good music

http://www.youtube.com/user/kinagrannis#p/c/B4C10143ECAB0B37/4/A2H_B407fYE

ill always think too much of you

http://www.youtube.com/user/katem3#p/u/17/7KMgtPKDwN4

youll never see what you meant to me
cuz youll always be
so busy

to think that i ever thought that much...
to think that i ever thought that much.

Lost In Thought

Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.
– Mark Jenkins

I have most of the things on my list now and am getting really anxious to leave. I keep seeing commercials for the new movie Eat/Pray/Love and its really amping up my excitement! Just under 2 months now and I will be en route. Whitney is for sure leaving early December so the prospects of spending Christmas and New Years alone in a foreign country are starting to be really scary. I don't do many things by myself. I like being alone, don't get me wrong, but I also severely enjoy having company to do the mundane things like go to the grocery store and just simply pass the time. I'm not sure how to live in a new place with new people all alone. But I suppose that's what I would be doing when/if I moved to a new city for a job or went to grad school so maybe this being alone abroad will be a trial run. Not to mention, I imagine forcing myself to be terribly uncomfortable and face new nerve wracking social situations will be really beneficial for me in a lot of ways...so I need to talk myself into welcoming the challenge.

I think there is a LOT to learn being by yourself, on your own schedule. I need to just make sure I get out there and experience it all and not let my nerves get the best of me.
http://journals.worldnomads.com/travel-tips/story/59417/Worldwide/Solo-Travel-10-Tips-to-Avoid-Feeling-Alone

A funny side note... My best friend Sam came to visit last week and we did what we do best: execute some stupid ideas. We had plans to bike the peninsula, take the water taxi across, go up in the tower and then eat outside at rum runners. All of which we did...but with the added feature of me riding a bike and Sam sitting in a "Bob" that my brother Bob used as a behind the bike cart on his bike trip home. We spent about 30 mins in the front of the house trying to rig this thing up and finally got it worked out...but not without my Mom hovering over telling my friends "We've been putting up with her stupid ideas since she was three years old." It makes me laugh because what to me is hysterical and wildly entertaining is to the average person, stupid. Perfectly sums up the approval ratings of my life here. :) You'd think they'd have adjusted to my "stupid ideas" by now, no? :)

Weenie on a white background

Megan came to town a few weekends ago to go camping...Friday we decided to go down to the peninsula to rollerblade/bike. My sister, megan and I were on the trail, moving along nicely when this weirdo in just mesh basketball shorts coming the other direction checks behind him, makes eye contact, and whips out his giant penis and just keeps walking on by like nothing happened. This comes not five minutes after the 3 of us were discussing how Erie is like the weirdest place on Earth. The strangest things happen here..its like some alternate universe. For example, after sunset last week I saw some woman walking her dog. Normal, yes? What was NOT normal however was the cave exploring head lamp she was using to walk her streetlight ridden neighborhood. Last summer I watched 4 men in FULL Knight gear practicing sword fighting in frontier park. I rest my case: Erie = weirdest place on earth. Now back to the weenie. So we laugh about it and then think, there are children and families around here. If he is flashing us, what else is he doing? Should we tell someone? So the police barracks are like half a mile down the trail. Theres an officer outside when we ride by so we tell him that we dont know if its a big deal but this is what happened. They all freak out saying theyve been looking for the dude ALL DAY. There have been "flasher sightings" all day and they think its this guy. So i climb in the police SUV in my rollerblades and ride literally ON that trail, in an SUV...rolling up behind trail users...and we eventually find the guy, whatever. Interesting day at Presque Isle and another story to add to the weirdest place on earth.

Nature Therapy...and some other things

so for awhile there being home and not having real job was killing me, but now I am thoroughly enjoying it. I babysit liek 15 hours a week and do TSS 6 hours a week and everything beyond that is me time. Im working on a few paid art projects...getting some camping in...and ive gotten really into biking, especially on the asbury trails. Im having a great time this summer and am thankful for being out of work!

On a crappy note, i just was informed for my trip that I have to find a place to store my car because my parents dont want it sitting in their driveway. So there goes like 600$. I did save some tho because a friend was able to give me a backpack that is kick ass so I dont have to buy that anymore.Other good news-- I found a few people who seem legitimately serious about coming down to central america to visit sometime in the new year and I am pumped about that! Im lookin at staying into at least February now even though Whitney is coming home in early December. Im a little nervous though because Christmas without my family will be weird..and sad. Hopefully ill have friends at that point to make it not so lonely.

Its been awhile since Ive posted because my computer took a shit. After 6+ years of good, solid bonding, my little toshiba is no longer able to turn on. Bummer. Now Im in the market for a new computer (cuz god knows ill be BROKE coming home from the trip) and i am sooo confused as to what brand/model to get. I know nothing about computers. Im hoping at some point here someone will land in my lap with instructions on what computer to get. Ughh.

Ive also been working at getting things together for graduate applications. Im officially applying to 2 schools before I leave. They are both incredible, top ranked programs so I am assuming I will not get accepted...which means I need to start thinking about the next step. So many options and so many decisions. Im not sure if thats a good or bad thing?

But at this point life is still as good as ever. Im knocking a few things off my summer bucket list and that is fabulous. I have been spending a LOT of time outdoors and Im loving it. Nature Therapy is def a good thing.