2006

2006

what did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
-- Was content living where I am. Ever since I've been able to move anywhere I want for any reason I choose, I've daydreamed about the next place I would go. I'm actually happy right where I'm at now.

did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
--Probably about half of them. I did work on an awful lot of my goals so I'm pleased with the effort and whatnot. I will make more for next year, but probably like two or three big things that will take all year.

anyone close to you give birth?
-- Not this year. Everyone took the year off apparently.

did anyone close to you die?
--Three of my great-grandparents, my mom's aunt (so my great-aunt? I don't know how that works). No one that I talk to on a super regular basis, but I have a sense of loss through the death of my Grandma Rose. She's probably the coolest lady I've ever known. And I had such a fabulous little conversation with her when I saw her in June that it just makes my heart smile that I got to have her in my life for such a long time.

what countries did you visit?
-- None. Maybe someday I'll make it to Mexico.

what would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
--A job that pays all my bills, allows me to save every month, and makes it so I can go out to eat whenever I want.

what date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
--I don't have any specific dates. I had a lot of good days/events with Kiris. My favorite might be a very late night phone call in October when he told me he loved me. I already knew that he did but ever since that point, I've felt like we could take on the world and we'd be fine. Isabella started saying "Auntie" in the spring and that was pretty awesome. Now when she sees me, she tends to yell it over and over again while she runs to me so she can jump on me.

what was your biggest achievement of the year?
--Getting my own place again. Getting a new job.

what was your biggest failure?
--I honestly just don't want to talk about it.

did you suffer illness or injury?
--Nothing remarkable. I am getting over a particularly nasty cold that is only remarkable because I actually just stayed home from work. I'm going to take a hit on my paycheck, but it was nice to not have to fight through being miserable to be at work.

what was the best thing you bought?
--No really big purchases this year.

whose behavior merited celebration?
--My cousin Rachel got married. That's pretty awesome.

whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
--I experienced some pretty appalling behavior this year, but it's one of those things that will never quite be resolved but it's still better if I just don't say anything about it.

where did most of your money go?
-- Rent, bills, gas, etc. I spent a healthy chunk on my trip to California this summer.

what did you get really, really, really excited about?
-- Moving into my apartment and getting to unpack all of my belongings.

what song will always remind you of 2006?
--Stand in the Rain by Superchic[k]

compared to this time last year, are you
i. happier or sadder? -- happier
ii. thinner or fatter? -- about the same i guess
iii. richer or poorer? -- poorer

what do you wish you'd done more of?
--Saved more money. Laughed more. Made out with Kiris. :)

what do you wish you'd done less of?
--Procrastination

how will you be spending Christmas?
--I spent Christmas with Kiris and his family. Christmas Eve we baked a ridiculous amount of cookies and watched movies at my parent's house and were surprised to find Whataburger closed. One of the coolest parts of the day was when we went to leave and I glanced up and then realized we could see about a million stars. Christmas Day we went to his mom's house and hung out with everyone. I had a really good time and even got two presents, which I seriously was not expecting. I got to drink a glass of Dom Perignon too which was cool.

did you fall in love in 2006?
--I sure did.

how many one-night stands?
--None

what was your favorite TV program?
--The West Wing and The Office.

do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
--Not entirely. There are a couple of people I am really not fond of, but our interactions are sparse so it's really not so bad.

what was the best book you read?
-- I don't know. I read a lot of stuff. I'll have to think about it.

what was your greatest musical discovery?
--Pearl Jam. I've liked a song here and there before, but I listened to a few albums and saw some videos and I have to say, I would love to see them live.

what did you want and get?
--A sense of belonging.

what was your favorite film of this year?
--I saw a LOT of movies. I think Lady in the Water is at the top though. I know it got awful reviews, but I adored that movie.

