Bus Blog: A Transcription of My Thoughts As They Happened

Having already spent ten hours Friday, four hours Saturday, and three hours Sunday traveling, I was bored just two hours into what would be a nearly six-hour bus ride.  We took a rest stop just an hour and a half into the trip, waking me up from a pleasant nap.  I decided to write out my thoughts as they happened from the end of the rest stop until arriving at the intersection of 34th and 8th so you could all take the last four hours of the bus ride to New York with me!  Here is the transcription of the original, organized chronologically by what song was playing on my phone. 

No one will get this meme
but I liked it, so there.

Cinderblox, Sonata Arctica- This is one of my favorites off of their latest album.  It grows on me every time I hear it, with the twanging banjo worked fluidly into the angry metal tune.  The drumming is more interesting in this song than in their earlier work.  I must make a note to tell Chris this, since his biggest complaint about my favorite band is that their "drumming is too monotonous." What kind of criticism is that, anyway?

Don't Say A Word, Sonata Arctica- I love it when I get two SA songs in a row on shuffle.  This one is a CLASSIC.  Not that very many people know SA at all but if they know just one song, this is it.  I fell in love with it at first listen, but didn't realize how many other people did until I noticed it was their number one hit on Spotify and their choice of closing song live in concert, even though it's like three albums old.  Scrolling through Twitter, I found that Joe Walker was having a Q&A in honor of the premiere of something or other for Team Starkid.  I asked what wearing a dress in AVPS did for his love life, since his wearing a dress would be a turn-off but the view of his biceps the dress afforded was certainly a turn-on. 

L'italiano, Toto Cutugno- Even though the song is in Italian I always want to sing to it.  The Bruins-Ranger game had just started in Boston.  I knew I'd have to fact-check the updates Adam was sending me with the Rangers' Official Twitter, since he's a biased Bruins fan.  This suspicion was confirmed when he falsely claimed the team to be up 3-0 a minute into the game.  

Love Song, Sara Bareilles- I know how old this song is, but it feels fresh since I never listen to it.  It feels especially fresh with my new "Beavcoon green" (as Eric describes them), noise-cancelling earbuds.  What a nice song.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Elton John- The Bruins take the first goal of the game.  Evidently Elton John will not bring us good luck today.  Skip.

Born This Way, Lady Gaga- I'm no Little Monster, but I really love this upbeat, 80s-feel, Madonna-esque song.  Captain Cally scores for the Rangers!  It's a shame I don't have more Lady G to listen to if it's bringing us luck.  

They were FANTASTIC live.

Allen's Bar, Barrage- Why doesn't the whole world love fiddle music more than it does?  It's so pleasing melodically and the instrument itself is so dynamic and capable of so many styles.  I love fiddle music and Barrage and I think they're severely underrated.

Do They Know It's Christmas, Band Aid- This is one of the few Christmas songs I keep on my phone and iPod all year long.  It's just so good.

Shampain, Marina & The Diamonds- How much more can you contrast a song that was written and recorded for charity than to follow it up with a Primadonna girl like Marina?  Interesting choice, Gods of iPod Shuffle.  Not that Marina really is all about being a materialistic brat.  I'm pretty sure from listening to both of her albums in sequence that she's making statements about materialism and superficiality, not subscribing to them.  Though she is just kind of being gorgeous and making a living off of it.  Ugh.

Lights, Ellie Goulding- The Rangers have thrown away another power play.  Tell me something I don't know?  The elbow of the man sitting next to me keeps nudging me.  Not on purpose, just because he takes up more room than his seat allows.  I really like Goulding's floaty, ethereal voice.  I spot a billboard for the station Star 99.9.  We must be getting close!  Google Maps disagrees.  We're not close enough for me to make the 5:12 train to Ronkonkoma I was planning on.  Great.

Don't Fear the Reaper, Blüe Oyster Cult- LOVE!  No thoughts.  Just listening.  And maybe a little bit of remembering that my 11th grade crush recommended this song to me.

Talk Dirty to Me, Poison- I'm kind of enjoying being so lost in the music that I'm noticing distinctly the hammer-ons and pull-offs and precise timbre of the guitar in this song.  Just listening to music while we're stuck in traffic on this rainy day is kind of nice.

