Where am I now?? #2

I departed from beautiful Carlsbad late yesterday morning.

Where am I now??

Here are your glimpses (aka hints)...

Not quite sure where I am/what these are??

Wanna know for sure? Click here to Find out!! -- This link will take you to the clue-answering post only!

The FULL STORY -- This link will tell you where I am at present, as well as where I've been! (in case you haven't checked up on me in a little while!)

Chimes of freedom

Guess where I am????

Hint: I recently presented a very thorough de-scribe-tion of my plan to road trip up the West coast. Remember how I neglected to mention anything about where I would be going on my extended excursion, other than the evident locations witnessed by this map?



I also mentioned that I would be documenting my coastal journey in full, as well as maintaning frequent updates so that all my friends and family can keep track of me!

And I'm going to hold up to that, starting...

NOW!!!

I departed from The Valley of the Sun yesterday afternoon.

Where am I now??

Here are your glimpses (aka hints)...

Not quite sure where I am/what these are??

Wanna know for sure? Click here to Find out!! -- This link will take you to the clue-answering post only!

The FULL STORY -- This link will tell you where I am at present, as well as where I've been! (in case you haven't checked up on me in a little while!)

She's gonna miss me...

It took me right up to the last minute, but I finally got everything packed for my trip!!




Or so I thought...
 

All The Way Home

In the next few days I will be embarking on an adventure...a road trip up the West coast!! I intend to leave within this week...though the actual departure date depends my efficiency at tying up the loose-ends of the preparation. Leaving in a timely manner necessitates the implementation of some serious organizational skills.

Which should be a piece of cake.

Since, you know, I'm an overwhelmingly organized person.

Cough. Cough.

In reality, it will require a Herculean effort on my part to stay on top of everything. But I'm SO excited about this trip that, other than taking the time to write this blog entry, I've remained remarkably on task. I still have a slightly-daunting To-Do list to get through (the progression of which was hindered by my recent one-week-stint in NYC), but I'm determined to stay on schedule. My dates spent in a particular city are pretty solidly set in stone, because many times I'm visiting with friends or family. That doesn't allow for much schedule-flexibility...or rather, it would be incredibly rude of me to insist upon it.

 

Anyway, remember how sometimes I like using pictures instead of words to display something important? Well, here's what my road trip “itinerary” looks like:

Obviously that's a very vague portrayal...I did that on purpose. I'm going to be documenting each leg of my coastal journey and updating frequently, so that y'all can follow along!

More on that later!! For now, here's a little Q&A I put together for some of your more general inquiries:

Why are you going on the trip?

Because I can, and because I feel like I need to. I graduated from college over a year ago, but I feel like I've been standing in the same place ever since, not moving forward and unable to move back. After declining to return to my former nannying job for another school year, I fell into a lifestyle slump. My future job prospects were dismal, I was still living at home in less-than-perfect conditions, my Costa Rica plans had fallen through...I felt like I had nothing to say for myself, no worth to my name, and I was itching to make a change. I had always intended to spend part of this last year traveling, going away in order to come back to myself. Getting lost so I could be found. After thinking my options over, and taking a few precursory pilgrimages out to California, I finally started to feel like my life was headed in an encouraging direction. So I followed up on those feelings, and now I'm standing at the Starting Line of what promises to be a great adventure!!

When are you leaving?

Thursday, August 27

How long will you be gone?

The trip rounds out at just a few days shy of 5 weeks! I should be back in The Valley of the Sun in late September/early October

How many cities will you be visiting?

15, possibly one more depending on events and scheduling

Are you going by yourself?

Yup, I'm a solo flier! I need the time to reflect and explore my life and it's options, and this is a great way to do so.

You're terrible with directions. How will you find your way around?

I consider this road trip an “orientation” challenge. By using a simple compass and a handful of maps, I am resolved to find my way around with as few wrong turns as possible!

Your birthday is towards the end of your trip. Where will you be? What are your plans?

As it stands, my birthday is also the last official day of my roadtrip. By then I will also have my mother in tow (we'll meet up somewhere in the northern hemisphere of the Golden State a few days before my Big Day), so I'll have some company...more details to follow!!

So there you have it! If you have any other questions, comment or send me an e-mail, I'll happily answer them or direct you back to my blog at the appropriate time!

