Note to Self

Like practically everyone else on the planet lately, I have gotten very into Pinterest.  Although it's full of clothes I can't afford, food I'll never cook, houses I'll never build, projects I'll never finish, and workouts I'll never do, I love it anyway.  I could just browse and browse for hours!
One of the things I love most about it is finding cool notes of inspiration, or "truths," as I call them.  This is one I discovered tonight.  When my blogging lacks direction or is wholly uninspired, perhaps I'll write a few of these myself.
Tonight, for example, I might say...

Dear Self,
Don't change into what you think they want.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Pretty often it happens that I find myself absolutely lost in cyberspace, wholly unsure of how I've come to be where I am.  (This is why I cannot allow myself to join Twitter, for I just simply have enough world wide web vices as it is.  That is a whole other topic for another day, though.)  Through one social network, website, blog or another, I've wound up somewhere I have no business being God only knows where, filing away the intricate details of the lives of people I barely (if that) know.  I feel like Alice, having fallen down some unexpected hole and landed in unfamiliar territory.  I strongly desire to leave this foreign place and return to that from which I came, but, still, I'm inexplicably fascinated by my new surroundings. 
Does this happen to y'all?
Should I be admitting that I do such things?
Don't answer that.
Anyway, last night I fell down one of those rabbit holes and started reading an acquaintance's blog and, from there, read several blogs of people whom, twenty-four hours ago, I couldn't have picked out of a line-up.  I know, I know... I still don't technically know them, but we're all friends here in the blogosphere, right?  Right?  Er... is this thing on?
Ahem, anyway.
I have a point, I promise.
Most of these blogs I read were written by people who were doing internships this summer in Washington, DC.  I, too, did an internship in the capital city four (horrors!) years ago, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  So many of the events these bloggers were describing attending or participating in were events I so fondly remember attending during my time there.  It really took me back and made me wish I could do the whole thing over again.
Living in DC for the summer when you're twenty-one years old feels like you have the entire world at your finger tips, and there just aren't enough hours in the day to fit in everything you want to do and see.  Going out, working, exploring, and living in the city is such an amazing experience, you almost feel like you've received an unbelievable gift by mistake and someone will surely realize the error and send you home at any moment.  In other words, you're packing as many people, places, things, sights, sounds, and ideas as you possibly can into a summer that flies by at warp speed and is over before you really feel you've even begun.
I certainly feel like I left my mark on the city while I was there, and, let's be honest, the city left a very distinct mark on me.  I met and worked with some of the coolest people I've ever met with whom I am fortunate enough to still share friendships; I walked around without having a destination in mind, just seeing what I could see; I experienced the diverse cultures of the distinctly different neighborhoods of the city; I was able to share the beauty and history of the nation's capitol with visitors every single day; I made a number of, shall we say, bad decisions, and would make them all over again if I had the chance, for they definitely make the best stories; I saw and experienced so much of what makes America America; I took time to watch the sun set over the Tidal Basin; I marveled over and over at the fact that I was blessed enough to have such an experience; with my face pressed against the glass, I cried when my plane banked away from the Washington Monument, for I knew I would never again have such a summer.
I feel like I could cry now, actually.
Sheesh.
You see, last night I fell down a rabbit hole, wandered around disoriented for awhile, and, before long, I started to see some familiar sights.  It turns out I knew where I was all along, just taking a stroll down one of my favorite streets--Memory Lane. 
I hope those kids (when did I start referring to people a mere four years younger than me as if they are from a wholly different generation?) are having the best summer of their lives.
I bet they are, but they may not know it yet.

I didn't when I was their age, but we rarely do, do we? 

I'm Left Wonderin'

So... question.
I cannot figure out how some blogs get so, so many readers.
I mean, I love my blog, and I love the people that read it (and that, cough, cough, comment on it), but I just can't help but wonder how some blogs do it. How do you go about getting hundreds of thousands of readers everyday??
For example, I was reading a blog at work today that a girl I work with recommended, and there were something like 547 comments today. In my blog's year-and-a-half existence, I don't think I've cracked a hundred comments.
Granted, the blog I was reading today has been established for eight-and-a-half years, so she's had a long, long time to establish followers and build up her readership, but 547 comments?? Seriously??
I'm honestly not complaining... I'm just in awe.
I mean, what catapults a blog to that kind of popularity? Daily postings?? Giveaways?? Risque subject matter?? Relatability?? I really can't figure it out.
I'll admit it... I wish I could say that about my humble blog.
But, maybe in seven years I'll be able to. I mean, it's possible, right?
In other musings and wonderings, I am ready for the majority of girls at Mississippi State University to dig to the back of their closets and brush off their fall clothing. Shirts-worn-as-dresses, the miniest of mini skirts, the deepest of v-necks, and the shortest of short shorts have rained abundant this back to school season, but it seems that this week has been especially... er... fleshy. I think everybody's trying to milk these last few days of summer before these threads have to be retired for the year, but I for one will be glad to see a little less skin.
I know... I'm ninety two years old and counting.
In one final archaic thought, since when do people dress like Early United States History at eleven a.m. on a Wednesday (or whatever other required class they're all flocking into) requires the same ensemble as a night out downtown? For those of you who have left your campus days behind, just use your imagination and take my word for it. Red lips, expertly coiffed and tousled hair, accessories to sink the Titanic, and of course the outfits on which I've already presented my diatribe.
I walk across campus, and I just can't process the questions fast enough. My brain's on overload until I can come home and unload my observations and queries onto all of y'all.
What's that?
Oh, no problem.
You're more than welcome.

