The Best of 2011

Alright! Let's give it up for the year 2011!

I'm so glad you all could join me here at the WCFC for a round-up of my year's most memorable moments. In the next half hour, I am going to count down the ten most awesome, most crazy, most incredible things that mattered (to me) in the year 2011. I'm not going to bore you with a list of the most significant news events of the year--that's what MTV is for! Nor will I attempt to play hipper-than-though with references to crap that you've never heard of--that's what FoxNews is for! This list is a WCFC original, and it is chock full of stuff that only matters to the likes of me, which is to suggest you, because you read this blog. All without commercial interruption! So without further ado, let's get our list on!

10.  Joshua of Project Runway Emphasizes the Wrong Word

"I will...not stand for it. I WILL...not have it." 

This is easily the quote of the season. Why does he talk like a midwestern mother of teenage boys? I know it has something to do with his own mother, but after his second confessional sob-fest about how he's the only living boy in America to lose a parent whilst trying to become something in the big city, I stopped caring. And DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THOSE GREEN HOT PANTS! I watched a lot of television this year, including every episode of this season's Project Runway, and I have to say I probably could have found a better use for my time. PR was really disappointing this year because it was so obviously scripted. Still, people like Joshua make it easy to create villains, and by the end of the season I was rooting for his humiliation. That guy needs to do a lot of work to become the person he would like to be. I hope he gets there and in the process develops some taste. 

9.  Trader Joe's Everything (but especially the Pfeffernüsse)

Y'all, I'm not made of stone. Trader Joe's really does have the most delightful foodstuffs around, and since moving to North Carolina, I have probably blown half the grocery budget just at the store in Chapel Hill. First of all, the wine is CHEAP! When we were living in Mississippi, we got used to spending ten bucks on a bottle and we usually only bought one at a time. Now, with dozens of brands priced below $5.00, we bring our wine carrier to TJ's and buy in bulk. It's awesome! Have you tried the frozen Indian foods? Oh my god. Put the tikka masala on your shopping list, now. I've already dedicated a post to the Pfeffernüsse, so you're already in the know about that...I guess if there were one thing I would change about Trader Joe's it would be all the other people who go there. Man, that place is swarming with people who have no sense of space and think that their children should explore the world uninhibited by society's rules and expectations. It will drive a person to drink. Which is perfect, on account of all the cheap wine!

8.  Will Cooley Discovers the Fan Club, Again

Back in February, Will sent me an email finally admitting that he knew about the blog and that he first learned about it from someone else at an academic conference. Being Will Cooley, he didn't feel all that harried about it and decided to wait a year before mentioning it to me. What a loon!

7.  My first trip to Asia

Remember that time I went to Taiwan? No? Oh, you remember; it was punctuated by a 29-hour layover in Tokyo, 'cause of that earthquake/tsunami thing? What a wild and wacky trip that was!

But seriously, it is amazing how that last day of my first trip to Asia completely changed how I remember the experience. In retrospect, I wish the details of my week in Taipei were more assertive, because that was a trip to remember long before the tragedy occurred. I hope that I have an opportunity to return to Taiwan and explore it more thoroughly. 

As for Japan, I'm equally enthusiastic about going there again and maybe leaving the airport. Before this trip, I didn't have much interest in Japanese culture, but now that I've seen it in crisis, I am mighty impressed. 

6. Hawaii and Seattle

This summer J and S finally got hitched, and the trip to Hawaii to see it was the highlight of my summer. I got to spend time with T and P and met a bunch of J and S's friends from all over the world.  Not one minute was spent in vain, and every day was beautiful. We lounged! We snorkeled! Poke jokes abounded! My one regret is that my fella couldn't join us as he was starting his new job back in North Carolina. 

In November, the fella and I finally had the opportunity to travel somewhere other than Fresno together, and we spent three nights in downtown Seattle. The location turned out to be fortunate because it allowed us to walk just about everywhere we felt like seeing in the short time we had to see the city. The highlight was dinner at Matt's in the Market, although in general we had a great time. Apparently I didn't take a single picture of it. Lame.

5. Sarah Palin Announces She Will...Not Run for President

This year is to be remembered as the year that Sarah Palin stopped being relevant. Remember when she released that video response to the Gabrielle Gifford's shooting back in January? Everyone agreed that that should be the end of her, but because they were talking about Sarah Palin, no one was confident that the laws of political physics necessarily applied. Then she began that bus tour, started sniping at the other GOP presidential contenders, and started hanging out with Donald Trump. Finally, she took leave of her mouth and let it ramble some nonsense about Paul Revere. The only sensible thing she did in front of a camera this year was announce that she would not, after prayerful consideration, give up the opportunity to make a shit-ton of money promoting herself. And for that, I am truly grateful. May her political career rest in peace. 

4.  Courtney Stodden (and her husband)

This year we finally learned who inspired Rick James to write "Superfreak." Courtney Stodden, that 16 year old who married a wholly irrelevant older dude, was definitely the most interesting thing to come out of Hollywood this year. I've been working on a theory that she is actually 16, but has a rare version of the even rarer disease progeria that, instead of rapidly aging its sufferer, causes her to skip adolescence and rush headlong into washed-up, alcohol-brined, and pornography-weathered middle age much sooner than natural. Also, the disease induces hot flashes at the first sight of a camera, forcing her to strip down to hotpants and go all duck-lipped. It's a dreadful disease, and one that definitely needs more study before it is fully understood. (Frowny face).

3.  Mississippi Makes Me Proud

The Personhood Initiative received its worst defeat to date in a place it was almost certain to pass. There was never a moment when I thought that it would fail, but it did, and I am so happy that the people of Mississippi gave the old electoral 'fuck you' to the movement. Of course, the newly elected Governor does not see this decision as an impediment to imposing his own brand of morality on the people who made it clear they'll have him but not Personhood thankyouverymuch, and he has promised to pass any legislation that effectively establishes personhood for zygotes if it comes his way (i.e., he is currently crafting legislation to hand over to his Christianist allies in the state house for debate).  The fight may have only just begun, but it is wonderful to see that this brand of crazy just won't work, even in Mississippi.

2.  Visits with Friends

This year has been exceptional for all of the opportunities I've had to see and visit with old friends. Whether it was going to DC in April to see an old college friend, to going to Hawaii with friends from high school, traveling back to O-town for Thanksgiving, or just hosting wandering Mississippians, I've really enjoyed all of the time spent with people I like and admire. I'm hoping that this coming year my fella and I will make arrangements to connect with anyone within driving distance--now that we live on the East Coast, the possibilities are greater than ever. Consider Durham, NC part of your next road trip, and I promise we'll do the same for wherever you call home.

1.  New Home, New Outlook

The move to North Carolina was definitely the most exciting and important thing to happen to me this year. It was sad to leave behind so many good friends, but P and I are really happy in our new place. I have been unemployed for 6 months, but in that time I've had the opportunity to get more actively involved in the issues that really matter to me and to commit myself to volunteering. Being away from the classroom for a year now, I am comfortable in my decision to leave academia for good, although my exit has not been entirely neat. Notably, I got an article accepted for publication in March, and I'll be adjuncting in Western Civ at a local college in the Spring. But, if all goes to plan, I will be making my move to social work in the Fall, beginning with a two year program at the local state university (that is if I get accepted to the program; knock on wood). 2011 was a hopeful year, and this move was part of our long term plan to seek pleasure in the everyday. I think we are off to a good start.