Summary

Stole this from Andria.  I have stuff to tell, but I'm tired and can't gather my thoughts, so I'm gonna start with a meme.


1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?

Packed my shit and moved from Colorado to North Carolina.
Packed my shit again and moved from North Carolina home to Memphis.
Rented a whole house for just me to live in.  Well, me and my menagerie.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

Partially. I don't know.  It seems like a waste.



3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope. I don't think.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
 
No.

5. What countries did you visit?

None other than my own.


6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

Love (the romantic kind, I've got the other kind).  Extra money.


7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 20, when I left Aspen.  September 15, when I started this job.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Feeling this weird happy-peaceful-contentment thing I got going on right now.

9. What was your biggest failure?

The book I did not write. :(


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really. I had some sort of fluish thing last winter but nothing major.


11. What was the best thing you bought?

My iPhone 4. Love.


12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Dude, MINE! I have been very well behaved lately.


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?


Sarah Palin.


14. Where did most of your money go?

Moving. Twice. And my debts.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

My job, and my trip to NYC, about which I will be writing very soon.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

"The House that Built Me" by Miranda Lambert was my favorite song for a long time in 2010.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?

a...way happier.  WAY.
b....FATTER! By probably 5-10 pounds.
c....Richer. ;)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Exercise (see #17b).

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Eat (see #17b).

20. How did you spend Christmas?

I was with my family for the first Christmas in years.  My niece didn't even wake me up too early! Saw "True Grit" in the afternoon.  It was lovely. :)


21. Did you fall in love in 2010?

No...

22. What was your favorite TV program?

LOST ended well, I thought. Love Glee. Grey's had a great season finale. 

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No.  I can't think of anyone I newly hate. I still hate the people I used to hate, though, pretty much.

24. What was the best book you read?

HP7. Again.


25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Hmmm.  Court Yard Hounds, maybe.

26. What did you want and get?

An iPhone 4, that I got up at 4am to have.

27. What did you want and not get?


A winning lottery ticket. An agent and publishing contract for my book (that I didn't write).

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

HP7.  Though it wasn't the best of the Harry Potters, it was my favorite this year.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I hit the big 3-6. I went to work. I went to Huey's for dinner with my peeps. I watched the Grey's Anatomy season premiere. Then I went to bed. It was a school night, don't judge me.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Winning lottery ticket... Handsome, rich, smart, funny husband...

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

I don't think I had one, honestly. But it was an interesting return to professional clothes and the South. Thoseh two things changed my hair (that was mostly the South), my footwear (professional) and the amount of makeup I wear (both things).

32. What kept you sane?

I'm not sure which thing it was... Geographical, Professional, Spiritual... all things work together for good. :)


33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I actually really like Adam Richman on Man vs. Food. :)
.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

DADT repeal. Yay!

35. Who did you miss?

P.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

There is a fella that might be the best new person I met, but it's too soon to say.


37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.

You have to let go of one thing, sometimes not knowing what new thing you will find. You just have to believe that it will be there.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"There's a place that I call home, where the streets are paved with soul...
Like a sad old melody; cheers you up and sets you free...
There comes a time when muddy waters run rough
There comes a point when a man has had enough
Like a friend who always stands by me
Memphis knows me, Memphis shows me
How my life just had to be...

I couldn't even try to run away, say goodbye...
All I know is Memphis lives in me."

Bored

Oh my sweet Lord, I am bored.

I go to work (which is slow right now and therefore boring, but I am getting lots of reading done). I come home. I watch TV, I read, I go to sleep. Repeat x 5, then insert 2 days of napping and more TV and reading.

Bored.

Due to the boredom, I have started hitting the library pretty hard which is nice. In the past few weeks I've read Dooce's book, part of a book about WWI (couldn't finish it), The Lovely Bones, one about Catherine the Great, Remember Me? (chick lit), and am now working on Infinite Possibilities, by the guy that writes the Notes from the Universe (in my sidebar). I love that I can find a book through the online catalog at any library in the region and they will deliver it to my library for me to pick up. I have quite a list of books in my phone that I want to read. If you have any suggestions, please leave them for me!

