Ode to Mesa

Well, this is it. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, only to return when the sun radiates relief and the kitchen smells like pumpkin pie. To answer the questions I have already answered dozens of times: Yes, I'm excited. I'm living in bowen hall at Heritage. It's old but right by campus. I'm rooming with Emily Kleinkopf, majoring in English, and of course, since everyone has pounded this into my head, I'm expecting to have lots of fun.

The truth is that, although I am excited, I'm also a little apprehensive, and there are lots of things I'm going to miss about my hometown. As I was thinking about Mesa, my thoughts were coming out somwhat poetically, so I decided to jot them down. It was a quick draft and It's a little cheesy, but it describes how I'm feeling, so I'm posting it anyway. Enjoy. :)

I’ll miss this.

I’ll miss walking outside a cold building into the blistering heat

wearing flip flops outside in february and sweaters inside in june

dancing in the sudden, brief rain that interrupts a sunny day

I’ll miss strolling down main street with a friend and a camera

staying home on fridays to be with my sister

singing 2 hours a day with the people I love most

I’ll miss the saguaros amongst wildflowers in spring, dried grass in autumn

the families of quail that run across my yard each June

the smell of orange blossoms that invades my nose on a spring day

I’ll miss Mesa

The desert is beautiful because it’s my home

Some say they could never belong here. I say I will always belong here

I’ll miss this.

Goodbye Mesa! Don't change too much while I'm gone. Keep my family and friends safe and well for me. :) I'll be home for Christmas!

Love,

Lauren

I'm old fashioned

I love the moonlight. I love the old fashioned things...

If these phrases hold no meaning for you, go look up the song "I'm Old Fashioned" on youtube or a music website. It's an old jazz standard so there will be dozens of artists that have recordings. I recommend Ella Fitzgerald, but listen to more than one if you have time.

The fact that I absolutely love this song is just one example of how old fashioned I am. I realized recently that in many aspects of pop culture, I prefer an older or more vintage style to a modern one. I would rather listen to Billy Joel than Jason Derulo. I would rather read A Tale of Two Cities than The Lightning Theif. I would rather watch old episodes of Star Trek than new episodes of Glee. And as far as fashion and decorating are concerned, the vintage look wins ever time. Let's face it, unless we are talking about food, pajamas, or special effects, old stuff is always better.

Okay, maybe not always. I love a lot of the more current music, books, and TV shows as well, and although I love vintage style clothing, it's not like the clothes themselves are actually old.

I guess the more accurate statement would be that I'm multi-generation fashioned. Too often, the media (and the public) gets so excited about the newest hit that they forget about the old classics. People with such a narrow focus miss out on the myriad of good entertainment that is available to them. So this is my message to the world: next time you buy tickets to the newest hit movie, check out what the Metropolitan Opera will be broadcasting in HD at the same theather. Next time your looking up your favorite song artist on the internet, look up some of the artists that inspired them. Next time you check out the latest pop fiction novel from the library, pick up a classic that has withstood the test of time.

Every generation has its good and bad culture, but over the years, we can hope that the worst of it dies out, leaving only the best books, movies, and music for our senses to enjoy.

Think about it.