Things I Accomplished in 2009

Yesterday I started thinking about my resolutions from last year and how many of them I didn't accomplish. I didn't start riding my bike, I didn't cut back on how much meat I consume, etc. etc.  You know the drill.  BUT!  The New Year is not for looking back in shame. It's for looking backwards (and forwards) with excitement and resolve.  In the spirit of celebrating the things we did right, I give you my List of Accomplishments.


In 2009, I...

• Gazed at art in Spain
• Cried at my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary
• Hiked the Na Pali coast in flip flops
• Battled not one but two ear infections
• Kayaked on Cape Cod
• Saw the sun rise over the Pacific
• Got a promotion
• Quit my job
• Decided to move home to Chicago
• Fell in love with Zack de la Rocha and Rage Against the Machine, finally reclaiming my 90s childhood
• Met (and charmed) my boyfriend's extended family
• Brewed three wildly successful beers
• Planted a garden and ate what I grew
• Discovered pulled pork (seriously, where have you been all my life?)
• Learned to cook but moreso to EAT!
• Turned into a tea snob
• Turned 25 without incident or injury
• Started writing again
• Got published in a small literary magazine
• Applied to graduate school (we'll see how that goes...)
• Celebrated Obama's inauguration with the rest of the United States

What about you? What are you proud of about 2009?

Movies For the Post-Christmas Lull

I always think Pixar movies are going to be a little too twee.  Then I watch them and they break down all that hard-edged cynicism into tiny, adorable pieces.  For anyone looking to spend a heart-warming 90 minutes over the next few days, try Up.

This guy knows what I'm talking about:


Pogo takes small noises and sound bytes from your favorite childhood movies and crafts them into intricate ambient songs worth listening to for their own sake. Like this one, for instance.  

P.S. Anyone in Philly up for a Secret Garden screening in the next few weeks?

Mesmerized

Can't stop staring at her.  Go here for the animated version.

The Simpsons vs. Laura Ingalls Wilder

Been catching up on my Simpsons lately. How did I miss this show the first time around? Part of me suspects that, if I'd watched it as a kid, I wouldn't have been quite as appreciative. I was kind of a square back then.

Little Letters

Dear GREs,
Studying for you is killing my sense of self-worth and making me hate the next seven days of my life.  Stop it.  Stop it now.

Dear Hawaii,
I miss you.

Dear impending holiday parties,
What could be better than a sparkly sweater? Why, heavily-spiked eggnog, of course!

Dear old college friend,
Dinner is going to be delicious and our conversation even tastier.

Dear Ben,
Good luck with your root canal.  I hope you don't have to scream at that stupid dental technician like last time.

Dear freshly-baked carrot pineapple muffins,
You're sitting on my cooling rack as we speak, taunting me with what must be the toastiest, most comforting freshly-baked muffin smell there ever was.  You are not long for this world, sweet muffins.

Oprah, Compiled

A full year of O Magazine covers, superimposed.

(From)

Kawaii Kaua'i

I finally got some pictures posted of my trip to Kaua'i over Thanksgiving break.  Man, titling those things was a real drag.  I'm not even sure I did it right!

Anyway, here they are, in all their blurred, camera phone glory:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tianasaurus/sets/72157622831452537/

Job Update

Oh god.  I just googled 'homemade kombucha suppositories' to get started on my article (what have I become?), and this blog came up second in the search results.  My blog's never come up second for anything.

I am royally fucked.

My Job So Far

Two weeks ago I quit my job in favor of something else.  I still haven't figured out what that 'something' should be, but for the time being I'm filling my days (and stopping my leaking wallet) by writing crap freelance articles for publication online.  It's lonely work.  But occasionally hilarious.  In the past week, I've taken on several articles.  I'd like to share some titles with you:

--How do I negotiate benefits?
--Will my pond plants survive the winter?
--How much does liquid oxygen cost?

Today I'm taking on a few more gems:

--What minerals to take with an ion foot bath
--Homemade kombucha suppositories for hemorrhoids (curiosity got the better of me...)
--DIY Cheap Solutions for Murphy Beds

That last was filed under 'Fish'.

I can't tell if I like this gig or not, but it's certainly teaching me a lot about affordable aquatic furniture...

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Damn, y'all.  Them indie rockers done got me.  I'm listening to this jawn on repeat, trying to figure out who this band reminds me of.  Every time I think I've got it, their sound morphs into something new. Regardless, anyone who makes such ample use of the tom-tom is okay in my book.

(Video slightly NSFW)