Emily Morganstein

TEN YEARS IN A NUTSHELL...

I entered the residential program at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, in August 1999 as a Pyschology major.

I worked with the student newspaper as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years -- in addition to an assortment of other positions for the first six years of my undergraduate studies. That's where I identified my passion for writing and editing within the print media. I also worked with the student government, for the student affairs department, etc.

In June 2003, I moved off-campus to a condo that my mom purchased for me, just down the street from school. By that time, I was developing a concentration in Journalism and Leadership based on my student newspaper work. On and off, health problems led me to withdraw from classes, sometimes ending up with no credits for a semester. Besides which, I was drinking and using, so that didn't add to my motivation any!

I got clean with the help of Narcotics Anonymous on March 1, 2006, while on a medical leave from Eckerd. I met my boyfriend, Micah, in December of 2007 and we moved in together in April of 2008.

I started classes again in Eckerd's adult program this time, the Program for Experienced Learners, in August 2008. I should be graduating in May 2010 with a B.A. in Media and Communication Studies, with minors in Leadership Studies and Human Development.


TODAY'S ACTIVITIES...

I enjoy waking up each morning and going to bed clean/sober each evening, doing service/volunteer work for Narcotics Anonymous, going to NA events, showing Micah I love him, cuddling on the couch, going to the movies, watching sunsets (especially at the beach), staying up all night and watching sunrises, drinking hot chocolate when it's cold out, swimming at night, one day fostering and adopting children, passionately advocating on behalf of the defenseless, watching movies or my favorite TV shows at home, cooking for company, going to school and trying to get my degree finished, shopping, snorkeling, para-sailing, reading (when I can focus), hopefully one day sky diving and bungee jumping, cleaning the house, going out to eat at new places or old favorites, keeping in touch with my friends and family, and many other things.

I do a lot of service/volunteer work within the NA program, and acquired my certification in the addictions field as a Recovery Peer Specialist for Adults. I sit on the board of a 501(c)3 that helps addicts and the homeless.

My short-term goals are to write and edit freelance, continue my volunteer work in the addictions field, and -- most importantly -- become a foster parent. My long-term goals are to get married to Micah, have a child together, adopt other children, continue fostering, counsel, continue to write for newspapers, write a book, stay clean/sober, and continue to work in the addictions field with addicts in recovery.


MY VALUES...

I believe in myself and my Higher Power, happiness, zero population growth, butterflies, the simple things, serenity and living spiritual principles, giving others the knowledge they need to enable their growth, freeganism, empathy, unconditional love, prayer, meditation, asking questions, compassion for all creatures, spirituality, the character of others, change, growth, socialism, the right to free health care and education, mind over matter, the benefits of diversity, balance, homeostasis, time travel, world travel, forgiveness, happy news stories in the media, family values, a woman's right to choose, the mind-body connection, nurturing and supporting others, service, democracy, second chances, agapé, smiles, laughter, the right to religious freedom, community fellowship, accountability, friendships that last a lifetime, reading, writing, hope, a free and unbiased press, math and music as universal languages, faith in something bigger than me, humankind's interdependence on one another, the butterfly effect, the evolutionary theory, the program of Narcotics Anonymous, and so much more.

I believe my character is who I am, alone in the dark at the end of the day.

Change is inevitable, but growth takes work.


OTHERS' VALUES...

My heroes include my mother, my father, my brother, Bill W., Jimmy K., "one chip wonders" who died clean and sober, and a few others who have shown great growth, strength, and character. I also admire famous heroes like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks, and many other peaceful resisters who seem to have done what they thought was right even when it wasn't easy.


FOOD FOR THE BRAIN...

I used to really love reading (almost to the point of a new book every day). I still do, but it's much harder to concentrate these days -- mostly due to the health issues I face. The most gratifying reading I do is for self-improvement -- to become a better person, and the NA Basic Text and AA Big Book have helped me a lot so far on my road of recovery. I have truly enjoyed classics like Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Night by Elie Wiesel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and non-fiction stories about children who overcome challenges and tragedies and the adults who help them (especially those by author Torey Hayden and the autobiographical series by Dave Pelzer, beginning with A Child Called It). And, of course, childhood favorites like The Giving Tree and poetry by Shel Silverstein.


MOVIES...

My favorite movies come in three categories: First, thought-provoking films like Conversations With God, My Name Is Bill W., Towelhead, and anything Michael Moore; second, entertaining movies like Up (in 3-D!), Dark Crystal, A Night at the Roxbury, Planet of the Apes (what if?...), Goonies, Clueless, Spaceballs, Love & Basketball, Titanic (yeah, I said it!), The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and anything M. Night Shyamalan; third, gory and suspenseful movies like The Strangers, 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later, George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead, the Saw series, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hills Have Eyes movies, etc.


TOO MUCH TV...

I like to watch Law & Order (any Law & Order is a good Law & Order), Sex & the City re-runs, CSI: Las Vegas, and Family Guy. I enjoy TLC home-improvement shows, cooking shows like Iron Chef America, almost any kind of reality TV from American Chopper to 18 The Little Couple (c'mon, it's entertaining!), and recently I've started to watch wilderness survival shows (like Survivorman or Man v. Wild) with Micah. I rarely like to watch the news because it induces so much fear in society; however, I do know it's important to be informed, so I watch it here and there.


WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

My favorite music is probably whatever is popular at the moment so that I know the lyrics and can sing along, like the top 40. But I will listen to pretty much whatever is on at the moment, especially if it's important to someone else. I believe that music is a universal language and breaks through all communication barriers; however, I'm still learning how to use it in a way to express myself and my feelings.


