My new favorite

Alright dudes. So, I have a Bucket List. Yes, I know I'm a mere 21 years old (bahahah) so you ask, why do I have a bucket list? I'll tell you why. It's so I can enjoy the things I'm doing RIGHT NOW. Why wait until I'm in my 60s or whatever to start doing these things?

I've done quite a few of them already: Skydive. Move to NYC. Visit Boston (ahem). Learn to knit.

There are also quite a few that I haven't done yet: Learn sign language. Write a novel.

BUT, there is one thing that I just started and it is my new favorite. It makes me happier than I ever thought something like this could.

I have bought and am now learning how to play the violin!!

I know I suck at it, I know I do, but it doesn't matter. I enrolled in a Beginner Violin Adult Education course in Brookline that lasts 8 weeks and I love it. There are 7 of us in this course and I love the group setting because I don't feel as pressured as I would in a 1 on 1 setting.

The majority of us have never played violin before and I love how eclectic our group is. One student is in his 70s, there are some who are probably 40ish, then there are others who are younger, but we all have this one thing in common: we all want to learn how to play and always have.

I have so much love for this I can't even express it!

Up in Arms!

I have been swearing like a F&^%ing sailor lately! I blame this on something that has me up in arms and mighty ANGRY.

Six months into my year of service as an Americorps VISTA, the Republican led House of Representatives decided that, you know, national service means NOTHING so let's put Americorps on the chopping block.

This isn't simply a reduction of funding, they want to ELIMINATE Americorps entirely. This is the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time and let me tell you why:

• Americorps has played a huge role in the following organizations/programs/stuff: Head Start, Foster Grandparents, Teach for America, Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, Hurricane Katrina relief and clean-up.
• Americorps volunteers serve the country's most vulnerable population. During this economic crisis, we are needed more than ever. Most of the organizations that people like myself work for do not have the budget to hire a full time employee. If they lose us, who will do the important work that needs to be done.?
• Cutting funding won't put a DENT in our deficit.
• The money, jobs and talent that it brings to communities facing economic hardships is invaluable.
• Thousands of people would be out of work. Yay, even more job cuts!

People have rallied over this issue and have created a petition. If you agree with me on the importance of the Americorps program, please sign this petition. I don't know if this will get past the Senate or not, but please consider signing the petition. If nothing more, please sign it to support me.

I'm a Mac. And a PC.

Guess what dudes?!? I gots me a fancy new computer. It's a 13" MacBook Pro and I'm in love. It was love at first sight really, and now I never want to go outside again. EVER. I can do stuff and it's fast and IT KEEPS UP WITH MY TYPING
Okay, maybe I'm really, really strange though because I feel bad, almost guilty, about my old computer. It was slow and old and whatnot, but it was my very first laptop and I loved it for so long. I blame Disney movies for this strange attachment I get with inanimate objects (helloooo? Toy Story!!! Enough said).

Anyway, maybe this will mean more blogging! But it could also mean more YouTube watching/Netflix watching/Tumblr stalking/Facebooking/anything else that's not productive.

Snow can be enjoyable...sometimes

Oh man, winter makes me so LAZY. I've had 2 snow days in January and did absolutely NOTHING during both.

Yesterday, in an effort to get out of my room and stop watching re-runs of 30 Rock, my friends and I went cross country skiing at Weston Ski Track.

It was a lot of fun!
It was much harder than I remember it being though. I think I fell...5 times maybe? But it was a good way to get out, enjoy the snow, and be active!

The Short-Haired Candlepin Bowler

I am the worst bowler in the world. Seriously, the last time I went bowling I bowled a 43. Pictorial evidence below:

So anyway, when my friends asked me to go bowling I wasn't really sure if I wanted to spend $10 to make a fool of myself (sidenote: holy crap it's cheap to bowl here unlike NYC where it costs $80 billion dollars - or maybe more like $20), but I agreed anyway. When we got to the place, all the lanes for 10-pin bowling were taken but they had some "Candlepin bowling" lanes open.

Ummmm, Candlepin? Apparently it's this crazy New England style of bowling where you have really small pins and a really small ball (with no finger holes).
We decided to try it and guess what guys? I'M ACTUALLY KIND OF OK AT IT! Woot! I can't remember my exact score but that doesn't really matter because I WON THE GAME and also I had only like 2 gutter balls. Uh huh, that's what I'm talking about!

In other news, I got my hairs cut!
Before:


And, 11 inches and some red hair dye later:

Side view

And now to really gross you out....
My hair! yes, I did send it in to Locks of Love. That makes a total of 32 inches that I've donated in my life :) yay!

Acupuncture

So it's gotten significantly colder in Boston in the past week. I'm chilled to the bone right now and cannot warm up!

I had today off work because we had our 5th Annual Un-Gala yesterday and all of us worked both Saturday and Sunday. Today was a much needed rest day.

I know I haven't been blogging much and part of the reason is because I have been suffering from some major headaches. Tear. To help with this though, I have been seeing an acupuncturist. And by seeing, I mean, had my first appointment tonight.



It was strange but very relaxing. First the guy asked me about my medical history and what was bothering me. I told him that it's my migraines that I think start out as tension headaches and will become migraines if I don't treat them.

I also told him that what prompted me making the appointment was the fact that I've had a headache ever since before Thanksgiving. I often explain it to people like this: It's strange for me to NOT have a headache.

Anyway, so he took my pulse and looked at my tongue (IDK) and then decided to put needles in my arms and feet. He put a warming light on my feet as well.

As I said, it was really relaxing and I'm hopeful that with more sessions it will help me more. I have an appointment for next week.

In case anyone in the Boston area is wondering, I went Pathways to Wellness in the South End, because they offer payment on a sliding scale (by income). I recommend.

NY Sick

I'm not sure why it's hitting me right now. I don't know why I am longing for a place I for some reason had to learn to love to live in. I can't explain it, which shouldn't come as a surprise, because I can't explain a lot of my feelings, but I'm feeling homesick for NY.