Books and Boats (of the cardboard variety)

Alright I have once again been absent from my computer, but it's not my fault! It is summertime on Long Island and I was lost in the world of Game of Thrones, which had entirely engulfed my life (I am on book two). If you have not yet joined the Games of Thrones following, I strongly encourage you to, especially if you are a bit of a Science Fiction nerd, as I am. And when I say Sci-Fi nerd let me clarify--Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, etc.--I have watched and read them all (except Lord of the Rings, that is number one on my Winter reading list). I love science fiction! I love books in general, but give me a book where I have a whole other world to fall into and I can be lost for days, as you have seen. 

Well luckily for my blogging a few things have come up which require me to turn on the computer and so hopefully I will stay focused for a week or so. But while I am on the topic of books, I have recently rediscovered goodreads and if you have an account, feel free to follow my reviews or add me. I am currently looking for my next book and would appreciate suggestions!

Last weeks highlights:

1. My sister went to prom, and looked very nice in a vintage dress.
2. My sister graduated high school, and as always she couldn't let me get off with grumbling in the bleachers--I received quite the sunburn and will not be forgetting that day anytime soon!
3. My jury duty case was settled and dismissed.
4. I finished the first Game of Thrones book.
5. And probably the oddest of them all, I attended Riverheads' 3rd Annual Cardboard Boat Race!

Now while proms and graduations are exciting, what I know we both agree will make for better reading is the cardboard race. A few of the winery guys have gotten together the last two years to compete in a cardboard boat race down the Peconic. While last year I only heard stories, this year I was in attendance, however unfortunately was not able to see the race itself as graduation was conveniently scheduled for the same time. Let me paint the scene:

The Crew

The "Bottom of the Barrel"

Stepping out of our cars you would never know that a race was getting ready to start just down the street. The streets are quiet, calm, and deserted, however once Main Street is crossed the sidewalk comes to life and their is cardboard of every shape and color, people of all ages in costume, music, BBQs, carnival food stands, shouting, and more going on than a single person could absorb. Waking down the waterfront close to 200 boats of all shapes, sizes, and themes, manned and built from those ages 7 to 90 overflow from the sidewalk onto the dock, sidewalk, and grass. Tents are set up tailgate style with the smells of barbecues and beer coming from all directions. Wandering through the mess of boats I come face to face with Mr. Spock in front of the Starship Enterprise, "Just Keep Swimming" with the cast of Finding Nemo, meet the Swamp People, and so many more before finally reaching last years reining champions, defenders of the first prizes, and a bunch of friendly faces aboard their Viking style long ship "Bottom of the Barrel." Manned by nine 30 something year old men, they were quite a force to be reckoned with and once again beat out the competition. While this year I made it to the pre-race, hopefully next year I will manage to see the cardboard hit water!

This Spartan has Graduated!

After 3 years of classes, sleep deprivation, and poor nutrition college has finally come to a close and with it, I am turning the page to find out what lies ahead.

The last few days have been hectic to say the least and I am very happy to be finally sitting down for more than ten minutes at a time, although I unfortunately cannot say that my to-do-list has decreased much in length. (It is going to be a very busy summer, and rest of my life I suppose.) My family arrived on Thursday and the whirlwind of graduation activities began. 

Each night I had a dinner planned with some of my close friends, as my parents were eager to meet some of the people with whom I had surrounded myself for the last 3 years. These were all a lot of fun, but tinged with sadness since they were in a way a punctuation to my time spent at MSU. Friday and Saturday were my graduations, which were quite the surreal experience, as even now the reality of graduation has not fully hit me, and I am not looking forward to when it does. Now if all of this, plus getting the most of my last evenings as an undergrad, resulting in very little sleep, wasn't enough, I was voiceless for the entirety of the weekend, and am still only now starting to regain the ability to speak. So squeaking and croaking, I went through my final days in Michigan as an undergrad, saying my "See You Later's" and getting caught up in all of the excitement. 

Now, having unpacked the last box, and settled back into life in NY all I can do is smile thinking of the last 3 years. I am surprised and pleased to see how much I have changed since I first set foot on MSU’s campus. I have made some amazing friends, had some truly crazy times, experienced things I never would have imagined, and made memories that I will never forget. While I have never been one to have a lot of school pride--I can count the number of MSU sports games I have attended on one hand--I know that MSU and the people that I met during my time in Michigan will be a part of me forever. While I stumbled upon Michigan State purely by accident, it was the place I needed to be and I cannot thank everyone that I have met enough for taking the naive girl from Long Island who walked in Emmons Hall in August 2009 with a very twisted view of the Midwest and turning her into the person that I am today.

Thank you MSU! I am and will be a Spartan for life! GO GREEN!

Graduation, quickly approaches

With just 10 days left until graduation, the countdown has officially begun! As the numbers slowly descend to the single digits I can’t help but feel the reality of the coming 12 months—and really the rest of my life—begin to set in. 

I have been racing to graduation since before I even submitted my first college application. For years I have been racing ahead, with my eye on the next goal, the finish line of the next race in sight before I crossed the previous one. Now, having just left my last class as an undergrad, it is funny how quickly the end has come, and it is quite sad that I didn't realize until now just how much I am going to leave in the Midwest when I head home next Sunday.

College on the whole has been a very different experience than I initially anticipated. I assumed that college would be much like high school (and it was) but there was so much more that I learned and experienced in these last 3 years than I ever imagined that I would. I have met some truly amazing and inspiring people, been involved in some fantastic things, gotten to experience and see so much, as well as open my eyes to so many different ideas and ways of life.

For years people have been telling me "enjoy this time, these are the best days of your life" but I never gave those words much thought. I have always been one to focus. I know how to plan and I know how to get things done. But it has taken 3 years in the Midwest for me to finally learn how to relax and to realize that it’s okay to fail, to be late, to mess up, or to make a fool of myself because how much fun can you really have otherwise? And if your not having fun, what’s the point?

Fun is the theme of this, next, and last week, as well as hopefully all of those following. Though it pains me a bit, I have to admit, the Midwest with its pop and hard "a" may have converted this NY girl, if not only temporarily.