Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
no and yes
What did you do in 2010 that you’ve never done before? oh I can think of a couple things
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Brandie! :D
Did anyone close to you die?
no, actually. I hope I will be able to say this on next year’s blog. (I think I’ve left this answer the same for the past 3 years, so…so far so good)
What countries did you visit?
none this year
What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? more live music
What dates from 2010 will remain etched in your memory and why?
1) February 28–Aiden was born 2) April 1–met Johnny Weir for the first time 3) September 10–saved my dad’s life. He had an emergency root canal and there were complications when he got home. He turned blue and I had to call the paramedics. They talked me through keeping him stable until they got there. Very scary. 4) September 11–saw Adam Lambert in Tunica with Dawn…..I may have chased his tour bus….. 5) September 17-18–Charlotte trip–so incredibly epic. 2 TOP NIGHTS: Breakfast Club (and a VERY long walk through downtown Charlotte during the middle of the night) and Lady Gaga concert. 6) October 2–met Stéphane Lambiel. He really and truly is Prince Charming in real life. 7) November 28–the night I “got” Phish–a pretty great feeling. Can’t wait to hit some shows this year!
What was your biggest achievement of the year? losing 70 lbs and deciding on a career path
What was your biggest failure? I’m not sure….this year didn’t have a lot of fail. I certainly could have lost more weight (and I plan to finish it up this year), but I am proud of what I have accomplished and wouldn’t consider it a failure.
Did you suffer illness or injury? not really. it has been a pretty healthy year
What was the best thing you bought? smaller clothes :) and a future skydiving trip (tentative date of May 21, 2011)
Where did most of your money go?
Sephora, Aerie, The Limited, Anthropologie (this year was more about things than traveling–Bruce wasn’t touring)
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
skydiving (even though I haven’t done it yet), figure skating shows I attended (and meeting Stéphane and Johnny)
What do you wish you’d done more of?
exercise during the second half of the year–I did really well earlier in the year
What do you wish you’d done less of? eat food from work
How did you spend Christmas? I had to work Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, it snowed in Nashville, so we couldn’t go visit my family. My parents and I lounged around the house and spent the day together.
What was your favorite TV show?
Though I still love Grey’s Anatomy and Big Bang Theory, I haven’t been able to watch either very much this season because of work. I did start watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and have a lot of catching up to do on HBO’s In Treatment. The Walking Dead is a very well done new show on AMC (one of the best channels on television). I’ve also started watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother and it’s really funny/adorable/my generation’s Friends.
What was the best book you read?
I read a few books this year, but none of them are really worth mentioning here. I started Super Sad True Love Story and Infinite Jest!, but I haven’t finished either. I think I will reread For the Time Being before I do anything else.
What was your greatest musical discovery of 2010? Phish. Also Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers, MGMT, Ghostland Observatory (it was a big music year)
What was your favorite film this year?
Inception
What did you do on your birthday? went to PF Chang’s with my family
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I don’t think there’s any specific thing
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
now that I can wear the clothes I would choose to wear, it turns out that I like to be dressy. I like nice clothes
What kept you sane?
social interaction
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Alan Rickman and Gabriel Byrne are silver foxes…and I will ALWAYS think that Patrick Dempsey is gorgeous.
What political issue stirred you the most? DADT being repealed!
Who did you miss?
my Granny. I have been thinking of visiting her grave. I might be ready soon. It’s been 6 years–I haven’t been to her grave since her burial.
Who was the best new person you met?
the best new person would probably be Ben, my new boss. But I’d have to say that I have very much enjoyed getting to know someone I had only previously considered an acquaintance.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
love many, trust few, and learn to paddle your own canoe
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Love it will not betray you
Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free
Be more like the man you were made to be
There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see,
The beauty of love as it was made to be
This is the Proust Questionnaire! I was intrigued, so I decided to do it myself.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? To be completely alone and unwanted. Also, failing at what I most wanted to accomplish (my best not being good enough).
Where would you like to live? A place where I am among those who understand and accept who I am.
What is your idea of earthly happiness? Having every need/want fulfilled (wow that sounds selfish!). Or simply being at peace.
To what faults do you feel most indulgent? ugh…many. Intellectual arrogance, pretension, vanity (at times), gluttony, …I could go on
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction? Howard Roark, Harry Potter, Holden Caufield, Heathcliff (OMG HOW DO ALL OF THESE START WITH “H”???)
Who are your favorite characters in history? Rasputin, Queen Elizabeth I, Helen Keller (lol), Marie Antoinette
Who are your favorite heroines in real life? Amelia Earhart, Madeline Albright, Annie Dillard
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction? Jane Eyre, Bonnie Parker, Dominique Francon, Vivian Bearing
Your favorite painter? Dali, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh (can’t choose just one!)
