Community / Beautifully Different / Party / Wisdom

Prompt 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

This year was an odd one, because compared with the last two years, where I truly felt like "a part of something" online, I feel like I fell away from internet social communities. In 2008 and 2009 I was so involved with ontd_ai (and active in ONTD) that it was like having another family. We bonded over the same loves and jokes and stupid things, but I became so preoccupied with spending my precious last moments in North Carolina with my real-life friends (as well as packing and moving, you know) that I just didn't care as much anymore. It's funny, because I used to be the go-to resource for any of my friends wondering about what's up with ANY celebrity, and now I only have a clue about, like, who Taylor Swift just broke up with (Jake! Run! You're freeeeeee!!).
In the same prompt, though, it's absolutely necessary to gush about the bonding I did with friends old and new in 2010. Leaving my friends in NC in May was so difficult, but they all pitched in and helped me... from taking me out for birthday/goodbye dinners & drinks, to throwing me 2 parties (in one weekend!), to sitting on my bare floor helping me pack last-minute crap (and making me sing high notes for their amusement)... It made me realize how much I needed those people in my life, and how much I would miss them.
The wonderful women I've met since I've moved here to NYC have made such a difference in my life, too. The dudes are all well and great, sure, but I never thought I'd find such great female friends, and so many.

Prompt 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. 

This is a barfy question and I don't like it. My quirks make me fantastic, yes, and people seem to enjoy my sense of humor, but I'm not going to get all Braggy McBraggerson about it. So... blerg.

Prompt 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. 

Two words: OFFICE PARTIES. These are just not good ideas for me, but they are such blasts. But I'd have to say the coolest party I went to in 2010... well... okay, I could never choose.
My "Facebook wedding" to my friend CK was hysterical and I showed up in a white dress, veil, & bouquet...
The party weekend mentioned in Prompt 7, where two separate (yet intermingling) groups of friends threw me fabulous parties to say goodbye...
My last night at trivia, where we basically hijacked the DJ and convinced him to play all of our favorites, from "Evacuate The Dancefloor" to Styx's "Come Sail Away" (complete with slow-dancing with the Indian dude who had once asked me out via iPhone screensaver)...
And the Epicurious Entertains party where I drank probably 2.5 bottles of champagne (LORDY) and met a lot of cool people and figured out that my boss really loved having me around and would fight for me to stay.

Prompt 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?

Blah blah blah, moved to NYC, etc. This was such a milestone in my life, and everything has worked out so brilliantly from the moment I made the decision (technically that was in late December but STILL). I guess if I had to pick ANOTHER "wisest decision" it wouldn't even really be a conscious decision that I intended to make, but I feel like I have finally started liking guys who would actually be GOOD for me. For a long time after the breakup, I was falling for assholes or guys who were completely unavailable (married/gay/priest/etc)... but a pattern is starting to emerge that is positive and healthy, and I rather like it. Now to just keep that up...

Wonder / Let Go / Make

Prompt 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

I am in constant awe of this city. Even right now, surrounded by what feels like BILLIONS of really stupid tourists, an upward glance every now and then fills me with an amazing calm and sense of awe. My climb out of the 33rd St subway station on the way to Mass each week puts me in full view of the Empire State Building, and my makeshift "office" at work (which is to say, the room where we store our promotional products and I therefore spend a LOT of my time) has a panoramic view of East Midtown, from the GE building to the Chrysler Building.

It's hard to NOT feel appreciation and wonder in this city, especially as a newcomer. One thing I do to maintain it when it's gloomy and crowded, though, is cultivate my iTunes playlists very carefully. The right soundtrack can fix ANY mood. I discovered Jason Reeves this year and have found him in particular to be the perfect mood music for ANY mood. His music is sometimes melancholy, sometimes quietly inspirational, sometimes lovestruck - which are the precise emotions that I feel in regard to the City.

Prompt 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

This year, for the first time EVER, I performed a major purge of my Facebook friends-list. It was incredibly overdue, and was actually inspired by a former friend who proved to be unforgivably flaky. I don't have time for people who stand me up or aren't there for me or can't be trusted, so I ditched even the vaguest pretense of fraternity (which is, of course, the presence of said "friend" on my Facebook profile) and said goodbye. So far, only one of the people I "dumped" has tried to friend me back, and it's someone I have actually never even met in person. This makes me even more confident that I did exactly the right thing for me.

Prompt 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

Wow. I'm realizing now how uncreative my life has been to date. I invent and innovate and Excel and Word things all day long at work, so when I get home, the only thing I ever actually create is food. And even then, lately I have not been pushing myself - I've just made recipes that I know and/or come out of a box. I suppose I tried a new recipe this weekend, but it was just for chocolate-hazelnut cookies that I made for the building staff at work.

I keep telling myself that I need to take up a hobby. I just have no idea what those hobbies should be.

Writing / Moment

Prompt 2 - Writing: What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?

Well, besides the obvious - work takes up so much of my time that it's a little traumatizing - I'd say the biggest impediment to blogging is the TV. I watch a LOT of television/movies/Netflix, but I do it in part to stay culturally aware and therefore (theoretically) come up with new ideas for the blog. Yes, I know I'm rationalizing.

I don't think I could ever give up TV. It calms me down, takes me out of my world for a little bit, and (because the majority of my shows are in the reality genre) reminds me that there are worse people out there. I tried the "no TV before blogging" thing, which was a good idea except that I really do need that decompression time after work. Blogging AT work seems like a much more sound idea.

Prompt 3 - Moment: Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

I have upwellings of intense, positive emotion every so often, where my heart feels like it's so full that it could burst. I remember driving to the City on May 15, utterly exhausted from about 5 hours of sleep the night before, the 9.5-hour drive, and the lack of a cruise control function in the cargo van I was driving (note to self: ALWAYS CHECK FOR CRUISE CONTROL). But when I saw the skyline set against blue sky for the very first time as a new resident... It was like my world had started over. I had been tweeting like mad that day, to keep everyone posted on my road trip and at that point I started texting everyone, I was just so excited. I felt like there was a ray of sunlight beaming right into my chest, and everything was going to be just fine.

One Word

I found the Reverb10 meme via one of my favorite blogs, Amanda's Noisiest Passenger. I so often find myself without ideas for this thing, so prompts are always a useful exercise.

Reverb10 Prompt 1 - One Word

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?

The only word that defines my 2010 at all is "change." I talk about it constantly, but the move up here was so life-altering and terrifying and thrilling that it has completely dominated my year, from the moment in late December last year when I made the decision to the present moment, where I'm still struggling to define myself in my new environment.

I've done a lot of things I'm proud of, and quite a few things of which I'm ashamed to admit.

I've started essentially from scratch with my friend base, renewed a long-distance friendship that isn't long-distance anymore, and tried as hard as I can to keep in contact with my friends back home.

I've struggled with temp jobs, temp jobs that were supposed to become permanent jobs and didn't, and temp jobs that were never supposed to be permanent and have turned into something long-term and wonderful.

Nothing about my life in 2010 has been stable. I'm the kind of person that really likes habits and routines, and frequently find myself in a rut. Not so much anymore! I've seen my relationship with God surge, ebb, and ultimately begin to dwindle - something I'm not proud of at all. I hope that 2011 will mean a return to normalcy and stability, at the very least where my mind, body, and wallet are concerned. It's been an exciting year, but now I'm just exhausted.
I want 2011 to mean "serenity."