my drafts.my drafts. my lovely lady drafts

oh..... I feel like this is awkward.

I used to to be so good to my small blog.

I used to be inspired to write ALL THE TIME.

Now, its not that my life is mundane or I am uninspired, actually, there is a lot happening to me- but I feel like, life is a whirlwind and sometimes its hard to sit down and update- my "readers" ha! and myself honestly.

BUT I have tried to write some post.

so here are a few unfinished post- that at some point in the last six months I tried to write but never finished or posted publicly.

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this one was titled: My Biggest Fear

When I was little, I had a reoccurring dream of being kidnapped- not only was I kidnapped and threatened with never being able to see my mom again but my kidnapper was a vampire.

This was pre- Twilight. When vampires were actually terrifying creatures and not an erotic chapter in a teen angst novel. 

So for the longest time my biggest fear was getting kidnapped. (by a vampire until Twilight came and really changed the Vampire reputation) but then it was just being kidnapped by anyone.
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then I just stopped writing.. I am pretty sure I was going to go on about how I got somewhat kidnaped while I was in Europe but it was by a British woman and I never feared for my life. 

So..... Maybe one day I'll expand on this story but maybe not.... maybe one day it will come out in my  memoir...

a few titles I have considered for that book are:

Naked a fearless: A memoir by Sierra Carter 

WHERE ARE YOU?! (most common text received by friends) By Sierra Carter

simple & sexy- by Miss Carter (not to be confused with Beyonce) (but it happens all the time) By: Sierra Carter 

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This one was titled: And other lies I tell myself while backpacking Europe. 

Having gelato multiple times a day is fine

My friends are going to LOVE all these magnets 

That creepy man is not talking to me.. he is not talking to me 

I know exactly where I am going 

I dont even look like a tourist- blending in**

I love the top bunk.. actually I prefer it 

Walking is a great form of exercise 

I dont even miss the gym 

Yeah I can walk there 

I can still get tooth paste out of the tube

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this one was untitled:

Being a graduate is a weird deal.

You are stuck between financial responsibilities- finding a job- finding a job you actually give a damn about- following your true passions - avoiding the inevitable relationship status questions- saving money-thinking about moving home???- and everything else life can throw your way.

I am finally coming to terms with the real post-grad life; which have brought into question… a lot of questions about my future…. so here are some ideas I have been conjuring up about what my next step in life will be…..

- The most obvious thing I could do next is become the next Bachelorette- I would have to up my style game and one liners but I think I could make America happy.

-Stripper- I think thats always an option for post- grad life

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I am still trying to figure out adult life.
 and its fun... scary but I love every step I have taken in life and I really love my life.

 I think the trick to not stressing out is believing in the person you want to become. And I really do believe in her. 

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Here are just some one liner of drafts:

1) HEY.
2) Sometimes I know how to be really sexy ( NO IDEA WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THAT)
3) I am a one liner offender when I have had to much to drink..........
4) (DRUNK TEXTING IS SO AMUSING BUT SO EMBARRASSING) am I right?!
5)like are you really into sports. pretend. yogurt. FRO YO. (maybe I was posting then starting writing a shopping list)

And as everyone says and as I say to myself, I promise to blog more.

BUT I don't know if thats possible.

So maybe, I sort of promise, a little 

(my commitment issues are showing)

Cheers! 

Sierra 

20 things that are acceptable to kiss on New Years Eve.

a dog

A bottle of Champagne 

Your old picture of Justin Timberlake 

Your friends friend who has been quietly in the corner all night

That one guy you went on a date with but things didn't really work out but you almost sure he is at home right now playing video games 

Yourself in the mirror 

A shot of Vodka 

Your phone (It's been there for you all year)

The "FaceTime" of your imaginary boyfriend who lives in Australia 

Your mom

Your best friend, just as she is going in to kiss her lover

A baby (surely there is one around somewhere)

chocolate 

a small stuffed animal 

a pillow 

your hand...

a taco bell burrito 

the 70 year old bouncer at the bar 

a bowl of chips 

Your TV (thats playing your favorite reality TV show)

Have a happy New Year! 

Cheers! 

Sierra 

How to Listen to Taylor Swifts New CD 1989

Okay woah, no judgment, I can never deny love for Pop Girl Jams- Taylor Swift is cool and I have bought all her albums so I had to stay true to a sister and purchase this album too.  

