6 Questions from "6" cont...

My roommate "6" sent me 6 questions...if you want the whole story (and questions one and two) see a couple entries below! Read on :-)

3)Having lived in a country where you didn’t speak the native language, what do you find to be the most curious/interesting/frustrating about language and the barrier it can impose?

When I moved to Italy I obviously did not know the language but I do think that after that initial shock wore off, I was able to observe a lot of as it was my only way of adjusting and communicating. My initial observations were:

-Every town, no matter where they are, has the same archetypes…the hero, the whore, the drunk, the jester…look hard enough and you will see them even if they are conducting their behavior in a different language
-Europeans are much kinder about “transients” then Americans
-People have a way of telling that you cannot speak their language just by looking at you…it has to do with how you carry yourself and the confidence you evoke
-There is always someone who knows how to speak English
-You know if someone likes you even if you have no idea what “l’amo” means
-Submersion is the best way to learn anything
-Great friendships can be formed when you are in “the same boat”…searching for someone who speaks your language means that you are searching for someone who knows a piece of who you are and where you come from
-Great loves can be formed when you can barely speak to one another

There is so much more. I cannot tell you how different the experience would have been if I had known the language. I think that not knowing Italian right off the bat put me in a vulnerable spot that left me open to change and growth. It was painful sometimes because the little things are missed and the ability to communicate fully is overlooked but I really believe that I was better off not knowing the language and learning it as I continued. It was also quite an amazing feat to learn Italian and to be able to conduct myself in everyday life.

The defining moment for me happened on the train. When I arrive in Italy I took the train from Rome to Viareggio and could not buy a ticket, speak with the conductor or the people in my train car…I was so exhausted and scared. I was afraid that I would miss my stop b/c they were speaking so fast I could not understand. About 3 months later I took another long train expedition to Venice and I realized that I could read the signs, buy my ticket, talk to the hot Italian man in my train car and converse with the conductor as I waited for the bathroom. I had become a part of their culture, language and everything. I was able to function and better yet I was able to be somewhat of an Italian.

Non sono italiano ma parlo l'italiano molto bene. Ero molto felice in Italia e l'esperienza era grande per la mia fiducia in che sono.


4) What thing most fascinates you about books? As an avid reader, what constitutes a “good book” for you? What draws you into a story? At what point do you give up on a read? Feel free to expand and explore your favorite authors and books with us.

I love books…really, I am a literary nerd. Brett asked that question because I talk about books all the time. I read a book a week (if not more) and I am always on a quest for the perfect work of fiction, best classic story or a great hardcover edition of my old favorites. Over the years books have become a passion that I have cultivated through study and friendships. One of my first date questions and one of my favorite questions to new friends is, “what is your favorite book?” You can tell so much about someone based on their favorite authors and the books that they cherish.

Literature presents a world with which we are often unfamiliar. We can delve into people’s worlds for a time being and live outside of ourselves. When it is a particularly good book it can serve as a retreat from which the reader often does not want to return. The use of prose or poetry to construct fantastical sentences and ideas is astounding and the way an author can string together melodic sentences in order to capture the attention of those turning the pages. Great writing keeps you enthralled even after the book has been finished. There are characters and settings that I think about weekly, there are texts that I reference daily and there are books that I will pick up and read again year after year.

I think that it is only fair to list my favorites as they have given me such reprieve over the years and are literally books that have changed my life in some way:

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (worth the time it takes to get though the entire thing); 100 Years of Solitude by Marquez; A Secret History by Tart; Emma by Austin; A Prayer for Owen Meany by Irving; A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Eggers; On the Road by Kerouac; Midnight’s Children by Rushdie; Shoeless Joe by Kinsella; Harry Potter Series by Rowling

There are very few people on TV that I hate more then this woman....Clearly I feel so stongly about it that I saw her name on MSN.com, immediatly groaned and gave her the fist of rage! Rachel Ray drives me N.U.T.S. and everytime I hear her squeaky little voice I want to punch her in the face. I think she reminds me of all of the girls in my sorority house that I just did not like.

On another note, am I the only person in America (living with a gay roommate) who has NOT see Brokeback Mountain! 8 Oscar nods later the movie still has not had me as a patron!

$1 Beers?!

It amazes me that even at 25 I still feel that it is physically impossible to pass up $1 beers if being offered as a special at a local establishment. This might go back to the days when a dollar beer would actually force me to go to KAMS b/c I am absolutely fine being exploited if my beer is cheap. Dead tired, a little sad and wanting nothing more then to crawl into bed could not even keep me from asking Meg and Brett to meet me at $1 beers at the Shilling...I even called Hugo who promptly told me that he had some "bad wine" last night and could not make it out. Clearly Hugo has gotten over the "$1 calling", why can't I? I wonder if Bud Light actually tastes better when you pay only 4 quarters for it?

Thank you Full Shilling for a night of fun, good conversation, tater tots and cheap beer. Who could ask for more?

6 Questions from "6"

About 3 months ago my roomie Brett (or 6 as he is better known) asked me to send him questions for him to answer on his blog. As I am a very insightful, beautiful and obviously modest person :-) I gave him some spot-on questions and asked him to return the favor. After much badgering he has sent me four lovely questions with the promise of two more to come. Since it has been awhile since I have posted, I will answer most of the questions right now and hang on to my pretty little britches (really, they are pretty...I just went shopping) for the other two to come. Some of these questions are so very “Inside the Actor’s Studio”…I totally love it!

