A Self-Indulgent Post

Today was a complete waste of life. I slept too long, accomplished too little, and discovered that I owe oodles in back taxes. I'm hoping for a change of tides tomorrow, with a promise of jobs and friends and fulfillment galore. If that's not the case though, I'll indulge in a little blogging to keep my mind off of reality.

This cyber outlet for my many different rants is just that, an outlet. I use my blog to spill, just like I use my journal to chronicle, my planner to organize, and my toaster to toast. I'm a huge proponent of blogs and the ways they help us understand the zeitgeist of a whole slew of individuals. That said, I think that that the majority of blogs are petty and narcissistic. Who are we kidding if we think that the world really wants to know the kind of cheese we prefer or the way our hair looked when we woke up this morning? This is one of the many reasons that my posts tend to shy away from the journal-entry type and lean toward the philosophical. I know people couldn't really care any less to know about my new shoes, so I leave those details to myself.

Granted, my all-time favorite blog combines daily minutiae with deep world views. It takes talent to paint life with everyday beauty, and I appreciate seeing a life that doesn't try to make me jealous or full of pity. There are plenty of those "do it- have it- want it-all" blogs out there, and when I'm feeling really masochitic, I'll visit a few, just to reaffirm my taste for well-written, poignant, and semi-selfless blogging.

There you have it - a blogging paradox. I want people to read about my life, while maintaining that my life is nothing worth reading about. I want to remove the self from the most self-inflicted space on the internet. Well, besides facebook, that is.

Out with a Bang.

Once again, I approach the blogging world as my clock nears 2:00 am. Even though my room is spinning and I'm feeling the adrenaline crash of the past few hours, I can't put my mind at ease until I've divulged all of my random warblings to a listening audience. As I put together the pieces of a scattered day, I am left with a beautiful collage of my myriad adventures in a land called Logan. And, as I wake tomorrow, I know the skiffs of snow will provide additional opportunities for me to cherish.

Today started with a completely normal routine at work. Other than my free lunch and an explanation to my $100 bonus, nothing too surprising happened. I didn't get my hair pulled, though, and no one sassed me; those things always equal a good day.

After spending another four hours at my afternoon job, I felt like the night had to provide some excitement to punctuate my rather bland day. I planned an evening with a coworker, and we set off to watch a show at the on-campus performance hall. While I'm not sure if she hated it, I had an incredible time, and I'm further convinced of the beauty in expressions of the human spirit.

Music moves me. Dance stirs me. Theatre gives my life a much-appreciated perspective.

And it was there, amongst the elderly Yahtzee-playing crowd that I realized that I didn't want to be anywhere else than listening to Audra McDonald sing "Stars and Moon."

Now, as I finally succumb to the warm blankets and soft pillow cradling my head, I'm ever grateful for the beauty in my life. I'm grateful for friends who punctuate my life with loud laughter and unforgettable kindness. I'm astounded by the way that my dreams continue to come true, and I know that wherever I go in life, I'll always shoot for the moon.

And with that, I say goodnight.

Filling the Bucket

I'm involved with Daily Challenge from MeYouHealth, and today our challenge was to share five things from our bucket list. While I've never actually compiled a list of the things I want to do before I "kick the bucket," I'm always dreaming up new things that I want to do before I die (or, better yet, before I turn 25). In most ways, I think I'm very fortunate to have accomplished so many things that are on others' bucket lists. I'm a pretty lucky girl, but my luck won't keep me from dreaming up new and greater things to do with this one life of mine. Here are some recent goals:

Write a book. My dad swears that it'll be the next book he reads (which really means that he will be illiterate for a very long time), but I'll be sure to publish something worthwhile. Just give me ten years, and I'll have something better than Twilight for you to put on your bookshelf.

Attend the Summer Olympics (more specifically the 2012 Olympics in London, England). I would love to see the tennis at Wimbledon or the marathon through the streets of the most beautiful city on earth. I'm already signed up to purchase tickets when they become available in March.

Have a family to love, play with, cook for, teach, and love some more.

Own a house in Carmel, California. It doesn't have to be this one, but I'm not too fussy.

Kick an 8-foot ceiling. This has been one of my quirky goals since I was in high school. Last time I checked, I'm about an inch from my target.

There you have it, my current bucket list. Perhaps I'll kick the bucket at the same time I kick the ceiling. That would be pretty remarkable.