Yosemite!

I've been back in San Diego since Sunday and it's so nice to be back in lovely 80 degree weather. :)

I've been enjoying myself and have committed myself to waking up every morning before 10 and then going out for a run along the bluffs along the beach here. It's great to get all those endorphins going and talk to interesting people on the beach when I go down there to run along the water. I'm feeling good about myself, physically and mentally - I've resolved to try to either run or do yoga every day until I leave for Siena, which is just over a month from now.


Before I left northern California, we took a trip to Yosemite - I had never been before and had a photo-taking frenzy... there were just too many beautiful things to photograph there!





The first photo is a photo of Bridalveil Falls where you can see a beautiful rainbow.
This was the last place we stopped in Yosemite and it is undoubtedbly my favorite place I saw there. I was in awe as I watched the water slowly fall down the rocks. Beautiful.

The key to deep thinking is lack of sleep

I'm still in Nor Cal and don't want to leave (my flight is booked for Sunday)!

Today I woke up at 5 am and, no, I have not gone back to sleep. For me, this is nothing short of miraculous - I love to sleep late. But there's something enticing about the early morning when the sun is still making its way into the sky. Everything is so peaceful because the neighborhood is still sound asleep but I know everyone will be waking up soon to partake in whatever life has to throw at them for the day.



(what the world looks like at 5:00 am)

So during my extra time today, I have been reflecting on life and all the challenges I have been facing over the past 2 months or so. I think I have gotten lost in all the confusion and excitement that this summer holds; and in doing so, I have forgotten the importance of living in the present and seeking happiness in every moment.

This isn't to say that I am unhappy. I have been incredibly happy of late. But that happiness, I fear, may be fleeting. I have spent the last hour looking at articles by happiness gurus (such as Thich Naht Hahn, the Dalai Lama, and Eckhart Tolle). After reading, and much meditation, I have come to realize that I am planing to make my future a happy one and focusing less on the present. I also see now that I am looking for my own personal nirvana, rather than accepting I already have all the happiness I need in this moment - I just need to tap into it.

I have some changes to make in my mental state over the next couple of days. But for now, I think I may have to nap...

I am a stranger to real heat

So I'm currently on vacation and visiting my boyfriend in a small town called Copperopolis (part of Calaveras County) where it is HOT! I, having only lived in San Diego and Santa Barbara, am not equipped to handle heat - chapstick and ice-cold water have become my two most valued necessities here.

Nevertheless, I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. This last Saturday we went hiking down to a river which was absolutely breathtaking. Here are a few pictures.






The hike there was exhausting for a lil city girl like me, but swimming in the refreshing river water was so rewarding! I had no idea there was poison oak on the path, but I lucked out and apparently avoided it.

On Sunday (when it was 108 degrees!) we took a boat out on Lake Tulloch and went for a swim in the lake to cool down. I even got to drive the boat for a bit! So much fun!





I had never gone swimming in a river or a lake, let alone driven a boat, so the weekend was full of adventure for me! Plus, last night, we drove some quads around - yet another thing I had never done before!

Oh, and one of the most incredible things about being out in the country... one can actually see stars at night! And I mean lots and lots of stars! So out of the ordinary for me!

Anyways, I'm gonna go try to stay cool. Hopefully it's not too hot where you are!

Stuck in the middle with you...

I'm very, very excited because tomorrow I'm flying to Northern California to visit someone very special! I will be there for about 10 days and can't wait!

So today has been a pretty laid back day, just packing and lounging around the pool.

I did go to the store today to pick up a few items... on my way back home, as I was about to pull into my driveway, The song "Stuck In The Middle With You" came on the radio. I really had no other choice than to pass my house and take an extra lap around the block with the volume turned all the way up so that I could enjoy the song. It put me in such a good mood. And now I'm on a Beatles kick and have been listening to their music all afternoon.

Ah, dinner time! Au revoir! I'll blog from Nor Cal soon!

Italian visa applications use too much paper

This will be a short post because I am positively exhausted.

I don't have a very good reason for being exhausted - I only left the house once today to swing by the post office for 10 minutes...

I spent all of today organizing and copying my forms for my visa appointment with the Italian Consulate tomorrow. I'm going to have to drive 2 hours to get to LA for my 15 minute appointment (where I will turn in the 2,000 copies of application forms and passport pages that I had to make today). Then I'll have to drive back. Ugh.

