blast from the recent past: year in review 2008
If you are a regular/long-term reader of mine, you know the drill--each year I thumb through my lj posts of the previous year and summarize where I went, who I saw, what piqued my interest... and post photos to go with the memories. This year I am pathetically late in doing this, and it seems silly to talk about 2008 when it's already halfway through 2009, but I don't want to break tradition! So here we go. I think it'll be a little different than past year-reviews, because I'm looking back farther than usual, and have a different perspective now... looking back in order to look ahead, or something... hmm.
I don't really expect anyone to care about this now, and it's gonna be long and photo-filled, so I'll throw it behind a cut:
JANUARY
-I didn't do anything fancy to ring in the New Year, since I had already done a lot of traveling/socializing over Christmas break... though I do remember talking to Cyn when it was 2008 for me, and still 2007 for her out in Vegas, ha ha.
-The year started out with good intentions about making the most of my time left in New York (ie: getting out to the music scene more), and using my time back in NH productively, but, well, it's easy to think "this year is gonna be great! I'm gonna get so much done!" when it's January 1st.
-Jan. 9th: posted my "Year in Review 2007.' Dang, I was on top of things last year.
-At the end of the month, I visited family in NH, and went to my bro's birthday party where I played drunken card games. And then the next day I colored dinosaurs with my nephew Alex. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.
FEBRUARY
-Wow, I sure write a lot about how bad I am at keeping any sort of normal sleep schedule...
-I started getting interested in the Primaries, and voted for Obama--I've never been much for politics, but listening to NPR on a regular basis puts it more in perspective for me. I know a lot of people think public/talk radio is the most boring thing ever, but I find it way more interesting than standard mainstream news on TV, with their flashy graphics and sensationalism.
-I took a couple free bellydance classes via my health insurance, and enjoyed them, though they were super-basic and easy. Up to then my only bellydance-learning experience had been workouts with Veena and Neena (hahaha), so it was nice to try it in a different setting.
-I received my Piano Technology home study course... and gawked at the huge amount of information/reading it comes with!I still need to buckle down and get that done, yikes, has it really been 16 months? Shoot.
-More family-visiting, this time in VT. Writing about it, I mentioned that I was looking forward to my niece Zora being able to talk in full sentences and such. Funny to read, 'cause she's almost 3 now and full of questions (including "is there milk in /your/ boobies?" ...awkward! except, like, she's only 2)!
MARCH
-Quite possibly the most productive thing I did all year (my first completed cross-stitch design, unless you count the tiny "for kids" Cat With Yarn masterpiece):
-I went to Boston for a weekend; it was a mini fanmeet thing, but I spent most of the weekend with buddies Denee, Shayna, and Lal. It was a fun weekend, and just what I needed after a few months of being such a homebody!
(photos from Lal)
-Knowing I was moving to NH in late May, I thought about the pros and cons... I was pretty optimistic, looking forward to the move. Not that living in NH has been awful, but I haven't gotten as much done as I thought I would, and the work situation is pretty barren, so I'm stuck here kind of indefinitely, even though I'm so ready to get outta here (!). I've felt particularly homesick about NY lately, I think because I do really miss having my own place--having to wash all my dishes by hand and bring my clothes to the laundromat actually seems kind of appealing now. I've done/enjoyed some of the things on my "looking forward to in NH" list, and seeing this list again reminds me of a couple things I should remember to take advantage of... Like Bill and Bob's roast beef sandwiches.
APRIL
-I finally got back to Lena's and saw (almost) all of my open mic buddies... gosh I miss them.
-I spent a weekend at my bro Jeff's place while he and Lynnette were away--I babysat Alex, and petsat their dog and two cats... It was pretty draining, and I discovered that I am capable of yelling loudly (out of frustration). I almost laughed at myself, because I hardly EVER get angry, and I have never yelled like that before, except that I didn't want to ruin the seriousness that was "GET OFF THE COUNTER RIGHT NOW." Hahahah. Alex is a fun kid, but he's hyper and at times, really difficult. That and babysitting is really not my thing. One time I babysat the neighbors' kids across the street. Just once. haha.
