Top Twelve Memories of 2012

We all know the entire ordeal of 2012 has been a whirlwind of a time.  Here are things that will make me smile most to look back on:

12) HUSKY HUNT

Some hated the Hunt, some slept through it, and some even went mysteriously missing.  I’m a competitive and enthusiastic person, though, so I took it seriously and went hard, going on a two-hour walk (getting romantic with Meredith under an archway in a park--Sorry, Eric), a six-hour bike ride through Cambridge in the coldest hours of night (spying a rather beautiful sunrise), and a 5-hour walk through Beacon Hill (encountering men dressed as a vampire gangster, a smoking Santa, and a hot dog).  The Rubik’s Cubes (Shannon, LV, Mer, Eric, Laura, Ryan, Al, Andy, Harrison, Joe, Aimee, and myself) did a lot of bonding, invented some creative Lion poses, and placed at a proud 28 out of 50.

11) Fiction of the Year

I need a broad topic to acknowledge a few things I fan-girled over this year: Doctor Who, Rod McKuen’s poetry, and How I Met Your Mother, plus how I reaffirmed my love affair with Harry Potter.  The Whovians of Northeastern (Laura, Lauren Belle, and Mer) turned me onto the BBC show Doctor Who in 2011, but it wasn’t until this year that I watched the 2005 Revival in its entirety.  I am enamored.  Like many, Ten is my favorite Doctor--his cheekiness, arrogance, and scientific, timey-wimey jargon never fail to delight--but I adored Eleven’s relationship with Amy and Rory and cried as though real people died at the end of The Angels Take Manhattan.  Plus, after converting Eric into a more obsessed Whovian than I am, we explored some Scarf-y Fourth Doctor silliness.  It’s an excellent show.  I apologize for losing many of you in that rant.  On a more lovey-dovey note, I fell in even deeper amour 
with the poetry of Rod McKuen.  Don’t take my word for it, just check his books out.  I’ll leave you with some sweet one-liners for inspiration: “I’ll stay awhile / and track the hidden country of your smile,” “I want to see the world within the circle of your arms,” and “You see how easily we fit together, as if God’s own hand had cradled only us.”  Go.  Read.  Bask in the Romance.  Delia and I discovered How I Met Your Mother this year and watch

Character pose!

 every episode together.  It’s our thing.  It’s a brilliantly crafted sitcom that I dwelled on enough in my Broken Jaw post.  Lastly, Andrea, Rebecca, and I rekindled our love for Harry Potter this summer by instating a book and movie club, culminating in a costume party double feature of the 7th and 8th movies: I dressed as Luna, Andrea as Dobby (complete with an authentic pillow case dress), Rebecca as Mad-Eye Moody, and even Jacqui donned feathers and hooted that she was Hedwig.  (Only my character survived.)  Danielle, Paige, and Christina made it to some events, and we even brewed Butterbeer.  Those nights MADE my summer.  

10) Classy Dinner Party

I think that that evening, which preceded Hurricane Monday, is a nice way to commemorate my friendship with the Duplex and generally how wonderful life is with the lovely ladies of WVF616.  My fantastic roomies humored me by helping make high-effort food (a.k.a. it required more work than just microwave preparation), cleaning (you could see the tabletop for the first time in WEEKS), and dressing all fancy for the occasion (not that they needed telling twice, those foxes!).  We had Mer, Belle, LV, Sarah, Laura, Shannon, Chris*, Nick, Charlie, Adam (1), and Adam (2) in attendance.  Lots of inside jokes were born, including those associated with hair gel.

9) North End Adventure

A freshman year classic.  On a whim, Sarah, Meredith, Lauren Belle, and I decided we’d love ourselves some Italian chow for dinner.  No one else was around to invite, so we just set sail for the North End, spawning jokes like “Two ships passing in the night,” Spite houses/babies, and immature playground silliness, in addition to scoring an awesome dinner at Cafe Pompeii.  We still sometimes reference that random adventure, just because it’s such a perfect example of the casual, random craziness of our little group of friends.

8) Sonata Arctica

What would even be the point of a Top 2012 list without the year's top music?  I finally got to see my favorite band in the world (literally, out of all world music), Sonata Arctica, live at the Palladium.  They're a Finnish power metal band that I've been in music love with since I was 16.  Andy took the trek to Worcester with me and we had a good time reconnecting on the long train ride.  Eric was kind enough to chauffeur us around the city, stating plainly that it wasn't a fantastic area to be walking around in at night.  The warm-up acts sucked and the venue was a frigid little cavern, but the band and their loud, melodic music, played at speeds to rival Olympian track runners, lived up to every expectation I've set for them in the last three years.  

7) Family Holidays

I can never stress enough how critical my family is to me every day of my life.  Of course there's my brother, who made me the sweetest Doctor Who themed Christmas card; my sister, who, though full of sass sometimes, still admits to missing me and needing help other times; my dad, who thinks in the same erratic patterns as I do and shares my affinities for coffee, Mulberry Street pizza, and the TNT show Leverage; and my mom, who never stops giving to her children and supports all the endeavors we undertake, from driving to and from rehearsals to cheering on the benches at a freezing November dek hockey game.  

