Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year

Hmm, fell off the radar for a bit there again. This break I've either been very busy or very lazy haha. I'd say about half and half. It's been nice though. I do have a few outfit photos to show (though none from last night, gah! I will have to recreate it. And none in good lighting either... it gets dark so early!) but right now I think I'll do a little New Year's post with a survey I stole from my cousin which seems appropriate.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Assistant Stage Manage a show. Operate a sound board. Write a Play. Probably other things too.

2. Where did you begin 2009?
On my roof, with bubbly and my friends, yelling and complaining about how a building was blocking our view of the fireworks. haha

3. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Some of them somewhat. I did start eating better and exercising (at least some of the time) and I think I made progress on the being true to myself thing too. I also have kept up with this blog! (however intermittently). I don't know if I'll make more. I think just more of the same really, I feel like I'm headed in the right direction in a lot of areas of my life and I just wanna keep on going!

4. What was your status by Valentine's Day?
I went to a couple of mean singles appreciation day parties ;)

5. Did anyone close to you give birth?
no

6. Did anyone close to you die?
no

7. Were you in school?
yep

8. What countries did you visit?
None actually. I spent all of 2009 in the US! Though I was in Switzerland right at the end of 2008 and in just 7 days I'll be headed to the UK!

9. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A person. If you know what I mean ;) hah

10. What moments from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Moving out of the house at the end of sophomore year... and moving into my apartment: especially living there alone the first week of rehearsals before classes started and unpacking during that crazy thunderstorm. A lot of things from working in the Park this summer: all our antics and hard work. The staged reading of the scene from my play because it was scary (in a good way) and such an achievement. That time when Mike called to tell me something important, haha ;)

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting into BADA!

12. What was your biggest failure?
Maybe sleeping part-way through a rehearsal for the show I was assistant stage managing. whoops. However, it all turned out fine (and other than that incident I was a very good ASM if I do say so myself) so I'd say if that's my biggest failure I'm doing pretty well.

13. Did you have to go to the hospital?
Yep. I somehow failed to mention this previously but about a month ago, on the weekend in between the end of classes and study period I slipped/fell and hit my chin/underneath my chin on the corner of my chest of drawers and had to get thirteen stitches. Oops. It seems to be healing nicely though and since it's under my chin you don't really see the scar unless something interesting is going on above my head. Or if you're really short.

14. What was the best thing you bought?
Oh geez. Well, overall, probably my ipod touch. Fashion-wise, maybe the dooney and burke bag, or my floral tights. Though my mom kind of bought those. haha. The filson bag is also really excellent (I've been using it a bunch since Christmas) but that was also a gift. Wait... I think I got my hunter rain boots and my steve madden flats in 2009! (Super early 2009... maybe the first week of January?) So I say those! And I got my floral docs! Goodness... those too ;) haha

15. Where did most of your money go?
Er... probably Rent and food. Followed by seeing shows and on clothes and such. But not so much of the later in the second half of the year.

16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting into BADA. I almost gave my friend a heart attack by running into her apartment screaming. haha. I also had a similar level of excitement about getting my internship with Shakespeare in the Park.

17. What song(s) will always remind you of 2009?
hm... maybe Bruises (Chairlift). Banana Pancakes (Jack Johnson). Anything by the Weepies or Jenny Lewis. Anything from In Our Bedroom After the War (Stars). I gotta feelin' (Blacke Eyed Peas). And probably anything Lady Gaga. And of course, the Twelfth Night Soundtrack.

18. What concerts/shows did you go to?
Concerts, hmm. Girl Talk was this year. So was Stars. And I saw Jenny Lewis over the summer in the park.
As for Shows? Well, everything at Schwartz, and sort of in order: Equus, Hedda Gabbler, Guys and Dolls,
Cirque de Soliel (can't remember/figure out which show/what it was called but it was great), Exit the King, Blithe Spirit, Twelfth Night, the Bacchae, God of Carnage, Finian's Rainbow, In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, Next to Normal. The last four were this break. I didn't do my usual reviews on here but God of Carnage was hilarious (like, peeing your pants hilarious), Finian's was very very cute, funny, bizzare, enjoyable and musical comedy esque (you know, big dance breaks, everybody's happy at the end, etc). The Vibrator Play was beyond words fantastic: hilarious, touching, poinaignt, beautiful. And Next to Normal was great too- very
moving and talk about belting! It was also fun to win two lottos in a row (in the heights for my friends and next to normal for me and another friend) ...and almost not getting my next to normal tickets because the guy thought my name was Nathaniel. haha

Also noteworthy: The Model as a Muse exhibit, and the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMa which I saw yesterday afternoon.

19. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder? Happier I'd say.
II. thinner or fatter? Thinner!
III. richer or poorer? Probably poorer.
That's the way to be, right? Happy, thin, and poor? ;) haha

20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Creative things, like sewing/knitting like I used to. Wish I had seen more shows too... but don't I always wish that?

