Mosquito Bites

Some things have happened since my last update.

I graduated.
I received a laptop for said graduation.
I started working.
I have recently become a huge fan of Celtic Thunder. (don't judge me).
My cousin has descended upon us for a month.
I went to the beach.
I got more books. (no surprise there).
Last night I got about eight mosquito bites on my arms and legs. The little suckers love me.

Graduation was, well, it's over with. That's all I have to say about that.

my laptop, newly christened "Merlin", is a delightful addition to my bedroom. I love him dearly.

Work is AWESOME. I worked three consecutive nights this week... love it, love it, LOVE it.

Celtic Thunder.... I'll leave that to your imagination. Pretty much, it's on all the time. I even bought one of their concert dvds..... and am planning a trip to Ireland ASAP, (but technically I was already planning this trip to Ireland before I heard of them. They just kind of intensified the motiviation a little bit.... that is my story, and I am definitely sticking to it).

Descent of Kailey: long-awaited for! It's good to have her back under our roof for awhile. :)

Now, as to the new books, it's really not as bad as it sounds.....ish.
I got a 50th Anniversary Edition of To Kill a Mockingbird (and the illustrations on the front cover are fabulous, in case you were wondering), and a pocket handbook to keeping the Earth green. It was on clearance at Border's for $1.98. I pretty much had to.
I almost bought Alice in Wonderland and Wuthering Heights, but my sister is apparently sending me an Amazon.com gift card for graduation, so I showed some self-restraint and decided to wait a tad bit longer.

And that leaves the beach.
We went today! It started out being overcast and rainy, but my parents stuck it out (at the urging of my cousin and I), and sure enough, the clouds burned off and it was a gloriously sunny day at the Coast. They thanked us for the incredible optimism and undying faith in positivity later. ;)
The waves were gorgeous today, the tide was in and the ocean surged to and fro with terrible dignity. They were swollen, full and powerful. I could stare at the ocean for hours and never feel alone. Everytime I visit the beach I feel like I'm meant to live there someday... but not just any beach. It has to be a certain type. If its not the Oregon Coast, it has to resemble the Oregon Coast. It has to be clean and grey with soft sand and rocky coastlines, monoliths and grassy dunes and miles and miles of blue sky.
It cannot be humid, or hot, and there cannot be palm trees around with exotic fish or azul blue waters. It cannot be dirty. It's not to say I don't enjoy tropical beaches.... because I do. (believe me....ain't nothing wrong with hot, hot sun and warm water) But I wouldn't want to live by one. That could just be because I don't want to live somewhere really warm. I like my cool, rainy Northwest weather.
But, as usual, I digress.
I had a delicious Crab Benedict for breakfast today at the beach. The hollandaise sauce could have been thicker, though. Just thinking about it makes me hungry again. Mmmmm....

Oh, I have also written a new song since my last update.
It's a pretty nice little tune. I'd like to tinker around and figure out some piano for it.... but I'm really not good enough at playing piano to do that, so it probably won't happen.
Here's the lyrics, as always. :)

*Beautiful*

You're beautiful to me
Life should always be
As beautiful as you make me feel/

the ocean rises and falls
as I build my walls
you chase after me and bring me back home/

the world has its shine
but I'd rather know your mind
there's nothing I wouldn't do to be right here with you/

Right here with you/
right here with you/

I'd write your name in the sky
and dream of a world without lies/
I'd write your name in the sky
and dream of a world without lies/

You're beautiful to me
Life should always be
as beautiful as you make me feel.....


its one of those songs that doesn't follow an actual song structure.
There's no chorus, as you can see... just three verses and a release and then a repeat of the first verse, but it sounds nice with the melody.

So that's pretty much my life lately. Okay, that's a lie. My life is way more intricate.... but this is the ultra-short version of the past two weeks. The re-cap, you might say.
The World Cup is on now.... I hear the matches are great. I haven't caught one yet. :( I missed the England vs. USA match, and that kind of bummed me out. I was voting for England! I know.. how un-American of me.

Oh, and I think I've finally solved the earth-shattering debate entitled "what in the world do I do with the rest of my life???"
It's writing. It's not culinary school like I thought it was. It's writing, it always has been writing. I've just been too scared to admit that I am a writer and that writing is the one thing that makes me truly happy. I'm not sure what it was but I figured it out today. It hit me like a ton of bricks and I don't feel scared about it anymore. I'm thrilled, actually. I really couldn't imagine doing anything else. I love food, just like I love music, but that's not where my heart is.
My heart is in words. The written word is my one true love, and its that path that I must follow undoubtedly. :)
So I've decided to revisit a few of my old writing textbooks, Becoming a Writer and The Writing Life by Dorothea Brande and Annie Dillard, respectively. They're amazing, but its been awhile since I've read them and I think I could probably glean a lot of new, helpful information from these old friends.
Life is exciting, isn't it?

Now, it really is time for me to sign off... I am very sleepy.
Pleasant dreams, everyone!
Xx