Bright Lights, Long Nights

"Boy you know I'm kinda tipsy
I got all the Dolls with me
You know how them bottles get me
We gon' have some fun"

-The Pussycat Dolls, "Bottle Pop"

You know what I love about college? I love the little experiences that you get into. With the right people in the right place, you can live the high life sometimes. This semester is proving to have some very high times as it goes by.

Last night, I celebrated my friend Lori's birthday with the usuals and other friends. Let's just say we had some crazy times including some "designated drivers" lol. But point in fact is that birthday celebrations tend to be the best events up here at New Paltz. First it was my birthday (which was wild crazy as well), then Ari and Andrene's birthday where we had a nice little family dinner, and Lori's birthday celebration last night. Rarely have I ever celebrated friends' birthdays the way we do it over here. It feels so family oriented; not to mention we have some really good memories and pics to match.

When senior year comes, we'll be able to look back on these special moments and say "Wow, we had some good ass times." That's how you know that you have some of the most valuable friends in the world.

My Friends Are The Shit, What About Yours?

It is so hard to really find those people that you can call "friends" nowadays. Some people are fair weather friends; they come and go like the seasons. Then you have the select few friends that stick around for the long haul; the friends that you cherish, love, all that good stuff that you can definitely be honest with, laugh, talk, etc.

Now I'm completely aware that most of my posts have been about friendship, but I cannot help it...simply because my friends are the shit lol. What is sparking my post tonight is the great time that I have with my New Paltz friends just talking about whatever comes to mind; learning about each other's views and seeing how much alike we are and--most definitely--how much different we are from each other. It doesn't take a college degree to figure out when you have those friends that you can trust and appreciate. I whole heartedly love my New Paltz family--that includes my Culture Shock heads and my other individuals who I have bonded with this school year. As the semester is coming to a close, I know that I will miss them during the summer. Then again, maybe I won't; I'll make ways to see them one way or another. I mean, they are the shit, so they're worth every second of my time, what can I say?

Smash Into You

"And I'm soaked in your love
And love is right in my path, in my grasp
And me and you belong"
And me and you belong"

-Beyonce, "Smash Into You"

It's so crazy...I haven't felt this way in forever. It's been so long that we've been friends and now that I know that there can be more, what is there to do? I'm scared just as much as he is...but maybe it's to be scared together. Hell, even my best friends see how happy he makes me, and like Beyonce says, "I'm willing to run...Smash Into You." I know that we have all of the time in the world to think, there's no pressure there and that's what I love about this. Either way, I will love him from the bottom of my heart.

This is exactly what I feel about this boy. It's so uncanny how a friend that you know for quite sometime can potentially be Mr. Right; being right there in front of you this whole time while other guys don't even compare to him. The only problem is what will that do to our friendship? One can only hope that it would make us stronger, but what happens if the relationship ends? Like we both figure, we will love each other either way. Question pending: what next? Do we take that next step? Leave things as is? Only time can slowly reveal what is in store for us. Right now, I just want to enjoy him for what he is: a true man in our generation.

I Am Grateful For...

So my homie skillet Angel made up this little holiday called March of Gratitude. What you do is each day of March, you state what you are grateful for everywhere you can: your away messages, Facebook status, on your wall, etc. If I can say so myself, this is the most brilliant thing that I have ever heard.

This month, I have realized all of the things--big and small--that take a positive effect on my life. Even if I was in the shittiest of moods, I could go back and say that I was grateful for something. Hopefully, this holiday that one man has created for friends can soon blow up in a global perspective. More people should be grateful for what they have rather than be miserable for what they don't have. In the short two weeks or so that I have done this exercise, I can say that my outlook on life as of now can be nothing more than positive. Hey, if we can be grateful in March, why not be grateful everyday? I'm sure it would do people some good.

One thing in particular that I was grateful for this week was love. Recently, I have been really close with those who I care for, and it is bringing me nothing but happiness as each day passes. Whether it be friends, family, or a significant other, love does exist; I can comfortably say that I still believe in love and will believe in love for the long run. If I ever tell you any different, then maybe I'm in a bad mood. From what I have been experiencing lately, I have been proven wrong in thinking that maybe love is a silly game. To those who are special to me, I love you dearly.


P.S. I find it ironic that the picture I have for gratitude has mice in it, and I'm musophobic :-\

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

I am most definitely feeling the spring air. This weekend has been, by far, the best weekend that I have had in New Paltz since Blue and Orange Weekend and my first week of school. Friday night my friends and I went to the Kappa party and had nothing but a feel good time. Anytime I dance I just feel free, so even though I still feel sick for some odd reason, I felt relief on the dance floor. Today, the weather was simply BEAUTIFUL. I didn't even have to wear a jacket...well for most of the day that is. My friends and I went to see Watchmen, phenomenal movie I must say. It was a good 2 hours that wasn't wasted lol.

