Pounding Pavement

Two years ago this Saturday, one of the most important people to ever enter my life had a heart attack while driving, struck a building, and died. His death was the first and, to date, last that I have experienced and it was certainly impactful.

A few posts ago, I included a quote about how the people who enter your life, no matter how brief that entrance may be, undoubtedly have an impact. We encounter people, opportunities, and downfalls for a reason, and although it may take years to discover why, there are always reasons behind them.

I only knew Kenney for a little over two years, but he taught me so much about the world, about life and about myself. He taught me the importance of family, about dreams and about success, and about pursuing what matters most. He brought a whole new meaning to my life and (ok, we’re getting deep here,) has been one of the few men I have ever trusted.

The last time I saw Kenney was MCLA’s Parents Weekend, 2007. My sorority hosted an event at our house, I was inducted into an honors society, and then Kenney treated my mother and I to sushi. Each year, on the same weekend, the same events take place; it is always a difficult weekend.

This year, I’ve decided to beat my emotions to the punch. Last fall, I had set a goal of running in MCLA’s Annual Sam Gomez Classic Road Race. By March, I had promptly forgotten said goal. However, the race is almost upon us, as is the anniversary of Kenney’s passing. Last week, I saw a flyer for the Sam Gomez, and decided that I was going to follow up on my goal, in honor of Kenney. I marched up to the coordinator’s office and put my name down on that list. I don’t care if I come in dead last, (which I won’t, I’m not a LOSER and neither was Kenney!) I am finishing the Sam Gomez.

“I’m running for Kenney. He’d want me to,” I texted my mom as I left the office. A week later, I feel like I had already accomplished something. I know that on Sunday, when the race rolls around, I won’t be running alone. Kenney will be there, pounding the pavement right by my side.

RIP Kenney Tynan 10/24/2007

Five Things I Learned in Washington, D.C.

My favorite photo from the summer. The US Capitol. My first night in D.C.

I wrote the following for my internship adviser at MCLA, mainly because I didn't want to write the typical three to five page essay.

1) Money really can't buy happiness.

Look up “internship” in the dictionary. (No, you really don’t need to. I did it for you.) Technically, an internship is “any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession.” What this definition fails to mention is that, if you get a really good internship, you will work for free in an expensive city. Between Metro fares, food, COFFEE, social activities and everything in between, I returned to Massachusetts dead broke.

Luckily, money isn’t what dictates happiness. Inevitably, it will only get you so far; a positive outlook and a desire to have fun are ultimately what makes any person happy. Also key? Great friends.

I am a firm believer that people walk into your life for a reason. In the 10 weeks I spent in D.C., I formed incredibly close friendships that I believe will be life-long. Aside from having fun, these friends taught me to live life in a new way.

Leilani, a fiery little Cuban from Miami, is one of the most genuine people I’ve come across yet in life, and taught me how to live in the moment and be proud of the person I am- flaws and all. Molly, wild, care-free and from Minnesota, taught me to let my hair down, and stop caring about what other people think. Amanda, all the way from Arkansas, would give anyone the shirt off her back, and taught me that if you care enough, differences don’t matter in friendships.

Together, these ladies helped me learn about trust, the true power of friendship, and helped me to reflect on who I was. I learned not to settle for less, that it’s OK to put your own needs first, and that letting down your guard is often a safer bet than putting one up.

2) Site-seeing is free.

I’m about to break some news to you. Make sure you’re seated, as this may shock you. Ready? OK, here goes: The United States of America is going through a recession. I KNOW!!! You had no idea, right? Well, we are, and as much as that wonderful man in the big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue is doing to correct the situation, problems don’t go away overnight.

With that said, D.C. understands those of us with empty-wallet syndrome; the District is sympathetic, even. Ninety percent of the sites and museums in Washington are free. Now, that does not mean that you don’t need to a) get there early, b) wait in line and/or c) reserve tickets. However, it does mean that there is no excuse not to visit every free site, monument and museum in the District.

On the same subject, D.C. does a lot for its residents in the “free” department, especially during the summer. Every Monday night, a giant movie screen is blown up on the National Mall for “Screen on the Green.” It’s totally free; all you have to do is show up. On Fridays after work, there is Jazz in the Sculpture Garden; again, show up, preferably early, and you’re golden.

