Best of 09: Failed Resolution

I made it!! I completed the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge!

(If you missed any, you can find them all here.)

Thanks, Gwen, for putting this all together!

December 31st: Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...)

It's all pretty cliche.

I wish I had gotten fit this year. I wish my house was organized. I wish I'd done a lot of things that I didn't actually do.

But I ended up doing a lot of stuff that I didn't think that I would do, which I figure makes up for it.

(Except for the whole not getting fit thing... going to Nashville doesn't really make up for that, does it?)

(Oh well.)

Here's to 2010!



(I've watched that video about twenty-seven times in the last three days... and thirteen more times since I embedded it in this post.)

(Who knew so many people used the word "down" this year?)

(I just searched my blog for the word "down" and it was used in 19 posts this year... given the crazy amount of times that the word was obviously used by pop stars in 2009, I feel like that's not nearly enough.)

(Resolution for 2010: use the word "down" more.)

(Shit... it'll probably be out of style by this time next year. What's the word of 2010? I'd really appreciate knowing *now* so that I'm not in this situation next year.)

(Because it's embarrassing.)

(I shouldn't have even pointed it out... fuck.)

(Maybe "fuck" will be the biggest word of 2010. I hope so, because I'm already on top of that one.)

(Also? I don't recognize more than half of those songs in the video. Another resolution for 2010: listen to more Top 40 radio...)

(I'm ambitious.)

(Down.)

(Fuck.)

Best of 09: Ad

December 30th: Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?

This one made me think... mostly because I didn't get it the first time I saw it.



Awesome.

Best of 09: Laugh

December 29th: Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?

If you haven't already figured it out, my entire family is completely insane. Earlier this year my grandma said, "This family is not dysfunctional, we're funny."

I'm very lucky because I'm surrounded by hilarious people. We're so completely insane that we laugh all the time. It's the way we are.

(I've actually had people say that they would buy tickets just to observe our Thanksgiving dinner...)

My friends constantly make me smile and fall over with laughter.

My relationship with Mike is built on total hilarity... we make each other laugh every single day. (I truly believe that it's the number one reason we've been together for nearly 8 years (so far).)

Even my dogs have a sense of humor (when I'm having a bad day, I swear they do shit just to make me smile).

Some people think that I have a cynical, dark, sense of humor, but I don't see it that way. I think laughing at the twisted, disturbing stuff makes living easier, better, and fun. I've learned that you have to laugh at the dark stuff because it's the only way to get through it all.

Some of the funniest people that I've met have lived through unimaginable tragedy - the loss of a child, horrible disease, terrible accidents - but they keep laughing and they keep making other people laugh.

Laughter makes you happy to be alive, it makes it easier to get up in the morning, it allows you to cope when something bad happens.

It's survival.

It's the only way to live.

PS: You know what's really funny? This post is about the biggest laugh of my year and it's turned out to be a ridiculously serious commentary...

PPS: Shit... I feel bad about that. Here:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

You're welcome.

Best of 09: Stationery

December 28th: Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?

I don't collect "stationery", like for writing thank you notes on or anything, but I am a total whore for school supplies and journals.

I LOVE the look and feel and excitement of a new, blank notebook.

(It's the little things, people.)

(I think that I should go back to school so that I can get new supplies.)

(That may not be the *best* reason... but it's still appealing.)

(Does anybody else really want to make a trip to an office supply store? Just me?)

I found this journal the day after my grandma died, a time when I felt particularly c-r-a-z-y.

The cover says:

"My Dysfunctions:
A journal for chronicling my immeasurably fascinating dysfunctions, neuroses, emotions, inner children, moments of shame and doubt, projection, self-loathing, misanthropy, and completely normal insanity, because the only difference between me and the rest of the population is that I acknowledge how crazy I am and they're all in mind-numbing denial."

It's filled with quotes from some of the most awesomely dysfunctional people in history and each page starts with "Why I Am Dysfunctional Today".

Needless to say, this journal really spoke to me.

(Not literally...)

(Really...)

"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you."
- Rita Mae Brown

Best of 09: Social Web Moment

December 27th: Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to know only from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?

2009 has been all about social web moments. I met my blogging hero, I became an active member of the social web community, and I even got a job in the social web.

