The countdown.
I sometimes spend the whole year thinking about this moment, when I will canonize whatever year this was in this very nice, succinct format, and then have a lovely little summary of 200TK. But here, weirdly, while I'm looking forward to scribing down the events of a very meaningful year, I realize the thing that I'm the most hung up on right now doesn't have a "defining moments" tag attached to it in the blog that is my head. It's always been Harris/Chuck Bass, I shouldn't be so surprised that my inner Blair Waldorf finally realized it was still Chuck Bass. But, like, ugh. I can't love Harris/Chuck Bass! He has Anya/Twins in Room Service! I'm kind of freaking out, because I think a lot of the things that didn't happen in 2008, like, meeting any boys, are because I might have secretly been hung up on him the whole time. And that's terrifying, and probably true. So maybe if you look at 2008 through this lens, of the Secretly and Accidentally In Love With Harris/Chuck Bass All Year, it will make more sense than all of this does to me right now.
January: The dream starts coming true. Even though I didn't get to go to Glamour, my internship at Women's Health introduced me to the glamorous world of magazine writing, editing and of course, New York City. I was hooked and decided I would make good on my promise of swapping my Northwestern diploma for a one-way ticket to LaGuardia International Airport. January 6th, 2008: Bright lights, big city.
mood was: overwhelmed, but excited
music was: Missy Higgins- Scar
February: The landmine finally explodes. I will remember, forever, and now fondly, the moment the then-love-of-my-life told me "I'm going to call you the minefield that's how many bombs you dropped tonight." He was referring, of course, to both my declaration of love and my insinuation his best friend might also be best friends with Dorothy. Also of course, I was right, and on Super Bowl Sunday, I found out they both flying rainbow flags. The entire cloud over the last year-and-a-half lifted when I heard the new-now immortal words. February 3, 2008: "I went on a date with a boy!"
mood was: so, so relieved
music was: Weezer- Pink Triangle
March: The breakup. I don't really know what propelled me to decide to stay with my very unpleasant then-boyfriend when I left for WH and NYC in January, but I did, and in March, before I even saw him again after a whole quarter apart, I ended it. I had never broken up with anyone before, and it was actually really freeing and easy. March 31, 2008: "It's not me, it's you."
mood was: free
music was: Dream- When I Get There
April: The seniors. We amassed our [sometimes surprisingly] awesome pledge class for an outing at Cesar's Killer Margaritas, site of many an indiscretion spring of senior year. We danced with old ladies, we grumbled about the extra charges for our staple chips and salsa, we drank way past intelligent points, and I knew I had been in the right place all along. April 13, 2008: Here's to you, here's to me, here's to fucking AOT.
mood was: happy! and wet
music was: Cupid- The Cupid Shuffle
May: The ocho [de Mayo]. The six fabulous resident of 1121 Garnett decided to finally throw a soiree, complete with 3 of us in Backstreet Boys t-shirts, the littlest of us in a Thug Princess cap, and our entire shitshow of a softball team. Our turnout was so impressive that a penguin and Ryan Seacrest showed up. May 8, 2008: House parties were so nice.
mood was: amused
music was: R. Kelly and Usher- Same Girl
June: The ascension [part 2]. This time it was much more official: caps, gowns, parties, dinners, families and friends' families and family friends. Mayor Daley gave about the most boring speech ever--something about underprivileged homeless kids and Chicago getting the 2016 Olympics bid--but the message was clear: this, this being in school, this knowing what comes next, this built-in friendship network and life free of huge responsibility, this is over. June 20, 2008: Graduation day [part 2].
mood was: nostalgic and scared
music was: I had to look in my iTunes because I couldn't remember, and according to it, on that day I listened to: Rascal Flatt's Me and My Gang, The Postal Service's Such Great Heights, The Propellorhead's History Repeating, and, appropriately enough, Where Do We Go From Here? from the BtVS musical.
