Halloween and Hurricanes.

I feel as though I would be remiss if I didn't mention Halloween or Hurricane Sandy, because it seems taboo if I don't. So, firstly, Happy Halloween! I miss the old days of Halloween when I was a kid and it seemed as though it would never come. Halloween was the greatest anticipated day right behind Christmas and my birthday. And now, I just barley remember when it is indeed Halloween, and wish I wasn't too old to go trick or treating. Luckily, I have a younger sister. So the candy situation is set. No need to worry. So instead, I am going to relax and watch American Horror Story: Asylum (which, by the way, it totally amazing) and wish I had been able to trick or treat.
By the way, the history behind Halloween is something that I had never known, so I finally looked it up today. Here's the link if you are curious too: http://www.halloweenhistory.org/

And in other news, Hurricane Sandy swept by us here Rhode Island Monday, and it was an interesting ride. The wind was whipping around, blowing down large tree limbs, and leaves. Goodbye fall colors. Hello skyline of gray, bare, spindly trees. My mom and I went for a walk to the cliffs (along with every other person that lives on the island apparently) to check out the storm action. It was incredible. Every time I witness a storm of some kind, I am reminded of the sheer power of mother nature. It is so awe-inspiring and intimidating at the same time. The waves were pounding the rocks and the wind was sending sheets of salt water over shoreline into the adjacent cove. As we walked down the road along the coast, we got completely soaked with saltwater even though we were a hundred feet away and had a barrier of bushes separating the water and land. I was exhilarated; the filming opportunities were bountiful. I was like one of those storm chasers who drive right into the center of a tornado. THAT would be an exciting job. Anyway, we walked around witnessed the extreme, tumultuous power of nature and then enjoyed a night of no electricity. I really could get used to the whole no power thing. In fact, I would say I thrive when it's just me and nothing else. There is no Internet to distract me from reading or writing. Having the option of the computer, or ipod, or TV is like this like a mental itch. I always know it's there and available. But I really prefer to just do something else. I don't need it.
Although I must admit it is kind of gross when having no electricity means no showers or running water or the luxury of indoor plumbing because your house has a well... But I survived. I thrived. I took a shower under the rain water from the gutter. I made coffee with cold water, coffee grounds, and a strainer. I read several chapter of Gone with the Wind. And I made food over an open camp fire.
I realize most people will think I'm crazy when I say this: but I think I liked it better with no power. That being said, it's only enjoyable if you are truly prepared.

Here are some wonderful storm pictures:

View from cliffs.

A picture from the local boat yard.

Me, thoroughly enjoying "storm chasing".

Self explanatory. More crazy waves.

Lesson learned during the storm:

• Taking a full shower with rainwater = totally possible.
• Making cold coffee with a strainer = also possible.
• Cold water-stainer made coffee is gross. 
• The Internet is a HUGE distraction. 
• Gone with the Wind is a very good book.
• NEVER underestimate the power of nature.
• Watch as much Man vs. Wild as you can so you know what to do with out modern conveniences.
• Indoor plumbing is the best invention since sliced bread (is that the saying? I don't know...").

 Storms like these are mother natures hint to us that we need to back off and change our ways. Not to sound too much like the tree hugging hippie I seem to be but, we need to respect her. Climate change is real, and it is our job to change our ways. Sandy is just another reminder of this. While I hope that everyone that was truly effected by the storm will be okay, I also hope people can take this as a lesson.

Thank you for reading! Apologies for the very wide range of topics.  Off to watch American Horror Story (with all the lights off...)

I'm the next Steven Spielberg?

Currently, I am sitting at work, taking this time to write here so I can get a break from doing nothing. Because there is (and has been) nothing to do. I've had maybe three customers since 8 o'clock this morning. Ever since then, it's been intense games of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 on my iPod and reading Gone with The Wind (which, by the way, is a wonderful literary piece). It was like this yesterday. And it will be like this tomorrow. Typically, I would find this very bleak, but today it's fine with me.

My dad just called me about twenty five minutes ago to tell me that a photographer (who's name I cannot remember) saw a video that I just made about a sailing event my family participate in every year (here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAdZTEJ1QME&feature=plcp), and according to this photographer, I am incredibly talented and he wants me to do some editing for him. After watching this particular video, he went on to watch all of mine and contacted my dad's friend, who then contacted my dad, and then my dad called me.

I  do not mean to boast, but I must admit I do have a knack for video editing. Along with photography, hiking, nature, Bones, ice sailing, and traveling, cinematography/ directing is one of my true passions. Everything I do, I always picture in "movie-vision" as I call it. I am constantly thinking of how things would look through a lens and how different angles and shots could convey a particular message. I have a vision of how a video should be planned out in my head before I even touch a camera. I get random ideas all the time based on whatever it is I'm doing at the time.  I know how I want it to feel and how I want it to look. So for me, this is a very amazing opportunity. Who knows, it may lead to my ultimate dream of working for National Geographic filming astounding documentaries about nature and then making a movie about my own epic adventures in the great outdoors.

