My Year in Review + What I Learned This Year, 6th Ed.

I decided to move this from October to the end of the year, so this is life lessons from a year and change.

I learned to catch mice and let them go harmlessly.

There was a plane crash that happened about 20 minutes after I left the airport, and I was so happy to narrowly miss it.

I hung out in Wisconsin and watched Obama take office.

Rob and I threw amazing parties and met tons and gobs and heaps of new wonderful people. I gained an audience, gained a perspective, gained a voice, lost friends accidentally, lost friends on purpose, cried over things I shouldn’t have, toughed out things I should have cried over, and started to learn the difference. It’s a process.

I drank too much, talked too much, said too much and stumbled home too late. I made pies, donuts, pretzels, latkes and tofu.

I rode the subway in my underwear, and I screamed at the TV when the President spoke (because, when you vote for someone, you want them to be Good and you despair when they aren’t. This was new.)

I found out that TiVoing every single episode of People’s Court pays off big time when someone threatens to sue you. (The other day Rob laughed as I started watching Judge Millian litigate yet another case and said, “This People’s Court devotion thing is the LAST thing I would have guessed about you.” What can I say? I’m a woman full of surprises.)

I learned this: in New York, if you think you can’t park there, you probably can’t, and you have to check in at the Apple store when you have an appointment.

I found out that drugs really are bad. (I should have learned this years ago, of course, but this year was the first time I saw hard drug usage change a person for the worse.  Bummer.)

I helped save a good orange cat from a hard life on the streets.

We figured out how to throw a good party. I don’t think I can tell you how, but every single one of the parties we threw this year had a magical, mellow, sweet feeling to them. No one got loud, no one got (too) drunk – it was all goodness. I think the secret is curating your friends really well. There, that’s it. Curate your friends thoughtfully, and your parties will swing.

SxSW rocked my world and was worth every penny.

The emergency room visit, the first in my life, was not worth it at all. The eventual two thousand dollar conclusion was “fluids and rest”. Never in my life have I been so sick or so ripped off.

I learned to love Rob again. There was a moment there that I wasn’t so sure we’d make it.

I started a podcast and learned that 9 times out of 10 if you ask someone, “Will you come on my show so I can interview you?” they say yes. It’s gotten easier and easier to do a good interview; I’m not stellar yet, but vastly improved from this time last year when I knew absolutely NOTHING!  Listening to Terry Gross helps.

I learned this very important lesson: respecting ideas and respecting people are not the same thing, and you CAN do one without the other, but most people can’t.  Or won’t.

Peeling potatoes started giving me an allergic reaction similar to the one you would imagine rubbing the inside of your nose with oil of ragweed would, and it’s annoying not only because this hampers my mashed potato making but because it makes me sound ridiculous when I’m asked to help at family dinner and I’m all, “Yeah, I can’t, I’m allergic.” I can eat potatoes just fine, I just can’t peel them. It’s really weird.

Twitter rocked this year, and the next person who whines “Twitter is stupid!” to me is getting punched in the face. It’s been an unbelievably useful tool for me both professionally and personally this year, and I will kiss Biz and Jack on the mouth if I ever get the chance.

I got a new wallet, so I’ll be set until about 2019.

I learned not to buy the four pack of deoderant at Costco.  You might save a bit of money but you’ll be so sick of the smell by stick two that you’ll end up buying something else just to save your sanity.

If you need to feed an abandoned baby squirrel, you give them warm kitten formula in an eyedropper, and keep them on a hot water bottle.

Pay parking tickets or they’ll tow your car.

I got to go to the very first game in the new Yankee stadium, making me special forever.

A dog bit me for the first time and I bled a LOT. (It wasn’t one of my dogs.)

I changed my name! If you do, I suggest you not time it with an apartment change – my mail is still screwed up.

Speaking of which, we moved! After searching and searching for the perfect apartment, we found one using a realtor. I will never try to find another apartment without one.

I went nuts and hacked off all my hair.

We put two laundry lines up, and now that it’s too cold to use them, I miss them!

I finally got to see the Westboro Baptist Church up close! They’re so weird!

I got a tattoo.

I started working out.

I got sick about a bajillion times, and I have no idea what’s wrong with me. Something to tackle this year.