The Best of ’09: A Reflection

I have been a fan of Gwen Bell for some time and have been reading all about the “Best of 2009 Blog Challenge”.Tonight I have finally been inspired to write something. I have been a little apprehensive about writing something for this challenge, however I finally have succumbed to the strong impulses that are just telling me to write what’s in my head and my heart.

According to Gwen’s challenge, you are supposed to pick a prompt for one of the days in December and write about it. In her own words she writes, “Share your best moments of 2009 over the course of December. Don’t get hung up on details or length – if there’s an aspect of the question that doesn’t resonate, change it to meet your needs.” This is exactly what I’m doing

2009 has been a big turning point for me in my venture to being independent. As stated in early posts, I have been forced to struggle and get through life living on my on income (sans the scholarship that I usually get every year). There have been some stressful times but I am happy to report that I got through the first semester of school and do see a light at the end of the tunnel.

So what does this have to do with anything? Well, I have learned a helluva lot and feel as though I am going to come out stronger than ever before (with still a lot more to work on). This past year has proven to me that money shouldn’t control the way I think about and do things. Being a tech nerd, I’m always interested in the new and upcoming gadgets that are available. (I can’t express how many youtube videos I have seen about the Droid) The first thought that always comes to mind is how much happier I would be if I had that certain gadget. I am starting to learn that feeling is something I will always feel no matter how many gadgets I am able to buy. I remember how excited I was for the blackberry that I currently own, while at the moment I can’t wait to get another phone (THE DROID!) It’s important to be grateful for the things I own now and worry about the future later.

Sometimes I think about how much different life would be if I didn’t have to worry about money anymore. Not having to worry about being able to eat three meals a day, about paying bills and rent, and about being able to buy the new gadget. People tell you to always remember that there is always someone who has it worse than you. This concept is always so hard to grasp seeing as how there are also people who have it better than you as well. I think the most important thing to remember is to just simply be grateful for the things you have and focus all of your time and energy on those things. So in my attempt to follow my own words, here is a lest of the things I am grateful for:

-My friends and family
-music and the ability to appreciate what I am listening to
-books and being able to read them
-my sense of smell
-the ability to love and be loved
-the internet
-video games
-food and the ability to taste
-my talents and being able to tell stories through performance
-pets
-being able to type fast
-my sight
-the house I live in
-the unconditional love and support from family and friends
-my mother
-all of the kind and generous people I have encountered in my life thus far

There are many more things I can add to this list, but in regards to brevity I will stop there. Maybe you can take the time and make a simple list of things you are grateful for.

“

Morning Morgantown

When morning comes to Morgantown
The merchants roll their awnings down
The Milkjocks make their morning rounds
In morning, Morgantown

We’ll rise up early with the sun
To ride the bus while everyone is yawning
and the day is young
in morning morgantown

Mornin, Morgantown
Buy your dreams a dollar down
Mornin, any town you name
Mornin’s just the same

we’ll find a table in the shade
and sip our tea and lemonade
and watch the morning on parade
in morning, Morgantown

Ladies in their rainbow fashions
colored stop and go lights flashing
we’ll wink at total strangers passing
In mornin, Morgantown

Mornin, Morgantown
Buy your dreams a dollar down
Morning, any town you name
Morning’s just the same

I’d like to buy you everything
a wooden bird with painted wings
a window full of colored rings
in morning morgantown

but the only thing I have to give
to make you smile to win you is
all the mornings still to live
in Morning, Morgantown

Mornign, Morgantown
Buy your dreams a dollar down
Morning, any town you name
Morning’s just the same
mmm, morning’s just the same
-Joni Mitchell

You have to listen to it to understand why I posted this..

Lesson of the day

It’s funny how you can learn a huge life lesson when you least expect it. Including inspiration to write a blog post after not having written a post in quite a while. Life throws things at us and it’s our job to run with it and “go with the flow”. (I absolutely love that expression and should find out where it came from)

I’ve always the habit and maybe even a reflex to be jealous of other people for the things they had that I didn’t. These things not only included material posessions, but also certain relationships and even states of mind. I think I am finally starting to realize that the jealous feeling is truely pointless. A lot of times, people have no control over what happens to them, just like I have no control over what doesn’t happen to me. There is no point to be jealous of these people for the things that they can’t control. We can only do our best and be grateful for the things we have.

And now for something completely different. Thanks to my favorite podcast and radio program “To the Best of Our Knowledge”, I learned a couple of really interesting things.

Apparently, George Washington invented a lot of words that we use to day including:
-nondiscrimination
-indoors
-off duty
-paroled
-bakery

While we’re on the subject, Jefferson Adams invented:
-public relations
-belittle
-lengthily
and best of all, he invented the word “pedicure”

Wait, there’s more!
Mr. Lincoln was the first one to use:
-relocate and relocation
and the expression “point well taken”

That’s enough for now

“we all need somebody to lean on”

J

When you think it can’t get any worse..it does

Well, it has been quite a while since my first post. I guess you can say I’ve been lazy, or that I’ve had a lot of things going on with school and such. However, what happened to me tonight couldn’t have been better inspiration to write a new post.