Your favorite musician? Massenet (composer), Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga (how’s that for variety???)
The quality you most admire in a man? Intelligence, wit, honesty, charm
The quality you most admire in a woman? Wit, empathy, naturalness, freedom of spirit
Your favorite virtue? individualism, truthfulness, wisdom
Who would you have liked to be? Myself with more talent, no fear, and more money. And Johnny Weir’s best friend.
Your most marked characteristic? a need to be loved, loyalty, intelligence, fickleness
What do you most value in your friends? honesty, understanding, humor
What is your principle defect? fear of inadequacy, lack of ambition, moodiness, fickleness
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes? being born without tastebuds. never being loved
What is your favorite color? orange, red, golden yellows
What is your favorite flower? peony
What is your favorite bird? birds creep me out, but my favorite ones to look at pictures of are cockatoos and parrots, if I have to pick
Who are your favorite prose writers? Annie Dillard, Raymond Carver, JK Rowling, William Faulkner, John Donne
Who are your favoite poets? William Shakespeare, John Donne
Who are your favorite composers? Massenet, Verdi, Eric Whitacre, Beethoven
What are your favorite names? Layla, Athena, Eden, Cheyenne, Everett, Elijah
What is it you most dislike? seeing my own faults in others (and of course in myself)
What historical figures do you most despise? Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Nazis in general
What event in military history do you most admire? ceasefires on Christmas :)
What reform do you most admire? ummmm….politically? this is broad. IDK
How would you like to die? after I’ve done all I want to do in life, but before living becomes a chore. preferably with as little pain as possible.
What is your present state of mind? introspective, a little tired, pretty content
What is your motto? I’M A FREE BITCH, BABY!!! life’s too short to be miserable–do what you love and fuck the rest. My life is what I make of it–I get to make all the decisions.
Better get comfy, peeps, ’cause you’re getting a play-by-play!
We hit the road at 8:30 Wednesday morning. After several hours of two-lane highways cutting through America’s Heartland, I was getting pissed. “Why aren’t we staying on the interstate?” “I thought we could just take I-55 straight up to Chicago!” “What state are we in?” “Why is this taking so long?” We finally realized that we had the GPS set to “shortest route,” not “fastest route.” We quickly fixed the problem and set out to make up for lost time. Exhausted and still pretty pissed off that it took us almost 13 hours to make a 10 hour trip, we made it to the hotel. We quickly had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and collapsed into bed. We woke up around 10 and tried to plan out our day. I would have liked to go back to the Shedd Aquarium (my favorite thing in Chicago–ok, really it’s just the otters–would have stood in front of the otter exhibit for 3 hours, just watching them play and swim around–otters are my FAVORITE), but that would ruin any chance of seeing Johnny when he checked into the hotel (yes, we were staying in the same hotel as the fabulous Mr. Weir–although it was really hard for me to imagine him staying there–the hotel was quite old and right next to O’Hare in a not-very-nice part of town). I knew that he had left Russia around 5:45 the night before (Chicago time) and would be arriving at O’Hare around 12:30. I wanted to make sure he made it in ok and if he was feeling like signing autographs and posing for pics with fans, I would be there. So we got ready and had lunch in the hotel restaurant…again! It was about 12 when we finished, and I realized that I didn’t have any sharpies (we have TONS at home, and how I managed to leave them off the packing list is beyond me). So Mom and I made a mad dash to find sharpies….naturally. Like I said before, this is not a very nice area, so the best we could find was a Family Dollar. I got a pack of 2 sharpies (that actually had an anti-theft tag like they put on clothes in the mall) and we headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I was the only fan *cough*stalker*cough* waiting for Johnny down in the lobby. I could have taken a seat on the couch that he would have to pass right by on his way to the elevator, but decided to be a little less obvious and sit over in the corner by the gift shop. I brought my phone and read emails and watched Johnny videos on youtube to pass the time. After about an hour of waiting, Johnny finally arrived….with a cameraman at his side. He didn’t stop at the front desk, but headed straight down the hall to the elevators. There was no way I was going to run up to him like a crazy person, so I just watched him go (he gives such a nice view), waited a respectful time until I was sure he had gotten on the elevator, and went back up to my room. Only here’s the best part–when I got to my room, I noticed a luggage cart across the hall and down 3 rooms from my room. This was not just any