things I've learned while living in the real world

Life teaches.  And living on your own, I mean for real (not in college; that's kind of halfway there)*, is kind of a big unknown before you start doing it -- so there is a high concentration of lesson-learning in the beginning.  I realized this applies to general lessons, and to lessons about myself.  I was musing in the shower, so here are a few.


A shower curtain is pretty critical.  Plastic bags cut and tied together will NOT make a very good substitute.

A good friend with whom to laugh and take two-minute breaks at work does wonders on days that drag.  And on days that don't.

Paying for Starbucks drinks with your college dining plan dollars truly rocked.  Now, anything but a straight coffee is expensive.

Being able to leave work at work, and to not feel obligated every single night to be working on some kind of homework or project, is an undeniably AWESOME freedom.
    Follow-up: who says college is the best years of your life?

Showering at night is far less stressful than in the morning, when bus arrival deadlines loom.

Philly is an amazing city for loving good beer.

I like managing my own place to live... but sometimes, it does feel lonely.
     Addendum 1: No way do I want to live alone for my entire life.

Making friends with people who have cars comes in handy.  (I mean real friends, of course, who happen to be kind enough to give you rides.)

Utilities included in rent?  Seriously convenient.

Family is still there for you, loving, teaching, and supporting.  (* This is why I'm not 100% there.  It's still a process.)

The college sleep schedule, um, doesn't exactly work anymore.  It's a little more feasible, though still unhealthy, when you have classes at all different times of the day across the week, and you can show up and in many cases not have to be particularly productive (just hope that you don't fall asleep, if it comes to that).  For a 9-to-5 type of schedule?  Yeah, really not so smart.

It's sadly too easy to lose touch with college friends when everyone scatters geographically and begins busy lives somewhere else.

The (swing/blues) dance community is full of basically the best people ever.  (Westie is seeming pretty good so far too.)  I could go on about this. :)

Two ways to improve your commute:
     1. Move 20 blocks closer to the office.
     2. Take a bus route that operates right on schedule.  So much frustration relieved!

Becoming a local is fun.  The pizza shop guy knows my order every time I walk in.  Albeit small, it's a nice way to feel belonging.

24-hour CVS is the best kind.

Student loan repayments are - shall we say, a little painful?

One reason it's great to live in a city: you can get by, and even access many places fairly reasonably, without a car.  However, then you start discovering places and events a little out of reach without one.  See previous related point.

small life lessons

1. Walk in drizzling rain sometimes.  It can be refreshing.
2. Take something annoying and turn it into something positive by a change of perspective.  (This is a generic derivation of #1.)
3. Stop to look at the kittens in the window.  A dose of real-life (i.e. non-Internet) cuteness can be nothing but healthy.
4. Help a stranger.  Tonight I helped the guy sitting next to me on the bus with his new smartphone, and he returned the favor by helping me get my jacket on at the end of the ride.  I also helped a fellow pedestrian with directions as I was walking home.  These are small things but they felt good.
5. Cry when you need to.
6. Hold hands -- it's so simple, but so affirming.
7. Dance.  Take the emotion that music gives you and let it out kinetically, physically.
8. Communicate.  It builds relationships.
9. There's nothing like a good hug.

for nostalgia, posterity, and those who weren't on Facebook in the old days

Recently I have had some friends bug me to quit some of my Facebook groups, because I am maxed out and they cannot invite me to another (new and actually useful) group.

I've finally taken a pass through and removed membership from several, but I held out because every time I looked at my list of groups, I felt it created a patchwork description of who I am: stuff I love, stuff I used to love, ways of life, habits, activities.  Back in "the day" - on Facebook's time scale - there wasn't much else to do besides join groups.  Half your news feed for the day would be informing you of the 15 new groups your friends joined.  You'd have to check them all out, join the ones that applied to you too, and then invite friends who might be interested.

For the most part, groups didn't do anything functional; the largest ones' discussion boards would fill up with stupid games like rating how hot the person who posted just before you was.  Instead they were mainly like badges of accomplishment, membership, and opinions.

That said, I have preserved a full list of my Facebook groups, copied here forevermore, dedicated to those friends who could never quite understand my attachment to them. :)  (Groups I created/admin'd are in italics.)


"...and you got into Penn?"
   
5 AP Calulus

100+
   
2010 Penngineers

:pq:
   
<3 Cat Macros <3

~*Harry Potter Has Me Under His Spell*~

Adam Sherr: the man, the myth, and the legend!
   
ADD in DMD

AIM Profile/Away Message checkers anonymous

A little piece of me died with Severus Snape

ALWAYS Sleep- Deprived
   
Ambiguous hair color/ambiguous eye color, another uncertainty in life

America's Roller Coast: Fans of Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio
   
Another Jamie waiting on her Landon...

Apparently, Michael Jackson and Billie Jean Were Not Lovers
   
Are you a Model? Oh, no wait, You're the Idiot who got dressed up for class

Atlanta Braves Fans For Life
   
A Walk to Remember

Badminton is the shit!!
   
Band Geeks for Life

Boys Are Sketchy...
   
British Accents Are Awsome

BSE DMD CSE CBE ESE MSE LSD and CRACK

C++

Catholic at Penn
   
Catholics (Global)

Cedar Drive Middle School Class of '02
   
Cedar Point=AMAZING!

Central Jersey
   
Central Jersey is Where It's At

Cereal: Not Just for Breakfast
   
channing tatum+dance=best movie EVER (aka step up)

Chapstick Addiction
   
Chips Challenge: The Legions of Melinda

Cinnamon Dolce Latte -Aholics!