I must reiterate that I am not a writer, and what you are about to read has not been created out of my imagination.

A really good friend of mine invited me to a wine bar for her 21st birthday soiree. After a long day of teaching kids how to sing songs from Annie, I was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening with friends. The drive back to SF was a smooth one with  a colorful night sky as the sun was setting, and good jazz tunes on the radio. As I got close to this place I noticed that parking looked like it was going to be a challenge. Little did I know how much of a challenge was up ahead.

After driving around for about 20 minutes looking for parking, my friend called to let me know that there was a parking garage nearby. Now of course, being a starving college student, a parking garage in SF is not an ideal place to park when there is free parking on the street that could be attained if you are so lucky enough to find a spot. However, after having driven around for a while (and having the urge to pee) I decided to use the garage.

As my car is halfway into the driveway of the garage I notice that there is a sign with the word FULL in big letters. By the time I see the sign it is too late because there is already another car behind me trying to get in as well. Any hope of trying to reverse was out of the question, so it was time to drive through the parking garage and get my car out of there. I pull up to the ticket machine, insert my ticket, and it tells me to see the cashier. Now, normally when I have to drive through a garage after not parking in it, the ticket usually just lets me out because not a lot of time has passed since getting the ticket in the first place. OH NO, not this garage. This garage was EVIL. I push the intercom button and talk to the lady who tells me to leave my car there and go to the cashier. I turn my car off (I didn’t want to leave a running car in the middle of a parking garage) and go to the cashier. After all is said and done I return to my car with the hopes of finally getting out of this evil garage.

And just when you think it can’t get any worse…it does

I try to start my car…. and the car doesn’t start. Now, my car has this thing where it just doesn’t feel like starting. After giving it some time to rest it will start up again. Of course, this was the PERFECT time for my car not to start! About 4 minutes go by (which feels like hours) and there is a line of cars behind me trying to get out. Of course they start honking and three or four guys come toward my car. I didn’t really know how to react to them but after I apologize profusely, they tell me it’s ok and try to help me. Their goal was to push my car off to the side in order to let all the other cars get the hell out of the evil garage. After some intense manuvering (one of the guys helped me steer my wheel) and some intense car pushing by three of the gentlemen (in reality, I have no idea how many people were helping me, I just remember a lot..not to mention the crowd of people by the cashier that have become my audience) we finally got my car safely to the side of the exit allowing enough room for the other cars to pass.

When you think it can’t get any worse..it does

The first car to leave gets up to the ticket machine and stays there for a long time. Like I said before, the tickets that you get only give you a certain amount of time to get through the exit. So good ol’ me has caused all of these people’s tickets to expire causing all of them to get frustrated, honk their horns at one another in confusion, and taking them an extra 2 minutes to get out of the garage. (After all, we don’t like delays in our routines. We have no patience, right?) Finally, after getting my car running again and waiting for the 15-20 or so cars to exit the garage I finally get up to the ticket machine so that I can finally get out of this evil garage.

When you think it can’t get any worse..it does

I put my ticket in the machine and it says to see the cashier. This time I leave my car running and go over to evil cashier. The lovely lady let’s me know that i have to pay to get my car out. I tell her that I haven’t parked, but that my car wouldn’t start causing all of the wonderful commotion to commence that evening. She says she couldn’t do anything about it.

I end up paying $3.00 for my parking spot in front of the exit to the North Beach Parking Garage.

In the end, I decide (and with the suggestion from the birthday girl) to go home after driving around for another 20 minutes in the hopes of finding a free parking spot on the street. I buy two pieces of pesto pizza at a quaint pizza place by my house and lay in bed to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Now, sleep must happen.

To the birthday girl: I hope you had a wonderful time tonight. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but I was delayed. Let’s do something fun soon and I won’t bring my car

“We are all different, but in the end, we are all fruit” – Gus Portokalos

P.S. please excuse my spelling and grammar mistakes. It’s been a long night

J

Let’s start at the very beginning….

I’ve been meaning to start a blog for a while now. However, laziness gets in the way of many things. At last, the time has come, and not at a better moment in my life than now. As the title and subtitle of this blog suggests, I want to comment on my life in terms of finding happiness without the checkbook to back it up. Now I must admit, I live a very materialistic life. I always want the new gadget, or the new video game system, or the new cell phone. Money has never come easy and more so this year in my life. I’m trying to get my mind out of that world and focus on the simple things in life that don’t cost the big bucks. I want to find the happiness in life out of the people I know and meet, the places I visit, and the situations and adventures that present themselves to me. I’m hoping that I can connect to people who are going through the same thing so that we may figure this out together.

As you can already see, I’m not a writer and I don’t plan on being one. Let’s all look past that fact and read without any judgments on grammar I just like to type what I’m thinking at that moment.

And now for something completely different.

The closing of the bay bridge has one advantage. It’s forcing me to drive over the Golden Gate and marvel at how beautiful that bridge actually is. Having lived in the bay area my whole life I take many things for granted. A friend of mine from Romania recently told me that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Now, I haven’t been to a lot of places, but that statement sure made me proud to live here.

Sleep is important. Until next time….

“Life is an occasion…rise to it!” – Mr. Magorium

J