iced tea and blue raspberry ring pop

So I’m sitting here on the porch of my parents house, a sunshine yellow little thing encased by a white picket fence a mere block from the beach. This town is such a cliché it could be the set of a movie about a little California beach town: everyone frequents Main Street, which only features the classic “mom and pop” shops and diners; people live on their bikes and surfboards, some of these houses have been here since the 30’s, the local newspaper has a “surfer of the week” and the Crime Log tells more stories of lost sea lions and injured seagulls than actual crimes, and gossip and stories can spread like wildfire.

As I sit here on the sunny porch of my sunny house I watch the small town pass before my eyes. People come in and out of my life on the porch, neighbors to say hello and ask how I’m feeling (much better after my horrible illness of the past week or so…pardon my French but tonsillitis is a bitch), passersby to say good evening and remark that they’ve met my parents or they love our flowers, my sister to lament the fact that all we do is watch sports (her complaint, not mine), and of course the occasional cat who knows this town better than anyone and if only he could talk, would assert his rule over all mankind. (its a very social place, a small town where everyone talks to one another)

In a span of a couple hours so much has happened in front of me or near me (p.s. whoever is grilling, I’m a great guest if you’d like to share). It just makes me think of all that happens around us in say, a year, or even a lifetime. In this metaphor that is slowly taking life in my brain, people pass in and out of our lives. Sometimes the ones you wish would stop and say hi never glance over and others (like the sketchy old man with his dog) take forever to finally walk by and make you feel really uncomfortable the whole time. Sometimes acquaintanceships never advance into friendships and sometimes you’re stuck with people for way longer than you would hope at a job or school. We try to fight this natural thing by keeping people around longer than naturally happens or forcing people out before time has run its course (and sometimes that's the way the lifespan of the relationship is determined) but I guess its important sometimes to just step back and recognize that this is part of the system.

water

I was recently at the Undergraduate Interfraternity Institute (UIFI), which was an amazing experience and I'm so glad I went. It consisted of a considerable amount of interacting in groups, bonding and talking about problems and solutions. After my tonsillitis/sore throat affliction I became obsessed with my water bottle, determined to not lose my voice or be in serious pain and miss out on the full extent of my five days in Indiana.

Anyway, somewhere along the way I realized people need to talk about themselves less. This is my life lesson for the day apparently and its not an easy one, especially when meeting new people. You want to tell people "I really love candy" when in reality those are just empty words until you show people that you almost always have candy with you and eat it often. At that point, you might as well have not even said anything. That time could have been better spent learning what food the people around you seem to have around and eat often.

In situations where you meet people and get to know them in only 5 short days, talking about yourself some may actually be necessary but its pointless unless you take time to know other people, not just make them know you.

constant comment hot tea

I've always said CC tea makes me feel at home. I mean that literally of course because I actually do drink it at home. a lot.

Today I've had more than usual because I've had a sore throat for a couple days. Lucky for me, last night I stayed up watching glee until 3 in the morning. Why is that lucky you wonder? Because I saw the episode "Laryngitis" Where Rachel Berry discovers she has tonsillitis and thinks its the end of the world. (but honestly...what isnt the end of the world for that girl?) So anyway I get to thinking, "tonsillitis is a total normal reason for having a sore throat since I haven't been doing any extreme yelling recently and I don't feel like I'm getting a cold." So I checked out my tonsils and they are quite beautiful of course but also a little red and swollen. And also according to Rachel Berry, tea, meds, and learning to shut up every once in awhile will help. (in case you remember the episode, she was on antibiotics but according to WebMD, thats only to help fight off strep if you are prone to it or if you have really bad tonsillitis, so I'm sticking to Tylenol) So I'm taking her advice and drinking lots of tea.

Ironically my immune system seems to care what's cool, and not only on Glee. Prime example: I got appendicitis right before Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy a few years ago. Just another reason why my life should be a TV show, I get more in common with these leading ladies every day (these two examples are both kinda whiny though, keep in mind that my show would be a severely entertaining comedy and there will be very little whining) I guess I'll just have to settle for a blog for now though. :-)

By the way sorry for a month's worth of posts in a day, I'll really try to keep up better.

