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Thanksgiving is approaching quickly- and I don’t know if the word “thanksgiving” has ever been on my heart as much as it is this year. I am so thankful for the people that have surrounded me, it is amazing to me how blessed I am this year with friends and family.

I’m finding myself not as quick to complain, because every time I begin to complain, I only begin to feel selfish, not satisfied. With or without things in my life to say “I am blessed”, I have to give thanks to the Lord that wherever I am, he has been ever so present in my life, in good times and bad.

We tell our sisters and brothers when they are going through a hard time that “God is there”. Sometimes it takes saying it loud to someone else, to believe it yourself.  I whole-heartedly believe that God is with us, not just at Thanksgiving, but all year around.

Whoever said that squirrels could fly was wrong.

A few days ago, I got in my car only to find the late mr. squirrel resting on my windshield. Needless to say, this blog post is more of a plea for admittance and repentance to whoever would do such a horrid thing to me! (Okay, I’m overreacting a little). True fact: I called public safety to come take it off.. Also true, more than one public safety officer came along for the ride to see the circus (a.k.a. me freaking out over nothing)

I’m thankful for the ever-so-awakening adrenaline rush that this gave me, and my poor roommate who innocently chose to come along for the ride to the mall with me, who also suffered this awful thing. I wonder though, she was so traumatized, but managed to take pictures of me in laughter and hysteria…

Let this be a lesson to all readers.. beware of parking under a tree.. a bush… or… a lampost… of any kind! (Below is me in my irrational mental state, beside me in picture 2 is Matt, my very tolerant boyfriend.)

It’s the fact that the intelligence was not “human” born, but man-made.. Though after yesterday, my perspective has shifted, and my interest for this topic increased. I had the privilege of interviewing the Director of Prosthetics at a local rehabilitation center near home sweet home (new york,new york).  I was able to ask him all kinds of questions about “myoelectric prostheses” and a new technology like the “rheo knee”. Interestingly enough, these types of prostheses actually learn how to walk and move, based on knowledge gained by the patient.An ankle bracelet attached to the “good” leg, sends signals to the second leg about what the first leg is doing. This robotic knee-to-foot actually gains knowledge, and retains intelligence to keep a patient walking. This is the same kind of technology that kept Oscar Pistorious from entering the Olympics as an able-bodied athlete, because he was too abled by his prosthetic legs. Isn’t it ironic..
This field of computer science is one that I have never considered as interesting as I do now. I walked throrugh this rehabilitation lab, checking out the technology I’m learning about in the classroom, hard at work in the rehabilitation hospital. It’s things like this I get excited about - places where computer science meets the real world, and helps real people.

Almost one week has passed since I sat in First Mariner’s Arena and listened to songs by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, redone by Michael Buble himself, a very special birthday present from Matt. And almost one week has passed, and I cannot stop singing songs like “That’s Life”, and “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You..” What an entertainer! If you are a regular Michael Buble listener - make sure you make your way to a concert of his once in your lifetime. The timelessness of the songs, along with a voice like Frank’s - is a sure fire way to have you in tears, or dancing with the person next to you in a heartbeat. Perhaps that’s why the man next to Matt tried to dance with him - to bad for him I had him first..

That’s right, I was born on the same day as George Gershwin, ironically so, being that I am far from a musician. I spent the week doing homework and school projects, and meanwhile completely forgot that my 21st year of life was just around the corner. Even though I am the last of my friends to turn 21, I am really starting to feel old. I feel the oldest on the mornings I have to get up at 6, then again I’ve felt 50 years old at 6am since I was 12 years old, so maybe that’s not a good example.

My age really started to hit me this summer when the job/graduate school hunt began. The thought of being out in the real world does freak me out a little, however the thought of more school sounds just as bad as a root canal. I guess that my choices for post-graduation really rest in God’s hands, and I have to come to grips with that.

My birthday has been a good one thus far, the ever traditional-apartment-mate-dance-party-at-midnight of course, my lovely roommate making me breakfast, a bouquet of flowers sent direct from New York, grazie alla mia famiglia. I am looking forward to dinner in Harrisburg in a few hours, as well as Michael Buble in about a week.. for those of you who enjoy him, I’ll be taking many, many pictures, and for those of you who are rolling your eyes.. sorry. =)
I am thankful for another year of life - truly I am.

The beginning of a blog, a senior year, and a new journey. Welcome to my blog! =)