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 Woodloch Blues

HI so this is long overdue.  I just get kind of emotional in a bittersweet way whenever I take this out to finish, so it took a few installments.  It won't make much sense or be of much interest to a lot of people and CERTAINLY won't top the 140 views I got on my rant about Italians, but this has to exist anyway.  

Generally, I'm not one to glorify nature.  Sure, I love skiing and I can appreciate a nice panorama, but it doesn't go much further than that.  The sprawling suburbia I call home is pretty, but I don't miss the gardens and pond behind my house when I'm living in a city, nor do I miss the assortment of wildlife that makes my yard its home.  Flowers smell like funerals, beaches require too much sunscreen, and--call me spoiled, but--I'm even pretty unfazed by the myriad of colors in the view of the sunset from my deck every night.

Now that you understand my general lack of enthusiasm for nature, I hope you can feel this as deeply as I mean it: Woodloch Pines is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

Scintillating Lake Teedyuskung

The love I have for this beautiful corner
of the universe is unreal.

Zip lining

Woodloch is a family resort we've visited every summer since 2002.  Think of Kellerman's in Dirty Dancing.  It's a family vacation spot plopped in the middle of beautiful, nature-y nowhere with activities scheduled all day long to satisfy the whole family.  The lake is open all day for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and water skiing.  There are indoor and outdoor pools and kiddie pools.  There are all the outdoorsy activities-- biking, hiking, zip lining, rock wall climbing, and trapshoot-- plus go karts, bumper boats, bocce ball, paintball, you name it.  Meals are served in the Main House and are fairly delicious.  Everyone gets dressed up for night shows and events.  

Annual battle of the bumper boats.

We spend four days every summer, and we come away each year insisting that was the best trip we've had yet, (with the exception of the years Mrs. Schizzano sprained her ankle and my mom had kidney-stones, of course).  We missed Woodloch last year to go to Florida for the first time since fourth grade.  We loved seeing Grandma Mary and Aunt Tara and meeting our new little cousin Emma.  It was fantastic to see Ginger, Mom’s best friend from high school, and her daughter Erin.  It was absolutely unreal to live out my childhood fantasy of standing on the Hogsmeade bridge and staring up at what honestly could have been Hogwarts.  I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything, but it was weird not visiting Woodloch for the first time in a decade.  We built this trip up so much in our minds, it seemed impossible it could live up to our expectations.  We had counted down, spent weeks preparing for the Scavenger Hunt, made T-shirts, gotten our nails done, and spent hours agonizing over our evening outfits.  (That moment when Chelsea's boyfriend is explaining which outfit is more cute and which outfit is more "Sydney.")  We sat fidgeting nonstop on the four hour car ride, laughing nervously and practically twitching with excitement.

Scavenger Hunt Gold,
anyone?

Then we stood in front of the Main House, with its duck pond, hook-on-the-ring game, pristine garden, and classic green awning over the painted red wooden doors, all that tension just floated away.  It felt as though we’d never skipped a beat.

I swear they aren't paying me to sound like an infomercial.  I just sincerely wish everyone could experience the intense appreciation I have for this place.

Insane love for
employees

I'd love to list all the events (Scavenger Hunt Gold anyone?) and traditions (It's a CRIME if we bid on any horse besides our numbers) and inside jokes (DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A MUSTACHE?) and insane love for the employees (This year is for Nick and HIP HIP JORGE!), but the truth of it is that no one besides our families would care.

OUR Horses

     

Just know this all this goes on for a jam-packed four days in the most beautiful little corner of the universe filled with hills, winding roads, pine trees, flowers, wildlife, and the huge, scintillating Lake Teedyuskung.  

Priceless Bonds

The most beautiful thing about Woodloch is the priceless bonds it forges.  The Schizzano family and mine are beyond blessed to have spent ten Woodloch vacations together.  I'll forever be thankful for how close we've become, from diving through chocolate syrup and Cheerios for Double Dare with Chelsea when we were nine to kayaking to the end of the lake at nineteen.  

Sealed with chocolate syrup and cheerios.

It’s not the Buckingham Palace, Times Square, or Mount Everest kind of beauty.  It’s sunlight poking through loose hills of pine trees beautiful. It’s kayaking along the lily pads with kids laughing on the dock beautiful.  It’s home-away-from-home beautiful.

Home.

