Let's Go.

"A moment, a love, a dream, aloud.

A kiss, a cry, our rights, our wrongs.

A moment, a love, a dream, aloud.

A moment, a love, a dream, aloud."

Today I learned three things about Greece:

1) There are 72 Starbucks located in Greece, one of those (in Athens) being three-stories.

2) You must NEVER ask for butter with your toast.

3) I'll be studying there in less than a year.

Greece. Greece. Greece.

Some people have asked me, why not England? You've been dreaming about living in a little cottage in Surrey for years now! Then my college says, "We have a great program in Australia!"

Yes, I am aware of these things, and these are two countries I'd love to visit some day. But if I'm spending a summer in a different country, I want a culture shock. I want to be forced to look outside of what I have come to accept as the 'norm' in society. Not that another English speaking country wouldn't do this, but I feel England and Australia would become too comfortable, too quickly.

Even though I was set on Greece in my mind, I did have several apprehensions about spending a semester there, having practically no prior knowledge about the culture before I set up a meeting with a study abroad advisor. However, last night I ran into a friend I haven't seen in a while on campus. She mentioned that she went to Greece on spring break just a few days ago. She was still elated, and when I told her I was looking at studying in Greece, she couldn't recommend it enough. She said nearly everyone knows at least some English (SO relieving). She said everyone dresses so well and formally. This is both exciting and intimidating. I know I shouldn't be worrying about wardrobe, but come on. Of course fashion is a large part of my excitement whenever I visit a new place, I'm not going to lie. Greece is in the EU, though, so she said things are quite expensive. I guess I won't be stocking up on $.80 DVD's. ;]

Anyway, after my conversation with her, I was pretty much just stoked.

I had my meeting today, and did lots of research on my own. I found the perfect program in Athens. I can take classes that go towards both my majors. Also, it's through a state school, so I won't have to pay private school prices. Three months. Perfect amount of time. GREECE!

Is it bad that I've already looked up coffee shops in Athens? I mean, can you even imagine sitting at a cafe in Athens doing Literature homework while listening to the sea waves crash along the coast? The weirdest thing about that sentence, is that it's not even me being hopelessly idealistic.

I Google mapped Florence, Italy (where my good friend will be next spring) to Athens, Greece. Not as close as they look, guys. Don't let the grand scheme of the globe trick you. I mean, it LOOKS close! Anyway, Google mapping Italy to Greece is something I can say I have never done before. Tehe.

In other news, SKA is coming to MSU. Big Reel Fish is coming to campus, and it's free to all students. YES. This is SUCH an improvement from Mike Jones, whom you also have coming in a few weeks. Mikes Jones, seriously? I thought he moved on things he might actually be good at in life, seeing as no ones heard anything about him in the past five years. Anyway, I've never been to a ska concert. Needless to say, I am quite excited.

... now only if it was Streetlight Manifesto. This is quality ska.

Today was one of the best days this year. It was just so fantastic. Every little thing was just generating even more excitement in me. I even accidentally started skipping once across campus, and I was alone. Greece, nice weather, short sleeves, Tevas, friends, choir, Harry Potter, St. Patrick's Day, Alyson's happiness... all great.

Rad: LIFE, gosh danggit!

Unrad: -----

Greek Episode: Season 3 Episode 2

Ps: Happy Birthday, Krista. :] Oh, and did you know? Walt Whitman was gay. Just a heads up, on that one.

xx

Shicago

Love After Love

The time will come

when, with elation

you will greet yourself arriving

at your own door, in your own mirror

and each will smile at the others welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.

You will love again the stranger who was your self.

Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart

to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored

for another, who knows you by heart.

Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,

peel your own image from the mirror.

Sit. Feast on your life.

-Derek Walcott

This is a very lovely poem from the beginning of The Time Traveler's Wife. I finally began reading it (thanks Chrissy :]) this past weekend , and I'm enjoying it very much so. I shall keep you updated.

This past weekend I went to visit my best friend, and unsuspectedly fell in love with a city while in her company. My brain's 'future wheels' were turning the whole weekend. I have decided that I want to intern in a big city like Chicago or New York. This isn't possible if I try and pursue the internship I've wanted since high school in Colorado Springs. If I get that internship, then I'll just go to grad school in a big city. However, how then will I fit in Flight Attendant training*? See? My 'future wheels' are all a wry. It's funny, though, because it may seem like I know what I want to do. This is false. All this future planning business is all quite silly, really. I mostly write about it in the moment, so that I can come back to blogs like this is five years and lean back in my chair with a hefty chortle.

Also, just for future Allyson's enjoyment: I've been seriously considering migrating away from the technical/creative writing aspect of Comm., and focusing more on the media aspect (graphic design, media production, communicative arts, photography). This sounds like a major junior in high school Alyson would have given you. Oh, bother.

Amidst the abundance of coffee shops, used bookstores, indie consignment shops, and well-dressed beautiful people (sometimes with questionable sexual orientation) in Chicago, I was reminded oh so subtly of one teeeny tiiiiiny thing.

LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS.

LEGGINGS ARE NOT PANTS.

"What's that on your legs?"

"Leggings..."

"Oh so they're not PANTS."

*blank stare upon realizing that they forgot half of their wardrobe*

Seriously. For the love of covered butts. Wear dresses over your leggings, not just shirts that are meant to cover top half only. Goodness gracious. this bothers the geeberz out of me.

It's not stylish. It's gross and immodest.

Anyway, in this bookstore pictured above, they had a giant poetry anthology section. However, each of my favorite poets/short story authors seemed to be left out. Fitzgerald, Cummings, Plath... absent. Except Plath's Bell Jar stared me down, once again. I almost gave in a bought it this time. I couldn't. I just couldn't. I've never been so scared to read a book, before. I mean, she wrote it right before she committed suicide. A brilliantly insane mind is often not to be peered into.

