2007 in Review

An annual tradition since 2003:

1). What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Lived in University Land (and in a new state, and on the east coast,etc.), visited the sites of City A and City B, experienced a REAL autumn complete with colorful leaves, took classes towards a Ph.D., had an office, taught a college class for an entire semester...2007 brought a lot of changes.

2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? So my mantra for 2007 was "Stronger and Smarter," and I was going to try to be more in the moment and less worried about the future, especially the parts of it I can't possibly control. I think I did pretty well with the whole "Stronger and Smarter" thing. Interestingly, it worked out in a more literal sense than I meant it to, since I'm a little bit stronger physically than I was in 2006, and after this semester I definitely feel smarter, too. I was also better about not letting guy-related problems get to me and not doing stupid things with guys I don't really care about, which is what I really intended when I said "Stronger and Smarter in 2007." So I think I did alright with that. As for being more in the moment and less worried about the future, well, now that I'm in a Ph.D. program, I can assume that unless I screw up somehow or something enormously life-changing happens outside of my control, I'm going to be working on this whole Ph.D. thing for at least the next four years. Since I have a plan I'm not worrying about the immediate future as much as I was at this time last year. With that said, trying to be more in the moment and worrying less about the future is probably going to be a lifelong struggle for me.
As for resolutions for 2008? I want to make cooking more a resolution again. I know I've tried it in years past, but it has never really stuck. So in 2008, I will cook more often. The grocery store is right across the street, I need to stop being so lazy. My other resolution is to start more conversations with interesting-looking people, both male and female, instead of always waiting for them to start chatting with me first. I need to improve my networking skills. And if I meet an interesting guy in the process, all the better.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth? No.


4) Did anyone close to you die? Every year I hate answering this question, it feels like tempting fate. Right now everyone is healthy [knock on wood].

5) What countries did you visit? I went to Mexico one night over the summer with my sister, her boyfriend at the time, and my brother. We went with my brother since he can actually drink there. That hardly counts, though, since I never got more than a mile from the U.S. border. I did visit a lot of states, though! I made it to ten different states this year.

6) What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Having a definite dissertation topic would be nice. And I'm definitely ready for another relationship now. If it's still not time for that to happen for me I'm okay with that, but it would be fun to take another shot at the whole dating seriously thing, especially since I'm finally at a point where there won't be anyone else on my mind to screw things up. I'm finally really, honestly open for someone new to come along. Before, I wanted someone new to come along to snap me out of caring about Phil. The whole "best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody else" thing. Even in college when I was happily dating other people, I was still comparing them to Phil. But now I would actually be able to give a completely fair shot to someone new, without comparing him to exes or occasionally wishing he was someone else. So yeah. I actually worry that dating will make my life more complicated and confusing and not better. I have my home and my routine and my single life and I like it. But like I said, it could be fun to have a boyfriend again for a while.

7) What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Celebrating Cinco de Mayo at the beach with Maddi and my two other good friends from my MA program. From the moment we woke up that morning we were laughing, and the day was non-stop fun. Playing with hermit crabs in souvenir shops, watching R's horrified face as he encountered his first plate of crawfish, spiking Sonic drinks with rum and drinking them on the beach, hitting the clubs and dancing all night, almost getting thrown out of our hotel room for laughing too loudly at three in the morning, wading into the ocean in the middle of the night and taking drunken pictures in the empty lifeguard stands...you don't get days like that very often, where it's honestly nothing but laughter and fun times all day long.
The afternoon I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge is a very fond memory as well, as is the night Maddi and I traipsed around the Lower East Side in the snow and found the best wine bar ever.

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year? I suppose technically it was earning my MA. I say "technically" because I still feel like even though having a masters degree is a big thing in and of itself, for me it was just a step I had to get through to get to the Ph.D., which is the ultimate goal. Really, I think my biggest achievement was moving halfway across the country and adjusting as quickly as I did, although I don't know how much of that was actually something that I made happen and how much of it was just pure luck.