Coalition of Students Against the Troubles of Laundry

Colts Neck Alumni in Philadelphia
   
Colts Neck Athlete Alumni

Colts Neck High School Band(s)
   
Colts Neck High School Class of '06

COLTS NECK PEOPLE!!!
   
Computer Programmers

Computer Science
   
Crazy Loop (Mm-ma-ma)

CSE 110 Lab 204 (Fall '06)
   
Cuddlebuddies

DDR
   
Delaware Valley West Coast Swing

Destination: Mae
   
Digital Media Designers

Dirt Cheap Blues
   
DMD 2010

Don't Ask Me Where I'm From, Because I'm From a Tiny Town You've Never Heard of
   
DRL decreases my quality of life

E = Fb : MUSICIAN"S THEORY OF RELETIVITY
   
Egyptian Ratscrew is addictive and contagious

Every morning I say to myself: "Tonight I'll go to bed Early!!"
   
Exceptional Residents of E-Section: Stouffer 2007-2008

FaceBook Chat Without A Browser!!!
   
Facebook Developers

Facebook is Better than MySpace
   
Figure Skating Fans Unite!

Firefox is far superior to Internet Explorer
   
Firefox Users

Fork You! We Like To Spoon!
   
Geek! It's Not Just for Guys -- Female Geeks at Penn

GOBAT
   
Golden Sun junkies united against alchemy

Groovy dancing in Philly at L'Etage and other venues
   
Group Work Sucks - My Teammates are Idiots

haha/lol anonymous
   
Hallmates Who Talk To Each Other Online While Sitting In the Same Room (UPenn Chapter)

Hamilton College House (or High Rise North)

Harry Potter Lovers

Hey, just because I sleep until the afternoon doesn't mean that I'm lazy!
   
HOKAY, so here's the Earth!

Hoodies Freakin' Rock
   
How did you get into swing? --my Documentary Collage

I ♥Jack Sparrow
   
I ♥ Taking Pictures

I'm a "13 Going on 30" fan and proud of it...who's your daddy?
   
I'm A Fermata...Hold Me

I'm from 732, bitch.
   
I'm from a Small Town and Proud of it!!

i'm going to have AMAZING sex...after i'm married (penn chapter)
   
I'm Not Anti-Social.... I'm Just Lazy

I'm Not Your Real Friend, But I Get a Request For You To Be My Facebook Friend?! Get Your Life Right
   
I'm Tired Of People Fucking Up My Name

I'M TOO LAZY TO GO TO SLEEP :]
   
I've Been Through The High Rise Wind Tunnel

I <3 Belmar
   
I <3 My soffe shorts!!!

I am Sexually Attracted to Talent
   
I beat Chex Quest

I Bet You Can't Pronounce My Last Name
   
I can't... I'm going dancing tonight.

I Compulsively Check my Facebook and Email just to Avoid my Homework
   
I didn't have ADHD until I came to college.

I Don't Really Laugh Out Loud When I IM You "LOL"
   
I dont have time to do Homework... Because I'm in College.

Id Rather Be Skiing!!!
   
I eat pop-tarts uncooked

I eat too much dessert
   
If cheerleading is a sport, then by golly so is marching band!

If Facebook reaches 8,146,718,692 stupid theme groups, you're all morons.
   
If it weren't for DDR, I'd get no exercise at all!

If this group reaches 4,294,967,296 it might cause an integer overflow.
   
I Fucking Hate Recursion

If you despise groups that say "if this group reaches 100,000 I'll..."
   
I Have no Life and I'm Proud of It

I know who Visser Three is, and I'm terrified of him.
   
I Like Someone but I'm Not Doing Anything About It... Except Looking at Their Facebook Profile

I like to wear my lazy/comfy clothes.... And I love it
   
I Live(d) In A Bubble Town

I Live In New Jersey And I Don't Have That Accent
   
I Love A Man In A Suit

I love Chick Flicks.
   
I Love Cold Stone Creamery

I love how we're friends on facebook, but we don't actually talk in person.
   
I love marching band!!!!!!

I Love Mark Ruffalo !
   
I love Nicholas Sparks' books

I Love To Tickle, Snuggle, And Cuddle With That One Special Person!
   
I Make A Wish at 11:11

i make wishes at 11:11
   
Im a Night Owl

Imogen Heap
   
Imogen Heap is fabulous. the end.

In central NJ it's called the beach, not "the shore"

I Need Rehab For My Snooze Button Addiction

I Play DDR/ITG/StepMania etc.
   
I Play Egyptian Ratscrew with Consecutives

I Refer To People By Nicknames They Will Never Know

I Refuse to Gain the Freshman 15
   
I remember the Animorphs and they were badass!

I spend more time on my cell texting than talking.
   
I Start My Homework at 2 In the Morning

It's 2 AM, you have class tomorrow, you don't know why the fuck you are awake
   
It's Not My Fault What You Said Can Be Misconstrued as A Sexual Innuendo

It's Rodin, not hamilton.
   
I take my CSE notes on paper!

I Trip On the Uneven Bricks
   
I Tripped On Locust Walk and Tried To Play it off

I Used to Go to Sleep, But Now I Go to College
   
I used to run home after school and watch Poke'mon!

I used to wear Footy Pajamas. Admit it. You all did.
   
I use my cell phone as a flashlight

I Use my Cell Phone to See in the Dark
   
I Use Python And So Should You

I Want to Go to Hogwarts...Which Way to Platform 9 3/4?
   
I Went To a Good Public School...bitch

I Went To A Public High School.....Bitch (Global Group)
   
I wish I had an English accent

I wish I were a figure skater ::sigh::
   
I Wish I Were Your Derivative So I Could Lie Tangent To Your Curves!

