Year: 2012

City you started it in: Spokane, WA

City you ended it in: New York, NY

Countries visited: Canada! that’s allsies

States visited: Oregon, Washington, California, Maryland, Pennsylvania  New York, New Jersey, Delaware (not counting airports obvio)

Milestone moments: PSA’s, Graduating from college, joining the Park, getting into JVC, getting into grad school, saving my brother.

Job(s): Babysitter at Audubon, Tutor, Barista at Starbucks, community organizer and now Teacher at Association to Benefit Children

Religious affiliation: Learning to love Jesus better

Births: My niecey, Emma

Deaths: Aunt Judy, Fran, Chirs, some others.

Roommates: Nicole and Kate, then Dad, now Rachel, Melodie, Bethan, Sara, Jesse, Corrylee, and Nicole.

New friends: Starbucks folk; Cata, Paige, and Rachel; everyone from JVC, all my wonderful ABC coworkers, Mona and the Park people.

Best friend: I don’t know if I believe in monogamous best friendship any more

Relationships: Brought great sollace

Age: 20 and 21

How you spent your birthday: I got stoned with Centered and then he gave me a bottle of his family’s vineyard wine so I skipped Women in Comparative Societies to drink with him and then we went to watch the Wire together and I was pretty crossfaded and almost fell off my scooter.  And then we almost ran into the prof who’s class I’d just skipped but I took evasive action and then we wheeled on in to  class and drank the rest of the wine out of travel mugs.  Then I went to Laramie project with some other friends and then I was really tired from pain meds and having a broken ankle and substances so I was going to go to bed but then I had a missed call from both of my brothers and before it occurred to me that they were calling me for my birthday I assumed that my parents had died.

Biggest lesson learned: How to stand up for myself without being an asshole.  And how to extend grace.  Also that acknowledging my own agency does a lot to make me happy. 

Biggest accomplishment:  Knowing when to hold ‘em, knowing when to fold ‘em,

Knowing when to walk away and knowing when to run.

Biggest mistake: There were several, Sorry everyone!

(Favorites coming all mean just in 2012, not for forever)

Favorite thing to cook: Tofu, I think.

Favorite musical artist: Mountain Goats, Matisyahu, Mumford and Sons, Mika

Favorite television show: I really dug Firefly, Law and Order SVU, 30 rock, Parks and Rec, Raising Hope.

Favorite movie: Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, HappyThankYouMorePlease

Favorite book: The Fault In Our Stars, Infinite Jest

Favorite hang out spot: WGST then hometimes? Also the Porch 

Favorite change from last year: I’m glad I got away from GU and I’m happier with how I feel about the place.

Significant news events: I seem to remember a lot of shit about rape and health care.

Significant elections:  Obama

Coffee or tea: Tea

Morning or night: Night.  I was always tired after I broke my leg so I always slept in and then New York is really a night town.

Optimist or pessimist: I’m getting more optimistic

Email or letter: I sent a lot more emails, obviously, but I like letters so?

Call or text: Text

City or suburb: Spent more time in cities.  Liked them better

Best means of travel: My bike

New habits: I take public transit and quit shaving :)

New tattoos: No but I had scheduled one for my foot the day I broke that ankle and it’s still not healed enough to get a tattoo so it’s the thought that counts?

New piercings: nope

New pets: sadly, I still lack a cat.

New technology: iphone.  Holy shit I love my iphone

Song(s) that will remind you of the year: The VagMag theme song, ASS ASS ASS, Mumford and Sons (all of it), Some Nights, probably a lot of the pop that came out.

Resolutions: Start a new good habit every month (so it has time to set in and I don’t get overwhelmed.