I work downtown, and on a recent walk to the post office I noticed, beyond the budding trees and bright flowers, the urban signs of spring:

• parked cars drenched in pollen
• fountain flowing again at my favorite park
• people sitting on benches
• bicyclists in abundance
• cars driving by with their windows down
• a line at the ice cream shop
  

At rescue squad duty last night, one of the guys asked me what I'd accomplished in 2008. The first thing that came to mind was EMT certification since it's definitely the thing that's taken the most effort and energy and also probably the thing of which I'm most proud. Since that conversation, I've been thinking about other accomplishments from the past year. Although mostly small things, I've made some improvements to myself and my life in 2008.

Volunteering - When I started the EMT class, I didn't know whether or not I'd volunteer for a rescue squad. I wasn't sure at the time if I could handle it. But I'd decided that I wanted to volunteer in some capacity, and eventually I determined that I could do the EMT thing. This has taken me out of my comfort zone, which is always a good thing but also never an easy thing. Beyond learning new skills, the social side of it was also a small challenge for me. I'm generally reluctant to meet new people and prefer to avoid social situations with strangers. It took some courage just to show up to a new place filled with people who already knew each other. But it's been really rewarding. The people have been welcoming and so awesome, and I'm glad to have found a way to contribute to my community.

Fitness - One of my goals for 2008 was to get back into swimming. HFD joined me in this endeavor, and for the entire year we've had a regular swimming schedule. I'm also still doing Curves with Mom, and I've recently gotten back into yoga after a 2-year hiatus. I never thought I'd be one of those people, but I actually look forward to working out. And I'm feeling stronger than ever.

Menu planning - For several years now I've made sure that Rob and I are eating healthfully. I pay attention to nutrition guidelines and while there are areas in which we could improve, I feel we do pretty well with what we eat. However, only this year have I gotten my shit together when it comes to menu planning for the week. In the past, I would sometimes have a plan one or two nights, but often we would just throw something together. It was healthy, but our nutrition for the week wasn't necessarily well-rounded. And also, making dinner wasn't exactly smiles times because when I'm hungry I tend to be a raging bitch. So we'd be standing in the kitchen grumping about what to make for dinner. Now, I plan the week in advance and every evening I know what we're making. And I have the ingredients. For many of you I'm sure this is standard operating procedure, but for me this is HUGE. And it only took me six years of marriage to get here.

Home improvement - For the first time, there isn't a room in my house that I'm embarrassed for people to see. The bathroom and kitchen have been renovated, and over the holiday break I repainted and decorated a room that was previously a "junk room." Now, I still need to sort through closets and the pantry needs a major reorganization and the basement looks like a disaster zone. So there's lots of behind-the-scenes organizing still to be done. But at least I'll no longer pull doors closed in embarrassment when guests come over.

Entertaining - Perhaps as a result of no longer being ashamed of hideous wallpaper, we've done a lot more entertaining this year. We've hosted several large parties and many casual dinners. I never thought I'd enjoy entertaining, but this year I've found the joy in it. Some of my favorite memories of the year are of evenings we opened our home to friends.

There are still lots of ways I suck. I don't floss regularly. I cannot remember to take a daily vitamin. I whine too much. I never switched my wardrobe from winter clothes to summer clothes (which, as it turns out, saves you time when winter rolls around again). And because things have been pretty good around here, I have some anxiety over what the next year will bring, what changes lie ahead in the future that I have no control over. Maybe it's that feeling that the bottom could drop out at any minute that keeps me focused on the present.

For now, my life feels well-balanced. And I'm looking forward to the good changes a new year can bring. I have renewed hope in our country. Rob and I have more travel planned. And I'm grateful for another year to cherish those I love and to celebrate the every days.

May the adventure begin.

been reading: Reading the OED by Ammon Shea

The book I've been reading is totally word nerdy. It's written by a guy who read the entire Oxford English Dictionary - every entry, all 20 volumes. In one year. My co-workers gave me weird looks when I told them about it, like I was some English major freak or something. Which I am. Also? They are rednecks.

