Hold the sugar please

An awfully pretentious professor held up the line in Java City today. She couldn't seem to decide on a drink. Apparently, they all contained WAY too much sugar for her. Orangina has 35mg- absolutely not! Limeade 47mg- practically a sin! She eventually decided on an unsweetened ice tea after lecturing the cashier on our society's overindulgence of sugar. 

Guess, just guess, what she bought in addition to her unsweetened ice tea... a chocolate brownie! I almost died trying to hide my laughter as I stood behind her in line. I don't think anyone else in line found the humor in the situation, but I sure did. Does anyone else find this funny?

Bonding over Brunch

I love Sunday brunch! It's my favorite meal of the week. Why- you ask. Because Sunday brunch is the best way to begin the end of your weekend. It's delicious, indulgent, and shared with the ones you love. You don't eat Sunday brunch with just anyone. Oh no, your fellow brunchers are the people with whom you want to share the last remaining hours of the weekend, the people who you love to talk to and don't mind if they see you attack a stack of pancakes. At Sunday brunch you can be sure of two things: good food and good conversation. 

This week I enjoyed a particularly special Sunday brunch with my sixteen year-old cousin. As we chowed down on scrambled eggs and french toast, we talked about family, friends, school, the future, politics, boys, etc. How does a sixteen year old get so smart? There were a few times she completely caught me off guard with shining pearls of wisdom. My little twin cousin, as I affectionately call her, is beautiful in so many ways. She's smart as a whip, has a great sense of humor, and is unbelievably polite. She completely rejuvenated my faith in today's youngins. I'm so glad I was able to share the morning with her. 

Who do you like to brunch with? If you haven't brunched in a while, I suggest you do it again very soon. 

Psychic By the Sea

Today I went to a psychic. It seems like an odd thing to do on a vacation in Maine, but hey I like to be a little out of the ordinary. I'm still a bit of a skeptic, but I have to say it was an interesting experience.

As I lay in the grass by the water after the session, I started thinking... What if it were all true? What if the Psychic By the Sea really was capable of predicting my future? There was a lot of information she left me with; initials of admirers and soul mate, career paths, number of children, life expectancy, etc. What am I supposed to do with this information? Just act like I would as if she never told me? Am I supposed to make decisions according to her advice? Is a psychic prediction like a birthday wish? Does sharing this information prevent it from happening? I guess she was right when she told me I was a worrier just by quickly glancing at my palms.

Knowing this information (if it were true) would be an awful lot for the average person to bear. Luckily for me, I had a mostly positive reading. I imagine that not everyone is so lucky. What would you do if you went to a psychic and your future was seen as less than promising? Would you make any attempts to change it?

Enjoy the ride

Remember going on road trips with your family when you were little? You played license plate games, ooohh and aaahhhh over the natural wonders that passed you by, and sang songs with your parents as you wriggled around in the back seat. What happened to that sense of wonder, that joy of being with the ones you love?  Now it seems like everyone just turns on their kindle and shoves headphones in their ears ignoring everything around them. They're missing out on half the fun! It's important to enjoy the ride, not just the destination.

My goal for this vacation: Enjoy getting there as much as I enjoy being there.

I heart NH



Have you ever met a Granite-Stater who wasn't ridiculously proud to be from the 603? I recently had a conversation with a few of my friends who originate from other states like Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York. We have come to this conclusion: New Hampshirites are a breed entirely of their own.

 I don't think anyone is as proud to be from their state as those who were born and raised in New Hampshire. I have to admit whenever I come home from Boston to visit my family in Manchester I swell with pride everytime we pass that warm and welcoming Bienvenue.

My future plans probably won't allow to move back here after grad school, but New Hampshire will always be my home. I am one of those uniquely independently minded, robust, good natured people who are proud to call themselves a Granite Stater. Live free or die!

Look at the view!

There is an Adirondeck chair calling my name in Kennebunkport, Maine! I can't wait to really sit back and relax. I can feel the sea breeze now. Oh wait, that's just the pouring rain in Boston, Massachusetts...

I need a vacation

This is my first summer living in Boston; my first summer working at a "grown-up" job instead of a summer camp. I honestly never thought I'd miss NH so much. I want to swim. I want to lay in the grass. I want to see the stars. The city is hot. The cement is blistering. The air is thick and hazy, and the everyone is sweaty and on edge. I need to get out. I need a vacation.

A few months ago my mom broke the news to me that we wouldn't be going to Quebec like we had originally planned. At the time I was heartbroken. I haven't been to Quebec, or as my brother and I affectionately refer to it, the "Motherland", since I was a freshman in high school.  Instead, we're going to Maine. Yup, Vacationland. Sounds like a bit of a down-grade huh? I thought so too, until a few weeks ago.

I never realized how stuffy I would find the city to be in the heat of the summer. I welcome the coming week in Kennebunkport. It will nice to be a tad closer to Nature. I can't wait to rent a bike, to go kayaking for a day, to finally eat some delicious seafood. You can bet I'll have a thick layer of SPF and bugspray to protect me from too much Nature though.

Here's to new beginnings!

As a rising senior in an undergraduate program who recently had her 21st birthday, the theme of new beginnings is constantly on my mind. So I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and bare my soul to the cyberworld. Kind of cliché I know, but why not give it a shot. All the cool kids are doing it.

As I said in my "About Me" section, I am a huge francophile. Really, I mean HUGE. I love the language, the literature, the art, the films, the fashion, the politics, etc. One of the first real pieces of French literature I ever read was Voltaire's Candide. The piece has such incredible depth. At face value, it's a biting satire, but as you uncover the many layers you see that it's so much more. The story ends with this piece of advice- Il faut cultiver son jardin.  That quote has stuck with me ever since. To me it means that you don't have to go out and explore the world or follow any specific teaching or doctrine. You can find truth and wisdom in your own backyard; in your garden.

So this blog will henceforth be my garden; my own little plot of Truth. By writing in it, I hope to learn more about myself and my world around me. It's one thing to think something and to keep it inside, but it's quite another to articulate it for others to see. You don't have to agree with what I write; you don't even have to like it. These are my thoughts, my feelings, my beliefs. They might validate, coincide with, or even conflict with your own. Mais vivre les différences!