”And I submit that this is what the real, no-shit value of your liberal arts education is supposed to be about: How to keep from going through your comfortable, prosperous, respectable adult life dead, unconscious, a slave to your head and to your natural default setting of being uniquely, completely, imperially alone, day in and day out.” – David Foster Wallace taken from his book “This Is Water”
It is yet ANOTHER rainy day here in the Philadelphia area which means I am living vicariously through friends and random strangers photos, blogs and travel articles.
A friend of mine posted this video today and I immediately contemplated my travel bucket list, where I want to go next and how I’ll make it happen.
Note to self to repeat daily: Life is short. Make it count.
Enjoy all my fellow travel bugs!
For the last few days the weather has been depressing me, so naturally all I have thought about are all the things I want to do this summer in the warm, sunny, not depressingly rainy weather.
As I have pondered what I want to accomplish this summer (because I always need to be checking things off a never-ending to-do/bucket list), I realized that the majority of my goals were centered on “the classics,” or re-living things from my childhood.
Over the last few years my friends have given their entire summer’s identities and names, allotting themes and motives to an entire three months out of the year. “The Summer of ::insert name here::” and “Summer at the shore” have been all over my Facebook and Twitter as my friends have spent summers devoted to drinking on the beach or being single. I’ve envied this thematic allocation of summer months to a particular cause. It seems so fun! So, in lieu of my seemingly thematic goals this summer, I’m dubbing my upcoming summer “The Classic Summer.”
What is involved in having the Classic Summer? The “classics” to me are things and activities that have become more “outdated” over the years and have fallen into the category of “pastime” as oppose to modern. They also reflect the simpler things that I did when I was younger that brought so much joy to any given day.
Everything from the books I’ll read, to the movies I’ll watch, to the outdoor activities I’ll experience have all been a part of a simpler and carefree time, and I’m hoping to tap into that simplistic and carefree spirit of the “olden days.”
Below are my goals and wish list to achieve my Classic Summer:
Books to Read:
(Yes, I am aware it is ridiculous how I have not read any of these)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 
Movies to See:
I’m very excited about these, not only to finally cross these movies off my list, but how I’ll be doing them! The County Theater in Doylestown in conjunction with the Ambler Theater have a Summer Hollywood Series. The County is a historic theater which originally opened in 1938. While it has gone through multiple renovations over the course of its life, it still contains much of its late art-deco style and charm, therefore remaining classic!
Some of the movies I’m eager to see in this old classic theater are:
And of course the 3rd annual Monty Python Fest!
Activities:
I plan on documenting this entire experience and posting as I cross things off my list. Anyone have any suggestions for things I can add?
Yesterday, Temple University, my alma mater, held its commencement ceremonies. So naturally, my Facebook wall and Twitter feed blew up with young adult’s hopeful messages of congratulations and positive sayings on a job well done. I was encouraged by all their positivity despite knowing that most of them probably don’t have jobs waiting for them today.
Regardless, I remember that feeling I had 3 years ago putting on my cap and gown. I didn’t have a job waiting for me. I had actually just come to the realization that half of my double major was something I had no desire to be involved in. I had no clue what I wanted to do (I still don’t.) But I was happy, proud and hopefully for the future.
Ceremony back in 2009 at Temple
Over the last three years almost all my friends, (myself included) have had some ups and downs. Some classmates got their “dream job” right out of college; others are still waiting for something to come along. Some are drowning in debt, and at least half of us still live with our parents. At times it has been hard not to resent my college experience for giving me the illusion that a degree would grant me a secure and successful future. Clearly it doesn’t.
But seeing all the happy graduate posts yesterday reminded me of all the great times I had at Temple, how much I have learned, and how far I have come.
My roomate and I after Graduation
For all my fellow classmates: (Temple or not), no matter what your career situation is now, I encourage you to remember the good times in college and how proud you were at graduation. Hopefully some of that happiness and positivity can propel you to get to where you really want to be (if you aren’t there already).
And for all the recent graduates: Congratulations again on your graduation! If you have a job, good for you! If you don’t, don’t worry. You are not alone. And for almost all of you, your loans will kick-in in six months. Congrats! Welcome to real life!
I am having the worst luck lately with “good literature.” Maybe it’s just the books I have been choosing as of late, or maybe I have no idea what the hell I am talking about (entirely possible), but the last few novels I’ve read (and even ones I haven’t) have all been horribly written and poor examples of what “good writing is.”
The Hunger Games is 300 pages of simple sentences. Yes, an interesting story and for YA, but still not “good literature.”Girl with the Dragon Tattoo really just didn’t do it for me. Twilight (which I have never read, but know enough to know it’s not novel material) is just not literature.
