1. what did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
 So many things!  Lived with a partner, started nursing school, moved to NYC

2. did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't think I had any resolutions last year.  This year I just want to do well at school and maintain sanity while doing it.

3. did anyone close to you give birth?
Ryan's sister had twins.

4. did anyone close to you die?

My mom's best friend Mary Ellen died.  I felt really sad about that.
 

5. what countries did you visit?
Just stayed in the USA this year.


6. what would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
I want to feel more in control of school and to have confidence in my nursing skills.


7. what date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Ugh, I hate remembering dates.  My 1 year anniversary with Ryan was Oct 31st.  I think I left Philly on Aug 16th or 18th. 


8. what was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finally starting nursing school after working towards it for 5 years. 

9. what was your biggest failure?
I almost failed pathophysiology.  I felt like a big loser.  At NYU nursing the fail grade is 72 or below. 


10. did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major.  I seem to always have weirdo ailments, but fortunately nothing much that inhibits daily life.


11. what was the best thing you bought?
A brand new couch and love seat.  A new winter coat that I love, boots from the thrift store that I wear everyday.  Ryan and I bought an amazing refrigerator that we had to leave at the house in Philly.  I love it though. 
 

12. whose behavior merited celebration?

I don't really know how to answer this question.

13. whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

This list could be pretty long.  There are  a lot of people that a pretty appalling.
14. where did most of your money go?
Paying for college.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Reading books on the subway, living with Dodger

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Probably unchained melody because I constantly sing it to Ryan in silly voices.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Good question.  Probably happier.  I feel less crazy after leaving Philly.  I love my apartment.  I'm not stoked on school though.


ii. thinner or fatter?

Not totally sure.  I do know that I gained about 20 pounds since I stopped riding my bike regularly.

iii. richer or poorer?

Probably richer, but soon to be poorer after paying off tuition and not having a job for 15+ months

18. what do you wish you'd done more of?
Riding my bike, cooking, walking, reading.

19. what do you wish you'd done less of?

Laying in bed watching tv.  I wish that I hadn't goofed off so much when school started. 

20. how did you spend christmas?
At a hotel in Piscataway with Ryan, Dodger.  Rebecca, Mom and Troy came over.  Ryan surprised me by putting up a tiny Christmas tree and stockings.  We watched a bunch of lifetime movies and opened presents and went to see Sherlock Holmes.  So fun!


22. did you fall in love in 2011?
Stayed in love.  My love for Dodger grows everyday. 

23. how many one night stands?

None.

24. what was your favourite tv program?
This year I watched a lot of Grey's Anatomy, Friday Night lights, the Office, 30 Rock, ER, and I have recently become obsessed with New Girl.  It is so funny.  I am rewatching Twin Peaks with Ryan.  So good!




25. do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Some people have really pissed me off and i have had to bite my lip a lot. 

26. What was the best book you read?

Hmm.  I like The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Do It Anyway by Courtney Martin, The Time Traveler's Wife.  Not sure what book was the best though. 

27. what was your greatest musical discovery?
 Watching The Voice!!  I was totally addicted.  I listened to the Adele record a lot when we moved to NY. 

28. what did you want and get?

I got into nursing school and I got to live in an apartment.  I wanted Ryan to move with me and he totally did.

29. what did you want and not get?

I wanted to get into nursing school and UPenn and I did not get it and I was very sad for awhile about it.

30. what was your favorite film of this year?

I watch a lot movies, but lately I've been more into tv shows.  I saw 50/50 in the theater and I liked it a lot. 

31. what did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 30!  I had people over to make pizza and we ate vegan ice cream cake and played apples to apples. 

32. what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Making more friends at school, feeling more connection to school.  Making more money at PPSP and feeling like that place was doing better than it was. 

33. how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

This question is weird.  Since moving to Brooklyn I have tried to step it up a notch.  I work more skirts and dresses this year and less hoodies and jeans. 

34. what kept you sane?
Different things at different times.  Getting out of town.  Making new acquaintances.  Moving.  Being in a health relationship.  My new school friend.  Eating vegetables.  Tv on the computer.  Reading on the subway. 
35. which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
hmm.  not totally sure.  I still can get pretty excited about grunge players in the 90s.  I watched the pearl jam documentary and loved it.  I still love reading about Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. 

