The Murderer.

Hello world.

I am so sorry for my absence. I know, I know. You all eagerly wait for me to post another entry about me talking about random stuff, because my voice is, oh so, interesting. Right? In case you didn't catch it in these uniform letters, I am being completely sarcastic. Anyways..

In our freshman seminar class, we have to do a monologue. I spent forever trying to figure out exactly what to do and was worried that I would do it wrong because I have never done a monologue. Then I realized, after annoyingly texting friends to make sure I was doing it right, that I basically do monologues when I can. I like to tell little anecdotes even though I probably suck at it.

SO..  it got me thinking of sharing a little anecdote with you guys.

A few years ago when I was staying in Florida at my dad's for a summer, my, then, step-brother and I were playing Playstation 2 while chilling in a parent-free house. His mother and my father were out on a date on a nice Friday night. We both liked being in a house all alone. I was probably around eleven or maybe a little younger and he was around fourteen or so. Those times are fairly blurry to remember exactly when it occurred.

The Playstation was located in a room that we called the "Florida Room." We called it this because it was made out of windows and got super hot. It was pretty late at night, so it was pitch black outside. The room had a door that led to the backyard that was sectioned off from the other yards by fencing. Typical neighborhood set-up. My step brother was taking a break from playing the game by talking on the lovely house phone (remember those days?). Our puppy-almost-labeled-as-a-dog, Crash, was also in the room with us.

As we were fully engaged in what we were doing, we heard a strange sound in the backyard. At first we thought that we were just being paranoid, but then Crash proved us wrong by reacting to the sound by casually throwing out a simple bark at the sound.

My stepbrother and I looked at each other and we both FREAKED OUT.

We jumped up from where we were sitting. I dropped my controller, flipped over my chair, and moved as quickly as I could towards the door that led into the house. My legs could barely move. It was like being chased in a nightmare. You know the ones where you can't move your legs? Where it's like your brain is telling your legs to move, but your legs just won't listen fast enough. It was a very surreal moment in life.

My stepbrother dropped the house phone, the back broke off and the battery flung out causing the phone to separate into three pieces across the floor. Crash was barking like crazy while jumping onto our legs. I guess our freak-out caused an alarm for him. The door knob to the house wouldn't turn, it was being especially difficult in this real life horror-movie moment.

When the door knob finally decided to stop torturing us, we ran to make sure the front door was locked. My stepbrother instinctively grabbed a butcher knife to protect us from the mysterious sound that, in our minds, obviously meant a murderer.

After a while, nothing happened, so we slowly returned to the florida room despite being scared to death of what just happened.

Things were fine until my stepbrother decided to leave me in the florida room all alone. The sound occurred again, but I calmly arose from my chair while my heart was racing. I went into the house to find my stepbrother to tell him that there definitely is something or someone, namely a murderer, outside.

He was doubtful. So, he went to check it out. As soon as he did, his cousin came into the florida room while busting out laughing. He was the dreadful sound. I naturally grabbed the local cookie-scented Febreze and sprayed him in the face. Why? because obviously the yummy cookie Febreze would show him up and make him regret his actions.

Looking back, I can easily recall how terrified I was and then how angry I was at Michael for terrorizing us. We were beyond scared. However, I can only imagine how HILARIOUS it must have been for Michael to watch us freak out from outside. It's one of those memories that you can see from a bird's eye view almost as if you were watching it like a movie.

I definitely will never forget this memory that made me feel scared, but then later cause me to chuckle at the entire memory.

The Motto.

I should probably be writing my speech for Friday, writing an article, studying, or doing other homework, but I have been wanting, oh so badly, to do this blog post, but have been trying to use my time wisely. I think this kind of counts as being productive. I am relieving stress all while working on my under-developed writing skills that I need for every class.  Did I mention that I'm great at rationalizing things? 

Lately, I have been beyond stressed, but still unbelievably happy. SO, I want to write about the motto of my life...

