Best of 2013

BOOKS
Flatfoot Vertigo by Jane Doe
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
Five Summers by Una LaMarche
Gulp by Mary Roach
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Divergent by Veronica Roth

MOVIES
Silver Linings Playbook
Pitch Perfect
Skyfall
Man of Steel
The Way, Way Back
Catching Fire

MUSIC
Body Talk by Robyn, especially "Dancing On My Own" and "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do"
The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake, especially "Mirrors"
Our Version of Events by Emili Sande
"I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift
"Get Lucky" by Daft Punk
"Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke
"Holy Grail" by Jay Z and Justin Timberlake
"Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus
"Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake
The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
Pure Heroine by Lorde
"Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey
"Counting Stars" by OneRepublic

THEATER
Sister Act National Tour

Thank you all so much for your continued support, and Happy New Year!

Overheard at Work (and on Vacation)

Despite a little cold I acquired from kissing an irresistible two-year-old boy this week, I had a fantastic, restful, fun, and DELICIOUSLY WARM California Christmas vacation.

Just flew back and, BOY, ARE MY ARMS TIRED!

Overheard at Work:
11-year-old boy: Do you have a hammy aunt?
Me: A what?
Boy: An aunt that smells like ham? I think everyone has one.

Me: I'm going to LA tonight!
10-year-old girl: Why?
Me: I'm going to visit my cousins.
Girl: I know your cousin. Is her name Linda?

10-year-old girl, trying to come up with provocative questions for me to ask at our Annual Staff Holiday Party: If you were Mark, and you tripped upstairs and found a woman, what would you do?

Me: Merry Poopins! I'd watch that movie!
10-year-old girl: Instead of a nanny, it's a poop that comes to babysit little poopies.

Overheard on Vacation:
7-year-old, about his Grammy: Did you know she's the only person to teach me how to spell A.S.S.?

2-year-old, declaring what he is grateful for from 2013 and what he hopes for from 2014: I am happy about cookies. I ask for a swimsuit.

Cousin: I want you to eat it or put it on your plate.
2-year-old: I put it on my penis or put it on my butt.

Just Write {5}

I am officially in California.

I feel like I've been counting down to this for weeks and weeks.

I spent yesterday at work, tying up loose ends for the holiday staff party we're throwing when we return from break, sending off some last-minute thank you cards, and struggling to set up my out of office email and voicemail.

It's embarrassing how long that last part took me.

It will take me a few days to decompress from crazy-work-mode, I trust, but I've already played two rounds of the game my cousins' 7-year-old created, a round or two of Boggle, and we're about to play Connect 4.

Currently, the 7 year old is playing piano, and the 2 year old is playing Connect 4 with the yellow checkers because that is his favorite color.

We're headed to a Christmas Eve party tonight, and MAYBE, just maybe, the Christmas spirit will hit me there.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Overheard at Work, vol. XC

These last couple weeks have NEARLY killed me, but I've stayed healthy (knock on wood) and plowed through some gigantic special events and some very long days.

Monday, I work 830-430 and head out to LA that evening.

And then, it will be 2014.

Bananas.

7-year-old, seeing me mop up a spill: Are you a janitor?

Colleague A, showing her cynicism, while offering dating advice: Don't buy him dinner. Because it's inevitably gonna go to crap, you might as well get free food until then.

13-year-old boy, during a game of Taboo: A chick on the side of the road trying to make some money.
Me: Wait, is it a hoe?

16-year-old boy, singing, as he approached my desk: Pippy Longstocking is coming into your town.
Me: Did you really just do that?
Boy: That's my jam!

12-year-old girl: What's sour melon?
Me: What?
Girl: Like when you get sick from eating raw food.

Me, to my colleague, after seeing some middle schoolers do some too-close dancing: Nobody got pregnant?
12-year-old girl: ANNIE!
Me: What?
Girl: YOU'RE A WOMAN!

Colleague B, describing herself as a baby: I was a bowling ball with eyes.

Just Write {4}

One week from today, I will be high above the middle of the country, en route to Los Angeles.