The Day, Snata Arctica- Heavy on the metal today.  Mi piace.  This power ballad/rock song is so gorgeous.  I never realized it was in compound quadruple meter before now.  

La Piccinina, Adriano Valle e Gabriella Piccinini- Grazie mille, Nonni e Nonno, per ballare con me al mio sedicesimo compleanno.  

I Am Not a Robot, Marina & The Diamonds- This was the Free Single of the Week that introduced me to her.  I had no idea what she was singing about but thought her voice was pretty.

*Not

I Wanna Rock, Twisted Sister- I can't sit through this without flashing back to the Spongebob Movie, even though I am not a Goofy Goober.

Deathaura, Sonata Arctica- A Bruins goal wrecked my meditation on how cool this dark, wicked 7-minute tale of a witch hunt is.  And then the Rangers responded with a goal almost immediately.  My NHL App told me Nash had scored it!  I'm glad he isn't as useless as I was feeling like he was.  The back and forth, going in circles nature of the game is reminiscent of the full-circle nature of the song.  Eerie.  

Russian Sailor's Dance, Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy- Thinking about how we played this in eight grade reminds me of how Eric just had his last Great Hollow concert and he's moving up to the High School!  What's funny is that having the eighth grade band join us on playing a symphonic version of Russian Sailor's Dance qualified as 'cool' for us.  For Eric's grade, 'cool' meant a customized arrangement of a song with a drum track and light show while Mr. Roth accompanied them on electric guitar.  How the times have changed.  Then again, Mr. Roth DID arrange Time of Your Life by 

<3333333

Green Day for us.  And he's only used the arrangements for one group that he really loved since then.  I would know, as I've had perfect attendance at GHMS Orchestra concerts since graduating the school myself.  It also occurs to me that this song is in the rock genre of classical music with its accents on the upbeats and syncopation.  It seriously preempts the development of rock and roll.  Huh.

In the Light, DC Talk- Christian rock just feels soooo good sometimes.  Also, I still love Lifeteen a lot.

Break, Three Days Grace- This is great for workout jamz and angry music.  It's also supporting my Russian Sailor's Dance conclusion by being syncopated and accenting the upbeats.  This is actually really awesome and I want to learn the bass part. 

Bennie and the Jets, Elton John- This is the second Elton John song the Bruins have scored during on this bus trip and I don't even have that much of his music for it to be popping up in shuffle like this.  I take the blame for that goal.  I should have skipped over this song more quickly.

Mary Did You Know?, Kathy Mattea- How did this Christmas song sneak onto here? Skip.

Being Alive, 1996 London Company Cast- Wrong revival.  I hate the voices of the 1996 version.  2006 is where it's at.  Skip. 

Only in New York, Muzzy in Thoroughly Modern Millie- My first thought when I listen to this is always that it's a "fluff entertainment" piece, the technical term for which Andy and I learned in Feinstein's Musicals class.  The theory is that when the plot of a show is too complicated, they just throw in some songs that have no other function than to entertain without developing the plot.  The more you know.  My next thought is always of the production we did my Senior Year/Delia's freshman year of high school.  It was fantastic, if 

Me and Gustav, rocking SHSW during
Thoroughly Modern Millie

I do say so myself.  I loved being in that show.  The Elbow Man keeps peaking at what I'm scribbling away at so furiously.  It doesn't matter to me because he probably can't read my moving-vehicle chicken scratch handwriting.  Adam texts me saying to keep playing Elton John.  Ugh.  I think they should re-make Thoroughly Modern Millie as a movie musical.  All I can see at this moment is Queen Latifah playing Muzzy but it just works so well.

Australia, Jonas Brothers- I'm hiding my face in shame, but also definitely head-bopping along.  I kind of even want S.O.S. to play.

Fixing A Hole, The Beatles- I like the Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album (which, I learned in some music class at some point, was the first album that made it socially acceptable for adults to listen to rock), but I wonder if I need to listen to the album chronologically to really get it all.

