art in boston

this past weekend, the boo came to visit so i decided it would be the perfect time to check out the os gemeos exhibit at the ica with my good friend. my pics can't do the exhibit justice - the colors, patterns, paintings, installations...it was really exciting.

i took more pics but these are my favorites.

we also checked out the art in the rest of the galleries:

i really loved these two sculptures. the one on the left was a hanging sculpture made of fragments from a building fire and the one on the right was in the elevator shaft. 

 i was a total geek for these mirrored chandelier sculptures. they were designed after chandeliers in the metropolitan opera house and look like galaxies. i like art where i can see myself in it.

after roaming around the museum, we also decided to find the os gemeos street art around boston. 

 the size of this was amazingly impressive.

 i had fun walking up to this wall and touching the art.

i wish i could paint like os gemeos. love.

9/11

i have to be honest - in my selfishness of being at school, i completely forgot that tomorrow is the 11th anniversary of 9/11.

and now...

well, now i feel really strange being away from ny, my home. i'm miles and miles away from what i understand and know and it feels strange. i feel lost.

usually people talk about where they were and what they were doing when the planes hit. after 11 year, it's still too fresh for me to really do that. what i will say is that being in brooklyn when it happened changed my life. and i have never felt the type of fear that i felt that day. i hope other people, especially the young people in my family and everyone else's family, never ever experience what we experienced that day.

my move in pics

it's really pretty here.

and so it has begun

that's right, ladies and gentlemen - the school year has officially started! you're looking at a lady who stepped foot into a classroom after being out of school for (GASP) 8 years. i worry that i won't be able to keep up, that the readings won't make any sense, that my writing will suck. and then i remember. i got into this place. i think i'll be fine.

i am taking the awesomest classes (more about that later), meeting really amazing people, and feeling inspired by all of my professors already. sometimes i wonder, "is this really my life now?"

but i have to admit that i am missing home more than i ever imagined. leaving the place that has been my home for my entire life has really turned life upside down. sometimes i wonder:
how did i ever make it in ny?
how did i ever make friends!?
how did i ever discovere the bars that i love and the restaurants i will never find anywhere else?
is that all going to be possible here?
i know that this may seem extreme since this experience will only be for 9 months, but it really has me thinking...all of the ny transplants - i salute you! it certainly can't be easy to make a new life in a huge city like ny! but...it gives me hope that my new life will be just as rewarding and that i will learn more about this city in the 9 months that i will be here than any other city.

i might possibly be rambling right now. i've been waking up way before my alarm goes off for no apparent reason. if anyone knows how to stop that from happening, i am all ears.

and just to prove that i am still alive and kicking here in boston, that pic above is for you!

SMART goals

my thinking journal.

my good friend asked me to make some SMART goals for myself before the official school year starts, so i took the time this week to put something together. i thought i would share these goals on my blog as a way to stay accountable to them. here they are:

academic - can't i just say, "kick ass?!?" ok, seriously, i am going to try and develop study groups for at least half of the courses i am taking each semester in order to help me academically. i am also going to utilize all resources that are available to me in order to help me with school (you have to remember i went to pratt and going to the library and the writing center are super foreign to me). that includes a writing workshop i signed up for already, a reading workshop i plan on doing next week, a workshop on utilizing your ipad for school, etc.

social - accept invitations that are extended to me during the month of september (but think twice about accepting one that costs $$). after september, accept 50% of the invitations that are extended to me. invitations exclude anyone who might ask me out on a date!

networking - join at least 2 student groups during the school year. especially ones that are connected to professors that i am interested in getting to know. at least one of the student groups must be about diversity.

i'm adding this piece that i heard at the student of color orientation as well:

"find my voice. quickly. share."

thoughts?

cribs edition

i have been in cambridge for 3 days now (i can count the hours but figured that would be pretty extra) which means that i have had time to unpack, go food shopping, set up my space, meet up with 2 of my friends here, and spend some time walking around the neighborhood. i think i have a fear of getting lost or looking like a tourist though so i am sticking to the routes i currently know. 

i had some requests on twitter for some pics of my new abode, aka - the 9x9 living quarters. although i think my room might be a tiny bit larger than that...and when i mean tiny, we're talking inches. it's hard to take pics of a space that's kinda tight but i tried my damn hardest.

a pic last night of the dresser area and then this AM:

what's on top of my dresser

my studying area:

 the bro-in-law decided i need a monitor to watch movies/tv off of my computer but on a larger screen. he's so sweet.

where the magic happens:

 the piece on the wall is a cambodian sarong that was gifted to me by my coworker. it's beautiful. 

and yes i have 3 damn patterns going on in my room. deal with it. (if you have a suggestion for a better spot for the sarong, leave it in the comments section).

 my closet. it's packed in there:

 those shelves are a gift from god! threw some sweaters in there, some shoes. it worked out well.

my windowsill and then my bookshelf area:

the bookshelf is really my pantry shelf since it's next to my fridge.

and me by my desk pretending to be studious:

i have a few days before stuff really jumps off so i'll be here...in my room...on the computer...well, not really. i'm trying to meet up with some classmates and hang out with my 2 friends. everyone knows someone who knows someone who lives out here so hook it up! i'm looking for folks to hang out with.

xoxo from cambridge!

10 random things about me

inspired by my friend, big D (he has a fun blog with his writings about life), i thought i would share some random knowledge about me.

1. i'm proud of where i'm going to grad school but i absolutely hate telling people. maybe it's just me but i feel like the looks people give me after i tell them is full of pure judgement. 

2. i worry about having wrinkles, i hate the dark under eye circles i have (sleep deprivation sucks), i would love to lose 10 pounds and i think i have the largest hands for a girl my size. insecurities suck.

3. although i'm all about my curly hair now, i used to straighten my hair back in the day. not sure if my friends remember that since it's been more than 10 years but occasionally i would do it for fun in my 20's. now i'm all about my natural texture hair and not applying any heat at all to it. 

4. i watch big brother. i have an insane obsession with the show. i used to want to try out for the show but decided that i'm not cutthroat enough to apply. plus - i would never want to see myself on camera 24/7. i know i would annoy the hell out of myself.

5. i still want an iphone. that's pretty self-explanatory.

6. i created a list of 72 movies that have felt like must watches for the longest time. a taste of the list: a beautiful mind, bourne identity, friday, indiana jones, rocky, terminator, and training day. now you can only imagine what the other 65 movies are.

7. i hope to never lose my sense of curiosity or my ability to be innovative. it has helped me more than any other trait/characteristic in terms of figuring out what i want to do with my life and career.

8. i never thought of myself as a nerd until recently. i never believed in my intellectual capabilities. my friends and family have been yelling at me for some time to feel more confident but it hasn't happened until reaching 30.

9. i'm excited for 30. so much more of my life feels settled.

10. i leave soon. really soon. and i don't feel ready but i also have a mental list that includes - a lot of my clothes, 10 pairs of shoes, 2 - 3 bags, my coats/jackets, my sewing machine, some yarn and crochet hooks, and a bunch of my books that are relevant to what i will be doing. that should be enough, right?

(10 and 1/2. i love that pic of me. i look so silly.)