Good Eye

As a writer, I have a sharp eye for typos (and poor grammar). In fact, in college I gained the reputation of Grammar Nazi.
 

In my opinion, English majors should be mandated within every job market, not just journalism or publishing. Every company should have a trained eye on hand to prevent embarrassing grammatical oversights, or even just awkward wording/phrasing.

For example:

This sign (seen in a family-friendly neighborhood) could be a warning that there are "slow" children playing nearby, or asking that approaching drivers decrease their speed due to the presence of said children.

 

This sign (on the main doors at my grandma's assisted living facility) made me laugh out loud. If the door is automatic, why would it need to be pulled on to open? 

 

I want to be the copyeditor for whatever company creates these signs!

Spontaneity is the spice of life!

Yesterday Andrea and I had a chat about our college days, how we both miss the convenience of living just minutes away from frivolous friends and fun. Our conversation's culmination went something like this:

Andrea: "No one is spontaneous anymore."

Me: "Let's do something then, I'm not doing anything. Pottery painting, Tempe Marketplace, 30 minutes?"

Andrea: "YES."

Slightly longer than half an hour later, there we stood in front of my favorite pottery painting place, As You Wish. We took pictures to document our spontaneity, because that's how we roll. My favorite picture is the one where Andrea looks like a tourist in her own home town:

Since it was about 3,000 degrees outside and we were both roasting, we hurried inside. Andrea had never been before so I quickly explained the painting process, and we got to work!

The evening was A BLAST!! Which brings me to the other point of this post: the importance of being spontaneous.

Since graduating from college a year ago, one of the toughest lessons my friends and I have had to learn is that “real life” has a very structured schedule, which severely inhibits the freedom of whims.

Frequent discussions about such an injustice brought forth vehement rantings such as these:

"All I do is work."

"I don't have time for anything because I work all the time."
"By the time I'm off work I don't have energy to do anything else."

Though all inferences were indirect, the keywords of every discussion were Lack of Spontaneity.

There is no time to be spontaneous anymore.

Which is a shame because in my mind, spontaneity keeps life fresh, invigorating. It gives you something to talk about. To dream about.

Since I know you're wondering, here are some of my favorite Spontaneous Adventures of my College Years:

All 3 of us got a piercing!

Stuck and squelching at Mud Falls

Midnight mealtime outings to Denny's!

AZ state fair! Road trip!

There were plenty of others, and even if I didn't come away from them with picture proof, the memories are as vivid as any photograph. Late night card games in dormitory hallways. Home-made snowcones. Trips through the belly of a self-serve car wash. Even community trips to the grocery store. Each of them transpired simply because.

In a world of overtime and over-inflated work ethics, spontaneity has lost its valor. But it's value is still ever present. Who hasn't said any one of these things:

"I wish I could just pack up and head out."
"Wouldn't it be nice to get out of here for a few days?"

"Hey, that looks/sounds like fun! Too bad I have to work."
"We should just go."

And then sighed, simply because you knew that your stickler of a schedule superseded any spontaneous soirées.

Well, I hereby challenge you to "just go." The next time you get the urge, or a friend calls to complain, just go. Do something exciting, maybe even unprecedented. Give yourself an hour, an afternoon, a day, just to enjoy being where you are and who you're with. I guarantee it will be worth it, and you will find yourself saying what Andrea said to me at the end of the night:

"It was just what I needed."

Me, too.

So, go on. And then tell me about it!

That was Wicked awesome!!

It's no big secret that I am a musical theater freak lover. Therefore, I have no qualms about this shameless plug:

If you have not yet seen Wicked: the Musical, you are seriously missing out. It is the exceptionally creative backstory of the two witches from The Wizard of Oz, Glinda and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West). The musical is based on the novel by Gregory Maguire.

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Me at Wicked in Los Angeles, CA, at the Pantages theater (May 2008):

After the show, I went here:

 

And I got these:

By palling around with these people!:

The amazing Caissie Levy (Elphaba)

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The fantastic Megan Hilty (Glinda)

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The winsomely handsome Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero)

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The felicitous Michael Drolet (Boq)

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The ebullient Marcie Dodd (Nessarose)

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The wonderful John Rubinstein (Wizard of Oz)

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The dynamic Joanne Worley* (Madame Morrible)

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The amiable Timothy Britten Parker* (Dr. Dillamond)

*I took pictures with Ms. Worley, but my camera malfunctioned. I forgot to get a picture with Mr. Parker. However, thanks to my savvy skills with the Paint program, I still got my photos! (Betcha didn't even notice till I said something, did you? hehe).