In the book, there's a chapter devoted to each letter of the alphabet. At the beginning of each chapter, Shea shares some anecdotes related to reading the OED, and then for the rest of the chapter he lists the most interesting words for that letter.

I flagged every word that I loved. There were a lot.

I'll share some that I especially like or that seem of particular usefulness in every day life. (Definitions attributed to Shea.)

• accismus: an insincere refusal of a thing that is desired
• constult: to act stupidly together
• gound: the gunk that collects in the corners of the eyes
• jentacular: of or pertaining to breakfast
• maritality: excessive or undue affection on the part of a wife for her husband
• onomatomania: vexation at having difficulty in finding the right word
• pandiculation: the act of stretching and extending the limbs, in tiredness or waking
• ruffing: the stomping of feet as a form of applause
• velleity: a mere wish or desire for something without accompanying action or effort
• yepsen: the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together

I mean, who knew there was a specific word for eye gunk?! Or the annoying bleacher stomping at sporting events? Interestingly, there is a whole subset of delightful nature-related words that I never knew, but that I feel should be brought back into regular usage:

• advesperate: to approach evening
• apricity: the warmth of the sun in winter
• impluvious: wet with rain
• petrichor: the pleasant loamy smell of rain on the ground
• psithurism: the whispering of leaves moved by the wind

Keep in mind that most of these words were used long ago (and even then sometimes only rarely) and will garner only strange looks if you actually incorporate them into your conversations. But as Shea suggests, it's enough just to know they exist.

(Lists from 2005, 2006, and 2007)

• President-elect Barack Obama!
• guacamole
• my workout buddies
• the sunset glow that comes through our windows
• Daylight Savings time
• catsitters
• several political columnists: Fareed Zakaria, Maureen Dowd, David Brooks
• recycling
• our new storm door which finally got installed after we'd used the broken one for way too long - no more duct tape handle!
• bluegrass
• the crew at the rescue squad
• Tina Fey
• grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
• pepper mills
• hiking
• that Simon and Maylee have, miraculously, become mousers
• traveling with friends and family
• the public library
• Etsy
• cupcakes
• over-the-counter medications
• fresh basil
• TravelZoo
• being close to our parents, both in proximity and affinity
• having our home filled with friends

There's a preschool next to where I work, and as I was walking out to the parking lot one day last week, I could hear the squeak of a swingset and the happy yelling laughter of children. It immediately took me back to my days of elementary school. It also made me think about how saturated the world is in sound and how I don't even notice most of the time.

So as I'm trying to tune out politics right now, I'm also making an effort to notice noise. Some sounds I'm finding particularly satisfying:

• the crunch of leaves, especially in the woods where there's a thick layer
• rain pattering on our metal roof
• D-Fiddy's shutter opening and closing
• a deck of cards being fanned and shuffled
• the crackling of a fire
• the solid click of a metal deadbolt
• the crunching-paper sound my computer makes when I empty the trash
• purring

This weekend was one big bliss bit. No one thing we did was exceptional, but put all together it made for a great, relaxing weekend.

Saturday

Breakfast buffet. Aw, how I love a good breakfast buffet. Biscuits and gravy! Eggs made to order! Belgian waffles! BACON. And we had a coupon, which somehow makes it taste that much better.

Post-host tidying. We had some folks over Thursday night for a debate-watching party, and it was Saturday until we could complete the clean-up. There's something satisfying about putting the house back together after hosting. Washing dishes, storing away extra glasses, carrying spare chairs upstairs. When we removed the extra leaf from the table, we found the now-smaller (but really just regular-sized) table to be the most hilarious thing we'd ever seen. Surely it wasn't always this small! There's so much space in this room you could dance a jig! Did we really adjust to the bigger table in just a day? No, our table was never THIS small. This is like a mini table. Just look how ridiculously small it is!!

Errands. Not too many to bog down the day, just enough to make us feel productive and justify totally loafing around the rest of the day.

Reading. For hours. I nestled into the sofa, with Bridget on my lap, and read until I finished the book. To me, there's little else so luxurious.

