place rose petals around the mosaic in a peace sign formation and tea lights inside of it. all of a sudden, the fifteen or so men who had been sitting on the benches across from me started playing beatles songs. i was awestricken. all of them had guitars, except for one man who was playing a tiny drum set, and they were in such high spirits. a couple of random pedestrians came and went, singing along with them, harmonizing, the whole deal. it was incredible! i immediately called erika so she could hear it, and describing to her what was happening made me start crying, and i didn't stop for the entire time i was there. that in itself convinced me that new york was a place i could actually live and flourish. i collected myself, walked down broadway to my little hotel on east 27th, and went to bed :)

the next morning, i woke up, checked out of the hotel, and walked to washington square park to eat a nice little breakfast before my 10 AM tour of the NYU campus. it felt so good sitting there in the sun, my kombucha, fruit salad, and lemon poppyseed muffin in hand, watching all of the people walking by. the tour was.. well, a tour. i'm so stoked to go there though. i know those kinds of situations are basically educationally-based solicitations, but i am hooked. yippee! i bought an NYU sweatshirt, wandered around greenwich village for a little while, and walked back to the nasty, urine-scented penn station and waited for my bus back to boston.

this is where things became entertaining :) so i'm sitting in a seat by the window, reading my book, curled up in my new sweatshirt, when a voice asks me, "do you mind if i sit with you?" looking up, i see a quite attractive, tan, curly-haired boy looking down at me. of course i say yes, so he sits down, and before we've been driving for five minutes, the kid is sound asleep. his head is bobbing around violently, in the same way someone trying to sleep in an upright position naturally does. it was so funny to watch this poor guy in my periphs, struggling to keep his head from flailing around, that i pretended to sleep so i wouldn't wake him up with my laughter. in doing so, i actually did fall asleep, and once i woke up again, his head was resting on my shoulder! so cute. i seriously considered waking him up to ask if he'd like to switch seats so he could rest his head against the window and sleep somewhat comfortably, but by the time i had gathered enough courage to do so, he was awake too. the bus driver stopped somewhere in connecticut to give us all a bathroom/stretch break, and from that point until we got to boston, the cute boy and i talked the entire way! i felt like we talked about so much too, much more than any two strangers would or should talk about on a long bus ride. once we got to south station, we realized that we didn't even know each other's names! anyway, it was such a fun and random and exciting situation.

two weeks to the day until jennelle and i head off to california! i'm so excited to go home. after that, it's back to work for a week, and then my dad and i are going to new york again for orientation! once i'm back in boston, i plan on working like a madwoman the entire month of july, and then our lease is up, and i'll most likely be manhattan-bound! condensing the next two months into so little sentences worries me that time is going to fly by too quickly for me to actually wrap my head around everything. that's part of the excitement though, right?

weird

for some reason, i LOVE this song. i really really like it.



tomorrow is my last final, and i'll officially be done with my second year of college! i'm working all weekend, and then next week i'm taking the bus to check out my potential new home. crazy, isn't it? i can't help but continually remind myself of how quickly life can change. one moment, i was shopping for a vacuum, and the next minute, i'm moving to new york city. i mean, what?! my entire life was turned upside down in a ten minute phone call. insanity, i tell you!

in the fine words of frank sinatra...

what? oh my god. no way. really? you're kidding. holy shit. jesus. jesus christ. there's no way. WTF? seriously? for real? oh, come on. wow. no sir-ah. nah ah. yay! wait, you're serious? shut up.

california!

on the evening of june 10th, jennelle and i will be invading northern california for a total of six days WOOOO! so stoked.

oh, i cannot wait!

it's been a long, long time coming...

while sitting in my biological anthropology class this afternoon, i received the most straightforward yet somewhat hilarious of text messages:

"Forward this message to your sister ... post something on your blog ... the same goes for you"

and so, for you AJ, and all of you other anonymous readers, here is an update! i am so so sorry for the prolonged lack of entries. i recently purchased a blackberry and created a twitter account (separate events), and trying to keep up with at least five modes of communication is quite difficult to do!

so much has happened since the last time i posted, that i don't even know where to begin. i've been running as much as i can, which i must admit hasn't been much this week. dammit. i've been feeling really good though! last thursday was our friend dan's 20th birthday party, and it was such a fun party. around this time last year, we all had a group of friends who we nicknamed "the dirty dozen," and due to unexplainable, natural causes, this group of friends isn't as close as it used to be; HOWEVER, thursday was a reunion, and it was phenomenal. earlier in the week was nayana's 21st birthday, which was a blast too, so i guess that explains where i've been. there's a saying that goes: "school, job, friends. pick two. welcome to college." in the recent weeks, i've been trying to juggle all three, and it's been exhausting but extremely fun.








we have exactly one week of classes left, finals the week after, and then i'm officially halfway through with college! how exciting is that? i've been researching study abroad programs lately, as well as the peace corps. today, we saw a group of irish boys at the grocery store, and now i am set on going to ireland. i mean, i work at a pub now, so aren't i about halfway there? eee!

my precious baby sister busted her knee the other weekend at a volleyball tournament and most likely needs surgery, so i think i'm going to go home for a week or so in june to hang out with her. what a way to start the summer, huh? great for me, but horrible for her.. poor girl :( hopefully jennelle will be coming with me too!

RIP Mr. Moe :(