On the Good, the Bad, and the Friday Not-Even-Random Ten: Enough With the Bad Already edition

Okay, so so 2011 is drawing to a close, and it's been… a good one? There are twelve months to look back on and decide, and just listing things out, it comes out pretty even. But just in terms of it being a landing you can walk away from, then yeah, I'll say it was a good year, warts and all. And for this TGTBATFRT--just this one--we're going to look past the warts, the failures, the exhibitions of cruelty, and the general stupidity that arises from time to time and makes one wonder about the fate of humanity, and focus on the good things that give the world hope.

I don't want to give any indication that the low points of 2011 aren't worthy of notice. But just for a moment, I want to fill the glass halfway. The good parts number far more than I have room for here, and I'm sure I've forgotten many more and will have to add them in comments as they come up. My mom has a superstition, passed down from her dad, who probably got it from someone crotchety and Slovak, that whatever you're doing on New Year's Day is what you'll be doing all year long. I like to think I'll spend 2012 thinking happily about good times. (And eating Chick-fil-A, and I have plans for making that happen.)

So in the interest of following through with that plan, I give you:


What's good (for the year ending December 31, 2011):

- Readers who've stuck with me. I've been so unforgivably lax about keeping up with this blog, even after crafting myself multiple ways of making it just as laziable as possible. The fact that when I do post, I still get comments, is a real thrill.

- Subway veggie subs, 6", on wheat, with spinach, tomato, cucumbers, green peppers, black olives, a little bit of salt and pepper, and a little bit of mustard. They're a delicious and fresh and crispy lunch for those of us who don't insist that something die for every meal.

- People making good, smart, compassionate choices in Mississippi

- The last episode of The Walking Dead before the break

- Lanacane Anti-Chafing Gel. It turns out the stuff that athletes put on to keep from getting all chafed in their chafey parts--I know, right?--has basically the same ingredients as foundation primers from big makeup brands like Smashbox at one-sixth the price. I started wearing primer when it became evident that my skin isn't, for some reason, the same as it was when I was 20, and this is some good stuff.

- The new gig at Feministe. This one has its good and its bad aspects, the worst being that yeah, I've been really bad about neglecting the readers I have back home. And being beholden to a community that big and that… vehement can be kind of stressful. But it's also pretty fulfilling.

- My family. They're good every year, but they were good this year, so they go on the list. Also good is that not only is it expanding, it's expanding with good people, among them Big Bro's girlfriend whom I dig like the sister I didn't know about until my early thirties. Also, Skipdog.

- Skipdog. Yes, okay, fine, he's a good boy. He got over the peeing-on-stuff thing, and he only ate the one shoe, and he's like a little hot-water bottle on a cold night. The trying-to-lick-the-inside-of-your-nostrils thing is a bit much, though.

- Hyphens

- Davedog. Always.

- Dog sweaters. The problem here is that I hate dog sweaters, but then we got Skip a couple of sweatshirts for winter, and he looks so adorably pathetic in them. Really, he hates them, and it's so cute.

- Freelancing. Much like with blogging, it's nice to know that people appreciate the work you do and don't just throw it your way because you're already on salary. And it's nice to be able to do the work you want to do and enjoy, not just the work that's thrown your way because you're already on salary. Also, paychecks? Very nice.

- eBay

- A leather jacket. Everyone should own one. After extensive testing, I've discovered there's no way not to feel like a badass wearing a leather jacket. (Price prohibitive? That's one reason eBay is on the Good list.)

- Adafruit. If you wanted to make, say, a Tron: Legacy-inspired motorcycle jacket that actually lights up, you might find yourself looking for EL wire and accompanying materials, and this is a good place for it.

- Tron: Legacy. Technically, this is a Good from 2010, but I don't think I saw it until 2011, so it still counts. Also, technically, it's not all that fantastic a movie, and the CGI'd Young Jeff Bridges is deeply creepy, but it's really entertaining, and Olivia Wilde is hot enough to make me change sides.

- Thor

- Getting together again with friends for the first time in years and discovering that yeah, you still know how to have fun together

- Carmex lip balm

- Feather earrings

- Sequined dresses. Hellooo, New Year's Eve.

- Walkies. Oh, how a quick jaunt out during the workday can preserve me from stabbing people in the neck with a ballpoint pen in a fog of impotent rage.

- KnitPicks. It's got the best selection of nice yarns at good prices I've yet found.

- Penguin sweaters

- Stereo bluetooth headsets

- Jukefox

- Warm winter gloves with fake-fur cuffs

- Having someone available to give you a ride to work when it's cold and wet

- Having someone to kiss at midnight

- The Boy. There aren't words.


The Ten, plus two, as usual with the assumption that said random sampling will give me clues about what to expect in the coming year.

1. Maroon 5, "This Love"
2. Korn, "Chi"
3. Harry Manx, "Dog My Cat"
4. Pet Shop Boys, "Being Boring"
5. Chevelle, "Until You're Reformed"
6. Jay-Z and Danger Mouse, "What More Can I Say"
7. Sting, "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)"
8. The Donnas, "It Takes One to Know One"
9. Letters to Cleo, "Cruel to Be Kind"
10. Guster, "Grin"
11. Nena, "Leuchtturn (Neue Versions)"
12. The Darkness, "Givin' Up"

Sounds… kind of promising, actually. Happy new year to you all, stick with me, stay safe, take care, and I'll see you next year.