Journal Day...take one

I'm doing two posts in one day - starting off with a bang! I've been reading some bloggers for a while, hiding in the corner of the internet without saying anything, so I am going to steal some of their ideas/features to get things rolling.

This post is in response to Danielle's Journal Day prompt. Essentially she gives a prompt and you write about it like it were your journal! I figured this would be a good way to transition from livejournal/tumblr blogging to "real" blogging. The prompt she provided this was: "We all have songs that really mean something to us. Often just hearing it can take us right back to that place and we are able to re-experience the memory associated with the song. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but either way music has the ability to really draw things out of us and evoke deep emotion. Choose a song that has a particular meaning to you. Tell the story of the memory associated with the song, sharing as much detail as you can. Take us there; let us experience it with you."

There are just so, so many songs that I connect to. Music has been such a part of my life since I was young. I took piano lessons starting in kindergarten and then switched to voice lessons in 8th grade. Although I'm convinced I am a terrible singer. Music for me is an outlet, a way to work through whatever emotion I an feeling - sometimes it's a way for me to release the sadness I am holding in, or sometimes it's driving with my window down, enjoying the fresh air singing along to good tunes. It's funny because for me I go to the same songs, regardless of my mood. I also tend to listen to music the most in my car. This may have something to do with the amount of time I spend in my car driving to/from work (which is a-okay with me, I like to drive!). No matter what I'm going through or how I'm feeling, my go-to music is the band Make Do and Mend. I first heard about them through John as we prepared to see them open for the Bouncing Souls. This was shortly after John and I had started dating - thinking back, it was right around a year together. The Bouncing Souls had announced that they were doing a tour where they were going to play their entire discography in a four-night series in various cities. They happen to be one of John's favorite/meaningful bands, and they happened to be playing in Boston. So, for something ridiculously cheap like $75 each, I got us both passes to all four nights of their shows in Cambridge at the Middle East. We ended up staying at my aunt's house, about 30 minutes outside of Boston, and driving to the T and riding into the city every day. I think back on this with such fond memories! It's hard to believe that it was almost 3 years ago. Make Do and Mend were one of the opening bands, I think they were on the first or second night. I remember driving my little green Ford Escort (ugh I do not miss that car) from my aunt's house to the T station and John playing Make Do and Mend. The first song I think I heard of theirs was "TL". I remember standing in the Middle East, to the left of the stage by the bar, leaning against the rail in the dark pre-show venue, probably sipping a beer and waiting for the show to begin. There were a crowd of guys behind us dressed all in black and really dapper looking (or at least that's how I remember it). I remember John turning around and asking "Hey! Are you guys playing "TL" tonight?" and they said yes. I didn't even realize that they were the band! As soon as they went on stage and began playing I knew that I liked them. The other moment that sticks out in my mind from that night was Mike O'Toole (guitarist for the band) on stage, hanging toward the back doing his own thing. I can still remember what song was playing at that moment. One guitar riff always stays with me from that night - in fact John and I have jokingly bickered about what song it was because he thought it was something else. Make Do and Mend, three years later, remains one of my all-time favorite bands. The latest memory I have of them is from just a couple of weeks ago. I was at work and got the call from my mom that my grandmother was not doing well, that it was only a matter of time before she passed away, that I should come and say my "goodbyes". I knew it was coming, but I felt an overall sense of shock at that news. After wrapping things up for the day I got in my car and headed home. I immediately grabbed my iPod and put on "St. Anne" from Make Do and Mend's album Everything You've Ever Loved. I cycled through them and Polar Bear Club the entire drive home - singing along as I cried on and off. They have been, and I suspect will remain to be, a band that has a huge impact on me.

Hello There!

Hello! I decided to start a "real" blog after using livejournal and tumblr over the years. I decided that I wanted something a little more "grown up" and professional - whatever that means. I don't want this to be a social media type deal, I want it to be more of my real thoughts, real life, and an outlet.

So, I'll start by introducing myself...I'm Julia and right now I'm living in central New Hampshire in the Lakes Region. I grew up in New Hampshire but left for college. After getting my degree in Psychology I applied to an AmeriCorps program and am currently in my second year with the AmeriCorps Victims Assistance Program. This program works with survivors of sexual assault, stalking, and relationship violence across the state of New Hampshire. My position with the program is at the University of New Hampshire. We are fortunate enough to be one of a growing number of schools to have a sexual assault/relationship violence crisis center right on campus. In my position I work as an advocate for students who have experienced these types of violence. My official title (for now...) is an advocate. This may be changing (for the better...fingers crossed) but nothing yet. So, enough about my professional life! I live with my boyfriend John and our two feline babies, Mayor and Cleo. Right now we're at the point in our lives where we're both trying to figure out our next step and how to move forward and build a foundation to grow on. John is looking for a new full-time job/career, and I'm exploring my options as I wind down my time as an AmeriCorps member. Life is very uncertain for us right now and I know I am extremely anxious for everything to be figured out.

I'm going to try to keep this updated and write a few times a week about my life, what's been happening, what's on my mind, etc. We shall see!

(I realize after typing this that I wrote it as if there were a lot of people reading it...even though I know no one is. Right now? Maybe that will change some day!)