Morning Routines.

Ede and I, seconds after waking.

Last Boston night, I ...

felt a little somber.

sat on fire escapes.
ate grilled veggies made with love.
(as well as vegan cupcakes also made with love.)

made heart shapes with Katie.
made faces with Beth.
went karaoke-ing.
walked home slowly.

*photos courtesy of the lovely Beth and Katie.

Red Letter Days, pt. 2

July 27 Fly West

July 28 Philosophy garden party

July 29 The New Pornographers

Aug 9 Eden's day of birth

Aug 10 Cate's Cake Dome Party

Aug. 14 Meg and Jared's wedding

Aug. 16 Move to LA (!)

Aug. 24 Mockingjay comes out

Bike fail, pt. 2.

Next time I think it is a good idea to ride a bike in a pencil skirt, remind me that it is not.

Bike wrecked.

My bicycle and I had a hard go tonight. I was peddling down Washington Street on my way home from Whole Foods with grocery bag in basket. This would normally not be a problem, but because it was nighttime, and the height of the paper bag was blocking my light, it became a slight problem. I attempted to fold the paper bag down, while continuing to peddle. For reasons I am still unsure of, the previously trustworthy basket chose this moment to come undone. It fell to the pavement, and with it the paper bag and parcels.

Imagine: apples, vanilla soy yogurt, and olives strewn across the middle of a busy Boston intersection on a Saturday night... Absurd.

This initial fall was also responsible for causing the true catastrophe—I simply wasn't prepared for it. Afterward numerous cars pulled to the side of the road and passengers and pedestrians alike came streaming to my side to see if I was okay. They were kind. They picked up my groceries, my basket, my bike, me, and brought everything to the side of the road. Not a single car honked. (Somehow this was the most surprising to me, as it was in Boston, after all.) One woman offered me a ride. I told her it was okay, that I was about a mile from my house and could walk home. I did so, and on that walk discovered that my leg was bleeding.

That was the worst of my personal injuries, so I felt okay. And it was one of those moments when it seems like everyone in the world is a good person. I love those moments.

Anything is possible when you're in the library.

BYU made this video. It is good. It also made me want to work at the HBLL even more than I already did. (Thanks Jake for sharing it.)

Goodbye is not a good enough word.

This morning I swam in Walden Pond while it rained. That was easy. That was pleasant. Evening time was Book Club for a book I really loved. Equally easy. Equally pleasant.

Then something harder.

I said goodbye to Max. He leaves for Brazil tomorrow, and won't be back before I leave. Elizabeth will join him, but is still in Cambridge for a few more days. After parting I rode my bike home with my hood up, and in addition to feeling like Elliott from ET, I felt grateful and slightly sad. Not crying sad, just sad. Maybe because Max and I have been friends since I was 20, and he and Betty were the only people I knew when I moved to Boston. Maybe because my first night here I slept on their couch. Maybe simply because saying goodbye made the fact that I'm moving seem more real. Either way, Boston was better because of them. Dessert First Adventure Club, Outstitute, and Pizza Month were better because of them, indeed existed because of them.

Somehow hugging them, and saying "Thank you for being my friends," didn't even begin to cover it. Not at all. But what else could I say that would be truer? Nothing.

The nice man at the bike shop fixed my bike for free today.

Thank you, nice man at the bike shop.

I miss this child.

Enough that these photos, found on Amber's blog, may have made me cry tears.

Freedom Weekend!

While the 4th of July always makes me miss previous 4ths and previous people (Tommy Ottley, Gifford, Jessica, etc.), the last few days have been really lovely, and for the most part I was happy to be right where I was.

Highlights include: waking up early, bike ride after bike ride, watching Eclipse and picnicking with Cambridge friends, hanging out at the Hatch Shell listening to The Boston Pops and Toby Keith, so much quality time with miss Klemm, her brilliant idea to watch the fireworks from the water, and our nighttime excursion kayaking the Charles that made it all possible.

3rd of Freedom!

4th of Freedom!

It was beautiful and peaceful and perfect.

I can't stand the heat.

So I am getting out of the kitchen.

A truth.

When you're hiking the most pleasant thing in the world is to sit in the shade and drink water. That's all you need out of life. -Katie

Adventure Time.

Friday: Biked 20+ miles.

Saturday: Biked 20+ miles.

Sunday: Biked 15 miles. Kayaked 3 hours.

Today: Hiked Mt. Monadnock. Swam.

I am spent.

I may be in danger of becoming addicted to karaoke.

Truth.