Lord, we needed that vacation.  Going on this trip proved our nightmare months of a broken jaw and liquid diet were over.  Actually, because of those hard times, every minute of this vacation was that much sweeter.  It’s more than that though.  In the time that passed since we had last dangled our toes off the dock, many of the constants in our lives have changed: some of us graduated and spent a year living somewhere new, while some of us adjusted to having one less family member live at home.  Some of us got our licenses, while some got their permits.  We were in our first school plays and picked what new language classes to take, and we bought our first cars and picked colleges.  We gained some relationships and let some others go.  We each had our fair share of laughter, tears, and growth. Then, without needing to discuss, we sat in our usual spots around our window table Saturday night, and watched the sky paint itself a hundred different colors as the sun set behind the lake.  Not all that much seems to have changed after all.  

All the symptoms
of the Woodloch Blues

When we got home I showed all the symptoms of the Woodloch Blues in full force:  I snuggled in my Woodloch sweatshirt, wore my gold medal and bracelet, savored every sugar crystal of my slice of crumb cake, and obsessed over the pictures Chelsea put on Facebook.  This time though, there was less sad nostalgia and more of the sweetness of happy memories.  A million more things will change in all our lives, but we’ll be back before long.  We’ll always find our way back to Woodloch for more of those perfect, golden days.  

Perfect, golden days. 

We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.

"Rebecca told me to read the Hunger Games. I was going to, but they're just too mainstream."
For someone who doesn't know what a hipster is, Mike's a natural at being one.

It was so lovely having Mike here.  I got Rebecca, then Mike, now I just need the three of us together again and life is perfect.  Best fwends.

On another note, Rebecca tweets a lot.  I enjoy every word of every tweet, I just wish more of them were about her undying devotion to me.

I got to see my family last weekend! Wachusett Mountain was a lovely little day trip.  It was an easy enough mountain; we all (including Eric at the ripe old age of 12) skied multiple black diamonds and had a generally lovely day since the lift lines moved so quickly.  Whenever we took the lift to the top of the mountain, the trails started out smooth and relatively flat, but we'd all round a corner and the path would widen out and steepen, forcing you to see this beautiful panorama of trees and a lake and villages.  We went around bends that opened up this way practically every run, but it left us breathless every single time.

I'm sick again and super unamused.  I usually get one sinus infection per year and that's it.  This nonsense of getting the sniffles every few weeks is not working for me.

Today at work, a man's sandwich cost $6.97.  He handed me a ten dollar bill and his change was 3OH!3.
The next man then handed me three dollar bills and a quarter for a cupcake that cost 3.20.  I gave him a Nickelback.

True story.  It was all priceless.

I am a honeypot.  Thanks to Shannon, Lauren, Laura, Sarah, and Meredith for this otherworldly compliment.  Here's to the Bed & Breakfast we're destined to open!

The moon is a Cheshire Cat smile tonight.  Henceforth, I shall blog for every Cheshire Cat moon because they're so poignant for me.  Read Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and it will all click.

Honorable mentions of the week: Feinstein, for being a jokester in class on Friday; Andy, for having a laughing fit thinking about Laurey's face in Oklahoma!, and having to leave class; Hugh Jackman for being Hugh Jackman; the Ninth Floor for waking me up from an excellent nap to a chorus of God Bless the Broken Road; all those who drink coffee over tea (though drinking tea is acceptable if you're a girl or a fan of Alice); and Yiruma, for writing beautiful piano music.

“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop”

This has been fantastic trip.  I finally got to update my iPod so it holds all that excellent music I got for Christmas.  My iPod now has over 1200 songs on it... Heavenly.  I basically slept and enjoyed a musical nirvana for three hours all the way to Butternut.  

Speaking of such musical bliss, I’ll keep you posted on what pops up on my iPod.  You’re welcome.

Paul McCartney & The Wings- Jet

Finding Shannon on the mountain two days ago was way easier than expected since she happened to be heading toward a lift as we were going to buy our lift tickets.  There was some lighthearted falling, especially as we got tired and the snow developed an awful, gluey consistency, but mainly we just killed every trail on the mountain and enjoyed a lot of conversation and bonding time on the lifts.  Shannon and I were both struck by the thought that the rocky chasm beneath us came very close to resembling ruins.  They also looked like a lot of fun to hike... I’m holding on to that idea.

