Rich girl.

Ok, I know I've been slacking on posting. I really only have a few minutes before I have to be somewhere, so here's just the quickest of updates.

Training is still going strong in Baltimore. I'm enjoying work and excelling, but I'm definitely ready to transition out of the training phase and into the "doing". It's going to be demanding - but not too difficult - work, but the greatest thing is that it's definitely rewarding already.

I love my coworkers and my team. I'm part of the "Triple Threat" cohort, and we've already established ourselves as the cool kids who know how to have a good time. Expect pictures soon.

For now, just saying hello - I'm still alive, I'm still happy, and I'm ready to get back to the City. Oh, and the subject? That refers to the Hall & Oates song Christa and I are going to sing tonight during the RT's outing to a karaoke bar. You love it.

New Normal

I just had a mini-epiphany. It's weird, because I've been conscious of these facts for a while, but I never linked them.

So, there's no doubt that I love New York. I'm happy to be living here, and I'm excited to start my job. But these past couple of days, I've been in a weird funk. It's actually quite a lot like the mean reds. I'm nervous and a little sad and kind of afraid of, well, I'm not totally sure what. But here's where the epiphany comes in - as my dear friend Rachel said, "realizing it a bit is the first step." And that's what I did, I at least started to understand what it was that made me feel this way.

My life revolves around people. I'm so outwardly oriented - my mood, my happiness, etc. depend a lot on my interactions with others. And it's probably not the best situation that I've been living in towns where I don't have friends for the past 2+ months since graduation. That kind of thing can take a toll on a girl emotionally. You can be in the most exciting, stimulating place on Earth, but if there's no one to experience it with, a girl like me won't be satisfied.

Okay, so how do I fix this issue? Obviously, I make friends. This leaves me in a situation I haven't been in since, well, a long time. Even coming into college, I had several of my (at the time) closest friends coming with me. And we were thrown in a dormitory with thousands of other eager coeds just waiting to find their new best friends. I wish they did that in the real world.

Actually, they apparently kind of do. I'm feeling anxious/nervous/excited/anticipatory about tomorrow, when I go to TFA, get on a bus with my new co-workers, and head to Baltimore. These first impressions are important; these people could be my potential new best friends. Or at least people I enjoy spending time with. So, my feelings could be compared to the first day of Kindergarten: Will they like me? Will I fit in? Will the things I know/do be adequate? (Hey, I was a bright little kindergardener.)

Or maybe a more accurate comparison is of me going into Camp Crimson, the freshman orientation camp at OU. Impressions to be made, friends waiting to happen, ladders of influence to climb. It was when I was texting Ross and IMing Rachel that I made the connection. I had gotten used to being the counselor in this situation (after being a Camp Champ winning counselor at Camp Crimson, mind you). And now that I'm feeling like the camper, the world is a little flipped upside down. It doesn't help that Camp is going on right now, and it's the first thing at OU I'm missing out on because of this whole graduating-and-moving-on-to-the-real-world thing. So I'm feeling a little lost, alone and vulnerable during a time that any year prior to this I would be the one leading the pack, in charge and surrounded by family.

Life is so different, and I don't think it's just because of the city I live in. Unless I was working on campus at OU, I'd be jumping into a place where things feel different and a little weird. I just have to keep reminding myself that this stuff isn't weird. It's just a "new normal."

I think the song playing on my iTunes right now is more than appropriate:
I'm a new soul.
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take.
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear,
Finding myself making every possible mistake

See I'm a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout what is true and fake
But why all this hate? Try to communicate.
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make.
-- Yael Naim, "New Soul"

Not quite the mean reds, but...

I don't know why it is that suddenly at 12:21 a.m. I overwhelmingly miss my friends. But I do.

Openings, Okies, Parks and Crumbs

"All my little life I've wanted to roam,
Even if it was just inside my own home."
-Rufus Wainwright, Rules and Regulations

Days around here feel like weeks. Seriously, every day I feel like I'm doing nothing at all, yet everything all at once. It's crazy, and mostly fun. But it makes it hard for me to sit here and think of things worth blogging about, because everything runs all together in my head.

I'll start by covering the high points of the weekend:
Saturday my dear friend Amy and her mother came into town and visited me at my apartment. Then we made a hop/skip/jump/several transfers down to the theater district for lunch before we headed of to our respective matinees. They saw Wicked, and I went to [title of show]. I was laughing pretty much from A-D-D-D-D-F#-A --the first notes/line-- to "This is the last line of our show." I really recommend checking it out.