It's days like these that make me really appreciate the school that I go to. I'm looking forward to more weekends--hell, more days--like the past two days that I had. When the weather gets even better, I'm pretty sure the real fun's going to start. I can't wait to share it with my New Paltz family that I have. Each day I think about how grateful I am to have the set of friends that I have in my life, and I hope that they will be in my life for years to come.

Backflip

Talk about your turn of events! Just when you think that things go down hill, they tend to pick up in another way. To start off, I totally passed my Black Psych quiz; got all of my multiple choice and true/false questions right (that's 80 points right there lol) so I just have to see how the short answer section is. All in all, I passed. Not to mention my professor's going to be out of town next week, so I don't have him for two days (since on Tuesday, Thursday classes will be held). Speaking of teachers being absent, guess who's not having Composition for 3 days out of the week? That's right; I'M NOT! My professor for that class is going to California for some conference, so that makes two classes that I'm not having within the course of next week. Too bad my Spanish teacher doesn't know what vacation or conference means ::sigh::

The moral of this story kids: I feel fuckin' awesome. Spring is definitely in the air as well; this weekend we're expecting from 50-65 degrees, so it should be a beautiful few days. AND Spring Break kicks off next weekend, so I totally can't wait to just relax, enjoy an environment that's not mine for a few days and then return to my friends back at home for the rest of the vacation. Man, how life is awesome right about now.

Fuck My Life Doggy Style

"When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane."    -Herman Hesse

So yeah...I'm miserable.  First off, I'm sick--anyone who knows me know that I HATE being sick.  Any sickness is like the plague to me, and I don't appreciate that.  Like really, I'm on some Helen Keller shit; I'm half deaf in my right ear due to my cold, and I have bad vision already.  To top things off, Monday I had a Spanish exam....that I forgot about (go figure) so we already can conclude how I feel about that.  Today, I had a Period Styles exam, which all of the information that I studied went COMPLETELY OUT THE WINDOW.  Do I look hopeful in my education at this point? Probably not.

I really need to reevaluate my life right about now--more specifically with my education.  I need to learn what to turn down, how to better manage my time; simply just how to stay focused.  For the past 2 days I feel like I've been losing my sanity; I'd rather lose my virginity...wait I already did that, but you guys get the point.  I need some time away from this environment, and I need it soon.  Thank goodness Spring Break is just around the corner because Virginia Beach, here I come!  Some time away from New York State as a whole should do me some justice.  For right now, I'm going to do what Ronald McDonald prescribed a few years ago: "Put a smile on."

Home

Home: for me, it's a place where you feel that you're comfortable, where you can be you, where you have family. I can comfortably say that I have two homes: New Paltz and New York City. It's actually funny; New York City becomes less of a home to me as the days go by. However, what reminds me that I still have a place there is not the busy streets or the flashing lights, but the friends that I have when I go back to visit.

This weekend was one of the best weekends spent in the city this year so far. I went back home to perform at this ball that my best friends and I have been planning for months. I learned the choreography last Wednesday, but hey I still got it (;-p). Followed by a successful ball, I spent the whole weekend at Matt's house. Matt, for those who may not know, is one of my best friends who I love dearly. We had an XOXO sleepover with Anthony, Todd, Alyssia, and Lance where we talked and laughed all night into the morning. The next day, one of my close friends Ty comes to visit, which is always a good time for me since we have the most amazing conversations about everything. Wrapping up my city weekend, I played Uno with Matt and Todd (won 9 times...and they're mad lol) and Taboo when Lance came back over. When it was time for me to head back to the Port Authority, Julio was gentleman enough to escort me to the bus station. I enjoyed his company; we had a heart to heart, which we have every so often, and which I always appreciate.

I was sad to leave them all behind; honestly, I always get sad when I leave them. What brings my spirits back up are the people in New Paltz that I consider my friends. I came back to have dinner with Faisal, Euclyn, and Shatera and it was actually pretty interesting. It was a different crowd from who I usually hang with (not to mention it was the first time I hung out with Faisal outside his and Princess' room lol), and I really appreciated that time spent. It reminded me of the array of friends that I have who has even the tiniest affect on my life and how I grow as a person. After dinner, I reunited with Princess, Tina, and Lori and we had a nice talk about our weekends and what went on.

Home is where the heart is. I am glad to say that I have two homes that fill my heart, and I am so grateful for where I am in life that NOTHING can change the way I feel about it, no matter how drastic. As long as I keep surrounding myself will positive people, I will have positive experiences that reminds me where my home is.