Then, there's all the extended family we see at as many holidays as we can: Nonni, with her world-renowned Christmas cookies; Nonno, with the stern face he wears when he asks about boys; Aunt Terry, who always wore the silly Halloween sweatshirt and socks because I asked her to; Uncle Vic, who teases incessantly; Cassie, who we eagerly catch up with the few times we see her; Bella, who fits in as easily talking with the older cousins as she does making trouble with the little ones; Uncle Ettore, who we always seem to give Pannettone for Christmas; "Uncle" Paul, who said Hermi-one until I corrected him; Aunt Renee, with her sweet smile; crazy Robbie, who hasn't let me hug him since he was 3; Michael, who has not followed in Robbie's footsteps and still smiles for my pictures; Uncle Bruce, who might be the most patient person I've ever met; Aunt Michelle, who designates me babysitter for these holiday gatherings, since being around kids is "the best birth control, and you're old enough to be told this!"; Dario, who has the same voice as Uncle Bruce; Sebastian Pasquale, who's too little to be sassy yet; Uncle Frank, who apparently rolled under a couch as an infant; Uncle Gianni, whose eyes smile when he tells stories about his merry life as a bus driver; (Aunt Maria, who had the heartiest, happiest laughter I ever heard); Uncle Mark, who's young 

enough to make relatable jokes about the craziness of college but also old enough to whack me upside the head for the same craziness; sweet Aunt Angela, who we beg to make pecan pies to every holiday; Luke, the little cousin who's cute enough to get away with making mischief; Ava, who puts on my makeup when I'm not looking; Uncle Mario, who always says "Ciao, bella," when he hugs; Aunt Angela, who's been all over the world and shares my birthday; Aunt Grace, my scatter-brained, silly, and loving Godmother; Uncle Ignazio, who taught us to sing I Dodici Giorni di Natale; and Marianna, who's kind enough to still hang out with the kiddies even though she's thoroughly a grown-up these days.  

Mr. and Mrs. Gustav Samuel Johannes

And so on and so forth.  Any holiday.  Every holiday.  

6) Company

Go on, roll your eyes.  I wander around humming songs, I quote the lyrics whether or not anyone knows what I'm talking about, and I always cite it as one of the most interestingly interpreted shows ever.  Quite obviously, I'm actually just saying how lucky I was to be a part of Northeastern's fabulous production.  I'm lucky I had so many friends come see it and share the experience with me and I can't wait for the next one.  But seriously, give the show a shot.  

5) Freshman Year Move-Out

No, this wasn't a happy memory.  It was actually one of the saddest days ever, but that was purely because my freshman year was such a good memory--and I mean every minute of it.  The whole feeling of my first year as a Husky is mirrored in how sad I was to leave in April.  I was sad to see the end of all those fantastic times: Zombie musicals, late night Dominoes after MIT parties, hours in the piano rooms, gathering the usual suspects for dinner, movie nights, common room shenanigans, and Trojan War tactics are just a few of the ridiculous happenings that gave flavor to my freshman year.  Moving out was a sad day because it would be the end of those times, but the sadness only reflected how fantastic a year it was.

4) Woodloch Pines

I've written an entire blog about this beautiful little patch of the universe already.  If you don't understand how it can be such a monumental cornerstone in the lives of my family and the Schizzanos by this point, then I can't help you understand anymore.  

3) Getting My Braces Off

The joy of being officially done with all things dental (save for wearing a retainer very night) far exceeded the irritation of my gums bleeding for a few days.  That day was a reflection of all the things my family and I had survived: a year of braces and surgical wires, a six-hour surgery, the most horrible night in the hospital, and weeks of numbness and an all-liquid diet.  Well, I'm still numb, but in the scheme of everything else, I'll take what I can get.  We survived!

2) Delia's Sweet Sixteen

I've written a whole blog on this one too, which you should check out if you haven't.  Here's an abridged version: When a Sweet Sixteen is done right, it's both a party and an emotional experience.  We had a fantastic time at Delia's, dancing and singing, watching the video her friends prepared as a surprise, her emotional candle ceremony (I cried my fake eye lashes off), and taking pictures with the beautiful birthday princess.  We had all of Delia's friends in attendance, plus Chelsea, Sydney, Mr. & Mrs. Schizzano, Miss Denise the ballet 

ACTUALLY a fairy princess.

teacher, all the Brengel cousins (even if the boys were being difficult about dancing), Justin (who let us put a pink crown on him for half a second), the Miliones, the Finellis, and Ginger.  We had our traditional eating leftover food and opening gifts into the wee hours of the morning session afterwards.  It certainly was a fairy-tale of an evening with the whole family.






And the biggest, most monumental moment of my 2012?

1) Moving In for Sophomore Year

I remember crystal clearly that when we drove over the I-90 bridge and the city of Boston came into view, Big City Nights by the Scorpions was playing and I was giddy with excitement to see all my Huskies again.  Maybe I didn't know exactly what was in store for the year but we all knew if it was anything like last year had been, every day would be an adventure.  And every day has been a greater adventure than the last, filled with Photo shoots, Mixfest, TV Show Viewing Parties, Aquarium detours, Birthday dinners, Boston Pops concerts, Holiday festivities, getting dressed up to go teach other's concerts, and  random city excursions.  What's most special about life at Northeastern, though, is how sitting at home playing Cards Against Humanity, improvising ridiculous song lyrics, watching Trapped in the Closet, playing enough music to peel the skin off my fingers, having random dance breaks, or even just catching up on each others' lives over a bowl of cookie dough is just as fulfilling as any big adventure.  I can't confine all the laughing, nerding-out, dancing, teasing, screaming, craziness of life at Northeastern into one concise memory, so instead, my top memory from this year is the giddy anticipation I felt that day in the car for all of the times that would be had.  I can't thank my mom and dad enough for supporting me in my decision to be a Northeastern Husky and I couldn't be more blessed to have met the fantastic people that I did. 