Specifically, being featured on the Men's Health Blog, Working out the Details, was a great opportunity and a cool thing to be involved with.

Best of 09: Aha! Moment

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Mine was filled with laughs, family, food, and a Snuggie!

AND I was quoted in The Colorado Daily!

(My quote is the last line in the article... I actually said it's "too damn crowded", not "... crowded".)

(You know, because I'm classy.)

December 26th: Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?

That blogging is fun and that I could make friends doing it!

And that I should be a professional advent calendar maker.

That was a big turning point for me.

Best of 09: Christmas-y Edition

December 24th: Learning Experience. What was a lesson that you learned this year that changed you?

That I can do things that I didn't think I could do.

And? How to make BBQ Pulled Pork. It's changed my life.

December 25th: Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?

I continued buying books. Even though I stopped buying many "luxury items" (like haircuts and eyebrow waxing... 2009 was not my *hottest* year), I kept getting myself books, because they make me so very happy.

Merry Christmas!

Best of 09: Web Tool

December 23rd: Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.

I've already told you about my love for Lijit here.

Another great online tool is Hootsuite. It allows you to schedule tweets, which is really helpful when you manage a corporate Twitter account, or have a post scheduled to go live over the holidays and want to send out a message when it's published... hypothetically...

Finally, I LOVE Picnik. This is the site that I use to take my pictures from "okay" and "normal" to OH EM GEE THAT IS AWESOME, like this one:

(Was the snow effect too much? Or just awesome enough?)
(I'm going with just the right amount of awesome...)

Plus, I got to hang out with some of the beautiful ladies that work there at BlogHer this year, and they were some of the greatest girls I've ever met (which always helps).

Best of 09: Project

This is my 200th post! Throw streamers! Glitter! Presents all around!

(Except not.)

(But yay.)

December 21st: Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?

Honestly? This. This crazy, month long Best of 2009 Blog Challenge.

This past year I've gone back and forth between writing several times a week and writing once or twice a month. This is the first time that I've not only committed to blogging everyday, but actually done it. The prompts from Gwen help immensely, but the fact that I've written something - anything - even when I really didn't feel like it or want to... that's pretty cool.

Instead of saying "maybe later" or just ignoring the many, many tweets about this project, I actually joined in. And that isn't something that I usually do.

The posts might not always be amazing or inspiring or hilarious, but at least they're here... and I'm proud of that.

Best of 09: Person

I am listening to Mike play a violent war game on his computer. The sounds of gun fire and screaming soldiers is filling my house - and heart - with so much extra holiday cheer. It's truly magical.

December 20th: New Person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?

I've been sitting here forever, and I've come up with so many people. I think about the woman who said hello to me in the elevator when I first got to Blissdom, or the lady who offered me a seat at her table in a crowded hotel restaurant.

I think about the people who talked to me at parties, made me laugh, invited me out for drinks.

And those are just the people who's hands I actually gotten to shake. I've met even more online, and I feel like I know them just as well, if not better, than a lot of the people I've talked with in person.

There are too many new people in 2009. I can't pick one, and you can't make me. If you said a kind word to me, talked to me on Twitter, commented on this blog, played me in Words with Friends... you're my people.

Thanks.

For 2010, though, I'm going to be keeping score.

(5 points for complimenting my outfit, 10 for buying me cake on a stick, and 15 if my dogs like you.)

(Bonus points if you're Team Edward.)

Best of 09: Car Ride

December 19th: Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?

After my grandmother's memorial my family went to a gorgeous town in Southwest Colorado, Ridgway, to spread my grandparent's ashes.

I rode down with Mike and my dad in my dad's Prius, and the rest of the family piled into my mom's (totally kick-ass) RV.

(There were too many of us to all fit in the RV and I get carsick sitting in it while it's driving on a straightaway, let alone while it's driving over mountains.)

At one point we needed to call the RV.

My dad decided that rather than allowing me to call my brother, who was trapped in enjoying the RV with our whole, entire, extended family, he would use his trusty voice-activated hands-free phone thingy.

Dad: Phone (waiting)... Phone... PHONE!!

Condescending lady who talks from the voice-activated hands-free phone thingy (seriously, listen to the robot lady's voice next time you're in a car that talks to you... she is totally judging you): Phone. Please choose how you would like to place a call.

