lost.

i absolutely love this song, and i don't know why or how i didn't hear it sooner.




p.s. this is the view from my living room window. come on, mother nature, it's march for god's sake.

a couple of things.

firstly, i would like to apologize for my lack of writing. life gets busy! but, considering it's 2:30 AM, allow me to keep this short.

1. currently, it is snowing sideways, and because of this, all classes are canceled for tomorrow. yippee!

2. in exactly two weeks from this exact minute, i will be landing at the oakland airport. since my whole family will be in town, i'm hoping i'll have an entourage waiting for me at the gate this time! (hint hint) all of my trips home have either been secret or during rush hour, so my arrivals have never been celebrations (EXCEPT last christmas when erika, sierra, and max picked me up! that was lovely :D angelica bung?) i understand that 1130 PM on a sunday is a lot to ask, but it would be nice. i'm just sayin'..

3. i'm becoming more and more anxious for the chance to revamp things out here. it's pretty exciting.

4. you know how the eharmony commercials say you can view your matches for free? i decided to try it, just to see what kind of men i would be matched with. dream guys are out there! such a funny idea, that eharmony.com.


i have a bunch of school work to catch up on and finish tomorrow, so i'm extremely thankful for this lovely coating of wintry bliss. in the meantime, enjoy this :)



xoxo

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 :)

what!?

yesterday in one of my american studies courses, i read the most hilarious thing. okay, we all know that columbus thought the world was flat, right? WRONG! in fact, columbus believed that the world, and i quote, "is like a round ball, on part of which is something like a woman's nipple..." a woman's nipple? seriously? columbus thinks that the earth is shaped like a boob? i'm sitting in the library as i type this, giggling to myself at this newfound knowledge. i just can't even fathom... oh, the things we learn in college.

this week has been exhausting, and it's only the first! i don't know what i'm going to do this semester if every week is like this one. ugh.

if you recall from a previous post of mine, i mentioned something about a surprise, and since i officially took the days off of work yesterday, i can officially tell you that i'm going home for spring break! i found a ticket on jetblue, non-stop roundtrip, for $300. so sweet! i can't wait to see everyone :) i'm especially excited to see erika, since it will be the week before our birthday. last birthday was the first one spent apart, and i felt so lonely! most people believe birthdays to be the one day of the year where one is allowed to be selfish, but for me, it is meant to be shared. thank god jennelle's is right before mine, or i would have felt completely selfish.

i wish you all a lovely weekend :) superbowl! (even though i have no idea who's playing, nor do i even care, really...) but enjoy it!

xoxox

escuela.

my first class was this morning at 9 AM, and my friend james ended up being in the class too! i haven't seen him since last spring, so it was exciting to see him again. i have an enormous break from 10-1, and i'm so bored, i don't know what to do with myself. except take ridiculous pictures.. i don't know what to think of this one.

i've been thinking a lot lately about transferring to a school back in california. it's probably because it's the middle of winter, and i've been sick, but the southern california sunshine sounds beyond incredible.. this twenty degree weather is no longer my preferred cup of tea. i find myself dreaming of the house i grew up in, daydreaming about what my life would be like living in LA, SLO, san diego, or san francisco. i really miss (almost) constant warm weather, not having to check the weather six times in one day, and not worrying about getting brain freeze from being outside for two minutes. uhg. in state tuition wouldn't be too shabby either!

what i am excited about is that erika and i have been video chatting again! it's so much cooler than just talking on the phone.

i'm obsessed.

with this song. i've unknowingly listened to bonnie raitt since i was about four years old, and i just adore her and her music. she has one of the most heartfelt voices.. she's fantastic.


school starts tomorrow! i'm actually pretty excited because i am so bored of just work. here's to you, christmas break. it's been nice :)

half nelson

my sincere apologies for not writing for a week! i've been busy busy.. my six-day work stint was no biggie, and last night i picked up a shift at the other MJ's downtown. pretty cool, very busy, very chaotic, but i made some good (unexpected) money, so whatevah ;)

on thursday, my first free day, i went with jennelle up to her house, spent the day chatting with her and her mom, catching up on some reading, napping, and then we went and she got extensions in her hair! very cute. then her parents made us dinner (yummy!) i love her family.. i kind of look at them as my pseudo-family. 143 ciullas!

friday, i ran some errands, FINALLY found a copy of into the wild (ever since i started reading and finished the book, i've been so curious to see the film adaptation again). i bought the two-disc limited edition one, just so i could see the making/behind the scenes look. i hadn't seen hunter since i came back, so he and i had dinner, and then we came back to my place, got some ben and jerry's, and watched the movie. SO INCREDIBLE! emile hirsch does the most breathtaking, groundbreaking performance.. if you haven't seen it, i highly highly recommend it.



it's snowing pretty heavily right now, and it's been absolutely freezing, which is funny because california has been in the 80's! so not fair.. the girls and i are going to a birthday party tonight. classes start in one week, and i really hope this semester goes better than the last.

p.s. i have a huge surprise, and i cannot wait for it to happen!

this evening has been so very nice...

i love sonoma! for some reason, it has felt so good to be home, more so this trip than any other. i haven't seen as many of my friends as i thought i would have by now, but hanging out with my family is fine enough for me :)

claire is incredible and so fun to hang out with.. i've missed her a lot, so it's just been really fantastic getting to hang out with her some more.

erika is absolutely stunning, so smart.. i'd forgotten, sort of, how majestic she is. we went on a bike ride/run the other morning, and even though we didn't say much, i loved being with her. that must sound so lame, but i can't really explain it, and i don't think it needs defending!

there's no place like home...

this is the heel-clicking stage of my departure home. it's early, which i don't mind too much because i have plenty of errands to run today. i think i'll leave for the airport around four, hoping to GOD (again) that the flights are on time by now. only roughly eighteen hours until i'm home!

i miss my sisters...