luggage cart. This was a luggage cart containing Johnny Weir’s luggage. How the hell do I know what the man’s luggage looks like, you ask? No, I’m not a freak. I just watch his reality show, Be Good Johnny Weir. In one of the episodes, he is at the airport in Spokane, WA, having just arrived for Nationals. Well, he is “agitated” because one of his suitcases hasn’t arrived in baggage claim yet–the white one he keeps his skates and costumes in. I recognized that white suitcase immediately and nearly died when Johnny himself opened the door to get his luggage–I had heard Johnny speak in real life! EEKS! By now it was 1:30, and I was supposed to meet some new friends from Johnny’s facebook page at an Italian restaurant at 4, so we didn’t have time to go do anything. I was feeling really restless and nervous/excited knowing that Johnny was so close. I spent a good 10-15 minutes staring out the peephole. Any time I left my post at the door, I’d run back over if I heard even the slightest noise outside. My mom was no help. She just said, “Why don’t you just go knock on his door and say hi?” Seriously??? Go knock on Johnny Weir’s door? She must be out of her mind. I was going to meet the man later that night! If I knocked on his door, and then showed up at the meet and greet after the show, he would recognize me as “that crazy stalker girl that showed up at my hotel room.” And that would NOT be ok. I was also really hoping that he was napping because he has had NO rest in weeks. So I compromised. I found some paper in the room and I wrote in big letters, “JOHNNY, Will you sign this for me please? I can’t wait to see your “Bad Romance” tonight! <3 Ashley (room 727)” and put that, a picture of him that I wanted to get signed, and one of my newly-acquired sharpies about a foot outside my room and out into the hallway. I thought he’d be leaving for the rink sometime soon and I knew he’d sign it if he saw it. I had to take a shower and get ready to meet him that night, so I couldn’t stay by the peephole and wait for him to come out. It would be like Christmas! Johnny Santa would come by while I was showering and leave me a present! I thought it was the most brilliant idea ever! And it was….except that I didn’t tell housekeeping about it. There were still ladies up there cleaning some of the other rooms, and my picture, note, and sharpie got moved. So when I got out of the shower (I just had a towel around me–I couldn’t wait to get dressed–had to see if Johnny Santa came), I opened the door, not to find a signed Johnny pic, not the Johnny pic and note still there and untouched, but NOTHING. Being pretty much naked, I couldn’t run through the halls of the hotel, looking for the picture thief, so I got my mom to do my dirty work. She was back in record time with picture (unsigned) and sharpie. Turns out, it had been put on top of the fire extinguisher box that was right next to our room. So Johnny didn’t see it. BUMMER! But I wasn’t too disappointed because I knew I’d get at least one more chance. I finished getting ready and we went to the restaurant and had a lovely dinner and Johnny-fest with my fellow fans Carla, Jen, and Mona, and then we headed to the arena.
The show itself is somewhat a blur for me. There were 2 pairs skaters, Rachel Flatt, a comedian skater person, and some junior-level skaters; Dorothy Hamill was the MC. It was so obvious that EVERYONE was there just for Johnny (except for the few parents whose kids were in the show). Any time Johnny was on the ice, the place was a madhouse. Screaming girls, cat calls, “I LOVE YOU JOHNNY”s nonstop. They weren’t kidding with that Pop Star on Icething. My fabulous mother took these videos for me because I PROMISED Johnny’s facebook page peeps that I would get videos. I wanted to be able to watch Johnny LIVE, though, not through my tiny phone screen. Isn’t my mom great? :)
The VIP meet & greet was I-N-S-A-N-E. My new friends and I started out at the very far end (one room had red light bulbs and the other had blue and we thought the blue was more flattering so we chose that room). We were some of the first to make it up there, and we quickly realized that everyone was crowding into the red room to wait for Johnny (I was hoping that we would all sit down at the tables and Johnny would be able to circulate and spend a few minutes at each table, leisurely taking pictures and signing autographs). Sadly, this was not the case. As I was saying–everyone crowded into the front of the red room, waiting for Johnny to arrive (which took quite a while because he had to scrub off all that makeup!). We stayed in our less crowded, *cooler* back room for maybe 30-45 minutes (I really had no sense of time at this point–it could have been anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour!). It was fairly obvious when Johnny DID arrive. The camera flashes alone were proof that we were in the presence of the Weir. I think at this point we were still talking to other fans (Jason and Tracee…Tracee’s husband was busy becoming bff with Dorothy Hamill). I got to meet Rachel Flatt and took a picture with her!
