life in surround sound and process color.

LISTENING TO: Jon Bellion - All Time Low This is very back to back, but it seems to be how my life has been functioning lately. Right on the back end of scheduling my Finger Lakes getaway, I found out I'd be traveling down near Washington D.C. for work. On top of the worries that my poor car would be tracking hundreds of miles in the course of a few days, I was actually pretty excited. As condensed as this trip was, it probably does deserve more than one post for all the stress it caused, but for right now, I'm going to sit back, relax and recap. Herndon, VA. I've made enough trips down to my grandfather's to recognize the name of the city, but never really had a reason to stop in a suburb of D.C. before. My trip started pretty easily enough on Tuesday afternoon, but as anyone who drives 95 can attest, that changes pretty quickly. I have never driven through an area longer when I've been so close mileage-wise to my destination. I understand living to commute ...

LISTENING TO: Marshmello - Rescue Me (feat. A Day To Remember) This was definitely a whirlwind trip, but as I was saying earlier today, it was much needed. Although my trip out of the Finger Lakes this morning was quicker than I wanted, I was more than happy to have been able to visit some of my favorite spots on my way out of town. After checking out of my hotel this morning, my first stop was the Hammondsport town square. At first glance, Hammondsport will remind many people of Stars Hollow (if you're a Gilmore Girls fan, anyhow). It's full of lots of great restaurants (as I mentioned in my post from earlier today), and I wish I had more time to spend there, especially since it seems there's a brand new influx of breweries in town. After taking a quick walk over to the edge of Keuka Lake, I jumped back in my car and headed up around on the Keuka Lake Wine Trail. If you've never been, it's such a unique and diverse adventure - and it seems like every time ...

LISTENING TO: Logan Mize - Bands Make Her Dance I swear, there is something about the air up here that really clears my head. Nostalgia really can be a mood lifter when you need it to be, and if this trip has proven anything, it's that I really needed to get a way for a bit. After a busy morning finishing up some things for work (and caffeinating heavily after my late night trip in on Friday), I headed out to Alfred. For those of you not familiar with Alfred (which is probably a lot of you), when I first visited prior to deciding to go to school there, I thought it was one of the most interesting places I'd ever been too. Small town vibe with a downtown just large enough to support two colleges during the school year and also the remaining population when school is out of session, it's surrounded by parks and art all year long. The last time I was here was four years ago, and even though I thought the school had changed a lot since I graduated, there was still a sens...

LISTENING TO: Fall Out Boy - Wilson (Expensive Mistakes) For the last few weeks, I've been dreaming of past locations being filled by present day characters. If that sounds like the start of a really bad time-travel film, that's because it kind of is, but it's also how I find myself to be in a hotel room in Bath, NY. The funny thing is, I don't usually remember my dreams unless they're extremely vivid (in which case they're usually a nightmare or stress related), so seeing my present-day boss back in my old studio space at Alfred University was a bit of a shock to wake up to. It also spurred me to make this trip. I've said a lot this year that I've reawakened my wanderlust, and with just the thought of being upstate helping with m y end of year burnout significantly in the last month. What seems crazy to me is that just getting out of town has put me in a better state of mind, and I've only really been here for about 8 hours or so. Although I d...

LISTENING TO: Chris Cornell - Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart Do you ever get the feeling that you don't realize how much you miss sleeping until you actually go to sleep? The truth is, I really do prefer flying overnight if I can, but as I sit here in my mom's living room in Pennsylvania, the last thing I want to do is drive home on about 4 hours of sleep - which is why after I post this and take a shower, I'm taking a nap. With that said, my last hours on the west coast were fun. I finally got my first (and only!) local craft beer at the airport waiting for my flight, which was a nice way to cap off the first of my planes home. Everyone I know in California seems to really hate the Fresno airport, but maybe since it's literally my first memory of California I really think it's kind of cute (although that could always be the craft beer on my way home and the coffee on my way in tinting my memory, but I digress). I always appreciate taking different routes be...

LISTENING TO: Bring Me The Horizon - wonderful life (feat. Dani Filth) Paso Robles is hands down one of my favorite places on earth right now. I feel like I've said that a lot this week, but it really is true. Our second day spent there started out at J. Lohr Vineyards. I've enjoyed their wine for years, and although their tasting room is a bit off the beaten path (even for Paso standards), it was absolutely beautiful and the wine was amazing. They had a gorgeous outdoor patio that allowed you to take in the sights surrounding the vineyard, which was a really great atmosphere. From there, we headed back up the highway to Tobin James Cellars. My aunts have been talking about this winery since we got here, and it has one of the most unique set ups of any winery I've ever been to. You know you're in a good place when you walk through the door and are greeted by the sight of an old school saloon. I honestly could have stayed there all day. Their wine was also delicio...

LISTENING TO: AJR - 100 Bad Days We're about to head out to Paso Robles again this afternoon, but I first wanted to recap what brought us all together - my cousin's graduation yesterday. For the record, I can't remember ever being in a place with such dry absolute heat. It's such an absolute switch from back home. I remember my high school graduation as a really humid, rainy day (that eventually ended in sunshine). This is the first real outdoor graduation I've been to where I could swear you could fry an egg on the bleachers (and we were on the shady side of things). It was also the largest high school graduation I've been to - it reminded me more of my college graduation more than anything else... with the big exception that neither my high school or my college had a stadium surrounded by palm trees, which was a nice touch in Ridgewood High's favor. I am so proud of my cousin Jason. He has done so many amazing things and has worked so hard to get...