Strawberry Fields ForeVer......

I walk through Strawberry Fields atleast 4 times a week, during the day and at night. It's one of my favorite parts of the day. People come out every day and lay down rose petals, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, flowers of all shapes and sizes and colors, letters, and candles for John Lennon and it's different everytime and looks so beautiful . . . I even saw a guitar on it today.
It's great walking through the city everyday. You see so many different people, and I've met so many people lately. I love it. I hate waiting for the subways in the hot sticky subway tunnels, but i like riding in them. it's air conditioned and you can just listen to music and watch people. i have never seen so many different kinds of poeple, and they're all sitting together next to one another and then we all go our separate ways. i'm together with so many people that I don't know sometimes for a half an hour or so and then i leave and never see the same person again. There are so many people in that city, it sometimes seems impossible to fit more in. I've found my favorite subway stop in the west villiage where there are these fun little brass statues all over the place and they're great. I also went to an art gallery opening on 57th and Broadway, and played a jazz musician's stand up bass after he got off the central park stage, and had an awsome french dinner next to a fun little french jazz band where the lead musician was a female clarinet player. she was french and she was awsome. i saw the city skyline all lit up at night from a roof top in the east villiage, and layed out at the beach next to a huge yellow umbrella the day before. I'm going home first thing in the morning tomorrow and completely looking forward to it. a suprise is on the way. and i can't wait to go up to my lake house which i haven't seen in over a year. i have amazing tickets to go see Dave Matthews at randall's island two nights in a row, then John Mayer at home at spac and then again at Jone's Beach 5 days later. then senior year starts and on the first and second days of classes there are 2 Ben Harper concerts in a row in Central Park where i intern. chill on, rock out, and enjoy the summer breeze : )

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". . . . it's just an illusion, caused by how i used to feel."

reality check - - -

wow, junior year is really over and i'm actually a senior. i'm going to graduate in a year! didn't i just get to college? wasn't i just a freshman? i'm going to have to find a "real job" soon, and move into "my own place". i always wondered when the day would come when i would be saying all of this . . . it's just around the corner! but isn't it always true that time flies . . . guess it's not such a suprise anymore, haha.

anyways . . . this was a great year, and i'm enjoying my wonderful annual vacation in california now and i have this great internship with the Cenral Park SummerStage lined up to start June 13th and i'm more excited than ever! This is going to be a great summer.

"Summer in the City!"

grey pink

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"Live a fulfilled life upon which you can look back and reflect upon what you have done, not a life where all you can look back upon is what you might have done."

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My favorite picture from Easter . . .

warm

humm di dum

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yes, it has been forever . . . but not forgotten!

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this seems to be commonly said recently. i feel like this phrase fits into a lot of places at the moment; like this is my first visit home since winter break, and since my paint brushes have hit a canvas, or my away message was down for longer than 5 minutes, or since i've even had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (of course only with raspberry jelly), and man, it has just been way too long since my feet have been in ballet shoes! wow, do i really miss that. why so long? being busy is the answer to all of it, but isn't that just the story of everyone's lives lately. i'm not really that unhappy about where all the time has gone. i'm content and happy with life at the moment, and i know that the things i miss will find their time again.

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happy easter to all who got some love from the bunny, and if not, no worries . . . he makes rounds every year.

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spring break and easter are gone . . . back to school tomorrow, and finals will be here before you know it. senior year here i come! but first the summer, which is going to be better than ever. first it's back to california for the end of may again, then this girl is spending her summer on the sunny beaches and in new york city! i got this amazing internship working publicity for the central park summerstage, and it has got me so happy. it's gonna be summer in the city for me, and right now, through my eyes, there isn't a more satisfying looking summer ahead of me.

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yeah, nice thoughts, back to reality, back to school tomorrow, just a few more weeks, but my mind's in a good place, i'm happy.

.

*

just when i thought that this semester was going to be all about photography and figure drawing, my first art assignment brings me right back to painting.

Midnight

Lock all the doors

And turn out the lights

Feels like the end of the world

This sunday night

There’s not a sound

Outside the snow’s coming down

And somehow I can’t seem to find

The quiet inside my mind

3:02

The space in this room

Has turned on me

And all my fears have cornered me here

Me and my tv screen

The volume’s down

Blue lights are dancing around

And still, I can’t seem to find

The quiet inside my mind

Daylight is climbing the walls

Cars start and feet walk the halls

The world awakes and now I am safe

At least by the light of day

* * *

* *

jm

Passionate Plum

2006 is here, and when i remember that i am the hofstra university class of 2007 it blows my mind. college is going by so much faster than high school, and life in the real world is only 3 semesters away. it's almost scary because i'm not quite sure what to make of myself, and i'm still trying to find where my passions lie. business? art? public relations? photography? nyc? paiting? music? california? fashion? dance? traveling? there are so many options up in the air. what's got my head in a spin is where i'm going to be in less than a year and a half . . . but at the same time i love mystery and i'm curious to see where particular instances bring me, and where i'll end up. "everything happens for a reason" right? we'll see . . .

