Claire Keane
sheepfilms
almost home
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
d e v o n
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Jules of Nature
Sade Olutola
@theartofmadeline
izzy's playlists!
Aqua Utopia｜海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Stranger Things
Fai_Ryy
Sweet Seals For You, Always
Xuebing Du
EXPECTATIONS
Peter Solarz
Three Goblin Art
roma★
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@keepwundering
The Beginning of an End
The Beginning of an End
Goodbyes are not something I enjoy. Normally, I play it off – goodbye, goodbye, see you again! But really, I’m a sap. If you didn’t know, let it be known. I cried packing my suitcase before this trip, I cried writing goodbye letters to my family, and I definitely cried saying goodbye to my parents at the airport. Poor security lady at the airport – I wonder how many awkward encounters airport…
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Singapore Excursion, Thailand Homecoming
Singapore Excursion, Thailand Homecoming
Recently, I splurged and bought a plane ticket to Singapore to visit a friend. After living in the land of free smiles, 70 cent dinners, and abundant generosity, it was an eye-opener to return to more Western prices. 139 Sing dollars for a bikini? Really? That’s 110 USD – give me a break. Do you realize how little fabric that is? I’ll freely admit that in the past, I have spent that much on a…
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2019's Redemption
2019’s Redemption
Though bearing the title of the worst year of my life, 2019 has some absolution. I know I’ve painted a bleak picture with my previous post, but please, bear with me.
January brought my extended family together in Charlotte, NC for my cousin Michael’s wedding. It was a chance for our family to celebrate together, to dance uproariously, to toast to love, and to create new beginnings as our family…
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2019 - Worst Year of My Life
2019 – Worst Year of My Life
Upon reflection, 2019 has been the worst year of my life. If this sounds like a bold assertion, it is; however, hear me out. First, a quick disclaimer: this is about the ugliest parts of my life. I decided to be transparent about my struggles because there’s power in owning pain. Please be kind.
The year began with lidocaine and cortisone injections. Lidocaine burns, cortisone didn’t work. The…
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Lessons Learned from Dating
Lessons Learned from Dating
There was a long spell in my life where I didn’t date: I was preoccupied with school, I had other focuses, I couldn’t be bother to share my time. In the past year or so, I’ve leisurely made my way back into the dating pool and let’s just say, it’s confusing. I could go on a rant about the frustrations of dating, the games, the rules, the nonsense, and maybe I will in another blog. For now, let’s…
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To my Valiant Valentines
To my Valiant Valentines
What is love? Baby, don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me, no more. I hope it’s stuck in your head, because it’s on repeat in mine! But really, what is love? Am I even qualified to hazard an answer to a seemingly innocuous, but profound question? The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. — Victor Hugo I have a simply…
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In January, Karissa married her best friend Matt and I had the honor of standing with her. Their wedding was beautiful and unique with quiet intimacy, coupled with prior and post-wedding shenanigans. February, my family traveled to Dover, NH, where I stumbled through the reading and witnessed John and Tara’s marriage. Tara was radiant and John never looked so happy; they generously allowed Wunders access to microphones and the dance floor saw some serious moves.
The New Hampshire winter wedding of Tara and John at the Rivermill.
The New Hampshire winter wedding of Tara and John at the Rivermill.
The New Hampshire winter wedding of Tara and John at the Rivermill.
My Valentine’s Day was shared with Meredith, strolling Charleston streets for coffee meet-ups and candlelit home-cooked dinners; there was only minor bloodshed from an incident with a knife and my finger. My twenty-fifth birthday saw celebration in Austin, Texas with Anna – getting lost in Barton Creek, culinary adventures with food trucks and dives, free concerts in the balmy evenings, drinking in the Austin lifestyle in the best company possible.
May’s Memorial Day Weekend was in the desert: where more liquor is consumed than water, where the lights never go out, and where the surest currency is excess. Viva Las Vegas. June revealed Drew’s Cleveland, with phenomenal pho joints tucked in unassuming backstreets and discovering Lake Erie redefines my understanding of lakes.
A getaway to Mt. Pleasant to see Laura followed. Immediate kinship with her family added to the hours of intellectual exploration, a doughnut reunion with Sarah, and the indulgence in a shared Bear Grylls obsession. The Fourth of July, my favorite holiday, was enjoyed with family on Knott’s Island – foosball, volleyball, swimming, and card games punctuated by companionship and cramming as many Wunders as possible into a single room.
August brought a Wunder family mountain reprieve. Mountains make my soul happy. Lake Glenville offered us a week of peace and beauty, time for reading, venturing, hiking, and boating. If everyday could be spent hiking and exploring a lake on a paddle board… Teaching SUP to Duncan, he hit me with the real question: are you going to have a career or be an artist?