MAY
-Apparently it's been 13 months since I last restrung my guitar, and it'd been 2 years before that. I guess that's one way to save money.
-I went to VT to visit with family and see Lois's annual Spielpalast Cabaret show, which had some great artsy skits, and especially excellent "big dance" numbers--I can still picture the one with the fans and umbrellas; it was so colorful and looked awesome from our balcony seats! That weekend, we also hung out with Mike and Zora in the park:
-May 15th: last sighting of my favorite UPS man. *sniff*
-Before I moved to NH, I made a point to get out to a couple open couple open mics and visit with my musician friends. I didn't realize this, but when I played before leaving it had, at that point, been a YEAR since I lasted performed in public (fortunately it went okay, even if I was totally discombobulated and nervous). Crazy! I had forgotten I'd gotten so out of practice beFORE moving--I was thinking that was just since I moved home. hmmmm...
-My last night at Lena's, I played a couple songs on piano, hung out with some great friends, watched/heard them all play, and ended up the guinea pig for James's (now well established) open mic video series:
-My last day of work at Aldrich Pianos was 5/23/08, after working there for 2 years. I learned a lot there, became pretty competent repairing and adjusting actions, and even got nearly expert on a couple jobs in particular (like installing new keytops). I miss that job a lot, and though it's been a slow crawl getting back into piano work since, that's still my most promising career path right now. Not to mention I gotta fix up and sell those two pianos Kevin gave me, haha. A couple samples of my work there:
-That evening, I met up with Paul for dinner at the local Indian restaurant, which was a fairly low-key event but for some reason still sticks out in my mind. I guess Paul and his million and one ideas at once, are kind of hard to forget. ;)
-Late May, I went solo to a wedding at a state park, for my friends Casey and Dave; it was really casually lovely. I guess that means they've already had their first anniversary now! Yay for them!, they are perfect together. :)
-Also, my best friend from high school, Erin, had her baby girl Tegan on May 25th. When I announced that at the time, I was unaware I'd end up spending so much time with the two of them the following year (since they have moved back to NH, too)... Tegan is 1 now and SO FRIGGIN' CUTE. Very dancey.
-On my birthday (the 29th), I went to an open mic in Troy where I saw a good handful of my friends, including my 1st real friend out there, Maurizio. There was some great music, the conclusion to a 3-year-old chess game, coffee, wine... after the open mic, I went to a local bar with Maurizio and Paul, and it felt like old times, when we were all hanging out on a weekly basis. A perfect birthday, really. :)
-The last day of May was moving day, which went smoothly except that Willow was out of her little cat mind all the way home, poor dear. And so ended the NY state chapter of my life, sadly... I could see myself living in that area again in the future, if I could find work, though I'm guessing it won't be the next place I go--I think I want to live somewhere different and new where I don't know anyone, first. We'll see.
-(gosh, May was busy!)
JUNE
-I got settled in my parents' house in NH. So much is the same as when I lived here up to college, including the gradual increasing frustration of living with my parents--they are great, but I like living independently, and we certainly have our differences (though we generally get along). But back in June '08, it sort of felt like summer break, newly off work and enjoying the mild NH summer.
-Dice moved back to NH, too, though not to the same barn we used to board her. She fit right in at the new place almost immediately, found a new friend, and has generally been more happy and calm than I've ever seen her. She's doing very well. Here she is with Greta in her first month there:
-I had another Boston trip, this time with just Denee. A couple Blue Man shows, wandering around Boston, and hanging out at the Charles bar, made for an excellent time. It was especially nice to be out and about in a city, 'cause even 3 weeks in sleepy northern NH can make one crave some signs of life, diversity, and culture! This was the last time we saw Karl before he moved away, aww, we miss you Karl.