my goal at the present moment is to figure out where all my passions are. they seem to be currently all up in the air. my mystery is what will ground me?

anyways . . . saw the family stone tonight, which was really good. and we got a little black kitty at home now. he's great, we sleep all day and he keeps me company when i'm up late at night : ) i think he misses me when i leave, haha. i also went skiing yesterday for the first time in like 5 years! it was sooooo much fun, i can't wait to go again. thank god i started skiing when i was 6, i picked it right back up again and didn't fall once, i'm so proud of myself! hopefully i'll be going again sometime soon.

well now i'll just be savoring my last week or so of winter break with no school work or cheesecake factory before i head back down to school and get caught back up in all of that.

hope the holidays were good for everyone, and happy happy happy new year, may 2006 treat you well!

{ dAys *

Just two more days and I'm home freeeee!! and yay! Christmas is almost here : ) Getting through this particular finals week has definitely been one of my bigger accomplishments . . . .
. . . . and what a semester it was.

"These are the Days" - VM

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ps - HapPy hOLidaYs! ; )

pRide >

portion of my painting - self portrait

*

" We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time; keep back the tears and look a little pale about the lips, and in answer to inquiries say, 'Oh, nothing!' Pride helps us; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our own hurts - not to hurt others. "

- George Eliot; Middlemarch

.
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"The moRe yoU CarE,

tHe More You geT

hurt."

Life in Character Land

I found The King!

What a weekend this was. Saturday I went into the city for the day and hung out with Kait (a.k.a. Miss Ohio) and her mom (a.k.a. Mrs. Ohio) for a few hours. We went to the Photography Museum and got lunch after at Spice, a great Thai restaurant in Union Square. We also walked by Bryant Park which is now a new removable ice skating rink for the winter. It looked so nice and everything around it was put together so well. I hope to go ice skating there soon : ) I came back from the city in time to get to work . . . which was an event in itself . . . and got back home around 11:30 to find Heidi and Jess in Halloween costumes. We had the most crazy night ever. Jess was a ridiculously glittery butterfly (and when I say rediculous, I mean it . . . there's gonna be glitter all over my room, car and clothes until the year 2034) Heidi was a Catholic school girl, and I was "Where's Wanda?" haha, u know . . . Waldo's buddy! We went to 3 different parties . . . at the first one I lost my phone in the street and didn't know it. At the second one I found Waldo. And at the third one Jess went from a butterfly to a cocoon. Afterwards the new game was "Where's Wanda's Phone?!" cuz I then realized that it had mysteriously gone missing! Jess and I went back to the first party and I found it under a car! It was a miracle that it wasn't broken, and me getting my phone was a ridiculous sight. Picture me covered in red and white stripes crawling under a huge red car with a big fluffy white hat on. And I thought I was gonna get stuck under there! Well anyways . . . we all made it home . . .

The next night was just as insane. I had to work all frikinnn day, but Heidi, Dave, Jonny 5, Andrew and I all went to another great costume party. Heidi and I were beer pong champions and I found The King! Mike Psorakis, You definitely get the Best Costume Award of 2005!

What a great Halloween weekend . . . It was Life in Characater Land

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"You'll see it when you believe it"

189 Fenimore Avenue

The best house of girls @ Hofstra University
(who have the best friends of course)

ex's

/// I really miss my Dad tonight . . . but I was also thinking; can you really miss something you never had? and is this thought really different or will I never know because I was never able to experience what I have missed to experience in my life? ***

. . . i'm thinking . . . . . . .

. . I like when we don't talk ... ... it gives me time to think about you. l

Sweet October

It's been a good October so far. I saw ElizabethTown the other night, which I thought was really good . . . a little off-the-beat at some points, but I like that. The art department gave me my own studio space to paint which is just amazing. The day that I was given that room was one of the best days ever, and that it was only given to 6 people in the entire art department makes me feel so good : ) . Come by and see me! The painting room in Calkins! { I'll be hiding in there a lot, haha } I went into the city about a couple weeks ago with Heidi, and that was a lot of fun too. We had a great lunch, walked around, got Phantom of the Opera tickets, walked around Central Park and acted like 5 year olds as we ran around FAO Shwartz. I think our time in that gigantic toy store was the highlight of our day. I got on the huge piano that you play with your feet and started jumping around on it and played some songs. I actually started to attract a crowd of like 20 people, it was hilarious, and Heidi got up there with me and we played Heart and Soul together. We got such a great applause, and I was thinking that 12 years of piano lessons finally payed off in the most surprising way . . . We then ran down the hallways with huge stuffed animals while singing the Star Wars theme song and I also rode on a hippopotamus rocking horse. You can pretty much do whatever you want in that store, no matter how old you are, it's so much fucking fun. I miss being 5 sometimes!

