October Thoughts: Drama, The Decemberists and Dreaming

I would like to begin this post by apologizing to you, dear readers, for essentially disappearing from the blogging community. 

The past month and a half was, shall we say, eventful. So much so in fact that I neglected writing any posts, tweeting or updating my Facebook page. I just felt so Overwhelmed emotionally that I felt like I needed to take a step back from my life on the internet.Why you ask? Well, lets start with the drama...

On August 18th, I discovered that the vast majority of my school loans were in default. What came afterwards was an endless parade of phone calls to my parents, the dept of education, and my "loan servicer" whose negligence in contacting appropriately me landed me in a financial nightmare from which there seemed no escape. When I asked them repeatedly why I hadn't received so much as a scrap of mail from these people, all I was told was "it is a courtesy we reach out to you, not an obligation." As it turns out, that courtesy only extended to contacting me via my student email at my university only AFTER I had already graduated. I didn't even know you could access your student email after you were no longer enrolled in classes. Makes so much sense right? I cannot even begin to tell you how frustrating it was to maintain a conversation with these people without bursting into tears.
I was eventually able to find a solution to my dilemma, though I had decimated what must have been at least five boxes of tissues by the time I was through. It is my plan to go over student loans, loans services and document preparation companies in great detail in my next post so that it might help others to avoid finding themselves in the same mess I did.  Soooo....look forward to that!
 The other drama that unfolded was getting a flat tire, and trying to find a good place to take my car. I suppose that my experience with the loan companies was positive in the sense that, afterwards, I was so drained of emotion that I was far less likely to suffer fools. And, boy, did I run into a lot of fools. When it comes to mechanics I always turn to my father who is the quintessential jack-of-all-trades and a mechanic with over thirty years experience. But given that my parents house is now over an hours drive away, I had to seek help in unfamiliar territory. I suppose, in addition to the post about student loans, I should also do a post on dealing with shifty mechanics who are just trying to make a sale.

(Book of Mormon, before the curtain rose)

Anyway, on a more positive note, I saw "Book of Mormon" this September! The tickets were given to me by someone special and, together, we went into Boston for a night on the town. For years I had been waiting to see the real show instead of just listening to the soundtrack.The show was even better than I imagined! I laughed so hard I almost fell into the next row of seats! My favorite scene had to be when the two main protagonists meet up with their brethren in Africa and the hilarious dance number that ensues. Along with a lot of laughs the show also had a surprising amount of heart to it. I definitely recommend going if you haven't seen it already. Although, if you are easily offended, you might be better off seeing a show like The Lion King.
While "Book of Mormon" was a truly incredible experience, the real cherry on top of my summer sundae was getting to see the Decemberists in concert for the first time ever. This was my 3rd concert ever and I made the most of it. I even have the T-shirt to prove it. Given that they just released their new album "What A Terrible World, What a Beautiful World," I assumed that they would play only the songs from that album. Boy was I wrong. Because they had previously come to Boston in April of this year, they decided to switch things up a bit. Not only did they play songs from their new album, but they also played songs from all of their previous albums! They even covered a good chunk of "Hazards of Love" which is by far my favorite album. Since this was my first time seeing them in concert it was truly a wonder to see them perform the songs I had listened to countless times but had yet to see live.

(The Decemberists Concert)

So, my dear readers, I hope you are enjoying the crisp autumn air and enjoying all things pumpkin flavored. It was a wonderful summer and, up until the aforementioned loan issues arose, I would have said it was the best summer I've had in a long time. This post marks the end of my blogging hiatus. As for my vlog, well, that might take a bit of time to return to as it takes a lot of work. But please, be patient, good things come to those who wait.

Much Love,
Hayleigh