9) What was your biggest failure? I don't feel like I had any major failures this year. There were things I could have done better, of course, but isn't that always the case? I don't have any major regrets when it comes to 2007.

10) Did you suffer illness or injury? Hmmmm...I guess not, since nothing is coming to mind.

11) What was the best thing you bought? Probably my plane ticket to New York for spring break.

12) Whose behavior merited celebration? Well, we literally celebrated when my sister graduated from college in May...in general I'm always pretty proud of my family and friends, and this year was no exception.

13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I was appalled by some news stories I heard throughout the year, but nobody I know personally was particularly appalling or depressing this year, thank goodness.

14) Where did most of your money go? Rent. My rent doubled when I moved to University Land. Ugh! I can't wait for the day when 90% of my salary is no longer going toward rent.

15) What did you get really, really, really excited about? I was actually really, really excited to move to University Land and start school, even though that excitement was tempered by nerves. Ooh, I was really excited about the Justin Timberlake concert. Going to New York with Maddi for spring break was also really exciting. On that note, I'm still really excited about the fact that I can go to City A any day I feel like it and that visiting New York City can now be a day trip.

16) What song will always remind you of 2007? Ha, everything by T. Pain

17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. I mean, I'm generally a pretty happy person, but I've been feeling extra good ever since I moved to University Land. Everything just seems "right" at the moment, like much of what has happened so far in my life was to get me to where I am right now. I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, and while I've felt like that sometimes before, I've never felt it as strongly as I do right now. And who knows how long that feeling will actually last, so I'm thoroughly enjoying it while I can.
ii. thinner or fatter? Pretty much exactly the same. At least I am maintaining!
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer. Student stipends don't go very far.

18) What do you wish you'd done more of? Read more novels, watched more movies, visited City A more often.

19) What do you wish you'd done less of? Dicked around on the internet, as usual. The internet is the biggest time suck in the world, isn't it?

20) How did you spend Christmas? The usual way. I'm in my hometown, we went to my grandparents' house on Christmas Eve and had fondue and opened presents, and then on Christmas day we ate cinnamon rolls, opened more presents, walked the dogs on the golf course,and then my grandparents came over to our house for Christmas dinner. This year, we also celebrated my sister's birthday on Christmas since we were out of town on her actual birthday. It made for a really interesting Christmas dinner since we had my sister's usual birthday dinner, steak and lobster (yes, that's her birthday dinner. I should point out that mine used to be enchiladas and my brother's was spaghetti. And my siblings say I'm "the favorite". Haha.) But we combined her usual birthday dinner with a more traditional dinner of ham and sweet potatoes and broccoli casserole. Nice. It was a good Christmas. Every year now I'm just happy that the seven of us are still together for another year.

21) How will you spend New Years? I'm not sure yet. I'm going to spend New Year's Eve in the city where I did my MA program, so I'm hoping to hang out with Maddi and maybe some of my other friends from there. I'm sure we'll most likely just end up at our favorite bars in the town square boozing it up. That's what I hope, anyway. I don't need to do anything fancy, I'm just excited to see a few of the people I haven't seen in six months.

22) Did you fall in love in 2007? Nope.

23) How many one-night stands? None. It was pretty freakin' boring year in the sex department, to be honest. On the bright side, I was worried for a while that 2007 was going to be the Year of No Sex. Luckily that didn't end up being the case. It has been the Year of Very Little Sex, though. 2008 won't have to work very hard to beat 2007 in that department.

24) What was your favorite TV program? Flight of the Conchords. My brother and I were loving that show this summer. I can't wait for them to do another season.

25) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nah, I don't hate anyone. I don't even really dislike anyone. I just find a few people mildly annoying at times.

26) What was the best book you read? Sadly, I haven't read many books this year. Or rather, I have read a TON of books, but they have all been school-related, and while some of them were interesting, to talk about pretty much any of them would definitely give away what I study. I need to start reading more novels again, but lately by the time I settle down before bed to do pleasure reading, the most my brain wants to deal with is magazines. By far the best pleasure reading I did this year was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I hated having to go to work for the few days I was reading it because it meant having to put the book down.

