Nine Things Of Oh Nine That Made Me Happy
(An LJ-entry idea borrowed from the fantabulous oneaccolade)
So, 2009.
Hmmmm.
*takes stock*
I'm a bit wary of the odd-numbered years and always have been, and I find myself relieved when we hit an even digit. I can't explain why, exactly. Word association, maybe, that there is just something not acceptable about 'odd' things and 'even' sounds stable and secure? Something subconscious? The worst thing that ever happened took place in an even year, so there really is no sense in it. Still, the feeling remains.
And 2009? It kind of lived up to the vibe of trepidation that I hold for the odd years. Thankfully, it wasn't in any big and bad life shattering way, and for that I am very grateful. Overall, I find myself more than ready to move on, but there were some things specific to 2009 that are worth a look back.
That leads me to :
1. Twitter
I admit that I didn't 'get it' at first. I turned my nose up at the hype. The cyber rambler in me was really opposed to anything that carried a 140 character limit. In life, that would be just perfect for most of my conversations, but online---well, I have a way of running off at the fingertips. Still, several really great friends were using it and I didn't want to miss a single word or thought that came from them in any realm, and so I signed on. At a time when I suddenly lost my nerve to post more than just a few words in places that allowed a lot of them, it suddenly became a perfect fit. It was easier to not hide away from a place that didn't demand nearly as much. It allowed my voice to push onward even in a small way, it allows me to hear the voices of those that I know and love and even some of those that I might not know personally...but worship the way their minds and words work from afar. It is now one of the first places that I check in with at the start of my cyber tour and one of the last that I let go of at the end of a cyber day.
In summary and using as few characters as possible, I <3 you, Twitter!
My twitter sandbox is always open to more playmates! Want to make a sandcastle (in 140 characters or less) with me?
Visit me here? paintedwhispers
2. Friends and Family:
You and my beloveds that aren't all found on LJ---you all make me so much stronger, happier, better than I could ever be in a million years on my own and without you. You've picked me up and dusted me off more times than I could ever count after I've fallen, you've made me laugh harder than I thought possible on a regular basis, you've made my fingers fly over the keyboard as we engage in awesome conversations that ignite that something in me where I just can't stay silent because you are all just -that- good, you've brought me into your lives, kept me moving forward and believing in better days, looked in on me when you knew that I needed 'looking in on,' opened up my world to new things and ideas, we've celebrated and cried together, you've let me know more of you which is always a gift, made me love some of the things that I love more than I would have by myself----basically you, my friends---you all just rock hardcore like rocking things, and I am endlessly grateful for you. I know it isn't always easy to be my friend---especially not if you are my friend beyond the online world where the SA really kicks in---so I treasure you all for putting up with the extra hoops of Social Anxiety Deb and all of that jazz.
And my family is also a given year after year, though a blessing that I don't take lightly or for granted. Not even when they ignore my vibes or refuse to put a new roll of toilet paper on the roll. :op
3. Darcy The Pontiac:
2009 wasn't really supposed to be The Year of The New Car for me. I loved my little Oldsmobile and had every intention of running it into the ground. I thought the journey to running it into the ground would go a little smoother though, without everything under the sun suddenly breaking down all at once. When it got to the point where the repairs were adding up just as the car deals across the country were getting sweeter, I started to sway a bit in my determination to stick with the old. When the Pontiac line (never had one, always wanted one) went under with the great The Economy Is In The Shitter Movement (Liz, tm), I decided to car shop.
And Darcy The Pontiac and I hit it off immediately. And he became Mine.
And I LOVE him. It is rare that I see a car on the road in that comparison game that I play sometimes that I'd want more. And maybe more important than anything else---I made the deal by myself and got the EXACT figure that I wanted (and a great trade in value on my Olds, with the salesman's promise that she would go to a good home when he saw me get teary.) If you know me at all, you know what a huge deal that is and why it might have been my proudest moment of the year.
4. Starbuck The Mac:
2009 became a rough year for my wallet---but with the lack of an H key and the slow deterioration of several other keys on my keyboard which caused much typing frustration followed by a complete motherboard meltdown that wouldn't even allow me to power up the old MBP, something had to be done. I never could have done it on my own---bluelittlegirl almost had to literally hold my hand as I made the purchase (while spending time with me in person, woot super special extra bonus thing on the friends topic), but it led to the arrival of a new bouncing baby MacBook Pro.
For Starbuck and I, it was love at first power up. She is a gem, and I love her.
PS: PSA: Back up your stuffz in 2010 and always, people. ;)
5. Battlestar Galactica:
Life.Changing.Experience.