But the latest trilogy to gain international fame, 50 Shades of Grey (which I have not and will not read) is by far the worst piece of writing and storytelling I have ever witnessed. My favorite review so far has been from a writer at the Philly post which pretty much sum up everything I need to know about this piece of shit “novel” which started as online Twilight erotica.
What really pisses me off about 50 Shades however, is how it is being deemed not just as “mommy porn” but as a fantastic liberation read for women.
The author of the above link basically says that the book is about the deeper themes of friendship and romance, and that it has “redefined fantasy and kinky sex for women across the western hemisphere.”
Deeper themes of friendship and romance my ass! The main character is a spineless submissive virgin who basically gets taken advantage of. Redefined kinky sex? Has this woman never read an issue of Cosmo Magazine? Or checked out the potential 102871087 other billion ways to get porn now-a-days?
This “novel” is an excuse for prude women everywhere to get the balls to be aggressive and adventurous in bed. This is NOT good writing by any means, and all of the latest trilogies seem to be following suit. Where is all the good literature now-a-days!? I understand that “good literature” is a subjective term, and I’m not a PhD student in English, but these recent best-sellers have all been utter crap.
For everyone else not turning to this garbage for their reading pleasure can you please give me some recommendations on actual literature to enjoy?
Happy Flashback Friday!!
I’ve had one hell of a week, and by yesterday evening was in desperate need of some cheering up. For me, nothing does the trick better than some classic 90′s boy band tunes. Whether it’s because pop music of the 90′s is so god damn catchy, because the music videos are hilarious or because it makes me a bit nostalgic, listening to 90′s music puts a smile on my face every single time I hear it.
So if you are having a rough week like me and very thankful it’s Friday, enjoy some of the pop music of old and reminisce for a few moments on just how awesome being a 90′s kid was.
Happy Friday!
With prom looming around the corner, graduation closing in on high schooler’s and college grads alike, I found myself thinking about all the stupid things I stressed about when I was 18. After spending last weekend talking with some of my cousins who are stressing about where to go to college, who to take to prom and everything in between, I decided to write a letter to my 18-year-old self to reflect on how far I’ve come.
Dear 18-year-old me,
You are probably freaking out about prom now, stressed that you won’t find the perfect dress, won’t find the perfect date, and anxious about how the night will change your life. Don’t worry. It won’t. You will barely mention prom after your first semester of college. It’s not going to suck, but it won’t be a fairytale. You’ll have fun, but it will end and everyone will move on with their lives. Don’t put too much effort into it. No one will thank you and you’ll be pissy about it. In this instance, doing the bare minimum is better.
Dear 18-year-old me,
You’re afraid you’re going to pick the wrong college to go to, that you aren’t going to a good enough school, and feel like an outsider because you’re staying close to home while everyone else is going to Boston. Don’t worry. Going to Temple is one of the best decisions you’ll ever make, and you are going to love the next four years there. Plus, when the economy tanks your senior year, you’ll have the least amount of debt compared to your former classmates. You’ll be happy you stayed close to home too; things happen that you’re able to be around for.
And don’t stress and get upset about losing your friends after graduation. I hate to break it to you, but you won’t be friends with any of them after two years. This isn’t the end of the world though! You end up meeting a bunch of great people in college who teach you a lot about the world and yourself. You meet some of your closest friends when you study abroad in London (yes, you accomplish that goal!) And guess what, you end up meeting more great people after college. By the time you’re 25, you have some really reliable friends in your circle.
Dear 18-year-old me,
You’ve been kind of a bitch lately to your parents. All you care about is getting the hell out of the house and going to college. Would you lighten up a bit? Mom and Dad really aren’t out to get you, and despite what you think, they love you more than you know. You learn not to be such an asshole over time, but why not start now? Over the next few years they will be there for you no matter what decision you make.
Speaking of decisions, you make some good and not-so-good ones in college. Don’t worry though, nothing is so bad that you can’t survive. You’ll get your heartbroken, you’ll bomb a few tests, you won’t get a great job right out of college and you’ll drink way too much more than once; but you’ll recover, find another solution and life will go on. Know though that you never compromise your values, and you stick to your guns. I’m proud of you for that.
Dear 18-year-old me,
Don’t stress so much about your future. Unfortunately no matter how much I tell you this, you’ll do it anyway. But do try. Know that life gets so much more fun after high school and you get a hell of a lot more comfortable with yourself. Know that I’m proud of you for how far you’ve come. Stop being so hard on yourself. When you stick to your gut instincts, you’re usually right. You still have a while to go, but you’re in a much happier and fulfilling place by 25.