And because I am a writer, I couldn't let the photos stand by themselves. Behold, my “Wicked comic strip,” using a plethora of inside jokes from the production. I had a blast making this, and cracked myself up plenty of times in the process. For those of you who know the local wonders of Flagstaff, there is another plug...can you find it??

Wicked: the Musical is still on tour, and it just so happens to be playing in the Valley of the Sun through the month of July! You should all go see it...it will be a thrillifying experience!!

Your Own Worst Enemy

I am on a personal quest to lose weight (although is it really personal when your doctor also recommends it?). So far I’ve done pretty well, having lost nearly 25 since November 2008. I would still like to drop another 15, but and the journey beyond the plateau is so far proving rather treacherous. Every health article I’ve read says that the last 10-15 pounds are the toughest to lose, and I’m finding that to be frustratingly accurate. And it's not just about physical motivation anymore. It's every bit as much about staying emotionally strong through the setbacks. That's getting harder, too.
In an unusual twist, instead of my typical prolific de-scribe-tion, I opted to illustrate it for you instead (you’ll understand why I stick to words, lol):

*click on the picture for a bigger view*

Of course, a true visual artist would not have resorted to such a prosaic practice such as in-picture-narrations, but since I’ve never labeled myself as such, I’m exempt from any such restrictions :-)

But in all seriousness, I’ve really been struggling with overcoming the different (primarily emotional) trials that accompany the weight loss process: the cravings that practically bludgeon you to death, leaving you battered and bruised as you reach for the refrigerator handle; the leaden guilt that sits in your stomach afterwards, the wounded warrior. I find myself making excuses not to exercise, when I know perfectly well that I’m just being lazy. Or worse, I don’t even bother with making excuses, and simply do nothing about the sluggishly sedimentary lifestyle I’ve so easily slipped back into. Too easily. It’s embarrassing, frustrating, and the gateway to a depression I’ve been battling for years. There’s a dragon sitting in front of that gate, and it breathes two different fires: one propels me forward, nipping at my heels and encouraging me to keep moving, keep climbing that mountain until all the extra weight is gone and I’m standing at the peak of my success; the other fire burns me, flushing my face and filling me with the firey shame of failure. That second fire immobilizes me, melds me to the side of a cliff from which it feels there is no escape.

Anyway, I recently came across this nifty weight-loss ticker thingy, and I decided that it was time to up my ante. If I got the general blogosphere involved, if I garnered up a number of witnesses, I would have no choice but to get the weight-loss show on the road. Gotta give your audience something to see, after all! (Though, on that note: I will not be posting any before-after pictures. At least not part of a set. The ‘befores’ will remain stashed away in the recesses of a past I do not care to dig up. The ‘afters’ will come as I see fit to post visual tidbits of my life. There’s such a post coming up, actually, as soon as I find the time to get everything in order!).

So now I have my very own weight-loss ticker clock! Here it is…

Keep checking back (I’ll try to remember to post when you should do so) for updates on my progress. Now that it's officially summer vacation and I have more daily freedom, I'm determined to catapult out of this rut and hit the ground running (or biking, or jumping on the trampoline, or heading to zumba class...). Wish me luck! (I'll need it).

Who am I?

Even though I ended up graduating with a BA in English, my first major in college was Psychology (I still wish I'd followed through with at least a minor). Social Psychology, in particular, has always intrigued me. A recent discovery caused a renewed spark in my interest. Over the last 5 years, I've taken the Myers-Briggs Personality test four times. What I hadn't realized was that I'd kept an incomplete record of the changes in my results! The initial spark quickly turned into a roaring inferno, and I'm now deeply involved in an intriguing process of former self vs. current self "re-discovery."

2004: My senior year of high school. I hated high school, and I was desperate for a fresh start. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin, though it had less to do with me and more to do with my surroundings. I didn't quite fit in, no matter where I was, and I saw college as my way out (or in).
2004: ISFP – They are peaceful, easygoing people who adopt a "live and let live" approach to life. They enjoy taking things at their own pace and tend to live in the moment. Although quiet, they are pleasant, considerate, and caring, devoted to the people in their lives. Though not inclined to debate or necessarily even air their views, their values are important to them.