I [heart] Alexei Yagudin
   
Java

Jazz Attack!
   
Jersey Pride

Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom make the HOTTEST pirates EVER!!!
   
Join this group if you've hugged someone in it

Join this if you've played music with someone in it...
   
Library Shelvers Unite!

LIFE- Let's see how many pro-life people are on facebook.
   
Life would be much simpler if I didnt think so much.

Locust Walk Pamphlet Dodgers
   
Love Generation - Worlds best tune!

MACK
   
Marching Band Is Pretty Kickass

Marching Band Was My Favorite Part Of High School
   
Musicians Make Better Lovers

Music is my Life
   
My heart belongs to the Jersey Shore.

My last name is not cool enough to have its own group.
   
My name is Victoria and no, I will not tell you my "secret."

National Catholic Youth Conference 2005 (NCYC)
   
Newman $1 Dinner

Newman Catholic Student Center
   
NJ/NY Upenn 2010'ers

No, I haven't read that great literary classic--But I've seen the Wishbone!
   
Not Drunk at Penn

NOT Penn State......you dumb bitch
   
Obsessive Compulsive Facebook Group Joiners

Obsessive LOLers anonymous
   
Ode to Cracklin' Oat Bran

Of course I love reading....I love reading instant messages
   
One Body of Christ Experiment (all Christians on Facebook)

Ooh... You Touch My Tra La La
   
Oregon Trail Was as Much a Part of My Childhood as TGIF

Over Obsessive Stalkers of America
   
PARANOiA Lovers (and haters)!

Penn '10
   
Penn Band

Penn Band Camp 2008
   
Penn Band Clarinets

Penn Band Clarinets ('nets)
   
Penn Band Undergraduate Event Notices

Penn Career Services' DC/Baltimore Metro Area Network
   
Penn Career Services' New York Metro Area Network

Penn Career Services' Northern California/Pacific Northwest Network
   
Penn Career Services' Philadelphia Metro Area/Delaware Valley Network

Penn Career Services' Southern California/Southwest Network
   
Pennddr

Penn Engineering Alumni
   
Penn Latin and Ballroom Dance PLBD

Penn Wind Ensemble
   
People who DON'T clap between movements

People who don't sleep enough because they stay up late for no reason
   
People Who Hate Going Up c/o 1949 Bridge!!!!

People Who Know the Difference Between Your and You're (Upenn Chapter)
   
People Who Like Groups Noone Else Has Ever Heard Of

Philadelphia Salsa Connection
   
Philly Lindy Love

Pidgin - One IM to rule them all!!!
   
PLBD Summer 2010, Penn Latin Ballroom Dance

POTC 1, 2, and soon to be 3
   
procrastination is the key to life

Procrastinators Unite.Maybe Today.Probably Tomorow.Hopefully Soon Though
   
Programming with Python

Pump My Gas
   
Quotation Mark "Hunters"

Random White Kids in the Middle of a Sea of Asians
   
Reppin' Monmouth County

Rodin 12th Floor 2008-09
   
Rodin College House 2008-2009

Sam Hazo is my Hero
   
Save The Music!!

Scramble Bands of America
   
SCREW HOMEWORK!!! I HAVE A LIFE TO LIVE

SEAS webmail is.....umm.....technologically superior
   
Shamelessly Sober

Six Flags Great Adventure
   
Sleep... it's the new sex

Spooning Club
   
St. Mary's Young Adults

Students Against Drunken Frat Debauchery
   
Students for the Relocation of DRL to outside my bedroom window

Students for the Resurrection of the Ancient Art of Dating
   
Styx

Swashbucklers! Raise Your Swords!!
   
Sweatpants are awesome!

Texting Addicts Anonymous (TAA)
   
The Anthony Campisi Fan Club

The band is the reason for Saturday.
   
The Clarinet Group

The Curse of the Black Pearl is better than Dead Man's Chest
   
The Father Charlie Fan Club

The Hedvats are Taking over Penn
   
The Jersey Shore: Where Magic is Made

The Largest Facebook Group Ever
   
The Lost art of Foosball

The New facebook is stalkerish (what's so bad about that)
   
The Official Animorphs Nostalgia Group

The Official Class of 2010
   
The Official Mr. Gatti I'll Bet You A Penny Fan Club

The Sexy Ho-Ditties of Hamilton 1... and Frennie
   
The Surrogate Profile Of Luke Auld-Thomas

The Vag, and Friends of the Vag Who Love the Vag
   
The William Ian Eastman Fan Club

The word "gay" is not a synonym for "stupid".
   
They Can Have My PC… After They Pry it Out of My Cold Dead Fingers

Thriller Dance, anyone?
   
Top 10 reasons to date a band member - my most successful group.  Worth a link.

Tutti i Gobat nel mondo
   
UPenn Class of 2010 - Living in Philadelphia After Graduation

Verizon free texting!!
   
wait, theres life outside of band?!

We're not Crazy, We're just Catholic
   
Westie Wednesday with Rob and Sheila

What is that Mysterious Ticking Noise?...
   
Whats Wrong With T-shirts?

When I was your age, there were only 150 pokemon.
   
Who Wears Short Shorts?...I WEAR SHORT SHORTS!

Why Does Every Group End In Bitch?.....bitch.
   
Why yes, I am music obsessive... Thanks for noticing :)

Yeah, I went to BAND CAMP. And I liked it.
   
yeah i work/worked at a library

Yeah that's right I don't drink COFFEE
   
Yes, I want to fix the High Rise Elevators

Yes For Life
   
You know you're a band dork when...

you know you're a kid from the 90s when...
   
You know you're from the Jersey Shore when...

philly bucket list!

