Taking stock of your year
What would any of us do without the obligatory year-in-review? Here's my own Top 10 People, Places and Things that made my world go 'round:
10. Why FOX sucks
First, they string us along all summer over whether they will be renewing Arrested Development but they cut the episode order when no one's looking. Then, they order Reunion: a show that has a year-long, let me repeat, year-long story arc, only to dump it unceremoniously after 13 episodes. Yes, it was a tad cheesy but I liked it! FOX also dropped Family Guy only to come crawling back to Seth McFarlane two years later with dollar signs in its eyes. Seriously, choose your shows wisely on this network--it likes to play mind games.
9. Urban Tribes
"An intricate community of young people who live and work together in various combinations, form regular rituals, and provide the support of an extended family." If you don't have yourself one of these, get one! Whether it's having Secret Santas, playing Quizzo every week, joining a bowling league or a kickball team, urban tribal-ness is crucial to making it through your quarter-life crisis. You left your family and high school friends years ago, and now you've been forced to leave your college friends too? Without these folks you're toast. Last night, the remains of my tribe (who are still in town) made me a birthday cake, sang to me and cheered when I blew out the candles. Good shit.
8. Reading for pleasure
I have posted about the joy of reading before, but let me reiterate: you did not blow your mind's reading quota in college! For most of us, it has been at least two years since we did any serious reading anyway. Read for enjoyment. Read on the Metro. Read before you go to bed. Seriously, it is a great way to relax and unwind. Since I graduated, my yearly book total has skyrocketed and it's not only because I'm the one in charge of picking content. Reading now exercises those muscles that my job and US Weekly don't touch. Short stories, biographies, novels, you name it, I've read it and I've liked it!
7. Throwing parties
Ok I'm sure my roommate is laughing at this because I struggle through the actual planning of said parties, but the throwing them is always great! There is nothing better than feeling the love that throwing a party allows. People get excited, they write funny messages (thanks Evite) about why they're going to bring a reindeer and a dreidel to your Chrismukkah party or why they're ditching a wedding reception to come party on your roof. They ask what they can bring and send thank you emails. Throwing parties has given me the keen pleasure of making my guests (and myself) ill on Jell-O shots and RUM 'n' cokes. Ah, yes throwing parties has many benefits. Throw one and they will come.
6. TiVo
2005 marks the beginning of my relationship with TiVo and...I think it's serious. As a life-long TV uber-watcher, it only made sense that I banish commercials and welcome the joy of the season pass to my life. I've seen it all: Tom Cruise jumping on couches, Dave and Oprah playing nice, All The Daily Show my heart desires, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy on Sunday nights with the urban tribe, Eurotrip (Scotty Doesn't Know!), SNL reruns, as well as random little "presents" that Kim and I TiVo for each other. I figure sooner rather than later the ad execs of the world will get together and figure out a way to foil TiVo's ad-free paradise, but until then network programmers can suck it.
5. Siblings
My brother and I became friends when I left for college. Now that he's in college, we have started hanging out in increasingly social situations. It's nice to know that while I've been knee-deep in my own stupid, petty, blog-inducing drama that he has become somewhat cool. We went to a bar together this year for the first time (snuck him in, awesome sister that I am) and I noticed that he is a fun and engaging person to talk to. He was the one that told me about Ladder Theory and he more than held his own in a conversation to back it up. Hmm. Siblings: They're not just for family vacations anymore.
4. Broken Bones/Casts/Physical Therapy
In case my whining didn't reach you in March, I tore a ligament in my wrist, broke a bone in said wrist and broke my nose while skiing in Utah with my family. This sucked for many obvious and not obvious reasons and now that I have the full use of my hand (and an only slightly crooked nose) I think I have an appropriate amount of perspective on my injuries. I learned that two hands are better than one, that black casts look cool if you have people sign them with silver sharpies, and that physical therapy is not only a great way to get out of work twice a week, it's also much better than surgery. I have also learned that you can't let one bad injury get you down: I'm going skiing again in '06.