Thank you EVERYONE in my life for all the wonderful things you gave me this year.  It certainly wasn't an easy year, what with a broken jaw, a hurricane, losing two elderly aunts, and the lamentable loss of a friend.  I truly don't know how I'd have gotten through without the support, advice, and warm embraces of all my family and friends.  My resolution for 2013 is to give as much back to you all as you've given me.  



*Editor's Note: Chris dislikes when I refer to him as Chrissy.

A Smattering of the Many Things I'm Grateful For this Thanksgiving

Christmas Trees     Chuck Palahniuk novels     Live music     Spotify     Jello     Mom's homemade mashed potatoes     Late nights watching How I Met Your Mother with Delia     The Thanksgiving Day Parade     Considering myself a part of two of the most beautiful cities in existence     Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church     Doctor Who     How Dad never complains about picking me up from the city     That Sandy killed my backyard but left my house and family in perfect health     The incredible amount of support I've had from countless friends and family lately     Starbucks     Gustav, the most beautiful bass I could have asked for     Halloween candy     Being a part of Company     Every tiny, insignificant thing about Northeastern     That I didn't make the kick line team in ninth grade and became a music kid instead     Slippers     My adorable little cousins     The advice and guidance from my older cousins     Skiing     Drummers     Flat irons      Shredded cheese     Harry Potter books     That of all thirteen schools I applied to, I ended up at Northeastern University     Husky Hunt     Crepes     The Pep Band     Nutella     Northeastern Hockey Games     That Nonni and Nonno and Grandma Mary are healthy and happy as ever     Lifeteen     Seinfeld     e.e. cummings poetry     Cozy sweatshirts     The friends who hugged me when I cried at the cemetery yesterday     Buona Sera garlic knots     That Alice in Wonderland exists    Musicals in and about New York City     My correctly aligned jaw     That my parents met and fell in love and got married and had me to begin with     That Laura is so accommodating about my messiness and wacky music schedule     Wedges and high heels     That 2 am no-boundaries conversation with Meredith the other night     Chinese food     Bruce Springsteen music     Nerdfighter culture     New York pizza     Being Italian     That Eric texts me goodnight, every night    That I loved Smithtown High School West so much     Pit orchestras     Flip Flops     Breaking Amish   Aunt Grace and Uncle Kenny, my godparents     That Chris, Charlie, Peter, Lauren V, Lauren B, Laura, Ryan, Sarah, Andy, Harrison, and Alfred came to see and hear me in Company     Blogger     Disney magic     That Chris would rather spend three hours tutoring me in Stats than be bored while I spend one hour at the professor's Office Hours     Yearbooks     Everything I learned from Aunt Maria while she fought cancer     Billy Joel     Mr. Nolan's English class     EVERYTHING from the Romantic Era     Easter eggs     That I could have made things work at any university, but that things just work beautifully at Northeastern     Delia's dance recitals     Andy's unbiased and unabashed honesty and advice     That Christie, Brianna, and Alissa are at Northeastern too     David Tennant     My beautiful and sexy 616 apartment and even sexier roommates     That Alaric gives the best hugs known to humankind     Orange soda     How beautiful everything looks when it's snowing     Holiday decorations     That Mom cares enough to bug me for every detail of my life     That I've had my heart broken so few times     The unfathomable potential of every human being     Board games     Chick flicks     My room at home     All the wonderful things Sarah bakes     The picture perfect memories from the Last Day of High School, Prom, and Graduation     That there's never been anything I can't confide in my sister     J.K. Rowling's entire life     Crappy magazines like Rolling Stone and Cosmo     Cheesy flamingo memorabilia     Woodloch Pines     My fairy-tale Sweet Sixteen and all the amazing things I learned from having it     That Lauren Bell never gets annoyed at me for asking for Accounting help     Husky Hunt the second time around    That Dad was so thoughtful to pick me up a 7-11 coffee this morning     Cinnabons     June Claire Dance Centers     That even though we're stressed like crazy getting ready to have 18 guests over, we do have 18 happy and healthy guests we love and can't wait to see     Wicked the musical, but also the book because it gave someone the idea for the musical     That Lauren V is always telling me how fantastic and perfect we all are     That Nothing Changes     That I have the two legs, feet, arms, hands, ears, and eyes; ten fingers and toes; and a nose, mouth, and brain that God gave me to appreciate the world with     Finnish power metal     Mark Twain's writing     Tampons     Eye lash curlers     Converse sneakers     Facebook     That Shannon visits so often even though she doesn't live with us     That Ginger could come to both my and my sister's Sweet Sixteen     When Mom gives me a back scratch     Harry Potter World     What the Pluck?!    