Last year, at Berkshire East, there was this ski lift operator who kept recognizing me and making conversation... every time we visited that mountain.  He was foreign and his name was Marti with emphasis on the “ti.”  (The Scorpions- No One Like You.  I cannot express enough how awesome this song is.) Needless to say, when we took the lift up to the lodge and a cute operator named Ivan started the same deal, Deels took note and won’t let me live these things down. She couldn’t wait to see who I’d find at Jiminy.  

That night we met Chelsea and Sydney’s family for dinner and argued all night about whether our waiter was gay or not.  

Chelsea: He’s FLAMING.

Waiter: Your carrot cake, Miss.

Good one, Chels. 

Trans Siberian Orchestra- The Three Kings and I (What Really Happened). Don’t even get me started on how much I love TSO. “Oh what a night it must have been, but when God is on your side, you kind of know that in the end you’re gonna win.”

Sydney- Syd is Chelsea’s younger sister who is just as close with Deels as I am with Chels.  She’s a singer, actress, guitarist, and, more recently, a ukelele player.  She’s currently being kind of punky, what with dying her hair dark red and only listening to alternative bands and all.  She’s rather a freak like her sister.

Journey- Separate Ways/ Worlds Apart.  Excellent.

I didn’t realize how much I missed skiing at Jiminy Peak.  The mountain itself, considering there’s been no snow, was in pretty excellent condition.  Chels and I had our usual ski lift bonding time and the four of us had our usual Blue Flamingo bonding time (ONE, TWO, FIVE, BLUE FLAMINGOS).  

Remember when I said Deels wanted to see what boy I came up with at Jiminy?  Well, we got on the lift next to two cute-in-a-younger-way guys who immediately started asking where we were from and what high school we go to.  Excuse me?  (Bomshel- 19 and Crazy.  I can’t wait for this song to officially apply to me.)  They may or may not have been twins; we couldn’t tell because their answers conflicted.  They downright refused to believe I’m in college.  I’m still insulted.  They proceeded to ask our names (Sabrina, Chelsea, Delia, Sydney) and tell us we all have pornstar names.  The maturity.

Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills- Krum.  I’m into Wizard Rock... don’t judge.

Chels and I decided to conquer Whitetail, a black diamond.  It was toward the end of the day, so the snow was losing its powderiness, it was dark out, we were tired, and it was icy as hell.  Not my best analogy, but you get it.  Skiing in wide turns down the mountain was not the way to go, so we pretty much went straight down at personal-record-breaking speeds.  (Sonata Arctica- False News Travels Fast.  Good thing too, I was so in need of a power metal fix.)  We stopped halfway down to catch our breath and take a few pictures, then took our goggles off for the last half since it was dark.  TERRIBLE CHOICE. We started out seeing more clearly, but then the wind blew uphill.  We got to the bottom crying and laughing with our eyes red and makeup running down our faces.

We got on the next lift, still with red eyes and smeared mascara and found ourselves next to two guys who were definitely in college and much more attractive.  Eff our lives.

Since there’s hardly any snow anywhere, there was lots of snow being made.  It’s fun to ski through it slowly and have icicles on your eyelashes and frost in your hair, but when you’re skiing through at already unhealthy speeds, it’s like you’re getting shot in the face. (Boston- Still in Love.  I love Boston the band and I love and miss Boston the city and its inhabitants intensely.)  Seeing the closed trails get progressively snowier each time we took the lift up was simultaneously gratifying and tantalizing since there wasn’t a way to get near it.  It’s interesting, isn’t it?  That our first instinct is to go roll around in and ski on the untouched snow?  To go wreck what’s in perfect condition?  I’m intrigued.

When I was ordering our pizza last night, I accidentally said to skip the pizza instead of skipping the topping. Oops.

There’s lots more I’d love to say but this has already been an obscenely long post so I’ll finish off with the best quotes of the last two days.  

Tom Felton- If You Could Be Anywhere.  Best song to sing to yourself when you’d rather be anywhere but where you are/best to sing when you’re mooning over Tom Felton.

“Let’s see if they can go forever without food or anything.” Eric, talking about Deels and Syd’s card game.

“I think she was talking about her boobs again...” Chelsea

“I’m slow, but I’m quick.” Sydney, being a doof and reminding us of a Blue Flamingo classic quote...

“I may be stupid, but at least I’m not Delia.”

I neglected to mention this wondrous quote from the night Rebecca and Mike were over.

“Just because I can’t blow bubbles out my nose doesn’t mean I can’t beat Voldemort!”  Eloquently put, Rebecca.

Sonata Arctica- Wolf and Raven. Power metal at it’s peak and my first true music love.