3. Mini-reunions
Seeing your high school friends used to be easy: you would all be home for the same breaks in college so you'd have a chance to hang out. No more! Now you have different holidays off, some of you are in school, some of you have government flex days, and none of you have winter breaks. So what do you do? Plan mini-reunions. I've had three this year and they have been fantastic. I convinced two friends to spend 4th of July in DC (it's the one holiday DC has any cachet), then I was in Seattle on business and spent a long weekend there (might as well have work foot the bill for that $400 plane ticket), and then spent a weekend in Nueva York because one friend lives there and the other had a conference. It might not be the chill time in your kitchen that you're used to, but hey, it's something.
2. Celebrity Gossip
Ok, I love celebrity gossip as much (if not more) than the next girl, but did it reach a crazy fever pitch this year or what? Brangelina, TomKat, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, Nick and Jessica, InTouch, Life & Style, US Weekly, not to mention Pink is the New Blog, Go Fug Yourself, Defamer, and a million more sites and magazines I haven't mentioned. I do read some of these magazines and visit these sites, but I feel like I'm starting to know things about celebrities like I actually know them. I do not know these people, nor should I know so much about them. Even my father, who abhors everything about celebrity culture, knew that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were dating, pregnant, and got engaged on the top of the Eiffel Tower. As he said, "If I could make my brain unlearn that information, I would." I'm with you Pops. This sh*t is bananas.
1. Blogs
Blogs made a big comeback this year, and not just mine. Just look at the hefty list in my sidebar and you can see that blogs are it. Where else can you share your inane sense of humor, impart faux wisdom and obsess over your sitemeter? Blogs have struck a cord because we're all voyeuristic and attention-starved. Look at me! I'm funny! I'm witty! Read my blog! I'm interesting! Ok, I'm indicting myself on this one, but I don't care: I love my blog and I love reading everyone else's.
See you in 2006 bitches!
(This post is partially the brainchild of my friend Adam who suggested I make an end-of-the-year list. See Adam? Here's your shout out.)
10. Why FOX sucks
First, they string us along all summer over whether they will be renewing Arrested Development but they cut the episode order when no one's looking. Then, they order Reunion: a show that has a year-long, let me repeat, year-long story arc, only to dump it unceremoniously after 13 episodes. Yes, it was a tad cheesy but I liked it! FOX also dropped Family Guy only to come crawling back to Seth McFarlane two years later with dollar signs in its eyes. Seriously, choose your shows wisely on this network--it likes to play mind games.
9. Urban Tribes
"An intricate community of young people who live and work together in various combinations, form regular rituals, and provide the support of an extended family." If you don't have yourself one of these, get one! Whether it's having Secret Santas, playing Quizzo every week, joining a bowling league or a kickball team, urban tribal-ness is crucial to making it through your quarter-life crisis. You left your family and high school friends years ago, and now you've been forced to leave your college friends too? Without these folks you're toast. Last night, the remains of my tribe (who are still in town) made me a birthday cake, sang to me and cheered when I blew out the candles. Good shit.
8. Reading for pleasure
I have posted about the joy of reading before, but let me reiterate: you did not blow your mind's reading quota in college! For most of us, it has been at least two years since we did any serious reading anyway. Read for enjoyment. Read on the Metro. Read before you go to bed. Seriously, it is a great way to relax and unwind. Since I graduated, my yearly book total has skyrocketed and it's not only because I'm the one in charge of picking content. Reading now exercises those muscles that my job and US Weekly don't touch. Short stories, biographies, novels, you name it, I've read it and I've liked it!
7. Throwing parties
Ok I'm sure my roommate is laughing at this because I struggle through the actual planning of said parties, but the throwing them is always great! There is nothing better than feeling the love that throwing a party allows. People get excited, they write funny messages (thanks Evite) about why they're going to bring a reindeer and a dreidel to your Chrismukkah party or why they're ditching a wedding reception to come party on your roof. They ask what they can bring and send thank you emails. Throwing parties has given me the keen pleasure of making my guests (and myself) ill on Jell-O shots and RUM 'n' cokes. Ah, yes throwing parties has many benefits. Throw one and they will come.