Living next door to the Geriens     Marshall Half Stacks     That one time I got to play a Juzek bass in a hole-in-the-wall jazz shop     IV Dining hall pizza     Elevators, ramps, the wheels on my bass case, and all the sympathetic people that hold the door open     Eleven years of bus rides with Jacqui     Stetson East cookies     Every piece of music I've ever listened to and every piece that's waiting to be heard     That I have a bed to sleep in every night     Books and sheet music that smell old     Paws the Husky     That my family misses me when I'm gone, and that I miss them too     Fourth of July Fireworks     Italian ices     Everything that's caramel-flavored     Music     Too many perfect Blue Flamingo vacations to count     Rebecca's Cafe brunches with Christie     That Northeastern's campus is so beautiful, especially for a city school     The Charles River    That picture-perfect moment when Train was singing "Drops of Jupiter" and I was standing alone in the rain     The sights, sounds, odds, ends, and quirks of New York City     Every confused morning when the story of last night gets told to me     That Marianna is only ever a text away when I need her     That Delia asked me to be her sponsor     Twitter     Stephen Sondheim     That Uncle Vic married Aunt Terry     Apple picking as a family tradition     Woodloch crumb cake     That so many people cared enough to check on me this summer when my jaw was banded shut     That my jaw was banded shut and my liquid diet lost me fifteen pounds     Rubber ducks     Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky     The fantastic family vacations Mom and Dad work so hard to take us on     That I had my nineteenth birthday this year     102.3 WBAB     My mac     Grimm, Perrault, and Andersen fairy tales     That Gustav and I played at Staller Center, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center together     Sade, my creamsicle colored bass guitar     That Delia still asks for my help picking out outfits     My crazy curly hair     Secret brand deodorant     Aerie underwear     Glitter glue     That I'm part of the Honors Program at such a good school in such a wonderful city     Rebecca's Cafe sandwiches     My job at Au Bon Pain     That I'm so in love with my major, literally every day of my life     The bright walls in my room     The Cousins Day we had at Lorella, Danielle, Bob, and Justin's this summer     Those vacations we took to Montauk with Aunt Angela, Uncle Mario, Marianna, and Alessia all those years ago     That Nonni and Nonno care about their time and resource-consuming grandkids as much as they do     All the Tooth Fairy, Easter bunny, and Santa Claus stories Mom and Dad fabricated so well for us     Cursive handwriting     That I was School President in fifth grade     That Mr. Roth, my middle school orchestra teacher, had such a positive influence on my appreciation for music     The Smithtown West Music Department family     That the twelve basses I was Section Leader to still call me Mom     Old photos     The Doll House Nonno made for me and Deels     That Nonni taught me how to sew     Grilled cheese sandwiches     Leonardo DiCaprio movies     All the hours they tolerate my presence in the Duplex     All the classy literature and art and music Danielle and I obsess over     Everything I learned my freshman year of college; in the classroom, about life, and about myself     The entertaining antics of Alfred and Harrison     My friendship with Mary, even if it's so much more difficult to maintain since she moved to North Carolina seven years ago     Sweet Sixteen Season     My twin, Brian     Thelemon-scented candle Mrs. Ralph bought me     The purple V neck that Richie wears     That Brianna, Rebecca, Danielle, and Sean called to check on me last Thursday     Ms. Riccoboni's Italian class     Winky, my little Nissan Altima that's as old as I am     Springy beds     Fan fiction     Bananas     That Mike is so good at pestering me to keep in touch with him     Family Gatherings on every Holiday we can     Lindt chocolate     New York bagels     Becca-Brina Christmases     That Tasha was an awesome freshman year roommate     The Blue Flamingo Tradition     The Northeastern bass family: Peter, Colin, Jason, and me     Cold weather     That Lauren kept me company when I sadly and slowly packed up my life in 933 IV last April     That Rebecca knows how much I love and need her, even when I'm God awful at keeping in touch     That Deels and Alex became friends, and then so did Sarah and I over a Play-Doh bakery in fourth grade     That Kimmie and I grew a beautiful friendship out of seeing each other once a week at tap class     Rod McKuen's writing     That Alyssa lived around the block from me in Kindergarten     Sudoku     Carlsson bass rosin     Centennial Quad     How beautiful and quirky Beacon Hill is     New England Clam Chowder     The memory of Deels and I staring jaw-dropped at each other when Daniel Radcliffe got hoisted into the air for the Opening scene of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying     Condiments with Joanna     The Port Jeff ferry     Huntington Avenue     Upton Basses in Mystic, Connecticut     Diaries     My signed copy of Diary, the book     Reeds from Palm Sunday     Northeastern's Husky Hockey team and the hot hockey players     How beautiful Boston is     The T     The way Rebecca and Mike wiped away the tears during our last Adoration together     The fantastic inside jokes Paige and Danielle and I had in Mr. (CrapICan'tRemeberHisName)'s AP Euro class Tenth Grade     Harry Potter as a cultural phenomenon     Eoin Colfer and the Artemis Fowl series     Gas stations     Vanity Plates     Paved roads     That I've never had to go hungry     Charities     The BSO and Boston Pops     The Lilac-themed tea house Brian and I went to for lunch one time     The feeling of being a Goddess when you shave your legs     The color of Dan Frank's hair at prom     The Lifeteen Core that still inspire me     The amazing evening the five of us girls saw Legally Blonde together     That there's a Heaven waiting for all the loved ones I've lost     Rosaries     That Aunt Maria, Aunt Ruth, Uncle George, Grandpa Ken, and Katie will always be a part of me on some level     The feeling of being hugged by someone who loves you     The number of family members and friends I love and who love me back     The way two people's faces light up when they see each other after a long time apart     All the things I take for granted     Every kind of love

