It's Okay To Cry

It's been a rough week (see above). I was accused, wrongly, of unoriginal design in a tee-shirt competition (how silly those words look coming out of my keyboard). My entry was pulled, and an email was sent to everyone who voted for it:

Thank you for voting for this year’s getfit@mit tee-shirt. Unfortunately, two of our finalists, including your choice, were disqualified from the contest when it was brought to our attention that portions those designs were not original, unpublished work, in violation of contest rules.

I had to send a strongly worded letter to their office about copyright and what constitutes original work. My source material was free, and what they found was another website that used that same source material in their own way, entirely uniquely from my own design. The "portions" of work that were "published" were used elsewhere because they are free for commercial and personal use.

What constitutes original design is such a hot topic in the design and blogging community, and it makes me sick to my stomach to be put in this position, but I feel so vindicated knowing that I am right, and they are so very wrong. So why do I feel bile at the back of my throat when I think of my design in the hands of people who don't understand these concepts, and who don't even bother to follow up with such strong and serious claims, but instead jump immediately towards the liability side of things at the expense of one of their fellow employees? Why can't I move on with my day and know that I'm right and they're wrong? Why do the words "libel suit" keep swimming through my head?

All I can do is sit and wait for now. And maybe buy a new wine glass*

*No wine glasses were harmed in this hullabaloo—it simply fell down in the sink and shattered to a million little pieces. It was just a bad day all around, is all.

Things I Love Thursday

Wes Anderson




I was actually doing a little bit of JD Salinger sleuthing (trying to find a copy of Hapworth 16, 1924), and somehow stumbled on this little bit of serendipity. The only thing I have to ask is, WHEN IS SOON? My friend Matt and I are geeking out a little bit, and I hope my question is answered quickly.

Also, curiously, the post where I found this clip says that the order a person ranks Wes Anderson movies is very revealing. They did not expand on that statement, so I have no idea what they mean by that (only that their order revealed that I did not think very much of their order). So without further ado, my order:

1. The Royal Tenenbaums
2. The Life Aquatic
3. Rushmore
4. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. The Darjeeling Limited
6. Bottle Rocket

The irony here is that before I started this list, I did not agree with his ranking Bottle Rocket at the bottom, but here we are, and that my number one is more revealing of my love of JD Salinger than Wes Anderson. Bottle Rocket is classic Wes Anderson. Raw. Pure. Sparse. But it shows just how much promise he holds for all of his future endeavors, which is why it's at the bottom of what I consider a very elite and perfect list of movies.

Dog Delivers Receipt



People. Will someone please tell my husband to GET ME A DOG? I doubt having a snausage of my own will stop me from posting video after video of dogs, but maybe it will help a little bit.

Music Monday

Nada Surf—Waiting For Something 



Even though they've been around since 1992, every time I hear the name Nada Surf, I feel like this is not the type of band I can listen to. Well, it turns out that my preconceptions were way off in every way. Even the name is an existential reference to "surfing on nothingness," which sounds pretty cool to me. The video above is a live acoustic version that is, for some reason, performed in a museum in Paris, and is also spectacular.

For the polished mp3, look no further:

Project 365 Update: January

Every year I try to "take more pictures," whatever that means. I thought doing a project 365 would be a good way to motivate myself, but I never seem to take a picture every. day. My iPhone makes it easier. So here is my accountabilibuddy—a monthly calendar. If I do not get a picture every day, no big deal—just a bright orange square.

This may be more "scary" or less pressure. That is yet to be determined.

My favorite picture this month was one of my mountains. I call them my mountains even though I haven't lived in El Paso in over ten years, but above the landscape and above the weather, the environmental element that I miss the mostest is the mountains:

Things I Love Thursday

Beautiful Day at The Dog Park



This is a gorgeous video of a day at the dog park shot from a dog's perspective. How fun!

