An Island and Four Senses

Well, well, well...

Today I've been sick. I went to the gym with Nikki and all was going well, until I got on the elliptical machine. I became so sick. I do not know if I've ever felt worse in my whole life. It wasn't because of the gym, it was different. Whew. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty much better now.

While at Beck's going away party the age-old questions was posed. "If you had to lose one of your senses, which would you choose?" I've been asked this question tons of times before but I've never put too much thought into it. Here's my list of why I could not live without each sense... this might get kind of senseless (don't judge my terrible joke).

• Hearing -- Well this one seems rather self-explanatory to me. I could not live without music. Let me rephrase this: I could not live without ever hearing music again. If I had never heard it, this might not be that difficult. You would never hear birds singing again. Never hear children laughing. Never hear someone say "I love you again". This would be close to impossible for me to choose to give up.
  
• Sight -- Sight seems like an obvious one to want to keep. Living your whole life as a seeing person and then giving that sense away would be really difficult. You could never see a beautiful guy again. A sunrise. The smile on the kid's faces in Saba. I would never again get to see Well's Bay. Sadness would ensue.
  
• Smell -- This is the most important one to me. I love smells. Even to not be able to smell bad smells would be sad to me. Never smelling cologne, Christmastime, autumn leaves, rain in a garden, hot tea on the stove, Saba Spice, pineapples, Thanksgiving dinner, my perfume, London, Greek food, garlic. Ooo man. That would be a sad life to know it and then lose that.
  
• Touch -- Touch has always seemed like a obvious choice to me. I mean, what's touch without the meaning behind it, anyway? Well, then I came to the snag of sexual pleasure. This may seem like a shallow and senseless reason to not choose touch, but it is my only reason.
  
• Taste -- This is the one I've chosen. I would much rather see, touch, smell, and hear the food than taste it. Smelling is half the fun of food, right? I may not be currently acting like a good foodie, but it's my decision

Decision made.

I miss Saba. The kids, the people, the sun, the wind, the smell, Big Rock Store, Ting, Johnny Cakes, everything! I need to go back soon. I cannot believe that we didn't go this year. It seems wrong. Those kids don't have very good influences for them on the island, and we were absent this year. We suck. I feel like I'm letting people down left and right. Anyway, I'll be back next year.

Well, kiddos... I'm out.

<3 Night all.
-Lauren Rose

Food and Archaeology (and Artichokes)

Well, hello world!

I am here. I am nervous about this blogspot. I have never successfully kept a blog. This could be a new world for me. We'll see.

Today, I went with Nikki, Lily, and Mom to see Julie and Julia. It was so good. I loved seeing Paris. I loved seeing the food. I loved the music. There were so many good things going on in that movie. The entire feeling of the movie was inspiring. I feel like I should now cook through her cook book. The movie made me realize something: I love food. I'm in a tough place because I need to lose weight (who in America doesn't?) but I absolutely love food. I love everything about it. The smell. The taste. The nostalgia it awakes. The memories. You know when you walk into the store and you smell a little bit of sage and something sweet accompanying it? It takes you directly to Thanksgiving Day 1989. Right? You smell Earl Grey and sweet biscuits and you're transported directly back to High Tea in London. It's an absolutely breathtaking experience we are allowed to have daily.

I thought this love of food would be a problem in the weight lose endeavor... however, upon reassessment I think it will help. I love good food. Normally when you go to a restaurant to eat, you're getting something mass produced and uninspired. You can inspire your own food at home. Whatever you're feeling can be brought to life with a nice creamy hummus or a wonderfully savory fritter. I think I can do this. I think I can love food and lose weight. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

As cliche as this sounds coming from a youth of the nation: I think I've figured out what I want to do for a career. I want to be an archaeologist. I can do that, right? I've always been interested in digging, and I was looking at the Archaeology Magazine in Barnes and Noble and I could not put it down. I needed to read everything. That's a good enough reason to pursue a graduate degree, right? Haha. I, like most college students, need guidance. I need to know that I'm making the right choice, however, no one can decide that but myself.

Graduate school? At least 2 more years of school. US or abroad? Doctorate? There are so many decisions that no one ever preps you for. They may mention that a decision has to be made at one point, but they never tell you anything other than "follow your heart". I get it. I get it. I understand that is technically true but it seems like a cop-out occasionally.

On another note: I am always sick. I'm not upset about it because I'm used to it now... I just wish I had an answer. I don't even technically need a solution -- I just need to know.

Well, I'm going to bed. I am so sleepy right now. I think it's because I definitely did not get enough sleep last night and I slept on the floor because Katie was over. Night everyone (the conditional everyone.)

<3 Hope your day is great!
-Lauren Rose