It's been a long time coming

So. Almost four months since I last posted and I feel awful about it. Full time student with two part time jobs doesn't really leave much time for anything else, but with the new year coming up I'm going to try to keep up with everything. As for what I'm going to post today, I just wanted to put up a photo that I took about two years ago and that was selected by National Geographic as part of their Weekly Wrapper a while ago. It was taken on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

Hope for the future (?)

I work in a bookstore, and most of the time it's really annoying. Don't get me wrong, I love working around of the books and the store I work at is amazing. It's the people that get annoying. Just like with every customer service job, it tends to expose the rude and selfish side of humanity. I spend most of my time picking up books or magazines that people have left on tables and chairs, cleaning up cups and paper bowls and other worse thing, and cleaning nasty bathrooms. And a lot of the books I pick up are lying two feet from the shelf they belong on. And then there's the people themselves, who demand to know why we don't have a certain book, who want to know why books cost so much, etc. etc. Basically demanding.

Occasionally, I actually help people find books they want. And sometimes they even thank me.

But the other day, I saw something that made me realize I can be pretty pessimistic and I'm only allowing myself to see the bad. While I was straightening books a young boy, about 12 or 13, came over to me with an American Eagle bag and he said "I found this on the bench and it has a wallet in it." I thanked him and turned it into my manager. That was nice in itself, because the wallet was untouched. Then, about twenty minutes later, two older teenagers, about 17, came in and asked if we had found the bag and wallet. My manager gave it back and as I was walking away I heard the one boy tell the other he was going to find the boy who found the bag and thank him. That made me smile and I went back to my shelf cleaning. And finally, as I was finishing, the young boy came up to his brother and I heard him say that they older boys had given him $7 for turning in his bag and wallet.

Made. My. Day.

Dan My Man

Last Friday I signed the adoption papers for an 11 year old Thoroughbred gelding named Dangel, or Dan for short. On Tuesday we brought him home, and we're all getting used to having a horse while Dan's getting used to his new home. He's really sweet, large and powerful, and still a little skittish in his new surroundings. But we're making progress and he's settling down, and hopefully soon i'll be able to start riding him. Sometimes it's really weird having a horse, I'm not quite used to it yet, but I'm really excited for what's to come. So just a heads up, you'll probably be hearing a lot more about Dan and horses in the future. 

Short Fashion blurb

So even though I'm not a fashion person and I don't really have a sparkling sense of fashion like my friend Amber, I think I can still dress cute and I know a good deal when I see one. (usually :P ) Recently I found a website called HauteLook, and it has daily sales from brand name designers, which can still be pricey or, like today, be really well priced and really cute.

It's got a lot of things; mostly clothes, but there's shoes, jewelry, beauty and hair accessories on occasion, even vacations. Take a quick peek at it and see what you think; you might find the next blog post if you're a fashion person or maybe a dress you plan to wear on your next date. Enjoy!

www.hautelook.com

One Step Closer

This week we've started looking for a horse to buy/adopt/rehome! We have a stable to board at and a stall being held for us, and we're doing adoption applications now. I've found a bunch of horses that look really good and look really good rides, like a horse named Dangel and another called Click Here (his barn name is Ted) I'm so excited and praying that this will work out.

Right now I'm focused on finding a retired racehorse, a thoroughbred off the track. That's what the two I mentioned above are. Thoroughbreds get a bad rap because they can be high-strung and spirited. But they are actually a pretty great breed, really flexible and able to do many disciplines. They're good sport horses, great a jumping and cross country and Dressage. My mom isn't too thrilled, because of their reputation, but I'm thinking it's a really good idea because many people don't want off the track horses.

I'm wildly excited about this, but I'm also scared. I've never had a horse of my own, and I'm kinda nervous about it. Will I be able to care for it like I should? Will I be a good owner, someone who cares for the horse like I need to? Am I good enough to do this? And then if I can do all that, will I be able to compete and show and be good enough to reach a high level? I don't have the money I need really be a serious competitor by having the best horses; could I do it by skill and practice alone? All of these questions and what ifs are running around in my brain, and I just hope I can prove myself to the Equestrian World someday.