September introduced me to Pittsburgh and its charms. The allure of a new job, the Strip’s magnificent food offerings, and a city of rivers and bridges captured me. October saw me stepping away from the familiar to claim Pittsburgh as my own with a signature on a lease – my first adult move. Good-byes were said and a journey was begun.
November work followed a visit from family and returning to MB for Thanksgiving. Seth spared me many struggles by assembling my furniture. With the first snow, coworkers commented only on the cold – no one remarked on the white stuff drifting down from gray skies. Christmas day – I reaffirmed that buying presents is worth the joy of giving, but the best part of the day is sharing together-time with family.
And now, a new year is nearly upon us. This year was far more than travels outward and events I can recount. It was adventures inward and movements shared. In a world of awful things and huge problems that are devastating, you have to find something to hold. I have the great fortune of having some truly incredible people in my life to hold to and to love live with. Here’s to the people I love, the literal and metaphorical adventures I go on with them, and their constant companionship that follows me around the globe. Here’s to the people who fearlessly delve into contentious topics and the issues that hurt just as quickly as they will laugh with me. Here’s to those strong enough to be vulnerable, to trust me as I trust them.
You have the power to brighten my every day. You help me appreciate this wonderful, crazy life. Here’s to you. You change me, challenge me, and complement me. You make this day and every year of my life great. Thank you. I love you.
2016, I’m coming for ya.
2015: Little steps, big movements In January, Karissa married her best friend Matt and I had the honor of standing with her.
I’ve started crying. I cried as a baby and I cried when I was exceptionally angry or feeling indignant as an angsty teen, but that’s not the crying I mean. I remember being a teenager looking at my mom tearing up when my little sister was playing piano in church wondering what in the world was her problem.
A particularly embarrassing crying incident was on my flight back from Switzerland. For the spring semester of my junior year, I studied at the University of Reading in England. I met amazing people, traveled to great places, took full advantage of being legal at 20, and got entangled with a British boy. Naturally.
My favorite British boy, but not the “Brit”
We’re all stable.
As one naive to the art of trysts, I conceded to continuing to talk (whatever that means) despite me being off to Switzerland for a month. What else did I have to do? I ended up traveling around Italy with said Brit. We met in Zurich and went by train to Venice, to Florence, and back to Zurich. I turned 21, wine was had, and laughs were shared with my college roomies in Florence. Brit didn’t drink red wine – I will never understand.
Brit gave me a stuffed elephant from his childhood. When the Customs officer asked me if I had received anything from anyone in Europe, I thought of the elephant stuffed in my bag, looked him in the eye, and said, “No sir.” Internally, I panicked, wondering if Brit had stashed drugs in it and was trying to keep me in Europe forever. Spoiler alert: I made it to the States just fine.
On the flight home, my mom was sick. She’d come to Switzerland to see me and visit family for a long week. We managed a quick jaunt to Paris and a frantic tour of Parisian delights. It was a whirlwind of a week ending in a cold for my mom, dozing in and out of conscious sickness beside me on the plane.
Madre <3
Alexa and I
My (Great!) Uncle Peter
Mom, Renate, and I
Ramona and Beezus was on and I halfheartedly watched. There was a tender moment, and I don’t know what came over me, but I started crying. Trying to contain the onslaught was impossible. I was pitifully thankful my mom was out of it and missed my bizarre emotional breakdown. My adventure was over, my friends for the past months were returning to their respective corners of the globe, and I was headed back to lame old Myrtle Beach. Life was dismal and it all became too much.
Amy Poehler’s wisdom in “Yes Please”
Some weeks later, I had a tearful Skype conversation with Brit, firmly telling him no, you can’t move to the States to be with me in Clemson. No, you aren’t being logical. No, no, no. The best thing that came of that conversation was my mom coercing me out of my room to get in the hot tub and have a beer together. That’s the best medicine.
My bad habit of crying when I’m emotionally overwrought has evolved. If I am not sleeping enough, odds of tears are increased. The newest trigger is empathy. Well-written books, emotional movies, and those Ellen videos can get to me. Some mornings, listening to BBC News is too much. This story about the 1-year anniversary of the Peshawar school massacre… No 10 year-old should have to recount witnessing a massacre.
“I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.” Maya Angelou
Crying is a weird thing in that it’s both cathartic and embarrassing. Embarrassing because it’s an open display of emotion and to some extent, we pride ourselves in being controlled individuals, keeping a hand on our emotions. At least, I do.
