The day I was offered my job at Gilt Groupe, I decided to walk home instead of take the subway. It was an irregularly warm February afternoon and the sun was shining in the usually grim East Village. I had my iPhone music on shuffle and was in such a daze of glory that I didn't skip this song. The beginning of it always turned me off and I never made it more than few seconds in. Luckily that day, I listened to the whole thing and it's been one of my favorite Bon Iver songs since.
Because I so closely associate it with getting a new job, it always fills me with the promise and excitement of something new. Pretty fitting for a new year, take a listen:
Lump Sum, Bon Iver
1.02.2013
a resolution indeed
Happy New Year Friends!
My two 'creative' resolutions are to write more often and teach myself piano, I've already learned "Aud Lang Syne" today so it's only fair that I give to my other 'needed area of improvement' and write a post here.
I've certainly missed blogging and I'm not quite sure the direction I'll take this revival in but I am hopeful. After taking a one year break from improv and picking it back up this fall, I found myself enjoying it more than I had in a very long time. It has made me strongly believe that some times it's necessary to step back from things to make room for new or evolved ideas, knowledge and emotions. I hope this is proven true on here as well.
Tonight at dinner we talked about the very present "let's piss on the year" mentality that people generally have at the end of a year. I find it troubling that everyone so quickly dismisses a year or categorizes 365 days to be one general adjective: Good or Bad.
In all honesty, lately I've thought the world is indeed going to shit. Whether it be the stuff going on in the personal lives of people I love, seeing my hometown in devastation after the hurricane or the terrors of the recent school shooting, I've been feeling pretty blah in regard to the state of the world. And with these standout things in mind, off the top of my head I'd say 2012 hasn't been good to many people. I'd say you are all justified in happily waving goodbye to 2012.
But it frustrates me that these big things eclipse any instance of joy one felt. Don't get me wrong, the weight of the bad stuff makes it super challenging to look to a random awesome Friday night and be like "okay we're even." And I know everyone isn't as inclined to a rah-rah-sunshine attitude as I am, and let's be real- that attitude sometimes kicks me in the ass:
Guys, we are all going to have bad moments and terrible times. And even if they're not happening to us directly, we are going to feel for those people close to us or in the news or in our imaginations who are going through them. We are human, we have hearts, we feel. But we also feel the good and when we do, it's this happiness that can help you push through the very worst. And unlike the bad stuff, we can actually control the good that we have in our lives. I think we don't take advantage of this, I think we want good to just occur the way bad does and then call it luck. We rarely give ourselves credit for the light we have in our lives.
Run to something great this year. A new hobby, a fulfilling relationship, a challenge you've been meaning to tackle. Seek more things that make you feel GOOD. We have to stop letting life happen to us, we have to happen ourselves. I wish I could guarantee that no one will get sick, no guns will be shot, no lives will be lost in wars and that every day this year will be the 2013 you want right now.
But we all know that I would be a grade A pants- on- fire liar if I made that promise. My promise? I'm going to TA an improv class, teach myself the piano, see a lot of live music and dance in my bedroom,your apartment, the dingiest of dive bars and in the bathroom mirror at my job. (We all do that right?) I'm going to value the time I have with friends and family, I'm not going to take these relationships for granted, I'm going to pick up the phone more often to connect wtih those who don't live nearby. I'm going to push for my friends to take more weekend trips, my family to play more silly games on holidays and have more obnoxious reply all e-mail chains going on in my inbox because sometimes those 27 response long "top that" sessions make my day.
I'm going for the good in 2013 and hoping that it helps me survive the bad. I'm hoping that you do the same.
Always,
Jac
My two 'creative' resolutions are to write more often and teach myself piano, I've already learned "Aud Lang Syne" today so it's only fair that I give to my other 'needed area of improvement' and write a post here.
I've certainly missed blogging and I'm not quite sure the direction I'll take this revival in but I am hopeful. After taking a one year break from improv and picking it back up this fall, I found myself enjoying it more than I had in a very long time. It has made me strongly believe that some times it's necessary to step back from things to make room for new or evolved ideas, knowledge and emotions. I hope this is proven true on here as well.
