Summertime in Winter

Life is strange.

I know that's kind of a trite and overused way to start an entry here but I can't think of anything more appropriate.

My life has been a series of extreme highs and lows. I seem to do very little in the middle ground. Maybe that comes with age and maturity but so far my experiences have all been either WAY on the plus or WAY on the negative. I guess I kind of prefer that currently but who knows how my tastes will develop as life progresses.

Currently I just had one of those moments where I realized my life is at quite a high right now. I like to document the highs more than the lows because it's a lot more fun to revisit them. Last night I went over to Nick and Jeremy's for dinner. They have quickly become two amazing friends in my 4 short months in DC. It's remarkable how people can go from strangers to friends in such a short time. My friends, old and new, have provided me with more happiness than anything I can think of here. To be developing my home and my network in a city I love is really a fantastic feeling and something as simple as a dinner at someone's house is really beginning to mean the world to me. I woke up this morning to my Dutch roommate Geirghard (pronounced here-hard with lots of spit in the beginning) playing Summertime on the piano, followed up by Somewhere Over the Rainbow which is currently still going on. It's beautiful. He's an organist and learning to play jazz piano here in DC so I have a feeling my next 3 months will be full of some amazing music. (Note: he just did an amazing chordal progression and I got goosebumps.) Music really has a way of controlling my emotions. From walking to the metro to laying in bed before going to sleep, music plays a large part in my daily life whether or not I always acknowledge it. The visceral sound and emotion that comes from live music is one that always pulls at me and to have an amazing pianist living in my house is going to keep me on an emotional high as long as he keeps playing. I have tickets to see "Next to Normal" at Arena with Chad tonight. I have so many great friends from Centre here in DC as well. It really feels amazing to move to an area and already have a social scene around but the mix is perfect because I'm still meeting lots of amazing new people at work, at the bars and through other friends. I truly believe that one of my greatest joys is getting to know new people and learning from their experiences and their personalities. I take so much from the people I come in contact with, I hope that they get as much out of me as I do out of them.

Correction: Life is strange and beautiful.