And most importantly, I'm thankful for everyone I've ever met because whether you suspect it or not, you've influenced me along the way to becoming the person I am today.  I can't thank you enough for helping me into living the life I do.  

Thank you.

The Top Ten Things I Learned While My Jaw Was Broken

Eleven years ago, I embarked on a journey that serves as a turning point in the lives of most kids.  'Tis is a long and physically demanding odyssey that bleeds over into adolescence.  There develops much pain and resentment over many years before the score can eventually begin to settle.  Although the severity of any actions taken will vary from case to case, one thing is certain: There can be no turning back.


Unless you forget to wear your retainer.


Yes; Eleven years ago, my parents brought me to an orthodontist.


After six years of spacers, a pallet expander, retainers, and braces, the time came to free my pearly-whites.  There may never have been a happier day in my life!  Nary a day went by when I didn't wear my retainers as directed; I certainly wasn't going through any of that metal-mouthed nonsense again if I could help it.  


And yet the day came, two years later, when my top retainer failed to adhere properly.  After a few minutes of forceful pushing, it cracked clear in half.   


Thus began a new cycle of pulling wisdom teeth, x-raying, examining growth plates, and finally, tragically, the diagnosing of my sad state.  And so it came to be that I would undergo corrective Maxillofacial Orthognathic surgery.  


You all know the rest of the story.


Last week I stopped wearing rubber bands and chewed my first solid food in ten weeks.  Yesterday my orthodontist took the steel ties and surgical wires off my braces.  I can speak, eat, and drink not only normally, but better than I could before all this.  My only restrictions are on contact sports, but let's be serious-- I'm only an asset to you if I'm on the opposing team.  Things are only getting better from here, and I couldn't be happier with all the different results of going through with the surgery.  


I've experienced more change in the last ten months than I did in perhaps all my life before.  For lack of having a way to say this without sounding cliched, we're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  This whole ordeal has been many different things, but the most important is what a learning experience it's been.  I've honestly discovered a lot about myself and about my small corner of the world.  And so, here are the ten most important things I learned from having a broken jaw:




10) Hospitals Suck.  Yeah, it's been a harrowing few months, what with surgical wires, drastic diet changes, and a ton of medication, but my 36 hours in the hospital were by far the worst of my life.  They wake you up at uncomfortable hours of the night to take your blood pressure, you have to unplug an IV and an oxygen monitor just to go to the bathroom, the food is miserably tasteless, and the TVs don't even work.  In my experience anyway.  I hope with all my heart that you never need to be checked into one.


9) I love oatmeal.  I don't know how this never came up before, especially since it's one of the best sellers in the mornings at Au Bon Pain.  Oatmeal, as it turns out, is healthy, filling, relatively low in calories, and pretty good with some brown sugar sprinkled in.  Who knew?


8) There is SO MUCH I don't know.  My erratic sleep schedule when I first got home, thrown off by all the anesthesia, in addition to being unable to drive while my parents worked and my siblings were in school meant I had a lot of time alone to read, watch TV and movies, and explore the internet.  The more I do all of that, the more I realize just how little I understand about the world.  It's kind of liberating to know I'll never run out of things to learn about. 


7) How I Met Your Mother is the most fantastic sitcom ever.  There's nothing not to love.  The characters are all witty and engaging, the content is a near perfect balance of entertainment and plot development, and the guest cast really pack a punch in star power (Try Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Lopez, Lucy Hale, Enrique Iglesias, Katie Holmes, Britney Spears, Heidi Klum, Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek, Tim Gunn, and Katy Perry!).  I got my sister into it with me.  It's cute because when something shocking happens we both pause it and stare at each other in jaw-dropped awe in perfect unison, or we both crack up at the same tiny details.  Alas, I digress.  This is an excellent show. 


6) Liquid Dieting is a really successful way to lose weight.  When I was living on one I didn't want to eat much anyway, but I imagine it's much harder to do when you have a normal appetite.  On a related note, Trader Joe's has WONDERFUL low calorie, flavorful, organic soups that are worth checking out.   Also, V8 is godly.  This brings me to my next point.  It's fine to want to get in shape or be more healthy, but...


5) Love yourself.  Yes, I know this is cheesy and ridiculous.  Yes, there will always be things I try to improve about myself: I wish I was a less ghostly color, I wish my stomach was more toned, and I wish my eyelashes were longer.  Really though, I appreciate my self.  I'm at peace with my petite stature, I love my curly hair, and, most importantly, I'm proud of the person I am.  I enjoy my own weird taste in books and music.  I can look in the mirror and smile at the person I see there.  Life is just happier when you stop being so self-critical. 


4) Food is delicious.  Okay, maybe I didn't learn that by having a broken jaw.  I learned that by being Italian, but I certainly was reminded of this life lesson by not having any for two months.  My whole outlook on eating has changed.  Eat more slowly and really taste what you're eating.  Appreciate every bite.  I'm serious.  God forbid you find yourself in a position not to be able to enjoy food, but appreciate it while you can.  My stomach has shrunken quite a bit so I don't eat nearly as much anymore, but that's okay because every bite is an adventure.  


3) There are people who care about you.  I've always counted myself blessed by the number of supportive friends and family in my life, but I can see more clearly now.  No matter what your story is or where you're at in life, there will be people that love you and want to help you.  Let them.  I'm beyond thankful for all the people that were eager to check on me, you guys know that.  (Just for the record, I started writing out the names of all the people that were most supportive, but the list was annoyingly too long for anyone to want to read.)  I've also learned just how valuable communication is.  Admittedly, I SUCK at keeping in touch, but I'm trying to be better now.  For everyone who has cared about my welfare through all this, I want to be there for you too.  I want to know what's up in your life, when you need me, and when you deserve accolades.  Not only do I owe it to you all to support you as you've supported me, but I really want to do so.  I will never stop thanking you. 


2) Appreciate everything.  There's always something to be thankful for.  There is some glimmer of good everywhere you look.  Don't roll your eyes.  What am I consciously more appreciative of?   Having fully functional senses, having fingers to play music with, my supportive and loving parents, the brother and sister who can make me smile without even trying, being being able to drive, owning a car, the invention of flip-flops, the creation of pasta, how beautiful my street is, and how nice a cold pool feels on a hot day, to name the first handful of things that come to mind.  The world is big and complicated and difficult, but it is so beautiful.


