Year again. They go so fast on this blog.

Sunday January 1, 2012

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Spontaneous trip to Disney World, slide down natural water slide and climb into old mine shaft, walk across Brooklyn Bridge, and sneak into a music festival in the trunk of a car.

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Megan!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What would you like to have in 2011 that you didn't have in 2010?
Freedom from graduate school!

6. What days from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory?
Passover on Prospect Place; Felisa's 30th--dinner with Reina & Johnny, going to every single attraction in Animal Kingdom, EVEREST and also the white water ride; co-hosting our families for Father's Day at Kitchenette; Grandma Millie's 90th birthday; drawing one tree for an hour in Riverside Park for Science class; the Fort Greene concert with Janice especially watching the sunset; seeing The Future with Laurel and Tom and totally losing our shit; the water in Opal Creek; my kids' first day of 6th grade with their parents sitting in the back of the classroom agreeing with everything I said; my 31st birthday party where I accidentally made out with a flower vendor and he tried to give me all his wares and I graciously accepted only one rose; the haunted West Village scavenger hunt and just as much waiting for it to start, seeing the giant hawk and the sand painter and the Occupiers all mixed up in Washington Square Park; my father's retirement party; going by myself back to Cherry Lane Theater and seeing movie stars there (well just Andrew Garfield but I found out later Emma Stone was there too I didn't notice her); taking my kids on their Dylan's trip and most especially the art gallery aka frame store; hosting New Year's at 587.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Being a good teacher a lot of days

8. What was your biggest failure?
Neglect of 7th grade math, not taking care of my body

9. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
No

10. What was the best thing you bought?
A hat box. My olive green and mustard yellow cardigans. My sister locket.

11. Where did most of your money go?
Frivolities

12. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Disney World, living with my roommates.

13. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Someone Like You

14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Following through

15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Not applicable

16. How did you spend your end of the year holidays?
Christmas dinner at 66 was the best ever with ham and mashed potatoes and red eye gravy roasted chilli lime acorn squash and grapefruit avocado salad, just Mom and Dad and Hel and I. New Year's Eve, I hosted a small Quaker faction, and we played games and ate lots of good pizza and drank whiskey and bourbon and watched Dick Clark, who is still at it after all these years.

17. What was your favorite TV program?
American Horror Story


18. What were your favorite films of this year?
Harry Potter VII, Bridesmaids

19. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I ate oysters with my co-workers, spent a gorgeous weekend in Ithaca with Helen, and then celebrated a month later at a bar in the meatpacking district

20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being already done with my last Bank Street paper.

21. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
All about the earrings and cardigans.

22. What kept you sane?
My bosses, and the people I live with

23. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
10,000 hours

24. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Control yourself: take only what you need from it

This year

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Caravanned to Columbus, ate the worm in LA, gambled in Vegas, drove across the country, carved my initials in wet cement, bought and set up a Christmas tree all on my own, and taught 7th grade.

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Jess and Hung!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Maggie

5. What countries did you visit?
Juuuust this one.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you didn't have in 2010?
A masters of ed.

7. What days from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory?
Helen's graduation, Chestine's birthday at the unexpected hibachi restaurant right after the zombie parade, my feverish, straight-haired self standing on stage on the day of my kid's graduation as they marched down the aisles of the auditorium to "The End of the Road," dancing with Malia to "Can't Stop the Beat" on the pier after Hairspray, every second of the cross-country drive, the first day of school and the Fabuloso moment, playing Settlers of Catan with my family in my new apartment with more pizza than we could eat.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Moving, in every sense of the word.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not taking care of my anxiety

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
No

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My new bed.

12. Where did most of your money go?
RENT

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My new school.

14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Hold Yuh.

15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Internet procrastination.

20. How did you spend your end of the year holidays?
We had Christmas dinner in NJ, then got snowed in at 66. We did not venture out until two days later, when we drove five minutes to New Roc to see True Grit and it was like the effing Wild West out there, blinding swirls of snow, banked all over the street, with garbage cans rolling across intersections like tumbleweeds. Laurel and I helped Mom with the living room, and Helen and I went to the Tsocanos' for an intergenerational Quaker new year.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
Hoarders and The Wire.

22. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Janelle Monae

23. What were your favorite films of this year?
The Town, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, True Grit, the Social Network.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
30! With cupcakes, dinner parties, and spontaneous night trips to Boston.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Justice for 308.


33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I really had no vision this year. I want to bring wide-leg trousers back into my life in a big way, though. Still, nothing makes me feel better than thick wool tights and a short skirt.

34. What kept you sane?
All of my families, and my beautiful home.


35. Who did you miss?
Anna

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
When our context changes, so do we. Love sticks around.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Live blogging the viewing of a 7 year old Sandra Bullock thriller

9:03
[Opening credits]
Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt? Why don't I know about this movie? Why would you put Michael Pitt and Ryan Gosling in the same movie unless you were doing a Rope variation?