I also went to the city last night with Kait and Pam cuz it was Columbia University's homecoming. The football team won that day and we have a few friends there so we went and partied at the football frat house, then went to the bars after. That was a lot of fun too. Pam and I were dominating the beer pong table, and maybe being a little obnoxious, but it was a good time. And it's back into the city this coming Friday too for some dinner and to see a modern dance performance with Heidi, Kait, Pam and Gina : )

Now it's shower time and a fun little road trip with my wonderful group of guy friends, and Heidi of course, over to Connecticut for a crazy Cuban pig roast on this beautiful day with my crazy Cuban friend Andrew and his family. " happy sweetest day. " - k.h.

" There are certain times when it is wiser to be a private person . . .

. . . cherish that privacy. " - me

Fall. Home. Maple. Apple. Cider. Pumpkins.

There's something about being home during the Fall season. There's just something about upstate New York in the Fall . . . the feeling, the blue skies and the green grass and colorful trees, fresh apples, huge orange pumpkins, pancakes with real maple syrup, the intoxicating smell of freshly-just-baked cider doughnuts, the cool air and warm sun, and delicious apple cider. There's just this "feel good with the comfort of home" feeling I get. I love it. What a good weekend, wouldn't have asked for it to be any different *

We'll see how my apple pies come out ~ mmmmm ~

. . . and only the best birthdays are in the Fall *

back into the swing of things

I just had the most amazing yoga class outside in the sun, in the middle of the NY Jets field. It's so beautiful out and the air today was just perfect this afternoon. Yoga's so invigorating. I'm obsessed. *

What a good few weeks it's been. I love my house and everyone in it. It's just so comfy here. {{Come visit me!}} My classes and schedule worked out just the way I wanted them too, and not having Friday classes is amazing. Work at the Cheesecake Factory is just like it's always been, and the crazy people keep on coming in too. The other day there were these old ladies walking around to some of the tables and interrupting guests to ask them if they were getting up soon cuz they wanted to sit down. Now who does that?! Only the crazy people that come into the Cheesecake Factory, that's who. There was also this short, long island guy with these huge arms and a tight muscle-tee on, with the blow-out hair and the fake tan talking away on his cell phone while sitting at the table out to dinner with his bleach blond girl friend. I mean this wasn't that out of the ordinary to see, although rude. But the funny thing was, was that on his T-shirt it said "I hate my girlfriend". Now I really don't know anybody else's thoughts on this matter, but if I ever went out to dinner with a boyfriend while he was wearing a shirt like that . . . o wait . . . I wouldn't . . . he'd prolly just get a "fuck you" at the door and that would be the end of that fairytale.

Well now it's off to my Lit. class for the rest of the evening, then after work tomorrow night I'll be going home for the weekend till Tuesday. Yay! I'm also really excited for apple picking on Sunday . . . oh, and some warm apple pie and cider doughnuts and apple cider and hot apple crisp with vanilla ice creammmm . . . mmmmmmm . . . . . I love having these Jewish holidays off, it's just like free time for me : )

Thank you and Namaste *

A quick thanks

Guest writers are such a great addition to this, I really do like it. I think it just gives it that extra pizzazz I like so much! As you can see there was a wonderful addition by a close friend of mine in just the previous entry. . . I would like to note and pay thanks to "Sea Cow" (i.e. Jonny 5) for finally making public his true self. I feel fortunate that I was able to assist him in getting out there his thoughts. I really am greatly ammused and sorry to hear that Sea Cow has completely surpassed the "koo-koo catchoo" walrus state and moved on to the "fucking manatee" stage. I hope that all goes well for you. If I'm ever needed to help you again, or anyone for that matter, let me know, I love it : )
Sincerely,
Sarah Donato


a lesson has been learned -

I'm a big fat moron.

I feel it's time to let everyone know my secret identity. I'm a walrus. No koo-koo catchoo or whatever, i'm just a fucking manatee. So long, and thanks for all the fish.

signed,
sea cow

It was all...

something in the way the blue lights on a black night . . .

The days lately have been going by too fast. People are already starting classes and I'm leaving in the morning for Hofstra. Junior year is just about here and I won't be suprised when the next few semesters go by just as fast. Summer vacation is a time during the year when I wish I was able to press the slow-mo button. There were some great moments this summer that I wish could have lasted for twice or 3 or 4 times as long . . . visiting my family in Cali, the great night at The Moon and River Cafe, the best 21st birthday weekend ever, jumping off the boat and swimming around capri, the best home cooked meal I ever had my last night in Italy, chatting and catching up for hours and relaxing on the boat at Schroon Lake, a great night of dinner and pool and making new friends, and many nights of visiting with old ones. What a great summer. Now once I'm finally moved into my house there can be some more great moments with wishes that there was a remote control for those as well. I'm missing everyone already and also getting more excited every minute to see everyone and everything I've missed all summer.

Goodnight Moon *

- It was all . . . amazing - : )

"and we'll all float on alright" - M.M.

/ Jasmine in My Mind /

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*

See the curtains hanging in the window

In the evening on a Friday night

A little light shining through the window

Lets me know that everything's alright

*

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine

Blowing through my mind

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine

Blowing through my, makin' me feel all right

Making me feel, making me feel fine

Makes me feel right

Blowing through the jasmine in my mind .

*

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