3 Well. Hello.

Dearest friends, family and readers,

I'm not dead, nor have I fallen onto a subway track or been wandering through Brooklyn for three weeks trying to find my way back to the Upper West Side. I'm simply busy juggling a full-time job and settling into my new apartment, seeing long-lost friends and making new ones. Life in New York is wonderful, and I'm getting to know my neighborhood, and finding myself a part of the 9-6 grind I observed and worked for my whole life. It's a dream to start my days running through Central Park and coming home at night to my very own apartment in my favorite city in the world. (Okay, Bordeaux: you're tied.) I'm only just beginning to develop a schedule, so you can expect more posts from me again soon. Until then, I'll leave you with a couple of things.

1. My new blog Lo-Fi Brow, an arts and pop culture commentary site where I'll be writing a lot more. I've been thinking about this for a long time and I'm excited to share it with you all.
2. A playlist of songs that have been a big part of my life these past few weeks.



1. "Mind Your Manners" by Chiddy Bang feat. Icona Pop
2. "Blood Bank" by Bon Iver
3. "Oh No!" by Marina & The Diamonds
4. "Let It Ride" by Ryan Adams
5. "Girlfriend" by Phoenix
6. "Born to Fight" by Tracy Chapman
7. "Too Much" by Sufjan Stevens
8. "Holocene" by Bon Iver

September is my favorite month. Do you love it as much as I do?

2 Happy dance

I must look like this walking down the street today because... I got a job! This morning I officially acception a position as a production assistant at a travel website. I start after Labor Day, and I'm moving to the city in a week. Things are moving like a whirlwind and I'm in a little bit of a disbelieving daze. I'm so excited to start this next stage of my life!

Serendipitously, I'm guest-posting today over at She Writes and Rights about my job hunt, and about coming to the realization that I want to work in travel. I sent Bethany the post mere minutes before getting the job offer. Life is funny.

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0 The power of forgetting

That quote has been gnawing at my neglectful little brain this week. In this Age of Distraction, we allow ourselves to forget the ambitions most worth remembering.

Amongst the aspiring basketball players and marine biologists in my fifth-grade yearbook, my ambition stood alone: Writer. In college I studied it and went to every craft talk and reading, faithfully jotting little pieces of advice on How to Write Well from the writers who knew best. I happily spent hours in the library when I picked and prodded at and reconstructed my work until I felt it was as perfect as perfect could be. In college it was easy: there were deadlines, and professors to impress, and an entire built-in community of people who loved what I loved.



And then, somewhere along the way, I forgot. I don't mean to say I altogether stopped writing, because that will never happen. My need to write is as fundamental as my needs to run outside on a beautiful day, and drink coffee when I wake up, and sing in the shower. Malawi was full of inspiration, and having lots of free time and no Internet made for an ideal writing environment, and over a year later, I have dozens of long rambling pieces about that life-altering experience begging to be touched again.



And France? France was eight months of indulgence: long dinners over confit de canard and carafes of Bordeaux wine, long conversations with strangers who spoke my favorite language, long nights playing and creating music with my new best friends. But yet have I gone through the notebooks I kept with me during long afternoons outside cafés in Bergerac. Yet have I racked my brain for the anecdotes of the musicians and bartenders who played pivotal roles in my year. I'm afraid they're already forgotten.



My point is this: Don't be afraid to admit that you've forgotten why you're Here. Reclaim your passion, whatever it is. The most successful people are those who build and build and build on what they've been given.