2010: a charmed year in review

You know, it’s funny how easy it is to look at a year and think “eh, not too much happened”. Until you think about it real hard and realize that’s anything but the case.

Big Bird on the Flying Trapeze

I picked up a new unusual hobby back in February, when I thought I was just going to try one trapeze class to see what I thought. Just one. In the span of a year, I’ve gone from knee hang to halftime pennyroll to backend straddle to backend split and currently working on a turnaround, even managing to finally eek out some actual returns. And in September, my 10 week class did a final show in bird costume. Keeping it interesting.

#140 Sweets

And, of course, there were the food festivals and events. In April, I learned there’s a day that can be full of more food than Thanksgiving, and it’s called the Village Voice Choice Eats. Unreal. Not even rain could keep me away. In May, we had the #140Sweets event to raise money for Autism Speaks, and I made some super yummy PB&J cupcakes. I went to the Fourth Annual Food Film Festival, including their Edible Adventure #001: Smokes, Ears, & Ice Cream (admission: pig ears could be the low point of 2010), World’s First Food Truck Drive-in Movie, and the Grits Takedown, where I met stylish Esther, a fellow Southern foodie and spent a day devoted to this blog’s namesake. Heaven. I also met the fabulous Catty (@catty) due to her being stranded a few days. Darn London snow had an upside. Can’t wait til she shows me the best London has to offer for dinner!

Meeting My Boyfriend, Bourdain

I forgot just how many of my favorite authors I met in 2010. I went again to Jen Lancaster’s reading – always a treat. I went with my mom to see Anthony Bourdain (only after she read Kitchen Confidential to ensure she was read for non-censored-for-TV Tony) and confirmed I need to go back to Spain courtesy of his food recommendations. Noted. I also finally met Allison Winn Scotch, an author who I’ve followed a while online with her wonderfully informative blog geared towards writers. I met her when she fascilitated an evening with Jonathan Tropper, a wonderful author whose works I was not familiar with but of which I’ve become a fan.

Rio Celeste - Volcan Tenorio National Park, Costa Rica

It was also a year for travel. In April, my friend Meg and I opted for a more adventurous trip to Costa Rica. I think I’m still recovering. It will be a while before I will ever drive again (let alone in a foreign country) and I learned that speaking Spanish can be helpful when local government officials try to intimidate you into bribery. Oh yes. Over the summer, I went through New England with my family, stopping in CT, VT, and RI en route to Freeport, Maine. My friend Jenn and I went on a “day trip” to Montauk with our pups (where Dixie survived an attack by the Atlantic Ocean), which once we became stranded quickly became an impromptu weekend trip. I went to my favorite beaches, Destin, FL and Gulf Shores, AL with my family in October, the perfect time to escape the declining temperatures in NYC. And as always, I traveled back to AL for the holidays in time to see the area’s most significant White Christmas ever.

Celebrating My Sis

In February, I cut off all my hair (cause why not). I learned that Hoboken St. Paddy’s doesn’t have to mean a drowned iPhone, and that sometimes, a concert is best enjoyed via the rear view. My sister and I went to see Martha Stewart, reminding me I need to take advantage of all the filmings here in the city more often. I said goodbye to an old friend, and finally upgraded my apartment to look, ehem, a tad more grown up. I danced in a mob of zombies in NYC’s Halloween parade in 80′s garb with a Pat Benatar wig. I tried to do NaNoWriMo for the third time, and had to wave the white flag when I was too sick to really give it my all. December was very much not quiet, as usual, and included the massive Blip.tv holiday party, Peter Shankman’s holiday party, as well as the Digital Somethings holiday party. Phew. And, in general, I spent countless hours throughout the year surrounded by the company of some of the most wonderful people I could ask for in my life.

Three cheers to 2010 and can’t wait to see what 2011 has in store.

Happy 2011!

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