Sunday I had another very special visitor. I woke up in a mad dash to get down to Fulton Street, where I met Rachel and her familia for brunch. It was lovely to see her and catch up, not to mention our running hug scene in front of some hotel, which I'm sure was movie-worthy.
After I left Rachel, I headed back uptown to meet my roommate, Ashley, and one of our future coworkers, Sarah, on the steps of the Met. We spent hours exploring, and of course I took a ton of photos, even some I was apparently not supposed to take. Oops. Ashley left the Met early to meet up with some people, but Sarah and I decided to take a little stroll through Central Park. We happened upon the Alice in Wonderland statue (the cutest thing ever!) and just enjoyed the scenery and fresh air.

Here's where our Upper East Side adventure/treasure hunt began. We decided that we were a little hungry, so we decided we'd walk around the area and find some food. Natural thought process, right? However, all of the gossip girls in the area must stay so thin because there are no friggin' restaurants to be found! After walking a couple of miles up and down, through several streets and across a couple of avenues, we finally found ourselves just about back to where we started. And we came across Crumbs, an adorable little bakery famous for its cupcakes. Seriously, try the Oreo. You'll just die. I guess it's a good thing we'd done all that walking after all, so we didn't have to feel so guilty about the cupcakes.

And you'll be so proud, because that evening I hunkered down and finished my prep work. So now I'm all set for the conference, minus a little laundry that needs to be done tomorrow. And perhaps I'll stop in for my much-deserved (and much-needed) pedicure.

I promise I'll stop the recap-of-my-day posts soon, since as of Wednesday I'll be a working girl and things will be more routine. Of course, I'll have to give you all the dish on the training conference and my new friends I'll undoubtedly make there. (People like me because I'm so humble. =P)

And since I've been on such a GossipGirl kick lately, I'll sign off like this:
You know you love me, XOXO.

Yes, more Moon River lyrics.

"Two drifters, off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see."
-- Audrey Hepburn, "Moon River"

Want to know what I did today? Well, I...

1. Listened to Girl Talk on the bus/subway and read more of Relentless Pursuit.
2. Wandered around the Seaport and enjoyed the fresh air before getting in line at TKTS.
3. Had a very hard time choosing which show I wanted to see for tomorrow's matinee because they were all great choices.
4. Settled on the musical [title of show], got a great seat, and then discovered that it's opening weekend. How sweet is that?
5. Made leaps and bounds of progress on my prep work for the conference.
6. Went grocery shopping and cooked a fantastic dinner with the roomie, even if we somehow set off the smoke alarm.
7. Enjoyed our dinner at our makeshift living room/dining room suite (folding chairs and a cardboard box) while watching Breakfast at Tiffany's.
8. Ended the evening with more diligent work and productivity. That is, before hitting the sack early.

And that's just the beginning to the weekend. I have two friends coming in for day trips this weekend, along with a planned trip to the Met and the aforementioned Broadway play. I could get used to this, but I shouldn't, because the real world (aka working life) comes knocking very soon. In the meantime, I'm making the most of playtime.

We're after the same rainbow's end.

----------------------------------------
Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!
----------------------------------------

My love for all things Audrey, especially Breakfast at Tiffany's, is something I could discuss ad nauseum. But that's not the point of mentioning this scene now. The point is that I feel very Holly Golightly currently. Most of that's due to the fact that I have no furniture and I'm living out of suitcases. Getting ready in the morning is reminscent of the scene where Holly is preparing for a visit to Sing-Sing, only without the dreamy Paul Varjak. Sigh.

And then there's my adorable fire escape "balcony." You better believe I'm going to sit out there at some point and sing Moon River. I hope the people below don't mind too terribly. But beyond these small external similarities, I'm really not much like Holly at all. I'm not this poor lost soul who doesn't know what she's running from or where she's running to. However, I do get the mean reds and I would gamble to say that a visit to Tiffany's would calm those right down. And, like Holly, I did move to NYC from Oklahoma. Hmm, maybe I'm onto something with this comparison.

That's just it. I feel like I'm onto something here with this move, with the new job, with this change in my life. I think it's going to be great. I can't wait for it to fully feel like home. That'll come soon. In the meantime, follow this link to see pictures of what I've been doing lately, and of the work-in-progress that is my city abode:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2231624&l=14105&id=9600062

For the weekend, I plan to meet up with some old friends who are visiting the city and some new friends I'm about to start work with, finish my prep work for the conference (what I was doing before I got distracted and started blogging), and treating myself to a much deserved pedicure. Maybe I'll even throw a visit to Tiffany's in there somewhere.

