NYE's Night

Some people go out and get schwasty on New Year's Eve, drench themselves in glitter, find someone to kiss or bang or fight, try to make some memories.

My preferred festivities, however, are a little more low-key. For the past few years I've done dinner and a movie with my parents, and honestly, I can't see that tradition changing anytime soon. I actually like my parents and have the best times with them. And I have no desire to ring in a new year with a bunch of sauced up strangers, everyone intent on making it the best night ever. Which it never is.

So, yes, I like New Year's, but only the symbolism of it. Not the reality.

We saw "Les Miserables", which was just as good as I expected it to be, no better and no worse. I think Russell Crowe is getting a bad rap, his singing was fine, and considering all the press Anne Hathaway is getting she wasn't actually on screen all that much. She was good, though, don't get me wrong. Of course Hugh Jackman is the shit. Then we dined at Arch Rock Fish, which was also as good as I expected it to be, maybe better if we consider the cocktail and the cornbread. Turns out lobster? Is super delicious. Who woulda thought?

After dinner we returned home to wine and a few competitive games of Scrabble, at which I stubbornly dominate at every damn time. What a bitch. Then we retired to the living room with a roaring fire, and more wine. By the way: have I mentioned to you that my parents' dog is a pyro? "Cause he is. Wherever he is in the house, he knows when someone is about to light the gas fireplace and he runs to the living room and freaks the fuck out. Hilarious.

New Year's Kiss!

Also by the way: Channel surfing during commercials of Dick Clark's extravaganza (no, his reanimated corpse is not hosting (too soon?)), noticed that two channels boast infomercials titled the following: "Best Sex Ever!" and "Best Pillow Ever!" Seems to cover all the bases, no?

We're nearing midnight now, and I'm not sure whether or not my parents are making it until then. But you know I am. I never miss an opportunity to commemorate some sort of special occasion. 

See you on the other side. I hope you all are having safe and splendid New Year's. 

December Photo Challenge #29-31

Day 29

Somewhere you sat

Day 30

Something you wore

Day 31

Self-portrait

The Overhaul

I have plans.

Plans to overhaul my life and stop being such a lazy piece of crap. (So much for that "being kind to myself" resolution...oh, but it's not 2013 yet, so carry on.) Plans to expand my horizons and enrich my mind. Plans to  become an entirely different, smarter, healthier, more organized and better groomed person.

It'll be super easy. Mmhmm.

So what am I going to change?

Let us muse.

*Food: I've said it before and I'll say it again: I need to cook more. Like, really. I need to acquire some domestic skills otherwise no man is ever going to marry me and make me a stay at home trophy wife. And then where will I be? This particular endeavor goes hand in hand with my desire to spend less money, 'cause a) eating at home is much cheaper than binging on takeout multiple times per day and b) I will meal plan and thus not end up throwing out expired foods. Basically, I need to come up with a way to feed myself that doesn't involve a core diet of Lean Cuisines, otherwise I'm gonna get scurvy.

*Exercise: Everything I want to say about this I've said before...so of course, a nagging little voice in my head (that sounds remarkably like Fran Drescher) is all, "what's different this time?" Shut up, Nanny. IT IS DIFFERENT. I will return to yoga, I will go outside and walk or run or waddle, I will do something on the weekends besides lay in bed all day with my cat. I will actually move my body at least four days a week. I'm contemplating starting a morning routine wherein I wake up at the same time every day and start off my day with weights/crunches/etc...we shall see if that happens. I do know that what I need is structure and consistency.

*Lifestyle: Here's the thing. I am an expert waster of time. It's miraculous, really, how I'm able to return home from work around 6PM daily and do absolutely nothing of substance until I climb into bed a few hours later. And I wonder why my place is always a mess and I feel like my brain is slowly melting. I need to return to my habit of leaving my laptop at work most nights, and institute a "no technology after 10" rule. (No, my Kindle does not count as technology.) I need to actually read and craft and do shit and not just spent infinite hours on the Internet.

So, yes, these are my plans. Nothing surprising, nothing innovative, but what can you do? I'm a simple creature, with simple goals, and at their root they are all this:

I want to make the most of my life.

And so I shall.

The best day.

Twelve of 2012

I mean, there's not much to explain here.

I'm gonna make some lists.

Let's get nostalgic.