At this point, we’re really just killing time and waiting for the crowd to thin a bit around Johnny. Years of skillful maneuvering to find the perfect spot at rock concerts has served me well. You develop a special sense that lets you know when it’s ok to slip into that tiny space that just opened up in front of some people and when those people you are moving in front of will beat the hell out of you. Luckily, Johnny’s fans are just beyond amazing and we were all just like best friends. We just GOT each other. It wasn’t in the least an “every man for himself” mentality–everyone was taking pictures for everyone else, letting other people go ahead. It was such a happy place. Once you were in view of Johnny, you realized that he was taking his time with everyone. He just instantly put everyone at ease. When it was your turn with Johnny, you were the only person in the room to him. He gave his complete attention and listened intently to whatever you had to say, signed whatever you wanted signed (body parts included), posed for any kind of picture you wanted. He was the most gracious human being I have ever seen or been in the presence of. There just aren’t enough positive adjectives to describe how wonderful Johnny was to everyone. No one minded the waiting. We knew that we would get our moment and that he would be just as wonderful to us. Finally, my turn came. (OMG!) I handed him my picture and asked him to sign it to Ashley (I really wanted him to write my name…that was just really important to me for some reason, and I’m super glad I did because that is one of my favorite parts of that picture now), and he said, “Spelled the normal way?” And he did that cute little eyebrow raising thing he does and I just melted inside–it was so frickin adorable! And I said yes, and spelled my name anyway…and he signed and we posed for a picture.
It turned out so well–I was just elated that my eyes weren’t closed or something weird. After we took our picture, he said “Beautiful. Thank you.” And I said thank you and moved on. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave yet, though. I hung around for probably 15 more minutes (again…no idea how long it was really…no sense of time). Dorothy Hamill was still there, so I went back and took a picture with her, said goodbye to my new friends, and headed back to the hotel.
Since I promised the facebook kids that I would post my videos that night, I got my phone, laptop, and usb cord and went out into the hallway to try to get the videos up (and to wait for Johnny to get back). Turns out, Dorothy Hamill’s room was directly across the hall from mine, so I got to see her come in. Then Tara, Johnny’s fabulous agentress came in (she had changed into pjs already, which I thought was so funny and cute). Tara thought I was locked out of my room and was so sweet to me! She said, “Oh no, sweetie, are you ok??” And I said, “Oh, yeah, I’m fine–my mom is sleeping and I don’t want to bother her. We have a long drive home in the morning.” I thought that was a pretty good cover! And hey, it was true! So, this next part is what I wrote Thursday night while I was out in the hallway, waiting for Johnny to get in. I could retype it so that it makes sense, but I think it would lose part of its charm…it has such a nice stream of consciousness thing going on. That whole “oh my god I met Johnny Weir tonight” meets “oh my god I’ve been up for far too long and my contacts are drying out and I’m trying not to fall asleep in the hallway.” Enjoy.
(ok, as I’m writing this, I’m out in the hallway at the hotel…..waiting for him to walk by–but I have a cover–my mom is sleeping and I don’t want to bother her)–he just walked by. Literally…as I typed that….he walked by. That’s funny. I’m going to stay out here and finish this post though…because my mom IS sleeping. Ok, now he’s gone by about 5 more times, and once, I said “hey Johnny” and he said, “hey” and I said, “you were great tonight,” and he said, “thank you.” And now I’m starting to feel creepy. But oh well. I’m ignoring him if he goes by any more. I had a great time tonight. Anyway…I’m going to bed soon. This is craziness.
HA! I can’t reread that without laughing.
Anyway, I DID go to bed not long after that (Johnny hadn’t come back from the rooms on the other hallway yet, and I wasn’t going to wait goodness knows how long for him to come back–that would have been seriously stalkerish of me. I was getting a migraine, though, and I fought taking any drugs til around 2:15 or so. Finally, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep through the pain, so I got up and took an Imitrex. I saw some shadows passing by through the crack under the door, but I was too sleepy and in too much pain to care that it was in fact Johnny coming back to his room for the night (another girl from Johnny’s facebook page ended up in room 717, so she kept up with him when he was on that hallway and said that he went back to his room about that time. My mom woke up at 9, so we packed and were on the road by 9:45. The trip home was much faster, but it still took almost 12 hours with all the stopping we did.
All in all, this was one of the best trips I’ve ever had. Johnny Weir is truly an angel and a Pop Star on Ice. I really, really, really hope that he gets some sponsors of his own and makes his own skating show/tour a reality. I will follow him anywhere. Except Russia. Because I don’t have that kind of money…or a passport. Skate in the US, Johnny!! We love you!!
As I am typing this, I’m not sure I have enough strength left in my legs to get myself off of the couch when I’m finished blogging.
I’ve become completely obsessed with Johnny Weir. You know, the “flamboyant” figure skater who placed 6th in the Olympics, but actually deserved the bronze medal? Yeah, him. I could gush for pages, but Johnny-praise isn’t the really the focus of this post.