Dad: Name... Name... NAME!!

Lady from the voice-activated hands-free phone thingy who thinks she's better than us: Name. Please say the name of the person you would like to call.

Dad: AJ... AJ...

Me: Dad, why don't I just dial?

Dad: No, this is way more convenient. AYYYYY JAYYYYY.

Lady who has lost all respect for us (I don't really blame her) from the voice-activated hands-free phone thingy: Calling Annie.

Dad: Shit.

Best of 09: Shop

I have five dogs in my house right now. Five noisy, dirty, barking, far too energetic dogs. Plus, one of them figured out how to escape from the backyard, so they're currently being held hostage inside.

Needless to say, this puppy playgroup is making it hard to concentrate.

Therefore, this is going to be short and sweet.

December 18th: Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?

Target (because we buy our food there) and various bookstores (because I'm a whore for books).

Holy motherfucking shit. A dog just barked on the TV.

Oh the insanity.

Best of 09: Word

December 17th: Word of phrase. A word the encapsulates your year. "2009 was___."

2009 was geeky.

It was full of blogging conferences and tweeting and vampires and comic books and television shows that break out into song and iPhones and scrabble and Lady Gaga and writing letters to my dogs and MARISKA HARGITAY and advent calendars and, of course, coming out as a geek in front of hundreds of other geeks.

Yep... 2009 was pretty damn geeky.

Best of 09: Tea

Still going strong on the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge.

(Crazy, I know.)

December 16th: Tea of the Year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?

This question makes me laugh because I remember reading Gwen's tweets and blog post when she decided to give up coffee a few months ago.

I don't like regular coffee, and if I'm having espresso, it's mixed with a whole lot of chocolate and other flavored syrup. But, since I prefer to eat my calories rather than drink them, I tend to stick with tea.

(And hot chocolate... I love me some hot chocolate.)

When I lived in Australia I became a very big tea drinker. I had English Breakfast tea everyday, multiple times a day. I'd go out to coffee shops or restaurants and sit with a pot of tea and read a book.

After my English Breakfast tea bender, if you will, I came home and sort of lost my desire. I still love tea, and drink it on a regular basis, but I don't have it nearly as much as I did in Sydney.

I like the act of drinking tea. Waiting for it to steep (well... I can only wait a couple of minutes before I just go for it... so maybe I don't really like that part), adding just the right amount of milk and sugar, sipping it sip by sip.

(The "sip by sip" thing drives Mike crazy. I'm sorry, Mike, but tea is meant to be sipped, not gulped.)

This year, I found a great spice tea from Celestial Seasonings: Bengal Spice. It's got cinnamon, ginger and cloves, and it tastes a lot like a chai. I like mine with a little bit of milk and sweetener, or made into a cambric (a tea latte).

I also really like chocolate mate... because it's chocolate flavored tea.

(Enough said.)

Best of 09: Packaging

I've been dreading this question since the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge began, but here it goes.

December 15th: Best Packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?

Seriously? I feel like the only way that you would have an answer to this is if you actually saw something that made you yell "that is the best packaging I've ever seen!"... and I don't think that I have said that in 2009...

I guess I will take this opportunity to give props to Apple. The packaging they use is minimal and sleek (just like their products). Every part of the package is used (it irritates me to no end when something comes in a package that is mostly empty space or filled with disposable paper or plastic).

When you get an iPhone (as I was able to do this year) (HELL YES), the box is pretty much the size of the phone. I love that. No mess, no trash, all awesome.

It's not some amazing concept, and it's not new to 2009, but I still think it's pretty cool.

Also, it's the perfect size for your Golden Retriever carry.

Best of 09: Rush

December 14th: Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

I would say the biggest rush I had this year was speaking at my grandmother's funeral.

I didn't think that I could do it. I didn't really want to do it. But I felt so much better after I did.

I felt relieved that it was over.

I felt proud that I had stood in front of 60 plus people and spoken coherently.

I felt happy that I was able to make people laugh instead of cry.

In it's own way, that experience was "a rush".

And, if I'm going to be completely honest, I got a rush when they sang "Somebody to Love" on Glee:

Best of 09: Best Change to My Home

December 13th: What's the best change you made to place you live.