(first and third photos are Denee's)
JULY
-Apparently uneventful, since all I wrote about July was one of my wacky dreams, and how my Mom and I cried at that "Christian the Lion" video.
AUGUST
-I got so into the summer Olympics... got sucked into the Michael Phelps drama (the hundredth-of-a-second win! the guy the saved the relay! What was his name, Jason something?), watched Nastia and Shawn kick ass in women's gymnastics, and even followed random stuff like archery. I also remember admiring all the pretty Chinese ladies who acted as signholders and such, with their pretty chin-high dresses. Opening ceremony was pretty rad, too.
-Here are a couple midday sleepy kitty photos from August:
-Labor Day weekend, my entire immediate family came to NH for a get-together. It's always fun to have everyone around at once. Lots of activity, some game-playing, plenty of silliness.
SEPTEMBER
-I went to see Ryan Adams in Boston, with my friend Eric, at the Bank of America Pavilion. We were close to the back in a moderate sea of seats, but the music was perfect and the breeze through the open-air venue, sublime. :) The band seemed to really have a blast, and Ryan called the Pavilion--floating in the harbor--"the next best thing to floating in space." Awesome.
-Here's a random photo of Willow in September:
OCTOBER
-While Erin was home for a visit with Tegan, we went apple picking with her folks. Those apples were damn good. And the mini donkeys near the orchard, oh gosh, I want one.
-At some point in the fall my parents and I saw Tom Rush, who was really good and had such a Caffe Lena feel to him that it made me homesick.
NOVEMBER
-I went on one more Boston trip (my life seems to be full of random trips to Boston, eh?)--this time it was a weekend with Shayna, who had her birthday there. Another mix of Blue Man, bar-hanging, and Boston-wandering... always a good combo. We stayed at the "quaint" Milner Hotel, saw a movie, and even played in a fountain in early Boston winter.
-Jeff's dog, Maverick, came to live with us while Jeff and his family switched homes--which took longer than expected... We ended up having Mav for about 2 months. We are not really dog people, or at least we don't really have a lifestyle/house that is great for a dog. Not to mention our poor cats basically went into hiding. Maverick is a really sweet dog but had really high exercise/attention demands that were at times, really hard to deal with. Jeff's family didn't end up taking him back, so we found him a new home, where he is happy as a clam. (Why are clams so happy, anyway?)
-Thanksgiving weekend meant more family-visiting, rather hectic, but nice all the same.
DECEMBER
-Speaking of family-visiting, December was full of it. Jason and Stephanie came up mid-December, and it's always more of an "event" when they come since they live in Atlanta and aren't around often. There were also the annual Christmas get-togethers on both my parents' sides of the family.
-We spent time with Mike and Jeff and their families around Christmas, but it was just me and my parents home on Christmas day. Kinda weird, but it makes sense because my brothers have their own families now, so it makes sense that they would be spending Christmas at their own homes and starting their own traditions. Maybe I'll get that someday, too...
-I spent New Year's in Vegas, with the same group of friends (plus and minus a couple) that all roomed together a few years back. We've kind of all gone our separate ways--the thread that used to connect us tightly (Blue Man) is kind of loose and random now, and in some cases nonexistant, but we've stayed friends regardless. A bunch of us saw Ka, which was fabulous. Karen and I saw the cheesy dinner show at Excalibur, which was as silly and tasty as I remembered. New Year's Eve itself wasn't too crazy--we hung out for dinner and drinks at Margaritaville, then did the countdown on the Strip (less insane than it looks)... I had a bad cold that trip so it wasn't as fun for me as it might have been, but it was still great to see everyone, and there were definitely some memorable moments (there always are, with that group). Though, I kind of got the feeling that might be the last time we're all together like that, and it makes me kinda sad. But maybe I'm wrong, I hope so!
