Salem in the Fall

Sorry for the delay, folks!
These past couple days have been extremely busy, but I have been meaning to tell you about the day I spent in Salem, Massachusetts on Sunday.
You've probably learned about it in history class if you are from the states, but Salem was the home of the Salem Witch Trials and its a must-do for Halloween.
There are all sorts of museums and ghost tours, etc.

I went with my friends Karen and Ellysia, and we walked around a lot because it was gorgeous, took a lot of pictures, went to a reenactment of one of the witch trials, and went to one really cheesy witch museum, complete with wax statues and automated voiceovers. I'll post a couple of the pictures here for you!

I've been wanting to go for so long, and I finally did!
I recommend that you guys all make it up there at some point.
It only takes a little more than 30 minutes to drive there from Boston, but of course there was a little traffic so close to Halloween.
It was totally worth it!


p.s. I promise that someday I'll figure out what my layout is going to be.

Quote of the Week

"The moment I met you I saw that you were quite unconscious of what you are, of what you really might be. There was so much in you that charmed me that I felt I must tell you something about yourself." Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray

Fun Music

I made a post about these guys earlier, but I really really want you to hear them.
So I am making it easier for you.
You can hear their new album right here!

Aim and Ignite

My Friends

So this post is simply to reflect on the amazingness of my friends.
A lot of people tell me that they think I'm really quiet when they first meet me. And sometimes it's misinterpreted as me disliking them. Of course, once they get to know me and I open up they realize that I really like everyone unless they give me a reason not to.
I'm a mellow person, I'm honest, and I don't pretend to be anything I'm not.
For those of you that have taken the time to get to know me, thank you, because you mean the world to me.
You know who you are!

Sorry this is so cheesy, but I've deemed it necessary.


and ps. Joseph Gordon Levitt, if you ever wanted to be friends, I would be totally cool with that. Leave me a comment and we'll make some plans ;)
<3
(that was completely self- gratuitous, but also deemed necessary.)

Kittens! Inspired by Kittens!

So, this video is pretty self explanatory.
It's weird but cute all at the very same time.

Noodle Wednesday

Oh Wednesdays, how I love you.

It's a nice day of padding in between classes.
I get to sleep in, reboot, work out, and catch up on any work I need to do.
I also babysit on Wednesdays, but it's actually kind of nice.
They live in a cute little town and I find it really amusing to see middle school kids interact with one another. Today I got to watch one of their track meets.

Then, I come home.
I order noodles, my absolute favorite thing.
and I watch my favorite shows, which are on Wednesdays.
Glee and Top Chef.
Then, I sleep, and wake up early for class the next morning.

It's great.

Brett Dennen Music

This summer I got to see Brett Dennen in concert.
His music is incredible.
He's also quite a strange performer.
He has all of these silly dance moves, and he's actually a pretty awkward person.
But it works. It just makes the show better.
And you can't help but dance.

Right now, I'm obsessed with "Who Do You Think You Are" and "San Francisco."

"I'm gonna move to San Francisco
call up some old friends
I'm gonna get me a navy peacoat
and and old Mercedes Benz."

Isadora Duncan

For one of my classes (an English/Women's Studies Course) I am reading the autobiography of Isadora Duncan, titled My Life.
I am ashamed to say I had never heard of this amazing woman before this class. She is essentially the inventor of modern dance. In her autobiography she also prides herself on being one of the first women to write their life story truthfully.
She created a dance form that was so natural and beautiful, and she danced barefoot and never lost the child that remains in us all. She was the first to use classical music as choreography, and found inspiration from ancient statues, paintings, and poetry.
Not only was she a beautiful dancer, but she was amazingly smart and driven. The perfect role model.
Her life was full of beauty and tragedy, and it ended far too soon. She did so many great things, and she had potential for so much more.

Here is a video I found from the Isadora Duncan Dance Group, so you can get a feel for her style.
It's funny to think that a dance style so common now was once rejected by so many people.

Quote of the Week

"You and I are gonna be okay, you know that, right? We may not be as happy as you always dreamed we would be, but for the first time let's just allow ourselves to be whatever it is we are, and that will be better. Okay? I think that will be better." - Zack Braff, Garden State

Last Night, I found the Wild Things...

...and they have great taste in music!
The movie was great.
The things that made it the most great were...
1. The awesome lighting- it's like the whole thing was filmed right before sunset.I refer to it as "magic hour."
2. The music was incredible. So childlike, extremely emotional, and just beautiful, creative.. it's just fabulous ok?
3. The movie made me a little bit sad. I feel like Max and childhood me have a lot in common. A little bit odd, extremely imaginative, and just dying for a little bit of attention. I cried a little maybe. Incredible movie.

