year end meme!

i stole this from Leah at A Girl and A Boy:

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
In chronological order, I finished a complete year of law school, I attended a funeral for one of my parents' siblings and I got married. Inter alia, of course.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


I'm pretty sure I didn't have any new year's resolutions for 2009, except maybe to (convince T to) set a date to get married and actually do the whole wedding thing.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Hmm... Not anyone super-close. But one of T's friends and business partner had a baby girl in the spring. And my best friend got pregnant and then lost the baby and now is pregnant again, which is pretty damn exciting/scary.

4. Did anyone close to you die?


Yes. My tio -- my dad's brother that I grew up knowing, who repatriated to Colombia and is the reason that I have ever even been back there in the first place. I miss him still. Also, T's grandmother, who was like a grandmother to me after my own Southern belle of a grandma passed away. I miss her too. It was hard to have them both absent from the wedding.

5. What countries did you visit?


I went to Colombia to say goodbye to my uncle, and I went to Spain with T for our honeymoon (with flight stop-overs in Germany and Canada).

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More appreciation for the things I have, a paying job and a plan for our family's future.


7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 8, 2009. Our wedding date :)



8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


Easy. Getting through the first year of law school. That was a DAMN big achievement. Not because law school is the hardest thing in the world, mind you (though it is a challenge) but because I actually got myself (back) into school completely of my own volition and completed an entire school year. I mean, come on! I thought those days were over! I'm proud of myself for that :) A close second would be getting through the first dance with T in front of all our friends and family while the speakers were so badly connected that nobody but nobody could actually hear the music so it looked like we were just dancing a jig while really drunk.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Taking my family for granted.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I fell down the stairs on my first day of summer vacation after finals. That wasn't so bad, but it makes a good story. Worse was that I got super SUPER ill with some kind of a flu on the train ride to Georgia to see my niece graduate, which caused me to not only miss the graduation but also lose my shot at Journal. Still haven't decided if that was a good or a bad thing, though, if I'm being completely honest!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My wedding band! Technically, I guess T bought it for me. Or it came from wedding money or something. But seriously. It's awesome.



12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Obviously, T's. He was a wonderful fiance all through the first eight months, and supported me through two horrible bouts of finals. He helped me when I was devastated by the loss of my uncle even as he was going through his own devastating loss. He made me laugh when I needed it, and gave me space when I needed it. He made me feel lucky every day of this past year.
The less obvious answer is my aunt S. She baked 16 wedding cakes for our reception -- one for each table -- even when she got terribly sick the night before the wedding. Then she attended with a smile on her face! And to top it all off, she made us a cross-stiched heirloom wall hanging as a wedding gift.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?


Hmm. I honestly can't think of anyone. Unless you count the people who make crush videos. I learned about those in Political and Civil Rights. That made me appalled at the capability of human beings.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Good question! Um... food? Beer? Rent? Oh, duh. I didn't even see most of it. It went to my stupid school tuition. And books, of course.



15. What did you get really excited about?
The wedding and, specifically, having all of our friends and family in one place at the exact same time, and even more specifically, dancing with them all at the reception!



16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
I'm embarrassed to say it's probably going to be "I gotta feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. But there are a lot. Other top contenders include: "Bedrock", "Empire State of Mind", "I Invented Sex" and "Whatever It Is".



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

- happier or sadder? Hmm... Happier, I think. More contended anyway. I actually think I was pretty happy this time last year, but I also had an enormous wedding to plan and my first year of law school to get through, so I must have been way more stressed than I was now. At least, I had more stress to look forward to. And there was a lot of heartbreak to come. This year, I am grateful that I don't have a big event to plan, and I know to cherish and appreciate a lot more than I did last year.
- thinner or fatter? Sadly, I am probably fatter. My weight hasn't really gone up, but I pretty much constantly feel fatter every day.
- richer or poorer? Poorer. I'm not making any money. I'd like to remedy that in 2010.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?


I almost wrote studying but that's a load of crap. I wish I'd had more sex!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?


Studying and stressing about stupid things.

20. How did you spend Christmas?


With my family, doing the 2nd generation Latino half-assed Christmas eve thing and then drinking and playing board games all day on Christmas.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I ended 2009 more in love than I began it!

22. What was your favorite TV program?


Honestly? The Office. I just discovered that I actually like the US version on the plane ride back after our honeymoon. But I also love Supernanny, 30 Rock, Modern Family and Deadwood. Duh, and Lost.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?


As much as I hated Constitutional Law and the hide-the-ball crap that my prof pulled on us each and every day, I do not hate my professor.