Seriously, this series was on for so many years and until this past summer, I was completely oblivious to the fact that what I was missing in my avoidance of something labeled Sci-Fi because of a slight Sci-Fi prejudice? WAS EPIC. And by EPIC, I mean EPIC (!!!!!!) beyond the definition of the word. Holy frak, Batman! I watched this shows four incredible seasons over the course of a few weeks and there are still no words for what it did to me and meant to me.
Battlestar Galactica is not just a television show, people. It is a complete re-examination of yourself, of humanity, of every issue that you ever thought you stood in a solid place on. It is darkness and light, and beauty and breakdown, happiness and heartache---it is fiction and portrayals of all of these key things at its very best. The writing. Oh, the writing!
And Kara Thrace. The Adama boys. The President! Epic.
And it was a fictional ride full of epic emails that I got to take with mammothluv and bluelittlegirl a bit after the fact which made it all the more 'the best thing ever.'
6. The Cousins T: Teddy and Tucker:
Anyone who knows me has had to witness on more than one occasion that Theodore "Teddy" Ruxpin the Dog is among the very brightest of bright lights in my life and has been for the past 12 years. He is my sidekick, my confidante, my furry soft place to land, my beloved. As I watch age begin to color his fur, creep into his bones, take a little bit of an edge off of his energy, I only realize all the more that life with my furry boy is this tremendous gift that I've been granted that I will never take lightly. Every doggie snuggle is nirvana, and every doggie smile, wag of his tail, or paw raised in high five greeting when I get home from a long day is my bliss.
And this year, my sister Lynn adopted the first dog to hold reign over her new kingdom, Tucker Puppy the Dog, a beautiful mini Aussie from a death row animal shelter. She sent me the picture to ask me "Is this him?" after many weeks of vigorous (and often heartbreaking) searching, and I instantly knew that dog was a Rotanz. Poor Tucker Puppy, after just two days of settling into his new forever home, it was obvious he wasn't well. Tucker spent the better part of a week just barely clinging on to life in the animal hospital after being diagnosed with Parvo---a bad case, the vet said, and his chances weren't good. We had been through this same ordeal with Teddy after taking him home from the shelter, so we hoped the odds were simply crap.
And Crap they were! After the vet suggested euthanization and allowed Lynn a visit to judge for herself, Tucker Puppy came back to life. And now he's full of it. Life, and It. ;) Yay, Tucker Puppy, Rotanz Miracle Dog the Second!
7. My Kidlets:
So, work is not always easy.
*waits for the weight of that understatement to squish the world*
But sometimes I just look at the little ones that I work with everyday and I realize how lucky I am to be watching them 'grow up' and having even the smallest hand in that. It is true that they can drive me to drink or to reach for an extra anxiety pill sometimes, and too often that is the part I focus on when talking about my job, but I also get the giggles, the smiles, the snuggles, the awesome two year old conversations, the good adventures, the returned pats on the back when I could really use one. I'm often full of sad that I don't have my own children by now---but I get to borrow some great ones, to watch them grow and 'to become' and that is pretty awesome.
And beyond the classroom, there are other little ones that I love with all of my heart (even when it has to be from afar). My beloved Charlotte, Benny-Boy, and Aaron the Smidlets, Cooper the s'Cooper, Lil' Mikey, Lainey the Liz in training, and Alexa's little Ryan---all have a chunk of my heart wrapped around their little fingers!
8. Inspiring Words from an Inspiring Person:
So, I have this slight (EPIC) obsession with the show, "The Closer." I fell in love with it from the first episode and I live for every new season, every new episode. Like BsG, it is a show that I love for a thousand different reasons. I don't even know if I could put it all into words. The writing, the intelligence, the questions raised for thought, the Kyra Sedgwick, the ensemble cast---every bit of it is so full of the inner fangirl happy making.
From early on, I wrote about my love for the show or my response to certain episodes in assorted places. One of them was the blog written for TVGuide by the show's executive producer, writer, director, man of inspiring awesome, James Duff. Love his mind. Love his eloquence. Love his spirit. Love his creativity and inspirational dialogue about everything from the writing process, to individual issues raised by the show---all of it. After the second season, I discovered a really awesome response from James Duff to one of my blog posts in my TVG inbox. (Unfortunately, didn't know i had an inbox over there until a good bit of time had passed---so dude, I had accidentally ignored James Duff!)