9:05
You wouldn't.

9:17
Wearing black pants with a brown shirt buttoned all the way to the top button. Sign that a guy reads Nietzsche and is going to be a problem in your life.

9:45
You wake up to one of your customers standing above you wrapped in saran wrap and your first question is whether he brought his cheerleader friends? That wouldn't be my first question.

10:03
Sandy is such a bitca with all her rapist-hitting ways.

10:11
This boy's bone structure is so fly.

10:21
Lol when she said let's talk about Goldilocks for a minute, I definitely thought she meant Ryan.

10:26
Pole-vaulting? Really? Pole-vaulting? This is the story of an evil pole-vaulter?

10:28
Oh jesus this guy is an arrogant idiotic prick. But I like this exchange.
"Did you ever get any help for any of this?"
"Yes. I became a cop."

10:35
That creepy-ass melded portrait is totally unacceptable.

10:42
I don't believe that charm/seductiveness is an indicator of conscience in one direction or the other. Just something to keep in mind.

Moving Day(s)

7/28/10
4:37 pm
Disgusted with life right now. Surrounded by piles of things to throw out. That's all I see when I look at my belongings now--why isn't this in a black garbage bag yet. Nothing that I will have to carry out of here has any intrinsic worth except for books and a few pieces of furniture. EVERYTHING ELSE MUST GO.

7/29/10
12:20 am
The van is full. My apartment is still full. I hate all physical possessions. I want to live like a Spartan. Do Spartans drink wine? That's what I am doing. Going to sleep for a few hours then try to beat the garbage truck at 5 with a few more loads. GOD BLESS THE NYC SANITATION DEPARTMENT, YOU ALL ARE MIRACLE WORKERS, AND YOU AMAZE ME.

11:45 am
Going to DD's for dose of iced coffee. I honestly believe this will never be done.

NEW. YEAR.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Indiana. That's...basically it. It's been quite a year. I got lost on a dirt road in a corn field on the way, so that was cool. Oh, and I paid for a cell phone instead of getting the ~free upgrade.~

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Andra and Jon! Morgan and Kristin! Annika and Will!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Will you accept, Indiana?

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you didn't have in 2009?
Time.

7. What days from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory?
Inauguration--the first dance. The last day of school--listening to Michael Jackson with my students for four hours. Blair's goodbye party. The top of Mt. Hamilton, and basically all 7 days of Portland coffee. The night when a demon thought it would be *so funny* to SLAM open Felisa's apartment door just as we were falling asleep, when it knew full well we had seen Paranormal Activity that day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
829.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Losing my joy at work these past few months? Question mark.

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
The flu. Speaking of which, one of my poor babies projectile vomited all over the classroom today, so I'm gearing up for a Swine flu outbreak.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Brunches at Kitchenette's, and also shoes. Just, all the shoes.

12. Where did most of your money go?
Sephora's. LOL JK rent.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Oh honey. Summer.

14. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Bad Fucking Romance.

15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading periodicals and partying.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Is it wrong to say, work?

20. How did you spend your end of the year holidays?
With family of origin and chosen family.

21. What was your favorite TV program?
Dollhouse, Criminal Minds, Dexter, and How I Met Your Mother. All pretty accurate reflections of my life.

22. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Glen Hansard, Antony, Passion Pit, Adele...these are my discoveries, right? Not, like, the world's. Because I totally stan Kelly Clarkson now. Also John Legend, the cast of Glee, Adam Lambert, Wale, and, truth be told, all I've really listened to for the past month is the Fame Monster.

23. What were your favorite films of this year?
Where the Wild Things Are, This Is It, Drag Me to Hell, and there are a bunch I haven't seen yet.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I remember something like a birthday candle in a shot of tequila. 29 BITCHES!!! This is an awesome age.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Seeing more theater.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Really big rings and really short skirts. Boots up to HERE.

34. What kept you sane?
My co-teachers, my roommate, and my friends. And, I hate to admit this, but the whole point of this entry is to look back and remember, oh yeahhh, that was 2009, right? So...Pinkberry.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
One of my co-teachers and I are planning our next ELA unit around lady GaGa, so that's pretty severe.

37. Who did you miss?
Anna

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Success looks like failure up til the very end. Fight like hell.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

To be lonely is a habit
Like smoking or taking drugs
And I've quit them both but man was it rough

(Our lives are too earth-centered)

My students and I are doing a science fiction unit. We've worked all the required standards backwards and forwards, so now I'm teaching them what I think they should know. This week, stereotypes. I'm trying out an 8th-graders' version of Stuart Hall tomorrow. Then, the John Ritter Buffy episode. The inevitability of this day in my life is hard to overstate.

My human credential

Thank you for being the one who proves what I am