2012: The Year in Review

1. Where did you begin 2012? 

At Colin's parents' house in Lake Forest with Colin, Chris, Rosmer, Graham, and Mike

2. Did you have a New Year’s Resolution? 

figure out if I want to go to grad school/figure what I want to be when I grow up

(I decided the answer was yes/I want to be a librarian)

3. What was your status on Valentine's Day? 

in a relationshiop with Colin Logan

4. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2012? 

I worked at ZooFriends, and then Juliet came over to my house. We got a pizza from Marco's and watched an Irish film called "Intermission" and a couple episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

5. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year? 

nope

6. Do anything special on Easter?

Colin and I met my Dad, Grandmother, Papa Jerry, and the Sheppard clan at church, and then we went to my aunt Sheila's house for lunch and fam time. We also went with aunts and cousins to Grandma Pat's house to see if we wanted to keep any of her old things.

7. What did you do on the 4th of July?

I went up to Tulsa for the day and spent time with the Baluhs. Agatha and Graham were in town, so I met them at TU and we chatted a bit by the pool. Then the three of us and Claude went to eat at Old School Bagel and then shopped around at Gardner's Used Books.

8. What was your favorite summer memory of '12?

When Colin came to visit in June, we had a cookout at my dad's house. Kristine and Maesynne came, and Chris Smith brought a group of Tulsa people with him, including Rosmer, Ryan, and a couple others.

9. What were you for Halloween? 

Amelia Earhart

10. What happened on Thanksgiving?

Went to Aunt Sheila's in Moore on Thanksgiving day; went to Aunt Nancy's in Tulsa that Saturday

11. What about Christmas?

At Aunt Sheila's on Christmas Eve, Mom Skyped in through Melissa's computer. We carried her around so she could talk to everyone, and she even participated in dirty Santa! It was awesome. Mel, Richard, and I were going to drive up to Grandmother's in Bartlesville on Christmas Eve, but the weather was bad and the roads got icey, so we decided not to chance the drive. We both participated in dirty Santa there over the phone, though! It was a very technological Christmas.

12. Did you get kissed under mistletoe?

no

13. Best Christmas present?

Dia de los Muertos coasters and wine glasses, from Tina

14. Describe your birthday.

I went down to Dallas for the weekend, and my mom and I saw 5 films at the Dallas International Film Festival. My favorite was documentary called "Brooklyn Castle" about a chess team at a Brooklyn middle school.

15. Best birthday present?

 "Game of Thrones" Season 1 on Blu-Ray, from Colin

16. What was your best month?

April - great weather, fun birthday, OKC Arts Festival

Worst month?

August - studied for and took the GRE, breakup with Colin

17. Did you know anybody who got married?

Meg Hemric & Andrew Fagan

18. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Sarah Bowler

19. Did anyone close to you die?

Grandma Pat, John Baluh

20. Where did you live?

Edmond, OK

21. What countries did you visit?

none

22. What was your favorite vacation? 

I never really had a true vacation, but I enjoyed driving up to Rochester, MN with Mom to help her look for apartments, and I loved having 3 days off in a row from work for Christmastime.

23. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

inner peace

24. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?

September 9th, when Colin and I talked about our breakup for 2 hours on the steps of McFarlin Library

25. What was your biggest achievement of the year? 

recovering from a bad breakup

26. What was your biggest failure?

I completely neglected my physical health this year.

27. Did you suffer illness or injury?

does a broken heart count? :P

28. What was the best thing you bought?

The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection

29. How did you earn your money? 

OKC ZooFriends, Edmond Public Library

30. Where did most of your money go?

gas, Halloween

31. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Ashton Eaton

32. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Todd Akin

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

Dallas International Film Festival, Colin coming to visit in June

34. What song(s) will always remind you of 2012?

"Gangnam Style" by PSY, "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepson, "Someone Like You" by Adele, "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer

35. Compared to this time last year, are you:

I. happier or sadder? 

It's been quite a roller coaster ride, but I feel like I've come back to about the same happiness level I was at last year.