I am a strong Belieber, that's right.. I went there, of "Everything happens for a reason." It's such a great thing to go by. If you don't take every opportunity as they are then you never know what could come out of them. When I meet someone new, I make a point to try an befriend them, because I never know what role they will play later on. 

For example, I was persuaded to attend an event at the dorm and on a whim, I decided to go. Because I went, I became friends with the RA running the event. Tegan, you are the worst study buddy even from across the room, because we end up texting.. -.- But, seriously, you have become a great friend. You never know if the person sitting next to you in a fountain could eventually play a significant role in your life. You never know if the person you meet through a mutual friend might become your best friend.

It might sound crazy, but think about it. How did you meet your current best friend, your significant other? Did you bond over liking the same band? What made you wear that one shirt that made the other person say, "I love that band!" Each decision, each moment may be the direct cause of something that changes your life. 

It's one of those things to not question, but look back at and think.. "Wow, what if I went somewhere else that day?" To me, every moment matters. When I look at my life now, the people I know, the situations I get in, I can't help but look at how I got there. It makes me wonder if I made different decisions,  even the minor ones, how would my life be now?

I never stop pondering over this philosophy. In 500 Days of Summer, the narrator states, "If Tom had learned anything... it was that you can't ascribe great cosmic significance to a simple earthly event. Coincidence, that's all anything ever is, nothing more than a coincidence... Tom had finally learned, there are no miracles. There's no such thing as fate, nothing is meant to be. He knew, he was sure of it now." If you have seen this movie, you know that the narrator is being a little facetious. If you haven't seen the movie, stop what you are doing and go watch it now so you know what I am referring to..

The movie sums up how I feel about life, that everything happens for a reason. Tom experiences the worst break-up, but then realizes that it happened for a reason. Living by this motto, keeps me optimistic about the future and allows me to be aware of all that I do have. 

Even if you don't believe in fate, take a moment and look at your life. How did you get there? Do you think you would be where you are today if it weren't for past experiences and decisions? 

Tell me your answer. Share your experiences and I kindly ask for you to share my blog. :) 

The High School Phases.

It's that big day before high school, you have been looking forward to it all of middle school, all of summer. You watched every movie or TV show that featured high schoolers, and now here you are starting out as a freshman. It's one of the scariest, yet most exciting moments that we go through.

It's the time for a change. It's the time that you start your journey to become who you want to be as a person. I remember going through that. I remember changing so much during high school. For those of you that know me, know that I changed a ton throughout school. 

Starting out in middle school, I wore only black and red baggy clothes. I was a major tomboy. I remember that I would always wear this black shirt with shark silhouettes on them. I would wear only Vans. No sandals, no flip-flops.. nothing. I look back with complete embarrassment.

My style started to evolve into a crazy, err, style? A good friend of mine, Georgia, and I would wear skirts over our jeans with crazy shirts and other layers. I have no idea what I was thinking. By the time I was in eighth grade, I was conforming into what was popular. I would only wear clothes from American Eagle. While talking about clothes may seem beyond trivial, it correlated with my personality. 

When I finally entered high school, I completely conformed. I wore only Hollister shirts and Pacsun jeans. There was no style in my style. I dressed exactly like everyone else. Who else remembers those Hollister shirts that had Hollister written down the side? EVERYONE had one in some color. You could not enter the hallway without seeing three maroon ones, two blue shirts, and a green one. It was insane. 

What caused us all to think that was great style? It was just a t-shirt that every one had the same exact version of. You really don't realize that something was a trend until you look back and realize how ridiculous it was. If you remember those shirts, please PLEASE leave a comment. I hope I'm not the only one that remembers that trend. 

Once I reached my sophomore year, I became, er, more scene? I stopped caring so much about what people thought. I just wanted to do my own thing and try and find my own style. Of course, once I reached Junior year my style was random. I became more and more.. me. I stopped caring about what the trend was, but didn't try and go in a completely different direction. 