Bon Joviver



I know this video has been floating over the interwebs for a while, but I had to wait until Thursday to post! I think this is cute and funny at the same time.

Things That Made Me Smile
♥ We were treated to dinner this weekend at the Capital Grille to celebrate J's Master's degree. He finished a year and a half ago, so it was even more special to us—babies, weddings, life just got in the way, but they still found a way to take the time to celebrate this milestone with us. ♥ I started reading Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness. I have to return it to the library before I will be able to finish it, but just one sentence about lovingkindness was enough for me to make a major breakthrough in the way I feel about other people. ♥ 

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day Explained by C.G.P. Grey via Laughing Squid.

I still can't spell Punxsutawney on my own, but just in case you needed a refresher on groundhog day, this quippy little video will clear everything up for you.

Apartment Project 1: Composting

This weekend, J and I started our compost bucket. Sometime in April I will go down to the Somerville DPW and pick up an Earth Machine compost bin, but for now we are planning on taking the compost we accumulate to Whole Foods. Friends of ours do this already and they say it is pretty easy and convenient, but I also want to use the compost for gardening, so I am curious to see how many of the scraps we end up using when we have our own machine, and whether we will still need to make trips to Whole Foods after we get a compost bin in the back yard.

Our bucket is a white, 5 gallon bucket that we picked up at Home Depot. We already had an orange 5 gallon bucket, but the designer in me cringed at drawing that much attention to a waste receptacle, and if this is going to be a permanent lifestyle change and not just an experiment, I need the bucket to blend. Given a choice of two lids (screw top and traditional), we went with the screw top lid, which seals in the smell and makes the bin easier to access than a traditional paint bucket lid—how easily the food will be dumped out is TBD. When we got home we lined the bin with this year's tax literature, and went to town cleaning out the fridge. I think this project will only get easier as time goes on, and I am psyched to produce less garbage, and I can easily see this fundamentally changing everything about how I operate in my kitchen. I even had pangs when I composted my juice extracts this morning because I know I can consume them in some way instead of composting them, but I contented myself with the knowledge that baby steps make for better permanent habit changes.

I have a personal challenge with myself to reduce our landfill-bound waste to one garbage bag a month or less. Dare I dream of being a zero waste household? For now, we've had fun researching what we can and cannot compost (spoiler alert: you can compost many, many things you might have thought you couldn't), but we're doing what we can, and I am so excited to start this journey.

Music Monday

Handsome Furs - Serve The People from stereogum on Vimeo.


I love everything Wolf Parade has ever done, so it's not too much of a departure to love everything that the Handsome Furs produce. This is one of their latest servings, and it has a nice steady beat and moves along quite nicely.

Things I Love Thursday: Pupperoni

This Super Bowl Sunday preview commercial for Volkswagon was SUPER cute (get it...Super Bowl...SUPER cute? eh? eh?) Seriously, though, puppies plus Star Wars=awesome. Then again, I am the type of person who can listen to Jingle dogs, so maybe I am not the best authority on the subject. It's worth waiting until the end of the video, or at least until the (spoiler alert) AT-AT greyhound makes an appearance.

A visit to the Aquarium

Some friends and I went to visit some penguins this weekend. I mean, we went to the New England Aquarium. It was a good mix of people—two of us had cameras and were viewing the aquarium through our lenses, and one of us was a scientist (and we kept teasing him for reading all the signs), and there was a lot of banter, some of it at the expense of some salmon.



Things That Made Me Smile

♥ Our wedding was featured on two places on teh interwebs this week:
100 Layer Cake and Fat Orange Cat (our photographer's blog)

Winter Riding: Lights and Safety

Bell Muni Helmet
This commuter helmet has rear lights and built in mounts for Flea Blackburn rear and front commuter lights. I look forward to being fashionable and visible this winter wearing my new Muni, although I will probably wait until next year to consider the Flea Blackburn commuter lights, which run around $50. The helmet itself is also around $50, although there are always deals to be found online. I found that I've replaced my helmet twice, which equates to every two years, but hopefully this one will last well beyond two years.



