(no subject)
besides being a little bit bored and over-tired, life is making me very happy. i sent in my chapel hill application early and i look forward to hearing from them in january. I did really well with first quarter grades and am very pleased with my SAT. friends are still wonderful. i'm reading non-stop and i love it. i miss my intense exercise regimen, but sleep and my new-found love of candy corn are just so much more appealing. i'm thinking about a certain boy a good amount, but who knows.
i've let some really good quotes accumulate over the past few months, and now, i'd like to post them.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
"I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist."
" 'Charlie, we accept the love that we think we deserve.' "
" And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." --> That refers to driving through the fort pitt tunnel at night and being released onto a bridge in downtown pittsburgh, something i've done countless times. it truly is amazing.
"I waled over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races. And i thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't."
"I guess what I'm saying is that this all feels very familiar. But it's not mine to be familiar about. I just know that another kid has felt this. This one time when it's peaceful outside, and you're seeing things move, and you don't want to, and everyone is asleep. And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've loved have been loved by other people. And that girls that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing 'unity'. It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want to do is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means that you're happy, too."
"There's something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It's glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it's dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of the radio fades to nothing because the waves just can't reach. Then, you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance."
"So, I guess that we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."
Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien
"Ask yourself this: Is not all human bleakness, all genuine tragedy, ultimately the product of a broken heart?"
"Very curious, is it not, how such detours pop up along life's unfolding freeway? How at odd moments we find ourselves tapping the brakes, gearing down, bumping along past spectacular and untamed vistas? Even in times of mental anguish, or perhaps especially in such times, we are suddenly visited by the rare wine, the winning bingo card, the out-of-the-blue phone call from a forgotten old flame."
"...and it struck me that nothing in our lives ever comes to absolute closure -- not love, not betrayal, not the most inane episode of youth. We are surrounded by loose ends; we are awash in whys and maybes. An absence of faith, one might call it."
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
"That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate on life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."
"Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from the inside. We think that hating is a weapon and attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."
"Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes on a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile of bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those sense weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it."
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
"This is a new and brighter world, in which I am free to hurry along, celebrating my remarkable ability to walk, to run."
-David Sedaris
Superstud by Paul Feig
"There's just always been something about trying to find those perfect moments in life, the ones where you feel loved and needed and fulfilled, that has driven me to do so many embarrassing things over the years."
"There was something about the all-encompassing power and volume of the music and otherwordliness of the flashing lights and being surrounded by people who were talented and creative and not the kind of people who were mean to you or wanted to beat you up that all combined to make one of those magical moments that sometimes occur in life- where you feel transported out of your body, away from all you earthly cares; in which you see the world in a different light, as a collection of people and energy, and you suddenly love it all and want to experience it all."
"Because when you decide to go looking for perfect moments, you're asking for a whole lot out of life. It doesn't mean that you won't find those perfect moments. It just means that you're going to have to look pretty hard."
"Love has to sprout naturally, like a seed that takes to the soil around it. You can't simply beg it to grow and expect anything to happen, especially if you plant it in cement."
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
"We all spend so much time not saying what we want, because we know we can't have it. And because it sounds ungracious, or ungrateful, or disloyal, or childish, or banal. Or because we're so desperate to pretent that things are OK, really, that confessing to ourselves that they're not looks like a bad move. Go on, say what you want. Maybe not out loud, if it's going to get you in trouble: "I wish I'd never married him." "I wish she was still alive." "I wish I'd never had kids with her." "I wish I still had a shitload of money." "I wish all the Albanians would go back to fucking Albania." Whatever it is, say it to yourself. The truth will set you free. Either that or it'll get you a punch in the nose. Surviving in whatever life you're living means lying, and lying corrodes the soul, so take a break from the lies just for one minute."
i've let some really good quotes accumulate over the past few months, and now, i'd like to post them.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
"I just need to know that someone out there listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. I need to know that these people exist."
" 'Charlie, we accept the love that we think we deserve.' "
" And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." --> That refers to driving through the fort pitt tunnel at night and being released onto a bridge in downtown pittsburgh, something i've done countless times. it truly is amazing.
"I waled over to the hill where we used to go and sled. There were a lot of little kids there. I watched them flying. Doing jumps and having races. And i thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't."
"I guess what I'm saying is that this all feels very familiar. But it's not mine to be familiar about. I just know that another kid has felt this. This one time when it's peaceful outside, and you're seeing things move, and you don't want to, and everyone is asleep. And all the books you've read have been read by other people. And all the songs you've loved have been loved by other people. And that girls that's pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing 'unity'. It's like when you are excited about a girl and you see a couple holding hands, and you feel so happy for them. And other times you see the same couple, and they make you so mad. And all you want to do is to always feel happy for them because you know that if you do, then it means that you're happy, too."
"There's something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It's glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it's dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of the radio fades to nothing because the waves just can't reach. Then, you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance."
"So, I guess that we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them."
Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien
"Ask yourself this: Is not all human bleakness, all genuine tragedy, ultimately the product of a broken heart?"
"Very curious, is it not, how such detours pop up along life's unfolding freeway? How at odd moments we find ourselves tapping the brakes, gearing down, bumping along past spectacular and untamed vistas? Even in times of mental anguish, or perhaps especially in such times, we are suddenly visited by the rare wine, the winning bingo card, the out-of-the-blue phone call from a forgotten old flame."
"...and it struck me that nothing in our lives ever comes to absolute closure -- not love, not betrayal, not the most inane episode of youth. We are surrounded by loose ends; we are awash in whys and maybes. An absence of faith, one might call it."
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
"That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate on life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind."
"Holding anger is a poison. It eats you from the inside. We think that hating is a weapon and attacks the person who harmed us. But hatred is a curved blade. And the harm we do, we do to ourselves."
"Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes on a different form, that's all. You can't see their smile of bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those sense weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it."
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
"This is a new and brighter world, in which I am free to hurry along, celebrating my remarkable ability to walk, to run."
-David Sedaris
Superstud by Paul Feig
"There's just always been something about trying to find those perfect moments in life, the ones where you feel loved and needed and fulfilled, that has driven me to do so many embarrassing things over the years."
"There was something about the all-encompassing power and volume of the music and otherwordliness of the flashing lights and being surrounded by people who were talented and creative and not the kind of people who were mean to you or wanted to beat you up that all combined to make one of those magical moments that sometimes occur in life- where you feel transported out of your body, away from all you earthly cares; in which you see the world in a different light, as a collection of people and energy, and you suddenly love it all and want to experience it all."
"Because when you decide to go looking for perfect moments, you're asking for a whole lot out of life. It doesn't mean that you won't find those perfect moments. It just means that you're going to have to look pretty hard."
"Love has to sprout naturally, like a seed that takes to the soil around it. You can't simply beg it to grow and expect anything to happen, especially if you plant it in cement."
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
"We all spend so much time not saying what we want, because we know we can't have it. And because it sounds ungracious, or ungrateful, or disloyal, or childish, or banal. Or because we're so desperate to pretent that things are OK, really, that confessing to ourselves that they're not looks like a bad move. Go on, say what you want. Maybe not out loud, if it's going to get you in trouble: "I wish I'd never married him." "I wish she was still alive." "I wish I'd never had kids with her." "I wish I still had a shitload of money." "I wish all the Albanians would go back to fucking Albania." Whatever it is, say it to yourself. The truth will set you free. Either that or it'll get you a punch in the nose. Surviving in whatever life you're living means lying, and lying corrodes the soul, so take a break from the lies just for one minute."