2012




As I sit here in my bling sipping a blue moon before I head out to celebrate with my oldest friends, I'm taking a moment breathe. To think about all that 2011 has brought me and all that 2012 has in store. Apparently, or rather against my will, 2011 was meant to teach me things I didn't want to learn. Loss, grief, moving on, letting go, forgiveness, friendship, loyalties, and most of all to take negative emotions, bundle them up, throw them away, and move on. Then, to not let other people hold you back and to follow your dreams. As unwelcome as many of those things were, that's a whole hell of a lot of lessons in one year. And I am so, so thankful. The best part? Even through all the crap, 2011 brought a whole lot of fun.

January - Honestly, I can't remember anything from this month. Reeling off of a Christmas trip / Yoga retreat in Mexico and a NYE at home, me and the ex probably just laid low for a few.
February - Philadelphia. Explored an old city in a new way. Met new friends and saw old ones. Great weekend.
March - Ecuador. An Alternative spring break trip with 12 amazing Northeastern students. We built a bus stop, organized a library, and helped out at a tree farm. We hiked, ate cuy, shared moments. An amazing journey.
April - Some Kind of Jam. Small music festival in Pennsylvania. Great friends, good music. Nothing better.
May - Transitions.
June - Birthday month. Enough said. Dispatch in concert.
July - My favorite holiday in my favorite place. Hiked Mt. Washington - Biggest accomplishment of the year. Also, Gathering of the Vibes. Big music festival in CT. Again - Great friends, good music. Nothing better. Favorite month.
August - I can't think of anything in particular that happened in August. I'll chalk it up to a great summer; Ptown, Jersey Shore, NYC - friends, family, love. Grace Potter and Stevie Nicks in concert [not together].
September - Hiking 3 peaks and camping in Acadia, ME. Absolutely amazing and beautiful. Big Gigantic and Pretty Lights in concert.
October - Halloween in Vegas. Hiking Red Rock Canyons. Visiting Michelle's place in Bakersfield. Reuniting with my cousin in LA. Hiking to the Hollywood sign.
November - Getting accepted to Not for Sale and deciding to move to California. Thanksgiving, long overdue time with my brother. Dark Star Orchestra in concert.
December - Fun. Surprising outcomes and happy celebrations. Life renewing itself, even among my seemingly never-ending funk. Disco Biscuits in concert.


Intentions for 2012:

Be my best self; be a better friend, sister, daughter.
Be kind.
Be creative.
Smile often, laugh much.

Happy New Years!!

One Day, by David Nicholls.

In approximately four days, I've read the book One Day and rented the movie On Demand. It's a must must must read AND see. Read it first. It's an interesting twist on friendship, love, relationships and life in general. It's written as snapshot of two people who meet on July 15th, and meets them on the same day, every year, over twenty years. It's refreshing and nostalgic at the same time. As with most books I'm obsessed with, I could relate on many levels, but the real-ness of the book is what spoke to me the most. It was a good reminder, especially at this time in my life, that no one ever knows. No one knows what they're supposed to be doing. Everyone pulls jobs they hate as a stepping stone for... what? Everyone dates people totally wrong for them because that's how you learn. And there are some friendships that will last a life time, for better or worse.

My favorite thing about the book? You will interpret it in a totally different way depending on your experiences and where you are in life. It's that good.

My favorite thing about the movie? Jim Sturgess, obviously.

[Full disclosure: You will cry. Marisa, proceed with caution.]

"'Live each day as if it's your last', that was the conventional advice, but really, who had the energy for that? What if it rained or you were a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and courageous and bold and make a difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you. Go out there with your passion and your electric typewriter and work hard at... something. Change lives through art maybe. Cherish your friends, stay true to your principles, live passionately and fully and well. Experience new things. Love and be loved, if you ever get the chance."

Sunday night, first dream about Not for Sale. It's my first day and I'm late. I'm late for everything. Assignment after assignment, I'm the last to turn things in. I'm always a step behind everyone else, and the director is disappointed. 24 hours and I'm stressed that I'm not going to be able to hack it.

Monday night, first dream about training the temp taking over my place at Northeastern. I show her where I keep everything, what she's responsible for, and start to introduce her to colleagues in other offices. She's terrible. She can't do even the easiest things, how am I going to trust her with all of my stuff! She can't keep anything organized and she's never going to be able to hack it here. I can't leave.



Apparently I'm freaking out over here.

"Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path."

