2010

Health
I will always remember 2010 as the year in which I finally got my act together and did what I needed to do health-wise (both mental and physical). I was able to part with boxes of stuff from my past, I let go of a lot of negative/controlling thoughts that had been holding me back, I faced some mental medical demons, and I worked my ass off (literally!) at the gym. I'm moving into the new year 65 lbs lighter (!!), four sizes smaller, and with a hell of a lot more energy! :-)

Blogger Meet-Ups
2010 was a little light on blogger meet-ups (hmmm... maybe because I'm running out of people to meet? I feel like I've met so many of you!), but the two I had were awesome! After years of reading her blog and interacting on facebook, I finally got the chance to meet dr. kwolf (formerly of AAYOR). I also had the opportunity to meet Kendra when she came to Chicago for a conference (she got me totally wasted!). ;-)

Work Life
Sigh. It was a rough year at Large College - too much damn drama! I'm moving into my fourth year as a full-time faculty member at LC (my fifth year there)... and I'm still frickin' adjuncting at Small College! Yes, despite the fact that I am FT faculty at LC, I completed my sixth year of adjuncting at SC (one class per semester). Why am I still working as an adjunct? Well, that's a good question that has a simple answer: because the pay at LC is horrific. After four years as FT faculty, I still earn $4,000 less than the starting salary (just out of grad school/no experience) at SC, which is known for its low pay. Argggggg! I did plan to quit SC once I was hired on FT... so much for that.

Concerts
It was definitely a good music year for me, as I was able to make it to a decent amount of concerts. The highlights of the year include Lilith Fair, the Indigo Girls, and Michael Franti (he opened for John Mayer). The biggest disappointment was definitely John Mayer - although I had fun at the concert, I wasn't pleased with the set-up (it was at the United Center, which didn't lend itself well to his type of show). I really would like to see him again in a smaller venue. Oh, wait, there was an even bigger disappointment than JM - it was the Prince show in NYC that I didn't get to go to! UGH!! He will be touring this year, so I can already tell you that he will be the highlight of 2011. ;-)

Here's my 2010 concert list...

1. John Mayer/Michael Franti
2. Lilith Fair: Vedera, Melissa McClelland, Kate Nash, Court Yard Hounds, Heart, Mary J. Blige & Sarah McLachlan
3. Counting Crows
4. Train
5. Indigo Girls/Shawn Mullins/Chely Wright

Books
I had a disappointingly low reading year - I declared 2009 to be my lowest reading year ever (59 books), but I only made it through 21 books in 2010 (I usually read closer to 100 books each year)! There were two major contributors to my low reading year: more time at the gym & an increase in my number of magazine subscriptions. When my gym time increased, my reading time decreased because I was just too damn tired - I usually read for an hour or so before I go to sleep; that was cut down to 15-20 minutes each night. I also acquired an insane amount of magazine subscriptions - I went from six to eleven (or maybe twelve? I don't even know!). Most of the new magazines were free subscriptions and I have decided that once they expire, that's it. I would rather spend my limited reading time on books and my core magazines (Bust, Bitch, Health, Women's Health, Whole Living & Bookmarks).

Here's my 2010 reading list (in order from January-December); my top picks are in red...

1. A Wolf at the Table: Augusten Burroughs
2. Shoe Addicts Anonymous: Beth Harbison
3. Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover if Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie is Not the Answer: Jen Lancaster
4. Bitter is the New Black : Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office: Jen Lancaster
5. Marley & Me: Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog: John Grogan
6. Barefoot: Elin Hilderbrand
7. Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?: Jen Lancaster
8. Testimony: Anita Shreve
9. The Year of Magical Thinking: Joan Didion
10. Firefly Lane: Kristin Hannah
11. Balancing Acts: Zoe Fishman
12. Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase: Jen Lancaster
13. Sleeping Arrangements: Madeleine Wickham
14. Cocktails for Three: Madeleine Wickham
15. The Friendship Test: Elizabeth Noble
16. Sammy's House: Kristin Gore
17. Heart of the Matter: Emily Giffin
18. Seeing Me Naked: Liza Palmer
19. The Year of Fog: Michelle Richmond
20. The Opposite of Love: Julie Buxbaum
21. Three Junes: Julia Glass

I also had the opportunity to meet three awesome authors: Jen Lancaster (twice!), Jennifer Weiner, and Emily Giffin. :-)

Travel
One of my ongoing goals is to travel more; every year, I resolve to explore more new places and visit friends who live out of state. In 2010, I definitely made some major travel progress: I visited two new states (Texas & New York - completely fell in love with NYC!), went on a hiking trip with D, visited my friend MT in Kalamazoo, and took a trip to Door County with some friends I hadn't seen in ten years. Of course, I would have loved to travel even more, but time and money dictated otherwise. All in all, I think I had a decent travel year & I hope to have more opportunities to travel this year (I'm already working with Beebs on a potential trip back to California in February!).
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Overall, 2010 was one of those years where there was a mixture of good and bad (thankfully, a little heavier on the good), but more than anything, there was a lot of stasis. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but for someone who doesn't have a lot of patience, it can be a disconcerting and frustrating state. The biggest change/improvement I hope will come in 2011 is in the form of a job for M - he was laid off a little over a year ago. Luckily, he is able to do some consulting work (which helps keep him sane), but he really needs a full-time job again, for both financial and mental reasons.

I'm not going to set any new resolutions/goals for the year; instead I'm going to continue to focus on the same goals from the last two years. I will continue to work on my relationship with M (which has improved, but still needs a little TLC). I will also continue to focus on living a healthier lifestyle (lose weight, eat better, get more sleep), save more money and pay off debt, and use my eye cream & floss every night (I currently don't have any wrinkles or weird skin and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible). I also want to make it a year filled with more fun (all work and no play makes me a very cranky girl).

Here's to a healthy and happy 2011! :-)