Lastly, a few artists for you to enjoy. Did any of you know The Format? Oh they were my absolute favorite when I drove into the indie music scene freshman year of high school. Such good music. Anyway, the lead singer formed a new band after The Format broke up. Great debut album. Fun. Also, I really have been enjoying Aiden Hawken.

And yes, I've finally given Vampire Weekend a real chance. I don't know, it's fun music I guess, but it's nothing fantastic. We'll see.

Rad: School.

Unrad: Wanting to be several things when I grow up.

Greek Episode: (Oh you guys are going to flip...) Season 2 Episode 17! YES.

*I'm dead serious about the flight attendant thing. It's been my plan since high school to pursue a few years of flight training soon after college. I've researched it AND done a mock interview. Serious business.

xx

No, Spock!

Kaleb - "I read your blog."

Me - "Oh my goodness, this is hilarious... do you really."

Kaleb - "Yeah, I don't understand what you're trying to say..."

Me -"Yeah, don't worry... neither do I, usually."

Kaleb - "Yeah okay but I want to write back. I have things to say. How do you write back?"

Me - "I'll show you next time..."

Kaleb, buddy. See the comment button below this blog? Click it. Comment as Name/URL and type in your name, and type the comment. I eagerly await for your wit.

Tonight I watched the new Star Trek movie, again. I am, indeed, quite a fan. I think I can even say this statement is true regardless of the fact that every time Spock or Kirk talks, I am completely memorized by the tiniest movements of their attractive faces. Anyway, I find new things I enjoy about this movie every time I watch it. This time, it was this conversation:

Young Spock: "I presume you've prepared new insults for me today."
Vulcan Bully: "Affirmative."
Spock: "This is your thirty-fifth attempt to elicit an emotional response from me."
Vulcan Bully 2: "You're neither human nor Vulcan, and therefore have no place in this universe."

Vulcan Bully: "Look. He has human eyes. They look sad, don't they?"
Vulcan Bully 2: "Perhaps an emotional response requires physical stimuli."

See, if a bully came up to me and said, "Perhaps an emotional response requires physical stimuli." I would probably have let him punch me as a reward for his well-worded and beautifully structured sentence. If this conversation were to happen at a school here it would go more like this:

Boy - "Oh no, not again..."

Bully - "Hey YOU."

Boy - "But you just beat me up yesterday! Can't you just stop making fun of me for once?"

Bully - "You're on OUR playground. We told you... GET OFF!"

Bully's Friend - "Aww look, Billy's cryying. Where's your mommy, Billy?"

Bully - "Do you want me to punch you?!"

Now if I ever make you mad, you know what to say to me to let you give me a black eye. On the topic of Star Trek, if you want a good laugh, watch this clip starting at 5:14. We watched it so many times last night. It's so hilarious, really.

Second topic of business. The Oscars.

- Once again, that one movie no one's heard of wins everything. Has anyone even seen The Hurt Locker? I've heard of one person who has, and he didn't like it. I mean, I'm sure it's a great film, but seriously.

- I'm happy Up won score.

- I'm happy Sandra Bullock won best actress even though I LOVE Carey Mulligen. I feel as though Carey will be receiving many awards in the years to come, as she is young, and just beginning to become noticed in bigger films. Sandra has been working so hard for so many years, and yet this was her first Oscar nomination and award.

- Avatar should have won more, but the Academy hates James Cameron... so whatchya gunna do 'bout that, yo.

- ... and someone should have told Kristen Stewart to get off the stage. She was hackin' up a storm.

- Also, the fact that they played Titanic music as Kate Winslet came on stage, was kind of hilarious. Seriously guys?

- One more thing. Okay, so The Academy Awards go over their alloted time slot like every year, do they not? Well, yes... I know the speeches go long, but they do every year. So plan for this, people. Then, next year, you'll actually have time to read off the nominations for Best Picture. I couldn't believe how rushed that last one was. Goodness.

In other news: It is Spring Break, I have short hair, and I'm officially working at camp again this summer. I could go on about other such things, but I really want to try for coherence in this blog. I don't want every single post to be a product of my numerous thought happenings. I want them to be mostly about one or two topics. Mostly. Don't quote me on this next time I have a blog that talks about everything from Emily Dickinson's promiscuous life style to the best Pop Tart flavors.

Rad: The beeeautiful weather. Hometown coffee shops.

Unrad: The fact that most UW systems don't have their spring break for weeks. Also, the fact that I will be in Chicago the same night as Muse, yet I will not be in the crowd.

xx

As I Surrender Unto Sleep

'Cause you brought me here,

& you held me near,

and you found a way to calm my fear.

Then you pressed restart,

& you changed my heart,

and you made my life a work of art.

& I need you more than I did before,

your love is now my life support.

[I have covered every square inch of the emotional spectrum in the last 24 hours. My head hurts.]

I've squee'd, and I've cried. I've been the one for friends to lean on, and I've needed to lean back. But this is all okay. I had a whole blog written out, but I really just wanted to say this tonight, and post Life Support lyrics, because I feel uplifted whenever I think of them. Especially tonight.

Rad: Friends and the flowers and ice cream they bear. Also, the elation one experiences when they find out they get to live and work with their best friends this summer. OH. Also, spring training. Today. This very day.

Unrad: Meh. I shan't speaketh of it, in fear of being called a name. (... I kid.)

Greek: Season One Episode 15. Chhyyeaa!

xx

Ps: Listen to this before you go to bed. We're singing it in choir. So peaceful, amazing, and hauntingly beautiful.