8 Things I am looking forward too:

1. BONNAROO IN ONE WEEK

2. Going back to Charleston in the fall

3. Eventually graduating

4. Finally getting my second tatto0

5. Getting my passport

6. Working as a curator at a fabulous museum one day.

7. Replacing strings on my mandolin and guitar

8. The new Twilight movie (urgh.)

8 Things I did yesterday:

1. Ate chic-fil-a for breakfast

2. Went to work

3. Fed Maggie cream cheese frosting when she started to say she wanted to go home. J and T had fun putting someone to bed last night…

4. Washed my hair

5. Ate chic-fil-a for lunch

6. Worked late, which is actually normal

7.  Watched the same episode of the Wiggles with Maggie like 5 times bc that was the only one we had on TiVo

8.  Went to bed.

8 Things I Wish I could do:

1. Sing like a rock star

2. Ice skate

3. Win the lottery, so I could… (see #4)

4. Pay off my student loans in one swift click of the mouse

5. Be more patient

6. Write a book/screen play/something awesome so (again #4)

7. Control the word vomit

8. Forgive and forget people

8 Shows I watch:

(mostly, 8 shows that are usually one while I’m sitting in the living room, but since this is 8 shows I watch, here we go)

1. VH1: I love the…

2. E! TV

3. Family Guy

4. Criminal Minds

5. CSI (original)

6. My neighbor’s constant drama (not a tv show, but pretty entertaining in that non-funny way)

7. The Colbert Report

8.  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

8 Favorite Foods:

1. Sushi

2. Calzones

3. Greek Salads

4. Strawberries

5. Apples

6. Salt & Vinager potato chips

7. Corn (seriously, creamed corn, corn-on-the-cob, corn casserole, any kind of corn ever)

8. Dinner Rolls (any kind)

8 Places I’ve Traveled:

1. New York, New York

2. Chicago, Illinois

3. California (San Francisco & Carmel-by-the-Sea)

4. Tulsa, OK

5. Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

6. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

7. Dayton, Ohio

8. Washington, DC

8 Places I’d Like to Travel:

1. NorCal (whole northern pacific coast in general)

2. Canada

3. Russia

4. India

5. Hungary

6. Ireland

7. New Zealand

8. Sweeeeeden

8 People I tagged:

Zerooooo

My role in all of this may be small, but I am a believer of “the butterfly effect” -  every motion, every action, every word, will in some way influence the things to come.

More on this subject to come: I’ve got a lot of organizing and writing to do.  In the future this will probably be one of multiple blogs, in order to keep things focused.  Right now Windows & Things serves as a single outlet, but in order to organize my thoughts and goals, things will have to be divided out.

Stay tuned for updates, links, etc.

P.s. Tweeting is fun. I’ve become addicted in less than a week of use. Figures.

It hit me tonight. I haven’t prayed in a very long time, and suddenly I’m not okay with that.  I think for a long time I’ve associated prayer with asking some faceless God for things that deep down I know may or may not happen, because I’ve felt for a long time that God does not have a hand in the events of the earth any longer.

But, in that statement… I feel like that there is a God, and he/she/The Divine Power that is God, does have something to offer, even if he has stopped involving himself directly in the affairs of humanity.

This thought came after we discussed the Prophet Muhammed’s thought that “prayer is like a ladder, suspended between heaven and earth by which we can ascend to paradise” (a summary from the Ru.hi Inst.itute book) along with the Long Obligatory Prayer, in which Ba.ha’u'llah writes:

I beseech Thee…to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence.

The discussion following reading this passage suddenly made me realize something… Prayer is not this holier-than-thou activity meant to demonstrate how spiritual or how religious you are.   It is a connection with a greater force, something that helps us remove the “veils” of materialism, ego, and the petty things that we continue to concern ourselves with.  Now, just in saying this, it sounds like I am becoming one of those “holier-than-thou” people, but the fact is — every person needs a way to help separate themselves from the small stresses of life…and maybe I’ve found mine.

Yes, it’s important to mediate, to clear your mind and to have that “conversation” with God…but what about all the other times?  I feel that “prayer” is also that ability to be mindful of what’s around us, to be in a state of appreciation for the beauty among so many ugly things in this world, and to do my best to approach things with a “this-too-shall-pass” attitude.

This may be one of the hardest things I’ve taken on in a while — having such a positive attitude.  But what else is there to do? With everything that has happened on a personal level the past two years, and the chaos that is building in our world…what else is there to do?  …for me, it’s only to seek some sort of peace mentally, and hopefully be able to influence others to seek out their own peace of mind.

I want prayer to be an expansive idea, not a singular activity.  It’s not even wanting anymore…it’s reached the level of need.

I got up early because I had to be at work at 10:00 and ate a yummy breakfast, granola, omlet, and toast with strawberry jelly (the good kind too, with chunks of strawberry in it…sometimes dining services does it up right).  Then went to work, where I realize that it is universal for libraries to have a token old, grouchy, crotchety, but slightly amusing guy who likes to demonstrate his power as head librarian by being nice to those who are nice to him and being an utter authoritarian to those who aren’t. I’ll admit, I laughed — inside laugh of course.

(Look out window: There goes the kid with the bongo drum again, this time he’s carrying a guitar too…maybe I should be his friend. I mean, we do live in the same building and he looks mildly interesting.)

But anyway,  I got off at 3:00 and it’s a neutral 60 outside, cool sea breeze included. And now I’m deciding what I should do.  Whatever it is, it definitely needs to involve my novel “Walking With the Wind”, the memoirs of SNCC co-founder and Civil Rights activist John Lewis.  Actually an enjoyable book (made slightly less enjoyable as it is the subject of paper #6 of this semester, paper #7 quick to follow…).

Stone and dirt kicking

Laugh

The edge is pushing again

Go to sleep, little beast

Settle down, curl up

Got to sleep

Die quietly, painless while you watch the watery film against the light of your eye lids

Clawing at throats

Punching out teeth

Lips flap and hanging in the air

Horror

You got out. You escaped.

Maybe lean

Maybe offer the opportunity, the chance to be strong.

But people are just people.

Each with a little beast, named or faceless

Secured behind their ribcages

I know.

I am one.

I’m hoping photos will be posted more frequently – and NEW photos at that, not just old favs.  I’m started to get comfortable in my new surroundings, it’s shutter time.

<3

I woke up late and didn’t feel guilty about it.

took a shower and shaved my legs…not because I felt like I should, but because I think prickly legs are gross and just wrong when it’s warm outside.  I put on a beach dress braless, because I hate bras and I don’t have to do things I don’t like…even though I’ll probably change that before I actually leave my apt…

Then I started eating cookies and cereal for breakfast.  And when I sat down at my desk to eat it I opened the window and almost started hopping up and down…because the smell that wafted in was something I only used to smell on vacations.  It’s the smell of warm sun, and humidity soaking into palmetto tree trunks, and radiating off of black pavement, mixed in with the salty tinge of sand and marsh mud: perfection.  And here it is, coming in through my screened window, for my nose’s endless pleasure. Oh my, there goes the second carriage tour of the day by my window. Wave at the tourists!

So what will I do today? I have no idea…probably ride my bike to the water with a camera and a book (unfortunetly a school book because there’s a $35 charge at the public library here for non residents. Boo.) and sit in the shade (or the sun), and enjoy my city.

My city.