365: Debrief

I started this year with a crazy New Year's resolution: blog every day of 2011.  I started out writing lengthy, thought-out blog posts, even planned several days ahead.  But there just isn't enough stuff going on to sustain that kind of content, so things have devolved into "here's a photo."

Here's a photo.

All things considered, though, I'm putting this year's resolution in the "win" column.  Why?  Because, including today, I posted on 359 out of 365 days.  I missed less than a week in total, which is incredibly impressive for me, knowing my habit of leaving projects unfinished.

I won't try to write some deeply introspective summary of this year and what it's meant for my family and me.  I'll think about it, certainly, but -- especially after this particular year -- that's not the kind of thing I want to share with all and sundry who might stumble across this corner of internet.  Suffice to say that 2011 has been a year of experience, and may 2012 bring some brighter days for everyone.

My daily-blogging experiment is at an end, and I think I'll be emigrating from the Impermanent State, for a while, at least.  So with that, I'll end this year the way I began: with someone else's photo and a wish for a very Happy New Year.

Best wishes for 2012!

359: Come on and let it snow

My favorite terrible Christmas song comes from the movie Love Actually, and it's the only holiday song I keep on my iPod year-round.  Enjoy the awful, really inappropriate music video for "Christmas is All Around" by Billy Mack (AKA Bill Nighy):

Merry Christmas!

358: Yule Log

I can't stream the Yule Log, but I can offer this:

2009.

 From snowless Minnesota to wherever you are, a merry Christmas Eve to you!

328: The Butterball Hotline

Possibly my favorite Thanksgiving clip ever, and certainly the best from The West Wing.  President Bartlet calls the Butterball hotline:

Happy Thanksgiving!

304: Witches' Brew

Back in the old days, we used to sing this in music class with Mrs. Ryan every Halloween, and everyone loved it.  So in the name of nostalgia, have some "Witches' Brew."

Also, 20 years ago today, we were buried under three feet of snow and I was dressed up as a princess. In snowpants.  Happy Halloween/Blizzard Anniversary!

248: Have we got news for you

In honor of Labor Day, here's the musical number with the most uses of the word "union" from the best/worst movie about labor strikes ever made, Newsies.

That little Christian Bale, he sure has spirit, yes he does.

(My sincere apologies to actual union members everywhere.)

233: Wedding bells

It only took seven and half months, but I finally missed a day of blogging.  Of course, it was because I was at my friend Alysha's wedding, so I'm not too bothered by it.  I've known Alysha since we were about four years old, so it's a little surreal to see her married now, but she and her new husband, Shawn, are very happy, and I'm happy for them, and happy to have been there to see them tie the knot.  Congrats!

via Tumblr

195: Fête nationale

Eiffel Tower, Paris, 2007.

Sacré-Cœur, Paris, 2007.

Arc de Triomphe, Paris, 2007.

Joyeuse fête nationale, tout le monde.  (That's Bastille Day to those of us in the anglophone world.)  Have some photos of tourist attractions to celebrate!

185: Red, white, blue

Happy Independence Day, fellow Americans.

182: Halfway home

Champs de Mars, Paris, France, 2007.

Six months down, six to go.  This blog-a-day idea has deteriorated into, more often than not, just a photo-a-day, but I'm sticking with it.  I've made it this far with only one missed entry -- and that was when Blogger was down.  There have been Law & Order rants, the occasional update from the employment front, my favorite things in random sets of five, and likely too much information about my television habits.  I can't promise that it will get better from here on out, but I will strenuously endeavor to keep it from getting worse.

Also, happy Canada Day.

170: Sunday success

Not only did I get writing done in spite of myself and my household, but I also solved a gift-giving dilemma I'd had for a weeks.  So my day can basically be summed up in the following GIFs:

(via FYCB)

(.gif of unknown origin)

(via FYLL)

And now we'll be having a veritable Chinese food feast for Father's Day as soon as my uncle's family gets here.  Sunday: win.