-- inspired by The Bucket List.  I've been meaning to do this for awhile, but it's also totally meant to be a work in progress.

• Sundae party
• The Franklin - with Ben (seriously, how did I not know about this place??)
• check out Northern Liberties
• Silk City (been mentioned to me enough times)
• Cuba Libre - have to try out salsa there
• Vango - I've been there once, but should try out the salsa night there too
• browse Passyunk Ave
• go to 69th Street Terminal.  because I never have.
• really learn South Philly
• watch an entire Phillies game on tv at a bar
• discover and try out local cafés (in progress...)
• Argentine tango(!!!!)
• Fiume (45th & Locust) - mentioned to me the other day... again, how haven't I heard of this place?  Good things!

The Feel Good Life

(Sounds like a book title.  If I was cooler, I'd be writing that book.)

stepping into a hot shower, immersing in the water

flannel pajama pants

when someone holds the door for you

laughing. making someone else laugh.

first time re-listening to an old favorite song

figuring something out that you've been stuck on (aside of all the time it took!)

letting go when you dance

finding the perfect music for your mood

hugs that make you feel their meaningfulness

comfortable conversation

delicious food and drink

the breeze on a hot day, and at the beach in the summer

the oddly warm day in a later winter month

when someone expresses concern for you

when you've just completed washing, drying, and putting away laundry

the bedgasm

first delicious sip of coffee

clicking with someone you've just met

a back massage

when someone keeps in touch with you

sleeping in

holding hands. cuddling. kissing.

cozying up in a blanket

songs that just make you want to dance

passing by cute dogs on the sidewalk

feeling another person's breathing or heartbeat

sharing a love of something with someone

new friends

sunshine

Quick list of thanks

My swing buddies (Sloan, Ellis, and Robert).  And of course, our lovely friend and Rum Bar bartender, Zack.  Those blues dances that are completely magic.  Coffee.  My new friend at work, Stephan.  The unbelievably wonderful west coast swing community.  Going to Baltimore Fall Blues Summit.  Being able to go home to my family pretty much whenever.  Working at a company full of truly wonderful people.  Having my weekly dances to always look forward to.  Adding to my fledgling circle of swing dancer friends.  Wawa.  Seeing people with dogs on the sidewalk.  My favorite cafés to hang out in.  Jimmy John's deliciousness.  Sleeping in on Saturday.  Discovering new beers I like.  Keeping in touch with David.  Discovering fusion dancing.  Meeting people from out of town who want to get to know me more.  Having a bit of "me time" in the morning bus ride.  Boots.  That I found a place to live in Philly with near-zero stress.  That I got a job to start right after I graduated.  A comfortable bed.  Visiting my brother at his college down in South Carolina.  Learning PHP and Drupal.  NK happy hours.  Music, in so many kinds and ways.

Being so happy, and often - sometimes I can't completely take it in.

Life status - Oct. 14, 2010

At work, most projects we have end up having a weekly status meeting on the calendar, to update everyone involved on where things stand.  Well, I've been living here 4 months and change now, so I thought I might collect a few conclusions and realizations so far.

• The Septa buses aren't always on schedule.  But sometimes they are, so don't be late, or I'm gonna miss it by 30 seconds.  I've done this more times than I can count.
• Try to do laundry more often than once every several weeks.  Otherwise I end up with three loads' worth to do when I'm running out of clothes to wear.
• No matter how tired I am on the night of a social dance, I should go to it anyway, because I don't think I have ever regretted it afterwards.
• The plain coffee at independent cafés is usually really good.  This does not in any way negate that Starbucks and Wawa coffee is also really good.
• Talk to people for a minute or two once in awhile at work - non-work subjects are preferable.  It might be the most welcome interruption of the day.
• Meet new people.  Especially social dancers.
• Buying coffee, breakfast, and the like on a daily basis adds up far faster than I like to think about.
• Visit family once in awhile for a change of pace.
• People don't often respond to really long emails at work.  (Not sure if they read them, at least.)
• Happy hour is a good thing.
• Walking feels better when I'm not rushing, so don't rush if I don't have to.
• Not having to work outside of work is probably the best thing ever.
• Sandwiches for dinner get boring fast.

characteristic #4

Cereal is one of my favorite things to eat.  I enjoy it at any time of the day or night.

Favorite cereals: Frosted Mini Wheats, granola, Cracklin' Oat Bran, Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Honey Bunches of Oats, ...

(image credit)

Now that I'm in Philly "for real",

I've kinda been making a mental list of things to do.  And since this stage of life I've now reached currently has no real defined end, I essentially have all the time in the world to get around to these.

explore local cafés - up to about 4 so far

bike around the city - done so a few times (to LaB once too!)

find more Latin and swing dancing nights

get on random buses to go check out parts of the city I haven't been around

go to Chris's sometimes

try out bars I haven't been to

bike the Schuylkill River trail

Things taken for granted

I've noticed of late how ridiculously fast one's mind can switch from utter annoyance, suffering, or whatever other negative state may apply due to something's absence, to barely realizing that thing is there.

Let's see.