2005: The second semester of my Freshman year of college. By this point I've had plenty of time to establish myself as a loud-mouthed social butterfly with a slightly-off sense of humor and an insatiable appetite for social shenanigans. Simply put, I was having a blast re-inventing myself.
2005: ENFP - They bring zest, joy, liveliness, and fun to all aspects of their lives. They tend to idealize people, and can be disappointed when reality fails to fulfill their expectations. With a dramatic flair, they share their experiences with others, hoping to reveal some universal truth or win others over in support of a cause. Attuned to possibilities, they scan their environment, probing the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. This sensitivity sometimes conflicts with their intense drive for personal authenticity.

2006/7: My Junior year of college. I had the 3 best room mates a girl could ask for. By now I'm comfortably situated in my new social role... but things start to change this year, which throws me off (I'm terrible with change). Thus starts the struggle to keep up with the not-so-new emotions that have crept up on me, after laying blissfully dormant for the last couple years.
2006/7: ENFJ - They strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed. Sometimes they idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down. They are loyal and they expect loyalty. They focus on others, feeling a glow when those around them are happy, and troubled when something is amiss. They are natural cheerleaders, often expressing support, gratitude, and encouragement, and heaping praise onto those they appreciate. They take note of what is being done and what needs doing, offering their assistance wherever necessary. In general, they are reliable and do not like to disappoint others.
*I just need to point out that this profile is an eerily accurate reflection of what my year was like, not just my personality. Also, 2/3 of my roomies had the same results...

2008: The winter after I graduated from college. After moving away from my consistent social environment, I struggled with feelings of severe displacement. I felt lost, keenly aware that I was, once again, changing to suit my changed environment. Imagine my devastation when, just a mere 6 months since my separation from my newly-built life, I'm mirroring where I was in high school.
2008: ISFP – You've already read it, so I'll just say that the regression manifested itself physically, not just emotionally. As I experienced more and more emotional downfalls (which some people know about, and some don't), I started getting sick all the time. The more I retreated into myself, the clumsier I got (and I'm a klutz by nature anyway), so I was constantly sporting injuries like a fractured foot, a rusty nail puncture wound, and countless bruises.

2009: Enter the present. After an intense period of searching, faith renewal, and personal growth, I've settled into my re-classification as an Introvert. I'm no recluse, but I've re-trained myself to take as much pleasure out of solitude as I used to take (and still do, just on a smaller scale) from constant social activity. I still see/talk to many of my closest loves from college. During my darker periods I throw myself into reading, music, and my writing, disappearing potentially for weeks before resurfacing and re-engaging in the social world. It's all part of finding my new balance, after these past years of major social and emotional change.
2009: INFP – They tend to live in their own inner world, dominated by intense feeling and deeply held ethics, though they appear calm and reserved on the outside. They value harmony and integrity in human relationships, seeking unity of mind, body, and spirit but often find these values to be out of step with the more concrete pursuits of the rest of the world. Their polite, reserved exterior can at first make them difficult to get to know. When they are in a sociable mood, their humor and charm shine through. Devoted to those in their inner circle, they guard the emotional well-being of others, consoling those in distress. They develop insights through reflection, and they require substantial time alone to ponder and process new information.

So clearly, the biggest change is my current tendency for solitude, after so many years of being part of a group. I believe this is a reflection of my maturing process, rather than a flaw or a sign of distress. Something I didn't realize is that so much of my earlier life relied on validation from my social environment. I suppose that's a normal part of adolescence and young-adulthood, as we learn who we are and work on becoming who we want to be. Now I'm at a new crossroads in my life (and certainly not the last), and I'm sure there are more changes to come, along with a personality-profile update.

My Lucky Day

Bruce Springsteen concert = most amazing night of my life to date!!!

WARNING: Shameless manic post-concert excitement ahead. Plan your timing accordingly! (And don't forget the popcorn!)

Friday, April 3, 2009:
6:15pm - the time we were supposed to leave for the concert (the concert was at the Jobing.com arena in Glendale, the concert started at 7:30).