Twelve Musicians I Was Obsessed With (via last.fm)

1) Gotye
2) Alex Clare

3) Kesha
4) Dev (Fail on Sony ATV Publishing because I could not find a single song that would embed.)
5) Mumford & Sons
6) Miike Snow (Embed fail Sony faiiiiil.)
 7) Florence + The Machine
8) Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
9) Lights (Sony ATV FUCK.) 
10) Rihanna

 11) Matt Nathanson

12) Santigold (Fuckin' WMG.)

Twelve Books I Read

1) “Your Voice In My Head” by Emma Forrest
2) “You'll Never Blue Ball In This Town Again” by Heather McDonald
3) "Sloppy Firsts" by Megan McCafferty (reread)
4) “Second Helpings” by Megan McCafferty (reread)
5) "Charmed Thirds" by Megan McCafferty (reread)
6) "Fourth Comings" by Megan McCafferty (reread)
7) "Perfect Fifths" by Megan McCafferty

8) "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay
9) "Blonde" by Joyce Carol Oates (reread)
10) "Valley of the Dolls" by Jacqueline Susann
11) "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns" by Mindy Kaling
12) "Oh Myy!: There Goes The Internet" by George Takei

Twelve Movies I Saw In Theaters

1) This Is 40
2) Life of Pi
3) Silver Linings Playbook
4) Pitch Perfect  (x2)
5) Flight
6) Skyfall
7) Snow White and the Huntsman
8) The Dark Knight Rises
9) The Hunger Games (x2)
10) The Vow
11) Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
12) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Twelve Shows I Marathoned on Netflix This Year

1) The Vampire Diaries

2) How I Met Your Mother

3) Bones
4) White Collar
5) Greek (rewatch)

6) Freaks and Geeks

7) Parks & Rec (rewatch)

8) Dance Academy
9) Make It Or Break It
10) One Tree Hill (rewatch)

11) Gossip Girl (rewatch)

12) How I Met Your Mother (AGAIN)

Twelve People I Had Crushes On

1) Michael Fassbender

2) Joseph Gordon Levitt

3) The Ginger
4) Matt Bomer
5) Jennifer Lawrence
6) Joseph Gordon Levitt

7) Prince Harry
8) Cute Work Boy
9) Florence Welch
10) Ian Somerhalder

11) Ryan Gosling

12) Emma Stone

Twelve Most Popular Posts

1) Another little comparison.
2) A little comparison.
3) Visual Reminder
4) August Photo Challenge
5) In Betweening
6) It's not just you.
7) Interview Style Options: Take Two
8) Yogi Countdown
9) The Good and the Bad: Weight Loss Edition
10) The Time Kevin Bacon Winked At Me
11) Interview Style Options
12) The Stealth Asshole

Pitch slapped.

Guys...I have an aca addiction.

As you know, I fell in love with "Pitch Perfect" when I saw it in theaters. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine perhaps not quite legally obtained a copy for me via the Internet. I cannot tell you how many times I've watched it since then, often choosing to view just the last half hour of so, starting with this little ditty right here.

The other night, I made my parents watch it with me...for an offensively high fee on DirectTV. Robbery. But I just had to watch it.

And now, I've bought the book (Kindle edition!) they based the movie on, "Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory" by Mickey Rapkin, which is thoroughly entertaining. Funny, turns out the all-female group followed in the book is Divisi from University of Oregon, and a girl I knew in middle school was a member a few years ago. Now I want to stalk her on Facebook and be her friend.

Seriously. You need to rent this shit.

Unless you don't like joy.

Color Your Life

Resolutionista

Am I the only person in the world who still makes New Year's resolutions?

Most people have given up on them at this point, I think. Considering our collective universal track record with success is pretty dismal, it seems like the very definition of insanity to keep making the same promises to ourselves again and again and again. Hell, if NY resolutions really worked, we'd all be skinny, rich, well-read bitches who don't gossip or swear or drink to excess.

Boooooring.

So, yeah. I still love me some New Year's resolutions. The shiny promise of a whole new year makes me feel like the world is one big possibility, an empty canvas for me to throw paint at like a drunken third grader.  And, yes, my goals and hopes each year always seem remarkably similar to the year before, but no matter. I soldier on.