• I rarely get sick, but when my nose is 75% clogged, I can hardly focus on anything but trying to breathe clearly.
• The other morning I went to work with -- well, seriously not enough sleep.  I had forgotten just how terrible it is when it's a constant physical fight to stay awake.
• I had never lived without air conditioning until this summer.  Then I endured a few weeks of 100-degree-ish weather, complete with humidity.  I was sitting in my room sweating on every surface of skin that was in contact with something.  Now I have a window a/c unit and am entirely spoiled by a remote control for it.  I guess I do still occasionally stop to realize that it's a million times more livable now that I have it, but usually I don't have much of a second thought.
• The Internet.  ... holy crap.  I've never been unable to access the Internet at my place of residence for this long of a period of time until this past week.  It is truly frustrating to realize you cannot manage your email, get the weather, find something on a map, look up random information, listen obsessively to songs on YouTube, sit around logged on to three chat services, blah blah blah.  Such things only begin to feel essential to daily life when you can't get to them on demand.  But, here I am, writing a blog post, because the minute I've got it back, I spend all night on the Internet just like every other day before it wasn't there.
• People.  If something goes wrong in a relationship, one day it's beautiful and then it's cracked.  And you want to try everything you can think of to fix it, as the many good times flash by mentally and threaten to become bittersweet. ...That's one part of why I worry so much.

In all reality I'll probably never spend much time specifically appreciating the Internet.  But I like to think that I try to take care of my relationships.  I still need to do better, of course.  They're quite near the top of the list of most important life elements.

about me [15-26] ~ Useless Facts version

15. I love earrings, especially long dangling ones, studs, and interesting ones.  I have two piercings in each ear.
16. I have lots of sweatshirts and I love sweatpants.
17. I have lived in my little town in New Jersey for my whole life.
18. I have never once chewed gum, and have no plans to do so in the future.
19. I have a now-and-then obsession with categorizing things, like my Firefox bookmarks.
20. Bathing suit shopping is one of my favorite activities.
21. I always misuse the word "plug" by referring to outlets (in the wall) as plugs.  However, everyone always seems to know what I'm talking about. :)
22. I highly enjoy spontaneous dance parties by myself in my room.  Hey, some songs just need to be danced to! (several examples...)
    
23. I often eat Starbucks pastries as substitutes for breakfast or when I'm hungry but my meal schedule is all screwed up.
24. I consider doing laundry to be "fake productivity" - you're getting something done, but you're really just avoiding many other things (which are probably more mentally tasking) that you need to do.  At least, that's my situation, haha.
25. I rarely bother with makeup, but I like it nonetheless.
26. I like to live in somewhat messy conditions (e.g. papers, receipts, and the like on my desk, and clothes piled on my chair - some clean, some worn) because it feels more relaxed than a highly organized space.
    

I love

falling in love with a new song at first listen

a good hair straightener

long dangling earrings

thursday afternoon with the whole weekend ahead

massages

graphics, designs, and interfaces that are pretty, or slick, or creative

when i successfully follow a guy leading me through a step i don't actually know

salsa parties at Take the Lead

bedgasm (definition 1)

foosball games at Dow Jones. there's nothing like them.

meeting awesome friendly people

shoe shopping

fuzzy socks

cuddling

laughing

long deep conversations

communicating with real people on twitter

the muscle burns after rock climbing

for that matter, climbing a route i didn't think i'd make it through

not waking up to too-early alarms

interesting photography

geeky jokes

bathing suit shopping

chick flicks/romantic comedies

big sweatpants

hugs

pretty fonts

gorgeous weather (warm, sunny, fresh...)

writing a good blog post

great smiles

the view of the city (Philly) at night

the programmer's moment of glory (when you find that key to fixing everything after hours of deep debugging and reworking)

receiving text messages that make me smile or laugh

plaid flannel pajama pants

taking pictures

dancing

...

good things this year so far

going to Chris's Jazz Cafe with David the first day I moved back

salsa parties at Take the Lead

bachata in social lessons!!

Cornell/Ithaca ballroom competition trip (including myself dancing as a leader for newcomers and of course the Green Cafe...)

social dancing at Society Hill

trying different beers...absolutely legally...

getting lunch with Grace on Tues/Thurs and pretending I belong in the SIG lab

restaurant week with Tatini, Erica, Simone, and Simone's friend

Hungarian class with Rebecca and the lacrosse guys is hilarious and awesome

spontaneous post-Hungarian dinners with Rebecca

getting to know awesome PLBD people better

Sunday brunches at Commons

realizing that I complain about band while I'm not at it (and also probably at rehearsals), but the games teach you to have fun because it's all a bit ridiculous - the scrambling, the rain, ...

my (new MacBook) laptop has an excellent battery; thus I am no longer confined to sitting within a power cord's length of an outlet whenever I go somewhere. (which is FANTASTIC by the way.)

Indian food clarinet section dinner

I now know I can take the train between Philly and Princeton Junction by myself

meeting an awesome person from Twitter face-to-face

about me [1-14]

1. I have a "stalker number": 347. It began as my middle school ID number (technically, 00347), and since then, it tends to pop up in my life. For example, I'll catch the time at 3:47 (perhaps - unhealthy as it is - as likely to be 3:47am as 3:47pm). I probably create 50% of this phenomenon myself by being alert to instances of the number...(a psychological claim I make perhaps vaguely based on something I once learned).
   
   
   
2. I play Stepmania. (And I've already written more than one other post on this blog about it - though the search doesn't seem to catch all of them.) I'm probably as good as you can get at it without devoting all my free[?] time to playing it. Don't think I haven't put in my hours to build up my mad skillz though.
   
3. When I was little I really loved dogs. My first paid job was walking my neighbor's yellow Labrador, and in 5th grade I did a school project (with help from Dad) in which I matched people to the best dog for them by inputting their survey results as queries on a database I populated by researching dog characteristics.
   ps, I'd still like to have a dog someday, I think.
   
4. I go through music obsession periods. This means I'll listen obsessively to a song or album, likely multiple times in a day, and enjoy it every time, over and over. Eventually this either fades or is displaced by the next song with which I fall in love.
   