36. what political issue stirred you the most?
Trying to defund Planned Parenthood, new ambulatory care restrictions in PA, Occupy stuff.


37. who did you miss?
I miss having a tight group of girls to hang with.  This is the first time in my life I don't have it and I have serious mourning for a girl crew.  Ladies to plan trips with and go to shows with and gossip with.  It really hurts not having that anymore.

38. who was the best new person you met?

I like my new friend Halley at school. 

39. tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

I need to get rid of more stuff before I move again. 

40. quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

The only thing that comes to mind is "party rockers in the house tonight."

2012

Winter break from nursing school means that I can read blogs and update my blog.  I've been reading all these 2011 year in review and new resolutions for 2012.  It seems like 2011 was not a great year for a lot of people.  In thinking back on 2011, it was a year of change for me.  I moved in with a partner for a first time, we moved to New York, my first time in apartment living (as opposed to living in a group house), living with a dog for the first time as an adult, starting nursing school, taking out loans, paying tuition, not having a job for the first time in years, leaving Philly and living in Brooklyn, not really riding my bike for the first time in years, feeling less connected to good friends, not being very social, going to 6 weddings in one year, living in the same city as Molly again.  So many things have changed. 

I have never really liked making New Year Resolutions.  I am pretty sure it is because I am constantly in a state of examining my self and trying to do better.  I have never liked the "my diet starts on Monday approach to things."  If you want to start eating differently or better, start now.  Don't live the life that you don't want now, so you can start fresh in 2012.  But maybe this is hypocritical because until Jan 23rd I have a lot of time to myself and I made a big list of stuff that I want to and need to do until school starts, so I have been able to do some stuff that I have been putting off and it feels like a fresh start.  Since school ended, I've been reading lots of books, watching tons of tv, and doing some fun cooking.  Yesterday I was trying to use all the odds and ends of stuff that we had in the refrigerator.  For breakfast we had crescent rolls, fried tempeh with liquid smoke and agave, sauteed spinach and garlic, and sliced cucumber with garlic salt.  It was so yummy.  For dinner we had yellow split peas, frozen green beans, corn and cranberry sauce from a can.  I love cranberry sauce and corn from a can.  I am still not sure what to do with yellow split peas.  I put garlic salt, pepper, nutritional yeast on them, but I still feel like I am missing something, maybe curry?  I also started doing these crunch workouts that are on netflix.  Yesterday I did a dance one and I felt so stupid and self conscious, even though I was alone.  I stopped half way through.  Today I did the boot camp one.  It definitely kicked my butt.  I felt sooo out of shape.  I want to try to keep up with it.  Maybe I will pull out my old yoga sculpt dvd.    Since it is cold I don't want to do anything outside. 

Ryan and I started watching Twin Peaks over Christmas break and I love rewatching it.  I like thinking about psychoanalysis and catching all the stuff I missed last time around.  I'm reading Jay-Z's book Decoded.  I love reading what informs artist's art.  Jay-Z does a really good job of breaking down how his life has lead him to where he is.  I also like reading about Brooklyn in the 80s and 90s.  I love the trend of artist's describing where they came from.  I remember in college having a debate with a dude about whether you should take a writer's identity into consideration when reading their work.  Of course I was a women's studies major so my whole academic experience was shaped by looking at the intersections of race, class, and sex and how that influences everything.  I took classes in sociology, political science, English, as well as in other departements, but always looked at the subject through the lens of gender or sex.  If I had to teach a class about life influencing art, I would put Decoded, Andrea Dworkin's Heartbreak, Adrienne Kennedy's People Who Led Me to My Plays, and bell hooks's Bone Black on the syllabus. 

So far, I haven't really liked nursing school very much, but I don't think that means that I am going to hate nursing.  It makes me feel sad, since I love college so much the first time around and this will probably be the last time I'll be in college for awhile.  It was dream to go to NYU in high school, however a student teacher told me Rutgers was better and cost a lot less money, so I didn't apply.  I'm so glad I went to Rutgers, I had a great time there and learned so much.


Yesterday I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom and listened to this american life podcasts.  Today I would like to clean the living room, but I really hate cleaning the living room.  Give me a bathroom or kitchen any day.