All Shook Up

Ah, it feels so good to have a new Kenny Chesney album to listen to. Better yet is the fact that I get to live these songs on a daily basis; his albums tend to be the soundtrack of our lives down here. Even if all the boys make fun of his “stupid tractor song,” his five-minute marriage and his height, I know they all secretly covet the graceful guitar and steel drum melodies. (It’s true: I know at least one of them has Kenny on his iPod.) For those who are impartial, be sure to listen to That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) from his new album, featuring Willie Nelson. It could be one of the best country songs written in a long time.

For me, it’s that design mentality of immersing yourself completely for inspiration. I feel that being down here is bringing about a renewed perspective on everything from culture to growing up to design and style. I know that sounds rather odd, with the obvious lack of anything resembling a fashion environment here. However, every once in a while a change of scenery can recharge the mind and spirit.

So continuing on with one of the most exciting weeks I’ve ever had…

Early one morning last week I awoke to the apartment shaking. I tried to peel one eye open to look at the clock, and it was six AM. The first thought in my mind was, “Is there a train station right around here that only runs once every few weeks?” It would not surprise me, to be honest.

No, that wasn’t it. There are no trains on this island. It was an actual earthquake. But at six AM, it didn’t matter that there was a sound of coconuts falling on the roof, the lampshades were shaking uncontrollably, and the bed seemed to be inching forward. The power had gone out (and when that happens here, you can forget about doing anything involving electricity for at least an hour). It didn’t matter that in first grade, we learned that if an earthquake ever happened (in New Jersey, of all places), one should position themselves in a doorframe. All of that was shot to hell. It was six AM for crying out loud! I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

I later woke up around 9 and remembered the shaking of the room. It then occurred to me that earthquakes actually happen outside of New Jersey, and that just may have been an earthquake. The power was restored, but I had all sorts of internet problems as I logged onto my computer, so when I finally got decent access, I asked Jeeves (www.ask.com, so much better than Google) about earthquakes in the Virgin Islands – and lo and behold, there were twelve reported while I was getting my beauty sleep! TWELVE! And one at six AM was reported in the BVIs at a 6.1 magnitude! That was the one I felt, and let me tell you, it was kind of awesome.

Then my cell phone started going a little crazy, and I had received three text messages from different people all at once. It seemed a little fishy to me, and I realized my phone service was just restored after some kind of earthquake-related hiatus. Thank goodness it did, because I had to call my “little” brother to wish him a happy twenty-first birthday!

"Stars are dancing on the water here tonight. It's good for the soul when there's not a soul in sight. This boat has caught its wind and brought me back to life, and I'm alive and well. And today, you know, that's good enough for me. Breathing in and out is a blessing, can't you see? Today's the first day of the rest of my life. And I'm alive and well."

You know you love me,
XOXO
-Island Girl