27) What was your greatest musical discovery? Spring Awakening. I saw the show in New York in March and fell in love with the music and then listened to the CD pretty constantly for a few months. I also spent a disproportionate amount of time listening to Timbaland collaborations; don't ask me why.

28) What did you want and get? I wanted to get into a Ph.D. program, and, much to my surprise, it actually happened.

29) What did you want and not get? I keep hoping that someone will show up and say, "Congratulations! I'm paying all your bills from now on so you can live a life of leisure!" But so far that hasn't happened yet.

30) What was your favorite film of this year? Sweeney Todd!

31) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25 (which I still can't really believe). I celebrated the weekend before my birthday by visiting Kiki in New York. It was very fun. On my actual birthday I was in class for most of the day and writing my midterm whenever I wasn't in class, so my actual birthday was kind of a bust. That's what happens when your birthday falls on a Monday. I did go out for drinks that night with Stacy, though, and we had a good time.

32) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Nothing that I can make happen using just my own will.

33) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? My fashion concept is pretty much the same as it has been for the past 3 or 4 years: A mix of designer jeans, semi-trendy shirts from $5 Crazy Clothes and the like, cashmere from Bloomingdale's, all kinds of form-fitting suit jackets worn with jeans and boots [this is generally what I teach in] and shirts and skirts I buy off the clearance rack at Target for $2.00. I'll let you guess which parts of the wardrobe I purchase myself and which are gifts/hand-me-downs from Mom. The only real difference is that my wardrobe now includes more sweaters, jackets, and scarves. Oh, and I also actually get dressed most days now rather than trekking around town in my workout clothes, so I no longer look like a candidate for What Not to Wear.

34) What kept you sane? My hound dog and my cat (as always; they give me perspective); Kiki; and the three girls who entered this Ph.D. program with me in August, because they are going through pretty much exactly what I'm going through, so I never feel bad venting to them.

35) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Remember when I went to the Justin Timberlake concert and then had ridiculous sex dreams for like, three days afterwards? Yeah. But it's only the stage persona, I don't really care for him when he's not performing. Other than that, I'm attracted to pretty much any celebrity with the right sort of British accent, male or female. I'm dead serious about that Alan Rickman hotline I suggested last week.

36) What political issue stirred you the most? All I know is I'm already completely and utterly sick of hearing about the 2008 presidential election and it's not even 2008 yet.

37) Whom did you miss? Maddi. I keep trying to convince her to move up here now that she's finished with her MA, too.

38) Who was the best new person you met? All of my fellow PhDers in University Land. While there are some people I click with better than others, I like pretty much everyone I've met so far. They're smart, articulate, funny people.

39) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
I learned that I can move to a place where I literally know no one and I'll be just fine. Although I don't know how valuable it necessarily is to keep proving that I can be independent and do things on my own, since I've pretty much already known that for years now and I probably need more help with the opposite lessons (teamwork, trust, reliance on others,etc.) But in 2007 I learned that I do a lot of worrying about nothing, and if I just trust my instincts things will actually work out alright.

40) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"That’s it, I’m all better now
Spit up the last of what made me hurt
I feel light as a feather now
At last I finally know my worth

Thought I’d never learn to be alone
Open all the windows wide
Turn the ringer off the phone
Light my orange candles every night

And I’m wishing on a new moon
Something better’s coming
It’s coming soon….
I feel it coming, I feel it coming, I feel it coming

I close my eyes up on the high, high dive
Stretch my arms up to the sky
Endless water is deep below
But somewhere in the air I’ll learn to fly

I’m wishing on a new moon
Something better’s coming
It’s coming soon
I feel it coming, I feel it coming, I feel it coming

It’s so easy to complain
But it’ll make you insane
That same routine
The impulse to be mean
But the grass is oh so green
After winter rain

I feel it coming, I feel it coming, I feel it coming."-Sara Melson