The first of many a word vomit

I have been inspired by the IR ramblings of my friend, colleague, mentor and brother, Alex to begin jotting down my thoughts in a public setting. Along with him, my father has always said that I should both write more often and someday be a critic - not of anything in particular (though of course the arts and food would be obvious choices) but mostly just because he likes my lingo when it comes to being critical, judgmental and witty. I enjoy being snarky sometimes and at my best I can make people both feel more comfortable and like me more, especially upon first meeting me. So yeah... this is now what we shall call "My Blog." I've kept a blog only once before and it was when I was studying abroad in Rome, Italy the summer between my junior an senior year of undergrad. Holy lord that feels like an eternity ago. But really... it's just been a year and a degree since that happened. Yes, a degree. A master of music degree in Opera Theatre Performance from Arizona State University to be more specific. How fun! Right? Right. We'll go with that. But really, I do love and am intensely dedicated and passionate about my art. It is who I am and all that I am about in a nutshell. But what anything is in its essence is full of branches and nooks and pockets full of oddities, specializations, secrets, information, shortcomings, interests, desires. So yes, I am an artist. I am a performing artist. I sing classical music. But I also bake. I used to be extremely into horseback riding. I think some of the greatest pleasures in life come in extremely minute details like the soft texture of a perfectly ripe fig, the thick head of a pint of Guinness, or wonderful fall days in the midwest when you can actually smell the sweet and natural decay of leaves and cut grass on the wind letting you know that winter is coming but for now you're cozy and in perfect harmony with the time of change. I love reflecting on what beauty goes unnoticed. I like the burnt edges of the folds in a croissant because I know they're the biggest pockets of caramelized sugar. I like thinking of my mom when she sips coffee but lets it linger in her mouth for half a moment both to let it cool in her mouth and let the bitter smokiness of the brew coat her tongue. I like when my dad's face relaxes from a smile but the laugh lines around his eyes never fade. Ever. I like thinking about my brother's soft and yet reassuringly strong hands that can both hold me when I'm in my darkest times with both strength and calm while also being able to break through multiple slabs of concrete. I like to talk about food. It is my favorite part of being a server. Food is like singing to me. It is layers of juxtaposed textures, sounds, smells, memories, thoughts, collaboration. Food takes a team. Food requires individuality. It is the currency of the happy realm in humanity. It is universal and yet completely unique. Food requires no words and yet generates millions. Just the other day I made four new friends just because I shared some homemade lavender marshmallows with them. Now, as novel and crazy sounding as a lavender marshmallow is, you don't exactly make them with the idea or intention of them bringing new and totally awesome people into your life. That is just pure awesomeness. It's the summer of 2012 and the first summer where I will not be going back to school in the fall. In fact, this is the first time in my life I cannot tell someone that I'm a student. I can't mark that in the "employment" section of an application. This is the first summer where when I go to work (when I actually acquire a job) I will be doing so to make money for my life, not just some spending cash on top of mom and dad's good graces or student loans. No, this summer is my first in the real world. Yes, the real world. I said it. Because it's real and it's here and I am now contributing to it. No, it's not the beginning. I'm in the middle of my life. I am right now. I am 5 years from now. I am just going through these days making sure that I am always walking out of my front door ready to kick ass an take names on a moment's notice. It's what I was raised to do. It's what I have trained for. It's who I want to go down in my own personal history as.