July: The goodbye girl [part 2]. After a couple of nuclear meltdowns about having everything packed up on my own, and digesting the entire first season of Dexter in about 3 days, I left Evanston and everything I had worked so hard for to go work so hard for the next phase. My friends threw me an amazing Bon Voyage party, and I said goodbye to them, my house, my job, and my old life. July 30, 2008: Moving out, moving on.
mood was: sad
music was: David Cook- Always Be My Baby
August: The return to the dream. When I left WH in March, I said I had a feeling I would be back, and in August, I came back to find my desk just how I left it. I jumped head first into what would be a rocky month at WH, but I knew I was glad to be back. August 1, 2008: Start of something good.
mood was: busy!
music was: Rihanna- Disturbia
September: The Serena also rises. I went to visit my BFF in her new digs, but I wasn't amazed with what I saw. Instead of finding her post-breakup and in need of some bestie time, she had assimilated into her new environment so quickly I barely recognized her. I spent most of the weekend trying to swallow the pain and convince myself what I was seeing wasn't permanent, but she may as well have given me the "It's not my fault you're so insecure!" speech. The fear subsided, but the feeling never really went away. September 26-28, 2008: The bubble of college really did burst. And spattered carnage everywhere.
mood was: alone
music was: Death Cab for Cutie- The Ice Was Getting Thinner
October: The [brief] comback. When it was time for round 2 on NYC turf, I did my best to prove I, too, was doing well here. This plan consisted, in a not terribly premeditated manner, of bringing a boy back to Emmet and Dan's 2-bedroom apartment in Stuy Town where we were crashing after telling said boy I lived in a studio in Chelsea, panicking, and falling asleep almost immediately, with him still there. I woke up in the morning to discover he was from L.A. and had no idea where his friends were or lived. Pretty classy, S. I guess I proved a point? October 17, 2008: How Sara [almost] got her groove back.
mood was: confused and apparently, confusing.
music was: Britney Spears- Womanizer
November [1]: The birthday. Being the wonderfully fabulous organizer that I am, Annie and HF came into town for my 22nd birthday, which was everything I could have asked for--close friends, good food, a fun party, and a random German boy to make out with in the bathroom of my favorite bar in NYC. Overall, I'd say my first New Yorker birthday was a success. November 9, 2008: Wow, I'm only 22? I should still be in college, huh?
mood was: drunk
music was: Britney Spears- Kill the Lights
[2] The homecoming. I went back to Atlanta for my first Thanksgiving there since 1989, and I saw what I had been missing: tons of family, lots of mediocre food, and a bonus reunion of most of the girls. It was too sweet and too short, but a great teaser for the next trip back. November 28, 2008: I went to a Southern Thanksgiving, and they didn't even deep-fry the turkey.
mood was: full
music was: T.I. feat. Rihanna- Live Your Life
December: The reunion I never saw coming. Pumped about getting the core 6 back together again, we decided the Galloway Alumni Winter Toast was the place to do it. After marveling at how cheap it is to go out in Atlanta ($5 open bar at Sweetwater Brewery?! Really?!) we hit the town and ended up back at a place I hadn't been since the beginning of 2004: Mike and Nickerson's pad. The thing is? This time I actually had fun. December 26, 2008: Talk about coming full circle.
mood was: entertained
music was: Beyonce- Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
And there you have it. See you in 2009!
January: The dream starts coming true. Even though I didn't get to go to Glamour, my internship at Women's Health introduced me to the glamorous world of magazine writing, editing and of course, New York City. I was hooked and decided I would make good on my promise of swapping my Northwestern diploma for a one-way ticket to LaGuardia International Airport. January 6th, 2008: Bright lights, big city.
mood was: overwhelmed, but excited
music was: Missy Higgins- Scar
February: The landmine finally explodes. I will remember, forever, and now fondly, the moment the then-love-of-my-life told me "I'm going to call you the minefield that's how many bombs you dropped tonight." He was referring, of course, to both my declaration of love and my insinuation his best friend might also be best friends with Dorothy. Also of course, I was right, and on Super Bowl Sunday, I found out they both flying rainbow flags. The entire cloud over the last year-and-a-half lifted when I heard the new-now immortal words. February 3, 2008: "I went on a date with a boy!"
mood was: so, so relieved
music was: Weezer- Pink Triangle
March: The breakup. I don't really know what propelled me to decide to stay with my very unpleasant then-boyfriend when I left for WH and NYC in January, but I did, and in March, before I even saw him again after a whole quarter apart, I ended it. I had never broken up with anyone before, and it was actually really freeing and easy. March 31, 2008: "It's not me, it's you."
mood was: free
music was: Dream- When I Get There
April: The seniors. We amassed our [sometimes surprisingly] awesome pledge class for an outing at Cesar's Killer Margaritas, site of many an indiscretion spring of senior year. We danced with old ladies, we grumbled about the extra charges for our staple chips and salsa, we drank way past intelligent points, and I knew I had been in the right place all along. April 13, 2008: Here's to you, here's to me, here's to fucking AOT.