Many the miles.

"How far do I have to go to get to you? Many the miles.
Send me the miles, and I'll be happy to... follow you."
- Sara Bareilles, Many the Miles

I thought this lyrics was appropriate on several levels. First of all, it's been stuck in my head for the past few days. I'm sure the citizens of New York are simply loving hearing me randomly burst into this refrain as I'm walking down the streest. Eh, whatever. It's also relevant to the fact that I've traveled a long way to get to where I am, and how happy I am to be here. Another layer of meaning is that I am many miles from what used to be "home" and all of the people in places like Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee who mean a lot to me, but that I'm still connected to them all. And finally, it could refer to the many, many miles I have probably logged in footwork across this city over the past few days. Seriously, my legs are going to stay in great shape.

Obviously, a lot has gone on since my last post. Now that I'm done diseccting song lyrics like I'm in literary criticism, I'll try to remember all the crazy happenings I've partaken in and fill you in on all the important stuff without boring you with extraneous details.

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity, mostly focused around finding an apartment. For those of you who don't already know, this is an intense process, much different from apartment hunting in Norman, or any other town for that matter. We spent hours upon hours pounding the pavement, jetting across multiple boroughs to go to open houses, meet with brokers, etc. It was a long, arduous and extremely tiring process, to say the least.

However, at the end of it all, I'm glad that we did all of the city scouring that we did. It helped me appreciate even more the volume of people and how varied their lives are in this city. And if I hadn't gotten lost in Bushwick (eek!) or crossed the heart of Harlem on foot, I might not appreciate the amazing neighborhood I found the way I do.

I guess that jumped the gun a little. The big news is -- I now have an NYC address. I'm an Upper East Sider, y'all. And I'm so excited. The neighborhood is adorable, and my apartment is HUGE, much bigger than the shoebox* I was imagining. Though we did see our share of shoeboxes. For instance, in Hell's Kitchen, we were welcomed into our lovely new potential home, complete with the shower in the kitchen. Classy. Not to mention that in this same building, rather than buzzing us in, the super threw the key down into the street from her window. Gotta love that. There was also one with a really cute loft-style layout; however, one of the bedrooms would barely fit a twin bed. Maybe. Then of course there were the open houses we never actually made it to, because the area seemed far too sketchy to be worth venturing very far into.

Let's see, what are some other things that I've learned? I'm quickly becoming an advanced subway rider, so that's going to come in handy. I have also already developed a growing contempt for the gawking tourists in Times Square. Mom says that I'll fit right in because of that. I can't help if I get annoyed at people who don't understand what symbol means "go" at the crosswalk. I've also really come to love the Upper West Side. I could walk up and down the 70-90 blocks of Broadway over and over again. When you come visit me, we'll explore. That's one thing about this place - whether you're an obnoxious gawking tourist, a newly minted Upper East Sider, or a lifetime resident, there's always something new to see and experience.

Of course, though my trip has been primarily devoted to the tedious apartment hunt thus far, that's not the only thing I've been doing. Some highlights from the more laid-back, fun parts:

• I mentioned Spring Awakening already, but it will always bear repeating. I love that show, and I was so impressed that there wasn't a single actor whose performance I could be critical about upon the curtain call.
• My mom and I visited the TFA office. It seems like a very productive and fun place, and I'm really looking forward to getting started there.
• My friend Brian, Mom and I hit up SoHo and fell in love with this little organic/vegan bath product store called "Lush." Seriously, one whiff of the air around it and you're in bliss. Brian and I both got soap called "Sexy Peel." How cute is that?
• New York may be famous for its pizza and cheesecake, but we were also huge fans of the sangria in Little Italy. We'll just have to take care not to "Waldorf it**.
• It's not common knowledge, really, but I have this deep love for all things Alice in Wonderland. So, I was delighted today when we found a tea room called "Alice's Tea Cup," which was themed in everything Alice. So cute.
  

I'm very tired from a long weekend of searching and a long night of celebrating. And there's still more to come for the week, like cleaning the apartment, finishing my TFA homework***, and of course continuing to explore. I might try to make it over to Connecticut before I head to Baltimore for our training conference next week. In any case, things are certainly moving right along.