Oh, Newport...

I woke up this morning after a mere three point five hours of sleep to catch the train to Rhode Island, and now here I am sitting in the lovely little home of my lovely aunt and uncle :) Twenty minutes ago, outside was normal, dry, and freezing; yet, now, as I type this, I am looking outside and seeing nothing but white! Around eight to ten inches of snow is expected today, and it couldn't be more incredible! New England architecture is a perfect haven for winter-related scenery too, so everything looks so quaint and adorable.. so cozy! These are just little flakes, but the trees, the houses, everything is completely coated.

Tomorrow night, the whole family is coming over for a big ol' pre-christmas feast! Josh just got home from Idaho last night, and now I'm here, so they all see it as a time for some family gathering and celebration, which makes me feel really great. It's so fun having a big family out here, and having them want to celebrate the fact that I'm visiting. Deborah just got engaged too, so I guess it's an Ashley's here / Josh's here / Deborah's engaged / Christmas bash. Oh well, either way, it makes me all warm and fuzzy witnessing the immense amounts of love that are in this side of my family.

It only makes me that much more excited for California!

My flight is on Monday, and I am praying to the almighty king of kings, lord of lords, thou who shall reign forever and ever, Jesus Christ, that my flight won't be delayed and/or canceled. I would be so upset! Hopefully this gorgeous snow storm will be nice to me. In the meantime, this three point five hours of sleep is catching up with me, and this is the perfect weather for a nice little nap.

xoxox, ash

instead of studying...

i like my hat.

i got $80 for my books today, and i still have four more to return! sweet.

studying needs to start happening, probably now. see ya, kiddos.

hurr...

and, on a different note... i'm. nervous. ahhh.

...

three down, two to go... lord help me.

p.s. i dyed my hair again! dark brown with an auburn tint :) the failure of the blonde made me change direction. pictures will come soon...

hallelujah!

- i sold my car !! i got much less than my asking price, but it's finally no longer mine, and i can breathe again.. fweww.
- sonoma is in 16 days! oh, i absolutely cannot wait.
- i love my job.
- twilight is amazing, and i'm buying myself the second book to read on the plane. don't judge me ;)
- "winter song" by sara bareilles and ingrid michaelson is my new obsession. SO CUTE!
- the chamber singing concert is monday at old south church in copley square, BUT due to subway reconstruction, the church developed huge cracks in the walls and ceiling. rumor has it that it's alright to occupy, but now we can't use the organ, which SUCKS because we're singing the messiah (hallelujah! hallelujah!) and the organ is pretty crucial. oh well.
- i am going to be very very busy these next couple of weeks.

xoxox!

sigur ros, please.

i love family and the holiday season. my dad and i drove to syracuse yesterday to visit my uncle tod and his family, and i can't even believe how much i missed them. tod and phyllis are so hospitable and loving, it's fantastic :) snowflakes were falling last night that had the same diameter as an orange, no joke. it was insanity!

my creative writing professor played this song for us on tuesday for a writing prompt, and i literally started crying in class. it's just so beautiful and emotional, i couldn't contain myself! is that silly? anyway, have a listen.. you'll want to save the world, just like i did.

11.19

i hate when people misspell words on purpose, ie "tha" instead of "the" or "kool" instead of "cool." you aren't saving any letters, and you look illiterate. sheesh.

today was the first day it has been truly, honestly, miserably cold. i nearly started running home from class, it was so bitter. here we go, new england winter!

a guy came to buy my car yesterday but decided to "pass." I was thinking about it today, and I'm afraid no one will want to buy a little sedan right before winter, unless they're either 1. desperate for a vehicle, or 2. looking for a winter project car. The car isn't even that horrible, but it isn't perfect. i just want to get rid of it, already!!

xoxox.

blankets.

this morning is perfect... outside it's foggy, cold, a little bit rainy, but i'm laying here cozy and warm in my bed. i have today off, my first complete day off in... honestly longer than i can remember. warm blankets, hot chocolate, tessie, a book... lovely :) 

i think i'll go into the city and explore today. i have to organize my class schedule for next semester, which i think is going to be a little difficult, considering i have no idea what i want to do anymore. i need to be enlightened this coming semester, or i swear i'm going to go crazy!

i don't think i have ever felt more proud to live in this country as i do now. i just feel so lucky to be young, informed, and able to have participated in such a momentous moment in our country's history. this idea of change, of a true united states, makes me feel like i can breathe comfortably for the first time. i love how hunter explained it: the past two years (of eight years, for that matter...) have been physically exhausting. the frustration that this entire country has gone through was lifted and finally gave us a sense of peace. that night, november 4, 2008, our country slept comfortably again.

it's remarkable how one person can have such a tremendous affect on such a giant community of people.

love,

ashley.