This has nothing at all to do with my travels.

If I had to choose a crew of inpenetrable fictional men to surround myself with, I would pick an array of gents from across the genres, of all different types of characters.  From magical to legal, let me show you my pretend crew.


1. The Genie - from Aladdin (Robin Willaims)
"I'm in the mood to help you, dude, you ain't never had a friend like me."



Although I'm obsessed with princesses, I may have to admit that the Genie is my favorite Disney character.  (Aren't you surprised I only picked one animated guy for the whole list?)

Despite his absolute 'cosmic powers' and 'itty-bitty living space,' the Genie is a jovial gent who doesn't let his powers go to his head.  Never does he brood over his imprisonment to make his masters' wishes come true.  He's a comical character with a amiable friendliness to him. 

He's loyal too - even when Jafar became his new master, he knew that good would defeat evil and played cheerleader for his friend Al.  Who wouldn't want to be friends with the Genie?


2. Don Vito Corleone - The Godfather (Marlon Brando)*
"Every man has only one destiny."
*I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've played the video game and I'm halfway through the book... The movie comes next!



This chap may come as a surprise, but I chose the Don because I envy his unwavering loyalty and undeniable persuasiveness.  No, I wouldn't prefer for anyone to get killed, but when you've got the Don on your side, I'd say you're pretty well protected. 

Plus, he's really not a bad guy.  He keeps it all in the family and as a matter of business.  He's got connections across the nation, people who owe him favors, people who respect and fear him.  I'd just be afraid to get on this guy's bad side.

A couple of perks:  Italians are so cool, they have an awesome accent, and they make great food!  One last thing: he's holding a kitty.  Come on, that's precious!


3. Billy Flynn - Chicago (Richard Gere)
"How can they see with sequins in their eyes?"



Not only is this guy a rich genius, but he can sing too!  Who would have thought?  And Richard Gere is my George Clooney - he's that one older gentleman who I find attractive (that's not creepy, right?).  Just look at his style!  Not many guys can rock a fedora, fur or a scarf, but he's got them all going at once.

Anyway, he's cunning and logical; he can outwit his opponents by twisting words to his benefit.  Now that's rhetoric.  And he's never lost a case!  However, he charges a little high for my liking, but maybe he'd be in my posse for free (unlikely).  And I don't particularly like the lawyer rep, and even Billy here admit he "added a few erroneous phrases" so he'd win the case.

Well, despite all these drawbacks, I can't help but admire ol' Billy Flynn.  At least he could sing for me, now I wouldn't mind that one bit.


4. Captain America - Captain America: The First Avenger (Chris Evans)
"Figured I'd wait... [for] the right partner."



I had some trouble deciding between him or Ironman to choose as my superhero cronie.  Ironman is my favorite because he's sarcastic and cocky, but I decided with a comedian genie, and mafioso, and a cocky lawyer in the mix, I'd be better off with the captain here.

Captain America is classy, respectful, and a true gentleman.  He's the quintessential superhero because of his courage; he's ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good.  Also, his patriotism is pretty incredible (maybe it'll make up for my lack thereof). 

His perseverance shined through when he returned to enlist in the army after multiple rejections because he was too scrawny.  Now, though, he's a supersoldier, but he didn't get bitter about the previous rejections or feel the need to brag when he became a hero.  Yeah, I could use a guy like Captain America on my team.



I don't know what exactly I'd need these guys for, but gosh, wouldn't you just feel so secure to have a group like this surrounding you?  It's too bad none of them are real.

"are you nervous yet?"

Three more weeks til I go!  Yesterday, my good friend Molly asked me about a hundred questions about study abroad. (She's leaving in January for Ireland, and she's got the mindset going before I even do! It hasn't hit me just yet.)  One thing she asked me, as many do, was, "Are you nervous?"

This is an interesting question.  I am not yet nervous to enter a new country whose culture is completely foreign to me.  I am, however, nervous to leave this country, where everything is so familiar and comfortable.  I'm not looking forward to leaving my family, friends, and boyfriend.  I will surely be shocked by the alone-ness that I will feel when I embark on my journey.  There are many things that we take for granted in everyday life, and it will be nerve-wracking to give those things up.