Burn, Three Days Grace- Google Maps is now telling me we'll get to tick Tock Diner at 5:55.  Never mind the 5:12 train, I just hope I can catch the 6:12 one at this point.  It's raining pretty hard outside.  I hope it didn't rain on Kaity during her walk.  She rode with me to South Station, which was so sweet.  I'm really glad she ended up with us this semester and because I had such a good experience with getting a random roommate, I won't mind if I have to live with random roommates next January.

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, The Police- I see New Rochelle on Google Maps.  I'm not hearing Sting sing, I'm hearing Rosemary sing in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.  New Rochelle, New Rochelle, our house will be in New Rocheeeeeeelle.

Finale B, Cast of Rent, Movie version- Alllllllll the tears for this song.  I interrupt the song to watch a Vine selfie of Joey Richter feeding a giraffe.  I would send the link to Rebecca but I know for sure she follows Joey Richter too and can see it any time she wants.  I start the song over to give it my full attention.  Without yooooou, the hand grooooopes, the ear heeeeears, the pulse beeeeeats.  Life goes ooooon, but I'm gooooone, 'cause I diiiiie without yooooou.  No day but todaaaaay.  Usually, I frown upon such codependency as this song promotes, but in my head I'm seeing Mark's movie.  More specifically, I'm seeing the ending with the image of Angel.  It's too haunting not to love.  I repeat: alllllllll the tears.  

Secret, The Pierces- Too harsh a mood change.  Also, the Bruins score again.  Skip.

Fight Like A Girl, Bomshel- I love this girl-power country song.  Looking out the window, I thought the fog was so thick that it obstructed the top half of a building from view.  I thought of Mighty Mount Olympus.  It turned out to just be a short building.  More like Thunder Ridge, the little mountain we went to once in upstate New York.

Delia is the second star from the right (and straight on
till morning).  Ohhh I crack myself up.

Marry The Man Today, Adelaide and Sarah from the Guys and Dolls Cast- Reflecting on Delia and the cast of the SHSW production this year.  They were BRILLIANT.  I saw it three times.  I don't like this recording, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.  A sound recording can't accurately capture the stage presence and performance of a song that's meant to be performed live.  

Seven Wicked Reels, Barrage- I always forget to count for the seven reels until like halfway through.  I started counting about a minute and a half in and got five.  I'm too lazy to try again.

Ravel's Bolero, BSO conducted by Charles Munch- Find the right version of this song and it's perfect for everything, ever.  Andy was listening to a version once that was just too slow and too loud and actually dissonant to the ear.  It was unpleasant.  I like my version.  It's kind of sensual for a classical piece.  It's got these long, legato runs that build up to a repeated, syncopated high note and then float back down shyly.  It's repeated by, like, every instrument and takes fourteen minutes.  We're getting into the Bronx now.  I don't think I'll make the 6:12 train but I'm not even stressing about it because it's so peaceful to listen to Bolero.  

Brahms's Academic Festival Overture, Budapest Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anton Rickenbacher- I played this piece with MYO!  Funny story about its name: Some university wanted Brahms to take a few classes and pursue an honorary degree.  After a ton of pestering, he finally agreed.  When it came time for his graduation ceremony, they told him they wanted him to compose something in honor of the school.  To spite them, he strung a bunch of folk tunes (think along the lines of Yankee Doodle Dandy) together under this pretentious title and played it at the ceremony.  The uptight administrators were not amused.  I think it's a wonderful piece.  I should re-learn the bass part one day.  I can still hum the melody but I haven't got a clue what the actual notes are.  Sometime this summer. I'm so enjoying this piece that I'm still not stressing about the train that leaves in 35 minutes when I'm 34 driving minutes away from the station.

{Skip like six songs because now I'm in a classical mood}

Goodbye to You, The Veronicas- This is not classical, but I'll take it.  Why this works when Michael Buble didn't, your guess is as good as mine.  Anyway, yay for girly alternative rock! I'm eagerly awaiting their next album, which is like 3 years overdue.  Chris and Adam's texts about the Bruins winning are more jesting than mocking, mercifully.  At least, that's how I'm choosing to read them.  

Crows Fly Black, Tarot- Tarot is another reason I love metal and I strongly recommend them.  Also, the train leaves in 15 and Google Maps tells me we'll be driving for at least 20 more minutes.  Ugh.

Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles- Yeah, this song is definitely supposed to segue straight into another song.  I'm missing something.

