2010 - New Years Resolution in Review

At the end of 2009, I set a new years resolution for myself:

Do something each month that I've always wanted to do but have never done before.

I've succeeded!

Here are the 12 new things I've done in 2010:

January - I shot a gun
February - I saw I psychic
March - I went speed dating
April - I got a spray tan
May - I shopped at Dash Boutique in Miami (the Kardashian's retail store)
June - I had a taste of Korean BBQ
July - I tried my hand at hookah
August - I learned how to Belly Dance
September - I began practicing Bikram Yoga
October - I took a self defense class
November - I went to a New York Knicks game
December - I bought a real Christmas tree

2010 was a fun and exciting year. A lot has been going on in my busy life. I completed 3 sessions of grad school, continued to play in a bunch of orchestras, got a promotion, got a boyfriend, and managed to have a social life in this madness.

2011 is just days away and I am thinking of interesting and fun ideas for my 2011 new years resolution.

There are some concrete, set resolutions:
Graduate from The New School.
Take the next step in my career.

But I think it's very important to keep the surprise factor alive. It makes my life more interesting and forces me to step outside of my comfort zone. I'm confident that I'll cook up some fun goals for myself to work toward in 2011.

City Sidewalks, Busy Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style

The past few weeks haven't been easy for Dennis and I. My busy schedule has made it hard for us to see each other and he's been celebrating the holidays like a college frat boy. We had our very first fight. Not too bad for 6 months together. In the end, we didn't end up screaming at each other or breaking up. We worked things out and compromised. We were sensitive and kind to each other. His first instinct is to become defensive and mine is to throw in the towel. These are things we both need to work on. It was a tough experience but I also think it was kind of beautiful - we're becoming stronger as a unit. After we made up and set things straight, he had a beautiful arrangement of flowers in a very classy vase sent to my office. It was a nice gesture and a great way of showing me that he is invested in our relationship. I am confident that fights in the future will result in a similar fashion. Now that everything is back to being great again, we decided it was time for us to celebrate Christmas.

This weekend Dennis and I exchanged presents and made a little night out of it.

I got him a bottle of his favorite bourbon, whiskey stones, a North Face hat (which fit him perfectly), North Face gloves (which were way too small - how does a large not fit his hands?), and I made him a huge homemade batch of "ninja-bread man cookies" aka gingerbread cookies in the shape of ninjas. Dennis got me a DVD player (how did I not own one of these?) and a book about Dennis Brain - my favorite horn player of all time. He also got us box seat tickets to the New York Philharmonic for the first weekend in January and a gift certificate for dinner at super delicious restaurant, Ed's Chowder House, for before the show.

After exchanging gifts we decorated our ninja bread men and giggled at how silly they looked. Any broken limbs or heads were decorated with bloody red frosting. We coated their feet in chocolate and painted white masks and belts onto our little men. It was a lot of fun!

We went for drinks at a dive bar on the Lower East Side with great beer and then to dinner at The Meatball Shop. It was delicious - we were both stuffed but could not stop eating the delicious food. It was a fun dining experience - you pick your meatball, your sauce, and how you want it served to you and they bring out the most scrumptious arrangement of meatballs. For dessert, you choose your ice cream and your cookies and they build you an ice cream sandwich. Brilliant.

Then we headed to Blockbuster to rent the Muppet Christmas Carol so I could try out my newly installed DVD player.

Only one semester left...

Fall semester is officially over! This has been one of the most challenging semesters of my graduate school career but I am confident I will come out of this with some good grades. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my classes, I welcome the short holiday break (3 whole weeks!).

Next semester I will be working on my PDR (professional decision report) aka Master's Thesis. The prospect is a bit scary - I've already contacted my thesis adviser with some preliminary thoughts and am happy to get an early start to this project. Still, the idea of writing such a huge piece and the amount of work that will be required is a big frightening.

I have had a wonderful time studying Nonprofit Management. I have grown as a person, as a writer, and as a student. My opinions are more developed on hot topic political issues. I'm a more aware individual (both globally aware and self aware). It's been time consuming and stressful and I'm ready to be finished. I am ready and prepared to tackle next semester head on.

So, I approach my final semester at The New School with ferocity - Bring it on!

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

December - I bought my very first REAL CHRISTMAS TREE!!!!

Yesterday was the first day where it felt freezing in New York City. The wind was whipping and there were patches of ice on the streets. On my way home from work I was exhausted and overwhelmed with the finals I have coming up. I knew just what would cheer me up - a little Christmas spirit.

Like in many other places around Manhattan, a Christmas tree vendor set up shop on 71st and 1st complete with trees, stands, and a trailer full of Christmas stuff. Right around my corner. Perfection!

I browsed the trees and smelled all of the wintry goodness. There was a line-up of tiny little trees that would fit just right into my studio. I picked out the smallest, cutest tree and the vendors helped me put it onto its stand.

Now, my naked little Christmas tree needs to be decorated. I couldn't be more excited for lights, a star, tinsel, ornaments, sparkles, glitter, candy canes, strung popcorn...then again my tree is only a 3-footer so maybe I'll keep it simple.

Oh Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah come light the menorah

This year I'd forgotten all about Hanukkah. Between school and work and orchestra gigs, celebrating the festival of lights fell off of my radar. Last night after a hard day of work (the application deadline was yesterday) and after a really interesting but long class (we ran over by about 15 minutes), I was wiped. I looked at my planner and realized it was the first night of Hanukkah and my heart dropped.

Since I didn't want the night to be a total wash, I decided to be productive. I sat down to do some school work when I heard a key in my door. There was Dennis with a beautiful menorah, Hanukkah candles, gelt, and a present. Dennis's aunt and uncle sent a care package to Dennis with all of the trimmings for an awesome Hanukkah - complete with a banner and blue stockings full of goodies.

What a wonderful Hanukkah surprise!

We lit the candles and I said all of the prayers. I opened my present - a beautiful coach purse. As we watched the candles burn out, we chatted about holiday family traditions and ate some gelt. I was extremely touched that Dennis's family did something so incredibly nice for me. This was Dennis's first time celebrating Hanukkah and it was so special. I know we'll both never forget it.