The 2008 Year in Review

So, last year Jacqueline started this trend on her myspace blog. Then Jess copied her. Then I copied. Jess brought it back this year. And I copied.

Yes, I am a lemming. But I am breaking trend in that I am not doing this in the third person.

Song of the year:

• “No No No N0” Mate of State
• “Sweet Darlin'” She & Him
• “Magick" Ryan Adams
• The soundtrack to Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog

And the winner is: Unlike last year - I think these songs actually were all released this year. As much as I adore Ryan Adams and fell in love with She & Him and I do like screaming "No, No, No" over and over again - there is no choice that the winner is Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog. I reference a lyric every day. Hell, look at the name of this blog. There really should just be one nominee. But I wanted to be fair.

Show of the year:

• Neko Case at the Calvin Theater in Northampton
• Isabella playing at the Bushnell
• She & Him at the Academy of Music
• Luch and Vinnie Rocking out in the basement like it was 1985 again

And the winner is: Ummm.. I feel like there are some missing here - but these were probably the best. The winner is She & Him. Even with the wierd opening act. I did not stop smiling for almost the entire hour.

Movie of the Year:

• The Dark Knight
• Tropic Thunder
• Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog
• Iron Man

And the winner is: Hands down, The Dark Knight. I love Dr. Horrible (again the title of this blog) but I was giddy with anticipation for the Dark Knight for the past year. And it fulfilled my expectations. I sat there dumbfounded and amazed the entire time. Even the annoying Bat voice didn't bring me down.

TV Show/Episode/Moment of the Year:

• Lost - the scene where Jin dies. You know the one. Sun screaming in the helicopter.
• Mad Men - the whole shebang
• 30 Rock - The Subway hero episode.
• How I Met Your Mother - The Bracket.
• Dr. Who - The Library episodes

And the winner is: I inserted this category because I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much. But, I thought it was another fun thing to think about. I left out a lot. That scene in the season finale of Battlestar Galactica when they discover Earth. Saturday Night Live and Tina Fey. Wondering if Keith Olbermann might explode on MSNBC. But, the most amazing thing I watched all year was Mad Men. I loved my Sunday nights. I could not wait for the next episode each week and each week I fell in love with the women of that show.

Book of the Year:

• The Twilight series
• Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett
• Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn
• Gluten Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern

And the winner is: A lot of my life was sucked away due to Twilight (get it - sucked away) but Things the Grandchildren Should Know should have made me fall apart when I read it - but it made me laugh, smile, and I could not stop reading it. I highly recommend it if you want to feel inspired and just enjoy a good story. Life-changing, I don't know. But something definitely happened.

Work Accomplishment of the Year:

• Judge Lawlor knowing my name
• The May CAPC meeting that was awesome even with drama
• Shutting the door

And the winner is: This is really hard. One of my New Year resolutions for 2008 was to have the Judge know my name, but then he resigned. I hope there is no correlation. But I think the May CAPC meeting takes it by a hair. There was drama. I have new nicknames for people. And I think I rocked it. If you want to full story - by me a gimlet and we can discuss.

Saying of the Year:

• Everything said in Maine. Favorites include "I'll just wait for him to pull out" and "I just want to get higher."
• What's a Virgin? - Tessa asking her grandmother.
• There was pervasive damage to your intestinal villi. - Dr. Wu
• "You'll always be 26" - Dave aka Aiden aka Adrien aka He Who Shall Not Be Named

And the winner is: "Pervasive damage” takes the gluten free cake. After those few words I had to transform the way I live and eat and think. It was a tough and interesting adjustment that is still ongoing.

Sports Moment of the Year:

• Napoli briefing sitting atop Serie A.
• Being happy that I won't be forced to watch the Superbowl in 2009 because none of the teams either of my brothers support is involved.
• the Wii Fit Christmas Day snowboarding competition.

And the winner is: Ummm... Napoli sitting atop Serie A was really nice, but I just can't get into American football so not having to hear about the Superbowl next year is soooo awesome.

Meal Experience of the Year:

• Everything at Kripalu - but specifically that one night of the neverending dinner
• The first gluten free cupcake
• The pasta the first night at Emery's in Maine
• Dinner in Little Brazil after Rent

And the winner is: All great experiences and wonderful in their own way. But Kripalu wins. It was my first week of eating entirely gluten free and it was sooo damn good and clean.

Best Supporting Actor in a Chick Lit/Flick Comedy:

• Jacqueline and Jess
• Dave a.k.a Adrien a.k.a Aiden a.k.a. He Who Shall Not Be Named
• The Starbucks crew
• Team Paul

And the winner is: Ummm... Two repeat nominees. Two new ones. But I'm just gonna go with Team Paul because, well Team Paul. I called him a girl. I've called him my candidate for hope and change. I, yeah... I have issues.