Anyway, I found this video on youtube that has the one "song" they used in the movie.
It's not on the score.
I just looked it up, and it's from the Arcade Fire's album "Funeral" and it's titled "Wake Up."
I have a couple songs off of this album already but this has inspired me to buy the rest.
Enjoy the video!

London Files- South Bank

One of the greatest things about London is how the history of the city is so visible. Everywhere you go,you see the very old right next to the very new. It makes for a gorgeous city.

South Bank is one of the places where this juxtaposition is most obvious.
Across from Westminster Abbey you get something like the London Eye, and on the way to Shakespeare's rebuilt Globe Theatre you walk through skateparks and come across landmarks like the Millennium Bridge and the oh-so-modern-looking Tate Modern, which I still regret never making it to! But I'll get there.

The time I spent at South Bank- going to the museums, taking a film and television tour, taking a trip on the London Eye, wandering into the Globe Theatre, having a drink looking over the Thames- these are some of my fondest memories of the time I spent there.

You better go see it.

Halloween Excitement!

I found this photo in one of the livejournal communities I am a member of. Isn't it great? It kind of gets me excited for Halloween, since it seems so supernatural, yet beautiful at the same time. I am hoping to get to Salem one of these weekends, and if I do, I will certainly be posting pictures.

I still can't decide if I'm going to wear a costume or not. I'm thinking maybe Snow White could be a good one, because of my newly brown, shoulder length hair?

Do you guys have any costumes planned? I'd love to know!

It's Just One of Those Days

I'm just in one of those moods, man.
All I really want to do is curl up in a ball and watch Anthony Bourdain No Reservations for hours on end.
Today has actually been pretty good, though.
I went in the city and saw my sister and we ate some good lunch. walked around.
all of a sudden i'm back in my room with a paper prompt about Horace's relation to tradition.
and i need to be serious about it.
and i am totally not wanting to even look at it.
And that brings me here.
I like it here. it's nice.

also, i can't figure out what colors my layout should be and it's frustrating me a bit.

(Photo taken in Paris behind Notre Dame this past summer.)

Quote of the Week

"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Oscar Wilde

(Photo taken in Ithaca, NY last weekend)

London Markets- Portobello

It has come to my attention that I have neglected to truly share any of my London experience in here.
I was there for six weeks, and during that time I was so busy, and I was still wrapping my head around the direction of this blog, so I am going to make sure I periodically make some London posts, until I run out of stuff. When that happens, I think it'll be about time to go back. I love it there.

I have to say that probably my favorite thing about London are all of the huge outdoor-ish markets. I wish I had more time to explore all of them-it is my goal to see them all. One of the first places I truly explored was Portobello Market. When I first laid eyes upon it, I knew that I was in love with the city. Portobello sells everything under the sun- from delicious olives and cheese to fur coats to antique cameras and ancient telescopes. You've probably heard of it before, or you've at least seen the movie Notting Hill but I'm telling you, that movie does it no justice. It's just something you have to see for yourself on a beautiful London Saturday.

New Blog Banner and Colors

Instead of starting my homework, I decided to throw together this little banner on Adobe Photoshop Elements. What do you all think? I certainly like it more than what I had before, but Blogger severely lowered the quality of the photo! Boo! So it looks a little different than anticipated, but I'm still digging it for now.

Homer the Llama Returns Into Safe Hands

The newspaper we get at my home in North Jersey is the Bergen Record, which you may have heard of.
Aside from the obvious publications such as the New York Times, The Bergen Record is a pretty well-known paper.
I've been reading it since I was a little kid. They had fun things for me then, and now I appreciate it because they do an excellent job of putting the real news up front.

If you turn the pages, though, you can find some real gems.
I found this article about Homer the Llama and his trek through the mountains. It's a happy, lighthearted story, and llamas happen to be amongst my favorite animals. I love that they named him Homer, because of his odyssey. When I found this article, I clipped it out, and it's now hanging on my refrigerator.

It reminds me that even though there's a lot of bad in the world, good things still happen sometimes.
I appreciate that the Record takes the time to bring a little light into our morning reading.

Quote of the Week

I don't look back much as a rule
and all this, way before murder was cool
But your memory is here, and I'd like it to stay
warm light on a winter's day.
The Shins "Pink Bullets"

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday.
I drove home to New Jersey and my family, my best friend, and I, went out to dinner in Little Italy.
Then we came home and had Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cheesecake frosting and wall-e decorations!
I didn't take many pictures, but here are a couple!