The Relaxation Manifesto

Something that I have to remind myself of every day I take off: the meaning of relaxation is to not to think about its end.

This vacation has been about that principle in a lot of ways - staying in the present and enjoying the minutes, forgetting (or at least being ok with the idea that) you are skipping work in favor of having fun, mind melding with the random people you meet and not questioning it.
I must admit, this vacation has been a ride of emotions for me. I have felt at times thankful, lonely, annoyed, ludicrously happy, tired, regretful about work, reflective and truly sad. If this weekend was a microcosm for my life, then it did a pretty good job in representation.
As I sit down trying to finish NaNo and thinking about my priorities for tomorrow's work catch-up day, I wonder about why I am so focused on the past and the future. The feeling that I last posted about in The Real Thanksgiving is something that I wish I could commit to, but it has been the hardest struggle just to achieve it for a couple of hours. I am always thinking about the moment that it will pass or change.

Anyway, perhaps the solution is not to dwell on those subjects for the time being. Switching mindsets, here is a list of some of the truly amazing things I did in this short weekend:

1. Finished my alien color scarf (pictured above)
2. Met up with friends from Seattle who go to East Coast schools (and made a new friend out of one of their roommates!)
3. Explored Manhattan at night and walked for hours and hours on end
4. Followed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 66th to 34th street on foot
5. Bought fancy fancy yarn for two upcoming projects (not telling what they are till they're finished!)
6. Ate Thanksgiving dinner twice: once alone at a great restaurant and the second time with fabulous friends from pre-college!
7. Made goat cheese mashed potatoes and pumpkin cream pie (so bomb!)
8. Walked the Brooklyn Bridge from end to end in the nighttime (by the way, whose idea was it to have see-through wooden slats on the Brooklyn Bridge walking path?)
9. Talked philosophy and other hardcore subjects late into the night with AU friend affectionately known as Catskill
10. Spent time eating excellent Bengali food with my friend in Queens

Thank you everyone who made this weekend special and great.

Want to see what else I've been knitting?

The Real Thanksgiving

My real Thanksgiving occurred the day after the "official" date. All the things that you'd want out of Thanksgiving - friends, great food, laughter, and all those things that are cliched and yet so important because we don't get them that often in our daily lives.
I slept in till 11:30am, which was the strangest feeling ever for a college student. I looked up the recipes and picked up the ingredients and put it all together with those amazing girls from PCP (the Barnard pre-college program - don't get gutter-minded). We hung out in Jules' great frat house and laughed about Nina being too Asian while making pumpkin cream pie without an oven. What is better than that?
And I was so happy that I didn't want it to end. And I still don't.
It makes me wonder why we can't have this kind of camaraderie any old time of the year. Are we so jaded by the fact that our work and individual lives are supposed to be all-important and all-encompassing that we cannot enjoy a simple meal together?
I know these are strange questions for someone who is supposed to be starting her independent adult life, but I think that we need our families and our friends more than even the most independent of us think. It's important, and we don't get enough relationship time. Especially in NYC, but just everywhere. This country is made for singletons, but there is something to be said for community.

Happy alterna-Thanksgiving. Let's work on having that every day of the year.

Great friends and great food are reoccurring instances in my life - check out some recipes and restaurant reviews and have a good time.

Thanks for All the Giving

I think that today's title has a double meaning in that we are duty bound to give thanks, but also to thank people for all their giving. Otherwise, the point would be lost. Although we may thank God for our lives and our material possessions, I think that the most important things we can be thankful for are the people around us.
I am thankful for the 3 hour conversations I have with my father at any old time. I am thankful to be able to see my boyfriend 3,000 miles away through MSN messenger. I am thankful for the connections that I made over the period of three days without internet or cell phone at SOCLR. I am thankful for the people who are helping me reach my potential, giving me constructive criticism, and cheering me along the way.
I am thankful for anyone who is there to listen to me. I am thankful for all the people who trust me enough to give me their stories and open their hearts to me. And I am thankful for Allah and his mercy and wisdom, that guide me daily.

As many have said before me today, take pause and realize what you're thankful for this Thanksgiving - relationships, events, items, and whatever else you are most enjoying in your life at this moment. Happy Thanksgiving.

P.S.
The internet is back! And I'm thankful for that, too!

Haiku Moment

Pressure building up,

Holding on to my reason,

Storing up my time.

Still working on the NaNo, and all my other projects - I hope to take some time for myself to just calm down, so Thanksgiving break will be that time. Let me know if you want to hang out because I'll be in New York City the entire time!

More poetry is also available for your perusal.