2009: Year in Review

Wow, things have changed a bit since my last post back in November. The short version is: I have a JOB, am moving to DC, and will be living in a great apartment with a good friend I've known for years. Suffice it to say I'm super excited. The long version of the story will appear here at some point, but for now, it's End of the Year Nostalgia! (Subtitle: 2009 - the year that does not deserve nostalgia.)

01 What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Phone interviews, in-person job interviews, supervised student teachers, wrote letters of recommendation for aforementioned student teachers.

02 Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Does abandoning resolutions for 11 months and then finally achieving them at the end of the year count? Because after an on-again, off-again relationship with the gym during the summer and early fall, I finally got into an exercise routine around October or November and have been working out almost daily since then. And the job/adult life goal is just now materializing, after months of stagnation. Let's say I have achieved these goals, since that happens so rarely!

In terms of new resolutions, they will sound very familiar, and they are:
(a) Keep at it with the exercising.
(b) Find activities and make friends in DC so as to get out of the house. (i.e., don't get lazy)
(c) Learn something from each new experience, whether good or bad.

03 Did anyone close to you give birth? My college student teaching buddy had twins, and my cousin just had her second child. A few high school friends also had kids this year. Seriously, my Facebook page is now filled with pictures of everyone's kids.

04 Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather. That was not a good spring.

05 What countries did you visit? The UK, only because my uncle decided to send me there. I didn't even make it to Canada, sadly. I'll miss you, Canada!

06 What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? Permanence. I'm also hoping for a sense of working towards a goal (finding the ideal job) rather than just treading water.

07 What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? My grandfather's funeral. (Sorry to be a downer, but it's true.) Also, the day I flew down to MD and got offered the job!

08 What was your biggest achievement of the year? Still going to have to go with the job. I guess also being persistent and not giving up on the job search, although it was very tempting.

09 What was your biggest failure? Uh, not getting hired until a few weeks ago? To be fair, it's not entirely my fault; I did as well as I could. I suppose I failed at doing anything productive in this past year really, because I spent a lot of time mired in self-pity.

10 Did you suffer illness or injury? Not serious ones.

11 What was the best thing you bought? Anything during my short time in the UK. Also, my new laptop, which I haven't used much yet, but I'm looking forward to finding all its new features!

12 Whose behavior merited celebration? Müs passed candidacy! Hooray! My friends are also awesome, as they posted happy thoughts on my Facebook page and helped keep me going through this tough year.

13 Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Oh, Buffalo politicians. I am so glad to be leaving this place. Also, Republicans, Iran, and anyone caught in an infidelity scandal.

14 Where did most of your money go? I... didn't spend much this year. When you're living with your parents and not earning any income, it's easy to not have any expenditures. I guess I spent some money in Britain, traveling a bit for job interviews, and most recently on plane tickets to DC for apartment hunting. I'll also be paying off that laptop for a few months to come, if that counts.

15 What did you get really, really, really excited about? Not to get repetitive, but the job. Huge sense of relief. And when I found out that Jamie needed a roommate... I admit that's selfish, but I don't care!

16 What song will always remind you of 2009? Songs from 'Glee'... which I am about to purchase in the next few days.

17 Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier, yay!
b) thinner or fatter? Not sure... possibly thinner, due to the aforementioned working out, but I can't really see a difference.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, and more in debt. Those student loans don't pay themselves.

18 What do you wish you'd done more of? Been more consistent with the job searching; maybe I would have found something sooner. Also, stayed a bit more positive.

19 What do you wish you'd done less of? Self-doubt and feeling stupid.

20 How did you spend Christmas? With the fam in B-lo. Of course.

21 "There is no question 21" This does not get any funnier.

22 Did you fall in love in 2009? Nope. Maybe this year.

23 How many one-night stands? Yeah, okay.

24 What was your favorite TV show? Shockingly (or perhaps not), no longer 'The Office'. It's a tie between 'Glee' and 'Community'. And if you haven't seen 'Community', please start watching; help keep it on the air!

25 Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I don't generally hate people. It's hard to muster up that level of dislike.

26 What was the best book you read? I read a lot this year, but nothing super-memorable. David Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed in Flames is funny, as are all his books. Cambridge Blue, a murder mystery set in Cambridge, is pretty engaging, though having actually lived in Cambridge helps.

27 What was your greatest musical discovery? Well, I'm teaching myself the mandolin now, so that's fun. In terms of new music, I guess I'd have to say the music from 'Glee'. If you broaden this category out to podcasts, I'll add NPR's 'Wait Wait.. Don't Tell Me!' to things that are a great listen. I'm looking for new podcasts and other things to pass the time on my soon-to-be-epic commute, so if you have any ideas, send them along!

28 What did you want and get? A JOB. Should I say it again?

29 What did you want and not get? A million dollars. Someday...

30 What was your favourite film of this year? 'Up' was amazing. 'Slumdog Millionaire' as well; though it's technically from 2008, I saw it last January, so I'll have to say that counts. I'm looking forward to seeing 'Up in the Air' soon; maybe it'll make next year's list.

