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. :)

Sticking To It

I always make new year resolutions, but like most people, I tend to forget about them after a couple of weeks. The snow and fuzzy blankets cover them up and they melt away into the spring. But this year, I'm determined to follow through with (hopefully) most of them. And honestly, I think starting this blog will hold me to it.

2011 wasn't a bad year, by any means. I was able to travel, blessed to see England, Scotland, and parts of NYC I hadn't discovered before. I got back into the pool and made my Martini Pouch disappear (temporarily). I vowed to make changes in my work environment, and while I'm not completely satisfied, things have improved greatly. I gardened. I read. I baked. I shopped. I laughed. I cried. I loved my husband. I hugged my friends. I hugged my cat. I watched hockey. I won my fantasy football league (two years in a row). I procrastinated. I was the Queen of Getting Shit Done. I lead a charmed life.

But.

I have no room to complain about anything, and yet I find myself becoming more anxious, more high-strung. The little things cannot bug me anymore. That whole "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change..." ? Yeah, that. And however I need to do it this year, dammit, that's what I'm going to do. So instead of spazzing, here's what's going to get me to my ultimate happy place:

• Read more: I read about 25 books last year, and while that seems like a lot, I wish I could have read more. I need to take the time to not worry about work or life or people who don't matter and fall into another world full of history, adventure, love, and food.
• Cook/bake more: I may not be the greatest cook, but I was blessed to inherit my grandmother's baking skills. I plan on putting them to work this year. This past year, I discovered how happy I am in the kitchen creating, covered with flour and powdered sugar. More pie for everyone!
• Find/rediscover a hobby and stick to it: I love to swim, and I'm determined to get back in the pool as soon as possible. I finally have access to my piano again, and although I'm rusty, I didn't buy the sheet music to Adele's 21 for nothing. I will play and sing at the same time and get lost in it.
• Keep my house clean: We live in a perfectly tiny house in a perfectly wonderful college town. I don't want it in pristine-nearly-unlivable-magazine condition, but I'd like to not get angry when I walk into a spare room. And if only the cat would do her part and not shed everywhere (pipe dream)...
• Grow more food: If you would've told me 10 years ago that I'd enjoy gardening, I would have laughed in your face. Loudly. But, it's true, and this year the goal is to make the garden MUCH bigger. Because, why have 17 tomato plants when you can have 20?
• Travel more: I have the means. And just because I can't go to Europe every single summer doesn't mean I can't hop on a train and explore my own country.
• Declutter: Whether it's my house, my desk at work, or letting go of the people who don't matter, I think focusing on this will allow me to lead a happier, healthier 2012.

I will happily share my adventures in reading and baking, traveling and staying put, decluttering and shopping, wish lists and this girl's needs. 2012 is going to be full of all sorts of good. Come live it with me.