some may call it puppy love...

All right, then, I'll go to hell.
-Mark Twain

 

He's nice. He's cuddly. He gives me puppy kisses. 

And he loves meeeeeee

He may not be the brightest puppy, but he's my puppy. 

:)

Yesterday I attempted to make a sandwich. I was inspired by the ever "ahhh" inducing sights and smells of a turkey melt. Like the ones commonly pictured in your local sandwich shop, or restaurant.

You would think that creating a melt would be a simple business. Take some toast, cheese (to melt and create 'the melt') and some turkey and voila! but no. Sadly, making a melt is not so easy...at least for me.

I began my night in the kitchen with the idea of having a sandwich when THE MELT popped into my head. I thought about what I thought a melt consisted of...bread, cheese, a deli meat. Sounded easy enough. I knew that I needed my bread to be toasty and my cheese to be melted. And I felt especially optimistic and also wanted my turkey meat to be slightly seared for that toasty taste I thought I would like so much.

Bread to be toasty? I put a small pan onto the oven's burner. I wanted my toast to be toasty but not toasted. I buttered one side and tossed the slice of bread onto the pan. It's something I had either watched on tv or saw my mom do...I wasn't quite sure but it felt right. So I tried. As my piece of buttered bread lay on that pan, and my mind perculated with the images of perfectly toasty bread, I applied some slices of orange and white cheese. I then peeled some slices of turkey apart to lay on top of that. It was as I was laying those turkey slices down that I realized my bread was smoking! Remembering that I wanted my turkey slices seared and slightly crunchy, and still being amazingly optimistic somehow, I flipped my piece of burnt bread over and attempted to crunchify the turkey.

Well, my story thickens. The turkey didn't get crunchy as fast as the cheese started to melt. I abandoned the idea of crunchy turkey, flipped my burnt gooeying sandwich over, put the new fresh and unburnt 'other side' piece of buttered bread onto the sandwich and reflipped again. You know the saying that goes along the lines of "don't do the same thing expecting different results" ?

I had myself a 'nicely' burnt turkey melt sandwich and I put avocado on top! because, well, avocado makes everything better! yummmmm

 and it didn't even taste half bad! ...as long as I had a piece of Avocado in every bite

Jedi Mind Trick.

(My curiosity got the best of me)

Solace.

"Partner in crime"

I spend many nights of every week drafting my next adventure. When I close my eyes my fantasies come to life. I see myself hiking up mountains, sleeping under starry skies and crossing many creeks. Destination is unknown and barely any money is in my pockets. I long for my a penny-filled adventure. Eat what I can afford, find or am given and traveling place to place by bus, thumb and lots and lots of walking. Many will say that I am a fool for romanticizing such a trip, that I am not realistic and should get my head back into reality and out of the clouds. It's a good thing I don't listen to many people. I mean, I listen for suggestions and recognize their fears, but am not left feeling fearful or discouraged.

To prepare for my adventure (aside from researching) I have been cleansing my room of material belongings. Donating and selling clothes, books, Cd's and other miscellaneous objects. I don't need much for happiness and I look forward to having my life in a backpack for a few months. It is going to be a liberating experience. A challenging, fun filled, very liberating experience.

I'm currently applying for my adult passport as well and can't wait for it to arrive in a few weeks!

On my adventure I will keep an updated journal- handwritten, not typed. The laptop will stay at home and the e-mail and phone will be used/checked only to set-up new jobs and on the occasion to give a mass text of "Alive, well and happy in -blank-." I rather look forward to this as well.

My only bit of sadness resides in the fact that by leaving on my journey I am disappointing many people that had 'high hopes' for me. They wanted to see me start the next semester, work work work work and join the assembly line of brainwashed clones everywhere. I don't want to disappoint anyone. I will go back to school, but only once I have a better idea of what for. I have never been much of a student. Ever. From high school up to now I have struggled to get through another year. Not because I am stupid or particularly lazy, but because it doesn't appeal to me the way it does to other people. I'm not much for tradition...

Any who, we'll see what comes of this.

Proposed begin date of adventure: Mid January

Anticipation.

Who knew a seemingly run of the mill Starbucks date would end up in endless conversation and priceless pictures? I certainly didn't. Our cousinly date definitely proved to be far more entertaining than going to bed at 8pm because you were bored out of your mind and rather tired...

It's easy to know that you have a great friend in your cousin when you have nights likes this.

 Some things are better left unsaid...or are they?

Say tommorow
And she'll say, "Come find me on a beach
And there will be no moon"
But say today
And she will kiss your face
And maybe forget

 

don't forget the multi-colored sprinkles!

 

...life is meant to be colorful!

This past weekend I went car camping and then on an overnight backpacking trip. I spent both of my nights wide eyed and very much awake in my tent by myself. For the first time. It was a great experience. My friends were a few feet away in their own tent, and at times I felt like hollering out at them to get the reassurance of life nearby. But I resisted. I resisted for a few reasons. The first is that I wanted to accomplish being in my tent completely by myself. Nobody else. Just me. And the second is that I was too scared to make noise. Seriously. I was convinced throughout the night that if I made noise I would be attracting attention to myself and that would be the opposite of my goal, which was of blending in, and ultimately, staying alive. I succeeded in sleeping alone and having a great weekend in the mountains with my friends.

I love camping. I love being uncomfortable. I love the appreciation it gives me for life. I love feeling like I'm going to die but having a smile on my face because I couldn't be happier dying that way. I love a good challenge. I love testing myself.

Which brings me to my next recent endeavor. I took my bike out for a long night ride for the first time and was in love. I enjoyed the feeling of independence it gave me. I liked navigating the roads and paths and how my legs felt so heavy at times but how I also couldn't slow down because I was experiencing such a high. Seeing the stars twinkle, feeling the wind on my skin, smelling everything from the beach bonfires to exhaust and pollution, hearing the gulls screech and being apart of the elements of life. It creates awareness of issues you may otherwise be unaware of as you drive down a road with the windows up blasting Katy Perry. It creates an acute awareness for everything aspect of your ride- traffic, weather, road/path conditions, debris, etc.

Maybe not everyone can afford to spare as much time as I can to enjoy nature and the outdoors, but everyone should be able to take the time, at the very least, to go on a walk outside. To look at the sky and smell the air. If you live in Southern California, be sure to do this after a rain and some strong winds so you can see the mountains and past the hazy smog in the sky. It makes a HUGE difference.

til next time,

Christina

 It's the feeling of getting YOURSELF somewhere. Of pushing your body to the limits. Of communicating with strangers on whichever path you choose to use. Of creating energy and using energy. Activity. Outdoors. Everybody should have , at the very least, a friendly dose of both.

Last week at Disneyland I was walking to Space Mountain when I came across a child playing in the gutter. Yes, the gutter. All I could think of was...this is the HAPPIEST place on EARTH and you're playing IN THE GUTTER?!

...whatever floats your boat, kid.

definition.

Found you weeping in the snow

Hark the bells are ringing

I won't let you go...