The album is fun & a new sound for Taylor Swift. There are still the usual break up songs, girl power songs, songs about being better than men- but this album is a little more spicy.

  How To Guide on: Listening to Taylor Swifts New Album 

1. Welcome To New York- song you play when you want to imagine you and all your friends moving to a new city. *** add Champagne while listening for extra fun. 

2. Blank Space- song you play when you want to do a little shoulder shake and feel like a confident/ carefree/ don't care about any boys but let me show all the boys how fun I am kind of woman. 

3. Style- When you want to let your hair down and rock your head back and forth, in a car (This song will also make you feel like all the boys want you- but you don't want them... duh.)

4.  Out of the woods- Maybe my least favorite song - but damn it is catchy as hell. Listen to this song, wait for the chorus then have a dramatic head shake dance party. 

5.  All You Had To Do Was Stay-  Listen to with a girlfriend. after a breakup- the usual from Taylor. Accompany it with: cheap box wine- then watch Legally Blonde to bring your girl power spirit back up.

6. Shake it Off- WE ALL LOVE THIS SONG- Spice it up with your own remake of the music video.

7. I Wish You Would- If you ever hung up dramatically on a boy- or you want to pretend like you are a teenager and slam stuff around in your room.

8.  Bad Blood- Another after break up song but its a little more girl power, in your face boy- so maybe spice it up with shots of fire ball every time she says Bad Blood.

9. Wildest Dreams- I think this song is sexy. (My roommates disagree) Listen to this song, sing this song- in a robe, in a face mask- to your dog. Maybe accompany it with a bag a chips/ a whole cookies cake and your phone thats not getting any special text messages to have a sexy night with a man.. (just me?)

10. How You Get The Girl- Here it is. The cutesy song of the album, listen to it when you have a stupid crush - Accompany it with baking cupcakes or cookies with your girlfriends.

11. This Love- Listen to while under a water fall or in the rain; or when you are having an all out dramatic moment in your bathroom.

12. I know Places- This is a windows down, driving around singing song- Please do not accompany this song with any drinks. (okay maybe a shot or two) .... (just kidding Running Wild does not endorse Drinking and Driving)

13. Clean- this is the song you pass out to.

Happy Listening.

Cheers!
Sierra

travel reads. (kind of)

One of my goals for the year was to read as much as possible... I failed miserably at this goal until I went on my backpacking trip - the best way (for me) to kill time on a train was to read.

I downloaded several books before my trip- these were my must reads by popular demand or just authors I love so I knew I would enjoy reading their books. 

Of course Eat, Pray, Love is on my list- It is a travelogue by Elizabeth Gilbert who leaves everything in her current life to travel for a year- the book is far better than the movie- as most books are; it is a lovely read.

“Until I can feel as ecstatic about having a baby as I felt about going to New Zealand to search for giant squid, I cannot have a baby.” - Eat Pray Love

Wild is another female solo travel book. Cheryl Strayed is my favorite author, she can write anything.. I would read her small notes or her to do list. When I was 19 I discovered Cheryl Strayed on theRumpus.com, she wrote a letter to her younger self and at the time I thought her name was Sugar. Every year I read this letter and something different relates to me. 

“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” 
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Tiny Beautiful Things- after I discovered Sugar was actually Cheryl Strayed- I went a little Author happy and downloaded anything I could find by her. This book is not a read all at one time type of book. It is a book you pick a chapter and read and if you can stop yourself from devouring all the advice at once- it is a nice read to come back to when you have time. 

Cheryl on Solo Travel:

“It’s hard to go. It’s scary and lonely [. . . ] and half the time you’ll be wondering why the hell you’re in Cincinnati or Austin or North Dakota or Mongolia or wherever your melodious little finger-plucking heinie takes you. There will be boondoggles and discombobulated days, freaked-out nights and metaphorical flat tires.

But it will be soul-smashingly beautiful, Solo. It will open up your life.”

Cheryl Strayed. “Tiny Beautiful Things.” 

Before you read Psychos, I suggest you go read "White Girl Problems" by Babe Walker first. Babe Walker is insane and extremely entertaining- in Psychos she has a few travel mishaps in Paris, Amsterdam and Greece- so you could consider it a travel read. 

“What are you doing in Amsterdam?”