II. thinner or fatter? 

fatter

III. richer or poorer? 

maybe *slightly* richer

36. What do you wish you’d done more of?

exercise

37. What do you wish you’d done less of?

stress out about work

38. Did you fall in love in 2012? 

no

39. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn’t dislike this time last year?

I wouldn't say that I've started disliking anyone, but there are a few people that I like *less* than I did last year.

40. Did you have any encounters with the police? 

I got pulled over for speeding on I-35 (on my way to Dallas), but got away with a warning

41. What were your favorite TV programs?

Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Castle, House, Once Upon a Time, Perception, Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead

42. What was the best book you read?

"This is Not the Story You Think it Is... : A Season of Unlikely Happiness" by Laura Munson

43. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Florence + The Machine, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men

44. What concerts/shows did you go to?

Souled Out at the UCO Jazz Lab, Huey Lewis & the News at the Zoo Amphitheater, "War Horse" at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas

45. What were your favorite films of the year?

Brooklyn Castle, Silver Linings Playbook, Prometheus, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Looper, Chronicle, ParaNorman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Avengers, Zero Dark Thirty

46. What did you want and get?

The Harry Potter Wizard's Collection

47. What's one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

having a more regular and predictable work schedule

48. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?

I wore leggings with skirts pretty regularly, and I decided to cut my hair the shortest it's ever been, as a pixie cut.

49. What kept you sane? 

Mom, Kristine, Juliet, Krystal

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

Tom Hiddleston, Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy

51. Who did you miss most? 

Colin

52. What's one thing you thought you'd never do but did in 2012?

take the GRE

53. What's something you learned about yourself?

I've been relying too much on other people for my personal happiness. I need to work on finding peace from within.

54. Was it a good year? 

No, but I learned a hell of a lot.

55. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:

You can never be completely in control of your life. Surprises will happen, and you can't blame yourself for not predicting them. You can't change how other people behave, but you can change how you choose to respond.

Number of movies watched on video/Netflix: 40

Number of movies seen at the theater: 45

Number of television seasons completed: 22

Number of books read: 19

God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him...

I had lunch at McAlister's today and had a sort of epiphany. I noticed a girl across the room at a table by herself (like I was, but with a laptop instead of a book) who, after she received her food from the waiter, closed her eyes and bowed her head in prayer with her hands together, touching her forehead. I watched as she sat there in silence for about 30 seconds, and I realized something about praying over food that I never have before: it primarily serves as a reminder to be thankful.

I admit that I've always thought praying before eating was a little silly. I didn't see the point. It didn't make sense to thank someone who wasn't there. I've never really been a big fan of prayer in general, because I never felt like it held any direct effect. That's not to say that I don't appreciate people telling me they'll pray for me when I'm having a hard time. In doing so, they are basically telling me they care, that they will be thinking of me, and that gives me comfort. Praying over food, however, doesn't have the same connotation. It's very much in the moment and directed at inanimate objects.

The problem with my old view is that the nature of prayer really has nothing to do with direct effect, or any effect, for that matter. It's all about intention. What I realized today is that it's not about the subject of the prayer. It's about having a sense of gratefulness. It's about reminding yourself to appreciate what you have. It's an opportunity for brief meditation on contentment. Prayer is introspective.

Seeing that girl pray in silence at the restaurant for no one but herself helped me realize that it really is about inner reflection and peacefulness. Especially if one lives a very busy life and has difficulty finding time to relax, taking 30 seconds before each meal to ruminate on gratitude can work wonders for overall contentment. I am definitely guilty of taking the little things for granted and forgetting that I have A LOT to be thankful for. Especially since I'm going through a rough time right now, it is sometimes hard to concentrate on what is good in my life; I sometimes forget to appreciate all that I have. I am going to start practicing everyday gratitude by taking a moment before each meal to briefly remind myself that my food is a gift, and in that moment of thanks, I will recognize other parts of my life that deserve appreciation.