Knog Boomer USB Rechargeable Rear Light
This rear light is rechargeable via USB, and it's super cute. I did not intentionally buy pink, but it was the cheapest option on Amazon. This blinky is super bright and I can't wait to get it out on the road. I have difficulty with rear mounts because I have a milk crate mounted on my rear rack, so we'll see how this one fits. I have another rear light (that will probably stay there), but I want to be lit up like a firecracker when I ride. There are three blinky settings and one steady setting) This one costs around $30 on amazon, which is very reasonably priced for a rechargeable bike light.



Cygolite Expilion 350-Lumen USB Rechargeable Headlight
This front light is also super bright and also rechargeable via any micro USB (a fact I discovered when I was able to charge my light with the cable for our Universal remote control after I mistook it for my light charger). It mounts very easily, even with gloves. There are five settings: one blinky setting, and four steady settings ranging from low to SUPER BRIGHT. This one was a birthday gift from J, and I use it in tandem with my Cateye OptiCube when I ride at night or in the rain.

Music Monday—Miike Snow

Although Swedish Electro-Pop is a departure from what I typically listen to, it definitely gets my heart pumping. Paddling Out, the first single from Happy to You, is a great song to clean house to. I might even be adding it to my getting ready playlist. I really enjoyed the progression of both of these songs, and can't wait to see what the album release has to offer. Also, I am a sucker for any music video that features the desert mountains, which are featured heavily in the following video for Devil's Work (the pleather pants are a weird juxtaposition, though).

Happy to You drops March 27th.

Miike Snow—Paddling Out


Miike Snow—Devil's Work

Things I Love Thursday

aivo2010

Millet
This  nutty and tender seed was a delicious addition to our salmon dinner last week. It was perfect straight out of our fuzzy logic rice cooker—I added carrots, salt and pepper, but I can see some interesting millet porridges in my future. Nom. Plus, this fulfills my requirement for January to learn how to cook something new!

scfiasco

White Sands National Monument
I love visiting White Sands. We have a blast every time and it's just such a wondrous place—miles and miles of white gypsum dunes. I wish that when I had lived here I had taken advantage of some of their events, like midnight bike rides. We only sometimes think to bring sleds, but most of the time cardboard will do just fine:

 

Music Monday

As part of my list of things to do before I turn 29, I am trying to discover new music once a week. This week's song is Location, by Freelance Whales.

This song is upbeat and melodic, with some pleasing harmony and a sweet little banjo peeking out here and there. However, the upbeat progression of the music is juxtaposed by the somewhat dark lyrics, which to me speak out about how tough relationships are sometimes, and how difficult it can be to reach the person you love when they retreat into themselves. After listening to the whole album, I think Freelance Whales remind me a little bit of Arcade Fire, a more polished Oh No, Oh My!, and a less cheery Bishop Allen. Throw in some Postal Service for good measure.

If you have Spotify, you can use the link up there to have a listen, but here's the song on YouTube:

Things I Love Thursday

Nike Training Club
This App is free and it works on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. You select a goal and level, then find a workout that meets your criteria. It's rewards based, so you get to see how your latest workout has brought you closer to your next reward, like power smoothie recipes or high energy training circuits. I can't wait to use this tool next time I am at the gym (or not!).

Sleep Stream App

I have already mentioned this app offhandedly when I did my year end summary, but I thought it was worth re-mentioning. There are three things I like about this app. One, the ambient sounds are varied, although I doubt I will ever get sick of listening to a mountain stream as I fall asleep, since camping in the Gila Mountains by a stream is my "happy place." Two, There is a guided sleep meditation, which helps with my goal of meditating more this year. Three, there is an option to add a layer of binaural beats, and I have found this to be très helpful as a relaxing white noise option.