My Philosophy on College

I think that any high school senior will agree that the most dreaded question to every be asked is "Where do you want to go to college next year?" or "What do you want to study?" or "What do you want to do?" . These types of questions are extremely irritating, especially when the answer to all of them is "I don't know", which in my case was the answer to all of them. The idea of college was not something that I got excited about this time last year. Here is a little passage I found on my computer that I wrote a year ago in October (I remember coming home from a college planning night at my school and writing this):

The entire right side of my neck was in agonizing pain. The muscles were seizing up and tightening the more i thought about it. I tried to close my eyes and roll my head back and forth over my shoulders, in hope it would loosen; would let up. I even tried to sit there and give myself a pep talk. “It’s not that bad.” or “Don’t give in to the pressure” or “Carpe Diam” or (my personal favorite)  “Don’t worry, be happy" ; Thank you mister Bob Marley. Unfortunately, not all over us have the positivity, and will power, and by will power i mean a very recognizable green leaf, that you do. It feels as though someone stabbed my in the side of the neck and it slowly and deliberately trying to pull out the homemade shank from my tissue. Very grim, I know and i apologize. You see, I am very good about dealing with certain pressures, but once it gets to a certain point, I loose it. And I really loose it. Then suddenly I am rebounded and fine again, giving mental pep talks to keep the mood going. I am sure you are wondering what pressures I am referring to. College. That's right college and the application process and everything that goes with it. I am a senior in high school that has been at school for just about 12 days, and I am already on the wild roller coaster of stress. Each day that passes is a mixed blessing. On one hand, as all the teachers so clearly point out, we are one day closer to graduation; to freedom. I thirst to get away from the high school environment. It’s one of the worst places- but don't get me started on that. I know that I am done with high school and am ready for life to really begin. To be free and have control. Yet, on the other hand, the thought of college scares me shit less. Away from home, away form friends, family, my own bed, my own room, my pets, and everything else familiar. At age 17 (or 18), we are asked to move away from all of that and choose something that could affect the rest of our lives. Yeah, no biggie. I have no clue what I want to do. Or what college I want to attend. I only know what I am truly passionate about and what sort of areas I am looking for. I have no real major in mind, or career path. I realize that many others don't either, but the way the guidance councilors lay all this stuff on you, they talk as though you have got your life together day by day. At 17. Yeah. So in 4 years at high school we are expected to mature from that terrified, almost always childish rising freshman, to an adult that has everything worked out and goal set. Okay then. I know I am not. And the worst part is, it seems to me that others actually are. The very thought of all this is making my neck tighten down harder. “Dont worry, be happy”. I try, oh yes, I try. This is an endless battle that will not end soon. One moment I am looking at a college on line, excited about the campus and exchange opportunities, and the next I am having my neck tense up at the word “college”. I can easily hack it no biggie, then, there is no way, I'm not ready, I'm not ready, I'm not ready... WHEN ARE YOU READY? That is one major thing no one takes into consideration. Everyone speaks as though you are ready to bound off to college as soon as you get the acceptance letter. Many people are. I know I am not. At parities when there are a group of adults who know I am in this process, always come up to me and ask the dreaded question “What college do you wan to go to?” or “What do you want to major in?”. Typically, I just smile and say “Dartmouth, Champlain College, UVM, rally anything in Vermont or New Hampshire.” I feel like a dirty liar because in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, “What the hell are you saying?! Annie,You don’t know anything about these places! Ha! And a major? Is that a joke?” Normally, I pull something out of my ass like, “journalist” or “ archeology”. I love both of those things, but I don't know what to choose. What I pick in college will affect what I become later in life and what college I choose will affect that and there are like fifty million colleges that could be right for me. what if I apply to the wrong ones? What if when I get there I just cant do it? I am sure, depending on who is reading this, you are just chuckling at these questions, Yes, they may seem absurd, but they are the reason my neck is out of control. My whole philosophy is to not take things to seriously and just roll with it, but the way other kids talk, it makes me seem like a crazy hippie.  

Well it's a damn good thing I settled on going to UVM, for there will be plenty of other hippies to fraternize with. Anyway, that pretty much sums it up perfectly. Kudos past me, nice job.Just a little hyperbole and some imagery and boom; a wonderfully descriptive passage that helps to describe one of my motivations to take a gap year. Thanks for reading!

The Gap Year Project

Welcome to the blog about my gap year. I'm calling it the The Gap Year Project because for me, that's what it is. The word project if defined as: An individual or collaborative enterprise planned and designed to achieve an aim (dictionary.com). My aim? To take this time to grow as a person, explore my interests, and become more fully prepared for the college experience. But most of all, it is time for me to find myself. As cliche as that is, it's something I feel I need to do. So is writing this blog. As soon as I made the choice to do this gap year, I felt as though I needed to record what happens as well as justify my reasoning to the world. No one seems to truly understand, so it is my hope that I can use this blog as a tool to express myself and share my thoughts/ideas/epiphanies (which may or may not occur), and adventures with others. 

When May of this year rolled around, and the college decision became the question of the hour, I felt more stress than I ever have before. All of a sudden, I was expected to pick the place that I would spend the next four years learning the skills for a career for the rest of my life. That's a lot of pressure to face and especially considering I had (and have) no idea what I want to seriously pressure. But... I will discuss this more later on. For now, I just want to welcome you to my blog. Oh and a big thank you to the friend of mine who helped to give me this idea (which is totally genius). Thank you for giving me the idea to take advantage of the internet and motivate me to express myself.

Let's begin with basics. My name is Annie, I am 18 and next fall I am headed to the University of Vermont. Currently, I'm working at the local marine store and probably will continue to work and save money for the rest of the fall. In this time, I hope to come up with the game plan for the rest of the year. Traveling is my biggest ambition for this year (and for the rest of my life). I really want to go on a backpacking trip sometime soon, but my work schedule is rather full. But I will still be thinking that through too. I have the beginnings of a plan for the winter, but the rest I am going to just go with my gut and search for adventure. This is my time to grow before heading off to the lovely UVM next fall. This is a time for me to explore my interests. This is a time for me to learn more about myself. This is a time for adventure. This is the Gap Year Project.