Best Scene in a Chick Lit/Flick Comedy:

• Calling Team Paul a girl
• The Maine trip
• "So, my band opened up for Hanson."

And the winner is: Hanson? Really? Anyway, I think the best scene is calling Team Paul a girl. I mean, I called him a girl.

Storyline of the Year:

• Fist pounding declaration of the year of me
• Starbucks Girls
• My mom

Moment of the Year:

• October 8, 2008, 5 pm, St. Francis Hospital

And the winner is:

These two categories are together for one simple reason - there was no other storyline or moment this year that meant anything more to me. I've tried to keep this list comical and happy, but those of you who know me - know that it is not a comical and happy time. I've struggled the past few months and I know I will survive and as the cliche goes, probably emerge stronger from the ashes. But, watching my mother breathe her last breath took a lot out of me. I've over compensated a bit in order to survive the holidays, but I won't lie - it's been really, really hard.

Thanks for reading. Looking forward to 2009 is sublime.

Holiday sounds

For music while you finish wrapping, baking, cleaning, shopping, cooking, eating, entertaining, and drinking - go here.

Enjoy!

snow and cupcakes...

Snow is wonderful. I'm a big fan - even when it continues for nearly three days. I don't play in it nearly as much as I used to, but I love to watch it and I really love the way it forces you to just slow down.

Sure, you obsess over clearing it out so you can drive out of your driveway - but until it stops you really just have to wait.

You have to take an afternoon and watch a movie. Or a soccer game. Read a book. Bake cupcakes.

I finally baked the ginger molasses cupcakes today. They were wonderful. So damn good. Really. I am so happy I found this recipe on Gluten Free Girl because I will be making more for Christmas Eve. They have that great spicy ginger taste that I've recently come to like. I tweaked it a bit because I didn't have all the right ingredients at home and due to the lack of plowing I could not get out to the grocery store.



I've now wrapped all my little packages to bring to work for everyone. I decided I wanted to share my gluten free baking in the hopes that one day my dream of a bakery or mail order business might come true. Basically I give you presents in the hope that one day you'll give me money to open the business.

I still need to work on my frosting skills. I'm not all that graceful and I'm intrigued to try making a dairy free frosting at some point.

I'm not quite done with my shopping and I still have to finish the grocery shopping for Christmas Eve dinner. Ohhh so many things to do....

But they will just have to wait for the snow to end.

Merry Christmas

Despite the frightening state of this economy, I bought these shoes. They are Cole Hahn and I ordered them off Zappos.com which assured me that I was getting a deal. Somehow I found it completely respectable to spend over a $150 on a pair of green suede heels. Actually, I still do. The shoes are awesome. And they also are among the most comfortable heels I've ever put on my feet. Cole Hahn has the Nike Support Cushiony thingamajig going on in the soles and it feels so heavenly to put on. And, they look ahmazing.

I believe in the power of heels. I understand that some find that they overly sexualize woman and force a submissiveness. Or that we just wear them because society demands it. Or that they are impractical. (I'm basically talking about Germain Greer here.) But I say that's total and complete hogwash. I feel immensely more confident when I am walking in a heel. I feel like I am taken seriously at work and in life. And hell, sometimes don't we want to feel hot and as a girl with a ton of body image issues, I must say I feel hot in a pair of heels. And my green suede Cole Hahns do the trick.

Anyway, if I'm overly sexualized in my heels, I am also apparently overly domesticated in my love of baking and cooking. The rest of household tasks can be done by robots, but the cooking is always going to be my domain. Sadly, my living situation right now doesn't allow me to cook much despite how much I love it. Since my mom has passed away, my dad's need to care for people has fallen to me which means dinner is always cooked and waiting for me. And it also means I always come home too late. But, baking is all me. And since going gluten free, I am newly obsessed with it. I love to play around with the various flours involved and tweak various recipes I've discovered. There's something oddly satisfying about watching that loaf of gluten free bread come out juuuust right.

So tonight, I baked. I have a few friends coming over some holiday cheer tomorrow night and I thought I would try and make the affair as gluten free as possible. I made cupcakes. I'm obsessed with cupcakes right now. I'm also obsessed with homemade frosting - none of that out of a jar crap. Making your own frosting takes two seconds and is sooo worth it once you realize how much better it tastes.

Anyway, this year instead of dozens of cookies, I'm focusing on cupcakes. I'm also trying to find a way to give cupcakes away to people as a little holiday token. Cookies are easy, you put them in a plate or even a gift bag or a tiny tin. Cupcakes need some planning. Suggestions?

Tonight was not nearly as adventurous as I had originally hoped it would be. I was doing a few other things at the same time - like felting for the first time, writing out Christmas cards, and watching the Muppets Christmas special. I decided to just take the easy way out and use Pamela's cake mixes and make chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. So I didn't have to play with all the flours I had taken out of the downstairs freezer in anticipation.