31 What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 28, and I was at my grandma's house. Some other relatives came over, and we had strawberry shortcake for dinner, which was pretty awesome.

32 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Employment. Barring that, a sense of getting somewhere with the job search.

33 How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Jobless = no money = no occasion to buy/wear new clothes. Essentially, wearing the same things I've had since MN/college/high school. Mostly jeans and fleece, as always.

34 What kept you sane? Contact with friends. The Internet. Travel, and any excuse to leave the house. Also, the brief period I had a part-time job and a minimal schedule.

35 Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I'm a new fan of Joel McHale, mostly due to 'Community'. Did I mention that you should be watching that show?

36 What political issue stirred you the most? Health care madness. Will the bill actually go through? Who knows. Also, gay marriage; how some people can be so bigoted and insist on impinging on others' happiness for the sake of 'tradition' and some misguided sense of morals is beyond me.

37 Whom did you miss? Everyone, really. Did you notice that I lived with my parents?

38 Who was the best new person you met? Jamie's housemates in London were very nice. My boss for the student teacher supervising is also a lovely person and has been very supportive in terms of writing me recommendation letters.

39 Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. I'm going to drop some knowledge on the job seekers out there, brace yourselves:
(a) Write a new cover letter for each job application. It's a huge pain, but they do actually notice.
(b) Apply as soon as you can. Don't wait around until the application deadline, tweaking and retweaking your resume. The important thing is getting your application in fast, not spending hours perfecting it.
(c) Try to take something away from each rejection, whether it's writing a better cover letter or improving your interview technique.
(d) Rejection does not equal failure. Don't take it personally. (This was especially hard for me.)

40 Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Damnit, I hate this question. I am not a teenager and my life does not revolve around (angsty, emo) music; therefore, I refuse to answer this question.

Happy New Decade, everyone! I don't know about you, but I am psyched for 2010. Let's get it started already.

Day 13

Segueing a bit from yesterday's 'Glee' post.. Wednesday's particular episode also reminded me of a reason why I want to live in the US, rather than Germany or elsewhere: American schools try exceptionally hard to mainstream kids with disabilities. I'm sure viewers the other night didn't think twice about seeing a student with Down syndrome or a kid in a wheelchair. But in Germany, special ed students are completely segregated from their peers at an early age. Since kids are funneled into schools on different tracks (college prep, technical school, etc.) starting in fifth grade, I'd say segregation definitely is set by then, if not before. I mean, they have entire special ed schools so that these students aren't in the classrooms with their peers. During my two years working at college prep schools, I didn't even encounter anyone in a wheelchair, let alone students with other disabilities. The homogeneousness (?) was a bit frightening, actually. Americans may have other faults, but our treatment of kids with disabilities reflects our respect for all students and our commitment to treating people equally. If you don't teach that by example starting in elementary school, where do you expect kids to learn it?

In other news: Happy Friday the 13th! Don't walk under a ladder, cross a black cat's path, or break a mirror. Or perhaps do those things in pairs so they cancel each other out.

Addendum 2: I had a job interview today. It went pretty well, I think, though you can never tell with these things. The position is not specifically my interests but is in my field. The pay is pretty low, but some salary is better than no salary, I suppose!

Addendum 3: I am in love with NBC's Thursday night lineup. Expect a post on 'Community' sometime soon, it is brilliant.

Day 12

Shows You Need To Watch: "Glee"
First in an occasional series

Not to get all gushy, but OMG you guyz did you see glee last nite? it was totes awesome!!!!1!!one! It's been a long time since I was thoroughly enamored with a new TV show -- probably since 'The Office' came out -- but this is a show that I really look forward to watching, every single time. It can be hit or miss; sometimes too sappy, sometimes loose ends are wrapped up entirely too neatly, and the whole "Will's wife is a shrew and faking her pregnancy and overly possessive" plotline needs to end. But it's often funny (especially the callbacks!), occasionally touching (surprisingly -- take Sue's character development last night as an example), and contains musical numbers as an added bonus. I will admit to a soft spot for musicals, especially when they're done well. And the songs in this show are both well-chosen and incredibly well-performed. (Sometimes too much; can a high school glee club really be that polished?) Plus, the characters are relatable; they all have their quirks and flaws and it's interesting to see how they're going to bounce off each other from one episode to the next. I know they're eventually going to make it to finals, but I keep watching to see how they get there.

Anyway, enough parentheticals and asides -- go watch 'Glee', Wednesdays at 9. You may have to watch more than one episode to get hooked, but it'll happen, trust me.

Day 11

The internet has been down all day but has finally decided to start working, and I am watching 'Glee' right now, and I would much rather continue to do that rather than put together a blog post. So that's what I'm going to do. Don't be too disappointed.