Johnny has a documentary out called Pop Star on Ice, and his own reality show called Be Good, Johnny Weir. It chronicles his career leading up to the Vancouver Olympics (they started shooting in 2006!). His life is documented both on and off the ice, and let me tell you, it’s my favorite reality show ever. It’s touching at times and always hilarious. I wish Johnny was my best friend. Seriously–he’s just fun. Ok, I realize I said this wasn’t a post about Johnny-praise, so I’ll move along.
One thing is very evident throughout all the episodes–Johnny takes REALLY good care of himself. He has a great skincare routine (his skin is unbelievable, so the effort pays off), he eats well (though not nearly enough because he says he wants to stay skinny everywhere else to balance out his figure skater’s thighs and butt–and oh that butt!), he gets regular manicures and pedicures, he wears designer clothes (and lots of fur), he cleans his apartment obsessively. Like I said, he takes REALLY good care of himself! Watching everything he does on a day-to-day basis to take care of himself and keep his life in order has made me realize that I do not take great care of myself. I do ok. I shower regularly, do my laundry, brush my teeth…I don’t smell. But other than that, I’m pretty low maintenance. I shop at Old Navy, I eat fast food, I rarely wear makeup, I sometimes leave the house wearing pajama pants (yes, the ones I slept in the night before….), I don’t scrub my tub and toilet nearly as much as Johnny scrubs his. Until now. I am making a change, hence not knowing if my legs will have the strength to get me off the couch after I post this. Tonight I worked out (at a fairly high intensity) for 45 minutes. That doesn’t seem like an extreme amount of time, but when you are as out of shape as I am, it’s quite an accomplishment. I ran on the elliptical machine for 8 minutes (the most I could do today after being on my feet at work for 10 hours), I did sit ups, wall push ups (again, the best I can do right now), worked my arms with a resistance band; I danced around to Metro Station. And then I treated myself to a shower with my new tea tree oil, peppermint, and lavender shampoo and conditioner and my lavender vanilla body wash. I have also started a new skincare routine. I read on a Q&A page that Johnny uses (or used when he answered the question) REN skincare. So I looked it up on sephora.com and bought some products. OH.MY.GOD. They are amazing. I have rosacea and my skin is REALLY sensitive, so I have to be careful about what I put on my face. I bought the full size cleanser for sensitive skin and a ‘sephora only’ set called “6 of the Best”–that has a regular cleanser (which I gave to my mom), scrub, night cream, omega 3 renewal serum, peel, and eye serum. They really weren’t kidding with that name. These are the best skincare products I have EVER used on my face and I can’t wait to see the changes after longer use (I’ve been using them almost a week now). They are all natural and haven’t bothered my sensitive skin one bit. I really just can’t say enough good things about this line. I am starting to think I will be able to tell people that I “had” rosacea instead of “have” it. They are that good. I can’t wait to write a review for these products on sephora.com.
I am making all these changes, and you know what? I feel so much better about myself. I know I have a long way to go, as far as losing weight and getting in shape goes, but that’s ok. I am happier and more confident, and I have Johnny Weir to thank (and maybe I will thank him since I’ll be meeting him on April 1).
Ok…time to get off the couch now…cross your fingers. ;)
20. Avatar – visually beautiful, mediocre plot (it’s mostly Fern Gully with a little Pocahontas thrown in)
19. Crash – one of those really great movies with several plot threads that end up weaving together to form the story
18. Unbreakable – modern-day super hero movie without capes or tights. M. Night Shyamalan…enough said.
17. No Country for Old Men – INTENSE! Has the best pacing of any movie I’ve seen in a long time
16. The Good Shepherd – Espionage and secret societies–I’m in.
15. Thank You for Smoking – created a whole new genre. HILARIOUS if you get the humor, really stupid and boring if you don’t. I do.
14. In Her Shoes – Great classic “chick flick” with Cameron Diaz and Toni Colette.
13. The Family Stone – I don’t usually like the “holiday film” genre (I HATE “It’s a Wonderful Life”), but I watch this year round.
12. Mamma Mia! – Meryl Streep in a musical with Abba music. What’s not to love?
11. Mr. Brooks – twisty.
10. V for Vendetta – bloody, yet poetic.
9. Wanted – bloody without the poetry, but it’s so darn bad-ass that you can’t not love it!
8. Mystic River – Sean Penn is brilliant. This movie will break your heart.
7. The Hangover – Possibly the most consistently funny movie I’ve ever seen.
6. Little Miss Sunshine – a little “precious” at times, but still sarcastic and witty.
5. The Dark Knight – Heath Ledger would have gotten the Oscar even if he hadn’t died. There was no point in this film where I saw him, there was only the Joker.
4. Almost Famous – who doesn’t love this movie??
3. The Prestige – After I saw this movie the first time, I went out to the lobby and bought another ticket to see it again.
