28 in 28? (oops! I meant to post this slightly closer to 1/1/10)

For the end of the year I thought instead of just catching up on the Christmas rundown (lots of kids, too many dogs, too much food), I would take some inspiration from some awesome ladies and make a different kind of To-Do list. I will be 28 this year and I don't want to use my birthday as a deadline so I just decided these are some things (silly and otherwise) I am going to try and accomplish in 2010.

1. Take a photography class. I tried one place in town that wasn't bad but it looks like there is a better place I can go with more serious classes.
2. Get one of those free makeovers at the makeup counter. Learn how to do a smoky eye and lips that won't smear and go away in 5 minutes. And all that porcelain skin BS.
3. Watch the Godfather movies. Preferably while eating Italian food. Also Jaws and E.T. The big iconic movies that make people say in shock, "You haven't seen ___?" Ideally with themed food involved in most cases.
4. Find a name for my new band and get us some gigs. Weddings or anything would be fine, just to get the ball rolling.
5. Attend the taping of a live TV show. A cousin used to work at 30 Rock and we may head out there for his wedding later this year so who knows. Of course, the one I really want to go to tapes in L.A. Figures.
6. Attend a roller derby bout. There are two leagues in Reno now, one flat-track and one banked-track. I practiced a little bit with them when there was only one. That did not work out. And I still haven't seen a bout.
7. Go boating with my in-laws. It's a long story. It would make them happy.
8. Attend the SF Opera. I have always wanted to and it's not that long of a drive...
9. Find a skincare routine that works. I'm in the process but it's tough between the allergies and the dry air and blah blah blah.
10. Re-try 5 foods I've always believed I disliked. Gotta think of some first. I am getting better at onions but still avoid shallots. Also salmon eggs. Eew. And possibly kiwi.
11. Attend a cultural celebration. Reno has lots of these. And I still haven't hit any. There is a huge Basque population here so I may try for what is commonly known as the Basco Fiasco. Also there is a Celtic/Highland games and I would go to that if they didn't cancel the heavy athletics (a la this past year). If I am paying to get in there better be big hairy guys in kilts competitively throwing telephone poles.
12. Remember birthdays. Half of my family is awesome at this and the other half is terrible. I want to be in the awesome half.
13. Get a bra fitting. TMI? Sorry.
14. Take a mat pilates class. Kim let me do one class with the machine and it creeped me out. I like being in control of the situation too much to deal with that whole setup. We're talking bars and chains and all sorts of crazy stuff. The thing is called The Reformer, for god's sake. Mat pilates seems reasonable in comparison.
15. Make some damn curtains. There is clearly no store out there for whom I am the target curtain shopper. Fabric, however, is not so hard to find. So buy some and end the fruitless searching.
16. Take a road trip across the U.S. Not necessarily the whole U.S. But at least bits I haven't seen. Zion. Or Yellowstone. Or someplace cool like that.
17. Make a cake from scratch. I like cooking, but this is one thing I've never done.
18. Plant a fruit tree. I even have a spot all picked out for it.
19. Finish the master bedroom and the master bath. The master bedroom just needs something to tie it together, maybe different bedding, I have no idea. Pictures and requests for advice may ensue. The master bath just needs some new bath mats and a TP holder of some sort. Probably no pictures coming there. Also, stop fantasizing about this for my side of the bed.
20. Get a quote on fixing the kitchen. It's not broken, but it could sure use some help. I like retro as much as the next guy, but this is ridiculous.
21. Go to a Broadway show. Hopefully this can coincide with that East Coast wedding later this year.
22. Send a Christmas card with a cheesy photo of Matt and me together. Possibly involving a sunset.
23. Go to a drive-in movie. There's even one in town. This shouldn't be that hard.
24. Clean out my closet. And then make it awesome. Fill it with colorful clothing and nice wood hangers (also possibly paint in there, who knows). But seriously. Organized, filled with useful stuff and not having so many weird gaps when I need to go somewhere dressed up or something.
25. Finish painting the living room and find a decent light fixture and chair to put in the entryway. Some sort of side table or bench with built-in shoe storage would be ideal.
26. Review my magazine subscriptions. Everyday with Rachel Ray I never read, I got it from some kid going door to door (I am a sucker). Sunset is a gift subscription so that is not going away. But whenever I go somewhere on a plane, I buy either a. something cheesy like Lucky or InStyle, or b. some random home design magazine because I have no idea which ones are any good anymore. So I figure since I am dumping one subscription, I should be able to justify a new one since it will save me from buying them off of the newsstands. But what should I choose? The last one I had was Domino, which was kind of twee for my taste but had lots of good ideas. Any suggestions?
27. Do some more sewing. This relates directly to #15 above. Also my need for capacious fabric hippie purses that don't involve embroidery, tassels or mirrors. I am getting really picky about my hippie bags in my old age. And my love of fabric. I could so easily start a hoard like my mom but she has the space for it and the time to use it. So I need to put a dent in my tiny stash and start getting better at this stuff!
28. Start another language class. Spanish would be practical but French would be fun! And Italian would be a good review. So basically, pick one.

Once More Into The Breach

I made it through the holidays alive! Now it's just one last holiday party - tonight is a friend's New Year shindig and so I get to balance the urge to dress up with the desperate need to not freeze my bum off. Le sigh. It is always fun though, it's one of the only buildings downtown with a doorman so it feels very big-city. And he's on a really high floor so we get a great view of the fireworks!