(photos from Nicole and Brian, respectively)
Once again, after doing the year-in-review thing, I realize 2008 was more eventful than I thought--which is a good thing. Though most of the eventfulness came from random trips to visit family and friends--not a whole lot going on back home. But still. I guess 2008 was not half bad. ;)
so um... happy 2009? ha ha.
I don't really expect anyone to care about this now, and it's gonna be long and photo-filled, so I'll throw it behind a cut:
JANUARY
-I didn't do anything fancy to ring in the New Year, since I had already done a lot of traveling/socializing over Christmas break... though I do remember talking to Cyn when it was 2008 for me, and still 2007 for her out in Vegas, ha ha.
-The year started out with good intentions about making the most of my time left in New York (ie: getting out to the music scene more), and using my time back in NH productively, but, well, it's easy to think "this year is gonna be great! I'm gonna get so much done!" when it's January 1st.
-Jan. 9th: posted my "Year in Review 2007.' Dang, I was on top of things last year.
-At the end of the month, I visited family in NH, and went to my bro's birthday party where I played drunken card games. And then the next day I colored dinosaurs with my nephew Alex. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.
FEBRUARY
-Wow, I sure write a lot about how bad I am at keeping any sort of normal sleep schedule...
-I started getting interested in the Primaries, and voted for Obama--I've never been much for politics, but listening to NPR on a regular basis puts it more in perspective for me. I know a lot of people think public/talk radio is the most boring thing ever, but I find it way more interesting than standard mainstream news on TV, with their flashy graphics and sensationalism.
-I took a couple free bellydance classes via my health insurance, and enjoyed them, though they were super-basic and easy. Up to then my only bellydance-learning experience had been workouts with Veena and Neena (hahaha), so it was nice to try it in a different setting.
-I received my Piano Technology home study course... and gawked at the huge amount of information/reading it comes with!I still need to buckle down and get that done, yikes, has it really been 16 months? Shoot.
-More family-visiting, this time in VT. Writing about it, I mentioned that I was looking forward to my niece Zora being able to talk in full sentences and such. Funny to read, 'cause she's almost 3 now and full of questions (including "is there milk in /your/ boobies?" ...awkward! except, like, she's only 2)!
MARCH
-Quite possibly the most productive thing I did all year (my first completed cross-stitch design, unless you count the tiny "for kids" Cat With Yarn masterpiece):
-I went to Boston for a weekend; it was a mini fanmeet thing, but I spent most of the weekend with buddies Denee, Shayna, and Lal. It was a fun weekend, and just what I needed after a few months of being such a homebody!
(photos from Lal)
-Knowing I was moving to NH in late May, I thought about the pros and cons... I was pretty optimistic, looking forward to the move. Not that living in NH has been awful, but I haven't gotten as much done as I thought I would, and the work situation is pretty barren, so I'm stuck here kind of indefinitely, even though I'm so ready to get outta here (!). I've felt particularly homesick about NY lately, I think because I do really miss having my own place--having to wash all my dishes by hand and bring my clothes to the laundromat actually seems kind of appealing now. I've done/enjoyed some of the things on my "looking forward to in NH" list, and seeing this list again reminds me of a couple things I should remember to take advantage of... Like Bill and Bob's roast beef sandwiches.
APRIL
-I finally got back to Lena's and saw (almost) all of my open mic buddies... gosh I miss them.
-I spent a weekend at my bro Jeff's place while he and Lynnette were away--I babysat Alex, and petsat their dog and two cats... It was pretty draining, and I discovered that I am capable of yelling loudly (out of frustration). I almost laughed at myself, because I hardly EVER get angry, and I have never yelled like that before, except that I didn't want to ruin the seriousness that was "GET OFF THE COUNTER RIGHT NOW." Hahahah. Alex is a fun kid, but he's hyper and at times, really difficult. That and babysitting is really not my thing. One time I babysat the neighbors' kids across the street. Just once. haha.