I took a look at my journal from this time last year, and couldn't help but laugh at what I read. I could easily write these same words, now, substituting 2013 for 2012, and not even see the difference:

"I want to be me, and love that person, and enjoy the life I'm living.            

            In 2012, I will change my life: get a new job, explore my passions
            and start a savings account.

            In 2012, I will change my body: start a yoga practice, run a 5k, and lose 40 pounds.

            In 2012, I will change my view: take more pictures, read 50 books and write every
            day."

So, a recap: 

*Don't have me a new job. Meh to that.

*I don't even know what passions I have, so...no. Unless watching TV is a passion.

*I do have a savings account, but it is pretty pathetic.

*I did have a yoga practice, for a bit...did not run a 5k.

*Did lose 40 lbs...then gained a few back. 

*Did take more pictures, did not read 50 books, and wrote almost every day.

Overall, I'm gonna call that "not too shabby". I am truly much happier with where I am now than where I was just a year ago, but I definitely still have a long way to go to become the person I want to be. 

And thus...more resolutions.

Taylor's 13 Resolutions for 2013

1) Commit every day to making healthy choices and living a happy life.

2) Make more of an effort to reconnect with old friends and find new ones.

3) Continue updating my blog regularly, expand my readership and come up with awesome new ideas for posts.

4) Get a new fucking job.

5) Keep a budget every month and commit to saving money and limiting frivolous spending. 

6) Be a more physical person and enjoy using my body and being strong. 

7) Once a month, explore somewhere new in LA---and blog about it.

8) Put effort into my appearance, not because of vanity, but because it makes me feel more confident.

9) Take the time to read, and knit, and write, and try to limit my screen-watching. 

10) And when I say write, I mean actually write fiction.
11) Okay, yeah: lose some weight. 

12) Find a way to volunteer my time.

13) Be kinder to myself. 

Panorama

It's not starting over.

I can feel it.

That motivation, that drive and desire and inner strength that I've been missing the last, oh, six months or so...it's coming back. I can sense it. I'm going to grab it tight, commit to it so fully...and keep going to therapy so I can subdue any future resurgence of crazy.

I've seen January 1st in the distance for a few weeks now, and I've just been aching to get there. I've let myself spiral even further down in the process, just anxious and waiting for some arbitrary date I can imbue with significance to reset my messed up brain.

I've had two realizations in the last month or so:

1) I am, mostly likely, always going to struggle with food. Some people just do. So, I cannot allow myself to get complacent like I did, to think that I have it all figured out and locked down like some kind of healthy living savant. I need to stay aware, and present.

2) I am not "starting over". I have not "failed", nor done some irreparable damage. This is just life, and I'm living it, and I can't get so caught up in some idea of a timeframe or I will drive myself insane.

If I can just keep reminding myself of this, that life is long and change is a process and I just gotta do my thing...then I'll definitely get back on track.

You just watch.

Treat. Yo. SELF.

Sure, we're still in the season of the year that's all about spreading joy and love and tchotchkes and whatnot to the world. Gifting. Generosity. The like. And I did that, gleefully, for the past couple of weeks. But this time of year is also for reflecting on the past twelve months, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who had a rough couple. We all need a little self-love, too. (Not the naughty kind.)

So I do declare, it is time to give ourselves what we deserve. In the immortal words of "Parks & Recreation":

Lucky for me, a handful of generous people gifted me a bunch of shiny, cash-filled gift cards, so I am all set up to do a little retail therapy. Give myself some shiny baubles. Indulge in a little excess and extravagance. I already bought two new pairs of yoga pants online (courtesy of a kind and generous coworker), and succumbed to my months-long obsession with a pair of sparkly heels at Marshalls. They were on sale, and my size was sitting there, unloved, since October. It was meant to be.

This season is also about recharging your batteries for the future challenges to come. Relax, reassess, decompress and prepare for the coming year. And the best way to do that is to, what now gentle readers?

I hereby give you all permission, nay, I give you all license to go out in the world, forget about your stresses and worries and needy people who always want you to do shit, and focus on yourself. Clothes. Fragrances. Massages. Mimosas. Fine leather goods.

Treat.

Yo.

Self.

"Maybe I'm crazy to suppose..."

What adorable hipsters.

December Photo Challenge #26-28

Day 26

Ground

Day 27

Sky

Day 28

Sea

Optimism: A Tutorial