things making me happy this year (not an exhaustive list)

There's a half-dozen or so half-composed posts lazing around my drafts folder. Considering that I'm getting on another jet on Saturday with my husband and my kids (Look! It's our one-and-only Christmas tradition - flying somewhere colder than SE Asia!), the chances of those posts seeing the light of day here in twenty-eleven are rather slim. What I wanted to do this before I close the books on this year is come up with a post of my personal highlights for the last twelve months. In no particular order. And some most are sort of silly and fluffy.

- Pop Culture Happy Hour. I listen to a lot of podcasts, but this is the only one where I wish that I was in the room recording it with the hosts. Of course, when I imagine this happening, I also am imaging that I'm overflowing with insightful and/or snarky comments about pop culture as well ... I'm a total Glen Wheldon fangirl, anyway. (Note: link to podcast is in the sidebar on the right).

- Reading again (and my Kindle, which I love only second to my iPod). Some of my faves:

• Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea - this is the best thing I read, honestly.
• No Biking in the House Without a Helmet 
• The Wilder Life
• My Life in France - read this and then watch "Julie & Julia" 
• Galore because I love Newfoundland
• The Story of a Beautiful Girl
• The Hour I First Believed because I love Wally Lamb

- Rediscovering the literature geek inside me. For awhile, my blueprint for the rest of my life involved a lot of studying Englisn literature, and I've remembered what I loved about Shakespearean villianry, satire, metaphor, allegory, etc. It's been fun to look for and appreciate story-telling devices again, especially if I find some good stuff in unexpected places in the written word and other media (like a Faerieland that's memorable for sweeping staircases and good acoustics - wow). It sounds so crazy, but I wish that I was writing essays again. Sometimes there is just so much that I'd like to say, but I don't have a place to put it. 

- Musical theatre. I haven't seen anything on stage yet this year, but I'll knock out two performances in the next three weeks. Gershwin, guys! I'm going to see something Ira Gershwin wrote! So excited! I always cry during muscials, even if they aren't sad. 

- I saw seventy-five percent of the people who are important to me this year, and the last time that fraction was even approached, it was probably in the fall of October 2002 when Chris and I hosted a dinner in Edmonton after we were married. I even saw all of my cousins! 

- The last Harry Potter film. I won't forget you, Neville Longbottom.

- Party Down, the tv series about caterers that I discovered a couple of years too late! It was fun figuring out the structure of the show and waching the great ensemble cast come together and tell a really good story. The episode "Steve Guttenberg's Birthday" was one definitely one of the best things I watched this year, simply for the scene where the caterers read Roman's screenplay ...

- Best drink of the year - lemon iced green tea with a shot of grenadine. Second place goes to fresh lemonade, which is always available here in Saigon ...

- Spin class. I can sit on that neon orange spin bike, cycling to nowhere, and daydream just as much as I would if I was having a massage. Except I'm working out at the same time. Winning!

- Finished a knitting project before the end of the year. So what if the hat looks dumb on me - I finished it, so it counts.

- We didn't move this year! Hopefully we won't next year, either (unless it's somewhere that I want to live more than Saigon, of course).

 

There are, of course, many more things that I could put on this list. And I may do that, if I ever finish packing my suitcase!

 

Comments

[Sues]

This list rocks. I wonder if I could be as remotely concise? (Yeeeeeah, no way in hell...)

[jesser]

I do love to read! Actually just did a post about my fave books of 2011 - sorry, Wilder Life was on my couldn't finish list (bud I did read Nothing to Envy last year and it was one of my favorites!). Are you on Good Reads or Shelfari? They're so great for getting book recommendations! I'm going to try to read more non-fiction next year. Will have to check out some of your faves.

Enjoy your travels ... and Merry Christmas!