I found the following quote on Ben Casnocha's blog, but it's actually an excerpt from this Ted Talk. I have to admit I didn't watch the whole video, so I'm not sure what its meaning is in context, but I love love love this quote. If the ex read this, he'd be rolling on the floor, or slapping Mr. Cowen in the face. That's not why I love this idea, but it sure as hell makes me confident in my belief that it's not all what you know. One of my biggest strengths is that I go with the flow, and I'm open to learning new ideas constantly, because regardless of how educated I am, I know I don't know everything. I learn something new every day, and I love that about my life.

"It's just like the evidence that shows the most dangerous people are those that have been taught some financial literacy. They're the ones who go out and make the worst mistakes. It's the people that realize, "I don't know anything at all," that end up doing pretty well."

via heyambarrae

When you make up in your mind that you are going to do something and work tirelessly to bring your dream to life, one of two (or both) things will happen:

1.) You will achieve the outcome you set out to create.

2.) You will learn a crazy amount about yourself, your passions, your world.

Either way, you win. Given these two outcomes, you are guaranteed success by default the moment you decide to pursue the crap out of what you love.


Well that sounds good to me!

Putting some thoughts together for an end of the year, end of Boston (forever? for now?) post. Until then...

I came across this wonderful gem this morning. 30 things to stop doing to yourself. Number one is my favorite. If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that you have to be conscious of what you are bringing into your own space, what type of energy you are welcoming into your life. I believe that people come into our lives for a reason, and sometimes you learn what you need to learn from them and then you both need to move on. Not all friendships last forever, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean that while you were friends it wasn’t real or that they were lying when they said this or that or that the world is ending because you aren’t friends anymore. You’ve served a purpose in each other’s lives and now it’s time to move on. As Tristan Prettyman said, “At the end of the day, you have to live with the things you invite into your space, and if they aren’t working for you anymore, you have the right to escort them right out. If people frown, or your friends give you a hard time, or your family wishes something else for you, tough nuggets. It’s not up to them. We all deserve to be happy, healthy and loved." It’s true that it’s the people who stand beside you when you’re at your worst who are your true friends. I may have unintentionally put some people through hell these past few months and the strong have definitely survived. Or told me to shut up and get over it. Or let me cry in their beds at very odd hours of the night. Or just let me sit in silence. You really do have to stop spending time with the wrong people, and give the people who care a chance to take care of you when you need it the most.

Other gems:

12. Stop Thinking You’re Not Ready.

17. Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.

18. Stop Holding Grudges

25. It's okay to fall apart for a little while

“When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you.”

As I prepare to leave for the unknown, Beeyond Yoga has posted another blog post for me. I hope I find a yoga studio that I like as much as Back Bay Yoga...

"Change, risk, a new beginning, a new perspective, and a new life..."

An old favorite on a Monday morning...

Album of the month: Since I first heard the album, sometime in my first year living in Boston with a crazy roommate who also loved music, I knew that Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything in Transit would be the soundtrack to my life when I moved to California. Now that it’s actually happening, I’ve revisted the album and just get so pumped every time I listen to it – I even deleted a Grateful Dead album off of my iPod so there was room to add it, so you know it must be serious. Every song gets me excited about the move, the lifestyle, the opportunities, and even the sadness of leaving certain things behind. I’m Ready and La La Lie are two favorites, but you should really listen to the whol album if you don’t know it.

"Oh, it's a picture of perfection / Ah, and the postcards gonna read / Fuck yeah we can live like this... / We can live like this"

Song of moment: Sitting on the Dock of the Bay. Why? Because I'm headed for the 'Frisco bay. You'd be surprised how many songs there are about moving to California. I may or may not post all of them. Suggestions welcome.

Quote of the last six months of the year: “Walk away from good-enough, in search of can’t-live-without.” See ya Beantown! 13 more days till I pack it all up…

You know it's a successful work party when you end up at Connors, black out by ten, and wake up at 3am in your friends apartment on a Thursday night. I'm gonna miss these fools.

My fabulous roommate and a wonderful best friend is running the Boston Marathon this year and I couldn't be more proud. Her goal is to raise $5,000 for her Mass General team, and I think you should donate!!! Any little bit helps. Asking people for money totally sucks, so I thought I'd do a little bit of asking for her. Check out her page here!

Our first 5k together (and my first 5k in years). And I can say I knew her when... :)

I JUST BOUGHT A ONE WAY TICKET TO SAN FRANCISCO.

Dreams are coming true. I'm so excited I can't contain it, but I can't post this on facebook because I haven't quit work yet. I'm assuming no one from work reads this blog. Ahhhh. I recently found out my friend Jenny, who I haven't seen in years, is also moving to San Fran in January and we're only about a half hour away from each other! And, I've been stalking my friend Meghan who lives there already. Here are two amazing pictures I found on her facebook. I literally cannot wait.

I'll be living in Half Moon Bay. Google image it, I dare you.