5. When I entered college I had always been Windows all the way, which continued for the first three years with my Dell Latitude D820. When that laptop sadly developed too many problems for me to continue using it, I rather randomly decided: you know what, I want a Mac. Now here I am with it - and liking it.
   
6. I LOVE playing foosball. I played crazy one-on-one games against my brother on a crappy table (using a bouncy ball as the ball) when I was little. While interning at Dow Jones the past two summers I rediscovered it, 2-vs.-2 style, with shots too fast to believe my eyes and heaping doses of laughter sufficient to make my day.
   
7. I have always been unsure what to call my eye color. My parents say my eyes were blue when I was little. For as long as I actually remember, I've decided they're gray/green, leaning to the green side when I want to hope they're a bit more interesting. They do have a cool thin yellow ring around the pupils, thanks to my dad.
   
8. I like taking photos of facial expressions and body poses (mainly my own, for now..) that try to convey some feeling or aura or sense.
   
9. I love meeting and knowing people who are genuinely and naturally friendly/enthusiastic/upbeat.
   
10. Talking online is a way of life. I started with AIM, then stepped way up with Pidgin [<3], Adium on my Mac (--fairly satisfying minus the periods of numerous disconnections from gchat). I'm logged in to 3 accounts: AIM, gchat (Google Talk), and Facebook chat.
    
11. I started rock climbing (indoors only thus far) last winter break when a friend invited me to a nearby rock gym at home, and I fell in love with it. Would that I had a stable belay partner...
    
12. Whenever it's warm enough for them, I'm all for flip flops and sandals.
    
13. BUT: I am also very much in love with socks, particularly "fuzzy socks" (thick and warm) in various colors and designs for the winter. Looking to expand my collection of long socks too, a la American Apparel knee socks and maybe thigh-highs.
    
14. I am known for having 20-40 Firefox tabs open at any given time. Many of them are reminders to read or do such and such later. Or YouTube videos (songs, mainly) that I like to have handy.
    

Summer To-Do {1-10}

1) Make an anklet...if I can find the embroidery thread bracelet pattern book.

2) Get a membership to the rock gym and go climbing so I might start to be good at it.

3) Actually read the things I subscribe to via Google Reader.

4) Watch some movies on the list my friends compiled for me.

5) Fix my sleep schedule.

6) Get better at foosball...haha

7) Get my photography website designed, populated, and running.

8) Clean my laptop's fan out. This probably requires removal of the keyboard, but I don't care, because it's dying.

9) Write something.

10) Email companies I would like to work for next year; ask them what I have to do between now and then to be good enough.

bits & pieces

the other night:
allegro's at 1am
blueberry beer
fmylife.com
music sharing via youtube (and some figure skating, for the old days' sake)
comfiest blanket ever??
ignoring responsible life crap that matters

and another night before that one:
indian foooood...is really good
tea
that same blanket
relationship stories and later just really talking about them
(there was prolly some youtube in there too)
...this is what makes college really meaningful to me.

different night:
salsa.salsa.salsa
i really can't balance when i spin (usually)
everyone is sooo nice...yay
friend&guys
i think i love bachata
must go social dancing [a lot] more
i'm kind of a sucker for when guys dress nicely...
steaks on south//i can't contribute to conversational topics about the world??

totally different:
i love climbing, and i don't exactly know why
seems like everyone there is nice (helpful) as well
good place to be female? O:-)
conquering top-rope routes is .. awesome
argh need to get belay-certified

i'm a geek:
cuz i'm excited to set up a mysql database ahaha
and want to swallow php whole


wanna:
go dress shopping
go shopping for clothes in general ...(ok, so i'm such a girl sometimes)
be good at dance
go social dancing...hopefully to more of a variety than mainly salsa music
go climbing like all the time hah
be with friends; i'm running out of college time

i wish i had joined PLBD in freshman year. largely so i'd be kinda good at dance by now, but also cuz i'm starting to really see how these groups bond. i don't have that - not in band, not in dance (at this point anyway, but i don't think it'll change that much), not where i live nor where i lived, not amongst my major. this doesn't mean i don't have friends; i do and i love and appreciate them. what i wish i'd experienced is group friendship (mine are all scattered from various "sources").


(2:12:50 AM) Tory: i just thought of something
(2:12:56 AM) Tory: maybe cuz of the impracticality of it all
(2:13:01 AM) Tory: it wouldn't relaly hurt to tell him
(2:13:02 AM) Tory: heh

what's sensible? no clear idea.

[1] He sees me and I walk towards him. He gives me the same look, the same gesture as usual. It's something like "what gives?", which doesn't make much sense, because I don't think I've ever done anything that would deserve a "what gives?". I try to explain to him how I'm kind of dead from the week of midterms resulting in barely sleeping.

[2] Why am I having a resurgence of thoughts about him? Not much has been different recently. We have talked only a couple of times. One felt like the familiar back and forth, but the second seemed to slightly lack that warmth I was expecting.

[3] I've been worrying that I have said something wrong. Well, actually I think I did, and at exactly the wrong time. Without thinking, I plunged ahead along the lines of what had been going well, but forgot to consider the subject matter before choosing it. Then I got stuck.... He said it's okay, don't worry about it. He might just be saying that to be nice.

[1] I'm not as shy anymore, or at least not with him. I head for him to be my partner for this round of waltz. He's not so shy anymore either (unless he has always been like this and I never paid attention to these details before). He holds me in a strong frame, which I like. And he holds me closer.

[2] I'm thinking back more often than I have for awhile. Maybe the cold now makes me long for a sun that warms and for walking outside in a short-sleeved top, but I know it isn't just that. It's the heels too - especially in the grass. And the laughter, and the little craziness too, kind of.

