Don't think you were gonna get off that easily.
I didn't do much traveling in 2009. In fact, I don't think I went anywhere that wasn't the DC Metropolitan Area or the great state of Ohio. (Oh, except for Canada for work, which almost doesn't count!) One of the best trips was the weekend I came home to be a bridesmaid in my friends' Audra & Mark's wedding. I ended the weekend knowing that, sooner or later, I will end up back in the Midwest - & that felt like a huge relief of a realization.
I wish I used Delicious so I could remember stuff like this. Because I don't & thus can't, I'm going to go with one I read in an issue of Glamour on an airplane this fall. The story featured a half-dozen naked models of all sizes - not just stick-thin. While the recent trend of women's magazines claiming to go "curve-friendly" is getting a little worn, this article was the first time that I, a major magazine aficionado, truly believed that the industry may someday (soon?) rid itself of its ugly & unrealistic predisposition toward scary-skinny models. Unfortunately, as Jezebel.com recently pointed out, Glamour hasn't exactly made good on its promise to stop portraying "plus-size" as anyone whose weight is a number above zero.
I started - & didn't finish - a lot of books in 2009! Notable not-quite-dones include "The Other Boleyn Girl," "1984" and even "The Great Gatsby." My favorite book of 2009 is, I think, Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity," while I shall most assuredly complete before 2010 sets in. I think. This book, quite simply, makes me feel real - & not crazy. Runner-up in this category is "Shopgirl" by Steve Martin, for similar reasons, & for my favorite book quote as of late:
- "She moved from Vermont hoping to begin her life, & now she is stranded in the vast openness of L.A. She keeps working to making connections, but the pile of near misses is starting to overwhelm her. What Mirabelle needs is some omniscient voice to illuminate & spotlight her, & to inform everyone that this one has value, this one over here..."
I think the winning "night out," though, is not a night at all but an entire day. I spent the Fourth of July barbecuing, drinking, laughing, photographing &, astonishingly enough, not getting sunburned on an epic roof deck in our nation's capital with at least a dozen of my closest friends. One for the history books, to be sure.
TextsFromLastNight.com keeps me consistently entertained (especially because I shelled out $1.00 for the app), though I've yet to be funny enough to make the cut. This year I also discovered some of my favorite bloggers, including Brad at Franco Beans, Alana at Good Girl Gone Blog, Alexa at Cleveland's a Plum, Keri at Your Wishcake & many, many more. They keep me entertained, sane, inspired & comedically challenged.
In February, I attended Jimmy Eat World's 10-stop tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their best-selling album, "Clarity," the one album I can say has affected my outlook on life, love & a whole host of sappy emotions. As I blogged after the show, it was maybe the first & only time I have felt infinite. In other words? Yes, Jim Adkins, I can actually still feel the butterflies.
2009 was average. It was mostly happy. It was emotionally tumultuous. It was in flux. It was indecisive. And it is almost over. And I think I might be glad.
This year wasn't a year for that many new people. Rather, it was a year spent cultivating relationships with those already present in my life - making more of an effort to be social, to be reliable, & to be present when they needed me. I'm a homebody & a little bit of a hermit by nature, but in 2009, I made a special effort to let others turn my life upside down - & they didn't disappoint.
My breakfast brainchild, the Great DC Brunch Tour, began this fall! OK, I admit that thus far, we've only visited a meager two locations, but I love the idea, & we have big plans to continue brunching around the District in 2010. No more waffling, I promise! (Ba-dum-chhh. I'll be here all
Who wrote this? Someone who never laughs? How could I possibly choose the best laugh of the year? As I mentioned before, I work with some of the funniest people I've ever met. I'm fortunate enough to have my biggest belly laugh of the year nearly every day. Want evidence of some of the crazy stuff we pull? Well, this one time we just... had a relay race. In Snuggies. With Jello shots. At work. Say WHAT?