Circles

When I was about to start my freshman year in college, my best friend Jackie included me, my wonderful friend Audrey, a childhood chum named Karen in on her graduation present: front row seats to the John Mayer/Ben Folds/James Morrison concert


God, we look so young (we were what, eighteen?). But the concert was fantastic, nonetheless. It was my first time seeing John Mayer live; I had originally gone for Ben Folds, being a little snotty about seeing Mister Mayer. I had liked his music, knowing the standard lyrics, "I wanna run through the halls of the high school/I wanna scream at the top of lungs," but I wasn't super crazy about him. But when he took the stage, I couldn't take my eyes away; he was such a talented musician and his comments before his songs were hilarious. One thing that he said before singing "No Such Thing" was that in high school we think we're one way but really, when we get out it's when we discover who we really are and that the times we have in college are those to really cherish and live in the moment for. I remember going right home after the concert and downloading all of his music.

As my college years have gone on, my Ipod and Itunes have housed John and his lovely jams, but I hadn't thought about that concert in 2007 in awhile. Then Friday happened: My big sis at Meredith (Maggie) skyped me and asked if I wanted to accompany her to the John Mayer/Train concert that following night because her partner in crime, Whitney, had fallen sick (I hope you're feeling better, boo!). Did I?! SCHYEAH.

It's funny to think that I saw John Mayer before I started my first year and the I got to see him as my last year in college looms ahead. Pat Monahan (the lead singer of Train), though forty-eight years old, was tall, thin, sarcastic...and talented. I could not believe the voice that came out him! He pulled a woman onstage who had the sign, "Forget Virginia...meet Karen!" Hahahaha.


When John came onstage, everyone stood up and started cheering, Maggie and I included. We just had fun the entire night (sans a creeper who tried to hit on us...I told him our names were Lisa and Joanne). He crooned his way through songs mostly from the new album, and gave random but hysterical commentary about life in general (the way he speaks reminds me of Mitch Hedberg). Then came the Song that Caused the Tears: Stop This Train. Suddenly John launches into a speech about how sometimes we can't really slow down time and next thing I know he's quietly singing, "So scared of getting older/Only good at being young", and my eyes were welling up faster than I could wipe them off. It was one of those poignant moments that I don't think I'll ever forget. It was like I was hearing that song for the first time and really understanding what those lyrics meant. It was my favorite moment of the night.

I couldn't help but think about my ladies in the class of 2010, though-he launched into a smooth rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'" and all I could think about were those colorguard highschoolers twirling flags in the back :).

Senior year starts in less than a month. I can't even believe my summer's slowly coming to a close! Before school though, my lovely friend Hannah and I are planning to storm the Wilmington beach at midnight and play in the sand. We don't know when, but it's going to happen. Man, I really am good at being young.

Eaaaaarly Mornin' Musings

Why in the name of Starbucks am I up at 6:02 a.m. writing? It's not because I have Starbucks, that's for sure. I dozed off at about two but was awakened at about four with my throat screaming in agony. The culprit? Temperature changes. I don't sleep like a normal person to begin with...does that ever happen to you? When you just lay there with all of these random thoughts in your head? Mine range from, "What am I going to do after class?" to "I wonder what Zac Efron is doing...like this very second," to "Where's my third grade yearbook?" Sheesh. But you know what? I've been sitting in my bed, wide awake since four, and I've been watching the world slowly wake up; and I have to say, it's been pretty cool. My apartment overlooks our section of parking so it's been nice to observe the woman whose dog yapped once and caused her to scream, "It is five freaking thirty, Chloe! You're going to wake people up!"; the gym addict who dropped a sock while flying out the door (it's still there, by the white Honda); and the mama and maybe-nine-year-old daughter taking a quiet stroll. I guess I could say that I'm lucky after witnessing a rather sweet, albeit sorta loud, awakening.

I've made a new friend this week. We started our bond yesterday:

Yes, I have started the thirty day shred. Twenty minutes of, well, right now pure pain but really when you're lying in bed (not knowing you're going to be up in a matter of hours with a burning throat), you feel pretty damn good about yourself. No lie, there are moments when I want to maim Jillian because of her constant, "These abs don't come for free!" This I know, J. This I know.

While I have a new buddy, I also lost a dear part of my daily life: the Ipod crashed. Like died. No recovery possible. I told my mom that I felt like I had lost a child and without even looking up from her book she goes, "I really hope you don't have children. For a long time." Hahahahahaha. I have a funny family.

"See what had HAPPENED was..."

Welcome to the month of July! Wait, what? My summer is flying by! Senior year is looming (as I am constantly reminded by my parents), and talk of our final (final!) Meredith traditions make me simultaneously want to cheer and cry.

This past weekend made me realize that even when I graduate, I am going to love, love, love reunions. Amy, Kellie, Wise Old SCR (Sarah Catherine...but that's a nickname that's stuck since I met her), Kasey, Catie, and I all came together again for an absolutely fantastic weekend. From First Friday to traveling to Moore County to spend our Fourth of July with Amy and her sweet madre, I spent the whole weekend laughing, indulging in Amy's phenomenal blueberry tart and Red Room sangria (watermelon-honey, y'all. Watermelon-honey), and reveling in the company of some wonderful girls. Kasey and I got lost on the way to Kellie's and almost wet ourselves laughing while we tried to find our way from Johnston County to Wake (She mistakenly made me navigator, a position I am presumably fired from); our war cry for the weekend was, "It's just beyond the corn field!"

Ya-Ya's, gal pals, true blue's, whatever you want to call them-they mean a lot to me. I think there's something to be said by spending a lot of days together and never running out of stories to tell. Which is probably why when we're old, we're going to take over a neighborhood and live close-by one another...we'll probably be able to smell when Kasey makes stir-fry :D



Despite the fact that this weekend was full of friends, fourths, and feasts, it doesn't make up that currently my apartment has a few hundred guests: fleas. Ugh, ugh, ugh. I do not know how this came to be, but all I know is that I'm currently waging a war on little beasts that are about the size of a dust particle. But I'm not afraid...this fight will be won.

Happy July!