2. Juno – Teenage Lorelai Gilmore in the 21st century. Super quotable.
1. Dan in Real Life – has probably become my favorite romcom EVER.
Even if it is slightly embarrassing, I think I might have to admit that Little Women might just be my favorite movie of all time (I don’t know if there is more than one version, but I am referring to the one with Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and….Christian Bale). I have actually avoided reading Louisa May Alcott’s book for fear of tarnishing my view of the movie. Little Women was released when I was 7 years old, and I was immediately hooked. It went on permanent, heavy rotation, right along with Sleeping Beauty, The Worst Witch, Heidi, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Clueless. I loved the soundtrack so much that my parents finally tracked it down for me, but it was on CD and we only had cassette capabilities at the time, so we got my cousin to transfer the CD to cassette for me (I think he must have used one of those handheld tape recorders with the little microphone…I bet that was annoying for him).
Being an only child, LW allowed me to glimpse into the life of a “real” family. To me, this was not a movie, with actors simply playing their parts; this was what the rest of the world got to experience (and take for granted). I saw the fun they had, the arguments, the good times and hardships. I watched them fall in love and marry. It seemed to me that I was peering through a window, watching this family grow up together. When I watched LW as a child, I mostly wanted to be Amy–to be a talented artist, go away to Europe and marry a rich man. I think I even wore a clothespin on my nose a couple of times. Sometimes when I watched, I wanted to be Beth, because everyone loved her so much and she was such a kind person.
I now own the movie on DVD (and it has a special feature that shows the entire movie without dialogue–only the soundtrack, and I LOVE that). I have gone back twice to watch Little Women in my adulthood. The first time was when I bought the DVD. I came home from Best Buy, ripped off the plastic, and stuck it in the DVD player. I watched passively. It was the movie I remembered from my childhood. Just last night, however, I watched it again–this time, through the eyes of an adult. As a child, I understood the plot, but many of the exchanges went over my head. I knew what was happening, but only on a basic level. Watching it again–as if I couldn’t quote the whole thing right along with the actors–it was fresh. I listened deeply to all the conversations taking place, and I saw a whole new movie. I saw Amy as well-meaning, but selfish and immature (even taking into account that she’s the youngest). As a kid, I couldn’t believe Jo turned down Laurie’s proposal–they seemed made for each other! But he was like a brother to her–they were too alike. And oh, how I love Professor Bhaer! As I’m growing up, I find myself wishing I was Jo–I crave adventure (and I love writing and Transcendentalism), but for some reason, it’s just not happening for me yet. But, life is what you make of it, so I suppose I will have to go out and have more adventures.
Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
no and yes
What did you do in 2009 that you’ve never done before? 1) bought a car, 2) had a job for 9 months (and counting!)
Did anyone close to you give birth?
April had another one and Brandie is pregnant!
Did anyone close to you die?
no, actually. I hope I will be able to say this on next year’s blog.
What countries did you visit?
none this year
What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? a significant other. THIS IS THE YEAR! I can feel it! LOL
What dates from 2009 will remain etched in your memory and why?
1) January 20–saw Barack Obama’s Inauguration. 2) May 9–went to the ER with an infected gallbladder and had it removed May 11. 3) October 8–night 4 (my first night) at Giants Stadium to see Springsteen. I heard so many of my absolute favorite songs that I was dying to hear live. It was a magical night. 4) October 13–bought my first car!!!! 5) November 18–ended up second row–literally 2 feet away from Bruce Springsteen at the Nashville concert and touched him 6 times–I had his sweat on me.
What was your biggest achievement of the year? saving up all the money for my New York trip and paying cash for every bit of it and still being able to put a down payment on the car I bought! AND losing 35 pounds since August.
What was your biggest failure? hmmmm….I guess not being back in school or being able to pay down more of my debt than I have. I feel like I didn’t fail much this year, which is good.
Did you suffer illness or injury? YES. My gallbladder got infected and I had to go to the Emergency Room and be admitted to the hospital for the first time ever and have my gallbladder removed.
What was the best thing you bought? Springsteen tickets (wish I had bought more!) and my 2006 Ford Focus
Where did most of your money go?
Springsteen/NYC/Wolfchase Hyundai…lol
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
2am the day of the Inauguration while I was driving into DC was the most excited I’ve ever been in my life. Also I was beside myself when they called the wristband number the night of the Nashville show and I found out how close I’d be.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
go to Springsteen shows
What do you wish you’d done less of? curse!
How did you spend Christmas? spent Christmas Eve with my whole family at my grandparents’ house and then watched movies Christmas Day
Did you fall in love in 2009? no
What was your favorite TV show? Damages and Grey’s Anatomy and Breaking Bad and Mad Men and Dead Like Me (even thought it’s not on TV anymore…I watched the DVDs) and Big Bang Theory
What was the best book you read?