Road Reflections

I'm back from Massachusetts, and it was a cool trip. Along the road I had time to think a lot, and I just wanted to post some of my ramblings. It's much different here from my travels in Europe, in a lot of ways. For one, it was one of the few times I wasn't a foreign traveller. Everyone spoke my language and I paid in dollars. No currency exchanges at all! And then there was the city. Boston is built UP, like most American cities. It's tall skyscrapers and newness and business. Very unlike the European cities, which sprawl outward from the center where people first settled hundreds of years ago.

The buildings in European cities can be, at times, older than the United States. The buildings in Boston are the United States, or the start of it at least. They're the same churches and meeting houses our Founding Fathers walked through, the buildings where our revolution was born. And in that historical sense, it isn't that much different than Europe, except that the history seems much closer. All those events and buildings are less than 300 years old, and it the echoes of History are much louder, much easier to reach and hear. America is a baby in the world. So young. Of course I'm not the first to say that. But I think that sometimes America and Americans forget how young we really are, and it can make us arrogant in other countries. Like children.

Anyway, Happy early 4th of July!!! I can't wait to get together with my family and celebrate with good food, laughter and fireworks.

Road Trip

Tomorrow I'm finally getting out of Ohio, even if it's only for a week.

We're heading up to Boston until the 25th, to see the historical sights, the beach, and hopefully some good seafood. We'll be staying in Boston and traveling up and down the coast. I'm excited, and I can't wait to do some traveling. Road Trip!!!

But for now, it's back to mowing the yard. Ciao!

Make It Your Passion

Dr Hawass was shorter than I though he would be.

That was the first thing I thought when he walked out onto the stage. But I leaned forward with rapt attention, my pen ready to take notes. He talked about tourism in Egypt, how it's safe and that he thinks in a month everything will be back to normal. He talked about restoration projects, new tombs and pyramids, and new mummies. It was really really amazing to listen to him talk, the first hand experiences and the jokes he made. He was really funny, catering to the crowd's sense of humor. 

He was also kinda a jerk, like all famous people are, but when you're carted around the world and speak to hundreds of people who only see one side of you, I think it's excusable. You don't get much of a chance to have time for yourself or your family and you have a lot to live up to. Dr. Hawass told the crowd that he doesn't think anyone wants to be like him, because it takes a lot of your life away from you. It gives you something to think about, when you think about famous people.

His warning though, doesn't dim my desire to be an Egyptologist. I don't care about the fame or the glory, I just want to find the tombs and temples left behind by this amazing and beautiful civilization. I want to be able to get a glimpse into the lives of these people, who built monuments that still stand today. Glorious, amazing monuments that are still only shadows of what they used to be. 

Dr. Hawass's final words were words of advice for not only aspiring Egyptologists in the crowd, but words for anyone who has some goal or love they want to do. His words were these: 

If you like something, it's not enough. 

If you love something, it's not enough. 

But if you give your passion to something, you make it big.

Dr. Hawass Egypt: Today and Tomorrow

So, continuing on the Egypt thread from my last post, this Sunday Zahi Hawass is going to be in Cincinatti. For those of you who don't know, Dr. Hawass is the world's leading Egyptologist and the Secretary General of the Supreme council of Antiquities in Egypt. It's going to be his first lecture in the US since the revolution and I'm going to be there!!!

Dr. Hawass is going to talk about Egypt today as well as Cleopatra Ptolomy VII and the search for her tomb. Cleopatra, who died as Alexandria fell to Octavian and the Roman empire, was thought to be buried in Alexandria, near the palace. Which is now submerged in present day Alexandria's harbour. But recently, evidence suggests that she may be buried somewhere else west of Alexandria on the Egyptian coast. Cleopatra is kinda my ancient hero; she was a strong queen who did what she had to for her country's survival.

I can't wait to hear Dr. Hawass speak. I'm going to take a notepad and hopefully a camera and get as much as I can.

Flooding. Tornadoes. Volcanoes. The Rapture and Judgement Day. And apparently the end of the world is in October.  It's a crazy world we live in.