Favorite Musical EVER.

Dancing Through Life, from Wicked- I LOVE THESE LYRICS AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SONG.  Nessa starts singing and I remember how much I wish "Wicked Witch of the East" was considered a song and put on the soundtrack.  It's not because there are too many spoilers.  I still wish, though.  This tunnel is really narrow.  It occurs to me that if we collide with the car next to us and crash, this notebook is almost definitely going to land in a puddle and no one will get to read all of this golden material I've been working so hard on.  That thought, more than anything else about a potential crash, saddens me.  My discomfort is assuaged when, at the climax of the song, we emerge dramatically from the Midtown Tunnel.  It's no more light outside the tunnel in the rain than it was inside, but I still couldn't have planned that moment any better than it happened.

FINAL SONG: Cool the Engines, Boston- How fitting is it that this is the soundtrack as we arrive at our destination after a nearly six-hour journey?  WHICH HAPPENED TO BE FROM BOSTON?  You couldn't make this crap up.  Anyway, somewhere in this huge, daunting city, a slice of pizza is calling my name.  So is a toilet, since The Elbow has the aisle seat and has been asleep for the last two hours.  I felt bad waking him up to ask him to move.  

Dear reader, I wish you happy and safe traveling in your future.  At the very least, I hope it's happier than mine was today in this abysmal rain and traffic and safer than it was Friday when my bus broke down.  For tonight, I bid you adieu.  

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.

Reader, this is an honest blog.

Cheshire cat moons call for blogging!

First things first.  "Nothing changes."  Of course, everything changes, but the things that matter never, ever do.

And on we get.  Cheshire cat moon!

I take back what I said in my last blog.  No, I don't.  I mean I'm expanding on it.  It's not just me that's utterly ridiculous.  A lot of people are.  I mean sure I wonder how people take me seriously, but I mean this more seriously.  I can't help but wonder how some people can even stand doing and saying the things they do.  Don't you feel how careless or hurtful you're being? Or how immature?  Oh I don't know.  Some people are just full of bad energy and toxic to be around.  It's sad because they're still good people.  They're just bad for the psyches of those around them.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying writing letters.  Send me more addresses pretty please??

Lately I've been rather in love with Kelly Clarkson's third (forgotten about) album, My December.  Quotes from my favorite songs:

Maybe- I should know better than to touch the fire twice, but I believe in maybe.
Irvine- They say you feel what I do, they say you're here every moment.  Will you stay? 
Can I Have A Kiss- I just want to know what it feels like to touch something so pure, something I'm so sure of. 
Chivas- I'll take this chivas instead of your bed.  It wasn't even good, trust me.  I must have been so so so so lonely.
Sober- Three months and I'm still sober; picked the weeds but kept the flowers.  
Yeah- For sure I've got your back, I've never wanted anything more than you and your sexy smile.
Be Still- Foolish one with the smile, you don't have to be brave.  I'll gladly climb your walls  if you'll meet me halfway.

I'm writing a paper on my favorite musical ever, Wicked, for Feinstein's class.  It's the happiest paper I've ever written. I have completely renewed my faith in this work of art.  The melodies, the character development, the plot, GAH.  I love it all a lot.  My favorite detail is when Nessarose takes her happy teenage girl melody from Act One and turns it into a ballad about deserving to be named the Wicked Witch of the East in Act Two.  Something about the way she sings it and the way the notes sit next to each other is chilling.  I'm falling in love all over again and it's wonderful. 

Quotes of the last few weeks:
"At least I play a real instrument!  You play the cupcake!" Andy
"Why Johanna..." Al and Andy, countless times this week due partly to Relay for Life and partly to me being me.

"I mean is it a big deal that people are dying?" Feinstein, on our Dancing Zombie Apocalypse Musical.

The other day Sarah, Lauren, Meredith and I went to the North End for dinner.  Cheers for being spontaneous, my lovers!  Here's to all our playground jokes and to being mature.

Also, "DO THE MEREDITH!" and awkwardly step and snap in a style vaguely reminiscent of the Jets and Sharks in West Side Story. 

All of you people in my life are priceless and I love you a lot. 

Send me your addresses pleaseeeeeee.