Dusk and Summer

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more.

~George Gordon, Lord Byron, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

This summer has added immensely to the goal of making 2008, the best year of my life. Three weeks of nomading in central america, new york city living and non profit working, family south carolina bonding, and finally this past weekend i got my up north Wisconsin woods fix.

A full moon lighting up a skyline of pines and rolling hills reflecting upon a lake of black glass.
Thousands of diamonds scattered across the crisp blue waves created by warm summer breezes.
Embers glowing in the darkness as friends warm themselves by the fire on a chilly evening.

Pine trees
Log cabin
Camp fire
Lake
Friends
Swimming
Tubing
Relaxing
Summer
Wisconsin
peace
tranquility
love
life

Phone call

to let me know that my apartment above Laundry 101, is no longer above Laundry 101.

The apartment hasn't moved; 101 closed.

Senior year might blow a little.

The Carolina Heat

Back once again in Wisconsin after a nice 'cool down' from my six intense weeks in the big apple. The whole family gathered in Hilton Head for a week of relaxation and boy was it needed.

I should be packing-again- to move- again- but the thought gives me a headache.

So you can prolly find me watching the olympics or eating blueberries somewhere in my parents house until further notice...

what's right for the broader good...

I chuckled to myself as I filled out my professional development self evaluation today, when i came across the phrase 'employee does what is right for the broader good.'

Exemplary? Good? Developing? Poor?

Hm.

I finished Atlas Shrugged last night. For two months straight, reading literally almost every night little by little the importance of doing everything based on your own self interest was hammered into my head.

Common Good?

Pish Posh.

My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute. -Ayn Rand

Great book. Interesting theory.

Even more so when you reflect on where you fall on the spectrum of self interest vs. common good...

I want to live In The Heights!!

Tonight started the last week of Institute, marking the start of a 60 hour work week to wrap up one hell of summer in NYC.

Actually, I'm not sure 6 weeks really counts as a summer, but with four weekends free to enjoy New York City- I sure did see a lot- it was more like an NYC summer on Speed.

Last weekend after a night in Chelsea, I headed back to Midtown Saturday night to see A Chorus Line- starring none other that AC beautiful Slater himself- Mario Lopez. Tears ran down my cheeks listening to 'Kiss the Day Goodbye" one of the most beautiful songs of all time.

This weekend it was back to Broad way- for the 2008 Tony Winner for Best Musical: In The Heights.

It was i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e.

The star of the show is a 28 year old Puertoriqueno from Washington Heights in northern manhattan who wrote the story of In The Heights in his sophomore year of college- writing the story of his neighborhood through rap lyrics and break dancing.

The show moved from his brain, onto paper, into a small theater, to Off-Broadway, to Broadway. The original cast is still performing, and I was able to meet them all, including the writer/star, after the show on the street as they exited the theater.

As I snapped photos with them and they signed my playbill, I was star struck and speechless, thinking of the incredible amount of talent that was contained in the people standing before me.

Talk about chasing a Dream.

* * *

My final 'day off' in the city, today- i spent spending some quality time with myself: exploring museums around central park and drinking coffee in a corner cafe.

As I made my way home on the E, back to Queens- an older women sitting next to me commented on my copy of Atlas Shrugged I was reading.

She read it 35 years ago and can still remember the intensity of Ayn Rand's writing, and how she sometimes had to read passages over slowly to grasp their full meaning.

I looked into her eyes and thought how I hope to remember such details about my life 35 years from now...

So classy

a scene straight out of senior year of high school.

After spending $13 dollars per a drink for two days in a row (ey caramba) two classy 21 year olds stash their water bottle full of rum from the weekend before in their purses.

Off to the bathroom they go with their diet cokes to enhance the evening and make the jokes at Gotham a little bit funnier.

A stroll around the block to enjoy our new edition of DC, led us to gags and cringed faces wondering wtf was wrong with our beloved sauce- something just didn't seem right.

We tried to force them done, knowing our bank accounts would thank us later, but it just wasn't happening.

Why does it taste kinda like a screwdriver?
Why is this rum spiced so strangly?
Is this even booze???

Nope.

Its my roomate's cheap $6 dollar warm blush wine.

Diet coke with lime with cheap blush wine?
ohdeargod.

Damn dim lighting in the trailer park bathrooms...

Rookie mistake- kinda.

Left behind

Hello Katy,

I'm Alex from Guatemala.
I received English Classes from you, at Academia Europea, Guatemala.

I saw you at the Academy about a month ago. I though you was coming back to teach English again.
But it was nice to see you again.

I received classes with Erin Gundersen, a week ago, she is so nice, and I told her that I know you. She is your friend and I told her that I went to your farewell party, you wrote me a message in a Gallo (beer) label, I kept it in my bedroom.

Thaks for all. You are so special.
I'll hope receiving news from you.

Regards.
Alex