well, i just took at look at my postings from last january. even though i was over-stressed, i still found the time to post interesting and witty entries from time to time. i even put together a rather extensive overview of 2006. it made me hang my head and purse my lips: i've become a bad blogger.

in 2007, facebook emerged as the main source of connection between my friends, loved ones and co-workers. despite being harangued on a daily basis, i still do not have a facebook account. nor myspace. my defense was always "but i have a blog! if you want to see what i'm up to, just google me!" that worked well a few months ago... but now, oy... i'm a total slacker.

BUT there are many other things that i did and did not do in 2007 that are, in my opinion, pretty interesting.

did not:

1. buy my own car (it fell into my lap, and i'm very very grateful for it)
2. find my name in the phone book (and it'll stay that way if i can help it!)
3. lose that extra 5 lbs
4. have a hangover on january 1
5. find my own apartment (yet)
6. encourage my sister to keep the kitten (but she did anyway...)
7. buy a new cell phone
8. save as much moolah as i wished
9. have second helpings at thanksgiving (except pirogies - but those dont count)
10. continued to work at the wine store despite hectic scheduling
    

did:

1. paid off my credit card!
2. read 31 books
3. worked out regularly and indulged in yoga
4. overworked myself
5. cried more than usual - but in very healthy ways
6. read the actual, physical newspaper cover-to-cover at least once a week for about 4 months (and going)
   
7. cut down on nasty habits (just found out that grandma & grandpa read my blog so i'm now forever forbidden to indulge my readers upon said habits. thanks mom. sigh.)
8. go sledding in the fishbowl
9. get promoted
10. purchase an adult wardrobe

i've also had quite a few indulgences over the last 5 months:

1. regular yoga (up to 2 times per week!)
2. regular work outs in an actual gym (thank you mom!)
3. monthly massages
4. mac & cheese w/ hot dogs (twice!!)
5. made a batch of pirogies w/ gramma (hard work can be 100% rewarding)
6. treated myself to time off, just because
7. slept 9 hours a night for a solid week
8. visited san diego for a purely pleasurable trip to see family
9. drank amazing wine and sparkling wine - binny's tasting, a.t.o.v and temecula
10. read books for pure pleasure

#10 may seem a bit... non-indulgent. but in my defense, i'm in two book clubs now. that means i have two books each month to read that are most likely not my choice. that said, what i did read in december was wonderfully indulgent!

book club #1 - no country for old men by cormac mccarthy
little has been said on our book club blog about this book b/c only two of us read it. i picked this one up b/c book club #2 read yiddish policemen's union, which was book club #1's pick a few months ago. i needed to do SOMETHING with my time...

ncfom is about a bag of money. many million dollars of money. moss finds it in a truck in the middle of the texas desert, bloodied and covered in coke - the only survivor of a drug exchange gone wrong (the bag, not moss). moss takes the money and brings it home. bounty hunter chigurh comes looking for the money. sheriff bell comes hunting for both men.

ok, it's really not about a bag of money. but the bag is the motivational force between these characters and their actions/reactions. each man is calculated and methodical, each comes from a different generation. each play with the notion of "chance" or, "free-will."

there are quite a few graphic scenes in this book, and therefore, i'm reluctant to see the movie. i hear it's fabulous, and very close to the book's plot. but the cold-blooded calculated chigurh freaked the bejebus out of me, and the desperation of moss and his wife clung to my heart a little too much. that may make me sensitive, but it does reveal that this is a powerful book. i definitely recommend it.

indulgence book #1 - you suck by christopher moore
the sequal to bloodsucking fiends, after only 20 years!!! well... more like one decade... but it's well worth the wait. moore's witticisms and sharp tongued characters are endearing as ever. tommy wakes up to find that jody has turned him into a vampire and the two newly dead have to figure out how to live together, in the night, with a hunger for blood in sunny san francisco.

moore always has a few characters from other novels that pop up in various stories. this is no exception - a few folks from a dirty job play their rolls nicely. i always recommend moore's books to those with an open, yet dirty mind... highly enjoyable fodder!

indulgence book #2 - the golden compass by philip pullman
after reading four pages of this book i realized that i had, years ago, started this series out of sheer boredom. i became completely engrossed in the book and promptly started searching for it in bookstores everywhere. could not find the fucker anywhere. lo and behold, here it is today - a shiny new movie starring nicole kidman.

immediately the recognized treasure became my heart's desire. i tore through this novel with voracious speed. b/c i have not read the next two books in the series i will not talk about the "plot of atheism" that religious groups everywhere are frowning upon. it does have negative opinions of organized religion, but in this first book, we're simply treated to getting to know our heroine, lyra.

lyra is a spunky girl who apparently has quite a future in store for her. in epic style, we follow lyra through many self realizations that lead her into many sticky situations. i fell in love with lyra - she's exactly the type of little girl i always wanted to be when i was a kid. adventuresome, intuitive, friendly and tenacious... plus, i'd love to have my own little daemon running beside me at all times.

anyway, yes, i recommend this series. and here i sit, with baited breath, awaiting the library to call with a hold for the 2nd book.

indulgence book #3 - bridget jones' diary by helen fielding
yes, i've listened to this audiobook every year in december since i bought it in 2003. is there anything wrong with that? do you care to argue with me? no? good.

and so... i guess this will conclude my uber-long entry for post-2007 wrap up... no resolutions for me, but i do hope that i am able to post more entries in the future. cheers to all!