The entire Harry Potter series! I have definitely had to eat my words on this and I am kicking myself for not giving the books a try when they came out. I thought they would just be silly kid books, but they were wonderful and I am about to start rereading them! I have become completely Harry Potter obsessed.
What was your greatest musical discovery of 2008? Patti Smith, Incubus
What did you want and get? a wii
What did you want and not get?
a boyfriend! LOL
What was your favorite film this year?
Public Enemies and Avatar
What did you do on your birthday? went to Benihana with my family
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I don’t think there’s any specific thing
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I think more than anything else this year, I wore my work uniform….khaki pants and my blue Dominos shirt. classy.
What kept you sane?
work and travel
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Alan Rickman….LOL! and Gerard Butler and still Patrick Dempsey
What political issue stirred you the most? HEALTHCARE! and the war.
Who did you miss?
The Connables and Parkersons
Who was the best new person you met?
Mike Salpoek and Chris Early (coworkers)
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
life is what you make of it.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
oh man. I have been thinking about this for so long, and I can’t find one that’s “just right”…..grrrr.
The world’s a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air
just an FYI, I just went through and updated most of my pages….new 100 things about myself, new top 10. I can’t wait for my Year in Review blog! I seriously think about this all year….I really want to do it right now, but I’m making myself wait until Thursday. I will leave you with one of my current “obsession” songs.
I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy…happy
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles a back lit canopy
With holes punched in it
I’m counting UFOs
I signal them with my lighter
And in this moment I am happy…happy
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here
The world’s a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air saying:
I wish you were here
I wish you were
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here
This post was originally titled “time for a new post,” but in light of what came out as I was typing, I decided to rename it.
Well, since I haven’t updated since May, I figure now’s as good a time as any, even if I don’t have anything in particular to say. It’s not time for my annual Year in Review post, but I’m already thinking about my answers to some of the questions. This has been one hell of a year–lots of good, plenty of bad. I think I have done more growing up this year than any other I can remember. So much has changed. I bought a car (I still LOVE the fact that my name is on the title–the only name on it), I lost 32 pounds (and am still losing weight–40-60 lbs to go, I think), my best friend got divorced, I’ve been at my current job for 8 months (a record!)–the list goes on. Like I said, a lot has changed. I’ve settled into somewhat of a routine, and it’s not as soul-deadening as I thought it would be. I still crave adventure, and I still have so many plans and things I want to accomplish, but right now I’m comfortable. The biggest decision I need to make is whether or not to find a new job. I like my job just fine, but it is very hard on my car. I deliver pizzas (if you don’t know me well enough to know that). I put around 1500 miles on my car every month. I need to have this car for the next 5- 7 years (it won’t be paid off for 5, and then I need to save some money for the next one). If I get a day job, in an office or something, I won’t put as much wear on my car and it will last longer. BUT, I am feeling the pull to go back to school. I REALLY miss learning, and I really want to finish my degree (and, if I’m honest with myself, I want to go to graduate school). I’ve all but given up on the idea of not taking out more student loans (it’s just not practical….an education is more important to me at this point). If I do get an office job and work 9-5ish, that basically rules out school. The classes I would take aren’t generally offered at night, and I have no interest in online education.
As I’m writing this, the thoughts are crystalizing in my head, and I’m finally making up my mind. I’m going to go back to school and keep delivering pizzas at night. If I run my car into the ground, so be it. I’ll figure something out, and that won’t happen for years anyway.
Well…that was fun. Now I just need to figure out the specifics…where, when, how. I really miss the Carpenters–my favorite professors from Lipscomb–husband and wife lit profs. I would LOVE to study under them, but I don’t know if it’s worth going back to LU. I am still very conflicted in my religous views, and I worry that the Lipscomb environment would drive me to the point of no return, plus there are the issues of distance and expense to consider. Dana Carpenter is taking a sabbatical this next semester. I won’t be ready to go back until next fall, anyway, though. I went to the University of Memphis for 2 semesters, and I just didn’t fit in. I didn’t live on campus, so I didn’t make any real friends. I miss the sense of community that I had at Lipscomb. I miss A Cappella, I miss the interest that all the professors took in their students. LU was very different from U of M. I’m not entirely sure I want to go back to either. But living here in Memphis, I don’t have a lot of choices. Nashville has a plethora of colleges to choose from; Memphis, not so much. I can’t afford Rhodes (and might not have a high enough GPA to get in, anyway). I can’t afford Lipscomb, either. Hell, it’s all I can do to pay the bills I have now. But, I will fill out my FAFSA when I get my taxes done, and hopefully I will have something worked out by next fall. Sheesh. I am a nut. But I am young and alive. I’ll figure it out as I go.