6:35pm - the time we actually left. Delayed departures are common in my family, so this was not unexpected.

7:15pm - We get to the arena, park across the street (we opted out of the $20 valet).

7:35pm - after braving an over-crowded elevator and navigating treacherously-steep aisle steps, we get to our seats. True to performance-venue form, the show has not started on time!

7:45pm - still no sign of the Boss. The crowd is enthusiastic, energetic, and ready for a show!! Raucous cheering and applause starts erupting continually, a unified voice of our excitement! We’re not impatient yet, just eager!

8:00pm - by now, the raucous cheering episodes have become slightly more urgent, and include chants of “We Want Bruce” and other such cat-callings to get the Boss man on the stage! A number of entertaining minutes pass when the entire stadium manages to coordinate 6 or 7 rounds of The Wave. But interest starts to wane as more and more people start checking their watches and using their hands to clap encouragingly instead of lift them up into the air.

8:15pm - out of nowhere, two beach balls start bouncing around the stadium. This works as a diversion for a little bit...

8:20pm - The raucous cheering resumes with new vigor, though a few disgruntled fans (including my dad) are still checking their watches with disapproval. My own enthusiasm is loosing steam...

8:25pm - did I say loosing steam? Well, that was BEFORE the lights went out and you could see the BOSS MAN HIMSELF and the rest of the E-STREET BAND traipsing out onto the stage!!! And the CROWD WENT WILD!!!

8:30pm - And so starts a truly amazing concert.
Bruce Springsteen is an incredible performer. Watching him strut around the stage, smile into the microphone, and engage with the audience (which he did A LOT, he even let the standing crowd touch his guitar!! *jealous swoon*), you can see that his love for performing has never waned. And he’s SO handsome! Every time he smiled I nearly melted. I knew only a handful of songs, but Bruce is such an engaging performer that I had as much fun watching him move as I did hearing him sing! I loved watching him connect with his band mates, smiling and engaging with them as they all played. He even made a show out of his actions that were unrelated to his singing: tossing guitars back and forth with stagehands, squeezing a wet sponge onto his neck, sliding across the stage on his knees (and NOT colliding with the camera!), even doing a backbend while holding onto the microphone stand!! Oh wait, did I mention the poster-sign song requests? How cool is that??!!

Part of what made his concert so amazing was that it ran on PURE TALENT alone. Bruce didn’t need any huge, expensive stage props, vocal “guide tracks” (or whatever Ashlee Simpson is calling them), or a dancer-crowded stage to make his show a success, because he has *gasp* real talent! There's a reason Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band can play a 2 hour concert and then play an HOUR encore, and keep the audience on it’s feet, clapping, fist-pumping, and cheering the entire time... because of the soul behind the performance. *DISCLAIMER, IF YOU’RE A BRITNEY SPEARS FAN, READ ON AT OWN RISK* When you look at the differences between Bruce Springsteen concerts and, say, Britney Spears concerts, you see what I mean. My brother, who has been to a Britney Spears concert, even admitted it: after an overly flashy, lip-synched, over-danced and under-clad performance, Britney's concert only lasted something like an hour. Why? Because Britney is on that stage physically, but not in spirit. Anything that lacks spirit dies quickly, that’s true of anything in life: relationships, musical productions, concerts, etc. EVERYONE on that stage last night was into what they were doing, from Max Weinberg (the drummer- who has severe arthritis in his fingers and still rocked it hardcore!), to Patti Scialfa (Bruce's wife/guitar accompanist), and of course the Boss Man himself. That is what makes a concert successful, what makes your fans love you for 30+ years!!

There is a quote that talks about "giving of yourself" as the one true way to truly give. Bruce gives himself in his performances, in a way that Britney does not. Maybe it has to do with today's technology-age. Entertainment these days is so rooted in what's seen on a screen, and the focus on inter-personal interactions has faded to the wayside. Before tonight I had never really given much thought to the concept of the "electronic babysitter" being extended to attention-keeping in general. The attention spans of today's adolescents are alarmingly shortened due to prolonged exposure to short-term entertainment provided by electronic media... ironic that it now takes technology to also keep today's younger concert goers entertained.

Ok, in case you haven't noticed, I have a bit of a tangent-habit... you'll get used to it. lol. I have just one more thing to say...

YAY BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE!!!!