“Oh you know . . . just chilling out, drawing, doing a bunch of drugs, not eating, hiding out from a stalker. The usual.”

Excerpt From: Babe Walker. “Psychos: A White Girl Problems Book.” iBooks. 

I read anything by Chelsea Handler. I love memoirs. Uganda Be Kidding Me just so happens to be about Chelsea's travels. This book is a short, fun read. 

Travel Etiquette- Uganda Be Kidding Be, Chelsea Handler

With Love,
Sierra 

Hostel Tips!

For the majority of my backpacking trip I stayed in hostels. If you do not know what hostels are they are affordable accommodation for travelers.

Much like a dorm room- you share a room with other travelers.

 Most hostels offer different room types from 4-12 beds in a room and the option of having a mixed dorm or a same sex dorm.

This is not to be confused with the movie Hostel. I have never seen it but apparently it is a horror film based in a Hostel where people are locked in and tortured- the only torture I ever encountered was a room with a snoring human.

So here are a few tips/ do's and dont's of staying in a hostel.

1. Use a booking site such as Hostelworld.Com or HostelBookers.Com, I preferred HostelWorld because they have an app available; using the app made it easier to compare prices & see reviews from other travelers.

2. READ THE REVIEWS- Reviews on hostels are done by other travelers and they are usually accurate. The reviews will tell you if a hostel is a party hostel or a quiet one; reviews are great because every traveler is looking for a different type of atmosphere and each hostel definitely has a different atmosphere- the reviews will help you chose your accommodation based on your needs as a backpacker.

3. Staying in hostels is a great way to meet other travelers! Introduce yourself to the people staying in your room or to someone sitting in the lobby- I met some of the best people in hostels- sometimes it is nerve wrecking to talk to a stranger but you never know who you could be missing out on if you never take the initiative to say hello!

4. Take advantage of what the hostel offers- some hostels offer "Bike Rentals" "Free Maps" "Free Walking Tours" or "Pub Crawls" this is a great way to meet other people in your hostel and explore the city you are visiting.

5. If you do decide to return to your dorm extremely late, be respectful of your fellow roommates.

6. IF YOU SNORE- (this is just a suggestion) maybe you should warn your roommates- or give them candy and apologize- or get yourself to a doctor because it is a serious problem if you sound like a grizzly bear when you sleep and I promise at least 3 people in the room with you are awake and plotting your death.

7. Make sure you read the Hostel policies- some hostels have a curfew, some have a key deposit & some have a cash only request. Just read the policies so you show up prepared for your stay.

8. Use the kitchen- most hostels offer a kitchen area for guest to cook their own food. This can save you money and give you a chance to make yourself your favorite meal from home you might be missing.

9. Bring your own lock. Most hostels offer lockers or bins under the bed to put your belongings in- having your own lock makes it easier to lock your stuff up with out paying a fee.

10. Bring your own towel- most hostels do not give you a towel- I bought a microfiber towel from amazon- it was a great travel item!

11. Sometimes "A short walk to (said attraction) " could mean a walk, a metro ride and an intense up hill hike to said attraction.

12. A free breakfast will probably consist of; toast, coffee, nutella & cereal.

13. Enjoy the ride!!

When in doubt go to Prague

I have always looked at life in an "everything happens for a reason" kind of light. Bad things happen so that people will learn something or vice versa- I think it is the water sign in me that brings out this whimsical-woo-la-di-da way of looking at life; even when I am faced with the unhappiness life can bring. 

So, on this trip I expected nothing short of the regular "everything happens for a reason" lifestyle. 

And I of course have had those moments- moments when I thought I would do one thing and turns out I meet someone and they convince me to do otherwise which ends in me meeting someone else wonderful- just a circle of everything happens for a reason. Details to come- i just need to get to the point of this post. 

So, when I got to Amsterdam I sort of started doubting my decision to go to Munich Germany for their Oktoberfest- one part of me said, when will I ever be here again during this time to see this sort of event? The other part of me wanted to skip it completely save some money (actually a lot of money) and see other places I had not originally planned on seeing. 

So I just gave myself- "the sign" verdict to commit to my next plans. 

I just needed a sign- that said Sierra please go to Munich, enjoy the festivities, drink beer - have a blast 

 Or one that said- you can skip it. Go see other parts of Europe, save some money, Oktoberfest is every year.