1) This too shall pass.  Everything--good, bad, and ugly--ends.  If things are good, cherish them.  If you're unhappy, make a change.  If times are tough, grit your teeth and power through.  There's nothing you can't survive.  There are obvious exceptions to that rule, but not on the scale of an average day.  I don't want to sound preachy, but take it from someone who experienced both extremes within a month of each other.  One day I was studying what I love most in a beautiful city, living mere steps away from some of the best people I've ever had the fortune to meet, and two weeks later I was only leaving the house for doctor visits and was living on chicken soup and apple juice.  Being pessimistic gets you nowhere.  Sure, be realistic.  But take a deep breath and stay optimistic.  




I don't mean to sound pretentious, but I mean every syllable of every word on this page.  I hope whenever you go through tough times, you can turn it into something good for yourself.  You're strong.  I have faith in you and I'll always be here for you.

Just remember, you're the one thing I can't get enough of.

Thank you to everyone who helped make me feel special on my birthday, even though I couldn't eat pastina or cake or swim or go to the beach or anything.  I did at least get to hang out with Chelsea, Christie, Sarah D, Danielle, and Paige, who's my birthday twin!  I then got to have our first girl talk in AGES with Meredith, Lauren, Laura, and Shannon.  Long live the girl talk tradition.  Also, my mom felt so bad about how poorly the doctor's visit went that morning (during which they told me it would be no less than 12 more days of the all-liquid diet) that I was allowed to drive myself to the library and Starbucks!  I got to enjoy a delicious iced Caramel Macchiato and three fresh books--Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand; Life of Pi, by Yann Martel; and A Christmas Carol, the Dickens classic, because I have an off-kilter internal calendar.  


To backtrack a few days, I got to see Kimmie for the first time in nine months.  Conflicting school schedules, the fact that we have entirely separate groups of friends and commitments, and living irritatingly far(ish) from each other kept making it difficult to meet up.  When she knocked on my door Wednesday as a surprise it was the most euphoric reunion.  Since I'd literally just stepped out of the shower moments before, I left her to catch up with Deels and Eric for a few minutes.  When I got back upstairs, she and Deels were talking dance and she was hugging Eric off his feet for being a Doctor Who fan.  Here's to seventeen years of being in each other's lives and families, babe.


Also, it was the best when she called at 1:30 am the night of/morning after my birthday to talk about meatball marinara-scented things, Doctor Who, mashed potato sculptures, and to finish catching up on the personal details of our social lives.  


I have now successfully turned my brother, father, and Nonni into avid Doctor Who fans!  This does make it more difficult to watch episodes because we have to coordinate four people's personal schedules, but it's so worth it.


As the days of my liquid diet wind down (I've lost thirteen pounds!), we're continuing to get more creative with the recipes.  Today I spent 45 minutes making myself an elaborate "entree" called Creamed Chicken.  It was absolutely delicious, incorporating butter, flour, onion powder, chicken, chicken soup, milk, and other delicious things into the most convincing meal I've yet had to drink.  We've also made milkshakes a nightly thing for most of the family.  It's good, I feel like I'm useful instead of just prone to making messes in the kitchen.  Nutella, peanut butter, all flavors of ice cream, and all cookies are being explored.  It's not necessarily that bad an arrangement.  


My brother gets a Star Student Award tomorrow! I'm so proud that I'm getting up early to go to the breakfast I can't even eat anything at!


Danielle came over this afternoon.  We colored pages of an Alice coloring book, drank Nutella milkshakes, and listened to Disney princess music because we're sophisticated.  We also discussed bows, the blessing that is the Asian community in Manhattan, and put plans in motion for a Disney animation sleepover to occur sometime before she leaves to be a camp counselor.  It was the most lovely afternoon.  One might even go so far as to say it was golden: "You can learn a lot of things from the flowers, for especially in the month of June, there's a wealth of happiness and Romance all in the Golden Afternoon."


The Dirty Dancing Legacy Edition Soundtrack is the CD of the day.  Rest in peace, Patrick Swayze.




"I just cried sunblock." -Paige
"Poor skinny girls.  They can't make this beautiful fat thigh music." -Paige
"...a pheromone-inducing poltergeist?" -Laura
"Hashtag bigboobproblems." Deels, discussing the dynamics of a bandeau.

I can't work in fast food all my life...

I kind of wanted to do a legitimate review of The Da Vinci Code because it was such a riveting read, but it's also a profoundly controversial one.  I don't want to offend anyone, so I'll just touch on why I was so engrossed by it.  The books I get most attached to make a point of developing characters and fostering all kinds of relationships between them.  This did nothing like that.  The only character that was developed at all was Leigh Teabing, and even that was only to heighten the intensity of a later plot twist.  The only semblance of characters interacting in a way that wasn't directly necessary for the progression of the plot was a kiss between the two protagonists in the last chapter of the book.  It's completely unprecedented.  Readers may suspect this is coming because that's precisely what happened between Robert Langdon and Vittoria in Angels and Demons, which was Dan Brown's first Langdon-narrated novel.  Nothing ever came of that from the first book to this one, and Langdon often reflects on being used to life as a bachelor.  There's exactly one moment, when Langdon smells Sophie's perfume, that he appears to take any notice of her as a person.  This lack of human development is something plenty of good books can have, but it's not something I've found in any of my favorite reads before.  I guess I'm just shocked that a book with virtually no characterization or human element could hold my attention so strongly.  