Last week I started two exercise classes, one is yoga and one is core strength/stretching, each one day a week. They're both really good and I enjoy them, and I truly need them-- especially the core strength. But still it's not all that exciting. I'm hoping the classes will inspire me to exercise on the other five days of the week, at least do my yoga DVD at home that is not very taxing and only 20 minutes. For heaven's sake, I have a Wii Fit that doesn't get much use (this is because it's not a group activity and I'm not often alone). And an exercise bike. And a trip to Vegas in forty-four days for which I would like to lose some weight so I can wear my flirty cocktail dresses. Even though I can't flirt in them.

But this weekend is a big one-- I'm going to watch as many episodes from last season's LOST as I can, in preparation for the new season that starts on February 2. It might take a while, because every time Sawyer is shirtless I have to rewind and watch it at least thrice.

I know. I'm wild and crazy. Don't look now, but I might also clean my closet. I know, too much, right?

I'm... not packing

I begged off of Halloween revelry in Aspen tonight, because I'm moving tomorrow and haven't really packed... anything. So... I'm packing, right? I'm filling boxes with all my worldly belongings, getting rid of things I don't need or use, and otherwise preparing myself for this. Right?

Notsomuch.

Last time I moved (at the end of June), I was packing at the last minute, in a hurry, and so everything got packed. Everything got thrown in a box and brought to my apartment or put in storage. EVERYTHING. So there's tons of crap in there that needs to be culled. It's a time in my life where I need to purge, move on, and start fresh. And yet, am I doing that right now?

Notsomuch.

But I am looking forward to getting into my new place. The place I'm in now is furnished, so I will be reunited with my furniture tomorrow, and the place will feel more like my own. Also, it's a one bedroom and I won't have to worry about ending up with an unsavory roommate like I had over the summer (that is another story for another post). So it'll feel more real and permanent instead of just an employee housing unit. And it has lots of good windows for making kitty cats very very happy. :)

On another note... I went the other day to be trained to be a poll watcher on Election Day. All that talk about protecting the right to vote, helping people, etc stirred up a little teensy bit of interest in returning to the practice of law. Also stirring up that same thought? My empty bank account. ;)

So that's what is up with me. Tomorrow I will be in (another) new spot, starting a new chapter in my life. Doors are closing, so I just have to look for the opening windows...

I wish I had something more profound to say

So I've been thinking about Taylor Bradford, the University of Memphis student killed on campus, since Monday, and I felt like I should say something about it, but I didn't know what... I'm sorry if this is disjointed, it's just a gathering of my various streams of thought.

There are people who have said that this student athlete's murder would not have made national news were he not a football player. I don't agree. As a former band geek, I have traditionally been overly sensitive to athletes' special treatment, and I just don't see it here. Especially in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, this would be news. Admittedly, it did receive more coverage given that ESPN was in town last night to broadcast a game-- a game scheduled oddly on Tuesday that coincidentally fell the night following the murder of a player. The emotion was higher and the tributes more powerful than they would have been had the game not been played til Saturday. But this guy? He wasn't (as far as anyone knows) murdered for being a football player. He was just a guy, apparently a really nice one, and he got shot on his way to get chicken wings.

I think about the fact that I lived in the very on-campus apartment complex in which this shooting occurred when I was an 18 year old freshman at the U of M. What would I have felt had this happened during that time? Would I be comforted by the fact that this is presumed to be a targeted shooting and not a random act of violence? Maybe. Maybe I would have returned to classes yesterday without concern for my own safety. However, while the police seem convinced that the shooting was not random, they also seem to have no clue who did it or why.

It makes me angry that the response of some people was, "well, there's Memphis for you." What? Cause students are shot and killed regularly on the U of M campus? No, I don't think so. I know that many people take great pleasure in pointing out Memphis' flaws, and it is a violent city, but campus murders just don't fall into that category. Campus is supposed to be different. Campus is supposed to be sacred. Maybe it's naive of me to think that about an urban University, especially one so open to outsiders.