Tonight Katie's friends from Portland (Oregon) were in town. We ate at Spikes (which I cannot get enough of lately), then headed to a Korean style karaoke place in Allston with my bike, three frying pans they found on the side of the road, and a box full of Mike's pastries. The experience was more amazing than I could ever have imagined. I laughed so hard. I danced so hard. I played the tambourine so hard. I sang so hard. My throat/voice is still hoarse. Somehow through all of this I managed to sample every pastry.

And yesterday I traipsed through Harvard Square with New Haven's Lia Kim and her lovely sister, Erin, after having a sleep over with them, and a fulfilling conversation on my rooftop. The time was passed so pleasantly.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

(AKA-girl)

One Wednesday morning, the warm sun came up. Out of the bed came a tired, and very hungry girl. She started to look for some food. At 8 am she ate through two banana bread muffins and one cup of vanilla soy milk. But she was still hungry. At 10 am she ate through one bowl of punjab eggplant. But she was still hungry. At 1 pm she ate through one bowl of pasta salad, one banana/almond milk smoothie, one handful of cashews, and five dried plums. But she was still hungry.

At 1:30 pm it was suggested that she eat a hot dog and potato chips. But she declined.

Also, this video is darling

Sacrilege.

Sam: The latest book from the people responsible for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Android Karenina. Seriously.

Me: That makes me sad.

Sam: Yeah. From a review, it "lives up to its promise to make Tolstoy 'awesomer.' it just doesn't capture the depth of feeling of its source."

Me: Wow.

Sam: Yeah. Makes me feel bad that I never actually finished the original.

Me: Trust me: it can't get more awesome.

My parents have been married for a long time today.

Good job, parents.

New York, I love you, but you are bringing me down.

For more reasons than I can say, both parts of this song are true for me. Again. Again. Again.

My future.

I don't know what I was expecting, but when we walked into the psychics, we were greeted by two animal skin rugs, one older woman (still attractive), one younger woman (younger than us), a boy (around 10), and a baby-toddler (strapped in a chair and watching the Disney Channel). It turns out that both the woman were psychics. While Jasie was escorted by the older woman behind curtains, in a setting of greater ambience, Liz and Jendar took turns having their palms read by the younger woman, sitting on a couch in the front room, with the television on five feet away. I also could have had that chance, as they were both finished before Jasie, but I waited. The older woman seemed more legit. Once the curtain was closed behind me, the psychic asked me to think of two wishes and tell her one. I told her the one I cared the least about, because I felt less dumb saying it. Though it had nothing to do with my stated wish, she began by telling me that I would be very successful in both "love and money." I wouldn't be rich, but very comfortable. I would get married, and have three children—the first would be a girl. She said she saw me living by the ocean. "Very peaceful. Water." Now this was related to my wish. I told her that I wanted to know the right place for me to move, without explaining my already arrived at LA decision. It was at this point that I granted her more credence. She went on to say that something in the next 4 to 6 months would be a happy thing for me. A happy change. Perhaps related to this, an important letter will come that will require a signature. Either in the mail or email. She doesn't know. She said she saw pens, papers, books around me and asked if I was a student. I told her I just graduated, and she asked what I was doing now. "Looking for a job." "What kind of job?" "A librarian job." "Ahhh." There was more. Some possibly too personal too share, some just sound advice. All in all it was an interesting experience, and interesting to compare to my friends' own palm readings. In each case the respective psychic seemed to say or ask at least one insightful thing for that person. Jendar was asked her connection to New York City, when leaving or staying in the city was precisely the guidance she wanted, Liz was asked if she had plans to travel across the sea, when she wants to go to Europe this summer, etc., etc. Cheers to a $20.00 okay spent!

Los Angeles, I'm yours.

I have an answer now.

I am 99% going to spend this interim living at my grandma's house in Los Angeles. I decided one night while talking to my oldest brother, who lives in southern California too. Maybe I was just happy to have reached a conclusion, but it was the best I have felt about anything in a long time. When I told my younger brother he responded that he feels like living at grandma's after college is a rite of passage for Hunt children that he somehow avoided, which is perhaps why he doesn't feel like an adult yet. And it is a passage for Hunt children, but only some. I will be the third to do it, following my two older brothers. This is not completely surprising, as I similarly followed them on serving a mission and attaining an advanced degree.

I simply feel that a home surrounded by avocado and lemon trees may be the perfect place for me to be right now. And also, I may or may not have prayed that the Lakers would win the championship as confirmation for my decision. Sorry, Celtics fans!