We'll take a cup of kindness yet for Auld Lang Syne...

I haven't posted in nearly a month. Poor form. I won't review everything I've done over the last few weeks, because that would be long and boring for most people. Just suffice to say my holiday was probably a lot like your holiday, unless, of course, you don't celebrate holidays, in which case you probably had an awesome time catching up on all those old episodes of House.

I rang in 2009 by clinking glasses with a bunch of Upstate New Yorkers in a cozy apartment in Astoria. I feel like my New Year's festivities ended up being really symbolic of my year as a whole. I managed to spend New Year's Eve in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, mostly with my backpack on. It was highly nomadic which, if you've been following along, just fits. Also, I managed in one month (and mostly in the 3 to 4 days leading up to midnight '09) to see every single one of my best friends from high school, college (minus Kathleen, geez!) and best of all, kindergarten. I've been particularly privileged this year to build a lot of new friendships, and to those people I'm very thankful. But I'm also truly thankful for the friendships from home and almost-home that I have had for 5 years, ten years, some for over 15 years. A lot of the people I call my best friends now are the same best friends I had in elementary school. If you want a way to stay grounded, that's it. So yes, New Year's was freezing cold and it involved sleeping on floors and a bit too much Carson Daly, but it was a fitting end to an amazing year.

New Year's 2009 made me laugh, mostly because it was so different from NYE '08. If we could step in the Way Back Machine for a moment, let's take a step back to 2007. What a God awful year. Friends moved, loved ones passed away, people cheated, money disappeared, diagnoses were made, Bush was still president with little end in sight, and all of it was an utter, rotting pile of crap. Of my close friends, I can only think of one or two people that didn't experience something life-changing and fantastically depressing. In the days leading up to January 1, "good riddance" and "f*ck 2007" were probably the words I heard most often. I spent New Year's Eve skiing with Austin and going to a big bonfire downtown. At the end of the countdown we both looked at each other, said "Well...thank God that's over," and then went to Ernest's house to eat flan.

True, my first meal of 2008 was flan, but I didn't let that get me down. Fast forward 12 months, and here I am in a little apartment in Queens, toasting with friends and feeling a little remorseful because - I admit it - I wasn't totally down with 2008 ending. Personally, I had wonderful year, complete with major accomplishments, travel, and much time spent with friends and family. I laughed a lot in 2008. I had a lot of odd jobs, and I said yes more often, which is always an adventure. So I'll be honest: I was sad to see it go. But hey - what a fabulous turnaround, 2008. What a great hope for the future.

A new government's coming in, a fresh slew of New Year's Resolutions are already being forgotten, and to date, no one has tricked me into eating flan this year. Hopefully the trend continues. Have a happier, healthier 2009. Nobody deserves it more than you.

Tis the Season

This last week has been spent in Binghamton, baking and filling out job applications in between Rock Band sessions at Rachel's house. I've finally moved up to *medium* on guitar. Take that, actual musicians!

In the name of the season, I thought I'd tick off a few things that I am thankful for.

1. My friends and family. I love my friends, and my family is the most supportive, silly, wonderful family a person could ask for, and I'm glad once again that I got to spend the holiday with them.

2. DC & the last few months. I've loved living in DC, even at the Nunnery. I've gotten to do a ton of news things, I got to work for several political campaigns (most of which won!), I got to be in Washington on the night it exploded with Obama-flavored joy. I've also found that it's been pretty easy for me to meet new people in DC, and while many of them have been absolutely ridiculous, some of them are wonderful friends that I'm so glad I got the opportunity to meet. I have been unofficially invited to friends' weddings in Sweden and Barbados too, so really moving to DC was well worth it.

3. Upcoming adventures. After Dec 20th, I don't know what I'll be doing, but I'm sure it's going to be interesting. Plus, I still have several friends I want to visit in Wisconsin, Ireland, Sweden, NYC, and, you know, Ithaca.

So, now I'm thinking of Christmas gifts, but I'll be skipping out on Black Friday this year, unless shopping at the Philadelphia airport counts. Happy Holidays everyone - it's officially the Sparkle Season.