Tons of other free and cheap events are hosted all throughout the city; simply seek them out. My suggestion? Sign-up for e-newsletters from The Washingtonian Magazine. Also, read The Washington Post’s Express for the Express Night Out.

3) Happy hour does in fact exist, and with good reason.

I turned 21 on June 14, 2009, in the fine (and by fine, I mean intern-infested and incredibly wild, at least from Thursday through Saturday, between the hours of approximately 8 p.m. and 3:30 a.m.) district of Adams Morgan, known for its variety of bars. Prior to my arrival in D.C. and acceptance into the 21 Club, I believed that Happy Hour was merely a myth. Contrary to popular (or just Kaitlyn’s) belief though, Happy Hours exist at every bar in the District of Columbia, and with a very good पुर्पोसे. Obviously, this place is crawling with career-driven people। Office-life is only one facet, and Happy Hours allow employees to de-stress, lighten up and interact with one another in a professional, yet entirely social atmosphere (and at a discounted price- great!) In order to climb the career-ladder, it is important to connect with the higher-ups in an out-of-office manner. As my older brother told me, “If I can’t have a drink with a co-worker, I can’t trust them.”

Not to mention, after a drink or two with the office after work, there’s always the Metro! Reason number one Happy Hours don’t exist in Massachusetts and other states are because, surprise! Drunk driving isn’t cool or smart. In D.C., though, you can simply hop on the Metro and let someone else take the wheel. BUENO.

4) Twittering actually serves a purpose.

“kbonnebonne: twitter's kind of weird, but i'm sure i'll get the hang of it. 2:35 PM, Jul 2nd 2009, from web.”

And thus it began. I first heard of Twitter.com in the spring, and thought it was utterly ridiculous. Who wanted to know what I was doing every 10 minutes? “Kaitlyn is in aisle five at the grocery store.” Five minutes later… “Kaitlyn is at check-out.” Who cares?

On Fourth of July weekend, though, I finally realized its true purpose. Sarah Palin announced her decision to resign, and within minutes, my brother received news of it via the Twitter application on his iPhone. Minutes later, he received a notification from Twitter saying that Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair had been found dead in his home. I was then finally convinced of its usefulness.

Twitter’s true purpose is not to update the World Wide Web on one’s actions every four to five minutes (hate to break it to you, but no one genuinely cares what you ate for breakfast), but to receive up-to-date news, in less 160 characters or less. Have a BlackBerry or iPhone? Even better, because these little news blurbs come immediately to your phone, informing you of details as minute as an accident on The Beltway, or, like my brother, as breaking as Sarah Palin’s decision to resign.

5) D.C. is not purely political.

Seeing as Washington, D.C. is the Capitol of the U.S., it is would be easy for one to assume that the city is all politics, and thus one needs to be seriously educated on the topic. This, however, is not entirely the case. While politics are certainly important, they are not all-encompassing. For example, my interest in politics was growing when I first arrived in D.C., but in the grand scheme of things, I knew very little. However, this proved to be no problem, as long as I kept up with current events.

What really makes D.C. tick is news. I am convinced that it is actually impossible to travel more than 10 feet in Washington without seeing someone nose-deep in The Washington Post, or checking CNN.com on their cell phone. In order to survive in Washington, you need to be up-to-date। Not only does this ensure your world-wide knowledge and build intellectuality, it ensures that you always have a conversation topic. In D.C., people are far friendly than us “Massholes,” as we have been dubbed. It is essential to always have a few little golden nuggets of conversation starters, just in case someone stops to chit-chat on the Metro.

Ultimately, this was the most educational, eye-opening experience of my life. I learned so much about communications and myself, and have gotten a jump-start down that (not-so) scary road called “Real Life.”

Important life lessons

So, I am waiting to post my big blog about the summer. However, right before I left the wonderful D.C. on Friday, Leilani (check out her blog!) handed me a letter. After some of the most heart-felt words anyone has ever written me, she shared with a very insightful quote that I must pass on. (Note: I said quote. Meaning I did not write this, and neither did Leilani.)

I strongly suggest you read the entire thing. (Another note: I have seen this online as being titled "The Story of Life.")