28 Things to do Before I Turn 29

1. Overhaul my office area
2. Restyle my closet to fit my new fashion needs
   I have started buying only "sensible shoes," and more clothes with appropriate fabrics, lengths, etc. I occasionally stop into H&M and Forever 21, but I try to stock up on more quality products—like my jeans and my shoes, so that I can pick up endless tops at Target, since they don't last as long. Lots of lessons learned.
3. Sew and tailor all of my old clothes that need mending
   I didn't get to all of them, but I have mended a lot.
4. Pimp out our balcony
5. Donate our old towels to the MSPCA
6. Go sledding
7. Try a juice fast
8. Cook one new food or recipe every month
   We ended up participating in a farm share starting in June, and J bought a new propane grill. Between those two things, we were learning more about food this year than any year before. I ended up learning ways to cook millet, quinoa, beets, turnips, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, butternut squash, and way more other foods that I never thought I'd be able to make by myself, much less enjoy in the first place (I was skeptical about brussels sprouts, but they are my new favorite food. Especially when they're buffalo flavored). I know that's only 8 foods that I've listed, but at least 12 different recipes came out of them—so I think it counts.
9. Participate in group meditationI went to the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, and it was incredibly relaxing and freeing. One of the founders, Sharon Salzberg, has written two books that I highly recommend: Real Happiness—The Power of Meditation—A 28 Day Program, and Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness.
10. Run a 5K
    This goal was originally to ride my bike more than 50 miles (in one ride). I stopped doing long rides long ago, and this didn't even become a possibility. However, I did start running, and I finished my first 5K in December!
11. Visit a new country
    We visited Italy and Croatia in August. It made me want to travel even more!
12. Take more photosI was more earnest about participating in Project 364, to take a picture every day of the year. I was wildly unsuccessful in taking a picture every day, but it definitely led to more photos, and more importantly, better photos—especially in Europe.
13. Go back to school
    I took Graphic Design I at MassArt in the spring, and Graphic Design II in the summer.
14. Complete at least three apartment projectsThe following improvements have made our apartment much better:
    
    • Hanging glass racks in our kitchen to hold our wine glasses, in addition to buying an Ikea kitchen shelf to get some of our bigger kitchen appliances out of the kitchen.
    • Hanging grundtal rails in the office—rails allow me to hang art supplies at an arms reach, and I also hung up a hanging file so that I could keep my Groupons at hand.
    • Patching up a hole in the wall. Yeah, sure I put the hole in the wall myself, but now I know I have the necessary skills to fix that sort of damage!
15. Find a new job
    I had a contracting position in July-September at MIT, and it was part of a thrilling and prestigious grant proposal. I am excited to add it to my resume.
16. Adopt a greyhound
    Feh. This one is happening. D-day (dog day) is January 26th. I missed this one by a few weeks.
17. Swim in the ocean
    Not only did I swim in the ocean, but I went swimming in the Adriatic Sea! The water was so beautiful—crystal clear and the perfect temperature.
18. Discover new music once a week
    Not once a week, but frequently. I posted a video a week for a while, and that helped me try to reach this goal.
19. Start knitting again
    I made an honest effort starting with a small afghan.
20. Learn to embroider
21. Redesign my online portfolio
22. Change my name
    I legally changed my name shortly after my birthday, way before 29 ;)
23. Visit a new museum
    We visited the Peabody Essex Musem in Salem, MA this past March.
24. Make the spare bedroom guest-ready (i.e. not my dumping ground)
    In all fairness, it is still a dumping/hiding ground, but we've streamlined the dumping/hiding process such that it takes a day to get it to guest-ready shape, plus we've made sure to include toiletries, internet password, and fancy guest towels.
25. Keep sparkling wine in the house for impromptu champagne moments
    I found mini bottles of champagne, and it has been simple to keep champagne in the house for impromptu celebrations or, you know, Tuesday nights.
26. Tour a chocolate factory
    This one was actually a bit of a cheat since we did it for my 28th birthday.
27. Plant an herb garden
    In May, I had mint, and lime mint growing on my balcony, and basil growing in my kitchen.
28. Compost
    I talk about our adventures composting here.