*Speaking of shoeboxes, one of the greatest things about my new apartment is that my closet is actually big enough to keep most of my beloved shoes in their boxes. So I'm gonna hold on to that little bit of crazy. =)

**This phrase, patented by Brian, refers to an excessively inebriated state in which one thinks that one is a rich celebrity and gets a room at the Waldorf rather than a cab home. Poor choice, but makes for a great story to hear afterwards.

***I've always worked best under pressure, right?

Thank goodness for my BlackBerry.

As we're driving through New Jersey this afternoon, I turn to my right and suddenly catch a glimpse of the New York skyline. I wrote down my thoughts at that exact moment - actually, I typed them in a note on my phone - so I could share them with you. I simply thought:

"I'm here. I'm in New York City. And it's for good. I'm going to wake up every morning and be in New York City. Indefinitely. Until I so choose to leave. And I don't think that's happening any time soon." (1:45 p.m., Thursday, July 10, 2008)

Yeah, that's about right. I could give you a summary of everything that went on this first day, but I think that my feelings are adequately encapsulated in that moment.

P.S. However, I must mention that I saw Spring Awakening tonight. Finally. In some pretty amazing seats. And I've decided that the guy who plays Melchior Gbor should be my NYSF08. =)

take a deep breath, now.

"In the green autumnal parks conducting
All the city streets a wondrous chorus
Singing all these poses now no longer boyish
Made me a man ah but who cares what that is
And you said watch my head about it.
Oh no, oh no, no kidding."
-- Rufus Wainwright, Poses

It feels pretty surreal. After waiting months and weeks, I'm now days - and by the time you see this, hours, even - from leaving for the City. And I can't put how I feel into words. (But, as we all know, I'm going to try anyway.)

First of all, I'm so excited. I've wanted this for a long time. And despite what some people think, I'm not going in with these outrageous expectations of some Sex and the City meets Gossip Girl lifestyle. What I'm excited for is the city life, my city love.

Things like:

• Being surrounded by literally millions of people with their own stories to tell, all so different from mine, yet they brought us to the same place.
• The sheer volume of different cultures juxtaposed in a relatively tiny island.
• Having the opportunity to experience art in an infinite number of ways - from the high culture of displays at the Met to struggling musicians playing their hearts out in local dives.
• Working at a place that cares so much about changing the state of our world, with dozens of other young adults who are just as excited about it as I am.
• Carving out my niche in a place where a girl can find any- and every-thing.

I'm also nervous. When I think about how close I am, my heart just jumps into my throat, and I lose my breath a little. I'm trusting that everything will work out just as it's supposed to be. I know that's the case. But it's tough breaking out of my comfort zone - that level of control.

I'm anxious about:

• Finding a place to live. It's the biggest challenge, and the first one I'll face. I know, I know, I know that God will provide, but it's so hard to sit and wait.
• Connecting and making lasting relationships with people the way I have everywhere else I've ever been. But I take comfort in knowing that I have done that in every other place I've gone. I can do it again.
• Missing my comforts from home. Of course, I know that I'll miss the people I love who are scattered across the country and globe. I also know that just because they're not next door doesn't mean that we can't be just as close. But I know there are things I won't know I miss until it just hits me.
• Okay, this is really dumb, but I've come to terms with the fact that I probably won't have room to keep all my shoes in their boxes. But that doesn't mean I like it. That's just what I do. Maybe I'll just have to sacrifice something else to save the space. (Can you see how crazy I'm going? Ha!)
• Carving out my niche in a place where a girl can get lost in the rush.

These two emotions, mixed with dozens of others, are going to just have to travel with me now that my wild ride is about to begin. I'll document it and share it with you here, as this little lamb finally gets to the big city.

the only problem with new york is how far it is from oklahoma

"and through timeless words and priceless pictures
we'll fly like birds not of this earth.
and tides they turn and hearts disfigure
but that's no concern when we're wounded together.
and we tore our dresses and stained our shirts
but it's nice today. oh, the wait was so worth it."
- Jason Mraz, A Beautiful Mess

I attempted to write out a play-by-play, detailed report of my trip to Oklahoma, but you guys don't want to read a novel. Besides, with only 6 days between my return from Norman and my move to NY, most of my time is spent packing. Okay, packing and procrastinating and texting Ross constantly, but you know how it goes. So here are the highlights:

Saturday:

• First of all, there was some serious flight drama. I've never been so happy and upset about a single flight being delayed. Luckily, my ride was running late too.
• Bobby's GPS was determined to take us anywhere but Cain's. Luckily, we outsmarted it. But we'll forever hate LL Tisdale freeway, or whatever it's called.
• Girl Talk was one of my favorite shows ever. He played all of the best parts from Feed the Animals, and mixed some new things we tried really hard to remember later.
  
