Please read...


My friend's mom suffered multiple strokes on both sides of her brain the other afternoon. They were very deep and severe. The doctor said this isn't an average stroke; it was off the charts. As of now she is paralized on her left side but they don't know if it's permanent or not. They won't really know anything until she's off the sedation and ventilator and breathing on her own; they don't feel comfortable taking her off any time soon though. Not long ago she suffered a heart attack and the likes of her having another stroke or heart attack are very high. So far she's been able to move her eyebrows, mouth, and squint her eyes in response to those around her.

When I was young I witnessed my neighbor, a close family friend, having a stroke. All I can remember is the panic in my mom's voice as she picked up the phone to dial 911 and forced my friends and I downstairs so they wouldn't have to see their mom in that state. I was terrified by that experience so I can't imagine how hard it would be to watch my own mother suffer a stroke.

In my mind, my friend's mom is so strong, so full of life and personality that there's no doubt she'll fight this but I'm asking you, whatever it is you do, whether it's praying or keeping her in your thoughts or just sending some good vibes her way, please do it; I know she'll appreciate it.

Oh Couch Surfing, how I love you...
Travelling? Don't want to pay for a night or two at a hotel?
Why not stay on someone's couch?
Sounds sketchy right?
Don't worry there's a verification system put in place
for people who'd like to stay with non-murderers.
In January of '04 there were 929295 surfers in 231 countries

(including Antarctica)
Hopefully I'll get the chance to surf one day, preferably with 'Rasta T'!

To know me is to know I live at The Bou

I'm constantly made fun of for this

First it was,

"Why are you here, isn't it your day off? You're here more than Les."

Now it's,

"Why are you here? You don't even work here anymore."

...What can I say? I guess it's my Cheers.

I couldn't resist.

It may or may not be news to you

when I say I'm in love with bicycles
(preferably beach cruisers, please)

This photo is from Obama's inauguration,

wish I could have been there...

Let me vent for a second...

A bit of advice?

When trying to impress people,

...don't talk about yourself.

The people I admire most aren't the ones

with the greatest victories or the highest IQ

They're the ones who make me feel like I mean something to them.

My dad used to tell me a story and I wish I knew it exactly

but the gist of it is...

A woman went to a dinner party

and the man she sat next to talked about himself

and his awards and accomplishments all night

and when she got home and was asked how her night was

she said she had met the most amazing person.

The next night she was invited to another dinner party

and the man she sat next to didn't talk about himself

but wanted to hear about her

and when she got home and was asked about her night

she said she had met a man

who made her feel like the most amazing person.

Then my dad would ask, "...who would you rather be with?"

I collect quotes...

I keep them all in a little orange journal.

It lays on my nightstand, next to my bed, so I can grab it quickly

to write something down, or if I need some inspiration;

But of all the quotes that I've fallen in love with

my favorite is one I heard from, my friend, Chae...

We were sitting in a restaurant and he said,

"It's weird how someone can be so amazed by you-

just being you.

Like me sitting here eating this burrito,

someone could look over here and just be like, Wow!"

Honestly?

That looks like so much fun.

Sometimes I really believe it's love that makes the world go round.

Well... love, the possibility of it, and the pain when it ends.

The possibility get's us up and out into the world...

Love itself drives us to do the things we do,

whether it makes us proud or not...

And at some point after losing love and stuffing our face with ice cream,

while watching 'Breakfast at Tiffanys' twenty times in a row,

it drives us to get out and show that person what they missed.

Well, I called AmeriCorps yesterday to set up my phone interview.
It's scheduled for Wednesday, the 28th.
Apparently I'm going to be asked about

"work ethic", "diversity", and "working with a team".
I've been googling these all night so I can have some good answers.
Is that cheating?
Oh well.
So, hopefully I won't be here come Fall.

Fingers crossed.

This song saves me whenever I'm feeling completely unmotivated.