Let's watch the Olympics, just for kicks

(pun intended)

NBC didn't cover any taekwondo on their main channel, so I had to go online to watch it. We won two bronzes, one for Terrence Jennings, who got into the sport by watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and one for Paige McPherson. Great Britain also won with a gold for Jade Jones! I'm glad the British have won lots of medals at these Olympics--it's always nice to see the host country do well, and they very often do since they have home-field/court/ring/track/etc. advantage.

I've really enjoyed Mary Carillo's coverage of these Olympics. Her interviews with athletes are always well-done, and her specials on London and the U.K. (about topics such as Welsh traditions and Shakespeare) were interesting and fun. I guess they have the best sports journalists go out into the field to interact with people and leave the odd ones (Bob Costas) in the studio.

A few words on Usain Bolt: He is certainly impressive, but I don't like him. He's unquestionably the greatest sprinter of all time, winning both the 100m and 200m in 2 consecutive Olympics (as well as some relays), but he's also very full of himself. He can't seem to stop talking about how great he is, and even after he won the 4x100m relay with the Jamaican team, he said, "I'm very happy with myself," as if his teammates didn't have much to do with it. (Contrast that with the winning US women's 4x100m relay team, who couldn't stop saying how much they loved each other.) I might also add that in a couple of his races, he actually slowed down on the last few steps when he knew he had it won. In a long distance run, that can make sense because you're exhausted to point of collapsing, but in sprinting, it's just pure arrogance. It shows that Usain doesn't care as much about doing his best as he does about winning. A true sportsman always tries his best and gives it his all, whether or not he's in the lead. Sports, especially the Olympics, are about showing people what you're made of, not simply winning every contest. The media's obsessive coverage of him also annoys me because it overshadows more inspiring athletes like Ashton Eaton, the decathlon gold medal winner.

Some sports really know how to put on a show

Synchronized swimming is fun to watch. Similar to figure skating, it obviously takes tremendous athleticism and skill, but the athletes try to come up with choreography and artistry that goes well with their music and provides entertainment for the crowd. You get everything from Great Britain's Peter Pan theme to Australia's AC/DC routine. What really gets me is how much time they spend underwater. It seems like they're holding their breath for at least half of their performance (they probably are). It's too bad that the US isn't usually in contention for a medal.

Then there's rhythmic gymnastics, one of the strangest sports ever. It really seems like more of a dance competition to me. Ballet is not a sport (though it does require athleticism), so I'm kind of at a loss for why this would be considered differently... unless you look at it as the "sport form" of dance, emphasizing the athleticism and slightly reducing the artistry. The routines look like dance exercises with specifically required props--ribbons, rope, hoops, clubs, and bouncy balls. Maybe the props are the key--having to dance around while concentrating on a prop (that they have to keep in constant motion) requires expert hand-eye coordination, so it's kinda like table tennis in that sense... I dunno. It's definitely bizarre, but also fascinating. (The US doesn't have a full team competing.)

There was a devastating crash between South Africa and Kenya in the 4x400m relay prelim, preventing South African Oscar Pistorius from even getting a chance to run his leg. Needless to say, it dashed the hopes of Pistorius and his team... at first. Their country filed a formal protest because the Kenyan runner suddenly changed direction right in front of the South African, causing them both to fall. Well I'm definitely glad they did so, because the committee allowed them to compete in the final, making Pistorius the first double amputee to compete in an Olympic (non-Paralympic) final. So cool!

Quite a few crashes occurred in BMX racing, as well, but that's actually the norm. Because of all the falls, there's a point system with multiple races to determine who advances in the competition, so you're not automatically out of it if you crash once. The exciting, fast-paced races are so enthralling that once the bikers come out of the gate, it's impossible for me to pull my eyes from the screen. It's BMX-treme!