Long lost airport romance

I wish the airport could be the way it use to be.  Dropping someone off meant waiting with them until they boarded the plane.  Waving and watching the plane take off as you feel you already miss them.  Picking someone up meant anticipating seeing their face as strangers exit the jetways until finally it is them.  These "olden day" traditions of airport exchanges seem so romantic- as seen in movies.  I wish it could still be this way.  

Happy Inauguration Day!

How funny is it that iTunes released a 49 song compilation for President Obama titled "Songs About Obama?"  Pretty comical, yet cute.  

Or, that there is a website full of tips of party ideas and themes to hold on inauguration night?

Or, that there is a beer glass with this imprinting on it?

Tonight I am working a banquet event hosted by the country club.  It is a dinner and dancing in celebration of the inauguration.  I think it will be fun.  Except for the setup... damn napkin folding :)  I love parties, especially if they are in support of something as cheery as change and optimism (or should I say hope?).  

It is just cool to see everyone coming together.  I am very sentimental.  

Finally, I wonder how many times they will show Oprah crying?  Haha.  I mean, come on, you had to have noticed during his acceptance speech that the camera flashed to her emotional state every two minutes.  But, go Oprah, I cried too!

Cheap Date Night

There has to be something said for cheap date nights.  Even though nothing seems cheap right now.  Maybe its the casualness?  Or the spontaneity? But, eating homemade nachos, drinking cheap Cristalino champagne (that took us forever to decide on at Freddy's), and seeing My Bloody Valentine 3-D a bit giddy on Saturday was so fun.  I love seeing scary movies (even if that wasn't a good one) with my boyfriend.  I react to everything- the dramatic music, blood, a startle, a scream- and he enjoys watching me freak out and holds my hand tighter.  :) Love that.

Start the Fire

Upon searching for my next editorial to critique for my writing class, I stumbled onto this little number by New York Time's Opinion Columnist Roger Cohen.  He introduces the piece by saying "With apologies to Billy Joel, who’s more of a chronologist, and in tribute to a president, Barack Hussein Obama, representing a new post-cold-war generation of 21st-century Americans."  The column is less of a column, but more of a statement in my opinion.  It provoked a lot of thought in me and maybe it will do so in you.  But, it left me thinking, what is he really trying to say here?  How is this a tribute?  What do you think?  

We Didn’t Start the Fire

Bill Clinton, Tina Fey, capitalist China, O.J.,
Asia rising, Facebook, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ugg boots, Seinfeld
West Bank, Gaza City, Tupac Amaru Shakur

Mohamed Atta, W.M.D., Harry Potter, Reality TV
Tom Cruise, American Beauty, MP3, Oprah Winfrey

Schwarzenegger, YouTube, America’s got organic food
Armstrong, blogosphere, Monica Lewinsky

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Vlad Putin, Medvedev, Assad, Posh-and-Becks
The West Wing, Y2K, massacre in Falluja

Britney Spears, Spike Lee, Kurt Cobain, Sarkozy
Mia Hamm, Heath Ledger, Viagra, Napster

Lindsay Lohan, skinny jeans, Boston’s got a winning team
Lehman Brothers, A.I.G., subprime, Ponzi scheme

Rwanda, Darfur, Bosnia, and a billion poor,
Tehran, Hezbollah, trouble with the jihadis

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

New Orleans, Bolaño, Sarah Palin no-go
TiVo, Hu Jintao, and the vegan-eco crowd

Tony Blair, Paris Hilton, Princess Di, Bin Laden
Pyongyang, the renditions gang, Roger Clemens in a cloud

ACT UP, Infinite Jest, O.J. Part Two, Johnny Depp
iPhones, Federer, Who Let the Dogs Out?

Halle Berry, cloned Dolly, and another Kennedy
Jon Stewart, American Psycho, tsunami, Danger Mouse

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Sedaris, Unabomber, Girls Gone Wild, Nasrallah
Jay-Z, Shanghai, shock and awe in Baghdad

Amy Winehouse, Imus, gases of the greenhouse
Kelly Ripa, Maureen Dowd, Ted Williams gone mad

Outsourcing, Mumbai, so many didn’t have to die
David Blaine, human rights, and Napoleon Dynamite

Mandela, Madonna’s ex, abstinence, safe sex
Rabin blown away, what else do I have to say?