I'm proud of my hometown. I didn't leave Memphis because of its ridiculous politics, because I hated it, because it was too violent, or even because of The Hot. And I refuse to think that Memphis has gotten to the point that this kind of thing is expected or usual or "normal." I hope that Memphians will support the U of M in doing whatever it needs to do to make the campus and its students safe.

That is all.

One Day More

I was just going to let tomorrow come without mentioning it here... But I guess I can't stop myself.

Tomorrow, at a ridiculously early hour (8am isn't THAT early, I know, but it is a Saturday), I will find myself, clad in blue, arriving at Liberty Bowl Stadium. The stadium holds 62,338 people. I predict at least half will not be similarly clad in blue, but rather in Orange. It's that time again.

It has been ten years since a game between the Tigers and the Vols ended on a happy note for Tiger fans. Ten years have passed, but still that night stands as The Best Sports Experience of my life. One of the reasons it was such monumental win was the very fact that we expected a blowout loss. I don't even think I paid much attention for most of the game, because who wants to watch a butt kicking? I went to the game that night with my camera, not expecting to have anything in particular to shoot, but because it was the next to last home game of the season, and I wanted to get some pictures of the marching band (yes, I know, I'm a huge band geek). I did not take either of these photos, by the way. The only one of mine that came out was of the scoreboard, although that's certainly a nice shot.

The crowd was loud and raucous (they even cheered like crazy for the band's halftime show), and though we didn't expect an upset, there was something different and electric in the air. When the game was over, we were as shocked as the Vol fans were. I remember the way they sat there, in stunned silence, while the field flooded with Tiger students and fans. The goal posts came down quickly under the weight of players and fans. Stadium security tried to prevent one group of fraternity boys from taking an entire upright out (six or seven of them carried it on their shoulders), so they marched up to the top of the stadium, intending to DROP IT OVER THE SIDE so they could have their souvenir. Fortunately, security decided to ease up rather than to risk lives, and pieces of goal posts were (safely) taken home by many of the revelers. Of course, since I was in the band, I wasn't able to storm the field. We remained in the stands, and just kept playing until our chops were worn out.

The more time that passes, the sillier it might seem to reminisce about that game. It was, after all, ten years ago. That is a long time, especially in college football (today's players were still in elementary school in 1996). And it didn't mark the beginning of a new era; it wasn't the first in a string of wins over Tennessee-- we have yet to beat the Vols again-- and the Tigers didn't become a powerhouse. Some Tennessee fans scoff and say, "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while." Maybe that's true, but some things have changed. The more recent games have not been the cakewalk for Tennessee they used to be, and Vol fans (some Vol fans) have become less friendly, more defensive, even sometimes hostile. While they may refuse to acknowledge the existence of an actual rivalry (we're not good enough for that), no longer do they pat us on the head, chuckling over their little brother trying to tag along. The games since that night-- the competition tougher, the scores closer-- have taunted them, but teased us. For us, they have planted seeds of hope, encouraging our faith, egging on our dreams of another victory.

And another victory will come.

Maybe not tomorrow.

But it will come. And I hope I'm there to see it.

Weekend Reflections

As I relax and avoid all labor on this Labor Day, some thoughts from my weekend...

1. Brady Quinn (pictured) is an excellent name for a quarterback.
2. John David Booty is not.
3. Drunk frat boys are no less obnoxious than they were ten years ago.
4. Joe Lee Dunn needs a new plan.
5. Sonic's new peach smoothie sounds better than it tastes.
6. The Ole Miss sign department needs a proofreader (sorry for the poor camera-phone quality, it says "Do Not Block Isle.")
7. I love the drumline, and even though it's been 10 years since I was in the band, I still walk on the beat when I hear the cadence.
8. My new blue shoes are too cute and comfy to be deemed unlucky, and therefore shall not be banished.
9. Even when the Tigers don't win, I still love football.

