A Few of my Favorite Things: 2012 in Hyperbole

Sometimes I speak in extremes. I can't help it. With that said, I have some utterly LIFE CHANGING favorites to share from 2012.

Life-changing gadget(s): the iPad mini
It's so little! And yet, after a few days, I've started to master typing on it. Yes, I'll most likely get a full-size Bluetooth keyboard to use, but I can easily see this becoming my primary device. I love it so much I'll probably name it. Shush your mouth.
Runner-up: Republic Wireless Motorola little, tiny Droid
Yeah, so I might have also received an iPhone 4S for Christmas, too, but this thing WORKS where I need it to and when I need it to. I'm not really exaggerating when I say this is the first cell phone I've owned that has done just that. Ever. In all my 30 years. I'm so happy with it, I don't want to stop using it.

Life-changing shoes: Steve Madden Saviour riding boots

(image source: http://www1.assets-gap.com/webcontent/0005/178/692/cn5178692.jpg)

Because BootSaga2012 was indeed a saga. I know people complain about finding boots to fit their big calves, but trust me -- it is just as difficult to find boots to fit skinny calves. These aren't perfect, but for the price, they work.

Life-changing Pottery Barn purchase: the tote bag

(image source: http://rk.pbimgs.com/pbimgs/rk/images/dp/wcm/201223/0002/img3b.jpg)

IT FITS AS A CARRY-ON. That's when I knew I loved it. It's super sturdy. And it's all girly and pretty.

Life-changing relaxation: Lush A French Kiss and Lush Dream Time (tie)

(image sources: http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod18/dw/image/v2/AAHL_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-Lush-Site/Sites-lushcosmetics-export/en_US/v1356858154930/images/product/02189.jpg?sw=350&sh=350 and http://demandware.edgesuite.net/sits_pod18/dw/image/v2/AAHL_PRD/on/demandware.static/Sites-Lush-Site/Sites-lushcosmetics-export/en_US/v1356858154930/images/product/00601.jpg?sw=350&sh=350)

My late evening baths become exponentially more enjoyable when I drop pieces of these in. And the smell lingers on my bath towels, which even makes getting ready for work more enjoyable. Remember that Friends episode where Ross and Rachel are breaking up and the other four are locked in Monica's bedroom eating leg wax? And Phoebe says how it actually doesn't taste bad? I imagine I'd have the same reaction if I were forced to eat one of these because they smell GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT.

Life-changing food: my vegetarian quesadillas
What you need: soft taco-sized tortillas, tomatoes (canned will work), mushrooms, chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, shredded cheese (cheddar, taco, Mexican blend -- whatever you like), black beans, and sour cream and fresh salsa for topping
What you do: spray a little olive oil in a pan, lay down the tortilla, fill half of it with above ingredients and fold the other half over. Let it brown nicely on both sides (be careful when flipping) and then top with as much sour cream and salsa as you want. As my father says, "It'll make your tongue want to slap your brains out!"
Runner-up: my charred fresh green beans
These happened by complete accident. I was simply trying to caramelize the onions when they got a little dark and crispy, leaving the pan on too high for too long. Turns out I couldn't have made a better mistake. Season with salt, onion salt, and a little garlic powder. PERFECTION.

Life-changing read: Running Away to Home, by Jennifer Wilson 
It reaffirmed the fact that I NEED to travel to eastern Europe and visit the lands from where my ancestors came. And also that maybe I need to not ignore my family so much (even if they are incredibly nebby and sometimes say rage-inducing comments).

Life-changing habit: Finding a local watering hole
Because Friday afternoons are going to kill my kidneys (therefore, life-changing).
[This is complete hyperbole. Don't drink and drive, kids.]

Life-changing weekend habit: City Market
PRODUCE! HAND-MADE CRAFTY GOODS! ALL THE STUFF YOU NEVER REALIZED YOU NEEDED UNTIL YOU SAW IT!
My only goal for 2013 regarding City Market is to get there every week and at an earlier time to really claim the good stuff. Every time I think of joining a CSA (and how amazeballs it would be), I think about how it would ruin my weekend routine.