QUOTES THAT REPRESENT MY LIFE...

(To me) You make my soul happy. —the love of my life, Micah Lawrence

Life is a journey, not a destination. —Unknown

Happiness is available. Please help yourself to it. —my friend, Rod Abdolhosseini

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. —Eleanor Roosevelt

I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again. —Stephan Grellet

MEMORIES...

Pajama Day (every year) and I have a few blackmail pictures, so watch out!

Debbie Sharpe painted a brick for the two of us on the Senior Wall.

The notebooks that the 7 of us passed back and forth (me, Deb, Michelle Good, Kathy Gibbons, Angela Triplett, Olyvia Brothers, and Cari Greene).

Attempting to see how many people we could fit into Johnnie Christensen's car, including the trunk. "Aw shucky ducky, quack quack!"

Front row on the 50-yard line. One time in particular, I think it was Halloween (I HOPE it was Halloween) Janis Banks was an M'n'M, Anita Masihenazare was a witch, and Greg Shaw was playing with Rachael Rynders' pigtails, but I don't know what she was supposed to be dressed as.

Olyvia Brothers' message to me in my yearbook that spanned more than 200 pages.

Walking from Maryland to Virginia, via the shallow waters of the Potomac with Leon and Chris Norris, Carl Erickson, Chris Young, Janis Banks, and Matt Barthalow. Big Chris (Young) cut his foot and only later did I find out what's really in the waters of the Potomac River!

Julia Hamel: "Paaaaaaaaablo, come to Flooooooooorida!" Guess what, Julia? I did, and eventually so did Debbie!

Those sandwich dances that were popular around that time (you know, there were three of you humping on the dance floor? yeah, that's the one). I have a picture from my Sweet 16 party (which I was lucky to have had at all since I had gotten grounded on top of having been grounded already -- didn't that suck?) of Janis, me in the middle, and Eric Gerner bringing up the rear (so to speak).

I'm looking through a photo album, and here's another sandwich dance pic, this time of Michelle Horn, Rensford Abrigo (I think, I can only see his side in the picture, but I'm pretty sure), and Michelle Good in the back, at Michelle and Cari's joint birthday party at the pool.

Learning the 4 C's to making a relationship work from Mr. Tufano: Communication, Cooperation, Compromise, and I have never remembered the 4th one. OH! I wonder if it was Commitment? Hmmm...

Sneaking friends in and watching 9 1/2 Weeks in my basement. Sneaking friends in way too much. Apparently sneaking out was not disrespectful and high-risk enough, I had to try to sneak friends IN, as well. Sorry Mom! Sigh.

Crushes, dating, sex, and lots of them. I'm not entirely sure how many guys I can honestly say I DIDN'T have a crush on at one time or another. Sarah Prince and I prank called a few of them, quite a few times, for quite a few years.

Running away from home to Sarah Schuler's house, who then called the police when I was on my way home via Debbie's house first, and then Angela Triplett drove her van like a mad woman to get me home before the police showed up at my door.

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, toilet-papering. I guess it's confession time... I have partaken in toilet-papering the following people's houses: Kristen Wesley's, Kelly Kilcoyne's, Daniel Smith's, Greg Szymanski's (twice), and others, I'm sure. I'm sorry! I think we forked you, Kelly. That was a new one, I made that up. I was proud of that back then.

I tried brie cheese for the first time during dinner before Junior Prom with Brett Ungar. And on my way out of the house to go to Prom, I yelled, "Okay, I'm off like a Prom dress!" Funny, huh? lol I don't think my father appreciated the joke nearly as much as I did.

Leon, Carl, and Chris wearing matching Nike socks to Prom.

Oh, I remember skipping school on the Class of '98's Senior Skip Day and going with a bunch of my senior friends to DC for the day.

Actually, I remember skipping school a lot. Hmmm...

WHFStival 3 years in a row. At the last one, I ended up in the Medical Department getting IV fluids. Silly kids.

Alcohol, and lots of it. More specifically, bottles upon bottles of Boone's Farm in Fuzzy Navel or Strawberry Fields.

Going to Homecoming in 10th and 11th with Matt Barthalow. For the 2nd one, we ate at one restaurant for our appetizer, paid and left, went to another restaurant for our main meal, paid and left, and went to a little French restaurant for dessert. (And paid and left, of course.) That was fun!

One Halloween, Kathy Gibbons and Sarah Prince dressed as twin schoolgirls.

Sitting through school productions just to watch my best friend, Debbie Sharpe, perform because she loved it. And she was so drunk one New Year's Eve that she bit me. Drama queen! ;-)

Sitting in the hallway outside the auditorium for lunch every single day, unless someone dared sit in our spot, then we'd have to sit farther down in the hallway.

Getting my tongue pierced because all my guy friends were doing it and it was Debbie's birthday and we could only find one tattoo shop open (it was a holiday, and not just because it was her birthday!) but she didn't want a tattoo but I wanted it to be memorable. I was 17. I took that thing out this past year. Sigh.

Senior Beach Week... dear God, I remember Senior Beach Week! I shared a motel room with Debbie Sharpe and Matt Shroyer until he left us because we were too bossy and picky (I think that was why). So, then I have these pictures of our crab feast when we bought the barrel of blue crabs. And apparently we were playing some sort of kissing game during or after it, because in this picture I'm on the bed, with Russel Patt on top of me, with Brooke Belldina on top him, and with Dean Landolt on top of her. Then there's John Forbrich passed out on the floor, and there I am with Sarah Sanford pulling his pants down. So mean.

And then, the culmination of my high school days... Woodstock '99! Did you know I'm on the official Woodstock video (topless)? True story.

Ah, the memories...