mood was: happy! and wet
music was: Cupid- The Cupid Shuffle
May: The ocho [de Mayo]. The six fabulous resident of 1121 Garnett decided to finally throw a soiree, complete with 3 of us in Backstreet Boys t-shirts, the littlest of us in a Thug Princess cap, and our entire shitshow of a softball team. Our turnout was so impressive that a penguin and Ryan Seacrest showed up. May 8, 2008: House parties were so nice.
mood was: amused
music was: R. Kelly and Usher- Same Girl
June: The ascension [part 2]. This time it was much more official: caps, gowns, parties, dinners, families and friends' families and family friends. Mayor Daley gave about the most boring speech ever--something about underprivileged homeless kids and Chicago getting the 2016 Olympics bid--but the message was clear: this, this being in school, this knowing what comes next, this built-in friendship network and life free of huge responsibility, this is over. June 20, 2008: Graduation day [part 2].
mood was: nostalgic and scared
music was: I had to look in my iTunes because I couldn't remember, and according to it, on that day I listened to: Rascal Flatt's Me and My Gang, The Postal Service's Such Great Heights, The Propellorhead's History Repeating, and, appropriately enough, Where Do We Go From Here? from the BtVS musical.
July: The goodbye girl [part 2]. After a couple of nuclear meltdowns about having everything packed up on my own, and digesting the entire first season of Dexter in about 3 days, I left Evanston and everything I had worked so hard for to go work so hard for the next phase. My friends threw me an amazing Bon Voyage party, and I said goodbye to them, my house, my job, and my old life. July 30, 2008: Moving out, moving on.
mood was: sad
music was: David Cook- Always Be My Baby
August: The return to the dream. When I left WH in March, I said I had a feeling I would be back, and in August, I came back to find my desk just how I left it. I jumped head first into what would be a rocky month at WH, but I knew I was glad to be back. August 1, 2008: Start of something good.
mood was: busy!
music was: Rihanna- Disturbia
September: The Serena also rises. I went to visit my BFF in her new digs, but I wasn't amazed with what I saw. Instead of finding her post-breakup and in need of some bestie time, she had assimilated into her new environment so quickly I barely recognized her. I spent most of the weekend trying to swallow the pain and convince myself what I was seeing wasn't permanent, but she may as well have given me the "It's not my fault you're so insecure!" speech. The fear subsided, but the feeling never really went away. September 26-28, 2008: The bubble of college really did burst. And spattered carnage everywhere.
mood was: alone
music was: Death Cab for Cutie- The Ice Was Getting Thinner
October: The [brief] comback. When it was time for round 2 on NYC turf, I did my best to prove I, too, was doing well here. This plan consisted, in a not terribly premeditated manner, of bringing a boy back to Emmet and Dan's 2-bedroom apartment in Stuy Town where we were crashing after telling said boy I lived in a studio in Chelsea, panicking, and falling asleep almost immediately, with him still there. I woke up in the morning to discover he was from L.A. and had no idea where his friends were or lived. Pretty classy, S. I guess I proved a point? October 17, 2008: How Sara [almost] got her groove back.
mood was: confused and apparently, confusing.
music was: Britney Spears- Womanizer
November [1]: The birthday. Being the wonderfully fabulous organizer that I am, Annie and HF came into town for my 22nd birthday, which was everything I could have asked for--close friends, good food, a fun party, and a random German boy to make out with in the bathroom of my favorite bar in NYC. Overall, I'd say my first New Yorker birthday was a success. November 9, 2008: Wow, I'm only 22? I should still be in college, huh?
mood was: drunk
music was: Britney Spears- Kill the Lights
[2] The homecoming. I went back to Atlanta for my first Thanksgiving there since 1989, and I saw what I had been missing: tons of family, lots of mediocre food, and a bonus reunion of most of the girls. It was too sweet and too short, but a great teaser for the next trip back. November 28, 2008: I went to a Southern Thanksgiving, and they didn't even deep-fry the turkey.
mood was: full
music was: T.I. feat. Rihanna- Live Your Life
December: The reunion I never saw coming. Pumped about getting the core 6 back together again, we decided the Galloway Alumni Winter Toast was the place to do it. After marveling at how cheap it is to go out in Atlanta ($5 open bar at Sweetwater Brewery?! Really?!) we hit the town and ended up back at a place I hadn't been since the beginning of 2004: Mike and Nickerson's pad. The thing is? This time I actually had fun. December 26, 2008: Talk about coming full circle.
mood was: entertained
music was: Beyonce- Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
And there you have it. See you in 2009!