what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
--I worked and then I went to London with a good little group of people. I didn't spend any money or even finish all the drinks that were bought for me, but I ended up sick drunk anyway. And ridiculously hung over the next day. I haven't had more than two drinks in one night since then...

what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
--More confidence in my decisions.

how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
--I got a lot of skirts to wear this spring/summer and that was a great decision. It's just as comfortable as wearing shorts, but you get a gazillion compliments.

what kept you sane?
-- Playing with the babies. Writing. Going someplace for the express purpose of journaling and not trying to explain everything or write the whole backstory but just writing out what was on my mind. But sitting with Isabella and letting her tell me a story or reading books with Phillip makes my heart calm regardless of what's going on in the rest of the world.

which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
--Brad Pitt is my latest fake crush.

what political issue stirred you the most?
--Environmental isues.

who did you miss?
--Kristi.

who was the best new person you met?
-- Kate as far as females go and Kiris as far as males go.

tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
--Taking a deep breath before even thinking about what I'm going to say next. Sometimes in that split second, anxiety can dissipate, rationality can return, and peace of mind will come out of hiding. Another lesson I learned is sometimes you have to make a decision and then tell someone about it and let them make a decision and then come together. You have to let them process it their way and you have to be ready to be confident in uncertainty.

quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
-- Oh I'll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I'll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arrive
I will stay by your side
I know we'll be alright
I will stay with you --Stay With You by John Legend.

all the sugar cookies are gone

Me and K made a gazillion sugar cookies over the weekend. I don't think he'd ever rolled out sugar cookies and used cutters and sprinkles. He got pretty creative towards the end, just before it started to stress him out too much and he had to take a break. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. He was doing stripes and whatnot with the sprinkles, but the dough had warmed to room temperature and the cutouts were a lot harder to move from the sprinkle staging area to the cookie sheets. Also, it was almost time to do the dishes and he's probably the one person I know who hates doing the dishes more than I do.

Anyway, we made little packages for his family and an extra one just in case. There were still a healthy amount left over after that and I took them home figuring I could take them to work to share with all my awesome work buddies. But I was sick all week, staying home feeling sorry for myself and not getting paid. What's the perfect medicine accompaniment? A sugar cookie or two. They taste like Christmas to me and I'm not even kidding.

K didn't come over earlier this week and I realized if this trend continued, he wasn't going to get to enjoy any of the cookies. I made him up a bag and took them to him at work the other day. It's a good thing I did, because I just ate the last two.

But, this story doesn't quite end here. Do you know how much fun my niece and I would have making cookies? We'll find out soon. :)

so i'm sick

I had this cold brewing for awhile and I guess I had enough down time for all the stress to catch up with me and mix with the cold only to explode into me being miserable this week. Miserable enough to call in sick even though I'm completely out of paid time off which means not going to work means not getting paid. I've still had to go feed my sister's dog and also make sure I got all the dishes I used at my parent's washed and collected my stuff from everywhere so I'm allowed to camp out at their house the next time they're out of town too.

Tonight, my dad flew back in and I went to pick him up as previously arranged. His flight was delayed and ended up arriving just after midnight. I just got home from dropping him off at his house. This doesn't bode well for me showing up Friday either. I'm torn. My paycheck is basically shot to hell anyway, and I kind of figure, what's one more day? I have the next three off for the holiday and I would for sure be able to come back to work all nice and healthy again next week. But money was tight before...

So you see the dilema.

Everything else is okay though. No new developments to report... But I will write about Christmas and stuff for reals later. I promise.

a random reflection about the 26th of december

When my family was moving to Japan, my mom bought all these books about culture and the country and living overseas and whatever. Stuff like that can be just as harmful as it can be helpful. When you stock up on facts about a place you've never been, you often feel prepared until you're actually there. Anyway, one of the books said that unmarried Japanese women are viewed as Christmas cakes. Not much good after the 25th.