Anyway, I spent months trying to build up the courage to request friending of Mr. Duff on facebook earlier this year. I finally caved and sent a note thanking him for something in particular that he had said to a small group of writers in a seminar that had struck a chord with me when it comes to this impasse that I find myself standing at with art and writing. As someone important and known and busy and all of those things that come with celebrity, I really didn't expect it to come to be anything more than a one sided conversation. But he sent me back a note that still stands out as a major, major highlight of my year, of my decade, perhaps of longer than that. ;)
A few things stood out that have become really important to my journey. I'm not there yet, but I'm trying to get there and now these words from him are part of the inner voice I hear to...make some changes and break through some walls.
He suggested I take strength and courage from Emily Dickinson's life and works---which made me feel a little more transparent about some things than I thought I was ;) but it also carried the intended weight.
He wrote, "Your own path awaits. All you must do to take the first step is to begin." And I mean to try to step and begin, I really, really do. Re-reading something like this from time to time really helps a lot.
And within the note was something someone like me really really needed to hear: "No one gets to decide what you are in your heart." I've said that to myself a lot like a mantra. In that "I taped them to my mirror" kind of way. I'm still trying to live those words for myself.
Since then, I've gotten a few cherished notes from him via Twitter where he's suggested that I take some time and write. James Duff, suggesting I write? Seriously? I still think maybe he's sending them to the wrong person. ;) My mind still boggles. But no matter what? HAPPY MAKING to the nth power!
9. The 2009 New York Yankees:
My blood does not run red, people. It runs in white and blue pinstripes. The New York Yankees winning the 2009 World Series in their brand new stadium?
My heart which pumps the pinstriped blood was made happy to the 10th power that day!
Also, I had been made super sad by the closing of the old Yankee Stadium at the end of the previous year. Replacing The Cathedral? Tearing it down? Building something new? It felt like crushing history.
But my friend Carrine got tickets for a game during our weekend trip home to NY early this summer so that we could officially be part of the New Yankee Stadium's First Season---and it is gorgeous. More important that anything else, the spirit that was such a part of The Cathedral is still more than a part of the new foundation of this stadium. You can still feel the history, the power, the legacy in the vibrations running through the new stadium. It is going to be okay.
Looks like a new Cathedral, doesn't it? :)
So anyway, now that I've proven why the very idea of a 140 character limit was a little 'made of impossible' there in the beginning....I am officially waving goodbye to Oh Nine but happily taking all of these things with me into the New Year.
And I am wishing you and yours the best 2010 ever!
My resolutions---they are still to come. And hopefully they won't be this long winded. :op
So, 2009.
Hmmmm.
*takes stock*
I'm a bit wary of the odd-numbered years and always have been, and I find myself relieved when we hit an even digit. I can't explain why, exactly. Word association, maybe, that there is just something not acceptable about 'odd' things and 'even' sounds stable and secure? Something subconscious? The worst thing that ever happened took place in an even year, so there really is no sense in it. Still, the feeling remains.
And 2009? It kind of lived up to the vibe of trepidation that I hold for the odd years. Thankfully, it wasn't in any big and bad life shattering way, and for that I am very grateful. Overall, I find myself more than ready to move on, but there were some things specific to 2009 that are worth a look back.
That leads me to :
1. Twitter
I admit that I didn't 'get it' at first. I turned my nose up at the hype. The cyber rambler in me was really opposed to anything that carried a 140 character limit. In life, that would be just perfect for most of my conversations, but online---well, I have a way of running off at the fingertips. Still, several really great friends were using it and I didn't want to miss a single word or thought that came from them in any realm, and so I signed on. At a time when I suddenly lost my nerve to post more than just a few words in places that allowed a lot of them, it suddenly became a perfect fit. It was easier to not hide away from a place that didn't demand nearly as much. It allowed my voice to push onward even in a small way, it allows me to hear the voices of those that I know and love and even some of those that I might not know personally...but worship the way their minds and words work from afar. It is now one of the first places that I check in with at the start of my cyber tour and one of the last that I let go of at the end of a cyber day.
In summary and using as few characters as possible, I <3 you, Twitter!
My twitter sandbox is always open to more playmates! Want to make a sandcastle (in 140 characters or less) with me?
Visit me here? paintedwhispers
2. Friends and Family:
You and my beloveds that aren't all found on LJ---you all make me so much stronger, happier, better than I could ever be in a million years on my own and without you. You've picked me up and dusted me off more times than I could ever count after I've fallen, you've made me laugh harder than I thought possible on a regular basis, you've made my fingers fly over the keyboard as we engage in awesome conversations that ignite that something in me where I just can't stay silent because you are all just -that- good, you've brought me into your lives, kept me moving forward and believing in better days, looked in on me when you knew that I needed 'looking in on,' opened up my world to new things and ideas, we've celebrated and cried together, you've let me know more of you which is always a gift, made me love some of the things that I love more than I would have by myself----basically you, my friends---you all just rock hardcore like rocking things, and I am endlessly grateful for you. I know it isn't always easy to be my friend---especially not if you are my friend beyond the online world where the SA really kicks in---so I treasure you all for putting up with the extra hoops of Social Anxiety Deb and all of that jazz.
