The Good Girl Gone Blog

Sunday Confessional: I used my breakup in a motivational speech November 23, 2009

photos and video via Izzy

Last night was our final concert of the season and my last concert ever. Though I wasn't really psyched about being there for a few reasons (recent breakup, feeling unprepared, nervousness, etc.), I went because I had to. After a day of barely eating and way too many hours spent sleeping, I got myself together, put on a pretty dress and made my way to the concert venue aka BU Central.

As the choreographer/costume designer/fun machine, I'm responsible for making sure everyone looks good. So, right before the show, I gave this inspirational speech:

"Hi everyone. My boyfriend officially broke up with me today, so if I can go onstage and look happy, you all better believe you're going to be smiling and dancing."

It must have worked, because last night was our best concert ever! I will admit that I freaked out a bit during my solo- my song, "Why Can't I," is all about the beauty of starting a new relationship. As I stood there onstage, microphone in hand and staring at an autographed photo on the room's back wall, I willed myself not to be nervous. I think it was the words "...isn't this the best part of breaking up, finding someone else you can't get enough of" that really got me.

Though I tried to be happy, those words really spoke to me. Yesterday, my perfect, new relationship was dissolved- no longer was I sitting around, waiting for him to figure himself out. He says he can't love anyone right now, and that's a real shame.

Like I said to him in my final text message:

"I think I would have fallen in love with you if you'd let me. That's what hurts the most."

Night Walk October 21, 2009

 

Last night I decided to take my camera with me to a cappella practice. This may not sound like a big deal, but let me tell you, it was. Instead of throwing it in my purse (like I would throw that camera anywhere, come on), I hesitantly wore it around my neck.

 It was probably just in my head, but I felt everyone's eyes on me. What was such a tiny girl doing with such a huge camera? 

Though I desperately wanted to take pictures of the swarms of BU hockey fans making their way to Agganis Arena, I just couldn't. I couldn't even take non-people photos, for fear that I would be watched and asked to show the pictures I'd just snapped.

When I finally made it past the crowds, I decided to alter my route to walk by the river, with the hopes of having a little more privacy to take photos. Though I'm still unclear on how to use all my camera settings in different situations, I really enjoyed playing around and trying different ways to get the same shot.

I even captured a crew boat venturing out in the night. It was really hard to keep the camera steady and also capture the boat before it rowed away, but I tried my hardest!

 

Though I hadn't been keeping track of time, I finally realized that my fun photo time needed to come to an end. Content with the photos I had taken, I walked towards the Hillel building, only to stop and take yet another photo. Although the leaves looked like they were on fire, it was actually just some kind of light fixture. It sort of reminded me of a cross between the burning bush and the fire pit in Are you Afraid of the Dark?.

 

Oh, and I just had to include this photo of Big D. I think she looks adorable! I couldn't help but take photos of some of my favorite girls once I got to practice!

 

So anyway, here's to hoping I'll learn tons and become a fantastic photographer. And more importantly, hopefully I'll get over my phobia of taking pictures around strangers.

Sunday Confessional: I'm exhausted, and it's only 7:38 October 18, 2009

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but my blog posts have been pretty infrequent this week. The reason? I'm writing/managing three blogs right now, as well as cooking, performing in a cappella concerts, babysitting, going to class and putting together cute outfits... Fortunately, I've had a lot of help from friends and coworkers, but still- it's 7:38 pm, and I could fall asleep right now.

Yes, I know this is a bit of a cop out in terms of an impressive Sunday Confessional piece, but you'll have to let it slide today.

So here are some of the things I've been up to:

• Dressing up 5 days a week is no simple task- check out last week's 5 looks.
• In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I created a list of 10 products that help support the cause.
• Compiling some cool info from around the Web like how to build a closet office or bake a delicious blueberry buckle.
• Smiling like crazy because of a great review from a fellow blogger.

Anyway, this week is chock full of midterms and I'm a little terrified. Fortunately, my family is coming to visit on Friday, so I have that to look forward to :)

From the lips of a stranger September 02, 2009

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm really weird about transitions. I like to divide my life into chunks, to leave things behind and to start anew...like the summer of Alana, for instance- that officially concluded last night. Sure, summer isn't technically over, but with classes starting today, last night marked the end of my summer. Now, I can leave behind all the bad dates, the conflicts with friends and the dirty apartment. I can start over. Last night also represented my final "night before the first day of school" at BU.

Walking back to my apartment from a cappella practice, Rachel L. by my side, I couldn't help but think about the next chapter of my life. As I babbled on about our new blog (!!), my relationship drama and my day at work, Rachel listened and offered encouragement. After living with me all summer, I think she's probably one of the few people that really understand me.

As we got closer to the apartment, we started to discuss my outfit for my cousin's upcoming wedding. It was then that  a tall, skinny, boy in front of us stopped, turned around, and started talking to me. At first, I assumed he was going to tell me to shut up, or at least ask me to lower my voice because he could care less about my choice to wear pearls with the red dress. But um, that's not at all what he said.

"Hey, I couldn't help but turn around and tell you something. You're really pretty..."

Flustered, I quickly said thank you and tried not to make the situation any more uncomfortable than it already was. Rachel and I chatted with him until we finally reached our building.

"That was really awkward,"exclaimed Rachel.

Though I agreed with her, I couldn't help but smile. So what if he was an awkward freshman, he still made my night. Ok, maybe my week! What a great way to enter the semester.

