Lana Maryé Morelli

New Years Eve…the holiday we love to hate, and hate to love. It’s interesting though that it gets that much attention, considering it is such a low-maintenance holiday. Like Thanksgiving or Fourth of July it requires no gift-giving or card buying. Most people don’t have a signature New Years Eve dish or cookie. The only effort this holiday requires is showing up and celebrating…yet we still complain?! Although we don’t have a tangible obligation of something to; buy, bring, make or bake, there is an intangible stress that hovers around NYE. I remember when I turned 21, I had some innate need to go out every Friday and Saturday night. I had waited my whole life to be “legal” and go to the bar/club, so I made it my duty to get dressed up and hit the town every weekend. I felt that if I staying in I was acting ungrateful for the fact that I now had nothing holding me back. I built up the big 2-1 in my head for so long, that I had to make the most of it. At first, it wasn’t a ...

This Sunday is the BIG DAY. The one all you guys and girls (who arefootball fans) have been waiting for…Super Bowl Sunday. It s an ironic juxtaposition that Super Bowl falls one week before Valentine’s Day . A M an’s Holiday - exactly seven days before the W omen’s Holiday . The Game before the Love… So is that how it works? Do we have to get through the Game to get to the Love? Well, that’s what the calendar is telling us! That’s how it works chronologically; the 7th must come before the 14th. There is just no way around it. So are these the same truths about dating and relationships? Do we have to get through all the games to get to the love? As we all know, Football is the epitome of a contact sport. Each game football players put on as much padding as possible to protect themselves from the impact they will inevitably face on the field. When we “play the field” in relationships, the game can be much more untamed and we are more exposed than any football player. Yet, we plunge ...

I ride the train to work and I noticed that in a train car full of people, you could hear a pin drop. At first I was surprised by this phenomenon, I expected that when so many people are crammed into a small space it would be noisy with lots of chatter. The exact opposite is true. The only noise is the “click clack” of the train along the tracks and hum of the electronic devices being accessed on the train. Palm Pilots, lap tops, iPods, blackberries, cell phones AND kindle/digital readers. People are... watching movies, checking Facebook, updating themselves on “breaking news” playing solitaire, listening to music AND reading books. The amount of information that we can hold in our hands is no longer constrained by the amount of weight we are willing to carry; but rather by the amount of memory space or speed of internet access on whatever electronic device we chose to operate. We are a generation of people who have perfected how to stay busy. This is where the downfall comes in. We we...

I’ve been carrying a planner around since I was a freshman in high school and I was “required” to have one. I was 14, and telling me I had to do anything made me instantly want to do the opposite. Yet even through the haze of adolescent defiance, slowly but surely, I grew to love the planner. I carried it with me, inputting all of my activities. When I was uninterested in class I would pull out my beloved planner and flip through the pages. I found comfort in knowing that maybe I was bored to tears in biology but… Tomorrow would be a half day, OR In three weeks it would be Christmas break, OR Four months from now was officially prom season, OR This weekend it would be a friend’s birthday No matter how unexciting the class was, I knew I carried with me a happy distraction. My planner was always there as a little reminder that good things were in the future and there was always something to look forward to. Plus, the planner made me efficient and responsible. I could time-manage like a c...

“Never, ever talk about religion and politics!” It’s the age-old faux pas. We’re warned of this anytime we go to a social event or outing. When we discuss religion and politics – things tend to get messy. So, don’t worry, I’m not going to blog about either (not yet anyway ). I’m just going to touch on the topic of an angel and a devil. Not in a particularly religious sense though… I’m talking about the fictitious devil and the angel that sits on our shoulders. The imaginary beings that attempt to simultaneously guide us and/or confuse us. The “things” we seem to hold responsible for our mixed thoughts about good and bad or right and wrong. Personally, I’ve never identified with the idea of a subliminal devil and an angel. Maybe it’s because the thought of having little people on my shoulders freaks me out. Or the thought of having more than one voice as my conscience is just weird. Truth is, there was only ONE Jiminy Cricket in Pinocchio for a reason! (Don’t ask me why, but Disn...

