Northern Lights, Literally.

Feelin': Normal :)

So I haven't updated in a little while, and with good reason. I have been having quite the time here in New England, and it has given me a lot of perspective on my situation. I've found friends, new and old, and rooted myself in the city. New Yawk, New Yawk!

I love this city so much. It's really something that I would never have expected, going to school there an all. I honestly expected to be somewhere in Boston, whether that be at Harvard or BU, MIT or BC. But on this trip, I've seen an entirely different side of the city with Jeremy, and now I'm even more excited to be here for school. Also, I got to spend a lot of time with someone I have dearly missed for over two years. This is the story of the last week of June 2009.


DC: After a few days of staying in D.C. I realized that I honestly felt at home in Maryland. I was born there; I have heritage there. Even my experiences in Memphis were in a way shaped by my upbringing in MD. Only in the first and last years of my time in Memphis did I realize how different I had become in Memphis. I understand that it's quite normal to have grown and changed in this way, but it's interesting to take a step back and look at my own story.

It's was uncanny how the type of child I always strove to be was exactly the same children that I left in Maryland. I wanted to maintain the attitude that I grew up with, and I rediscovered it in so many of the people my age in DC today. Keeping that in mind though, I am forever grateful for what Memphis has given me. It has given me comfort in almost all conditions, it has given me patience, it has given me an etiquette and candor with which I have definitely impressed the right people, and most importantly it has given me piece of mind and perspective. The former is only just now being solidified-- only now am I content with my situation and happy for the future. The latter came with age and exposure. While I feel that it took much longer to gain this in Memphis, I am happy with this delay. Had it not happened the way it did, I fear that I may have been doomed from the start. Now I can look back and count my blessings.


As a side note: Thanks P and Em. You guys deserve everything for the way you've raised me and my brothers. Hopefully I will stay on track and show you the fruit of the tree you've sown.


NYC: So New York. Silly place really. Business Ops, Art Ops, College. That's exciting, right? And I experienced it all with two of my best friends in the world. The first night was fun. Charlene and I took the bus up from DC, and the whole trip lasted about six hours, so you can probably imagine how tiring it was. It was the night that we were supposed to go to Brooklyn for a 700 to 800 person “The Hangover”-themed party, but Charlene was too tired, so we just stayed home, sat, and chatted until we fell asleep. The next morning JerBear, me, Charlene and her friend Steph all went to SoHo and the Village to hang out and see the sights. We bought silly things including hats, glasses, trinkets and more in the small open markets that lined the streets. Oh, and I bought some pretty slick kicks. Pictures later.

That night, Jeremy and I went to my roommate Dylan's house and spent the night in Ardsley. Fun stuff. Reminds me of small town fun in Memphis.

The next day I went to Dylan's graduation party and oh, was that an experience. It was interesting watching the dynamic of a Northern high school, not that it's all that different from the South, but nonetheless, it was interesting. The kids were nice, albeit a bit rough around the edges, but how else would I expect them to act with a complete stranger. I'd be a tad worried if it were any other way. They were relatively welcoming at first, then warmed to be quite hospitable. They reminded me a lot of some of the extremely close-knit societies in the smaller schools in Shelby County. I guess people tend to act similarly when we're put in situations like High School. Where else are you expected to interact intimately with people your same age for 7+ hours a day (Oh yeah... College.). They had a plethora of inside jokes, too many nicknames to count (mine is SC: stands for Sexual Chocolate), and the distinct air that everyone knows not only everyone else, but everyone else's business. In full high school fashion, everyone wanted to know “What's going on tonight?” and “Who's going to be there?” The nightlife was equally as exciting, with veils of shyness being lifted and walls of animosity being torn down over a good games of 'ruit and flip cup. This is it folks! Do WORK!

Updates on Boston soon, but for now, peace(maker) out!

Listening to: Passion Pit: Sleepyhead