And my family is also a given year after year, though a blessing that I don't take lightly or for granted. Not even when they ignore my vibes or refuse to put a new roll of toilet paper on the roll. :op
3. Darcy The Pontiac:
2009 wasn't really supposed to be The Year of The New Car for me. I loved my little Oldsmobile and had every intention of running it into the ground. I thought the journey to running it into the ground would go a little smoother though, without everything under the sun suddenly breaking down all at once. When it got to the point where the repairs were adding up just as the car deals across the country were getting sweeter, I started to sway a bit in my determination to stick with the old. When the Pontiac line (never had one, always wanted one) went under with the great The Economy Is In The Shitter Movement (Liz, tm), I decided to car shop.
And Darcy The Pontiac and I hit it off immediately. And he became Mine.
And I LOVE him. It is rare that I see a car on the road in that comparison game that I play sometimes that I'd want more. And maybe more important than anything else---I made the deal by myself and got the EXACT figure that I wanted (and a great trade in value on my Olds, with the salesman's promise that she would go to a good home when he saw me get teary.) If you know me at all, you know what a huge deal that is and why it might have been my proudest moment of the year.
4. Starbuck The Mac:
2009 became a rough year for my wallet---but with the lack of an H key and the slow deterioration of several other keys on my keyboard which caused much typing frustration followed by a complete motherboard meltdown that wouldn't even allow me to power up the old MBP, something had to be done. I never could have done it on my own---bluelittlegirl almost had to literally hold my hand as I made the purchase (while spending time with me in person, woot super special extra bonus thing on the friends topic), but it led to the arrival of a new bouncing baby MacBook Pro.
For Starbuck and I, it was love at first power up. She is a gem, and I love her.
PS: PSA: Back up your stuffz in 2010 and always, people. ;)
5. Battlestar Galactica:
Life.Changing.Experience.
Seriously, this series was on for so many years and until this past summer, I was completely oblivious to the fact that what I was missing in my avoidance of something labeled Sci-Fi because of a slight Sci-Fi prejudice? WAS EPIC. And by EPIC, I mean EPIC (!!!!!!) beyond the definition of the word. Holy frak, Batman! I watched this shows four incredible seasons over the course of a few weeks and there are still no words for what it did to me and meant to me.
Battlestar Galactica is not just a television show, people. It is a complete re-examination of yourself, of humanity, of every issue that you ever thought you stood in a solid place on. It is darkness and light, and beauty and breakdown, happiness and heartache---it is fiction and portrayals of all of these key things at its very best. The writing. Oh, the writing!
And Kara Thrace. The Adama boys. The President! Epic.
And it was a fictional ride full of epic emails that I got to take with mammothluv and bluelittlegirl a bit after the fact which made it all the more 'the best thing ever.'
6. The Cousins T: Teddy and Tucker:
Anyone who knows me has had to witness on more than one occasion that Theodore "Teddy" Ruxpin the Dog is among the very brightest of bright lights in my life and has been for the past 12 years. He is my sidekick, my confidante, my furry soft place to land, my beloved. As I watch age begin to color his fur, creep into his bones, take a little bit of an edge off of his energy, I only realize all the more that life with my furry boy is this tremendous gift that I've been granted that I will never take lightly. Every doggie snuggle is nirvana, and every doggie smile, wag of his tail, or paw raised in high five greeting when I get home from a long day is my bliss.
And this year, my sister Lynn adopted the first dog to hold reign over her new kingdom, Tucker Puppy the Dog, a beautiful mini Aussie from a death row animal shelter. She sent me the picture to ask me "Is this him?" after many weeks of vigorous (and often heartbreaking) searching, and I instantly knew that dog was a Rotanz. Poor Tucker Puppy, after just two days of settling into his new forever home, it was obvious he wasn't well. Tucker spent the better part of a week just barely clinging on to life in the animal hospital after being diagnosed with Parvo---a bad case, the vet said, and his chances weren't good. We had been through this same ordeal with Teddy after taking him home from the shelter, so we hoped the odds were simply crap.
And Crap they were! After the vet suggested euthanization and allowed Lynn a visit to judge for herself, Tucker Puppy came back to life. And now he's full of it. Life, and It. ;) Yay, Tucker Puppy, Rotanz Miracle Dog the Second!