24. What was the best book you read?
How bad would it be if I put Dukeminier's Wills Trusts and Estates casebook? Cause that was damn juicy! I also really enjoyed The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Nicki Minaj

26. What did you want and get?
T as my husband. Exercise clothes, a suit and Settler's of Catan. A job.

27. What did you want and not get?
A Wii Fit. Paid.

27a. What did you not want and not get?
Swine flu.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
I hate this question. We watch way too many tapes at our house. I really liked Sin Nombre, which we watched recently.



29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 28, and went to my grandmother-in-law's funeral. In the days prior, however, we did have a barbeque cookout in an alley.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If the speakers worked from the get-go at our wedding reception.



31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Two pairs of jeans I bought from a cheap urban clothing store, a couple nice tops from H&M and a closetful of frump.

32. What kept you sane?


My dog. The 24-hour cookie truck (at finals week). T. Baths.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Harlow Winter Kate Madden, obviously.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?


Immigration reform and the horrific joke of a criminal trial in Shenandoah, PA, where the guys who killed Luis Eduardo Ramirez got off on a simple assault charge.

35. Who did you miss?


My uncle. Even though he was a continent away, I immediately felt his absence. I missed my brother, what with him being near the other side of the country. And T's parents, who are hard to visit from where we live.

36. Who was the best new person you met?


I think that honor has to go to my classmate and study buddy A, who is friggin awesome. We studied together in the spring, and I realized that she is one of those people that I just hit it off with without worrying the way I frequently do about whether or not I am too this or that. I can just be myself and be straight with her and she tells me when I'm acting weird and asks me if she worries she's acting weird. We're both a lot alike, and I like hanging out with her. It's nice to make friends.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.


Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither was a perfect marriage.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.


"God is good / Beer is great / And people are crazy"

In my dreams...

This would have been one of those imaginary posts that never made it to the blog, except I just read this post from Cee at Starting to Melt, and took it as a Sign.

So this morning, I awoke from my slumber as T was getting dressed for work just in time tell him all about my dream:

"I dreamt that I was sleeping in a bed with Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (aside: for some reason, I think he is the cutest guy on the show)."

T's ears perk up.

"Yeah, we were in a bed with four people, and I was on the end, and he was laying next to me, and I was very sleepy. The last thing I remembered saying to him before I fell asleep was 'So you use a Mac, right?'

Then, later, Charlie was freaking out about how he had to brush his teeth, because he was sure we had been making out, and he knew I had a husband. He was babbling about this to someone else (who had apparently been laying in the bed with us) when I woke up and was like, 'Uh, Charlie, that NEVER happened. I've been asleep.'"

T continued buttoning up his shirt, nonplussed, through this fascinating account.

"The point IS," I cleared my throat. "Charlie from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia obviously had a thing for me in the dream."

At that, T laughed.

"What?!" I demanded to know.

"Do you remember that time you had the dream Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer from 24 had a thing for you?"

OMG, I totally forgot!

I present to you the top 3 recent trends in my dreams (not nearly as sexy as the one above):
1. Being trapped in a free-falling elevator.
2. Struggling obsessively to find an outfit to wear from my closet.
3. Having to fight off sometimes-hot television stars who are way into me.
Guess which one is my favorite?

After the fact pattern

Post-finals life has been chugging along quite nicely, but it's not without its adjustments. On the relationship front, it seems that as soon as the time is called on my last exam, I awaken from my study-induced stupor to notice all the shortcomings in our day-to-day life that T has no doubt been trying to call my attention to since around mid-October.

"We don't spend any quality time together," I whine. "Why do you come to bed so late?"

T patiently explains to me that he is not used to me actually wanting him around, especially in the evenings, when I am notoriously at my most cranky. When we leave to meet friends at a bar, and he suggest that he bring my set of keys, I glare at him. "Why? Do you think I'm going to come back early, without you?"

Without blinking he responds, "Yes. I guess so."

Like a petulant kid, I pout, "You'd better get used to me being around all night. I'm not going to leave early so you can hang out without me anymore."

"I can get used to that. I'd like that," he demures. "I just forgot for a second."

I like to pretend it's rough, realizing that the world has been revolving without me for the last two months, but the fact is that I'm in utter delight most of the time. Random squealing may be prompted by any of the following: getting under a blanket on the couch, taking down a box of instant cocoa, pulling the wrapping paper out of the closet, watching T change into pajamas, putting a leash on the dog, etc. As T says, I'm easy to please.