Things I Love Thursday: Corgis Gonna Corg

From the Obsessive Corgi Disorder tumblr

honorable meniton

Feeling like a road warrior for riding my bike in the winter ♥ The Dinner Party, This American Life, and Freakonomics Radio—my new rotation of podcasts ♥ Excitement about new projects and fresh starts ♥ Daydreaming about our upcoming vacations and travel plans ♥ Listening to mountain streams as I fall asleep ♥ The pile of books I have waiting for me at home ♥ 


Happy Thursday!

Whole Body Cleanse, Week 1

As part of a New Year's pact that I made with myself, I am three days into the 2012 Whole Living Action Plan. I have tried this plan before, but I didn't place any importance on the followthrough. I ended up fasting for a while, feeling great, then falling into old patterns and ordering a lot of takeout as a "reward" for all of that difficult fasting I'd done.

This time, equipped with a shiny new juicer, and some other life adjustments, I felt ready to tackle this thing and really think about what it is doing to my body, and how I can make it a lifestyle change. I am keeping better track of what it does to my depression, my anxiety, my skin, and hopefully in time, my waistline.

I have had some pleasantly unexpected results: I actually have more energy than usual, my attention has been more focused, and I have started drinking my coffee black. I'm supposed to be cutting caffeine out during this detox, but I knew I wouldn't be successful without coffee. In the long run, it's a habit I'm probably not going to give up, ever, but the benefit of cutting the sugar and milk from my daily cup (and being happy about it) is unexpected and amazing, and almost makes up for a little cheating.

Some of the recipes are really good, like these sesame kale chips, and these fruit and nut bites. Me, though? I just can't wait to start drinking wine again.

Wrapping up 2011

Wrapping up 2010

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

• Got married!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions and will you make more for next year?

From last year:

• diet, diet, diet. I would like to eat waaay better than we did this year. Less booze and much less frozen pizza.
• start saving more money.

I did neither of those things. I exercised more for the wedding, but as it approached, I had less time to cook and the anxiety and stress made my diet worse than ever. I also didn't save any money, as the wedding completely wiped me out—back to square one!

This year:

• Work on my yoga/meditation
• I would like to be able to do crow pose without looking like a stuck barnyard animal. I would like to get my hips closer to the floor in pigeon pose, and I would like to touch my heels to the floor in downward dog
• I would like to meditate at least three times a week, and check out group meditation at least once this year
• Start earning more money as a freelance designer

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, our best man and his wife had a baby boy and I got to design his birth announcements!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly, we lost someone early on this year to cancer, and my father lost his godmother.

5. What countries did you visit?

None, yet again. Here's hoping 2012 will change this answer.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

The ability to cook in my kitchen without feeling cramped.

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory and why?

November 19th—our wedding day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Organizing and throwing a wedding, basically by myself. I had some truly wonderful vendors, but we did not hire a planner or DOC, and my parents were very far away, and anyway I have control issues. But I did it, and it was fabulous and perfect in every way.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I wasn't always the best or most thoughtful friend as a bride-to-be.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I have been on a roller-coaster of anxiety and depression since the wedding, and when I finally nailed down my meds, they started causing side effects that were new and scary and unpleasant. I am in the midst of trying to fix all of this, and it has been pretty twitchy.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our wedding bands, a Clarisonic Mia, a wedding photo book from pinhole press.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
J, who married me this year in spite of all my flaws.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

One time at work this guy came into the office and just started being a big dickhole for no reason. He was angry and he was bossy and he thought he was better than everyone else, and was yelling at us about something he could have instead talked to us about like a reasonable human being. He will no doubt die of a heart attack someday (soon, I'd wager), and it will be all his fault, but in the meantime, he totally ruined my day for no reason other than the fact that he was a miserable person. People like him made me appalled and depressed.