I also didn't make the frosting yet. That is better done tomorrow night so it doesn't get watery. I have a recipe for ginger molasses cupcakes I found on Gluten Free Girl that I didn't have the energy to try. That will be this weekend's project. The cupcakes looks good.



They taste pretty good also. And the felted bag came out pretty good as well.
It was my first felting experience. I'm excited at how well it seems to have turned out.
You can't tell much in this picture and it is still drying down in the basement. But it is supposed to be my niece's Christmas present. Or one of them at least. And I am pretty impressed at how easy it was to do.




Apparently I have become a super girlie girl in the past year. Hmm... Interesting evolution. But I still love my Converse and am still obsessed with Dr. Who.

Randoms

When I titled this blog, I did not put much thought into it. I really, really like Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog and I like that part where Billy brings frozen yogurt to the laundromat and notes what a "crazy random happenstance" it is that the frozen yogurt place gave him two frozen yogurts and Penny loves frozen yogurt. And I thought it was a fun thing to say.

No real thought put into that, you see.

Except after a couple instances this weekend, I'm beginning to realize that life is indeed a series of crazy, random happenstances. Profound I know.

The first happened on Friday. I was at work attempting to do some research on a file. I finally gave up looking through our archaic resources and made a phone call to another attorney who has much better resources. After I had my question answered, we started talking about our impending weekends and somehow we ended up talking about college. Turns out we were in two of the same classes during our college years and never knew each other.

Random, right?

Things continued in the random variety all day. I went to the grocery store for soy milk and walked into an old floor mate from my freshman year of college. And by walked into - I mean, I walked into her and nearly knocked the soy milk from my hands.

The randomness continued the following morning. I was rushing to New Haven to grab the 7:55 train to Grand Central where I was to meet my brother and family. I heard it choo chooing away as I raced down the stairs of the parking garage. I sighed. Noticed that I had twenty minutes for the next train. Waited in the long line for the bathroom. Bought a bottle of water. And strolled to track ten. I sat in my seat and as we were about to take off, a women with her daughter and two granddaughters came into the train looking for seats. She was quite vocal about her distaste and having to sit so separated from each other. In order to make things easier on everyone I gave up my seat so the could sit near each other. I really didn't need to have these folks talking back and forth over my head for the 90+ minutes.

I ended up sitting next to a recent graduate from the Yale Divinity School who worked with a nonprofit organization and was headed into the City for a training with Eve Ensler. At Parsons. I asked her if Tim Gunn would make an appearance (even though we all know he no longer works at Parsons.)

We talked continuously for the whole train ride about our pasts as organizers and giddiness over the impending administration. It was a great conversation and the train ride was over in a flash.

Random.

And so unlike my normal train experiences which involve me sitting with my iPod blaring and book on my lap ignoring the people around me. Not really much of a talker. This was an interesting change of pace.

But I still had a slight moment of wondering about where my life is headed. What is it I aspire to? I am not ever quite sure. I am pretty damn sure it isn't the work I am currently doing. But for now I stay here. I'm not really in a place to consider changes. Any change I make right now is not for the right reasons. And there's that whole issues of a tanking economy. You know, the little things.

Since my mother passed away I've been consumed with this need to figure out a way to live the best version of my life. It sounds cliche, I know. But, how do you best honor someone who was so important to you. I don't know her that well. Or I should say I don't know the woman my mother was before she was my mother very well. Based on what I do know, I think a lot about what she may have wanted from life. And I feel like it's my responsibility to live that out for her.

All that thinking based on a conversation with a stranger during a train ride. It's a talent.

The randomness was over, I thought, for the weekend. Until I made it into the mall the following day (Sunday) and noticed one of my favorite Starbucks guys from the Farmington Starbucks working at the one in the mall. Sadly, he will be there for the rest of the holiday season making my afternoon coffee runs less lively.

Now of course, I feel compelled to look for all the randoms in my life.

new beginnings...

See www.xanga.com/laliaberry for my current and soon to be old blog. This one has been up for a while and I've never done anything with it since it seemed to take so much effort to close up the other one. But, here I am. Again. New name. Same colors. Kind of like that new Fast and Furious movie - New Model, Original Parts. (Oh Vin Diesel how you make me laugh out loud during movie trailers.)

But I'm in the process of closing up shop on my xanga blog. I've been there for over four years. Started right before the 2004 election. There's a lot of anger and sadness there. And occasionally the exceptionally written post. In light of the massive changes to my life and this country's life it seemed like a new space and a new forum was where I should be. I tried this many times before.
And well, it never stuck. I think it will this time.

It's a strange process - this closing up. I don't want to remove everything - because some of it is really well done. Some of it is crap. But all of it is what I am. I am going to keep it up for a while. Or at least until I figure out a way to back it all up.