Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I just wanted to say to my special LaD that I love him and that it's been a wonderful four and a half years! :)

Poetry in Motion (on the NYC Subway)

After a long trip from Philadelphia to New York yesterday, I rode the 1/9 on the way to Columbia. Routinely, I read the various ads displayed in the subway car. One of the ads I saw was part of the "Poetry in Motion" series, which are poems printed by the MTA, interspersed with regular ads in subway cars. I always enjoy reading these poems, but the one I read yesterday was particularly thought provoking. I've written it below for you to enjoy and be provoked thoughtfully!


A Leaf
By Maj Bronislaw

A leaf, one of the last, parts from a maple branch:
it is spinning in the transparent air of October, falls
on a heap of others, stops, fades. No one
admired its entrancing struggle with the wind,
followed its flight, no one will distinguish it now
as it lies among other leaves, no one saw
what I did. I am
the only one.

Anticipating Lunch

Having three long lectures back to back on a Thursday is pretty trying, especially after a late Wednesday night out. Today, however, I did not think I would make it through. On top of my usual tiredness, I was completely consumed by hunger. I skipped braekfast, and throughout the day, I so badly wanted to run out of class to find any form of sustenance. Earlier this week, however, my friends and I planned to have a late lunch today after class, so I decided to hold out on eating until then. With every minute that passed, my anticipation of lunch intensified while the temptation for instant gratification became harder to suppress. Finally reaching the end of class, having barely made it through the day, I nearly ran to the restaurant. I happily ordered a three course meal and savored my big reward over a full hour and a half. My waiting for lunch infinitely enhanced the flavor and satisfaction of my every bite. And I even have enough left over for dinner! I guess good things do come to those who wait. :)

In all honesty, besides wanting to have lunch with my friends, waiting for lunch was a test for myself. In middle school, I had watched an episode of Oprah that focused on the topic of E.Q., Emotional Quotient. This is similar to the concept of I.Q. except it measures self-control and other personality aspects. According to the show, one of the E.Q. studies performed involved testing 4-year-old children's patience. There would initally be an adult, a child, and a bag of marshmallows in a room. The adult would instruct the child that he (or she) could eat all the marshmallows in the bag if he waited until the adult returned. I think each child was alone in the room for 10 minutes or so. Some ate the marshmallows while the adult was gone; others actually waited. The children were then restudied on the basis of E.Q. some 10 years later. Most children who ate the marshmallows only when the adult returned were apparently much better adjusted in life and received high E.Q. scores relative to those who could not wait. Ever since then, I've always been setting small goals of delayed satisfaction and testing myself to see how often I can actually accomplish what I set out to do. I am proud to say that I achieve my goals more often than not. I like to think that I am pretty well adjusted and have a high E.Q. score. This all may sound silly to those of you who know me, however, and who can probably attest to the exact opposite of my self-assessed, and likely bogus, E.Q. :)

My First Entry

Today I leafed through a J. Crew catalogue that displayed the company's new summer line. I quickly became excited about wearing tank tops, skirts, and flip flops in just a few short months. I just love feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin when I wear summer clothing. In the midst of my daydreaming, I was reminded of a documentary on Innuits that I recently watched. I was consumed with the thought of Innuits never getting to feel warm summer breezes or the dancing rays of the sun. I pitied them. But then it occurred to me that perhaps Innuits pity people like me who will never experience the beauty of a snow-blanketed landscape or the invigorating feeling of the cold. I almost wanted to experience the winter as they do. Reality kicked back in, however, when I stepped outside and felt the bitterness of the frosty wind. Needless to say, I can't wait for the summer. :)