So I did get my sign but it turns out I have been getting my sign A LOT throughout this trip.

I wanted to go to Prague before I started this trip but for whatever reason I decided I shouldn't go

I have met on ton of people either on their way; coming from; or loving every thing about Prague.

I would be so jealous when they talked thinking "gosh I want to go there" 

Still did not take a hint. 

So whoever my sign giver is decided to slap me in the face with not only credit card fraud (turning into a cancelled card-turning into a financial panic) but also a cold/flu/plague thing so that even if I went to Oktoberfest I would not get to partake in the festivities because I have to make myself well and not drink beer.

Finalizing this with, thank you life. 

Tonight I am in Prague and despite the sickness and fraud I am so happy. 

Please send all the love- I will be healthy and happy tomorrow and not dead because I won't get murdered by the people in my hostel due to coughing/sneezing sicklyness 

Van Gogh inspired this post

I visited the Van Gogh museum and I am extremely ashamed to admit that this bored me to tears. 

I want to be this artist who apreciates and loves every other kind of art; who happily goes to museums and reads every word; someone who is absorbed in the way a stautue leans or the way the brush stroke opposes another brush stroke- I badly want to be a collegite woman- a lady in a scholar as my favorite high school teacher would put it but today I was not. 

It is not that I find Van Gogh uninteresting or a boring person- I think his artwork is incredible and the way he was influenced by the French and the way he has influenced modern art today is still amazing. 

its not that I dont like history- put me anywhere around history of theatre and I could probably go back several times still loving every second of it- I adore castles because I like to imagine the families living inside them- I like to know every aspect of history that surrounds a castle so I can imagine just how these people lived; what was it like to grow up there; what kind of people were loved here- did a servant fall in love with a king or a queen; did a daughter want to break free of the royal reigns and move to a far away country to live with an indian man- castles & homes fascinate me. 

Stories fascinate me. 

Museums make me want to die. 

well, of course there are exceptions- I guess to truly enjoy the Van Gogh museum I would want to know the nitty gritty details- how did he grow up; was he in love at the time of a certain painting; was he in pain? 

Aside from his most famous paintings, one I really did like to see was a paiting of his friend- the description just said A friend of Van Gogh they spent a lot of time together- it was something that short and simple- that was not good enough for me. He admired his freind so much that he used his talent  to create a picture of her; he mixed the one thing he knew to do to express himself and his friend- he had to adore her, she had to be a special part of his life. 

I guess the best way for me to apreciate an artist is to read about them. 

This all sounds very generation x blah blah blah a museum bores more - whats up on instagram?

So here I am writing; trying to justify my simple mind- 

I call myself an artist- which I think at this point in my life I have the right to- My forte is performance art and I dont think Van Gogh, as impressive and artisitc as he is, would not enjoy going through a museum of my first monolouge all the way to the best of the best performance wise \\ I think a monolouge museum feat. Sierra Carter would bore the hell out of Van Gogh and thats okay. 

Maybe he would leave my museum ashamed that he couldnt get absorbed into my art. 

I like this part of life- the part that shows me I am kind of a shallow asshole or I am just not really into paintings.

 This is what I do like- I like to observe and watch people (as creepy as this sounds its all in good nature) I like to find a park on a beautiful day where people are all around- I like to see couples that are so madly in love with each other that they think they are the only ones in the park- couples that are so infatuated with one another that, for sure, they are the only ones in the park because their faces and tounges are buried deep inside each other's mouths- I like to watch the one business man on his break just taking a second at this park to live outside of the office; the mother with her child showing him or her all the flowers in the park; the runner who is dedicated to their run; the group of girls who sit and talk about the men in their lives; this is amazing because no matter what language you can tell when a woman is seriously bitching about the love in her life or if the woman is seriously happy with the love in her life; I like to try to idenify the tourist from the non-tourist; the first dates to the 50th one; the happy people from the sad or lonely ones; this is a form of art that I truly enjoy and I think my love for it makes me a better artist. 

So this is an open announcement that I kind of suck; an open apology to Van Gogh himself; and a realization that in order to be a smart, sophisticated, well educated woman does not mean I have to be in awe of all historical museums. 

And just like that I am slapped in the face with the teaching of traveling- you either like who you find you are or you forgive yourself for who you are not. 

with love. 

Sierra