umbrellas are for transients.

i suppose like most of the
blogs i read, as well as most media outlets,
and in the spirit of a new year it's time for a
recapitulation of 2008 and a look towards the future.

some major happenings of the past 366 days
{remember 2008 was a leap year}:

two weeks of travelling through
snow capped europe alone, including
munich, geneva, basel, paris,
brussels, luxembourg, nancy
and frankfurt {i fudged on this
one as i started on december 22, 2007}.

having frenchies believe i am
german, the swiss believing i
am french and no one in
belgium guessing i am american.

being photographed for a street
fashion blog in brussels.

getting to know portland
{and the rain} by bike.

learning adobe CS3.

breakups. makeups. and
more breakups.

completing my junior
year with a near 4.0.

turning 21.

being proposed to by a
brazilian in a nightclub.

blunt bangs and bleach highlights.

mastering 9 centuries of
french literature in 3 and a
half months {in french, of course}.

having my bike stolen.

voting in my first presidential
election {yes we can!}.

discovering 3-D expression.

power tools. lots of power tools.

thriving on little to no sleep.

giving up caffeine for a
month, only to live on
nothing but caffeine for
the two months that followed.

applying for a fulbright grant.
being rejected by teach
for america. looking
towards the future.

finally starting to come
into my own and slowly
eliminating obstacles to
becoming my true self.

starting to feel satisfied
with my life.

overall, i'd say it was a pretty good year.
i don't particularly like the idea of new year's
resolutions just because they are rather cliché,
usually unrealistic, tend to be bound for failure
and limit the potential of personal growth to the
start of a new calendar year. but i am definitely
an advocate for change and list making. so i
created a list of assignments for my own
personal development.

2009 version {edited from the full version
and in no particular order}:

ride a horse.

jump on a trampoline.

drink more wine (price shall not be a factor).

get a job.

live alone (long live the spinster).

listen to more vinyl (particularly stevie ray
vaughn’s texas flood and anything by billie holiday).

speak in a non-native tongue as much as
possible (preferably french, but non-coherent
drunk speak is also acceptable).

learn to walk in 3+ inch heels (and still be mobile
at the end of the day—perhaps invest in insoles).

become a known regular at a favorite bar (the
whiskey bar=second womb, only after the sculpture studio).

take more baths (red wine, bubbles and candles
suggested but not required).

paint (with no expectations—no one has to see it).

learn how to change the oil (no woman
should have to depend on a mechanic to get by).

learn to drive a stick shift (one more aspect
to being a badass chica).

learn to live on a budget (excel should
be a friend, not a square enemy).

acquire a silver stir stick. carry it everywhere
ala franny & zooey (perhaps a cigarette holder as well).

sing karoke (nancy sinatra’s ‘these boots are made for walking’).

write more (and maybe let people read it this time).

stop living in the past (burn or otherwise
destroy evidence of past relationships).

regain the patience to prepare a really
nice meal (including local products,
multiple courses and wine pairings).

embrace where i am (as chloe said, i’m
so fucking portland).

get another tattoo(s).

carpe diem.

i think that should keep me busy for a while.
at least until next year.