This will be the third year in a row that I spend the winter holiday break with my cousins and their sons in California.

It's a welcome switch from my grueling routine here in chilly New England, to be on the schedule of a family of two kids under 8, whose days pass with morning playtime, afternoon naps, meals together, TV time, and early bedtimes.

I cannot wait to see that part of my family, drink lots of wine, play games, and hang with the kiddoes.

When I get back, it will be just in time for New Year's, which, despite the cliched heaviness of noting the passing of another year, has been my favorite holiday for many years.

I love new beginnings and the chance to reflect on the year that has passed.

This year was a DOOZY: turning 30 and S getting married would be enough to make it a banner year, but add to that the Boston bombings this spring, a week in Disney World with 150 people, and my grandmother passing away in late September, and I shouldn't be surprised at all that it's all passed so disorientingly quickly.

I forced myself into new situations and learned SO MANY new things about myself.

Two years ago, my New Year's resolution--the first one I'd ever really made--was to SAY YES MORE. Last year, it was to LET MY FREAK FLAG FLY. These resolutions are so closely related, they might as well be twins, but really, what I've resolved to do for two years (and will continue to do in 2014) comes down to this:

BE MYSELF.

Just Write {3}

I am not getting sick.

I am not getting sick.

I am not getting sick.

Mid-day, the left side of my throat started hurting when I swallowed, and now it's my left ear.

Good thing I'm going to the doctor tomorrow!

This is not a good time to get sick.

And besides that, my job is the kind that, unless I cannot imagine getting through the day in whatever state of sickness I'm in, I usually just suck it up and go.

Which pretty much means unless I have a fever or am puking, I go to work.

It snowed today for the first time this season (aside from the dusting we got in October).

And I am still having a hard time adjusting to the reality that it's December.

I haven't even listened (willingly) to ONE holiday song.

It's not so much that I'm Bah Humbugging the season.

I'm just honestly confused that it's not still September.

Overheard at Work, vol. LXXXIX

Only 10 days of work are between me and my LA vacation with the girls and their boys.

But who's counting?

Of course, these 10 days include the fall music showcase and the Holiday Party, which will feature my program's little play, both large art-centered events that are a ton of work to prep for, but will hopefully make the weeks go quickly.

Where did 2013 go?

12-year-old girl, finishing reciting her list of Christmas present requests: And a Barbie.
Me: Which Barbie?
Girl: The black one.

10-year-old boy: I work for Obama. Obama pays me once in a week...for gardening.

Colleague A, describing an intervention she had to make after-hours, with a teenaged girl: She was going to make bad decisions behind Burger King.
Colleague B: Why would you do it in the front?

9-year-old, lingering in the office: I put my grandma on speed dial/called it Instagram. I put a spider on a camera/called it webcam.
(Full disclosure: I thought he had created these inspired lyrics on his own. Turns out they were created by @RapLikeLilWayne on Twitter. Though, through further investigation, it looks like he might have actually made up the second lyric.)

Colleague C: I ate an entire bag of Oreos last night.
Me: How did you not just projectile vomit after that?
Colleague: I did regurgitate a little while running.

Me, to a group of Middle Schoolers in the hallway, after I urged them several times to find a program area: None of you are acknowledging my words.
13-year-old boy: I never acknowledge words.

Just Write {2}

I was talking to my mom about self-inflicted assignments, like the writing project NaNoWriMo and even this "Just Write" series and was all stressed about how I was super busy on Tuesday and would be sneaking in a blog post late at the end of the night, when I realized, JUST WRITE ON MONDAY, ANNIE!

So.

My four-day weekend is over. I purposefully didn't do anything except relax, sleep, eat, drink, and hang with friends this weekend.

It was lovely.

But it also means that I have to budget in time this week to do loads of laundry, clean my house, and get some groceries for myself. It doesn't help that my weekend is already sort of packed with plans and that I have a regular work week, which means getting home after 8 PM all week.

Sigh.

Back to reality.

Countdown to Christmas vacation has begun! 15 work days between me and over a week off!