Tonight at dinner we talked about the very present "let's piss on the year" mentality that people generally have at the end of a year. I find it troubling that everyone so quickly dismisses a year or categorizes 365 days to be one general adjective: Good or Bad.
In all honesty, lately I've thought the world is indeed going to shit. Whether it be the stuff going on in the personal lives of people I love, seeing my hometown in devastation after the hurricane or the terrors of the recent school shooting, I've been feeling pretty blah in regard to the state of the world. And with these standout things in mind, off the top of my head I'd say 2012 hasn't been good to many people. I'd say you are all justified in happily waving goodbye to 2012.
But it frustrates me that these big things eclipse any instance of joy one felt. Don't get me wrong, the weight of the bad stuff makes it super challenging to look to a random awesome Friday night and be like "okay we're even." And I know everyone isn't as inclined to a rah-rah-sunshine attitude as I am, and let's be real- that attitude sometimes kicks me in the ass:
“I'm the kind of person who would rather get my hopes up really high and watch them get dashed to pieces than wisely keep my expectations at bay and hope they are exceeded. This quality has made me a needy and theatrical friend, but has given me a spectacularly dramatic emotional life.” ― Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?Reality is a drag but I don't think a new year is going to create a new reality. With this in mind, I'm asking you to join me in a resolution. I'm asking you to carry this thought in 2013: embrace the good. The bad isn't going anywhere and if you think that NOTHING bad is going to happen to you in 2013, you certainly will have a Facebook status on Dec 31, 2013 that indicates it was "THE WORST EVER."
Guys, we are all going to have bad moments and terrible times. And even if they're not happening to us directly, we are going to feel for those people close to us or in the news or in our imaginations who are going through them. We are human, we have hearts, we feel. But we also feel the good and when we do, it's this happiness that can help you push through the very worst. And unlike the bad stuff, we can actually control the good that we have in our lives. I think we don't take advantage of this, I think we want good to just occur the way bad does and then call it luck. We rarely give ourselves credit for the light we have in our lives.
Run to something great this year. A new hobby, a fulfilling relationship, a challenge you've been meaning to tackle. Seek more things that make you feel GOOD. We have to stop letting life happen to us, we have to happen ourselves. I wish I could guarantee that no one will get sick, no guns will be shot, no lives will be lost in wars and that every day this year will be the 2013 you want right now.
But we all know that I would be a grade A pants- on- fire liar if I made that promise. My promise? I'm going to TA an improv class, teach myself the piano, see a lot of live music and dance in my bedroom,your apartment, the dingiest of dive bars and in the bathroom mirror at my job. (We all do that right?) I'm going to value the time I have with friends and family, I'm not going to take these relationships for granted, I'm going to pick up the phone more often to connect wtih those who don't live nearby. I'm going to push for my friends to take more weekend trips, my family to play more silly games on holidays and have more obnoxious reply all e-mail chains going on in my inbox because sometimes those 27 response long "top that" sessions make my day.
I'm going for the good in 2013 and hoping that it helps me survive the bad. I'm hoping that you do the same.
Always,
Jac
10.19.2011
another B
It's no secret that I'm bona fide Beyonce worshiper when it comes to modern day icons; that being said my adoration for old timey glamor has left me wondering who I worship from the fabulous days of yesteryear. After much contemplation, I've decided that I'm not so much of a Marilyn or an Audrey girl. As a matter of fact, as it turns out I plan to stick with what I know best and look to another Lady B:
Brigitte Bardot
10.18.2011
10.13.2011
no skips guaranteed
Head and The Heart Pandora Station
Laura discovered this one; I grow more and more impressed with it as each song plays
Laura discovered this one; I grow more and more impressed with it as each song plays
10.12.2011
This is how I love you baby
I just read that Paul Simon is going on tour next year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Graceland and then I got chills thinking of seeing him perform this live:
Hearts and Bones, Paul Simon
little fact: It's a song about Simon and his then girlfriend & eventual ex-wife Carrie Fisher traveling in New Mexico
Hearts and Bones, Paul Simon
little fact: It's a song about Simon and his then girlfriend & eventual ex-wife Carrie Fisher traveling in New Mexico
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
