Ciao! I’m new to the blogging world, but I figure it’s never too late to start. I’m pretty sure all the titles to my blogs will be in Italian; the more frequently I use it, the easier it gets, so it helps. Dove comincio?

I’m ending my freshman year at Ohio State, and it’s gone by so fast. It’s a little too cold for me here in the winter, but I can always move somewhere warm when I graduate, so I’ll tough it out until then. I’ve grown up in a small town in Ohio, which may sound ideal to some, but I couldn’t be happier to live in the city. It’s so exciting, so many opportunities, and no one’s constantly judging you like back where I’m from.  From graduation until now hasn’t been easy. I lost one of my parents last summer, which totally changed my perspective on everything: life, death, values, ambitions. Some say that’s another reason I never go home/won’t live there now, maybe they’re right. Zacc was an amazing person, no one could replace him. Besides that, I have three other parents. My mom is dating someone else now, so it’s been a learning experience because I never thought I’d live to see my parents in the dating circuit, but I have so much respect for her because of what she’s been through. My dad and step-mom have always lived further away so I don’t see them as much, but we all have busy lives, so it’s become a mutual understanding. My brother Andy is 26, getting married this summer, my step-sister Amanda is 24, graduating from OU’s grad school in June, and my step-brother Jake is 22, he’s been in some rough spots. When we were kids we always fought, but now that we’re older, we’ve gotten very close. I wouldn’t have my big, truly American family any other way.

Anyhow, away from the tragedies of my early adulthood, I’ve accomplished other things… sort of. I can actually leave my room wearing no makeup, and feel absolutely confident about it. You wouldn’t catch me doing that in high school. I’ve made the Dean’s List every quarter so far that I’ve been here, and I’ve taken really hard classes. Atmospheric science damn near killed me. That didn’t come without sacrifices… instead of getting trashed at parties Tuesday through Sunday, puking all over myself and dressing like a gypsy pirate hooker, I would stay in doing laundry and studying. I have no regrets either, I’ve seen plenty of people be put on academic probation and lose scholarship money over poor grades. I go out when I can, but I’m a part of the 24% of the freshman girl population who knows the meaning of “time management” and “priorities.” My priorities don’t involve being drugged at frat parties and date raped. =)

I have better friends than I’ve had in the past, real ones. Not like in high school when people say they’re your friends and covertly speak ill of you. They’ve seen me at my best and worst, and oddly enough, they’re nothing alike. Usually in a group of friends, you see certain similarities: whether it be by appearance, dialect, sense of humor, style, talents. Mine have nothing in common besides the fact that they each have strong personalities. Oh, and they have colorful love lives. One friend I have was cheated on by her boyfriend… with another girl who had the same name as she, and another guy. In situations as far as cheating is concerned, that’s one of the worst scenarios. The only way it could’ve been worse is if the guy was her brother and the girl was one of her best friends. As far as my love life goes, when I have one, I’ll mention it.  Ironically enough, although I haven’t had a real relationship in years, I’m still the go-to girl whenever anyone has dating troubles. If I haven’t had much success in the area, what makes other people think I know what the hell I’m doing? In reality, I don’t think anyone knows what they’re doing when it comes to dating… or else there wouldn’t be so many books, movies, and magazine articles about it.

My life (mia vita) currently is very chaotic. I just started working at the home office for Abercrombie & Fitch. Everyone is really cool and friendly, and the work is just marketing, displays, straitening, folding, etc., so it’s all I was accustomed to doing at American Eagle last year when I worked there. I really like it so far, plus it gets me off campus. Tomorrow I have a presentation, classes, a meeting with one of my advisors, and work back to back with no time gaps in between, so my day is totally full. My life in general is always high-stress, but this is even a lot for me to have going on at once. I probably won’t get back until 9ish and I have a test Friday in Italian too, so I’ll have to study a lot over the next few days.

I like being busy, because that way I know I’m getting things done and not wasting time being lazy, but similarly, I wish I had time to relax. Even when I’ve finished one thing, I can’t stop and feel proud of it because I’m too busy worrying about the next deadline. Not even just with school work… but with anything in my life. There’s that saying about how you should “stop and smell the roses.” I can’t remember the last time I had a moment like that, of pure relaxation, satisfaction, and peace.

Since the title of my blog, Mia vita, literally means “my life,” I think I’ll end my first blog by capsulating everything my life is and is not, and what I want it to be.

My life is: busy, chaotic, ironic, comical, stressful, random, unique, ambitious, meaningful, focused, liberating, independent, delicate, strong, inappropriate, blunt, fierce, bold, accepting, tolerant, curious

My life is not: patient, carefree, conservative, religious-based, needy, typical, content, compromising, intrusive, scary, dramatic, superficial

I wish my life was: adventurous, free from judgment of others, without regret, full of traveling, without worry

Posso lavorare sul tesi per domani. Desidero questo weekend viena presto!