[3] I've tried to patch it up, but now I may be on the unsure side. (Scratch that, I am on it.) Suddenly I wonder if I'm saying too much. Has anything I may have implied altered his perceptions? Because only now that I'm worrying do I feel more sure that I want to see if things might go somewhere.

[1] I feel this familiarity with him, although I'm not really sure how it's developing. We joke a bit. I have to back-lead him through the right turns, and my expression intends to poke a little fun at him, though I really do mean to help. For some reason, I might kind of like being close to him.

[2] I can't help running that time through my mind: the different parts, the little details I remember. It worked so naturally, so easily, even though I really didn't know how I was doing it. Maybe he made it easy. It was deviously, deliciously enjoyable. As we stood there, I knew what was going to happen. It did. Kind of ironic.

[3] Very coincidentally I happened to see him. We had a nice little exchange, or at least I really tried to make it that way. As we were nearing the end of the short conversation, all I wanted was some indication of a plan to see each other again. I was close to putting forth the idea, but I really was hoping he would suggest it... so I didn't. I fear being too forward, making assumptions. I hope he hasn't given up.

Today I read my horoscope, because it happened to be up on a screen in the cafe-ish place where I was. It said: "Problems in your romantic life don't have to ruin your day. Distractions abound." Well, sort of. I'm certainly distracted by all these situations. And I didn't even write about [4], [5], [6], the like.. who, once every now and again, attract my attention and thoughts.

resolutions and goals for the year

I was planning on making this list kind of before the semester started (lol) but unsurprisingly I didn't get around to it O:-) . Nonetheless, by writing it towards the end of the first month of the semester allows me to see how I'm doing so far. Overall I'd say I'm definitely accomplishing some things, but failing on others, haha..

• be more organized with email (as in...try to read it when it arrives, put events on calendar right away, respond in a more timely fashion, and delete more things that I probably don't need)
• reduce dependence on dining plan and cook more
• actually go to the gym???? (I haven't gone once, all the time I've attended Penn)...or at least play some DDR...
• perform at a Third Thursday (composing would be even cooler, but definitely more difficult)
• sleep [more] (this is really important and so far I am doing badly. I should ask people to remind me to go to bed or something.)
• respond to people on facebook in a reasonable amount of time lest they start wondering if I hate them
• danceeeee :D
• balance work with hanging out/fun stuff
• do some art (I really want to improve, as I feel it is my lacking side in DMD)
• program things I want to, not for any class
• talk, hang out, keep in touch with people
• and meet new people :)
• do something crazy enough to tell Matt about (..??)
• keep in touch with family (especially brothers) more
• take more pictures!
• keep desk a little messy (as opposed to very messy, haha, it feels too pristine if there are no papers on it or anything)
• play clarinet with choir at Mass
• stay on top of work/studying ... ...
• make my seas website. I mean really. haha.
• get a cool internship/job for the summer.. (don't know what, though)
• watch a little bit of tv :)
• expand musical tastes even further

yup. Plenty to work on!

New stuff I did

It seems like even though this year at Penn is just getting going, I've already done a bunch of new things that I've never done before. Therefore I'm going to start a record (in approximately chronological order lol) and update it as I go along.

• August - purchased a bunch of appliances for my room which I didn't have last year - toaster ($12), microwave ($35 I think?), coffee maker (like $20). They are all turning out to be useful so far. The toaster is surprisingly popular :)
• August - purchased a set of pots/pans, which came with a bonus collection of spices, with rack, which I'll probably never use...
• August something - really practiced bass clarinet. It's awesome, but hard to "get" the sound above the break; really hard to get good tone on that. And it needs SO much air!
• Again, towards the end of summer - I wanted some tea, and Dad drinks it all the time, so I asked him to make a cup for me. He gave me chai, and I ended up really liking it. (Ok, so it's not my first time ever drinking tea, but my first time trying chai.) I got a box of chai to bring to Penn.
  