A year's time

It's been a whole year. Doesn't seem like it. I remember watching the TODAY show when I woke up the day after the Hurricane, seeing Brian Williams standing in the Quarter, no water to be seen. By the time I left for work, the water was rising fast, at least up to his knees. I remember feeling helpless, calling the Humane Society to offer to foster animals (they never took me up on it), trying to find a place to donate things, not knowing what to do. A year later I still feel that way. At times I think, we should take our next time off work and go down there to help build something. I think we should vacation there, spend our money, support the local economy. Then I read about the high crime rates and lack of amenities and wonder if it's time for that. Those same articles mention the lack of public defenders and assistant DAs, and I think, heck, we should move there! The two of us could fight crime and revitalize the schools! We could renovate houses! But I haven't done any of those things. Maybe in the fall we could take a three day weekend down there. Maybe it will inspire me to act. Maybe the money we spend will at least be a small drop in the bucket of help that is needed. Maybe...

Don't forget to watch HBO's When the Levees Broke. It's on tonight.

17 Things

Okay, you might think, so your thumb hurts. Big deal, right? What do you need your thumb for all that much, anyway? Well, since I hurt my thumb, I've discovered more than a few things that, sometimes unexpectedly, become remarkably more difficult when my thumb is in pain and/or useless due to the splint I'm wearing:
1. Using the space key when typing
2. Turning a key in a car
3. Holding a cup (the larger the cup the more difficult it is)
4. Squeezing toothpaste from a tube
5. Squeezing shampoo (or facial cleanser, or anything) from a bottle
6. Turning a doorknob
7. Downward facing dog
8. Using a hair dryer
9. Putting my hair in a ponytail
10. Holding your computer mouse
11. Shifting gears in the car
12. Carrying... anything
13. Picking up a 15 pound cat
14. Pushing buttons on the remote
15. Turning the on/off knob on a lamp
16. Scrubbing dishes
17. Closing a Ziploc

How'd it go? It went.

Well, that went by way too fast! How I spent my Tuesday Night Home Alone: I was literally too lazy to do most of the things on my list, including the pedicure. And I didn't have any wine, cookie dough, or marshmallows. But, I did have Pancho's cheese dip when I got home, just to fuel up for the night. Then I played around online a little. Then I read this week's People magazine (with Britney Spears on the cover). Then I ate a big salad and watched an old episode of Friends (the One with all the Thanksgivings). Then I played online some more looking for a new template for this blog, and I half-watched a Biography about JFK because I was waiting to watch one on Barack Obama. But right after it came on, Mr. Incredible called and was on his way home. They got finished early. Not that I would've gotten around to doing anything very productive anyway. Merlin certainly wasn't inspiring me to act, as you can see. He didn't seem to know that it was his opportunity to run amok. And there's always next Tuesday!

Whatever to do?

Tonight is hubby's first night of his doctoral program. Every Tuesday night this fall he will be in class from 4pm til 10pm, and I, therefore, will be ALONE... Whatever shall I do? Read chick lit? Bring the dogs inside to leave their hair all over the house? Count how many marshmallows I can fit in my mouth? Scoop the kitty litter box so he doesn' t have to? Watch some ridiculously girlie TV show? Do some laundry? Put new softpaws on Merlin's claws? Surf the internet? Eat cookie dough from a tub? Try on clothes from my "too small" closet to see what fits? Play fetch with the cat until my arm falls off? Drink too much wine? Take a bubble bath? Dust? Go grocery shopping? Give myself a pedicure?

For those psycho stalkers out there, I should mention that I have an alarm system, a neighbor that's a cop, two big MEAN dogs... and an attack cat.

It's Hot.

Okay, y'all. It is Hot. Not just sunshine and summertime hot. Really, truly, hot. And sticky. This morning, I was outside for a total of maybe 60 seconds in the walk from my back door to the car, including the time it took to fill the dogs' water dishes and pet them goodbye, and I got in my car all sticky and sweaty. Nice way to start the day.

And the thing about The Hot... We all know it's going to be Hot. It's Hot every year. Maybe it's getting warmer, but not THAT much. Every summer it's freaking crazy Hot. And we all act like we're surprised! It's all we can talk about... But we, presumably, chose to live here, or at least have chosen to continue to live here, in full knowledge of The Hot. One would think that eventually we would just live our lives in the presence of The Hot without feeling the need to discuss it. One would be WRONG. Cause it is crazy Hot.

Hot, by the way, is a really funny word if you say it or type it enough times.