But no, I'm not particularly nervous for the actual adventure.  Only what (and who) I'm leaving behind.  I know I'll have the time of my life and I'll probably never want to leave, but I will sorely miss those I love.

I'm not nervous to go there; I'm nervous to leave here.

It's a bird, it's a plane...!

Yesterday, Tony and I went to Kennywood with his brother Jake and his girlfriend Kacie.  I haven't been to Kennywood since high school, and it was the first thing that we got to check off our bucket list!

In the spirit of trying new things, I went on four rides I'd never experienced before:  Noah's Arc (a classic, apparently), Ghostwood Estate (pretty lame, especially because my laser gun didn't even work!), Sky Rocket (a new coaster that was installed last year - it goes from 0 to 50 in under three seconds, shooting up into the sky!), and the Sky Coaster (the frighteningly tall tower/bungee system at the center of the park, surrounded by the lagoon - this ride is supposed to simulate flying, and it costs extra money to ride).

Wow, was the Sky Coaster an experience.  I'd never ridden it before for fear of heights and excessive money spending, but I'm learning to overcome my fears and to see that spending money is okay sometimes, especially when it comes to creating a life-long memory like this.

Tony and I are both terrified of heights, so we were apprehensive to go up so high on a couple of wires and be dropped to the ground, but it was awesome!  I pulled the cord when we got to the top, and after a couple of seconds of weightlessness, we came swinging past the ground, arcing back and forth for a few exhilarating moments.  We got silly and excited, pretending we were superheroes, proclaiming our love for one another, and just screaming our heads off while flying over the park.  

Other than my harness slipping up from my knees to my hips, causing my feet to hang precariously below me instead of being straight like a board, the ride went well.  When we finally came down from the sky, I asked the attendant why my feet were beneath me, and she told me that someone had put me into a harness that didn't fit. Great news.

Next step:  Sky diving.

We're becoming a pair of adrenaline junkies.

Climbing Shale

I will leave for Santiago exactly six weeks from today.

After a morning of tutoring and reading, Tony came.  We made smoothies and grilled some chicken for dinner.  After our meal, we went on a drive through beautiful Sewickley.  We stopped at a craggy-looking rocky cliff of sorts on the side of the road.  Upon closer inspection, we noticed that the cliff wasn't made of large boulders, but rather, small layers of shale.  The rocks themselves were made of smaller divisions of themselves.  The cliff was vulnurable, and simply pushing on a stone would create a cascade of avalanching shale.

This is the late beginning of our summer of adventures - our brief, truncated, six week adventure.  We have composed a bucket list, consisting of some fifteen items which we are determined to complete by my departure.  We look forward to visiting Philidelphia and New York, a day at the wave pool with friends, golf and tennis, fresh squeezed lemonade, and a night at the drive-in movie. 

This last month and a half will be my attempt to fit in as much local fun with my favorite man before being shipped away from him for four months.  Here's to the summer of 2012 with my best friend Tony!

an introduction

i haven't blogged in over eight months. my previous blog was a dismal one, its posts riddled with dark poetry and complaints of the world.  even the template was a stark black and white.  i wanted to pick up with the hobby again, especially before my adventures begin, but i chose to start fresh.  this is a season of new beginnings, for me.  though it's june, i've chosen it will be my very own figurative springtime.  

i'm discovering that the best way to let go of the past is to actually let it go.

and to start new.  this summer is the first that i haven't actually worked.  of course, i have little time for that; i'm leaving the country seven weeks from tomorrow.  however, i did pick up a side job (i'm a restless one) tutoring a six-year-old in spanish.  this language was my first true love, and i'm finding that i love to share it with a girl so young and enthusiastic as she is.

besides that, i'm spending time preparing for my departure, and especially preparing myself mentally and emotionally to leave my other true love and my family.  tony and i made a bucket list for the summer, and i look forward to spending every moment i can with him before i leave. it certainly will be a difficult adjustment, but i'm also terribly excited for my adventures in chile.