I thought this was hilarious and sad, even as a fourteen year old when I first read it. I reminded my mom of it when I turned 26 and said, well, at least I have a boyfriend. She didn't think it was funny. But if I really based my self-worth on having a ring on my finger, I'm sure I would already be married.

And also, one of the best parts about Christmas is the ridiculous amount of leftover food. First of all, you get to eat all kinds of good food that everyone just shows up with starting a week or two before Christmas. Then, everyone keeps bringing it until New Year's because there just really was that much food prepared. I ate some sugar cookies as part of my breakfast today. I love leftovers in general, but holiday ones are The Best.

Oh, and I wrote an entry on Saturday but for some reason only the title was actually published. I was going to try to remember what I wrote and fix it, but I got a comment on the blank one, so we'll see. I'll revisit my Christmas Eve Eve thoughts at a later time. :)

christmas eve eve

question and answer

"And how do you know you're in Texas?"

"You go to a Christmas party where you eat brisket and then sit around and talk about guns."

"That's right."

secret single behavior

Secret Single Behavior, or SSB, consits of the quirks and habits you keep to yourself. When you spend the night at someone's house or someone is at your place, things are different. You deviate from your normal routine. This is something I've thought about here and there, mostly ever since I saw that episode of Sex and the City where Carrie and Aidan decide to live together. Each of the women has something they do when they have a day or a chunk of time to themselves that they don't really tell anyone about. Sometimes it's something really benign like how when you have a sleepover, you don't necessarily wash your face and brush your teeth before going to bed like you normally do at home, and sometimes it's something kind of odd like reading fashion magazines while standing up and eating small stacks of Saltines with grape jelly.

The other night, K and I started one of those ongoing types of conversations that I'm sure will last quite some time about us living together. He asked me how I felt about it and I told him that in some ways I think it would be really great, amazingly great even, and in other ways I just don't know. He said that was better than some things would be really great and others would be really bad, so we're off to a good start as we trek down this path.

The things I just don't know about all fall into the SSB category. Sometimes I don't do the dishes for awhile and I sleep in way too long on a day off. I have a borderline obsessive use of lotion and lip care products. On the Saturdays I have off (which lately is never, my next one might be in February I think), I often sleep in a bit and then do a bunch of housecleaning either mostly or completely naked. Then I shower and enjoy a fresh clean apartment and fresh clean clothes. I have to go to bed early most nights because I get up so early and sometimes I just put leftovers in the fridge because I know it will take longer for them to smell bad. How is this going to mesh with sharing everything with someone else?

But, I really love him. I recently told one of my friends that I want to have adventures with K and although at the time I was thinking more about moving to another place I'd never been or taking a trip or something, I think this qualifies as an adventure too.

one of those random quasi-deep thoughts

Last night, me and K watched Who Killed the Electric Car. It was really interesting and not as propaganda filled as you might think. I enjoyed it and would love to see it spark a resurgence in the interest of the cars at least. Did you know that the first electric car was in like the 30s or something?

Something that struck me during the movie was this group who stood vigil at a parking lot where the last 78 electric cars were parked. They were trying to stop them from being destroyed. Their efforts mostly went unnoticed and the cars were eventually loaded up and taken away, but not before several people were arrested for trying to block the way of the loaded trucks. It made me wonder what I would be willing to be arrested for, if anything. I couldn't think of something I am so passionate about that I would camp out for or be arrested because I was peacefully supporting my cause. It's not the getting arrested that is the important piece. It's the belief and passion that I am missing.

first post

I've had some sort of online journal for several years. I've changed user names and hosts a few times. I go through these phases where I want to be accessible and then I want to be anonymous again. I've blogged too much about specific things and gotten myself in trouble. The whole time though, I've wanted all my friends to have blogs because I love to read them. I'm addicted to a few written by people I will probably never actually meet. Up until recently though, only a few people I know in real life write here and there. There seems to have been a minor explosion in interest and I figured this was a good point to just start a new, quasi-anonymous blog.