• Poodle and I alternated between standing in the middle of the chaos and sitting on our cozy little bench, surrounded by all the crazy people who would lean all over us.
• The trip back definitely included a McDonald's stop in Tulsa for the dinner we forgot to eat beforehand, and another one in Norman at 5 a.m. for breakfast.

I forgot to bring my camera in to the concert, so the only picture I have from Girl Talk is one I stole from Parker.

Sunday:

• Still getting over the exhaustion from travel and Girl Talk, it was a very lazy day. Ross and I finally dragged our butts out of bed and over to Virginia's workplace.
• Noteworthy is the trip V and I took to the mall, where I exerted extreme self control in not purchasing the purse I fell head over heels for. Also, the buzzword of the week emerged in the Forever 21 dressing room: "hookalah".
• The night ended in our typical grandma style, with a lovely dinner at BJ's (yum!) with some great friends, and then crashing before midnight while watching a Degrassi marathon.

Gosh, my friends are so stylish.

Monday:

• No trip to Norman would be complete without a trip to campus and Campus Corner. Though it definitely felt strange to see all the little freshmen with their enrollment packets and realizing that they go to school there now and I do not. However, it's still funny to see them try so hard not to look like freshmen and fail miserably.
  
• One highlight of this day was meeting up with my future roommate, Ashley. And for a double treat, I got to introduce her to my beloved Cafe Plaid. We're already planning to scope out some cute local cafes when we get all settled in, don't you even worry.
• The afternoon was spent lounging by the pool at the Greens with Virginia, Danielle, Jessica, Ross and... I think that was the whole crew that day. Oh wait, we can't forget "Hello Kitty girl"!
• Erin and I got to have a wonderful little girl-date, complete with all the margs and gossip we could ask for. Golly, I'd missed that a lot.
• We gathered up a group of over-21 Phi Lambs to go see a "grown-up movie" in the balcony at the Warren, where they serve drinks. Ironically, we were going to see Wall-E. Unfortunately, we missed the "grown-up" theater showing, but we did perfect our robot voices. ;)

Tuesday:

• So much of my visit revolved around where we ate our meals. I mean, I needed to get my fill of all the local fare in the short time I was there! So T.E.A. Cafe was a must.
• Danielle and I filled some down time with one of our famous "study parties". However this one was slightly different because while D worked on O-Chem, I became engrossed in Roman Holiday on TV and served as more of a distraction than anything else. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that different.
• Another sunny afternoon called for another day lounging by the pool. And you wouldn't believe it, but I actually got tan! I missed that Oklahoma sun.
• After lots of laziness, Danielle, Erin, Kely and I decided to get all dolled up (the vain people that we are) and go out for a fancy dinner. K made the excellent selection of the Cheesecake Factory, which quickly became one of my new favorite places to eat.
• I have to mention the drive back and forth, because that's one of the things I love most about my friends - singing at the top of our lungs in the car. K and I discovered that we still jump in at exactly the same random parts of songs, which made me giggle a little. We also realized that none of us know exactly what Freddy Mercury & David Bowie are singing in Under Pressure.
• Then began the time to party. I am very proud to say "I partied like a freshman." And I said it quite frequently. Complete with Sonic cup filled with Malibu. No kidding.
• There was no way I was coming to Norman without going to the Mont. That place is my Mecca. Okay, that's a little strong, but I love it. A lot.
  
• The night's festivities ended with many a round of beer pong at Lia's. I'm actually quite talented, for future reference. Add to that a standard late night chat before drifting to sleep, and you've made yourself one solid day.

PLBD! Of course, we took our standard shot from The Mont, the thorny rose.

There are three generations of Howdy Week Chairs in this photograph. It doesn't get much cooler than that.

She's my sister, one of my best friends and my wifey.

They just love bubbles. And I love them.

V, Lady and Poodle. What a great combination. And I don't know why you were arguing over what was your good side, you both look fantastic.

K and I take great pictures together, as usual.

Wednesday:

• As fun as the night before was, it made getting up for my hair appointment quite difficult. But it was so worth it. I am going to miss the lovely Katy terribly! Though she did give me plenty of ribbing about my hungover state.
• I was picked up from Ulta by a full posse and we went - where else - to grab lunch. At Raising Cane's. Yum.
  