7. My Kidlets:
So, work is not always easy.
*waits for the weight of that understatement to squish the world*
But sometimes I just look at the little ones that I work with everyday and I realize how lucky I am to be watching them 'grow up' and having even the smallest hand in that. It is true that they can drive me to drink or to reach for an extra anxiety pill sometimes, and too often that is the part I focus on when talking about my job, but I also get the giggles, the smiles, the snuggles, the awesome two year old conversations, the good adventures, the returned pats on the back when I could really use one. I'm often full of sad that I don't have my own children by now---but I get to borrow some great ones, to watch them grow and 'to become' and that is pretty awesome.
And beyond the classroom, there are other little ones that I love with all of my heart (even when it has to be from afar). My beloved Charlotte, Benny-Boy, and Aaron the Smidlets, Cooper the s'Cooper, Lil' Mikey, Lainey the Liz in training, and Alexa's little Ryan---all have a chunk of my heart wrapped around their little fingers!
8. Inspiring Words from an Inspiring Person:
So, I have this slight (EPIC) obsession with the show, "The Closer." I fell in love with it from the first episode and I live for every new season, every new episode. Like BsG, it is a show that I love for a thousand different reasons. I don't even know if I could put it all into words. The writing, the intelligence, the questions raised for thought, the Kyra Sedgwick, the ensemble cast---every bit of it is so full of the inner fangirl happy making.
From early on, I wrote about my love for the show or my response to certain episodes in assorted places. One of them was the blog written for TVGuide by the show's executive producer, writer, director, man of inspiring awesome, James Duff. Love his mind. Love his eloquence. Love his spirit. Love his creativity and inspirational dialogue about everything from the writing process, to individual issues raised by the show---all of it. After the second season, I discovered a really awesome response from James Duff to one of my blog posts in my TVG inbox. (Unfortunately, didn't know i had an inbox over there until a good bit of time had passed---so dude, I had accidentally ignored James Duff!)
Anyway, I spent months trying to build up the courage to request friending of Mr. Duff on facebook earlier this year. I finally caved and sent a note thanking him for something in particular that he had said to a small group of writers in a seminar that had struck a chord with me when it comes to this impasse that I find myself standing at with art and writing. As someone important and known and busy and all of those things that come with celebrity, I really didn't expect it to come to be anything more than a one sided conversation. But he sent me back a note that still stands out as a major, major highlight of my year, of my decade, perhaps of longer than that. ;)
A few things stood out that have become really important to my journey. I'm not there yet, but I'm trying to get there and now these words from him are part of the inner voice I hear to...make some changes and break through some walls.
He suggested I take strength and courage from Emily Dickinson's life and works---which made me feel a little more transparent about some things than I thought I was ;) but it also carried the intended weight.
He wrote, "Your own path awaits. All you must do to take the first step is to begin." And I mean to try to step and begin, I really, really do. Re-reading something like this from time to time really helps a lot.
And within the note was something someone like me really really needed to hear: "No one gets to decide what you are in your heart." I've said that to myself a lot like a mantra. In that "I taped them to my mirror" kind of way. I'm still trying to live those words for myself.
Since then, I've gotten a few cherished notes from him via Twitter where he's suggested that I take some time and write. James Duff, suggesting I write? Seriously? I still think maybe he's sending them to the wrong person. ;) My mind still boggles. But no matter what? HAPPY MAKING to the nth power!
9. The 2009 New York Yankees:
My blood does not run red, people. It runs in white and blue pinstripes. The New York Yankees winning the 2009 World Series in their brand new stadium?
My heart which pumps the pinstriped blood was made happy to the 10th power that day!
Also, I had been made super sad by the closing of the old Yankee Stadium at the end of the previous year. Replacing The Cathedral? Tearing it down? Building something new? It felt like crushing history.
But my friend Carrine got tickets for a game during our weekend trip home to NY early this summer so that we could officially be part of the New Yankee Stadium's First Season---and it is gorgeous. More important that anything else, the spirit that was such a part of The Cathedral is still more than a part of the new foundation of this stadium. You can still feel the history, the power, the legacy in the vibrations running through the new stadium. It is going to be okay.
Looks like a new Cathedral, doesn't it? :)
So anyway, now that I've proven why the very idea of a 140 character limit was a little 'made of impossible' there in the beginning....I am officially waving goodbye to Oh Nine but happily taking all of these things with me into the New Year.
And I am wishing you and yours the best 2010 ever!
My resolutions---they are still to come. And hopefully they won't be this long winded. :op