Carry This Picture

I have been thinking about my life in a suitcase. It has pretty much been that way for the last six years. Between college, study abroad, a mission, and internships all over the place, I have spent a great deal of time doing my best to keep my most sacred belongings to a limit of 50 lbs per suitcase (or 70 lbs if you're lucky enough to fly on jetBlue). When this is the case, I always find it intruguing to sit back and really analyze what I have decided to bring with me - what I find essential to my existence. Generally this is mostly shoes and clothes, camera, laptop, scriptures, journal. But today as I was sitting at my desk, I noticed the books, movies and CDs I had decided to schlep across the country. Here were the winners:
So, books first:

• address book - to keep in touch (I'm generally good at that, though more via the internet in recent years)
• Bonds That Make Us Free - still need to finish it
• However Long & Hard The Road - for hard days... Elder Holland is my favorite and these talks always make me happy and help me have perspective
• The L Magazine - latest happenings in NYC (I picked this up here)
• two spiral bound journals
• Freakonomics - currently finishing on the morning subway rides
• Jane Austen's Guide to Dating - ok, it was a gift and it's highly entertaining... right up there with Elder Holland for cheering me up, only in a different way.
• To Draw Closer to God - just finished a re-read of this favorite on the subway

Movies:

• Sabrina - yet unopened, but a favorite. Maybe if I were in a city other than New York I'd find some spare time to watch it
• Tae Bo - so I can feel like I'm making an effort to be healthy (I have the dvd, right?)
• Jean de Florette, Manon of the Spring - two of my favorite foreign films (right after Life is Beautiful) that I got right before I left BYU. I haven't had a chance to watch 'em

Music:

• Wild Animus - someone on the street gave it to me on Monday for free
• Glen Phillips - bought it last night *signed*
• Keane - bought it last week *signed*
• Corrine Bailey Rae - got it for free at the Keane concert
• Landon Pigg - bought this ep at a show in DC about two months ago. I can't get enough of this kid.... not signed, but I did meet him and have a somewhat meaningful conversation
• Pink Martini - a gift from my sister. Love them!
• Josh Ritter - bought it at his show in Portland *signed*
• Lucas Reynolds - ep I bought at the show (same performance as Landon Pigg) . Again unsigned, but I did meet him. :)
• Brandi Carlile - bought it at Millenium Music in Portland
• Camera Obscura - bought it at Millenium Music in Portland
• Madeleine Peyroux - gift from my sister. Love her!
• Ed McBand - seth's album :)
• Pink Martini - bought it online, burned the CD so I could have it in my car (when I had a car)

So... looks like I mostly have recently purchased music here. And books I either know will make me happy, or I need to finish. I'll surely get some new reads while I'm here. I do have that summer reading list I created a while back. I suppose that would be a good place to start. I'm always frustrated by the lack of time I have for reading, but now the subway gives me a great little chunk of time. Ah, the blessings of city life.

-Dashboard Confessional-