This is significant, because I feel that, for most of us, our Junior year was our true defining moment. That in our Junior year, we all started to slowly branch out and be exactly who we wanted to be. Now here we are paving our own path for ourselves. It's crazy to think that during high school, we all change so much. It's hard to imagine. But, it's fun to look back at our former selves. it's fun to think that all those crazy and embarrassing phases make us who we are today. That's something I would never change, even when I changed so many times..

 P.S. I beyond MORTIFIED about the middle picture, but it's somewhat entertaining 

The Perfect Fall Music.

Kelsey Wells

Chase Coy

Lately, I have been listening to a lot of softer types of music. Indie and acoustic music, to me, is the best type for a cool, crisp fall night. 

There are many artists that I could name that I feel you guys would like, but instead I want to share you artists that are not only great artists, but artists that I  personally know. So, be sure to check out their music and let them know that I sent you there! 

The first artist that I want to talk about is Kelsey Wells. Kelsey lives in Nashville, TN. I actually met her while volunteering at Rocketown during a show! I didn't know that she sang until later. Her style is acoustic/pop. She recently played in Atlanta at Warped Tour this summer in the The Acoustic Basement Tent.  You can watch her performance of her song, "Mountains," here. Make sure to like her Facebook page and watch her videos, because they are very entertaining. 

Karina Fernandez (Karibell)

The next artist that I want to share is a guy named Chase Coy. He actually just moved to Nashville this year. His style is also acoustic. Be warned, his voice is very relaxing! If you were to google "perfect fall music," you would probably be redirected to www.chasecoy.com. Good news! He just released a new EP called, "Awake," so go check that out!

Lastly, I suggest checking out my friend's music, Karina Fernandez (Karibell). She lives here in New York, but she is the niece of my former bosses wife. Her aunt introduced us and we become good friends. It wasn't until last week that I found out that she could sing.

For some reason, she hasn't created a Facebook page or a YouTube channel for her music, but she does have a Soundcloud page. So, check it out. Her style is electronic house, so it's a little different from the acoustic stylings of Kelsey and Chase. However, I promise that you will like the songs that she sings. because her voice is simply amazing!

I know it can sometimes be hard to check out new music, but I promise you won't regret it. And now that the fall is here, you'll  need some perfect music to listen to while sipping that scrumptious Pumpkin Spiced Latte. 

The Election.

Lately, the topic of the presidential election has been a popular subject for most people. So, I will share my thoughts on the election. Before I do, I want to clarify that it is not my intention to offend anyone. I am merely sharing my opinions in my personal blog. I generally steer away from touchy subjects, because I don't want to offend anyone. However, it is a topic that I have been wanting to write about.

Here goes nothing...

After Clinton gave his speech nominating Obama, Obama will more then likely win this election. Clinton is one of the most popular presidents of all time. His public speaking abilities are impeccable. If you have never seen any of his speeches, please watch them. He has such a great energy that makes you feel excited about everything that he speaks about. His persuasive techniques are so subtle that it's hard to notice that you are, in fact, being persuaded.

This is a great skill that ANY politician needs to have if he or she wants to succeed. Clinton kept the audience smiling at the edge of their seat. He knows how to lure the audience in and keep them there. He did a fantastic job of adding humor to the seriousness of the speech with jokes and anecdotes. Not only that, he complimented Obama in the best possible way.

By Clinton stating that no other president in the history of America, including himself, could do what Obama has done, Clinton gave Obama the biggest compliment possible. With him saying this, Clinton is basically telling all of his fans that Obama is a better president than he was. This was a major moment in his speech that helped Obama tremendously.

Clinton used his speech to point out all of Obama's accomplishments to remind the audience that Obama is a great leader. Whether you are Democrat or Republican, it would be extremely ignorant to suggest that Obama does not stand a chance.

Clinton and Obama are exceptional speakers and are said to be some of the greatest speakers of all time. I do not have a single doubt in my mind. If you would have asked me before the Clinton speech, I would tell you that it would be a close election, but now that Clinton has wooed the vast majority of the population, I strongly believe that Obama will be re-elected to another term.