MAY
-Apparently it's been 13 months since I last restrung my guitar, and it'd been 2 years before that. I guess that's one way to save money.
-I went to VT to visit with family and see Lois's annual Spielpalast Cabaret show, which had some great artsy skits, and especially excellent "big dance" numbers--I can still picture the one with the fans and umbrellas; it was so colorful and looked awesome from our balcony seats! That weekend, we also hung out with Mike and Zora in the park:
-May 15th: last sighting of my favorite UPS man. *sniff*
-Before I moved to NH, I made a point to get out to a couple open couple open mics and visit with my musician friends. I didn't realize this, but when I played before leaving it had, at that point, been a YEAR since I lasted performed in public (fortunately it went okay, even if I was totally discombobulated and nervous). Crazy! I had forgotten I'd gotten so out of practice beFORE moving--I was thinking that was just since I moved home. hmmmm...
-My last night at Lena's, I played a couple songs on piano, hung out with some great friends, watched/heard them all play, and ended up the guinea pig for James's (now well established) open mic video series:
Click to view-My last day of work at Aldrich Pianos was 5/23/08, after working there for 2 years. I learned a lot there, became pretty competent repairing and adjusting actions, and even got nearly expert on a couple jobs in particular (like installing new keytops). I miss that job a lot, and though it's been a slow crawl getting back into piano work since, that's still my most promising career path right now. Not to mention I gotta fix up and sell those two pianos Kevin gave me, haha. A couple samples of my work there:
-That evening, I met up with Paul for dinner at the local Indian restaurant, which was a fairly low-key event but for some reason still sticks out in my mind. I guess Paul and his million and one ideas at once, are kind of hard to forget. ;)
-Late May, I went solo to a wedding at a state park, for my friends Casey and Dave; it was really casually lovely. I guess that means they've already had their first anniversary now! Yay for them!, they are perfect together. :)
-Also, my best friend from high school, Erin, had her baby girl Tegan on May 25th. When I announced that at the time, I was unaware I'd end up spending so much time with the two of them the following year (since they have moved back to NH, too)... Tegan is 1 now and SO FRIGGIN' CUTE. Very dancey.
-On my birthday (the 29th), I went to an open mic in Troy where I saw a good handful of my friends, including my 1st real friend out there, Maurizio. There was some great music, the conclusion to a 3-year-old chess game, coffee, wine... after the open mic, I went to a local bar with Maurizio and Paul, and it felt like old times, when we were all hanging out on a weekly basis. A perfect birthday, really. :)
-The last day of May was moving day, which went smoothly except that Willow was out of her little cat mind all the way home, poor dear. And so ended the NY state chapter of my life, sadly... I could see myself living in that area again in the future, if I could find work, though I'm guessing it won't be the next place I go--I think I want to live somewhere different and new where I don't know anyone, first. We'll see.
-(gosh, May was busy!)
JUNE
-I got settled in my parents' house in NH. So much is the same as when I lived here up to college, including the gradual increasing frustration of living with my parents--they are great, but I like living independently, and we certainly have our differences (though we generally get along). But back in June '08, it sort of felt like summer break, newly off work and enjoying the mild NH summer.
-Dice moved back to NH, too, though not to the same barn we used to board her. She fit right in at the new place almost immediately, found a new friend, and has generally been more happy and calm than I've ever seen her. She's doing very well. Here she is with Greta in her first month there:
-I had another Boston trip, this time with just Denee. A couple Blue Man shows, wandering around Boston, and hanging out at the Charles bar, made for an excellent time. It was especially nice to be out and about in a city, 'cause even 3 weeks in sleepy northern NH can make one crave some signs of life, diversity, and culture! This was the last time we saw Karl before he moved away, aww, we miss you Karl.
(first and third photos are Denee's)
JULY
-Apparently uneventful, since all I wrote about July was one of my wacky dreams, and how my Mom and I cried at that "Christian the Lion" video.