I cannot believe that it’s been a week since the whole “New Year’s” Holiday. It goes by in the blink of an eye and if we’re lucky, we managed to snap a few pictures through our drunken haze to document the event. New Years Eve is over…..for most of us, this warrants a sigh of relief. Yes, you read that correctly, I said RELIEF (Let me explain…) After the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, everyone can relax…everyone except the 20-somethings. For us, New Years Eve is the stress that starts December 26th. I cannot tell you how many times “ So, what are you doing for New Years Eve?” came up in conversation during Christmas time. I ran into some old friends, which I don’t see very often, throughout the Christmas break. I knew I wanted to Blog about New Years Eve and our overrated expectations of the perfect night. So, I asked some friends what they thought about it. The overall consensus: Almost everyone hates New Years Eve! It’s all a huge build up; we willingly drag ourselves th...

This week has been crazy, I wanted to sit down and BLOG right after Christmas but the hustle and bustle of the season swept me away. As I sit here and write the word “Christmas”... I pause...Is that okay to post? Is it politically correct to say Christmas? I hope I don't offend anyone! Then I stop and think about how absurd it is that I'm actually thinking this! So here goes my Christmas rant...I'm not really sure exactly when it started but we are now being programmed to stop ourselves from saying “Merry Christmas” and now say “Happy Holiday’s.” The change is abrupt and we stop mid-sentence. I find that sometimes I end up in a awkward stutter as I try and redeem my comment. My desperate attempt to be politically correct comes out in a broken mess “Merry Chris…ugh….Holidays” completely embarrassing I am Catholic and I celebrate Christmas. I believe in Santa, candy canes, baby Jesus and Christmas Tree’s (not necessarily in that order). Just because this is what I believ...

I sat on the train today commuting into the city and among all of the people rushing to work I noticed an elderly couple. They boarded the train, couldn’t find seats together and each sat on the end of the row; allowing the aisle to separate them. As the train moved away from the station, the man reached out over the aisle and grabbed the woman’s hand. They only held hands for about a minute, then he smiled at her and let her hand go. It wasn’t anything monumental, just a gesture, and it got me thinking…. If they were young, I would have thought about how naïve they were. Its puppy love… If they were my age, I would have thought about how cheesy they were. Ugh it’s the morning commute for God’s sake... But because they were in their 70’s, I thought about how damn cute they were. It made me think that maybe all the Hallmark bullshit about “Love” may not be a marking ploy just to sell overprices greeting cards after all. I have wanted to blog about Love before but I just couldn’t get mo...

How to behave and act appropriate is to be, what is known as, “socially acceptable.” The question then is what defines social acceptance? Well that’s easy… because “You Know What THEY Say…” “THEY”, the enigma, the anonymous group that sets the standards of what is socially acceptable in almost every facet of life. How much sleep you should get a night, what SPF to wear on the beach, what to recycle. THEY have governed almost every aspect of our lives. You know what THEY say about… not eating after 7pm or even worse eating before bed. What THEY say about how often to exercise, how much water to drink while working out, what vitamins to take. What THEY say about what to eat before an exam (is brain food really a combination of peanut butter and eggs? Eww together?) And you know what THEY say about… never wearing white to a wedding and only wearing black to a funeral. What THEY say about what gifts to buy for certain events, or that white shoes can only be worn between Memorial Day and L...

The fountain of youth may be a myth but the secret to happiness is said to be found when you “follow your heart.” The problem however, is that your heart is an organ in your chest, it beats and pumps blood. This heart cannot be the one they are talking about. The heart we should follow must be the theoretical heart. That’s the one that you draw on notebooks when your in elementary school referencing your first crush; The heart that accompanies your signature on the bottom of greeting cards on birthdays and holidays; The heart that as you get into your teenage years, your wanted NOT to wear on the sleeve! The same heart people are referencing when they advise you to think with your head before your heart. A thinking heart? Now, this is where things get complicated… You see, the older we get the more we’re cautioned to handle our hearts with care. BUT WAIT...How are we supposed to use caution with our heart and simultaneously be thinking with it and following it? There are just too may c...