6. TiVo
2005 marks the beginning of my relationship with TiVo and...I think it's serious. As a life-long TV uber-watcher, it only made sense that I banish commercials and welcome the joy of the season pass to my life. I've seen it all: Tom Cruise jumping on couches, Dave and Oprah playing nice, All The Daily Show my heart desires, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy on Sunday nights with the urban tribe, Eurotrip (Scotty Doesn't Know!), SNL reruns, as well as random little "presents" that Kim and I TiVo for each other. I figure sooner rather than later the ad execs of the world will get together and figure out a way to foil TiVo's ad-free paradise, but until then network programmers can suck it.
5. Siblings
My brother and I became friends when I left for college. Now that he's in college, we have started hanging out in increasingly social situations. It's nice to know that while I've been knee-deep in my own stupid, petty, blog-inducing drama that he has become somewhat cool. We went to a bar together this year for the first time (snuck him in, awesome sister that I am) and I noticed that he is a fun and engaging person to talk to. He was the one that told me about Ladder Theory and he more than held his own in a conversation to back it up. Hmm. Siblings: They're not just for family vacations anymore.
4. Broken Bones/Casts/Physical Therapy
In case my whining didn't reach you in March, I tore a ligament in my wrist, broke a bone in said wrist and broke my nose while skiing in Utah with my family. This sucked for many obvious and not obvious reasons and now that I have the full use of my hand (and an only slightly crooked nose) I think I have an appropriate amount of perspective on my injuries. I learned that two hands are better than one, that black casts look cool if you have people sign them with silver sharpies, and that physical therapy is not only a great way to get out of work twice a week, it's also much better than surgery. I have also learned that you can't let one bad injury get you down: I'm going skiing again in '06.
3. Mini-reunions
Seeing your high school friends used to be easy: you would all be home for the same breaks in college so you'd have a chance to hang out. No more! Now you have different holidays off, some of you are in school, some of you have government flex days, and none of you have winter breaks. So what do you do? Plan mini-reunions. I've had three this year and they have been fantastic. I convinced two friends to spend 4th of July in DC (it's the one holiday DC has any cachet), then I was in Seattle on business and spent a long weekend there (might as well have work foot the bill for that $400 plane ticket), and then spent a weekend in Nueva York because one friend lives there and the other had a conference. It might not be the chill time in your kitchen that you're used to, but hey, it's something.
2. Celebrity Gossip
Ok, I love celebrity gossip as much (if not more) than the next girl, but did it reach a crazy fever pitch this year or what? Brangelina, TomKat, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, Nick and Jessica, InTouch, Life & Style, US Weekly, not to mention Pink is the New Blog, Go Fug Yourself, Defamer, and a million more sites and magazines I haven't mentioned. I do read some of these magazines and visit these sites, but I feel like I'm starting to know things about celebrities like I actually know them. I do not know these people, nor should I know so much about them. Even my father, who abhors everything about celebrity culture, knew that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were dating, pregnant, and got engaged on the top of the Eiffel Tower. As he said, "If I could make my brain unlearn that information, I would." I'm with you Pops. This sh*t is bananas.
1. Blogs
Blogs made a big comeback this year, and not just mine. Just look at the hefty list in my sidebar and you can see that blogs are it. Where else can you share your inane sense of humor, impart faux wisdom and obsess over your sitemeter? Blogs have struck a cord because we're all voyeuristic and attention-starved. Look at me! I'm funny! I'm witty! Read my blog! I'm interesting! Ok, I'm indicting myself on this one, but I don't care: I love my blog and I love reading everyone else's.
See you in 2006 bitches!
(This post is partially the brainchild of my friend Adam who suggested I make an end-of-the-year list. See Adam? Here's your shout out.)
posted by Libberash at 2:11 PM
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