So I spent all day doing that and laundry. I haven't done laundry in a month so it's taken me all day to finally wash everything (it's almost 1 in the morning and my last load is washing now).

So visa papers and laundry took up most of my day. And video games. That too. My brothers and our friend played hours of video games on our Wii - I can already feel my brain rotting. But it was good fun.

Now I'm sitting here, exhausted, waiting for my last laundry load to finish, and exuding bitterness because I don't get to see the new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie this evening because I have to get up to drive to LA tomorrow...stupid Italian visa.

Tech support employees rub me the wrong way

I understand that some jobs, particularly ones that deal with customer service, can be demanding and difficult. I get that. But I now have a problem with tech support employees.

UGH!

I called my laptop manufacturer today in an attempt to fix my wireless internet. I was on hold for a good while, then explained my problem (which is being UNABLE to connect to the internet) to a tech support employee, who then asked for all of my information and the computer's information. I spent 30 minutes talking with this man about my problem and listening to him repeat my email address 3 times to make sure he had the correct spelling before he finally says: "Well ma'am, the warranty has run out on your computer, so if you want to receive any further assistance from us today, you will need to buy a 14 day warranty for $49.99."

Ok.
1. Don't you think he should have told me that I could not receive any help from him after he already had my warranty information after 10 minutes of talking to me?
2. I am not going to pay $49.99 for him to tell me that I possibly have one silly little setting switched off.
3. What "further assistance" is he offering? I received absolutely NO HELP from him. To offer "further assistance" implies that I had somehow been assisted already.

So in response to this I politely say: "Alright, well I think I'd rather take my computer into a repair shop near me, but thank you."

He then has the balls to say: "Alright ma'am, if you like, you can always visit our website for troubleshooting."

Is that a joke? The whole reason I'm calling is because I CANNOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET - which he is fully aware of.

"Well, I can't do that seeing as I can't connect to the internet," I say, in a suddenly less cheery and less polite tone.

"Oh, yes and I understand that ma'am. Is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"No, thank you."

Damn it, Taylor! Don't thank the man for doing absolutely nothing to help you and wasting your time!

I really have a problem being rude to others - especially people I don't know at all. Typically I think this is a good trait, because most things aren't worth getting into an argument. However, its times like these when I am frustrated and irritated that I wish I could be just a little more forceful.

Hopefully the Italians will teach me that.

C'est la vie

Today some family friends from France came to our house for dinner and catch up. We had some amazing discussions about Europe. I am now itching to get to Italy. They were describing all the amazing things to do and see throughout Italy and Europe.

Aside from seeing all the beauty that Europe has to offer, I am so excited to meet the people there. All the people I have met and spoken to from Europe are just so cultured and aware of the world around them. I cannot wait to be absorbed into that lifestyle!

More specifically, I adore some of the French mentality about life. Today, we were discussing how good things can come from bad, and our French guest made a comment along the lines "ah yes, well you know...sometimes thats just life." Now put a lackadaisical French accent on that and you have the key to my esoteric heart. It's true, everything can really be that simple - when something bad happens, thats just life. And when something great happens, well thats just life too. I love the complexity one can derive and apply from that simple statement.

I also got to exercise my French. I am glad that after 5 or so months without French practice, I'm still able to hold my own with a native French speaker.

Oh! An important note - my laptop is broken. Well, the wireless internet refuses to work (I'm using my family's computer). So tomorrow I plan to spend a good hour or two on the phone with tech support. Oh and my cell phone never wants to send or receive picture messages. On top of that, I must spend a few hours sorting out all my papers I need for my visa appointment with the Italian consulate - this includes spending a while on hold with my school's financial aid office as they attempt to sort out what money they will decide to give me for the school year.

I will also be planning a trip or two up to northern California to visit a special someone. :)
So that requires some travel arrangements.

So much to do! And all I want to do is laze around on the beach...c'est la vie, non?

Mom! I want candy for breakfast!!

I went to bed hungry and I woke up hungry. In between I had dreams of delicious foods galore...but I could not eat them. So when I woke up and finally had the chance to eat, I got my hands on the first food-item available - Sour Straws.

Whenever I start my morning off by eating candy (it happens more often than you'd think), the rest of the day is usually a slow and unproductive day for me. I think it puts me in a mindset where I feel like I don't have to achieve anything, because I sure didn't achieve a well-rounded breakfast.

So despite my long list of errands and things to do for today, I am already feeling lethargic and unmotivated to get out of the house.

Damn you Sour Straws. Damn your deliciousness.