Oh Life... oh ever changing life...

This has been, and continues to be, a time of interesting highs and lows for the Modern Bohemian.

We'll start with the lows...

I've been sick, and it worries me. (See earlier post)
A friend's father just died
I don't have enough money to pay my rent
I can't seem to be able to get even a part time job out in the "real world" (only online)
and the State wants to cut back on and/or take away my unemployment benefits... which I've received for less than a month.
Etc. etc. etc.
Boo.

But then there are the high notes!  The happy points!  The exciting moments!  Including:
Getting hired to be the Lansing Electronic Music Examiner on Examiner.com.  (Check out my first article with them here: "Macs Bar supports electronic music in Lansing")
Getting my article, The Top Five Zoos in Michigan, featured on the front page of List My 5.
Getting more followers on Twitter
Getting approved as an affiliate for  and  and
and seeing Wilhuff succeed in the online, social networking world.

But where's the in between?  I can't go through life like I'm on a rollercoaster; up and down, up and down!  Sometimes I need some in between.
The ideal ratio would be 70% good things (the highs), 10% bad things (the lows... you know, so that I can still appreciate the highs), and 20% in between (in between.  Neither bad, nor good, just a normal, smooth sailing kind of boring regularity that sometimes help to keep a person sane.)

For now, I probably just have to deal with the rollercoaster ride.  Maybe eventually the good things (like, my writing) can help with the bad things (like... my lack of money), but until then,  I just have to keep trying my best and plugging away and working hard to survive and keep hope alive...

Peace and Love,
Meagan

Be Grateful

"Live like you were dying." -Tim McGraw

"No day but today." -Jonathan Larson

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." -James Dean

We hear these things all the time. "Live for today..." "Make the most of every day..." But... do we all do this? Do we appreciate each day as if it is a golden gift? Because it is. Every day we breathe the air we breathe, see the sights we see, hear the sounds we hear, love the people we love... but how much do we really appreciate it?

I watched "Last Holiday" again. Now, say what you will about that movie: It's predictable... maybe. It's a chick flick... probably. But that movie touches me. Why? Because it is another one of those reminders that we should appreciate our life. Not put everything off until tomorrow. What if tomorrow never comes?

Maybe I get too thoughtful over movies or songs or famous quotes or poetry or theatre or whatever... but my sensitive soul is moved by these things, especially the ones that remind me of all there is to be grateful for.

The world is beautiful. Yes, there is pain. Yes, there is hardship. But the world is beautiful. And I am so grateful to be in it. I need to remember this. We all need to remember this.

So often we live day to day not thinking of these things. We get up, go to work, pay the bills, sleep... get up, go to work, pay the bills, sleep... get up.......... okay, you get the picture.

But why?

Now don't get me wrong. I understand the importance of work and money in the world we live in now; in fact, I feel pretty darn good after a hard day's work. But I just know that there's more. There's more to life than working to get by... clipping coupons, working overtime... there's so much more.

I have to believe that I can have it all. I have to believe that I don't just have to get by. Why? Well, I guess it's because I believe that I wasn't meant to be on this Earth just to slave away and pay taxes along the way.

So as I continue on my journey to discover just what my reason for being here is, I will remember to be grateful. To look at each day as a gift, and not get caught up in the daily struggle. But instead, wake up each day and take a deep breath of air, and enjoy my life. Live my life to the fullest.

Live like I was dying I suppose. ;)

"There's only us, there's only this.

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.

No other road, no other way...

NO DAY BUT TODAY!"

-RENT

Lists: Things Every Modern Bohemian Should WATCH, READ, or LISTEN TO...

What to watch: (Movies)

Moulin Rouge

RENT

A Midsummer Night's Dream
Documentaries

Mini-series and movies from PBS or the BBC

La Boheme

Once

most movies with subtitles

What to watch: (Stage)

RENT

La Boheme

Les Miserables

What to watch: (TV)

Comedians

Compelling, story driven dramas

PBS

What to Read:

Bohemian Manifesto by Laren Stover

Hippie by Barry Miles

The Way to God (a collection of Gandhi's words)

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Outsiders by SE Hinton

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Poetry (All kinds)

Village Voice

Any cool underground paper, magazine, or blog

What to listen to: (At least, what I am listening to at the moment)

Beatles

Queen

Led Zeppelin

Daft Punk

E-Type

The Corrs

Creedance Clearwater Revival

Imogen Heap

Eisley

Of course, these lists can be added to at any time, altered at any time, taken seriously, taken as a joke, obliterated or embellished, posted again or deleted forever. You can follow them fanatically or completely ignore them. But I love making lists. And I will probably make more. Do with them what you will...

The Village Voice

If you are a Modern Bohemian (or think you could be) and you don't know about The Village Voice, then it's about time you do. It's a bit too "mainstream" anymore to be truly Bohemian, but it still has it's moments. (Some of you may remember it's mention in the musical RENT during La Vie Boheme.)

Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it:

The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper in New York City, United States featuring investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts reviews and events listings for New York City. It is also distributed throughout the United States on a pay basis.

It was the first and is arguably the best known of the arts-oriented tabloids that have come to be known as alternative weeklies, though its reputation has been unstable since a recent buyout by publishing conglomerate New Times Media. The turbulent times its writers have covered has often been matched by the intrigue in its own offices, most recently including the firing of several high-profile contributors and a scandal over a fabricated story in 2005, the year the paper turned 50.

The Voice's spirit can be captured in its 1980s advertising slogan: "Some people swear by us...other people swear AT us."

Check out The Village Voice today.

Camping

So we (me, my boyfriend, and three of our friends) went on this amazing camping trip to the Manistee National Forest near Manistee, Michigan and we had a GREAT time! We camped in a little campground, had long conversations (and some whittling) around the camp fire, made some pretty good food over the campfire, explored the land around us, had a little swim in the river, went to the beach in Manistee (Lake Michigan) and swam, played frisbee, made sand castles, and buried some people in the sand (don't worry, they got out). We went to dinner at a local bar in Manistee, saw some cool artwork, hung out at camp playing territories, cards, hacky sack, frisbee, and jamming out around the fire. We relaxed, de-stressed, and chilled out and genuinely had a wonderful time.

I love camping. Yes, it can be a little uncomfortable sleeping in a tent with five people, but it is completely worth it. Being able to be one with nature, practicing basic survival skills, and living a more simple life for a few days really revives the spirit. I almost wish I could live that way all the time, but alas, this Modern Bohemian has a lot of needs and desires that cannot be met living the simple life in the woods. Although... the camp site WAS only $15.00 a week. That would be roughly $60.00 a month to just stay there and live. I pay $600.00 a month now for rent. Think of how much money I could save living out there! haha Unfortunately, it's not an option... but I can always dream, can't I?