Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.
– Plato
It is commonly known that your sense of smell is one of the most powerful when it comes to evoking memory. While I am not challenging this notion (any whiff of aspen or pine trees sends me right back to my summer camp in Colorado), I believe that music can be just as powerful of a memory bank.
I’ve realized that over the years, I have collected a few “musical milestones” — a song that instantly transports you back to a point in your life, carries you away into nostalgia and recollection. A song can sometimes define certain turning points better than any other media — it captures emotion through chords and lyric and preserves it.
Here are some of the songs that make up my most notable “musical milestones” and the memories to which they are tied:
Moving to San Antonio, Texas (Fall 2008)
Montreal (Summer 2009)
Moving to Las Vegas (Summer 2010)
Freshman year fall (2010)
Sophomore year spring (2012)
Junior year fall (2012)
New York City (Summer 2013)
In just two days, I will be celebrating the one year anniversary of See. Like. Blog. In some ways, I cannot believe it has already been a year — time has flown thanks to a generous series of adventures, of which I could have never imagined when I started writing last August. I am different from where I began and this post is particularly significant because it gives me a chance to reflect on the big changes that have occurred thus far. These definitive shifts have been happy, sad, scary, exciting, joyful, awe-inspiring and, combined, have shaped me into the person writing all of these thoughts tonight. I hope you, my readers (and listeners), have enjoyed my musical milestones, as I hold these songs closest to my heart.
Yesterday at work I set up a media calendar template up to the month of December 2014. As I logged the national holidays through the changing seasons, I started to feel a nervous, excited anticipation.
This summer I have developed a much better idea of what I want my future to look like; I have come face to face with my dreams and they feel so close and possible now that I am constantly tempted to drop everything else to chase after them.
Thinking about time, I would have had no way of knowing just how this summer would unfold a year (or even 6 months) ago. Now, I am left wondering what the next year will contain.
I am a big believer in affirmations, good energy and positive thinking to incite change. While my final year at school will be filled with uncertainties (trying to figure out the what, where, when and why of my future) there are some things I can control: the memories I get to make with my best friends, the design assignments that will hopefully turn into passion projects and the joy I am able to find in the day-to-day. These are all ideas I am starting to think about, but not yet in a literal sense; the majority of my brain is still out wandering the streets of New York, soaking in as much as possible before the inevitable goodbye see you later.
With all these thoughts of dreams come true, changes afoot and what it means to really be a “grown up”, I took this weekend to indulge in all of my tried-and-true favorites: sleeping in on a Saturday, an afternoon of antiquing, thrifting and photography with my most wonderful Brooklynite friend Phoebe, followed by breakfast for dinner and drinks in the heart of Williamsburg.
Before I proceed with the pictures, I have to say that Williamsburg was a bit of a revelation for me. Having never ventured to this part of Brooklyn before, I was completely captivated by my surroundings. Beautifully painted graffiti and murals thrown up on cement buildings. A repurposed industrial vibe all over. Phoebe and I walked by the following during our visit: a bar made from what looked to be an old boat, a gourmet artisinal grilled cheese food truck and a martial arts academy with giant depictions of Bruce Lee on the outside of the building (see photos below). Something about this place made me reference one of my favorite shows instantly:
While Williamsburg is not Portland, I believe the dream of the 90s is alive in both destinations.
And for good measure, another summer diddy that will keep me tapping my toes through Labor Day:
More mustaches, smiles, doodles, fun shoes, tasty treats and adventures to come.
If this is the path to adulthood, then I’m thoroughly enjoying the journey.
Right now, there are so many little things that are adding brightness to my life. The last two weekends have been spent doing relatively low-key activities: baking, brunch, a trip to the Met and a walk through Central Park (not to mention a casual photo shoot for my Share Some Style profile). While these things individually are simple, strung together they have given me so much to smile about. Add a couple of songs, a new habit and a few harebrained ideas for the rest of my time in the city and life is starting to feel pretty damn close to… perfectp e a c h y.
1. “Treasure” by Bruno Mars
I dare you to listen to this and not feel like breaking out in a nice strut down the sidewalk. It is my “rise and shine” song of the moment.
2. Baking in Brooklyn
Last weekend, I escaped the hustle and bustle of Manhattan for the tree-lined streets of Flatbush, Brooklyn. Awaiting me there was one of my closest friends, Phoebe, a kitchen equipped with every baking ingredient imaginable (vanilla paste! peppermint extract! so many possibilities!) and a bookshelf made up only of cookbooks. Needless to say, we indulged our inner gourmands and whipped up some decadent treats: Caramel Banana Pudding and Dark Chocolate Mint Sandwich Cookies.
3. Yoga, yoga, yoga
My new favorite way to work out. Ever since I started taking yoga classes in the mornings, I feel more strong, focused and alert throughout the day. It has been such a restorative routine, and I actually look forward to my early morning wake up call now because it means I get to go to a class and give myself a little TLC for the mind, body and soul.
4. My Share Some Style ensemble
I was invited to take part in a photo shoot by the founders of a really cool up-and-coming website, Share Some Style. Share Some Style sets up clients with stylists and after registering myself as a stylist a couple months ago, I got in touch with Diane, one of the co-founders of the site. At the beginning of the summer, Diane invited me to take part in a photo shoot for the NYC stylists to help them build their online portfolios on the site. I got to wear one of my very favorite outfits for the shoot, including a coveted DeadBuryDead tshirt picked up at that Brooklyn craft fair: Feel free to check out my stylist profile and the rest of the pictures that were snapped (and of course, if you know of anyone looking for styling help, don’t hesitate to send them my way!)
5. A new album
Sara Bareilles, the singer/songwriter famous for her bubbly “Love Song” diddy, just released her new album and it is phenomenal. While I could go on about my personal takeaway from the album, I’ll let you form an opinion for yourself. Here are two of my favorite tracks, but I promise it will be worth your while to listen to the whole thing.
6. Museums + Parks
This past Sunday had all the makings for a purely wonderful day. I met up with Bailey, good old friend from high school, grabbed brunch, then meandered up to the Upper East Side for a bit of cultural enlightenment. We spent the afternoon at the Met, and I have already promised myself I will go again before my time in the city is up. Although we explored the museum for nearly 3 hours, there were still so many exhibits that I still need to see. After, we headed to Central Park to enjoy the fabulous weather (finally!), lounge and people watch. While an afternoon of museum and park visiting doesn’t sound particularly extraordinary, the excursion truly made me feel like a New Yorker. All that was needed was tickets to an Off-Broadway play that evening and I would have had no choice but to stake my claim here immediately.
7. Changes
Finally, I am contemplating some sort of change before I leave the city. I’m not really sure what this will be yet (I’m not really one for tattoos or piercings) but Pinterest has allowed my imagination to run a bit wild with ideas… Will keep you all posted on hair changes, as well as life changes over the next few weeks! I will end this post with yet another musical contribution for your listening pleasure: Stay cool, folks. Even more summertime city adventures to come. ♥