1)If you could go back and correct one mistake from your past or change one thing from your history, what would it be and why?
I try really hard not to have regrets. Turns out, as it always does, that most of the mistakes I have made in my life have been good for me in the end. Although there are certainly some things I wish I had done differently, I don’t have a lot that immediately comes to mind. I guess a regret I have is a compilation of the same mistake made over and over again…sometimes I allow my friends to be disposable. I try not to do it anymore, but good friends that I have had in the past have fallen by the wayside because we didn’t want to take enough time to keep in contact. People that I spent years cultivating friendships with have since been excommunicated from my life. I try hard not to let it happen now, but sometimes people slip through the cracks.

2)10 years ago, where did you think you’d be today? Today, where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
I do not think that I had any idea where I would be at 25 when I was 15. I think I assumed that I would be happy and settled…at 15 I probably anticipated that at 25 I would be married to a fabulous man, living in the city and living the life of luxury. After 15 I think it quickly developed that I did not want to be married by 25, but still. It is an interesting concept of just how little you know about the real world at 15. I have never had any career passions…nothing that I had to do “career-wise”. I have never said "I must be a doctor" or "I must save the world" or "I have to come up with a new lipstick that looks great on and really does last 8 hours".

My passions have been friendships, loves, adventures and making the most out of the experiences you are lucky enough to have. At 15 I suppose I would have hoped those things would have happened/been happening and I think that they have. I think that at 15 I would have had no idea how wonderful my life would be at 25 or the great paths that I have taken to get to 25. I went to a great college, had/have crazy nights out, made fantastic friends, fallen in and out of love, had good jobs, traveled around the US, lived in a different country, traveled throughout Europe, learned a new language, been proposed to on a beach in Italy (a proposal I promptly turned down), found a job that actually utilizes my English degree, lived in a city I adore in an apartment I adore with a roommate that I love, made great new friends and continue to hope for more. I know that those things will continue.

At 25, thinking about me at age 35…its funny because I think I have the same thoughts as when I was 15 projecting to 25. Married to a fabulous man, living in the city and living the life of luxury…hopefully with children thrown in…I hope that I am happy with what I am doing and happy with myself. Everything else will fall into place, I assume...Really I can't anticipate where life will take me, only that I hope that along the way my family and friends are happy and healthy and that I enjoy the twists and turns.

i'm back beeyochs!

I have had a difficult time getting back into the blog world. I need to write as it keeps me inspired, but I cannot write because I don’t feel inspired. What a catch 22, huh? I am hoping that doing some exercises in creativity (ie the thing below that Anne had on her blog and then some questions from Brett) will help to bring it back. Really, I need to devote some time and effort into it. I promise pictures, clip art, and interesting stories are coming!!

I Live: with a crazy boy whom my brother has nicknamed “6”
I Work: with a bunch of drama queens
I Talk: to Sean, Hugo and Tariina way to much during the day
I Wish: my cousin Gavin was not sick and that someone could make it better for him
I Enjoy: sleeping in, good books and staying home at night
I Look: for wedding rings on every man I meet
I Find: myself thinking about stupid things, too much
I Smell: the cologne of the hot volunteer sitting near me
I Listen: to all of Lauren’s advice in hopes that I will become a better person
I Hide: a lot more then I should
I Walk: because when I run I tend to fall
I See: that the cancellation of West Wing is going to be a huge problem for me
I Sing: everything…ask Brett…I can make anything into a song.
I Laugh: with my mouth wide open and my head thrown back
I Watch: sappy teenage movies and TV and can’t get enough!
I dream: about being pregnant all the time
I Want: about 10 Margaritas. right. now.
I Cry: usually when I am alone
I Burn: brownies…can’t seem to make them in our oven
I Read: anything I can get my hands on
I Love: someone but they don’t seem to care
I Sometimes: make things harder then they need to be
I Hurt: my effing elbow last night and I don’t know how
I Fear: that later I will regret the decision I make now.
I Hope: that my cousin learns you have to want to survive
I Break: things, but not as much as Adam does…
I Eat: a banana and a piece of toast every morning for breakfast
I Quit: caring if I was out every Friday and Saturday night
I Bathe: in a somewhat dirty shower
I Drink: water but most of the time I would rather be drinking beer
I Hug: everyone I know…what a good way to spread the love
I Meditate: before and after Yoga Booty Ballet
I Miss: having a tight group of friends
I Forgive: too quickly
I Drive: a Suzuki Esteem that goes by the name “Lalo”
I Have: a great life, a great job and wonderful friends
I Don't: smoke because it is gross
I Make: great food if I have the right ingredients
I Owe: my family everything in the world
I Feel: like I can’t wait for the sun to come out again
I Know: that I am where I should be right now
I Wonder: where I will be at this time next year

It has been a long time since I posted. I don’t know what is wrong with the whole blog thing…I swear I am just not feeling inspired anymore. Since I am no longer funny and interesting I feel like blogging might be a waste of time. Give me a couple days and then perhaps a Christmas/Vacation recap! I need to clean out the ol apartment, mind, body and spirit before I start anew!