14. Where did most of your money go?

All of it went towards the wedding. Rent? What's that?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Our wedding!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

It's Alright by Bang Gang (our first dance song)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder?

I am more anxious—in fact, I've been showing symptoms of panic disorder. So...sadder? But not really because I have some really great doctors who I trust, and a husband who is supportive and understanding, and I'm not going through this alone. So...happier.

thinner or fatter? Ugh, probably about the same, maybe a little fatter. I lost some weight after we got engaged in anticipation for the wedding, but it all came back with a vengeance shortly around the time we tied the knot.
richer or poorer? We put a big hunk of cash into the wedding, and I quit my restaurant job, so maybe a little bit poorer. We're financially still in the same circumstances.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Exercise, and take care of myself.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating takeout, and not treating my depression.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

At our friends' house eating a turkey that is way too big for all of us and some pecan pie from Petsi Pies.

21. How will you be spending New Years?

No clue, but maybe a repeat of last year when we spent time at Ginger Exchange since no one else was in town, and we were friends with the bartender.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?

I am so in love with my new husband that it's not even funny.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

Parks and Rec, American Horror Story.

24. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*

25. What was the best book you read?

Hunger Games. This book was not a life changer or anything, but it came at a time when I was sick as all hell, and it gave me something to do while I had a headache and runny nose, but it also gave me a really sharp focus on how much I appreciate my life. The only other book I remember reading this year (and not re-reading) was Mildred Pierce, which I only read because it was nominated (won?) all those Emmy's and we did not have a subscription to HBO.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Meditation music—specifically an app that helps me sleep at night called SleepStream, and has ambient noises like running water, in addition to add-on meditation like music that helps me sleep at night. And also The Joy Formidable.

27. What did you want that you also ended up getting?

A pair of UGGS (don't worry, they're not the ugly kind, they're this pair), and a Clarisonic Mia.

28. What did you want that you did not end up getting?

A stand mixer. A subscription to Psychology Today.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

Jane Eyre, Bridesmaids

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 27. J took me to Harvard Square where we had cupcakes at Sweet (he even remembered to bring candles!)

And then we had dinner at Sel de la Terre with friends

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Not gaining weight after the wedding

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Lots of yoga pants

33. What kept you sane?

Medication, therapy, and yoga.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Seth Meyers
and always Ryan Gosling, but not just because he's suddenly the Internet's golden boy— see Exhibit A from Jan 2008:

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Marriage equality

36. Who did you miss?

All of our friends who have moved away. We got to see some of them at the wedding, but it's never enough! Our neighbors moved out kind of suddenly, and this summer will not be the same without them (or their pups).

37. Who was the best new person you met?

I don't think I met anyone new this year...at least no one who I can say was the "best."

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

That meditation is actually a useful tool, and that not all alternative medicine is hooey (some of it is).

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"And I was in your arms

And you were in my arms

And you might like what I say

And you might get what you hate
And it's okay to be right here by you
It's alright..."

Things I Love Thursday

My restored letterpress, which I intend to learn to use very soon!

Fireworks!

This Fourth of July provided me with some excellent photos. My new 50mm lens, a tripod, and a remote trigger made this 4th of July more enjoyable, since I got to watch the show and let the remote trigger do the work, photo-wise.

This font, Pluto, which is on sale right now at MyFonts.

Things I Love Thursday: Congrats, Sis!

My sister graduated from West Point this weekend. She is now a Second Lieutenant in the US Army! Go Awbs!

Things I Love Thursday

I am oddly in love with this print from Casey Weldon, called "Poochie Poochie," even though it makes my eyes water. The colors are divine, and oh, how I love puppies! Even four eyed ones.