That aside, The Da Vinci Code is an eye-opening read because it's so rooted in facts and history.  After finishing, I did a lot of reading into the Gnostic Gospels, the Merovingian dynasty, and the real Priory of Sion.  There are varying amounts of historical evidence for all of these, which was intriguing to learn of.  Despite conspiracy theories and pseudo-historical claims, I really recommend this book.  Just go in with an open mind and be prepared to sort out your own thoughts afterwards.


Gosh, that took longer than I imagined it was going to for not even being a full review. 




Now onto more mundane and happy topics!


Happy Birthday to my beautiful and beloved (and thoroughly missed) Shannon!  Nineteen and Crazy indeed!


Saturday was also Sydney's Sweet Sixteen.  I've been to precisely 13 formal Sweet Sixteens with ball-gown-and-tiara-wielding birthday girls.  Generally, these are preppy occasions.  I've seen dresses in red, orange, gold, green, aqua, teal, purple, fuchsia, hot pink, baby pink, and white.  Girls usually walk in to pop songs like "Gotta Feelin'," "When I Grow Up," or "Party," or equally peppy songs related to the party's theme, like "Supermodel," (Fashion) or "Ever Ever After," (Disney Princesses).  I hadn't been to a single party where the birthday girl didn't do a full or partial updo accompanied by curling iron curls.  
I really have to commend Sydney on throwing a definitively Sydney party.  Very few girls could pull off wearing black at their own parties, entering with a complete Thriller dance number, and requesting songs like "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Sell Out."  Her hair was pulled back just enough that she wouldn't get sweaty on the dance floor, and it was her customary straight, dark red.  I'm just very impressed by how atypically she designed her red, black, and gold Masquerade-themed party.  I'm really proud of her.  I remember the days when our parents would go out to dinner and leave Chelsea, Sydney, Deels, Eric and me at one of our houses and we'd be ridiculous and crazy together for hours at a time.  Remember that time we heard Jake (their dog) running up and down the stairs, and we though he was a burglar?  It was super S's to the rescue that day, armed with brooms and rakes against a cocker spaniel.  Seeing Sydney all grown up and lady-like made me feel nostalgic, but also proud that our families have been so involved with each other for over a decade.  That connection is really special, and I'm beyond honored that we were called up for a candle.  
Basically, Sydney, I loved the unique quality of your party and I'm honored to have been a part of it.  I love you guys a lot and I can't wait until Woodloch 2012!


On an even more mundane note, I today was lovely.  We saw The Avengers which was stunning to watch, even if it didn't have the most clever or original plot.  I say "stunning" because the graphics were unreal.  If you plan on seeing it, it's worth spending the money to see it on the big screen.  Also, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans are wonderful to look at.  A side note would be that I do agree with Andy: some of the dialogue was painful to listen to.  Some though, usually any involving Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr., for those living under a rock), were witty enough.  I then did like 10 minutes of Zumba to let off steam and then helped my sister with her Trig homework.  I'm so proud of myself for recalling enough math to actually be helpful! Who knew?  


In other news, I've lost 10 pounds on my all-liquids diet, and have reduced my Advil intake from 90 milliliters a day to 50.  I'm allowed to sleep in my own bed again, and no more decongestants either!  I still can't drive, speak properly, or eat regularly, but we're getting there.  My next check-up is Thursday, which means that with any luck, I can progress to soft foods.  Having pastina on my birthday would make my life much more pleasurable at this point in time.  


I'm having video issues with my beautiful Boston friends, so I'm finishing this blog instead of hanging out with them in Google Plus for a few minutes to give my lazy computer a break.  It should be good now, or so I hope.  Until next time, my darlings.

“Telling someone about what a symbol means is like telling someone how music should make them feel.”

I feel so loved lately.  I want to thank everyone again for the cards, flowers, and messages I've been lucky to receive.  This would be infinitely harder if I didn't know how much love and support my family, friends, and community have for me.  Thank you all so, SO much! <3


So proud of my Blueshirt boys!  Also, I want a Staal brother.  My sister claimed Carl Hagelin back when he was still a draft, so any Staal that isn't already married, I'll gladly take.  


Side note-- I feel WAY less bad about all the losing Northeastern did to Boston College since Kreider is now a solid rock on the Rangers.  We'll get 'em next year, Huskies. 


I can't wait to be back during hockey season at Northeastern.   Pep band and hockey and then all may frandz hangin out an bein silly afterwards sounds delightful.  


Besides the mouth situation (it feels like I'm walking around with a cinderblock clamped between my jaws), my days have been enjoyable.  I've been watching lots of Friends, Seinfeld, and How I Met Your Mother.  Additionally, I'm about a hundred pages away from finishing The Da Vinci Code, which is an utterly fantastic read.  It's been a long time since I've read something so gripping.  It's not my usual genre or style, so I'm intrigued by my own interest in the thing.  It's a historical fiction novel that calls the Roman Catholic Church--not the Catholic faith, but the historical administration of the church-- into serious questioning via ACTUAL secret societies, historical events, histories of symbols and icons, and seemingly insignificant details in the masterpieces of Da Vinci.  Where fact and fiction collide, I'm starting to wonder.  I may do some research once I finish this thing.  After this, it's back to Dante's Inferno, then a short novel by the author of Life of Pi, entitled Beatrice and Virgil.  I'm interested since those are the names of Dante's (sort-of) lover and guardian angel, respectively.  It's actually about a donkey and a monkey, but with a title like that, there must be some interesting connections.  


