beach memories

I've lived in Milwaukee for about a year now and I have to say the one thing that I miss incredibly about living in Savannah is the beach. The solemn sand and the sweet salty scent of the glorious sapphire water. The adamant plucky seagulls that hover over every bit of food. I miss sitting on the swings and be completely captivated by the beauty of the beach. 

summertime's calling me

Monday is June 1st and for the past 4 years has been my official start of summer. This year again I'm hoping Monday will bring summer. It's been a long (6 mo.) winter and a rather cold spring and now I'm excited for summer, sun, and fun. I've compiled a list of things to do this summer along with trying to find a job. 

finish my container garden on my balcony and enjoying it.

make my new apartment my new "home"

use my polaroid cameras!

read the books on my reading list

be outdoors as much as possible

enjoy concerts & films

visit the new modern wing of the chicago art museum

actually make it to pittsburgh

visit northern wisconsin and see the goats on the roof

go bowling

kite flying

work on my thesis for a master's i probably will never get

have a fantastic and enjoyable birthday

read more about anthropology

make an apple pie from scratch

do more diy projects

enjoy a new piece of art every wednesday at the milwaukee art museum

update this blog more

Hopefully this list will grow and so will this blog.

loved and were loved, and now we lie

though poppies grow...

This weekend is the unofficial start to summer, the first long weekend, the first backyard BBQ. This weekend is also Memorial Day. The weekend that we remember those who died while serving their country. Take time this weekend to remember all of them. Don't worry about whether you agree with the war they fought, just concentrate on the fact that they served their country and served it well. They left spouses and children, parents and siblings and nothing can bring them back but every year their families remember them and we should too. Remembering keeps them alive. This weekend go sit in a military cemetery among the white headstones, visit your local memorial, send a poppy into the wind, read "In Flanders Field" or read the eulogies written here. Never forget how we got here and how many lives were cut short to protect you and me.

The above photo is of the First Division Monument in front of the OEOB (now the EEOB) in Washington D.C. The First Division of the American Expeditionary Force was originally created during WWI and is still serving today. This monument, with "Winged Victory" on top, was erected to honor the dead of the First Division from WWI. Since then the names of those who died in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm have been added to the monument. In front of the monument is a bed of red flowers in the form of the number 1 because the nickname for the First Division is "The Big Red One".

233 years. Twelve wars. 654,901 dead.

Dear Graduates,

Over the weekend this was the scene at many colleges across the country. For my alma mater this won't take place until May 30th. I have no words of wisdom for those graduates but I can quote previous commencement speeches and I will end this entry with a line I heard tonight. But first, back in 1996 Southampton graduates had an unusual guest speaking at their graduation, Kermit the Frog. And while a frog isn't my first choice to give me enlightenment Kermit said something that I try to read every time change is introduced to my life. He said: 

"And so I say to you, the 1996 graduates of Southampton Graduate Campus, you are no longer tadpoles. The time has come for you to drop your tails and leave this swamp. But I am sure that wherever I go as I travel around the world, I will find each and every one of you working your tails off to save other swamps and give those of us who live there a chance to survive. We love you for it. Enjoy life!"

I remember last year it was such a bittersweet time, I was saying goodbye to the greatest friends I had known and a life I had grown to love. I was going to graduate and soon have a wonderful job and live in a city I had never really experienced full time before. The reality soon after was harsh and one that many graduates are facing this year.

The recession has seemed to put a damper on hopes and dreams but I know now this isn't true. If it wasn't for the recession and unemployment I wouldn't have discovered what I truly want to do. I am able to read what I want to read instead of for classes. I am able to research new ideas and develop my own. I have discovered that I genuinely love architecture, interior design, and anthropology and have figured out a way to have it all. I know what I need to be happy and content with my life and work. This is a time to figure out what we all want to do with our lives. The plan is not set in stone, the plan is changing everyday. And now I leave you with another piece of enlightenment that I heard tonight from a very strange source.