But you know what, some things are worth crying for. I’m glad I allow myself to feel that kind of emotion. Crying isn’t the weakness I thought it was. Crying is a show of strength, vulnerability, and in many of circumstances love. It comes down to empathy, and I think we could all use a little bit more empathy.
“The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy, we can all sense a mysterious connection to each other.” Meryl Streep
When I was a baby: prior to airplane crying and leaving beautiful Switzerland.
For Crying Out Loud I’ve started crying. I cried as a baby and I cried when I was exceptionally angry or feeling indignant as an angsty teen, but that’s not the crying I mean.
Gifts for Me if Gifts were Free
Gifts for Me if Gifts were Free
As everyone knows, in 10 days, it will be Christmas. I made a convenient list of 10 things too expensive, random, or bizarre to expect for Christmas gifts, but if gifts were free… Disclaimer: I don’t really need these and I don’t expect anyone to get me them. I’m just writing them off my mind. A Flask. First of all, why not? Second, how have I made it this far in life without one? Really, it’d…
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The Perks of Living Alone
The Perks of Living Alone
For the first time in my life, I live alone. Growing up in a house with my parents, 3 siblings, 2 dogs, a cat, and an array of friendly hoodlums appearing at random, our house was well-populated. Only 2 nights of nearly 20 years in that house I can recall being the only one home. Noise and companionship was constant. Yet, I enjoy being alone. I inherently dislike bothering others. I like my…
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How to Move: by a chronic overthinker
How to Move: by a chronic overthinker
Step 1: Panic. No really just, panic. As you psychotically pursue every possible thought track to exhaustion (if I do this, and then this, and then that happens, which means this, and then…), you are moving through crucial thoughts, even though it’s in panic. Step 2: Tame your crazy. There comes a time when obsessively checking every single online rental listing on every possible site…
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On my Own, Right on Time
On my Own, Right on Time
Today was a day, my friends. There’s been moments, there’s been thoughts, and I’ve set sail on a new course for this life of mine. I am 25, but I just discovered that I get a refund when you go into a gas station to pay with a credit card and unsuccessfully guess at how much gas you want in your tank. This means I’ve made it how many years never going into a gas station to pay for gas? What is…
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Resisting A Game of Thrones - Folly, Futility, and Film
A Game of Thrones Resistance - Folly, Futility, and Film
I resisted Game of Thrones. Why? I’m damn stubborn. I read fantasy and I love fantasy, but somehow, this became the masses’ fantasy book of choice. It’s weird, because it’s bridged a new fantasy gap – it’s not a Harry Potter, where there’s appeal for everyone in a handful of plunky kids taking on the wizarding world. It’s also not a Twilight – which is shoddy writing coupled with Mary-Sue plots.…
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Presenting Five, Twenty-Five, and a Quarter
Birthday Sex
I hit the quarter century mark. When the annual reminder of my time rolls around, I’m thrown into reflection and retrospection. This year, I redirected a portion of my musing to something light-hearted. I’ve been told I’m difficult to buy for, but I beg to differ. So, in honor of five times marking five years past, I made a collection of five gifts I’d happily receive.
Books. If my last two blog…
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Books: to love and to hold, in print and in eBooks
To Buy or not to Buy: The Ethics of Reading
To sound off on the great debate of e-readers vs. print books, I’m a holder. I have a Kindle (a gift from a friend who moonlights as my angel), but I steer towards quick and light stories on it. For the more substantial reads, I want to hold the print book. A Kindle is more convenient – easy to hold lounging on the beach, one hand holding your sweating cold-beverage of choice to combat the heat.…
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A Book-Lover's Dilemma: A Need to Read
I have mentioned before I read. What I didn't say was that not only do I read, but I'm a voracious reader. I devour books. Not all books, but when I'm taken with a story, I greedily fly through the words with abandon. The book consumes my attention as I consume its content. It's a mutually beneficial relationship for the book and I, but the problem becomes this: books are too short and my time with them too fleeting.
I have mentioned before I read. What I didn’t say was that not only do I read, but I’m a voracious reader. I devour books. Not all books, but when I’m taken with a story, I greedily fly through the words with abandon. The book consumes my attention as I consume its content. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship for the book and I, but the problem becomes this: books are too short and my time…
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Let's talk about Podcasts
I have a confession: I’m addicted to podcasts.
Podcasts. What’s a podcast? It’s our newfangled way of sharing old-fashioned conversation and information, crammed into a digital audio file that you can download to your computer, ipod, or whatever sound-creating memory devise you prefer. It’s a modernized radio program and it’s waiting around for you to discover it. And let me tell you, it’s…
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