There are less than pleasant things going on right now. I'm fearful, truth be told, because of some troubling test results that my mom received a couple of weeks ago. The full implication of the results won't be known until after the holidays, though, so there's not much I can do. When I first found out, I spent a day shivering and fighting worry-induced nausea, staring off into space. This was while I still had to exams left to take. I prayed about it, and tried to let it go. After about a day, I found myself able to resume enjoying life. I'm still a little scared, but I'm taking it as my cue to practice not being in control, and to just live.

There are also super exciting things. My trial advocacy professor put me in touch with someone at our local public defender office who does work with immigrants in the criminal justice system. As anyone who has ever known a non-citizen living in the States knows, the legal system in this country has a completely separate set of consequences for people without citizenship. I am excited and encouraged to have made a connection with someone working on the front lines of this crossroad, and have even been invited to shadow the person at an upcoming hearing! Very good news, indeed. These days when I see the fruits of my decision to go to law school take shape, I am always so grateful for the choices that brought me here. Of course, it would have been impossible without T's unwavering support, which I realize more and more each day. But now I'm starting to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech.

Speaking of prizes, there is one other exciting development in my life. Last night, T, Best Man, Best Woman, another friend and I played Quizzo and actually WON! After many, many failed attempts, and an overflowing collection of consolation prizes (i.e. crappy books like "Dummies Guide to i-Pods" and a history of the Lilith Fair), we managed to snag a round of free drinks and a bunch of knock-off Yuengling swag. Supposedly, our picture is posted on the mirror behind the bar for the next week. Boo yes!

And that's life, post-finals.

Adult humor

T and his friends used to joke about "adult humor" -- the kind of automatic wisecrack that spills out of people's mouths at the office (especially Mondays and Fridays) or in line at the grocery store. These are the kinds of jokes that broadcast one's passage from hip youth to embarrassingly unfunny adult. At least, that's how I always imagined T & co. interpreted them. It was always good for a laugh to point out when one of us indulged in adult humor, either on accident (in the course of being polite to strangers) or by design (oh, irony).

It occurred to me this morning that my joke to a cashier at 10,000 Villages yesterday was adult humor to beat all previous attempts... and I wasn't even trying! I present to you the following exchange, which took place as a sales clerk spotted me looking around the crowded store for fireplace pokers and trying to locate T:

Saleswoman: "Can I help you find anything?"
Me: "Do you sell fire pokers?"
Saleswoman: "No, I'm sorry, we don't."
Me: "Well, in that case, have you seen my husband?"
!!!!cha-CHING!!!
Saleswoman: "They tend to get lost around here."

I have to admit, I am smiling to myself a little at the cleverness of it right now. I guess the appeal of adult humor is that it's just so *easy*. Maybe that's why T makes jokes about being in trouble with the wife. Even though they drive me crazy and I don't think they're funny, I imagine they are irresistible to him.

Massive Storm Slams East Coast!

yep. that about says it all.

sitting where at my computer, if i turn my head to the left, i see dusty white snowflakes flying by like they are on some kind of invisible highway, and they have someplace important to go. it's awesome.

t and i are about to brave the living winter weather alert to walk downtown and do some christmas shopping. it may be less than a week to go, but i'm going to enjoy every last hour of this holiday season come hell or high water. finals may have forced me to put it off, but it could never suck dry all my christmas spirit! besides, who knows what next year's holiday season will be like. from one year to the next, it's too easy to take these things for granted. i'm just going to try and soak up all that we're blessed with this year, while we have it.

on that note, i better get my scarf and hat on.

Ahhhhhhhhh

Shaving your legs.
Saying "I'm sorry."
Not falling down stairs.

What do these 3 things have in common?

Here's a hint.

Ready or not...

Even though I told T this morning that I was going to take my last exam on Friday to give myself a final day to review, I have changed my mind. I went to the coffee shop with an old E&E this afternoon and was surprised to see two girls sitting at a couple of tables with their fat old casebooks. By this late in the game, I figured I'd be the only one studying. I asked them what school they went to. Turns out they go to mine.

We chatted about how much it sucks to still have exams to take while everyone else is already immersed in the holiday spirit(s). I confided that I was taking my last exam tomorrow (Friday). This provoked a response of perfectly equal parts pity and confusion. Why would you do that?

Indeed. Why would I? I have too much other stuff to do. So, ready or not, Political and Civil Rights, here I come!

Among the many (many) things I look forward to finally completing when I'm done with this horrid exam cycle: finish sending thank-you notes from the wedding (omg, for real?! yes, for real); write back the people who i am ashamed to even think of because i haven't talked to them since the wedding; respond to the helpful job leads i was given ages ago; see about getting a wedding album done up for my parents for xmas; come up with creative non-monetary gifts for everyone else; oh jeez. so much more.