128: Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all moms, everywhere.  My mom is especially cool.

Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, 2010.

See?

119: The Wedding (of course)

I spent the duration of the Royal Wedding unconscious, since I had to work today and didn't fancy staring at a computer screen for seven hours without my full six hours of sleep.  I did, however, catch the second kiss on the balcony while diligently scoping out photos of The Dress while scarfing down a donut.  The PBS rebroadcast of the whole shebang starts in about 10 minutes, so I'll settle in with some cookies and watch as much of it as I can stand, but I already have a favorite photo from the day:

via Tom and Lorenzo
(sorry about the wonky, too-wide formatting.)

After Pippa Middleton handled dress-train wrangling for the ceremony, it looks like Prince Harry took over at Buckingham Palace.  Cute.

Congrats to the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!  May they have a long and happy marriage.

114: Easter

photos via We Heart It

Happy Easter.  I spent mine at a family lunch, then frantically clearing a path through the house for the heating and cooling guys tomorrow.

094: Hi-ho

It's Hug a Newsman Day today, which is probably the unlikeliest holiday ever.  You know which newsman I'd like to hug?

via the Muppet Wiki

Remember Reporter Kermit from Sesame Street?  I still love his fairy-tale News Flash reports (which always began, "Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here...") and the way things usually went awry.  I'd like to give Reporter Kermit a hug for this holiday.

And as long as we're talking news from the Street, here's my second-favorite Sesame Street correspondent on GNN (the Grouch News Network):

(Yes, I do still watch Sesame Street sometimes.)

067: Ladies' night

Or, rather, International Women's Day.  Have you appreciated women today?  While we consider how to close the social and economic gender gaps that (sadly) still exist, here are a few women I admire:

Michelle Obama

Between her Let's Move initiative, the vegetable garden she planted at the White House, and her wardrobe, there are both serious and shallow reasons I think Mrs. O is fantastic.

Tina Fey

I love her. I kind of want to be her. That's all.

Jane Austen

I think she might have been the Tina Fey of her day.  The paragon of wit to which the rest of us aspire.

Katharine Hepburn

I aspire to someday be half as self-possessed and confident as the great Kate Hepburn.

Pat Peterson

Mrs. Peterson taught my AP Composition class when I was a junior in high school, and she was fantastic.  She was the first teacher I ever had who was unabashedly sarcastic in the classroom, and she was, therefore, a role model for me.  I think she's retired now, and more power to her; after what she put up with from that class alone, she deserves a nice, quiet retirement.

Right.  Happy International Women's Day, ladies (and gents)!

045: Mixtape

In the grand tradition of Ben Chang and lovesick teenagers everywhere, I made you a mixtape. Spoiler alert: it ends with The Proclaimers' "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," as I think all mixes ought to.  (The videos aren't really important, just the songs.)  Happy Valentine's Day, Internet!




Ain't Love Grand Cake - "Love You Madly"
Erin McKeown - "Queen of Quiet"
The Smashing Pumpkins - "Ava Adore"
The White Stripes - "Fell In Love With A Girl"
Sondre Lerche - "My Hands Are Shaking"
V.V. Brown - "L.O.V.E"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"
Louise Attaque - "Amours"
Ingrid Michaelson - "Everybody"
The Proclaimers - "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"

034: Gung hay fat choy

From my Chinese household to yours, be it Asian or not...

Happy Lunar New Year!

And welcome to the year of the rabbit.  May we all have the rabbit's good luck in the coming year.

027: My kind of holiday

Today, January 27, is Chocolate Cake Day!  Let's feast our eyes:

This competes with Talk Like a Pirate Day for my favorite unofficial holiday.

009: One year closer to death

I'm twenty-four years old today, and I'm celebrating by watching Burn Notice and perusing the public library's catalog of ebooks for my Nook. Tonight, I get beef short ribs for dinner and French silk pie. It might sound lame to you, but look up at the header on this blog: "homebody." Happy birthday to me, indeed.