WASP vs JAP: Graduation Edition June 10, 2009

Editor's Note: Please don't take this post too seriously :)

 As you know, I spent the past few days back home in Baltimore in honor of my little sister Sophie's high school graduation. It was great to see my family, a few friends, as well as my pediatrician :)

Soph's graduation was totally different than mine, most likely because she went to an all girl's school, while I went to a Jewish high school. Though both were relatively affluent private schools, Sophie's school mostly catered to ehemm...a WASPier crowd.

Keep in mind, I have a lot of trouble remembering the exact details of my graduation because it was 3 years ago. Plus, I somehow managed to cry through most of it, walk the wrong way on stage and lose my diploma. It was stressful.

Below is the comparisson between our two graduations...it's sort of turned into a  JAP vs. WASP list:

Graduates' Attire

Sophie's school- all of the girls wore white gowns. Some of them were so fancy, they looked like bridal gowns. It was borderline ridiculous

Alana's school- we (boys and girls) wore caps and gowns, the boys in blue and the girls in white.

Location

S- the graduation took place outside in a beautiful courtyard.

A- the graduation took place in a synagogue.

Families' Attire

S- Lilly Pulitzer dresses, sear-sucker shorts, bare shoulders, khaki pants and navy suit jacket combos

A- covered shoulders, nice skirts and pants outfits, suits.

Accessories

S- girls walked in with blue and white bouquets.

A- nothing. We had nothing, unless you count our caps.

Music

S- the national anthem, a few a cappella selections, the alma mater

A- ummm most likely the national anthems of America and Israel

So our graduations were pretty different, but they were both nice overall. It was particularly fun to check out the VERY non-Jewish looking boys at Sophie's graduation. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have found an American marine in full uniform at my high school's graduation. Nor would you find a boy wearing khakis, a pink polo and a white sear sucker jacket. It sounds so preppy and yucky...but I was completely intrigued.

Size Does Matter May 12, 2009

I've wanted my friend Big-D to write this post ever since she came into Neshikot rehearsal one day complaining about how she couldn't play guitar because of her boobs. Everyone give Big-D a warm welcome, and the next time you feel yourself whining about being flat chested, think about this post:

Top 10 Things You Can’t Do With Big Boobs

By: Big-D

1.  Play golf
2. Jam out on a guitar
3. Jump on a trampoline
4. Wear tube tops
5. Shop at Victoria’s Secret
6. Wear string bikinis
7. Pretend to be a man
8. Order from the kid’s menu
9. Go bra-less
10. Run without getting a black eye

Neshikot Recording Sesh and CD Design! May 03, 2009

Hey bloggos!

I'm currently sitting in the student union attempting to complete my final writing assignment of the year. It's an op-ed piece and I get to write about whatever I want. Of course, whenever I'm unsure about a homework topic, I go to my roommate for inspiration.

Thanks to Megan, I'm now writing my paper on Iceland. Yup. I'm very excited. So excited in fact, that I desperately want to skip finals and take an impromptu trip to Reykjavik. Because Iceland's economy (as well as everyone else's) is doing so badly, flights are EXTREMELY cheap. Anyone want to take a last minute trip with me?

In other news, Rachel L took some photos at our a cappella recording sesh on Friday. We recorded the base tracks and will finish up everyone's individual parts next week. Here are a few photos to give you a little taste of being international recording superstars (haha):

 

Just messing around with the girls.

With Riki, my co-soprano.

And now, what you've all been waiting for: the CD design! Keep in mind, the song list isn't correct. I was required to list 8 songs to complete my design assignment, but the group is actually only recording 5 songs at this time.

Photos from NY February 08, 2009

I had a jam packed weekend filled with singing, coughing and some good old fashioned girl drama! Woohoo. Honestly, what do you expect from 11 girls staying together in one house for 2 days? I will say that I myself didn't cry, so I think I deserve props for that.

Although the weekend was stressful, it definitely had some highlights. Here are a few photos from the a Capella concert:

Rachel L being adorable.

 

Yeah...I'm actually that small. Here I am with some of my boys from my Israel program! Also, how cute are our t-shirts? Our group is called "Neshikot," which means "kisses" in Hebrew.


This is my buddy Nathan aka the sound guy. I spent 3/4 of the concert in the sound booth with him. We spent most of the time commenting on the various performers.


Hooray for Nathan!

A religious experience February 07, 2009

Today in synagogue I came to a certain conclusion: the richer the congregation, the shorter the skirts. I thought back to 7th grade  when I went to a Bar Mitzvah practically every weekend. My mom would never let me out of the house in a tiny skirt, let alone allow me to attend a religious ceremony where my thighs were showing. 

In fact, I would never feel comfortable wearing a 4-inch skirt...anywhere! So it always appalls me when I see 13-year-olds dressing like hoochie mamas in synagogue! Who are they trying to attract- immature 13-year-old boys? 

All I'm saying is that there's a time and a place for dressing like a skank: your first Halloween in college.

So Jewish mothers, do us all a favor, and don't let your little baby look like trash. It's just not cool.

Revisiting my childhood in Dana's basement February 06, 2009

Hello from lovely Harrison, NY! I'm currently sitting on the couch with four other girls from my a cappella group. We're really pumped to be here and glad we survived the drive. Let me tell you, everything they say about New York drivers is absolutely true. I was a little bit worried for my life.

We have now made it to "The Ellis Fun Zone" aka Dana's basement, which is full of treasures such as a pinball machine and this little gem:

I distinctly remember riding these guys at the Baltimore zoo. Do you have a favorite childhood toy?

Love, Alana and Rachel L.

PS- expect an exciting post revolving around the letter "M."