A few months ago I got a call from Mike on his way to work. He was biking near Family Housing by campus, and he saw a bunch of stuff out back with a big sign that said "free".

Among the old TV sets, used strollers, and beat up snowboards was a big drafting table.

I had been wanting my own desk for awhile. Mike has his own work space, and I usually just moved my computer from the kitchen to the living room and kept all of my shit important documents and prized possessions scattered throughout the house.

I met Mike over there when he got off and saw the table. It was huge and white, the paint was cracking on the surface, and there was the faint outline of a big cartoon man with an afro smoking a gigantic blunt.

It was perfect (?).

We (Mike) hauled it to the car and took it to his parents house. Mike spent over an hour making the surface smooth with an electric sander. We then got some pretty blue contact paper with flowers all over it.

(It's not as eccentric as the humongous weed smoker, but I've made my peace with that.)

It's great to have my own space to blog and read and keep my stuff.

This also led to another change to our house: in order to fit my awesome pretty blue table in the house, we had to get rid of the last remaining piece of the famous "duct-tape couch".

So, this change is somewhat bittersweet.

(For Mike. Apparently he had a deeper attachment to the couch than I thought.)

(Me? Not so much.)

Also, I finished my Christmas decorations:

(I added the Torah after the fact... because it's Chanukah. Also, I couldn't get my hands on a real one.)

(I wrapped those presents in pages from a giant coloring book. So, after my family and friends open their presents, they can have some craft time. It's like two gifts in one. I am generous.)

Best of 09: New Food

December 12th: New Food. You're now in love with Lebanese food and you didn't even know what it was in January of this year.

You know how I wrote about Tee & Cakes yesterday?

Well, I also have to mention them in this post. This little shop has my absolute new favorite food.

Two words: Cake. Pop.

It is cake... on a stick. Covered in icing. Dipped in chocolate. Decorated with pretty-ness.

It's the perfect treat.

Go get one... NOW.

PS: Today is my mama's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOMMY!

PPS: I gave her an organizational tool for her birthday. You know, to organize paperwork and stuff. I am, like, the best daughter ever.

PPPS: Also, Happy Chanukah/Hanukkah! I ate ham today for breakfast... it appears that in addition to being the best daughter ever, I'm also the worst Jew ever.

PPPPS: But it was really good ham... speaking of pork products: Tee & Cakes also has a Bacon Chocolate cupcake. It's pretty much the definition of awesome.

PPPPPS: SEE? Worst Jew ever.

Best of 09: Best Place

Before we get started on today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt...

(Put this on my list of "shit I should have thought of", right under the snuggie.)



December 11th. The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?

One of my new favorite places is Tee & Cakes in downtown Boulder. It's a really great spot, complete with cute decor, a great tea selection, and, of course, cupcakes.

(Cupcakes always vastly improve my opinion of a place. Even if I don't actually buy a cupcake, I like that they're there. It's whimsical.)

Also, they have fantastic wireless internet. It really sucks to drag all of your stuff out and order a cup of tea just to realize that you can't connect to the world wide web.

Finally, they tweet great deals. I LOVE when local businesses use social media... especially when those tweets help to feed me.

Best of 09: Album of the Year

You know it's been cold far too long when you get excited that it's 24 degrees.

Since it was such a beautiful and warm day, I actually left my house, so my post for the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge comes a little later than usual.

But here it is!

(You thought I gave up, didn't you?)

December 10th: Album of the Year. What's rocking your world?

Regina Spektor: Far (Every song on this album is amazing.)

Far - Regina Spektor

The Glee Soundtracks (These songs always put a huge smile on my face.)

(Best. Show. Ever. BTW.)

Glee: The Music, Volume 1 - Gl...

Glee: The Music, Volume 2 - Gl...

The New Moon Soundtrack (Great songs from great artists.)

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Or...

Maybe you're like me and watch Grey's Anatomy with a fiery passion. Maybe you think the cheesy story lines and love triangles are crap. But I assure you, the music on that show is incredible. The songs from this year's episodes make up a soundtrack so amazing and emotional that I have to include this show as one of my favorite albums of the year. (A sample of some of my very favorites):

All songs