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

BlackBerry, global mall, Hillary Clinton standing tall
Tiger Woods, Barry Bonds, MySpace, The Corrections

Rushdie, Starbucks, Channel Tunnel, Spurlock
American Idol, Black Hawk Down, Miracle on the Hudson

Sopranos, Cougars, Da Vinci Code, life on Mars
Saddam hung, Mugabe, traumatic stress, mission creep

Social networks, match.com, iChat, Amazon,
Terror cells, endless war, I can’t take it anymore

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Hawaii, Kenya, Kansas and Jakarta
Harvard, finding God, social work, Axelrod

Red state, blue state, unity can no longer wait,
A time to reap, a time to sow, we will close Guantánamo

Iowa, Yes We Can, McCain was just an also-ran
I Have a Dream, Bush out, a black man in the White House

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it
We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire ...

Spring Break!

Yay! I think we are doing another Spring Break in Florida! I'm so excited to get some sun, hang out with my friends and relax!  Definitely something to look forward too.

Getting over my Photo Booth Phobia

When I worked at Apple showing people the features of Photo Booth was definitely one of my least favorite activities.  Kids and teens especially would come in asking to be shown the application as a way to pose in amusement for hours.  I on the other hand I hated it.  I avoided at all costs to be in the frame- partially due to the lighting in the store and partially due to my occasional fear of having my picture taken.  But, tonight as boredom set in, I conquered my fear and took my first Photo Booth picture.  Here they are.  I should title them: Christine and Her Homework Escape.

Having the Marble, Being the Sculptor

We have all heard of the couple who broke up because one or both of them needed to be single to find themselves.  In the past I have understood this as a valid reason.  In fact, I heavily avoided any relationship involvement for a number of years with the intent to "find myself."  I lived on my own, attempted to find my own faith, took up independent hobbies, worked to support myself, and reflected often.  Wasn't this the proper criteria to discover myself?  Seemed like that is what external sources like magazines and movies were telling me.  I am glad I did all these things, but none of them really helped me in my journey.  I don't want to sound like finding myself is a means to an end.  I fully understand we evolve with age and discovering yourself is a gift we get to keep opening for the rest of our lives.  But, there is a point where you start to uncover who you are, what you are good at, and what you want for your life.  And mine didn't come alone.  Although, I will say in contrast I am not speaking for everyone when I write this.  Other, more dependent people, might need their own time to figure our their identities.  But, for me, my identity was found the opposing way, since I had always been this "do-it-yourself" type.  It wasn't until I was in a healthy, committed relationship (I smile saying this) that I gained perspective, understanding and confidence in my life.  My ability to trust someone as much as I trust myself was a huge step for me.  I no longer have to go about things alone.  I can reveal my insecurities, fears and stresses to someone more supportive than I could ever treat myself.  It has always been one of my weaknesses to be too hard on myself, so it is so comforting to have an opinion I value as much as my own to believe in me.  Through these months I have learned just as much about myself as I have about my boyfriend.  This process has helped me become comfortable and balanced in who I am, learn what I want to do and believe in myself to achieve these things.  I am happy.  As I said before, having a partnership is not beneficial for everyone in adopting satisfaction in their lives.  Some need to be alone to internally reflect and gain a voice for themselves.  But, as I will conclude, don't think you HAVE to be alone.  Some of us need to let the RIGHT ones in to really learn about ourselves.  

I am in love with this quote on love.

To love somebody is not just a strong feeling- it is a decision, it is a judgement, it is a promise. If love were a feeling, there would be no basis for the promise to love each other forever. A feeling comes and it may go. The desire to love is not itself love. Love is as love does. Love is an act of will- namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love.

I highlighted this quote while reading The Velveteen Principles.  

New Music Recommendation

Rosi Golan's The Drifter and The Gypsy has been the only thing playing out of my iTunes/iPhone all week.  Her voice is gorgeous.  You might recognize her song Shine from a shampoo commercial.  The upbeat little tune puts me in a great mood every time it plays.  

Here is one of my favorites (amongst tough competition).  Hazy  featuring William Fitzsimmons.

Entrepreneurship: nature or nurture?

As I am contemplating changing my business concentration from marketing to entrepreneurship the question nags at me, do I really need to learn how to be more like myself?  I really like my Introduction to Entrepreneurship class and I feel the course is catered to assuring me that all the traits I possess will amount to something great.  But, is that what a major should do?  Should a personality type gets its own major?  I'm unsure of the answer.  A degree in entrepreneurship can teach future entrepreneurs many things I am sure- financing, marketing, innovation, etc.  But, if the person possessed the creativity, passion, vision, obsession, crisis-management, stress craving, independent, network capable personality traits wouldn't they figure out these things anyway?  On the other hand, it seems a perfect fit.  Hmm...