May 16th Everything green tea

This one's just a short funny story: I ordered an iced tea at this little diner Sunday morning after church. This was a new place that we'd never been to so they didn't just automatically bring me tea like the other place we go. They asked if I want green or tropical, ideally I just wanted black tea but if I had to choose, green must suffice. When I got my glass of green tea it came with a giant sprig of mint floating on top like a flower exploding out of a vase and a chunk of lime hanging out on the rim. Seems like the green tea here comes with everything green in the kitchen.

(p.s. it wasnt very good...too many flavors)

May 10th half sweet half regular tea

I went to Florida early in May, where sweet tea is the norm and adding your own sugar is an unnecessary inconvenience. For most of my immediate family, sweet tea is too sweet so I became used to being the only one to order the sweet tea. The day we left however, my dad order a "half and half tea"--half sweet and half regular. It was the perfect blend and we all had refill after refill. This tea came from a little fish joint that hardly made any impression on anyone who walked by but for my family it had a special feel to it. It was one of my grandparents' favorites, although they hadn't been there in a few months. We all smiled as my dad shared the silliness of Grandma and Pops' usual order and talked about the lovely weekend we had had with our entire extended family. My dad had the task of telling their usual waitress that we were in town for my grandma's funeral, that she had been sick for a few months now. The waitress was just one person who knew my grandma, and who will miss her. The weekend was overwhelming to see all the people she touched; she was actively involved in her community and church and it seems she made an impression everywhere she went. I can only hope to have as many people pay respects when I pass on. Our family alone accounted for over 50 people. It's amazing to me that two people can lead to a family of that many, and that many wonderful people. I had an amazing weekend sharing stories and remembering Grandma with my cousins, aunts and uncles, sisters, nephews, Pops--the whole Christovich crew. Her life and her death brought us all together and she will always be remembered and loved.

May 2nd cream soda and blue raspberry sno shack

Sno shack is the sign of summer, at least for Bakersfield, CA. Near the end of April, I received a text telling me of the beloved blue hut's icy return for the next 5 or 6 months. Thats how big a deal this place is. Worthy of informing people who live 2999 miles away. So naturally upon my return to the Bakersfield summer I visited sno shack as well as all the other hometown places I thought existed everywhere until I moved away.

Going home is weird enough after eight months in college but its especially weird when a) you dont live there anymore and b) no one else is home from college yet (because Northeastern gets out freakishly early) It's fun to be the local celebrity for a weekend and interesting to think back to where I was this time last year. Senior prom was a day I had marked in my calender months earlier, finals and classes were funny at best, and the people around me were the same ones I'd known seemingly all my life and either couldn't get be rid of soon enough or thought I couldn't live without. Oh how times have changed but its best to not forget the past and how it has gotten you to where you are in the present.

April 27 republic darjeeling full leaf black tea

If you don't know how I feel about things with hokey names that try too hard to sound fancy or clever, let me tell you, I'm not a fan. That being said, "darjeeling" should just drive me crazy. In this case however it didn't. Heres why: my mom came to Boston for a couple days and the two of us went to the Melting Pot, a pretty nice restaurant. As always, I ordered a simple iced tea. The iced tea that appeared at my table was no where near simple though. First the neat cocktail napkin. Then the long skinny iced tea spoon. A sturdy glass with just the right amount of ice and a bright lemon perched on the rim. A little cup of sugar packets (lots of white/real sugar ones too! none of that fake stuff for me) And then tada! the main event: a tall curve bottle of pale black tea with a rustic Republic of Tea label. I was in awe. I was overcome with excitement. I took pictures on my phone. Clearly, I'm easily impressed. So moral of the story, if you want to give something a fancy name, it must actually be fancy.

The parents came to visit the weekend before I moved out, creating the assumption that they were there to help move me. However I don't believe they ever even came to campus, but their visit was a nice escape from my own packing/studying for finals. Its funny how something like basically moving across country a couple times a year can seem normal. I'm proud to report that I have now stowed away most of my belonging in a little storage unit in Roxbury and brought my summertime clothes and amazing memories of this past year back to the golden state.