I went to the Emergency Room on Saturday. It’s not like I’ve never been there before–I’m quite accident prone. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been to the ER in my 22 years. This Saturday was different, though. I didn’t fall or hurt myself. I was sick. I felt a strong need to puke, but I just couldn’t, for some reason. Also, my abdomen HURT. The pain was very hard to describe, it wasn’t sharp or stabbing or throbbing, it just didn’t feel right. I just felt “sick” inside. This wasn’t an especially new occurrence, I’ve had “episodes” of this happening for months, but I’d just take some Rolaids and it would go away in an hour or so. It didn’t go away on Saturday–it started around 2 and I went to the ER at 6. The doctor asked me a few questions and determined that it was my gallbladder. They started an IV and gave me pain medicine and something for my stomach. After my pain was under control, they brought an ultrasound machine in and looked at my gallbladder–it was FULL of gall stones. I was admitted and was put in a room around 10. Too bad it was the weekend and I didn’t need emergency surgery. I was stuck in the hospital until they could do my surgery on Monday. Sundaycrawled by and I was terrified when they came with a gurney to take me to surgery on Monday morning. It was about an hour and a half sooner than the surgeon had said it would be, so I wasn’t mentally ready. I’d never even been admitted into a hospital before, and the biggest surgery I’d had up to now was having my tonsils removed when I was a junior in high school. I calmed down once I got down to pre-op. Since I have acid reflux they made me swallow some kind of medicine that tasted like grape flavored acid. It was truly disgusting and it was all I could do to keep it down. I was still awake when they rolled me into the operating room and I was surprised that it looks a lot like the OR rooms on Grey’s Anatomy–LOL! Usually they have you count down from 10 or 100, but if they did that this time, I don’t remember…I woke up in the recovery room a few hours later. I was in quite a bit of pain and I felt very nauseated. They gave me some drugs in my IV, but wouldn’t let me drink anything even though I was very thirsty. Since they were able to do the procedure laproscopically, I was able to go home around 5:30 that same day. My pain was pretty severe the first 2 days (I had to take 2 Percocet tablets every 4 hours instead of 1 every 6-8 hours). Twice I even took 3 pills at once. I was out of pills by Thursday morning, but I was still having pain, so I had to go back to the doctor to make sure everything was healing ok since I was still in so much pain. At the doctor, I learned that my surgery had been more involved than the standard procedure. My gallbladder was very infected (and probably only a day or 2 away from rupturing). I was very lucky that they didn’t have to do the traditional 8″ incision, but they did have to do more repair work inside of me than they thought they would. My surgeon said that even though the cuts were tiny on the outside, they went several inches deep and cut through muscle, so that’s why I was still having pain when friends of mine who have had the surgery said that I should be fine by now. Today I just feel like I did about a billion crunches. I’ve had 2 pain pills all day. Last night was the first time I’ve been able to sleep on my sides (I am a side/stomach sleeper), and I have slept most of the day today. My back has been killing me because I have had to sleep on it and I haven’t rested well all week. I have a feeling I’ll be sleeping like the dead for several days now that I can sleep on my side. It still hurts quite a bit to roll over, but it’s worth it to get some sleep. This next part might be TMI, but consider yourself warned–I’m going to talk about poop. I have always pooped a lot. Some days I go as much as 4-6 times. My primary doctor diagnosed me with IBS when I was in 7th grade and I take medicine on and off for it. Well, I am starting to think that all along that has just been my gallbladder not functioning properly. Since my surgery, I have had 3 bowel movements and they have been more “normal” than any I’ve had in years (and possibly ever). I was fully expecting months of diarrhea, but so far that isn’t happening. I’ve always thought that my digestive issues were more than just IBS (really, doctors just say you have IBSwhen they don’t know what else is wrong). I am thrilled with the prospects of being able to eat what I want and not have to run to the bathroom within 5 minutes of finishing my meal (and sometimes before I’m even finished). All in all, the surgery was well worth it, and I’m so glad I let my mom talk me into going to the ER–I wanted to go to minor med first to see if they thought I needed to go to the hospital. Since it’s past midnight now, today is my mom’s birthday, and I always make her cake. I’m glad that I feel well enough to do it (and I’m really glad that her birthday wasn’t last week). She did spend her Mother’s Day in the hospital taking care of me, though. I love my mommy, even though we don’t always get along very well. She has taken care of me all week (she only went back to work today because she had to–she took off Monday through Thursday). I’m not always the best patient, but she hasn’t complained once. She has gall stones too, so I’m sure I’ll get the chance to return the favor sometime this summer.
get in the way. 
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