Four years ago I went to Egypt for a day as a stop on a cruise. It was the most amazing day of my life. Egypt has been my passion since I was in 3rd grade, and going there was everything I had hoped it would be. But I was nervous too. I stick out like a sore thumb, with my light skin, blond hair, and blue eyes. I'm as obviously European or American as you can get. I'd never been to an African or Islamic country. But it was gorgeous. Amazing. The Pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Cairo museum; I was in heaven. 

But there was one thing that happened that day that I will remember and treasure for the rest of my life. It wasn't anything at the Giza plateau. It wasn't anything in the museum. It was on the bus, stuck in traffic on the way through Cairo. I was just sitting there, bored, staring out of the bus window and watching the city go by.  Right next to the bus, below my window, was a white car, and staring up at the bus were two muslim girls, teenagers, watching the bus full of oddly dressed foreigners. I smiled at them; they both smiled hesitantly back. I raised my hand in a wave and laughed, and they did the same. Before I realized it, all three of us were laughing like we were old friends who were seeing each other after a long time. Like, stitch in my side laughing. Then the traffic starting moving, and the white car disappeared into the thick Cairo traffic. My mom asked what I was laughing about, but I couldn't explain what had just happened to me. 

I'll never see those girls again. We couldn't hear each other. I don't even know if they remember that day. For all I know, they could've been laughing at my bandana. Or my shirt. Or the way I looked through the window. But the thing is, we were from two completely different worlds, different continents. Even if we could have talked to each other, it would have been impossible because we didn't speak the same language. But still, there was that moment, when all three of us were laughing, that cultural and lingual barriers crumbled. We were just three girls, three humans, adrift in a wide world full of hatred and prejudice, they with no voice at all, me with a voice that was too quiet to be heard. 

But still, we laughed. 

Plain Pretty

A car horn blares at me as I dart across the street. I flip the driver off and keep running. I'm already late for class and it's raining. The dude can wait.

As I run, I think. Two things have been foremost in the chaos of my mind this week, and I've been trying to solve these problems nonstop. The first is finding a suitable ending to my book: I'm on the last chapter but I can't figure out the right way to cut it off so I can have a nice lead-in to the second book. The second issue was what to talk about on my next post. I don't have anything particularly interesting going on, and no pressing thoughts, so what I'm going to do is an experiment.

An experiment in writing styles. And since I have no topic, I'll just stick with myself.

I'm 19. I've been in college for almost two semesters and I think I'm finally getting a little bit better at the whole thing. At least the social part. The student part needs some work.

I'm what you might call 'plain pretty'.  I'm not bad to look at, though there are definitely girls out there who make mens' eyes skim right over me. For the most part, I don't mind. I've got pretty blue eyes and a pretty round, normal face. My hair is golden blond when the sun touches it, or on cloudy days just plain blond. Mostly, it's up in a ponytail.

I have hobbies and sports that I play. Like soccer. And horseback riding. I hate running though. Don't ask how I can hate running and love soccer. It's a win-lose relationship.

I read. I write. I watch television.

Sometimes I even do my homework.

I could go on, but let's face it. You don't want to hear about me and who I am exactly. Blogs are for ideas and deep thoughts. Or gossip. I don't really do either of those. I'm more of a fantasy writer than the dig-down-to-your-soul writer. Not that I don't have deep thoughts or interesting ideas. I just don't tend to do the whole soul-digging thing.

Maybe it's because I'm afraid of what I'll find there.

Things Fall Into Place

So, after a long time of debating and weighing options and consequences, I had finally decided that transferring colleges would be the best thing for me to do. One, I wasn't having a great time at my college and it was costing my family thousands of dollars and two, transferring to a college close to home meant I could save my family about $15,000. It wasn't really that hard of a choice at first. I don't go out to party and I don't have many friends, so I would miss that. The only thing, in fact, that I would really miss would be the Equestrian Team. Which, believe me, I almost would miss enough just to stay. But finally, after two or three weeks of debate, I put in a transfer application and sent in my transcripts. And I was happy about my decision.

Then, of course, that's when things started to pick up for me at the college I'm at now.