Also, with so much focus on the Holy Grail in Da Vinci Code, I was inspired to watch Monty Python for the first time.  It is very, very silly.  I was caught off-guard by the "Sir Galahad, the Chaste."  WHERE did "Why, Mister Galahad..." come from, Andy?!  On that note, I love the titles of Andy's blog entries, even though (or especially because?) they don't make sense until you finish reading the blog.  The most recent, entitled something to do with "48 Johannas" got me really excited momentarily.  Having 47 other Sabrinas wandering around could be totally entertaining.


So with all this loafing around and having my butt planted in a recliner LITERALLY 18 hours a day, I'm still managing to lose weight thanks to the "chicken soup and chocolate milk" diet.  I'm down six and a half pounds from Surgery Day!  At roughly 1000 liquid calories plus about a liter of liquid medications dispersed over each day, I am starting to miss real food.  Today was the first day I've been properly hungry since the surgery.  I guess that means my body's that much closer to being normal again, but being able to WANT food again puts me no closer to being ABLE to eat food again.  Other things are pretty much normal again-- swelling has gone down intensely, I can shower normally, no dizzy or light-headed spells, and I'm even feeling good enough to do my hair and makeup again.  I'm thinking it'll get much better after this first week.  Apparently during the surgery, my jaw shattered in an extra spot, meaning the process took an extra hour and I have one more titanium bracket than was planned.  I should have come out able to open to my jaw but I've been instructed not to.  I visit the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see what changes in my diet and abilities.  


If I try really hard, smelling good food is almost as good as having some.  For instance, last night we got Greek takeout for Mother's Day.  Just sitting there and basking in all the aromas of what I'm sure was a delicious meal for everyone else without gorging on the exorbitant amount of calories I surely would have incurred if I'd been capable to eat was almost even refreshing!  Even now, as Dad and Eric munch on Doritos during Period Three of Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals (Rangers and Devils at MSG), I can enjoy them without bearing the burden of 600 extra calories.  I realize this is the flimsiest silver lining ever, but for a girl who has 44 more days until her eating habits can return to normal, it's the best I can do.  


My biggest complaint after the pain, discomfort, and medication schedule is how removed I feel from real life.  I haven't left the house or hung out with anyone in the last six days, save 20 minutes of catching up with Rebecca and a lot of time with my surgeon.  I haven't seen anyone from Northeastern or Smithtown in person, giving me this weird sense of reclusiveness from everything.  As soon as my face stops looking like a teenage mutant ninja turtle, I'm excited to reinitiate Google Plus video chats with my Tremont Street Raiders and future Suities and have all my beloved Smithtown sweethearts come visit me.  Cheers, guys!

Every feelin', every beat, can be so very sweet, you gotta taste it.

I'm listening to a very feel-good playlist tonight.  Let's Get Loud, We Got the Beat, Ladies Night, Dancing in the Street.  No clue where this extreme optimism came from but I'll take it while it lasts... even though we're down to 9 days till Doomsday.  I'll leave those thoughts for then there's like a day left.  


Today was Eric's birthday!  Most of my friends remember him like he's six.  It's like all their last memories of him are when he crashed my sleepover party in sixth grade to be fawned over by all my girlfriends.  Thing is, he's actually thirteen.  Like, he's a teenager now.  I'm going into my last year, he's going into his first.  Time goes by so quickly.


Anyway, he his team won their dek hockey game tonight!  They scored twice in the first period and the other team,l ast season's defending champs, scored twice in the third.  They won in a shoot-out and it was super exciting!  Can't quite say the same for my Blueshirt Boys, but it's only the second game of the series.  There's time yet.  


Eric and I spent the afternoon looking up and trying out glitches in Super Mario 64 for Nintendo.  We got outsmarted the Never-Ending staircase in the 70 star room and got into the final Battle with Bowser with only 54 Stars!  We're such badasses.  


We also had delicious chocolate fudge and Banana Cream cakes.  I love birthdays.  




Two of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me are that I'm whimsical and that I have a sense of adventure.  I'm rather pleased.  




So despite my dread for Doomsday, I found an up-side.  Scratch that, two.  Well, two good outcomes from one crappy aspect of it all.  Since I only have eight days left of being able to eat normally, mom's making every food I like between now and then.  This includes prime rib, pasta with basil pesto sauce, Little Vincent's Pizza, chinese food, KFC, homemade chicken soup, and lambchops.  I'm going to eat ALL the food this week.  


Also, since I can only eat liquids after, I at least get to lose 20 pounds.  Despite all the other crap, it could be worse.  


It feels weird to be caught up on Doctor Who.  I just finished Season Six.  While it was fantastic, I can't help but be uncomfortable knowing I've watched all their is for now.  I have to wait HOW LONG till Season 7??


"That's what monkeys do.  When they smile, it's because they're about to KILL YOU!" Eric. 
(After I just explained what a honey badger is to Deels and she blatantly didn't get it:)
"And the deer, Oh My God, it was like honey badger!" Deels.
"Woof." Eric.


"You couldn't handle a basilisk." Deels
"Well you couldn't get to the Department of Mysteries, let alone get OUT of it." Eric


And now for some Winnie-the-Pooh:
"An adventure is a wonderful thing!"
"In the printed word is where truth lies."
"I wonder if you're dreaming too, wherever you are."
"Perhaps the place you are is not on a map.  How very nice for us!"


"You're braver than a bee, longer than a tree, and taller than a goose... or maybe it was a moose?"
"You're smarter when you're pink!"


"You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."


Thank you Pooh's Grand Adventure.  I just found those pearls of wisdom hidden away in my phone.  It was a truly pleasant surprise.