2011 is beginning much like 2010 ended: tasty eats, nerdiness, good pals, and warm drinks. today our gang started off with star wars pancakes, met up with jenny l for some oversized lunch, and ended it playing lasers with the pup.
but before we really get into this year, let's have a quick peek back at 2010.
2010 was a strange year. there was a lot of just hunkering down and figuring out life. plus a bunch of domestic travel. it started by being the year of doing (classes, volunteerism, etc.), had a brief time where fun got thrown out of wack, and ended with a whirlwind where did the time go. not everything was pleasant, but it was all life. here are the highs and lows as i remember them.
1 - grandma e.
i hate to start the list off with bad news, but she was a trooper of a woman who was never afraid to speak her mind. her funeral was also my first ever. i was sort of dumbfounded by how she looked, and have to admit that it was difficult to see her that way. visiting the midwest for the brief period of time was also surreal. family, to say the least, is a complicated organism.
2 - new york, ny.
although the trip was cut short, and started off with pretty tragic news, it was still an amazing visit. i hadn't been back since december 2001, and it was a definitely a trip that was way past due. so many good eats and good friends to see. to be honest, i'd move there in a heartbeat. the fever is definitely back.
3 - four eyes
i spent my whole childhood life wanting glasses. i ended up being one of two family members who didn't need them (and this is extended family we're talking about). i eventually decided i was glad not to have them, only to be told i do need them. go figure.
4 - say something funny
this year i finally took an improv class. it's something i'd been wanting to do for about 15 years and finally got around/got the guts to do it. you can even see part of our "graduation" show.
5 - stand back, i've got a badge
i put out a fire, triaged a disaster scene, learned how to turn off all the utilities, how to lift people out of a building, and how to get them out from under a building. i also learned which buildings were safe, how to tell if it was safe, and what to do if it's not. the sffd's free NERT program is amazing. i've got a badge to show off, and i'm ready for the emergency.
6 - i failed my first class ever
for some reason i have never gotten around to getting my motorcycle license. scottel told me to 13 years ago, but i finally decided to try this year. randall and i took a class that would have us skipping the driving test at dmv. only caveat was that you had to pass their test. i didn't, i crashed the bike instead.
7 - ordinary skeeple
laura, shin, and karen talked me into joining the brewskeeball league. we sort of sucked, but it was loads of fun. i don't know if i'll continue because it cuts into other things, but it was definitely awesome
8 - 26
i finally started volunteering at 826 valencia. i help out on wednesdays for the bayfarer newspaper. it's sort of fun to watch the kids' story ideas evolve into full blown articles, even if they are about justin bieber.
9 - victor yang's world premiere
chris's film premiered in la, and we all took a mini vacation to celebrate with him. complete with kyochan chicken.
10 - there's too much to take in
as i say every year, a year is hard to summarize in 10 neat bullet points. life is too messy and fun for that. some things that i am looking back on are: oysterfest, octoballs/dumpling food parties, ballet outing with le chuck, a singing telegram birthday, hanging with baby goats, the great macaron adventure, i finally figure out how to successfully play poker, kayaking in the bay, baby jamers graduating and heading to college, 4 years at sugar (hello to new coworkers, farewell to old friends), games team family, jelly belly factory tours, my favorite haircuts ever, a stupid roast chicken obsession, great america f yah, so many wee ones, a new not-so-mini minicar, epic shows (jonsi twice even), goodbye and hello to little b, layton outfits, ticker tape parade, so many nerd fridays, and of course this here trip to portland.
i don't have any expectations for 2011. we'll just have to see what we get. but here's hoping it's a good one for all of us.
happy new year pals!
xo,
-sabs.
ps. as a bonus, here's 2010's list of cities (places I spent at least one night). as you can tell we've been keeping it close this year. if i have my way 2011 is going to blow this year's out of the water.
San Francisco, CA
Beverly Hills, CA
New York, NY
Blue Earth, MN
Mather, CA
Portland, OR
and now for today's eye-candy.
