the year that was;the year that will be

T, the B-Dog, and I celebrated the new year in a pretty low key fashion.  T made homemade mac & cheese (the beautiful Giada's version--love her) and homemade pizza (which he didn't drop on the floor when he tried to toss it by hand--yeah!).  We invited a good friend over for dinner, ate until we about popped, and sat around the table talking and drinking wine.  During dinner I decided we would play a little game.  One of us would pick a subject/topic that had something to do with 2007 or the upcoming 2008 then we would go around in a circle each giving our answer.  Then the next person in the circle would choose a subject/topic and we'd go around again and so on and so forth.  What was supposed to be dinner conversation turned into a game we played from the time we started dinner (around 8:30/9-ish) until midnight.  It was a great way to celebrate the year that was and look forward to the upcoming new year as well as a great way to learn a little about what the year was like for each other and what we all hope for/dream about for the new year.  The subjects ranged from the surface to the deep.  I can't remember all the topics we covered but here are just a few of my answers:

Favorite Movie Released in 2007:

I'm a big movie fan so I can't just choose one.  Mine was a tie between The Waitress (if you haven't seen it please do) and the latest collaboration between the always fascinating Tim Burton and the genius that is Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd...but I'm a little bit partial to the Burton/Depp combo.  I mean this was their 6th collaboration and of the five before this I own, mmmmm, yeah, that would be all five...and I'll own this one too.

Favorite TV show of 2007:

my family and I are in love with Chuck, all week we look forward to Chuck night

Favorite cd of 2007 (the cd listened to the most--didn't have to be released in 2007):

hands down Skin & Bones by the Foo Fighters

Proudest moment of 2007:

Being published twice--once in Artful Blogging and once in Life Images

Greatest memory of 2007:

walking into B&N and seeing my image on the cover of a magazine...and then propping the magazine up beside other magazines and taking my picture with other celebrities like Oprah, the oh-so yummy Christian Bale, and the equally yummy Orlando Bloom

Five songs listened to the most over 2007 (don't have the be released in 2007):

in no particular order--

1. Green Eyes by Cold Play (wonderful, sexy love song)
2. Live Forever by Oasis (my favorite walking song, I can play this one song over and over and walk for over an hour)
3. Black by Pearl Jam (mmmmm....Eddie Veder)
4. Another Round by the Foo Fighters (from the fabulous Skin & Bones)
5. Four White Horses by Counting Crows (on their live in New Amsterdam album)

Saddest Moment of the Year:

the death of my uncle

Greatest Regret/Disappointment of 2007:

not getting to have one last time to tell my uncle I loved him...even though I know he knew I still would have liked to tell him

Best Choice of 2007:

putting the B-Dog in pre-school, his intellect is growing by leaps and bounds

Two People (one 'real life', one famous) that you're glad came into your life in 2007:

1. my co-worker--when you work as closely as the two of us you really need someone you enjoy, get along with, can talk to, and who makes you laugh
2. Sharon Olds--although I've read Sharon Olds' work for more than the past year she truly was my poet laureate of the year

One person who's work influenced 2007:

for me it was William Stafford, his discipline of writing a poem every morning inspired me, and continues to inspire me, to do the same

Another Celebration of 2007:

getting a raise!

Favorite Scientific/Technological change/advancement of 2007:

this category was the toughest one for me.  T is a computer genius and our friend is a scientist with his PhD...and then there's me...the more artistic of the group.  The other two had to skip me, give their answer, and then come back to me.  And I still couldn't come up with anything.  Then later in the night I finally thought of something--Radiohead releasing their latest album on-line and letting buyers set their own price.  At first I thought why in the world would you let buyers set their own price?  And then I realized they really might be on to something.  I mean if you cut out the middle man, cut out shipping and packaging costs, then even after letting buyers set their own price Radiohead will probably make more money off the album than they would have otherwise.   

Surprise of the year:

Al Gore winning the Noble Peach Prize, I'm happy for him...but it was a surprise

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One of the things looking forward to the most in 2008:

ArtFest baby!

A fun 'resolution' for the year:

In 2008 I'm going to travel the world without ever leaving my couch by reading one travel memoir/essay each month.  I've started the year off by traveling to 1920's Paris with Ernest Hemingway by reading The Movable Feast.

A discipline to incorporate into 2008:

I'm following in William Stafford's shoes by writing a poem a day

Mondo Beyondo for 2008:

I've mentioned this to a few friends and I'm still tossing it around...but...I'd really like to start my own zine (we'll talk about this more in a later post)

Comments

[Frankie]

What a fantastic list!! SO many good suggestions that I have to read/see/listen to/try. Thanks for all of them!

I don't know if you've read any Bill Bryson, but you certainly should if you're embarking on this travel-book adventure! He's fantastic and will inevitably put a smile on your face no matter what.

Happy New Year, Happy New Adventures!!

[Georgia]

If you need a travel essay or memoir to read, you should try Dear Exile : The True Story of Two Friends Separated (for a Year) by an Ocean.

It is probably more about friendship than travel... but one of them is living in Africa during the course of the book, so you get a tasted of what it was like for her to live there.

But, it is a wonderful book I highly recommend.

xoxo

[claire]

Sounds like you had a great night - what a lovely way to celebrate.

[Kristen]

That's a fantastic, celebratory photo! And I love your list here.

Radiohead surpassed all of their previous record sales (yep, that's all of them), with their online sale of In Rainbows. Which by the way, is hands down my most favorite album of 2007.

[Marilyn]

What a year this will be (for you)! Love the travel memoir idea...that's one of my very favorite genres. If 'they' ever said I could only read one genre for the rest of my life, that would be it. :) Can't wait to hear about the zine.

[gkgirl]

i wish i could have been there for that
game!
it sounds like so much fun and so interesting!
:)

i really enjoyed reading what your
answers were and am going to check the music
out...
and can't wait to hear about the
zine idea :)

[gkgirl]

i wish i could have been there for that
game!
it sounds like so much fun and so interesting!
:)

i really enjoyed reading what your
answers were and am going to check the music
out...
and can't wait to hear about the
zine idea :)