When I was a kid and I would act ornery and impatient my mother would tell me to wait. Then she would repeat this silly little phrase. “Patience is a virtue, and virtue is a grace and grace is a little girl with jelly on her face.” I would smile because it was so ridiculous and the thought of poor Grace without a napkin was a momentary distraction. I wish I could Blog about the truth behind that phrase. Deconstruct it. Find the secret message behind it. But here I sit, 24 years old and I don't have the slightest idea how Grace and her jelly is supposed to help me understand patience. The thing about your 20’s is that life is very transitory. Were figuring out... Who we are What we want Where we want to go Where we want to avoid Who we want to go with us Who we want to leave behind Who we need to remember, and finally... Who we need to forget. It’s a whirl wind of questions and risks. It’s the unknown, taking the leap of faith and hoping it was the right leap for you. It can...

Everyone knows… If a bird craps on you at the beach–its good luck AND If it rains on your wedding day–its good luck But I never bought this idea of icky good luck. The reality is…this is NOT good luck. If a bird craps on you at the beach– its gross, slimy and down-right uncomfortable. If it rains on your wedding day– its gloomy, wet and inconvenient. That’s the reality. That’s the truth and the reason why we make up these little white lies that make us feel better. So what about the saying “Failure is the mother of success” Is this just another socially acceptable white lie that we use to make ourselves feel better? I’m not sure…so I did what everyone in 2009 does…I “google-ed” it. :) Google lead me to UsingEnglish.com. UsingEnglish.com calls this an expression an idiom– “a peculiar kind of speech that has a double meaning.” UsingEnglish.com is correct, this is definitely peculiar. If failure is the mother of success, then this “family” is practicing tough love. This child (success) w...

I know the BLOG is still new but I'm so happy with the people who started "following" and those who have been kind enough to leave comments. Its so liberating to know that people care about what I'm writing. I'm taking a class now and the theme is "Revolution". Here is a piece about something we need to look at in 2009 and consider revolting against! Let me know what you think.... :) Making the Grade It is the era of acronyms; PSSA, SAT, GRE, LSAT and MCAT. It is a time when a standardize test dictates your future and measures your I.Q. It is a time when people are categorized by a variety of letters - A thru F. When a “grade” is supposed to be indicative of a persons intelligence. These letters shape our self-esteem, life opportunities, career, and in essence, future economic and social standing. We are lead to believe that when you’re an “A” you walk tall, you’re smart, you’re proud, you’re the best and things come easy. When you’re a “B” you almost ma...

An old friend commented on my first Blog Entry and his comment jarred my memory. He made me think of a piece I wrote while I was frustrated in law school. I referenced writing as an avenue I exercised to vent my frustration last year, so it’s only fair I show an example of what I was talking about. The piece I’ve posting below is about the haunting age-old question of “What do you want to be when we grow up?” I think that most people have struggled with the pressure of this question at some point in their lives- even if it is just in retrospect. My struggle with this question proved to be the catalyst for my self-exploration. My first Blog was written in a “Straight Up” style. This blog entry is an example of what I call “With a Twist”- enjoy! :) What do you want to be when you grow up? “What do you want to be when you grow up”… it seems easy enough. Prima facie, it appears to be a very nonchalant question that falls in line with; “What’s your favorite color” or “Wh...

This is my first post on my official blog- how exciting! So...how do I give a shortened introduction of myself? Hmmm....Well I'm 24 (hence the 20Something in the title) and recently people have been asking me "Aren't you in law school?" So I think maybe I should start with answering that question... Short Answer: No Detailed Answer: Law School induced what felt like a mid-life crisis in August. (See Below) You see, I was in my first year of law school last year. I should have been happy, I should have been confident, I should have been finding myself- unfortunately everything was the exact opposite for me. I was miserable, I was doubting everything I was doing, everything I have ever accomplished and I was losing myself. I completed the awful first year (and yes its as dramatic exhausting and tedious as people claim it to be) I was overworked, overcaffeinated and overtired. I had the summer off where I worked for a Judge, spent almost every weekend at my beach house...