• 8/31 - watched Anchorman with Rebecca, Becca, Eamonn, and Ben. Part of an initiative to see movies that apparently everybody except me has seen. Opinion: it's not my kind of humor, definitely. I guess some moments were funny, but it just often feels ridiculously overdone. (Obviously this is the point, though..)
• 9/3 - Saw Dan for the first time this year and was totally shocked by his new much shorter haircut (also not parted in the middle anymore) and switch from glasses to contacts (!!!!!)
• 9/3 - Purchased food from food carts/trucks. Last year John got me a sausage-egg-and-cheese from Bui's but this was the first time I ever bought anything myself. Dan and I went to Hemo's for lunch; I got a grilled chicken pita. For dinner Simone, Tatini and I tried to go to Magic Carpet but it was already gone, so we went to The Real Le Anh (Le Anh is across the street haha), and I got cashew chicken. Two discoveries: it's really good, and really cheap!!
• 9/3 - I guess a couple of FNAR courses I've taken have been cross-listed as grad courses, but CIS 460 (Computer Graphics) is definitely the first CSE/CIS course I've taken that's cross-listed. It was a bit intimidating, realizing all these quiet students were probably graduates... hence the invention of the DMD Undergraduate Row :D
• 9/4 - First class where I don't have cell phone service (I think). This is because it's CIS 262 down in the basement of Skirkanich (kinda like a dungeon hahaha). Probably all for the best - I should seriously pay attention in that class.
• 9/4 - First ever class I'm taking on databases. woooot
• 9/4 - First class in which I might be the only student who's not a music major. A little intimidating. =/
• 9/5 - Cooked a dinner dish by myself! It was meatloaf, and it was good! yayyy
• 9/5 - Attended Rodin bingo, and actually won a round! I got a gift card to Gap. Yay shopping!!
• 9/6(?) - FREE LAUNDRY!!!!! Most unfortunately I had to go up 2 floors to the 14th floor since the machines on my floor were all occupied.
• 9/7 - Discovered I did not make wind ensemble on bass clarinet... first year at Penn that I won't be in it, but that also means I can go to the music program's Third Thursdays now :)
• 9/7 - Played DDR (via Stepmania) with my own pad in my room at school. (I actually had the pad with me last year in Stouffer but never took time to play.)
• 9/8 - Taking a class in Linux :D
• 9/8 - Taking a class being taught entirely (as far as I can tell) by a computer science student in my own grade - the aforementioned Linux half-credit class. I feel like I should be feeling extremely inferior or something, but I don't. Zach's friendly and a good lecturer and definitely knows a LOT. Which is awesome :) . I think he was even in my 260 class haha...
• 9/8 - First job at Penn: mentor for CIS 110. We had our first meeting and it was a friendly gathering. We even talked about who had which lab shifts and office hours, as I was rushing out for band, lol.
• 9/9 - Met Danny's sister Laura - she's awesome! The three of us went to Cosi for dinner :)
• 9/9 - Salsa lesson at the Penn Latin and Ballroom Dance info session. It was sooo embarrassing but SO MUCH FUN!!! I decided I was definitely going to the lessons and began trying to convince friends to come...
• 9/9 - Tried iscribble for the first time, with John. I actually plugged in my mouse (finally) cuz there's no way I was gonna draw with the touchpad.
• 9/10 - First lab as a 110 mentor, with Ryan as the TA. I have to get there late, cuz it starts at 2:30 but I have 460 till 3. Luckily I made it in time for introductions and I even answered a bunch of questions which made me useful, yay!
• 9/11 - Played ping pong with Danny and Carlin in the lower level of Harrison - good times!!
• 9/12 (technically) - went to Allegro's around 1am with Carlin and Danny and had .. chicken and broccoli pizza? Or something like that. It was good, lol.
• 9/13 (or late night 9/12) - Installed Linux (Ubuntu) on a virtual machine on my computer!! Now I really want to install it "for real" (on a partition on my hard drive)
• 9/13 - Went out to dinner with Menghan and ate Thai food! I had drunken noodles hahah but it was really good AND I have leftovers!
• 9/13 - Went to Penn PM karaoke event with Erica, held on the Stouffer patio. Thanks to Erica I actually went up to sing; we did Beat It together. Michael Jackson's voice is way too high for my range (whatever limited range I might have), so next time I'll definitely be picking something else :P
• 9/13 - Uploaded pictures using Google's Picasa. It's got captions and some kind of tagging of people and reordering, and I was even able to include videos (though I had to actually download Picasa for that, rather than just using the web service). However, it seems that unless you upload through the Picasa client program, you can only upload 5 photos at a time..? This seems kinda ridiculous, especially considering how on Facebook you can upload a bunch all at once - I think it's a Java application actually.
• 9/14 - Played clarinet at church for the 10am Mass. This went pretty well, considering I got the music last minute. I had to skip a couple things, but overall it sounded good!! (And this is despite my clarinet not playing very easily, which is a fluctuating thing.)
• 9/14 - Right after Mass I went to the "hospitality" thing - like "Doughnut Sunday" at home, but on a much smaller scale.
• 9/14 - PLBD social lessons!!! Salsa and tango. SOOO MUCH FUN hahaha I cannot wait to go back :D (this really probably deserves a full post to itself)
• 9/14 - Lost my band pants (somehow by mixing them up with a pile of laundry on top of a machine) -> realized this, hours later -> panicked while trying to do my Graceland assignment for music 150 -> emailed Neil, who included my plea in his email to the floor -> received my pants from someone who found them mixed among his laundry by accident -> I've never been so glad to see those pants hahaha
• 9/15 - Ate a cookie and a brownie from Cosi (at cis 1xx grading system learning session); they were so good that I took another cookie for the way out haha.
• 9/15 - Used Dreamweaver in the Rodin computer lab - the version was old enough that it was still Macromedia... (2002 or 03-ish? I wonder why it's not updated.)
• probably September - Web design (9am-12 on Tues/Thurs) finished early enough for Grace and I to go to Wawa before 262. I got Wawa coffee for the first time and it is AMAZING. (Also much cheaper than Starbucks...I should keep this in mind and shift some of my coffee habits to Wawa...)
• 11/24 - arrived late to a clarinet social gathering which included watching Zoolander. I've never seen it before since it's not the type of movie I would typically like. (I usually don't find that kind of humor funny.) For some reason I was intrigued by it though, and although I didn't plan on staying long, I ended up interested enough in the movie that I stayed for the whole rest of it, to find out how it ended. I didn't love it and still thought it was pretty silly, but liked it enough to surprise myself.
  

To do list for life

Things I want to do sometime in my life, in whatever order I come up with them. To be appended to whenever I think of more. :) ...recommendations welcome too.

• go jetskiing
• learn php
• kiss in the rain
• go somewhere tropical
• learn to play guitar
• go skinnydipping
• go to a west coast beach (compare to east coast)
• ride on the back of a motorcycle
• code a facebook app
• learn to play piano
• go skydiving (assuming I don't die or something)
• attend a Hed Kandi party
• compose something [good]... maybe for clarinet, maybe for concert band
• create artwork, some digital and some not, that I am happy with
• (from Cindy:) attend a college party (so far, I "sort of" have...)
• stop being so shy/be more outgoing
• do something "crazy" enough to be worthy of telling Matt about. (what should it be??)
• have a long phone conversation sometime in the middle of the night
  

Ok so it's a work in progress.