Bluegrass concert. Break out a fiddle and a mandolin, and I'm in heaven. This surprises even me. I didn't grow up on this music, but for some reason it stirs something in my heart. And this was a benefit concert, which makes it sound that much better.

Sunday

Hike. Took a 6-mile morning hike to a great overlook. The leaves are just starting to change and the temperature is perfect for a walk in the woods. On the rocks at the top, I napped in a sunny spot while Rob took photos of the view.

Football. Now that I'm into football, watching it on TV is actually fun. Although I'll admit it's not the game itself I enjoy as much as the excuse to spend several hours on the sofa with beer and snacks.

Orgasm. I couldn't think of a cocktail that begins with an O for my tagline, so I did some research and came across the Orgasm. Which then, of course, I just had to make. I brought it to Rob in the living room and said, "Would you like an Orgasm?" He looked up from his computer with an expression that quickly turned to disappointment when he saw the drink in my hand. Not as glorious as its namesake, but it's a damn good drink, now among my favorites. And I can't wait until the next time we have people over, so I can ask someone if they've ever had an Orgasm. And, if not, if they'd like me to give them one.

(Parts 1 and 2.)

Connoisseurs jewelry cleaner.
My mom gave me a jar of this when Rob and I got engaged. It makes rings look like new, and leaves my diamond super-sparkly. If I'm going to be at a jewelry counter for something, I'll ask them to professionally clean and buff my rings. The rest of the time, I swear by this stuff.

Lint roller.
There is no escaping cat hair at our house - with 3 cats, it constantly floats in the air and attaches itself to everything. We have been five days into traveling in a different country only to find a cat hair on one of our shirts. A shirt that was clean when it was packed! Whenever that happens on a trip, I'm like, "Aww, look! A Bridgie hair! I miss that kitty." But the rest of the time? Not so great really. And thus the lint roller.

We keep one in each car glove compartment and in a drawer in the kitchen. Part of the morning ritual is to lint-roll before leaving the house. If I'm wearing black, I'll do it again when I get out of the car because apparently cat hair is floating around in there, too. I used to be coy about it, but now I just stand next to my car and roll that thing all over myself. I can't count the number of times I've said to Rob in a parking lot, "Hold on, I have to lint-roll my boobs." And then, a moment later, "Now can you do my ass?" Somehow this is less scandalous to me than being caught with cat hair on my clothes.

Swivel Sweeper.
Just bought this, so I can't actually say yet if it's something I swear by. But it's got the potential to be. This is one of those As Seen on TV things. I didn't see it on TV, but almost all of my co-workers did and they all LOVE theirs. Like, I have heard them having water-cooler conversations about how amazing their Swivel Sweepers are. Our custodian even bought one to use at work. One day a plant fell off the windowsill and soil went everywhere, and so I got a live demonstration. That sold me.

We have bare floors throughout our house, and I sweep a lot. I'm not sure this will replace sweeping altogether, but it is great for quickly running over the floors every couple days. It's very light, and the small swively head can fit basically anywhere. It maneuvers around chair legs and under the sofa very well. And it doesn't send dust into the air like sweeping does (especially when Rob is sweeping, I'm just saying).

Tupperware Forget Me Not containers.
We always have half an onion or green pepper or tomato in the fridge, and until I bought these, we'd stash them in plastic zipper bags. Which made me feel wasteful and guilty. I got these at a Tupperware party (how quaint, I know) to use instead. I guess oftentimes people forget they have that onion or pepper or tomato leftover, and so these are designed to hang from a fridge shelf to remind you. We don't use them that way, though. I just like that they are the perfect size and shape for all those slicing/chopping foods we keep on hand. Rob's improvement to these would be to make them transparent, because as they are now you can't see what's inside without opening.

TableCraft wine pourer and stopper.
Perhaps the most used, most loved item I have ever bought for the house. That might sound extreme, but keep in mind we drink a hella lot of wine. This thing is a 2-piece deal - a wine pourer, with a stopper that slides out. I've seen other versions, but this one is simpler and more elegant. Also makes a nice gift. I get this item at Target, although I think they recently stopped stocking it. That means you should run to your closest Target now and buy all the ones they have left.