First, I started to make some really good friends. I got invited to dinner and movie nights. I started hanging out with people in my spare time. I laughed more in the past two weeks than I have all year long. I started thinking that maybe staying here wouldn't be so bad. I got to show in an IDA intro class, and I get to show again this weekend. And I realized that I'm definitely sacrificing some things that I could have going for me by transferring.  It just goes to show that things can change, and fast, and never think that something bad is going to last forever, and remember that nothing ever ends cleanly. You're always going to leave something behind when you move forward.

End of Another Week

Well it's finally Friday!!! Which for me, means relaxing at home. This week was pretty standard, just classes and working out and more classes. In fact, nothing exciting happened until last night, when I found out that I would be competing in my school's Dressage Show. I've been on the team all year, but this will be my first competition. I'm so excited for it!! And very very nervous, of course. I want to show my instructors that I am competition worthy and they weren't wrong in picking me to show. So that's my big news for the week. Hooray!!!

On another Equestrian note, I'm trying to figure out how to get to the 2011 Rolex. I really want to Volunteer on that Saturday, but I'm worried I might have to go to training or something and that would conflict with my classes. So...we shall see.

So, that was a relatively short post. Not much going on in Ohio right now. Check back later for something more exciting.

There's No Place Like Home

Dorothy had it right when she said "there's no place like home." It's Spring Break! Which means delicious home cooked meals, sleeping in, and bookstores!! Hooray! 

Yesterday I went to Cincinnati to see an exhibit on Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt. Personally, she's one of my favorite women in history just because she was incredibly intelligent and extremely educated, and she tried to help Egypt grow and stay independent from the Roman Empire. Although she ultimately failed, she's still one of, in my opinion, the bravest and heroic women who ever lived. 

The exhibit was good, though I'm not sure it was worth the $20/ person that the museum charged. But it was set up really well and they had a lot of ancient and interesting artifacts, and it was really informative. Being a die-hard Tut-Nut and Egyptian freak, I had a lot of fun, and it made me really want to study Egyptology. I don't have any pictures from the exhibit, but I do have pictures of the Museum Center in Cincinnati, which was almost as interesting as the Cleopatra exhibit. 

The Museum Center is the old train station, and I walked into it and immediately wished that I could see it when it was in use, during the 1930s and 1940s. It would have been really cool. I think, that if Atlas Shrugged were to be made into a movie, then that's where it should be filmed. Maybe not in the actual city, just in the train terminal. It's perfect for the Taggart Terminal that Rand writes about in the book. Now, if I can figure out how to upload pictures, i'll get them on. 

Say Hi To George For Me

George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ryan Gosling are on my college's campus this week, filming for Clooney's movie The Ides Of March.  No, I haven't seen them yet. Usually I'm not one who likes conformity or following trends (I only wear riding boots when I'm going down to the barn to actually ride) but I have to admit that seeing Clooney or DiCaprio would be pretty cool.  (I don't know who Gosling is really) Actually, it would be really cool. BUT I'm not going to hang around Farmer School of Business all day long and bug the filming people about seeing him.

It would still be cool.

So with George and his 'Cloonies' around, who's going to notice that today a bus full of American SPs was attacked at Frankfurt Airport in Germany? Two Americans died, and two were wounded. But on my campus, with the filming and Green Beer Day, I doubt 90% of the school knows this. It was on the news this morning, and it scared the shit out of me.

When I first heard the news, I was walking out of the dining hall and saw the big TV announcer and a picture of an airport that looked vaguely familiar. And then I heard the words "Americans" "Attack" "Air field" and "Germany" and I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart pounding, everything slowing down. I was thinking, Oh my God, Germany...Ramstein! What if..? Did anyone die? Was it Ramstein? My friends, were any of them victims? Oh God, let them be okay. Please.  My fears weren't completely ungrounded; as the largest Air Base outside the US and one of the largest populations of Americans outside the US, it was, and had previously been, a terrorist target. I turned to the person sitting at the nearest table and demanded to know what base it was. He said shortly "Frankfurt Airport" and I felt the world resume it's normal pace.

