Jan 012010
 

nye99

This was me, New Years Eve 1999. I was all set to get all lampshade-wearin’ crazy again this year too, but a stomach bug had other ideas for me. So instead, I rang in 2010 laying on the couch under a blanket, eating Doritos (the only thing other than frozen yogurt I could fathom injesting 10 hours after my stomach cavity had been exorcised), and playing Words With Friends with Henry, who gets so mad at my 60+ point words that he yells, “You bitch!” and I know deep down it’s full of love. I was supposed to have gone to a party and was really looking forward to that, but all in all I didn’t hate my New Year’s Eve. I’ve had plenty worse. And my mantra is: If the night doesn’t end with me paddling downstream on tears, then it must have been pretty good. 

So I expected going into this post with the “Fuck 2009, bring on 2010” mindset, and then I realized that, yeah, maybe some aspects of the past year were shitty, like getting laid off and then testing positive for a drug I haven’t smoked in 10 years, but really 2009 was full of some pretty cool shit. Please excuse me while I reflect.

  • THE PENGUINS WON THE STANLEY CUP, HOLLA!!
  • After years of knowing him on LiveJournal, I finally got to meet Bill and his awesome lady-half Jessi.
  • Discovered I’m really fucking awesome at bowling.
  • Saw a lot of awesome shows
    • The “Where’s the Band?” Tour with Dustin Kensrue, Chris Conley, Matt Pryor, and Anthony Raneri
    • Cold in Cleveland, which was the first time since 2005 they toured, and it turned out to be a big waterwork sesh for me
    • Craig Owens!! in Cleveland with Alisha! I think this was tied with Cold for my favorite show of the year
    • The Used
    • Chiodos in Columbus: my big hot date with Henry
    • WARPED TOUR!!
    • The Giglife Tour with Gravemaker, Fireworks, The Swellers, Set Your Goals, and Four Year Strong
    • Brand New and Manchester Orchestra in Cleveland
    • The “Squash the Beef” tour with Of Machines, Tides of Man, Of Mice and Men, Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa (awesome show with the exception of douchebarrel Jonny Craig from Emarosa getting blitzed and singing like shit.)
    • Thrice!!! with Polar Bear Club and the Dear Hunter!
  • Got some of my Somnambulant shit in a real brick and mortar shop here in Pittsburgh
  • Watched Bill and Jessi get married in Vegas via webcam
  • Made it another year without managing to neglect or endanger my child
  • Had some photoshoot fun
  • Made it a priority to spend more time with friends
  • Went to the wedding of one of my oldest friends, Lisa. And cried.
  • Was served a broken toe by Henry (Wait, wrong list.)
  • Reconnected with my mom, for better or worse
  • Got to go to my first Penguins game since 1997!

Please allow me to be cheesy for a second, but the best part of 2009 was reuniting with Alisha. We met back in 2005, became fast friends, but then had a falling out. Mostly because I’m a bullheaded psycho (and even worse, I was a bullheaded psycho amped up on pregnancy hormones). But we’re friends again and I’m not sure how I would have dealt with some things (that seem so insignificant now anyway) if she hadn’t been around. Plus, I have big plans for her involving cherry pies, blindfolds and stilts.

I think the greatest lesson I took away from 2009 is that no matter how much the universe shits on you, you just have to get up and brush it off. Wallowing will get you nowhere. It’s a tough mindset to uphold at times, but I’m not sure where I’d be right now if I let myself stew in self-pity. It also helps to have someone like Henry around who gets all mother hen and will say shit like, “OK, that’s enough. Go call someone and go out.”

I hope you all had a great New Year’s Eve and that 2010 will be full of delux awesome! Thanks to anyone who still continues to read this shit!

  13 Responses to “2KX in the Hiz!”

  1. You look like you’re about to attack Tokyo in that pose!

    Seems like 2009 was positive overall for you. Believe it or not, I feel like it was positive for me too. Sometimes the bad shit that happens is just an opportunity to clean the slate for the good shit. :)

    I really am going to make plans to come to Pittsburgh at some point. I really do need my passport, and I’m going to claim my US Citizenship at some point too. I feel a lot more free now that I’m newly single and not tied to a career that I can only practice in Western Canada. Who knows where I’ll end up eventually? :p

    Happy 2010 to you, Henry, & Chooch :)

    • I really like your attitude! Here’s to a prosperous 2010 for you, Henry and Chooch!

    • I don’t want you to think I’m some Pollyanna or something, because there were definitely some spirit pummeling moments when it’s like WHY
      ME????!!!! Lol. But I think that’s the mistake I kept making year after year – it was always, “Oh this was the worst year ever and I’m so happy it’s over!” and then I would be let down when the next year wasn’t so much better. So now I try to focus on just the good shit that happened and let the rest be the past.

      Oh my god, that makes me sound so new age-y. Ha!

      “Sometimes the bad shit that happens is just an opportunity to clean the slate for the good shit”

      I believe this 100%! It’s so true! Everything bad that happened last year only led to better things, and it definitely sounds like it was that way for you too. I hope you do get your passport and come visit! Or hopefully by the power of the gods I’ll actually get a job and be able to come to Canada!

  2. Oops that was meant to be it’s own comment not a reply! I’m blog-dumb.

  3. OMG is that a bottle of ZIMA???

  4. I hope your 2010 is d-bag free!

  5. Just an opprotunity to say that I believe your 2010 will be a good year for you, I just know it.

    Also, I’m really glad that you didn’t give up on US.(Aw..I said “us”!) Our friendship really does mean a lot to me, and I’m hoping that we’ve both grown enough over the past few years to not allow a falling out to happen again to us.(i said it again!).

    Here’s to you, Henry and Chooch! Cheers! ;)

  6. It was a hell of a year, so glad our meeting made the list!

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