Life-changing thing that will make me erupt with uncontrollable rage: 50 Shades of Horrible Crap Gray
Hey, all you who read it? Go home, you're drunk. Book snobbery FTW.

Life-changing dress: JCrew Origami Sheath Dress

(image source: http://cdnb.lystit.com/photos/2011/10/11/jcrew-decadent-red-origami-sheath-dress-in-wool-crepe-product-1-2189929-062658497_large_card.jpeg)

Nothing makes me feel as stylish and confident as Kate Middleton as this dress. It fits like a glove. And with nude pumps? I FEEL like a duchess.

And with that, 2012 is summarized. I can't wait to see what sorts of favorite things next year brings!

2012: A Look Back

(I apologize for the lack of posts, as life and work have taken over my soul and have reduced me to stress eating and sleeping and not nearly enough reading and writing.)

If I had to think of a way to describe 2012, I'd have to go with "the new normal." I've had to get used to my house being in a constant state of improvement projects; work sending me on a roller-coaster of emotions; my mind and heart missing loved ones (gone or simply hours away); the idea that people change in good ways and bad; and the idea knowing that no matter how much I want to unf%$& my life, I always am striving to do better. And those are good things, right?

Maybe this is what being 30 is all about.

All in all, 2012 was a good year. Nothing to terribly drastic happened that made me love it or hate it. We made a number of tristate road trips (and I got to get away in Florida for a few days). I taught a summer course on The Hunger Games, which provided me a great amount of professional joy. We're coming to grips with being adults and having to make big financial and job decisions (GAWD, just typing that raises my blood pressure). We continue to celebrate the payoff we're finally starting to see from all of our energy-saving projects (our power bill is almost at ZERO -- take that power companies!). And I realized that I can finally start some interior remodeling and redecorating. All of this sounds like so much work. Rest assured, I found plenty to distract and entertain me, too (not everything was new/released in 2012, just what I watched/listened to/read in this calendar year).

Movies
Favorites of the year? Definitely Argo. Skyfall comes in as a very close runner-up. The Bourne Legacy was fine on its own, but just didn't do enough for me as part of the Bourne franchise.
I know we saw others, but clearly they didn't leave enough of an impression on me. Blah.

Television
I became mildly obsessed with New Girl, and I won't even get in to how great I think Nick Miller's character is (because that could take up an entire blog, let alone post). I love Jess' outfits (though don't think I could pull many of them off) and I can relate to her naive optimism. I think I love it as much as I love Friends, and that's saying a lot.
And then there's Downton Abbey, my other not-so-mild obsession. What do I love about it? It's so smart. It's witty. It's a tear-jerker. It makes me want to have been born in early twentieth-century England to an aristocratic family so I can wear stunning gowns to dinner each night. (Obviously, some of the laws and lack of women's rights don't tickle my fancy, but whatever.)
I also got through 4.5 seasons of Friday Night Lights, and I realize I need to finish it. However, Netflix just started streaming The West Wing, so there's that.

Music
I don't listen to much music. Actually, that's not true. I'll turn on various Pandora stations nearly every day at work and sing along to whatever song plays next. But there's not much I purchased this year, except some not-so-new artists, mainly Duffy and Mumford & Sons (which are on constant repeat on my iPod).

Books
Finally, the solo activity that brings me the most entertainment. Some titles that were among my favorites? The Blue Orchard, When She Woke, Jane Eyre (yes, it took me until this year to read it), The House at Tyneford, A Land More Kind Than Home, Gone Girl, The Casual Vacancy, and The Age of Miracles. But my absolute favorite for this year? Rules of Civility. Jazz-age socialite life in NYC? Fancy clothes and parties? Interesting characters with an air of mystery? Yes, yes, and yes. It will remind you of The Great Gatsby. And you will love it.

So what's in store for 2013? I have no idea. I have a few resolutions (eat even less meat than I did this year, get back in the pool, keep in touch with long-lost friends and maybe even relatives more, stop caring so much about some things, care a little more about others, etc.). There will be some vacations (California dreaming!). A dear friend is getting married. I will bake, write, read, and (most importantly) love. And it will be better than good. :)