• Kely and I spent most of the afternoon doing one of my favorite things in the entire universe - playing and singing together at the piano. We switched it up a little from our usual routine, though. Since Phi Delt was locked, we had to resort to Beaird Lounge's piano, which equals a free concert for the people who so chose to sit there that day. A faithful two stuck it out through our belting and banging on the keys. Another change was that for once, I played songs while he sang. Though, we of course had to play our #1 request, Sara Bareilles' Love Song.
• A visit to Student Life resulted in an impromptu Plastics trivia quiz with Quy. He might just have to be an honorary member by the end of it all. Oh good times. I miss my Plastics.
• If you're a regular in Nompton, you know that Wednesday night is O'Connells karaoke night. So naturally, we were so there. Lots of fun ensued, including Sarah and I getting the high score at "Monster Mash," making new friends so we could sit at the table with them, all of our new friends joining us on stage to sing Wannabe (yeah, the Spice Girls song), and John & Dan - the new besties mentioned in an earlier post - serenading us with songs from Aladdin and doing backflips in the middle of the bar.

Oh yeah, we got the high score. It's a good thing we didn't discover this thing when we were O'Connells regulars.

Some of our new friends, who turned out to be my Little's neighbors. What a small world.

My fantastic posse for both "grown-up movie" night and karaoke night.

Thursday:

• It was a bittersweet morning, packing up to leave Norman again. But my trip wasn't over yet. I still got to go on a wonderful little road trip with the adorable miss Erin back to the Tulsa airport.
  
• An Erin and Emily road trip always has a stellar soundtrack and this one was no exception. Old songs from high school, Disney soundtracks and Salty the Singing Songbook all made appearances.
• We were so adult with our lovely little lunch in the airport. Mere met up with us, and we got a taste of what things might be like in the next few years - just catching up long enough to grab a bite and hop on a plane. But it will always be worth it.
• The trip back, though much less stressful than my trip to Norman, was somewhat eventful. I channelled my inner Ross and made conversation with my "single-serving friend" on my flights. Also, I was a major CAC OB and helped design a T-shirt for H-dub '08. Seriously, I'll never get away from that stuff, and I don't think that's a bad thing. ;)
• Upon returning home, I realized just how exhausted I was. I'm not used to so much stimulation and activity. Oh, and sorry for partyin', I suppose. But hey, at least my insomnia was gone.

All in all, the trip was exactly what I wanted it to be. I was a little bit afraid that going back would make me sad and scared all over again, but it just confirmed for me how great a group of friends I have back home and how sure I am that I'm on the right track going off into the "real world." I couldn't have asked for much more than that. Of course, there were a few people I didn't get to see whom I would've loved catching up with, but there will definitely be another trip in my future. And, better yet, you guys will soon have a free place to crash in the City, so you better come visit me!

I will find a way to [Jason Mraz] if it kills me.

Music makes my world go 'round. Seriously.

In case some of you reading don't know me as well as others, here's a list of my favorite artists:
John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Third Eye Blind, Something Corporate/Jack's Mannequin, MIKA, Rufus Wainwright, Sara Bareilles, Arcade Fire, and any musical by Jason Robert Brown.

Today, my topic of conversation is Jason Mraz's new CD, "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things." If you haven't heard this yet, you've failed at music. I'm obsessed with every song. He has the gift of melody and for the creative turn of the tongue. Seriously, I could gush on and on about how great this CD is. But you still wouldn't understand if you couldn't hear it.

So go download it. Or at least get these songs: Live High, Coyotes, Details in the Fabric, and If It Kills Me. Or, if you're really cheap, message me and I'll mail you a burned CD. Because I feel that strongly about how much you need to hear this music.

(Also, the new live Mayer CD is absolutely amazing as well. But I've filled my music obsession quota for the day.)

John Cougar Mellencamp would be so proud.

"They come from the cities and they come from the smaller towns.
Beat up cars with guitars and drummers goin' crack, boom, bam.
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
Yeah, yeah! Rockin' in the U.S.A."


I promise an update on my week in Norman is coming soon, complete with incriminating photographs, "Overheard in Oklahoma" quotes and a full play-by-play, but today is for the swimming pool, way too many people in the kitchen, Wii sports, tubing/wakeboarding, fireworks displays on the lake, and probably a few too many margaritas. (We have a machine called the "Margarator." No joke.)


However, I will provide you with a teaser photo for the exhilarating story to come. Reader, meet our new best friends, John and Dan.


Happy Independence Day, y'all. Don't blow your faces off with fireworks.