After thoughts

I haven't written in a while. A lot has been happening I just haven't known how to put it in words.

I find myself in front of T's television watching Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Not a game I particularly care about but I get my personal computer time.

I am well on my way to finishing my Christmas shopping by Halloween. I'm on a massive hunt for dark green wrapping paper. I am done with the major gifts though which is satisfying. Now it's time to hit the books.

I move to the audio section of my Multimedia Production Skills class this week which I'm nervous about. It's like starting a new class again. I hear the professor is intense, but not if you do the work in a timely manner. I am "finished" my web site for the web section. It's due Tuesday morning but I just have a few things to tweak before then (http://eagle1.american.edu/~nk2168a/index.html).

I'm also getting to see Hilary and Mike from my Europe trip this week! A much needed reunion. We just have to find a good place to meet downtown. Suggestions?

Terence and I might also try and catch a Nationals game this week, I think it's their last week. Trying to get in all the fun outdoor activities before it gets a little colder.

I haven't been doing well about uploading my photos to my photo blog in a timely manner, but rest assured, I did take a lot of good ones this weekend. Today, in an effort to up my mood, Terence and I went to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (http://www.nvrpa.org/parks/meadowlark/) which are only four miles from him. It was beautiful.

I think we're going to try and find a drive in movie theater. That would be a cool experience. I found this web site (http://www.thedctraveler.com/drive-in-movies/) with a list of some "local" theaters, most are at least an hour away though. Maybe there are some in New Jersey?

I am going to make a conscious effort to keep up with this and stay up to date. We'll see how that goes.

Have a good week.

NK

Another Link for Thought

http://www.marcandangel.com/2009/07/13/50-questions-that-will-free-your-mind/

50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind:

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?
7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?
8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?
9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?
12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?
13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?
14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?
15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?
17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?
18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?
19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?
20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?
21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?
22. Why are you, you?
23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?
24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?
25. What are you most grateful for?
26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?
27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?
28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?
29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?
30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?
31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?
32. If not now, then when?
33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?
34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?
43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?
45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?
48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?
49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?
50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

Linked from http://www.marcandangel.com/

First Day of Classes

I always get nervous on the first day of the semester. This year I am digging my heels in more than ever. Senior year brings a lot of questions unanswered. I always know what I'll be doing the following year in some form. This time around I have no idea. Staying in DC? Maybe. Working? Hopefully.

Or maybe I'll just escape here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/realestate/09deal1.html?_r=3

Anyone have $25 million to spare? We'll call that plan B.

I saw this on the TODAY show this morning, Time's 50 Best Websites of 2009. Worth looking at:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1918031_1918016,00.html

More after my first dance class in college tonight after work.

Happy Monday.

Tuesday Schmooze-day

After I leave work my week will become infinitely more exciting. Terence's friends from Florida are flying into town tomorrow and we have tonight to prepare. I'm also going to make a really nice dinner. I went out to eat last night and just made pasta on Sunday so I'm excited to make an exciting meal. My lunches have become more and more blahh. I'll have to work on that before classes start, IN UNDER 2 WEEKS! (AHHh!) Where did the summer go? I feel like I didn't tackle even half of the things that were once on my to-do list (like update my portfolio).

I am excited for classes to start, although I'm trying not to be. The last couple of semesters I got excited I was sorely disappointed.

I have been listening to my iPod a lot. I realized that listening to my entire collection of music straight through on shuffle is, well, IMPOSSIBLE. I always get in the mood for a different song or accidentally reset it so I'm just enjoying whatever portion of the shuffle I can at work. Right now it's Eric Clapton. There's nothing like rocking out at work. You realize a lot of things about your music collection . . . like how much Dave Matthews and country music you have in your music library.

Speaking of work, we're finally done the magazine. I use the term done hesitantly but we are supposed to get a proof of the magazine any day now. I've moved on to work on posters and t-shirts for events for the fall already so still busy.

More later!

Here's hoping the end of the week is as fun as I think it will be!

Twas the Night Before Surgery . . .

I'm at home for the time being. Tomorrow morning I get to go through the glorious task of getting my wisdom teeth removed. I was exceptionally nervous about being put on an anesthetic but at this point my teeth hurt and I'm sick of thinking about it so take them out.

The weather was beautiful tonight in NJ but it is exceptionally buggier than in DC. Nothing like chomping down on a piece of Jersey corn while mosquitoes chomp down on your shins.

I'm excited for the post surgery plans. This weekend is the Hot Air Balloon festival which my family plans on attending and on Sunday night my brother promised a visit. I may have cheeks the size of chipmunk's cheeks but it's family, they have you love you no matter what you look like :). And of course, nothing tops off a good weekend at home like Harry Potter in IMAX. CAN'T WAIT.

Next week should be crazy madness with the SG staring the magazine deadline square in the face, but I am excited about how it is turning out design wise so here's hoping it's a great success.

I also start on my new project at my internship at Washington Life. A two page spread the designer normally does so that should offer up some more freedom. Here's hoping that's not an epic fail as well.

I just recently created a photoblog (http://photopsychotherapy.blogspot.com/) which I'm enjoying more than I thought I would. Surprisingly, my keeping up with it isn't ending horribly so hopefully since I'll be on blogger I can update here as well.

I'll be in a foggy haze tomorrow but updates will come soon after.

Celebrating Independence with a Million People

This weekend was amazing. Saturday, Terence and I went out to the National Mall for Capitol Fourth and saw the best Fireworks show I have ever seen. We arrived around 1 and walked around a fairly odd Folklife Festival, but after going through security, we spent a beautiful afternoon on the Lincoln side of the Washington Monument. We brought a deck of cards and had a card battle of epic proportions and the afternoon went much faster than expected. The fireworks were amazing. They were set off from either side of the Reflecting Pool and the fireworks were HUGE! It was amazing.

There were so many people but the energy was just contageous. Needless to say I was exhausted on Sunday.

I'm back at work now getting ready for a hopefully eventful week. I'm taking off work next week to spend some time with my parents exploring the city even more.

Count it. Love Summer.

Staying Put?

I have been back to NJ for the past two weekends and I feel like I've been running around like crazy. Last week was a bad week for DCers with the metro crash, the shooting at the Holocaust Museum, and the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. One thing that was cool was that when I went to the annual Relay for Life in Penndale, PA with my family, someone had sponsored an honorary bag for Farrah Fawcett. It was quite an emotional night but it was evened out by some visits from the extended family on my dads side. It was quite the family weekend as well.

So now I am on an epic search for some bad ass Fourth of July plans. I love fireworks so I'm trying to find a place to see them, but also somewhere where I won't be trampled by a million people. The search continues . . .

It's a busy day at work so I'm taking a break to have lunch with Gill. I'm running around DC but for the moment I'm staying put in DC. That's all I can ask for, I guess. More later.