I love the television show "How I Met Your Mother" and tonight, the season finale, opened my eyes. The main character, Ted, was facing a dilemma on his 31st birthday. His architecture career was going nowhere and he didn't want to take a crappy teaching position at a college. One of his friends, Lilly, said to him:

"Screw the plan. I planned on being a famous artist. Marshall planned on being an environmental lawyer. Robin planned on being a TV reporter. Barney planned on being a violinist. Look, you can't design your life like a building. It doesn't work that way. You just have to live it and it'll design itself. Listen to what the world is telling you to do and take the leap."

Congratulations Graduates! I hope you listen to the world and take the leap.

Voodoo

Last night I went to my sister's spring concert. She's a music teacher at a local high school and after three years of teaching she's moving on to pursue her Master's degree. So last night was her last spring concert with her concert band and concert choir. I haven't seen many of her concerts but I can say that last night was the best performance I've heard from her concert band ever. The last piece they played was called "Voodoo" and I couldn't be more proud of my sister. Her kids memorized this piece, performed it in the dark, and did a fantastic job! 

daydreamer believer

It's a dreary day in Milwaukee which unfortunately has to be rather productive. Yesterday I was talking with my best friend and we decided that we should take a mini vacation together this summer. She's in New York and I'm here and we haven't seen each other in a year. We figured we'd meet somewhere interesting in the middle. Cleveland didn't sound too interesting so we're going to meet up in Pittsburgh. I love trips and every summer have road tripped my way home from Savannah. It's always fun and you come across the most crazy things... hence Dinosaur World. I didn't actually stop there because there was a major traffic accident and we were all rerouted but the sign and giant Dinosaur was awesome.

Every morning I watch the news and find the newest thing on the internet and this morning I came across an interesting study that says daydreaming is actually healthy and not a sign of laziness. This study, at the University of British Columbia, discovered that when your brain daydreams the "default network" and the "executive network" are more active than normal. The "executive network" deals with complex problem solving. They say it's an important cognitive state where our brains turn its attention to the problems in our lives and sorts through them. Good to know. Especially after teachers always call out kids for daydreaming in class. Daydreaming takes up 1/3 of our waking lives and now we know it's a very positive thing we must do to work through our problems. 

New therapy prescription: daydream at least once a day!

Preserve the best things

I've been clearing out my computer recently and going through photos on my computer and while these are not old they are definitely beautiful and old technology. I am a big fan of Polaroid. I love the most popular Polaroid camera but I recently found an appreciation and infatuation with the land camera. Gorgeous photos come out from this camera. Here's a glimpse at some that I took while in Ireland.

And so it is...

It's been over a year since my last blog ended. It was only temporary of course, an occasion to archive my trip to Qatar. It was a success and now I feel the need to start a more permanent blog about my everyday life. A life that is now dictated by uncertainty.

After four long hard years of school I now have what I desperately wanted in college, relaxation and freedom. Which was all fine and dandy the summer after graduation but now almost a year after I graduated from a prestigious college I find myself in a dazzling apartment on the east side of Milwaukee unemployed and longing for the day that I work 9 to 5 making a difference in the world. I'm living with my mother, which is a situation convenient and practical for both of us. Most days I could very well loose my mind and I miss the days of living on my own surrounded by a beautiful city and wonderful friends in a warm climate but at the end of the day I am truly grateful to have wonderful parents who support me while the economy tanks and I remain unemployed.

I don't really know where this blog will take me or even if people will read it but I have read so many and follow a select few and I feel that my opinions and observations are just as note worthy as theirs. I long for the day when I can change the world and while I know that seems like a childish ambition, and most people would say it will never happen, I still keep trying and know that one day I will prove everyone wrong. I can't go through life knowing that I've accomplished nothing and didn't try my hardest to make the lives of others better. I will succeed and when that day comes it will be the last entry into this blog.

I'm going to end today with a couple images that got my mind thinking about starting this again. The beauty in everyday places and things. Most of us just walk right past or let it blend into the background of our lives but these things can truly be the most beautiful.