Still. Four victims. Of a random and meaningless violent attack. Yet the students at my school aren't even aware of it. It just makes me sad, makes me wonder about the people in our country who don't look at the Military and their families and realize just what it is they sacrifice for people who they don't know and for people who don't even care. Like those people who protest the war at the funerals of soldiers. Those who say that the men who died did so because it was "God's message" or whatever. Imagine if that was you, standing there at the funeral of your loved one, your son, daughter, wife, husband, father or mother, and people are shouting, yelling, abusing the memory and peace of that soldier who sacrificed him/herself so those people could stand there and shout.

Just think.

I'm arming myself with my camera and pen

I'm thinking that I need to do a little experiment. Just in Oxford, to see if I can teach myself something new.   So here's what I'm going to do for a week. Every time I leave my dorm i'm going to bring my camera with me and a notebook with a pen, and take pictures of things. Random things. Anything. I want to see if I can find something new in this town that will help me look at life a little differently. And I'm going to write down the things that I think about, whatever I learn, and see what I have at the end of the week. Next week, I'll post some of the pictures I take, and write about them.

I'm also going to try to read Wuthering Heights. 

Wish me luck.

Seriously America?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE

This video scares me. I worry about our country sometimes.

The Superbowl

I actually got to watch the Superbowl this year without having to stay up until 2 am. Of course, the only reason I had any real interest in it was because the Steelers were playing, but hey, the commercials were worth it. Or some of them. Anyways.... it was very interesting to see how the people here react to the Superbowl.  It's as big as soccer over in Europe and just as competitive. Though hugely different. But still, somewhat entertaining.

Anyways, despite the title of this post, what I really want to talk about are the Lipizzaners Stallions, which I was lucky enough to see at a college near where I live. Horseback riding is one of my many passions, and I was so thrilled to see them that I had to hold back tears of just pure joy at seeing these beautiful white stallions. Originally trained for battle, today the Stallions are the picture of perfect dressage and amazing horsemanship, and they were truly wonderful to watch. I HIGHLY recommend going to see them, even if you are not an avid horse lover as I am.

Yesterday I did have ramen for dinner. It was quite good, and microwaved ramen is just as good as stovetop ramen if you cook it long enough. That being said, I have nothing else of even remote interest. My thoughts have been of home and going home, because I really dislike my college and I can't wait for the semester to end. As my dad cheerfully pointed out in an encouraging email to me:

It's only 3 1/2 months left!

adieu

Book of the Week:

My Bonny Light Horseman
By L.A Meyer

I liked this book I think second best of all of the Bloody Jack series so far. Maybe Third best. But it was really good, Meyers has a talent with making the history seem real and tying Jacky into all the right places during the battle. He really makes the story come alive and does a wonderful job with it. What I like (and dislike at the same time) is that Jacky is so very human. She cries and begs and pleads and is conniving and a flirt, but at the same time she is such a good, round character that it just makes her seem more alive and more real. Meyers gives her a huge amount of depth and this is a great book for anyone to read.

Hello

I'm a normal American Teenager. Well, somewhat normal. I'm what's becoming known as a "Third Culture Kid." I lived in Ramstein, Germany for 9 years and just moved back to the States in July 2010.  I've lived in the States for 6 months and 10 days. I'm still adjusting.


Right now, I'm in my second semester of college, and I kinda hate it. It's not really the work or the classes; they at least keep me busy. It's more of the people here, and the fact that there is absolutely nothing to do in this tiny little town except drink and party. So, this is becoming a challenge, a test of who I am and how I'm going to survive. I think, if you're going to keep reading this, we should set up some guidelines.


First, there are three things you need to know about me:


1. I'm very opinionated. So try not to get offended if I say something that you don't like. I'm not out to make anyone mad, so don't take it personally.


2. I like to write. Which probably goes hand-in-hand with being opinionated. 


3. I want a tattoo. On my hip. Savin' the money


Some rules:


1. If you're going to comment, please be civil. Don't cuss and don't insult me. No one is asking you to stay. 


2. yea that's actually about it. I'm pretty relaxed most of the time. 


I hope you enjoy my postings!