AUGUST
-I got so into the summer Olympics... got sucked into the Michael Phelps drama (the hundredth-of-a-second win! the guy the saved the relay! What was his name, Jason something?), watched Nastia and Shawn kick ass in women's gymnastics, and even followed random stuff like archery. I also remember admiring all the pretty Chinese ladies who acted as signholders and such, with their pretty chin-high dresses. Opening ceremony was pretty rad, too.
-Here are a couple midday sleepy kitty photos from August:
-Labor Day weekend, my entire immediate family came to NH for a get-together. It's always fun to have everyone around at once. Lots of activity, some game-playing, plenty of silliness.
SEPTEMBER
-I went to see Ryan Adams in Boston, with my friend Eric, at the Bank of America Pavilion. We were close to the back in a moderate sea of seats, but the music was perfect and the breeze through the open-air venue, sublime. :) The band seemed to really have a blast, and Ryan called the Pavilion--floating in the harbor--"the next best thing to floating in space." Awesome.
-Here's a random photo of Willow in September:
OCTOBER
-While Erin was home for a visit with Tegan, we went apple picking with her folks. Those apples were damn good. And the mini donkeys near the orchard, oh gosh, I want one.
-At some point in the fall my parents and I saw Tom Rush, who was really good and had such a Caffe Lena feel to him that it made me homesick.
NOVEMBER
-I went on one more Boston trip (my life seems to be full of random trips to Boston, eh?)--this time it was a weekend with Shayna, who had her birthday there. Another mix of Blue Man, bar-hanging, and Boston-wandering... always a good combo. We stayed at the "quaint" Milner Hotel, saw a movie, and even played in a fountain in early Boston winter.
-Jeff's dog, Maverick, came to live with us while Jeff and his family switched homes--which took longer than expected... We ended up having Mav for about 2 months. We are not really dog people, or at least we don't really have a lifestyle/house that is great for a dog. Not to mention our poor cats basically went into hiding. Maverick is a really sweet dog but had really high exercise/attention demands that were at times, really hard to deal with. Jeff's family didn't end up taking him back, so we found him a new home, where he is happy as a clam. (Why are clams so happy, anyway?)
-Thanksgiving weekend meant more family-visiting, rather hectic, but nice all the same.
DECEMBER
-Speaking of family-visiting, December was full of it. Jason and Stephanie came up mid-December, and it's always more of an "event" when they come since they live in Atlanta and aren't around often. There were also the annual Christmas get-togethers on both my parents' sides of the family.
-We spent time with Mike and Jeff and their families around Christmas, but it was just me and my parents home on Christmas day. Kinda weird, but it makes sense because my brothers have their own families now, so it makes sense that they would be spending Christmas at their own homes and starting their own traditions. Maybe I'll get that someday, too...
-I spent New Year's in Vegas, with the same group of friends (plus and minus a couple) that all roomed together a few years back. We've kind of all gone our separate ways--the thread that used to connect us tightly (Blue Man) is kind of loose and random now, and in some cases nonexistant, but we've stayed friends regardless. A bunch of us saw Ka, which was fabulous. Karen and I saw the cheesy dinner show at Excalibur, which was as silly and tasty as I remembered. New Year's Eve itself wasn't too crazy--we hung out for dinner and drinks at Margaritaville, then did the countdown on the Strip (less insane than it looks)... I had a bad cold that trip so it wasn't as fun for me as it might have been, but it was still great to see everyone, and there were definitely some memorable moments (there always are, with that group). Though, I kind of got the feeling that might be the last time we're all together like that, and it makes me kinda sad. But maybe I'm wrong, I hope so!
(photos from Nicole and Brian, respectively)
Once again, after doing the year-in-review thing, I realize 2008 was more eventful than I thought--which is a good thing. Though most of the eventfulness came from random trips to visit family and friends--not a whole lot going on back home. But still. I guess 2008 was not half bad. ;)
so um... happy 2009? ha ha.