What would it take to get you to start a new life on a new world?
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Nothing short of a catastrophic natural or political disaster. The vast majority of my ancestors were not explorers; they were refugees, in a sense. They fled poverty, hunger, and religious persecution. I couldn't leave my home for anything less than that, either.
What's the worst book you've ever read?
If a book is really, really crappy I will put it down. Crappy as in bad prose and a boring plot. So "worst" to me means books that I have read all the way through and still hated. Wuthering Heights is definitely up there. I hated all the characters. I mean, really loathed them. I wanted them all to die horrible deaths. Heart of Darkness gets the prize for most boring book. It wasn't very long, but good heavens was it tedious.
If you could hang out with any movie character for a day, whom would you choose as your sidekick?
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Listen, "Avatar Community", if I get to hang out with any movie character I choose, I'm gonna pick a leading man, not a sidekick. Let's be real.
If I had to pick a sidekick specifically, you can't go wrong with a wizard, elf, Dunedin, or a stouthearted hobbit, could you?
What’s your favorite movie quote of all time?
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Perhaps not of all time, but certainly of Christmas time:
"Fra-GEE-lay....must be Italian!"
Followed very closely by:
"Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls!"
What one film do you think everyone should see?
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Oh lord, so many. Right now I'm in the mood for The Fugitive, though, so I'll go with that one.
"Care to revise your statement, sir?"
"What?"
"Do you want to change you bullshit story, sir?"
The birth of my brother 22 years ago automatically secured me with a built-in room mate if ever I needed one, and well, the time has come. I asked him some months ago, following me telling Chris I want a divorce, if he would be interested in being my room mate. Three weeks ago I became full-time status at work, thus allowing me to think more strategically about living on my own. Him and I found a place, and will be moving in sometime next week. There are several caveats that come to mind, however:
- Neither of us plan on being in San Diego for very much longer (much to my parents dismay, I'm sure). Referring back to my previous post, I plan on being in San Diego no longer than 1 more year, and my brother will be discharging from the Navy in 2011 to join the Marine Corps.
- Related to caveat 1, we need to decide within the next 6 months if we're going to continue living there until he leaves (meaning I will be paying rent for a place I won't be living in for 3 months and potentially not be going back to at all after I complete Officer Candidacy School).
- We have absolutely nothing to put in our house besides what little belongings we both have, a TV and various game consoles that are rightly his, and a cat that is rightly mine. By some act of God, I managed to secure a mattress and two couches from various coworkers for a small fee. Supposedly it's all in great, gently used condition. At this point, I couldn't give a shit...
- Despite being able to "afford" living on my own, I will be living just within my means. I will be broke for a long, long time, which will make me leaving for OCS that much more meaningful.
But everything about the situation makes those three (and I'm sure there are more...) points completely worth the trouble. Our situation is entirely temporary. Just the fact that I'll be on my own, with my own room and own space, is more important to me than any of the negative aspects that may arise.
Not all those who wander are lost...
...life moves on. I'm still living, still breathing, happy with myself and the choices I've made with my life. Instead of succumbing to the split-second thought "it's 9 in the morning and well, I'd rather stay in bed all day", I realized not a whole lot gets done when you're just laying there. The same could be said for just about everything in life. Every day, I am faced with a situation that proves just how true that is. So I get up, time and time again. Pull back the covers and face the world, because the world will go on without me regardless.
I am on the move. In 3 months, I will be done with nursing school and ready to face the world. I want to join the Navy as a nurse; I am forcing myself to meet new challenges that I never thought I'd ever choose to take on. If I do this, I will be moving to a completely different coast for 3 months, by myself. Who knows what kind of physical and mental challenges I'll go through once I'm there to prepare me for the military life. On top of that, where will I decide to "end up" once I'm done with my training: back to San Diego, stay on the east coast, go overseas? The possibilities will be endless, and I can't wait. This is exactly the kind of thing I've been waiting for, what I've broken away from my old life for. To not only find myself, but to make myself.
The stress, frustration, and anguish of a life gone wrong are dredged up constantly. I need a fresh start to mend this broken heart. Granted, everything that ever happened to me was partially because of me, but it doesn't hurt any less. I look forward to moving on from all of this, creating a new image for myself, and coming home eventually to find that time really does work miracles. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. I will miss my family and friends more then anything, but I'm no stranger to this. For this I am thankful for coming from a Navy family. I am no stranger to change; in fact, I often times crave it. Stability, stricture, and discipline are some things I need. I'm far too spoiled for my own good, I need a swift kick in the ass and a little growin' up to boot. I also want to see the world (for free) and the spare change I'll collect along the way isn't a bad incentive.
Divorce is hard, heartbreak is hard too. But an unhappy life is unacceptable. And I am finally happy.
I've always been interested in other people's stories and problems. Not in a busybody way, just in a curious way. That's why I am a psychology major, and it's why I watch shows about drug addiction, mental illness, and physical disease. The last few weeks I've been marinating myself in other people's challenges, and right now I feel like it's verging into unhealthy territory. Educating oneself and improving one's emapthy is one thing; drowning yourself in troubles that you can do nothing about is another.
So for today, at least, I'm veering into lighter territory.
How about a Christmas carol? I love Christmas music. I love carols that are as quiet and solemn as the snow that falls at night in December. I love big brass songs that play at warm and well-lit parties. I love singing in church with all the out-of-tune old ladies and I love listening to polished choirs.
I also like sparse, bright takes on traditional carols, like this one from Sufjan Stevens.
Hello, Vox neighbors! I'm back from a class trip to D.C., which was a wonderful week all around. It was very, very busy, but we did a lot of sightseeing and a lot of volunteering. Now I'm back with about 10 hours of sleep debt and a lingering cold, so I'll just post a few pictures and be done for the evening.