Birth

Happy Birthday, blog! You're one today.

It seems like only yesterday Becca was hassling me about starting a blog, and all of a sudden it's one year later; we've certainly been through a lot together in the last three-sixty-five, huh?

You sure have been a constant friend and confidante for me these months. Cyber space through the blog medium is a funny mix of personal insight and total anonymity, and you've helped me strike a balance between oversharing and keeping too much to myself. You've helped me to reflect on and sift through lots of the stuff in my life this year, and I'm not sure that I would have come through it as...er...gracefully (?) without you.

You've brought new friends into my life and helped me reconnect with some special friends I'd lost touch with, as well. You've also helped me keep in touch with some of my closest friends through new times in their lives, whether it be a move to the south or a brief stint on the other side of the world. Thanks for that, by the way.

You've inspired me to open my eyes to the world differently, and you've given me a platform from which to spew my opinions, some of which I should, admittedly, keep to myself sometimes. In short, I think it's safe to say you've impacted my life in a truly lasting way.

I hope together we've brought one or two laughs to somebody. Maybe we've even made somebody say, "Hmph... I've never thought about it like that." If not, well, there's always next year, right?

Here's to another year with you.

Spring

P.S. Readers, I know we (I) took a brief haitus for a few weeks earlier in the summer. However, I think I'm officially back, and I hope you're still with me. Are you guys still out there??

Picture This

So, many of you know how obsessed I am with my camera. I act like I'm about one step away from taking over the popularity of Annie Liebowitz or something.
Seriously, I'm ridiculous.
So, I'm going to start a blog where I try to post a new picture everyday of something/someone I see around me who inspires me. I may have a hard time getting it done everyday, but I'm going to give it my best shot (putting it before other, more pressing, matters, I'm sure...).
Anyway, if you're curious or so inclined, check it out. Maybe you'll be surprised...

The Conformist

Since Day decided she would resurrect her movie review blog, I, in turn, decided I would start a book review blog to step up my game as well.
Consider me a total conformist.
Check out http://thebook-keeper.blogspot.com/ for all of my observations, opinions and speculations on everything from historical fiction to classic literature to romances to nonfiction. (I don't read a multitude of those, mind you, but they manage to sneak in every now and then...)
And don't worry... I'm going to update this blog just as frequently as ever. I know there were several of you wringing your hands with worry, fearing the very worst. I could never leave; I've got too much left to say.

Story of a Violin

So, the coolest of all cool things happened today... I went to Louisville to get my violin!! I know... you were expecting more, right?? Sorry to disappoint... if you know me well, you know my interests often lie in offbeat places. Anyway, I went to get it today, and I start lessons after the 4th of July. I could not be more excited!! I played around with it some this afternoon, and, call me crazy, but I think I may have taught myself the first 8 notes of.... "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." I'm pretty, er..., positive I'm a virtuoso in the making...
In other news, I'm leaving sinfully tomorrow morning to go to a wedding at the beach. I cannot wait to get there! A good number of my friends from high school are going (which could be dangerous if you know the group...), and I'm really excited about a weekend away. Considering that I am practically Casper I am so pale, I'm sure I will return a deep shade of, well, crimson, but what in the world is new about that??
I'm kind of getting into this whole blogging thing. I was a little skeptical at first, but I'm slowly but surely being converted. They say (one day I hope to meet this illustrious "they") that doing something six times makes it a habit, so I'm halfway to being a habitual blogger. I've always been a huge journal writer, and I am having a hard time giving up my pen-to-paper mentality, but this is so much quicker... and it has the added perks of unlimited font changes and easy-to-add-in pictures. Who doesn't love that??? Okay... I give up. Consider me a convert...