The Best Five Years

I think by the time I actually finish this it will have been a semester in the making. I have so many thoughts about it, I just cannot formulate them all at once.  This part: 2/21 Patterns, patterns. This past week has made me miss them. We had power outages and loss of water all over where I live, and all of my classes were cancelled. I was fortunate that things did not become too much of a tragedy for me, but it is difficult to watch as others are really struggling with how things hit this week. It was all because we had a few nights below freezing and some snow. Now, there is a lot of aftermath--mostly burst pipes and things like that. Almost all of my roommates and I decided to stay at our dorm through it and tough it out. It wasn't that bad, and it was even fun and exciting in some ways. We had a lot of good conversations, and everyone wandered around wrapped in blankets and huddled together to keep warm. I never thought I could want a shower or a hot cup of coffee, or even ju...

 "Never wanted love, just a fancy car." I have been singing the song, Cowboy Like Me , by Taylor Swift, quite a lot recently. I have found Taylor's latest album, "Evermore," to be filled with good and beautiful songs, and I really especially like Cowboy Like Me . Now the question is, "Why? Since when did I have any appreciation for Taylor's music, of all the music that there is?" I really don't know. I like the melody, I like the Western references, and I like the idea of a love that is not desired, but remains inescapable. This concept of love being a force too strong to reckon with is powerful and beautiful to me. I also like the imagery in the lyrics. I also have a lovely roommate, Abigail, who loves Taylor's music, and being able to discuss the lyrical depths in Taylor's music with her is fascinating to me.  Music is a funny thing for me. Today someone in class asked me whether I liked country music. I answered, "No, as a gener...

I think that as much as I knew the fact, I still underestimated the absolute joy of being back on campus and back into the flow of things as the semester sets in. Although there is often stress, just the joy of being able to do something and have it be something I am wholeheartedly passionate about fulfills me. There is something very sweet about life in the dorms, and I want to enjoy it to the fullest while I have the opportunity. My roommate Abigail and I were just talking about this last night how it was like that part of Anne of the Island where the young girls at college all lived together in their quirky little house. I love that aspect of this part of my life, because it is communal and sweet.  As a music major, I spend quite a bit of my time seated in front of a piano bench, staring at the black and white keys. I wish I could get in the zone of playing my instrument by just sitting down. That would make my life easier. Instead, usually the minute I sit and begin to play, my...