"Sometimes, people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be, but when you lock eyes with them, you know that every moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes, things happen to you at a time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection, you realize that without overcoming those obstacles, you would never have realized your potential, strength, will-power or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance, or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create who you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them, because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whomever you do open your heart.

If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because they are teaching you to love, and to open your heart and eyes to little things. Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again.

Talk to people you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up, because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, because if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life, and then go out and get it and LIVE IT."
- Author Unknown

I learned a lot while in Washington. I learned about journalism, about politics, about the world. Most importantly, though, I learned about myself. I discovered who I was, what I wanted and where I am going. Out of everything that D.C. taught me, this quote sums up the most important lessons that I have learned.

I hope it teaches you something, too.

Tanning is bad?

Here’s something shocking: on Wednesday, the AP announced that tanning beds raise the risk of cancer by a whopping 75 percent, at least for those who begin to tan before the age 30. (Well, thank God someone finally shared this secret with the world, because here I was thinking that laying in a box of ultra-violet light was good for us all. It’s not!?)

Honestly, though, tanning is now way up there on the list of cancer no-no’s, along with smoking, hepatitis b, and- uhh- chimney sweeping? (Sorry, are we in 19^th century London, here?) My major question about this is what about the occasional tanner? These studies mention nothing about the frequency of tanning. Do infrequent tanners, such as myself, still run the 75 percent risk, or is it significantly lower? For example, in any given year, I may tan indoors a total of 15 to 20 times for 10 minutes apiece. Do 200 minutes of direct, boxed UV-rays really raise my risk of skin (and eye!? Ew!) cancer risk up to 75 percent?

The study also doesn’t seem to take into account a person’s skin type. Yet again, let me bring myself into the lime-light here, and mention that I am Greek and Italian, and have one sunburn on record to date. (August, 2008. Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I went boating, insisted I didn’t need sun-block because I don’t burn. Didn’t factor in that sunlight bounces off the water’s surface and thus onto one's skin. No bueno.)

The good news about all of this? Tanning still doesn’t rank as cancerous as arsenic. Thank God, since we all come in contact with that on a daily basis.

A new start....

...literally.

I've wanted to start a blog for awhile, but I feel like I need a theme. I don't just want to sit here and ramble away about nothing in particular. But that may be what happens in this first post...

For the past eight weeks, I've been interning with The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in Washington, D.C. I'm the Web Publications and Content Management Intern at a non-profit, Pulmonary Hypertension Association. I just had to write a letter to my academic adviser back at my school, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, explaining my experience and why it deserves academic credit. (Oh, I don't know. Because I have busted my ass, learned so much about journalism/the world/MYSELF??? Bueno.)

Going through my personal, professional, academic and civic goals really nailed down life in a solid, measurable way. Initially, I had to create this outline of goals for the summer. I won't lie, I bullshitted the entire thing. But looking back on it, I have exceeded each and every goal. It makes me wonder, what if everyone outlined spans of time in that format? As in, these are my goals, whether they are, "I will brew my coffee at home each morning instead of buying Starbucks in order to save money," (Yes, this was a personal goal, and yes, I stuck to it,) or "I will pay off 50% of my credit card bill by 2010."

Last semester, I used to create a list of weekly goals, and crossing each one off was so rewarding. I usually tried to mix in the fun goals with the serious, such as "Run 10 miles this week," "Finish research paper early," and "Bake a cake." Nine times out of ten, I would complete the tough but healthy stuff first, and would have run 10 miles by Tuesday. My papers were rarely in early, but always on time, and half the time "bake a cake" or "paint my nails" would be on the list three weeks in a row.

This summer, though, I have learned that getting fun activities in is sometimes just as or more important that the hard work. So, when visiting the Smithsonian National Zoo was on my to-do list for three weeks in a row, I finally just grabbed my friends and marched my butt down there to see some Giant Pandas. You only live once; there's no point in putting things off.

My to-do list for August, once I depart D.C. and return to Massachusetts? Go site-seeing in Boston with my family, since I haven't done it since I was little. Spend as much time with my family and friends before I return to MCLA. Keep doing exciting and interesting things, like I've been doing in D.C. Nothing too difficult, right?