What did you think of the Clinton and/or Obama speech? -Please no disrespectful comments. :)

The One-Month Anniversary.

"It doesn't matter how you plan it, it doesn't matter how you envision it... Without even knowing it, life sometimes has a way of finding you with exactly what you need or exactly who you need." -Quinn, One Tree Hill, Show Finale.

Today marks my one-month anniversary of living in New York. Wow. It seems like yesterday I was dreaming about moving here and now here I am going to school everyday, working, and making new friends. I realized how busy I was today when I was managing my calendar on my iPad. I realized that I have a calendar called "Social." Yes, that's right. When I make plans with someone, I make sure to put it in my calendar. Keeping a schedule is crucial for me to stay on track. But, I never knew that it could be so intense after only living here for one month, woah. 

Tomorrow will be a nice and relaxing day. My aunt and uncle will be in New York. I even got off of babysitting to spend the evening with them for my uncle's birthday. Happy birthday, Mr. Wonderful! ;)

I wanted to take a little moment to thank not my family or my friend's back in Tennessee, but my new friends that I have made here. There are so many of you that are beyond caring and I am so lucky to have you guys in my life. You know who you are. You're the one's that text me just to say hey, you are the one's that are there for me when I'm feeling homesick, and you are the one's that are always great to talk to. I would so love to name you all out, but I don't want to leave someone out, because that is bound to happen. 

You all have made me feel welcome in this big city. ;) Speaking of feeling welcome, I want to say how excited I am to be apart of The Ticker. I may have already mentioned this, but I can't help but mention it again. It already feels like my home within Baruch. Everyone there is so welcoming and have awesome personalities. It's going to be a great year with them. 

I am so happy that I have made it one month here and look forward to the many more months here. 

In the future, my blog with The Ticker will be posted on their website. As of today, it hasn't been uploaded yet, but in the meantime, check out all the great articles that the Ticker offers. :)

The Ticker's website!

Thank you for reading!

Until the weekend...

The Strange People.

Well, hellloooo there.
Okay, so I know I am getting to this very late, but hey.. I'm in college now. Starting tomorrow, I will only post a few times a week. It all depends on course load and my schedule. This week I will be babysitting for four hours almost every day after classes, so my time will be limited.

I realized that I may be getting almost too accustomed to New York as I spent nearly my ENTIRE weekend in my room. The only reason that I left today was to go to Panera with my friend and do homework. But hey! I finished my homework and now I'm winding down with this blog entry.

I want to speak a little about how strange some of the people in New York are. Granted, there are millions of people in this city, so there are bound to be some strange people out there. I haven't had many "scary" moments occur, but there have been a lot of weird outfits that I just don't understand.

For example, there is this homeless man that dresses as an indian, but his outfit is made out of newspapers and plastic bags. It's quite interesting. If you are curious where you can find him, he is often roaming around Union Square. He's.. a character.

Today, I saw this woman with a comb in her hair attached to her pony tail? It was definitely different. But, to make things even more humorous, a woman standing in front of her had a utility belt for "looks" placed over her very cute purple dress.. I have never been more confused in my life.

I think it's great that they can freely express themselves, but when do people get to that point where they think wearing a utility belt is cute? I wish that I could ask them without offending them, but instead I just look at the back of my eye lids and wait patiently until I reach my stop.

You can never be bored in New York, even though you can certainly get "used" to it. But, I can assure you.. things that I see here would NEVER be seen in Nashville. I can't even think of a super crazy outfit that I have seen in Nashville. It's not something that you would really think about until you... do.

Nonetheless, New York, even on the dullest of days, is quite interesting. I hope that I don't get accustomed to seeing these, err, interesting things, because I want to be able to share them with you lovely people. How can I share them if I don't find them strange anymore?

Well, now that I have rambled on enough.. I hope every one has had a fantastic weekend and an even better Monday!! Haha, rriiighhhttt. But seriously, have a wonderful night!

Until next time. <3