21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Definitely procrastinating. Also emotional eating :P

22. How will you be spending Christmas?
Next year? Honestly I haven't got a clue. I hope to be home eating my mom's homemade pesto, potato, caramelized onion and goat cheese pizza though ;)

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Hm... probably Lost, though the hasn't been going for the last 6 months or so, but is coming back very soon! Pushing Daisies, which also ended prematurely :( And Grey's Anatomy of course. I also got into FlashForward this semester. haha. Oh ABC.

24. What was the best book you read?
Hm... Shadow of the Wind was really good. Maybe that.

25. What were your greatest musical discoveries?
Stars' In Our Bedroom After the War, for sure. Landon Pigg's Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop off a TV commericial, haha. Jenny Lewis. haha, basically all repeats from the previous music question.

26. What did you want and get?
An ipod touch, hunter boots, floral docs... a good bag (the filson one)... a lot of other clothing/shoes/accessories/etc. And plenty I wanted and didn't get of course too ;)
And some non-material things too... into BADA, my internship... oh, and thinner? haha

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 20, wore a crown, and moved large, heavy pieces of steel down Lafayette street. Ate sushi and cupcakes and went to sleep early.

28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Hmm... I don't know. I would say "a person" as I did for something else above, but for all I know that could have made it worse ;)

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Shopping my closet. Ok, and shopping actually too. :P

30. What kept you sane?
My mom and my friends. Friends especially this semester. Also, bloggers and their blogs!

31. Who did you miss?
My grandparents, friends from home while I was at school, friends from school while I was at home. Lydia (my childhood babysitter who still comes by every other Tuesday), Madison (my old cat).

32. Who was the best new person you met?
Hm, I met quite a few great new people this year. Maybe my little, Hannah :) or perhaps Kristin or Erin- new friends at school. Or almost any of the people I worked with this summer- even my bosses!

33. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Um... try not to fall on your face? haha. No, I don't know. I guess, just go for it (whatever it is) because you probably don't have as much to lose as you think you do.

34. Did you move anywhere?
Yep! Out of the KD house, back home, into my apartment in Collegetown, and then back out and home again! I'm a pro.

35. What's something you thought you would never do but did in 2009?
Perhaps asking a certain someone to coffee? haha

36. What was your best month?
Tough... I don't know, maybe May? : Slope day, finals and then a break and starting my internship.

37. Any regrets?
Hmm... nothing too much or too terrible really. :)

38. Overall, how would you rate this year?
Really pretty good.

39. What did you like most about 2009?
I don't know. Many different things at many different times of the year.

40. Other than home, where did you spend most of your time?
THE SCHWARTZ CENTER. haha. And over the summer, Central Park/The Delacorte. I'm pretty sure I spent more time in those places than home.

41. Change your hairstyle?
A little bit. I got it cut a few days ago- it's a bit shorter and choppier with more layers. Nothing radical, though I did think about it. My lovely friend-twin Jessie chopped all her hair off though and it looks fabulous.

42. Get a new job?
Yep- the internship

43. Do anything embarrassing?
Um... falling on my face and having to ask my friend to take me to the emergency room to get stitches? Yep. haha.

44. Get married or divorced?
Nope.

45. Did you get sick this year?
No actually! I avoided the swine flu.

46. Start a new hobby?
Reading food blogs! And cooking too.

47. Are you happy to see 2009 go?
Neutral I'd say.

48. What are you wishing for in 2010?
Health, happiness, and success. Good parts and good people.

And how did I start 2010? Why, with my very first blogger meet-up!

Thanks to the fabulous Lynn Chen for organizing and inviting me! She is such a sweetheart. We ate lunch at Spring Street Natural Restaurant (I had the "Mayan Eggs: two eggs on a yellow corn tortilla with black beans, Monterrey Jack cheese, Guacamole, lettuce, and ranchero sauce) and we discussed acting, blogging, and New York, among other things. The other bloggers were great too- turns out Chelsea lives right in my neighborhood and Ada and I know a bunch of the same people from growing up and going to school in NYC!

When I arrived home, Urban had sent me an e-mail full of things to lust after in the new year:
Urban- what's new Jan 2010

Anyway, less flashbacking and reminiscing and back to some regularly scheduled programming soon. I don't know how much blogging time I'll have in London (and we have limited internet bandwidth- uh oh!) but I do hope to post about my adventures. 7 days!!

Regards,
Freddie

4 comments:

  1. I loved this post! So much reflecting :) I want to go to a singles appreciation day party too! I never have a Valentine lol. But I'm glad the year treated you well!!!

    And what a great way to start the new year! I wish that one day I could grace your pages on a fun blogger meet-up. We'd go on sooo many adventures around the city and try on a bunch of fun clothes and eat at delicious places :D Okay I'm going to go daydream some more now. Have a wonderful start to a new year my love!

    XOXO

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  2. great meeting you today, nathalie! we may go see the tim burton exhibit tomorrow....

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  3. Nice meeting you today! Had fun!

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  4. Wow, the blogger meet-up looks fun. This was interesting to read :)

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