Things I Love Thursday

I love listening to This American Life radio archives while I do busywork. It makes me feel a little bit more productive than listening to Bowling For Soup's Ohio (Come Back to Texas) for the fiftieth time in a row, on YouTube.

Better Off Wed, Kendi Lea's refreshingly honest and witty blog about marriage. It gives me what I hope to be a glimpse into my future, and her writing reminds me a little bit of Heather's (dooce.com), in that it makes me laugh out loud at my desk and that I drool over all of her images (also, her other blog: kendieveryday).

Red Velvet Pancakes! I love pancakes and I love red velvet. It just seems so logical to put the two together! Will be making for someone's birthday <3

27 Things To Do Before I Turn 28

1. Get married!
   We were married on Nov 19th at the MIT Chapel
2. Take a real vacation
   I went to New Orleans for my bachelorette weekend, and J and I went to Vermont for our honeymoon over Thanksgiving, and were forced by the closure of every business and restaurant to just relax in our hotel.
3. Sew a dress
4. Take more pictures
   This is a goal of mine every year, and I somehow fail even more every year. I got a new 50mm lens, which made me pretty excited to take photos for a while, but it wasn't enough. I still wanted to take a picture every day for a year. I was going strong this year, and I think I succeeded at the goal of "take more pictures." Did I take a picture every. day? No, but keeping that goal through the year made me more likely to take a picture most days.
5. Wear lipstick more regularly
   After learning to do my makeup for the wedding, I made sure that I did myself up more often. Sometimes all I did was put on a little lipstick, and it's amazing how put together you can look with lipstick and nothing else.
6. Find a new hairstyle
   I learned how to do a dancer's bun and it saved me when I was growing my hair out for the updo I'd have on Nov 19th.
7. Host a board game night
   We had people over for Scrabble one night. It was brutal.
8. Use my kitchen every day
9. Do more yoga
   A friend of mine teaches a class on Wednesdays. I feel more accountable since I know the teacher. It's also helped me do more yoga at home.
10. Compost
    I did end up calling the city of Somerville to look into this, but they didn't have any bins available until after the New Year. After learning this, J and I went to Home Depot, picked up a 5 Gallon plastic pail, and we drop our compost off at Whole Foods weekly. I don't need it to garden (a wish/goal of mine when I embarked on this process that I have since abandoned), so this solution works for us.
11. Make a scrapbook
    I ordered a wedding photo book from pinhole press, and because I am feeling unambitious, but also like it was still an achievement, I will call this one a win, since I had to spend a lot of time with that layout.
12. Letterpress I letterpresesd and assembled our wedding invitations.
13. Make my office inspiring
    I did a lot of cleaning and purging, and it did help tremendously. I then bought a new (larger) desk and office chair and it's looking very professional and the addition of workspace makes me more efficient
14. Unveil a new website/blog
    Not that this is what I meant, but I did update the layout around here...
15. New business cards
16. Write more thank you notes
    After the wedding, I feel like I've done nothing but write thank you notes.
17. Drink more water
    I go back and forth on this one. In general, I feel like I've drunk more water this past year than I used to...but it wasn't measured.
18. Pimp our our bathroom
    Courtesy of our wedding registry, we now have matching towels. Matching. Towels. Also a spa-like bath mat, and a re-organized very spiffy basket to hold all of our bathroom needs.
19. Dog-sit a corgi
20. Organize my files
21. Clean out our bedroom
22. Start drinking tea
23. Participate in the Apartment Therapy Spring Cure
24. Thrift/restyle in my own closet
25. Eliminate chemicals from our home
    We are down to some Mrs. Meyers cleaning solution for the bathroom (since it's so gross in there), but everything else is all natural (vinegar, baking soda and lemon if I can help it, Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers, or Method products if I cant).
26. Tour a brewery
    We went to the Magic Hat Brewery in VT on our honeymoon, and toured the Anheuser-Busch brewery with friends.
27. Hang more artwork/photos