Christmas was pleasant after all the hubbub died down - we had cioppino at Matt's parents' place on Christmas Eve and gave the kiddoes their presents (we figured if they got them on Christmas Day with all the rest we would never have time to play with them all together). The older one immediately decided they were all hers and that was entertaining for a few minutes. Christmas morning was at Matt's brother's house (owner of the kiddoes in question) and the big one very helpfully opened everyone's presents for them. It was a bit surreal since they don't really have furniture (don't ask) so we all sat on the floor to open stuff. Matt's mom thought she was hilarious and got us all snuggies so we are trying to figure out if we can donate them to the Salvation Army or somewhere people will use them (we will not). They all got a combo of homemade and local goodies (granola, jam, coffee, nuts, candy, etc.) which I was feeling fine with until Matt's brother and sister-in-law gave us nice scarves and a framed family photo (and a cute purse for me). But this was after a long discussion of people who give junk gifts that we will never use with Matt's bro so hopefully he appreciates the snacks at least as much as (if not more than) the snuggies.

I also found out I should be formatting my poor camera card every time I take pictures off of it. And I lost all my Christmas morning pictures (long story).

We went to Los Gatos the day after Christmas and got to spend lots of quality time with my sisters and my grandmother. My parents were in crazed cleaning/babysitting mode so we didn't see them as much, my dad did 4 loads of laundry one day because one kid got sick so they changed sheets and then another kid got so excited he wet the bed. TMI? Sorry. That's why we went down late. We had one nice night out with a close friend and her husband (the wedding in May that Matt missed, so he got to meet the new husband and it was fun and low-key) and had wonderful Thai food and got to catch up... she pointed out our 10-year high school reunion is coming up.

10 years. Most of the people who will show up are the self-styled "cool kids" who I have no interest in catching up with. However, my friend is all up on her Facebook and is actually in touch with the people I would like to see, so hopefully if they come down we can hang out and do stuff either instead of the reunion (in my case) or in addition to the reunion. These would have been the crowd I went to Homecoming with and ate lunch with every day, went to parties at their parents' houses and got in trouble for sneaking out with them. These are the people I want to see. So we will see what happens.

Did you go to your reunion? 5-year, 10-year, high school or college? Was it worth it?

Merry Christmas To All!

And to all a good knight ;) See, now I've filled both your terrible pun quota and your charming be-suited gentlemen quota for the day. Wasn't that nice of me?

Sweet dreams! And dancing sugarplums, if that's your thing. Me, I like Boromir. His sad ending notwithstanding. Aragorn could use a haircut.

Off to watch toddlers terrorize a pile of gifts...

In Which I Promptly Prove My Last Post Title To Be A Lie

I now have photographic proof of my moderate amounts of Christmas cheer.

There was mistletoe, but it is no longer photogenic. Also snowflake-y candleholders which may spend a lot more than just December out and about because I am currently in love with them. It's the little things, apparently.

The star came, and I love it. My tree may still look a little bare, but I love everything that is on it right now. There are ornaments from my grandmother, my aunt in Arizona, and Matt's aunt in California, among others.

Also, my awesome garlands are wood and look like cranberries. I want about twice as many. And there is one member of the Nutcracker band.

There is also a big pot of this pie-in-process simmering on the stove for Christmas dinner. And the beginnings of a stack of presents all wrapped up to take home with me. The Reno peeps haven't had theirs wrapped yet as they are mostly in the fridge (the gifts, not my in-laws). My favorite paper is the stuff I reused - the red-and-white pattern and the tiny trees. If I could buy the red-and-white stuff I would frame a piece. But it was a little too creased so I used it up.Kiddoes get books or toys, and other non-Reno peeps are getting chutney. But I am fancy so they are getting it wrapped in nice Irish linen dishtowels.

I Am Terrible At Taking Pictures

But not so bad at the throwing of the parties.

It was a hit. I thought everybody was bringing cookies so I didn't make much sweet stuff, but then everybody brought savory stuff (which I made a ton of) and it got attacked and all I have left is sweet stuff. The bourbon balls were a raging hit. The cookies were respectable (the cranberry-ginger ones are gone completely and we made a hefty dent in the gingerbread, which made about twice as many cookies as I expected). The peppermint bark was also a hit but I had to put it back in the fridge eventually as it got somewhat soft.

I lit all the candles we never burn (we have candles in our fireplace) and the tree was nice and sparkly. EVERYONE brought beer or wine. Shots were done. It still stayed civilized, but we had a fabulous time. Everybody loved the food, so I will try and do a rundown of stuff besides general bread and crackers:

baked brie with cranberry sauce
lots of green and red grapes
a nice piece of smoked salmon
a big bowl of spicy olives and little mozzarella balls
vegetable tapenade (Trader Joe's)
korozot - my grandmother's spicy Hungarian blue cheese dip
lots of cut-up veggies
nice sliced salami (somebody picked up a slice and asked me if it was "that Hickory Farms summer sausage". I couldn't decide how to explain that I was insulted - was he implying that somebody else brought it and I had to serve it even though it was bad? Because it was good and I kind of resent the implication/snobbiness)

And I swear there was more. Plus the shrimp and seven-layer dip other people brought (not together). We have nearly nothing left except some crackers.

And there was one really nice moment that just made the party for me. One of Matt's friends started playing the piano and he was playing some Beatles tunes. About halfway through A Day In The Life, everybody started singing along without realizing (around 2:21)

When we got to the "aah" bit (about 2:51) we all looked around and noticed everybody else was singing too. And IT WAS AWESOME.

Something To Make You Smile On A Hectic Day

I Very Much Want To See This

I can't say I'm all about the "reimagining" of classics as a general rule. But I just think this looks like a blast! I know people get sick of Tim Burton always casting Johnny Depp and HBC but I like the look of Alice and am intrigued by Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.

Back to cookie-baking!