2009, you rocked. And sucked. And rocked some more ...

This is a bit disorganized. Like me.

I have a letter that better sums up the year, but true to fashion, it's still in progress in a spiral-bound notebook. And there it will likely stay until I'm looking for a sheet of paper sometime in July and remember that I intended to send out a rather newsy letter to all my friends and family six months earlier. Oops.

Know me, know my flaws. Love me ... you got it. They come with me.

Here's my scatterbrained summary in the meantime.

Music

I bought a lot of music this year. A. Lot. I've loved the music of 2009 (even if it actually came out before 2009)

Some new faves (in some cases, what they remind me of):

- Linkin Park (Minutes to Midnight, Meteora, Hybrid Theory and Reanimation)
"Shadow of the Day" was on my iPod quite a bit while I was driving to meet Jessi in Thermopolis, all the snow and fog and prettiness and tension of driving in Wyoming in spring. I also would listen to that track on repeat, lying on my living room floor, likely having a pity party ...

- Radiohead (In Rainbows)

- Staind (14 Shades of Gray)

- the Twilight soundtrack

- Muse (Black Holes and Revelations)
Being pretty much stranded in my apartment in April during a snowstorm, except when I went to visit Kristie and Geoff at their hotel, because they were stuck in Laramie after the Elton John concert. Good times - horrid roads and all. Cabin fever makes some stir-crazy girls dance around their apartment while Windexing all their windows to "Starlight" ...

- Red (Innocence and Instinct and End of Silence)
Driving to Gillette for Brooke's surprise birthday party, caught in a downpour and very nearly struck by lightning on Highway 59.

- Trapt (Trapt and Through the Pain)
Lonely, pissed off and running in the park.

- Three Days Grace (One X and Three Days Grace)
If you need angry, move-your-butt music to heft/toss/pass a medicine ball to, jump over and crawl under a person to, do a bazillion situps/leg lifts/legovers to or whack the heck out of a punching bag to, then this is your stuff. Blood, sweat ... more sweat (no tears allowed). Aaaaannnnd ... time. Next round ...

- Owl City (Ocean Eyes)
I first heard "Fireflies" while driving to Fort Collins for retail therapy shortly after the last breakup. Three-ish minutes of on-the-road happy.

- Imogen Heap (Hide and Seek)
Leaving Camden, Maine, for the almost-all-night drive through Maine and New Brunswick.
Chillaxing in my living room, grateful that Pandora nudged me in Imogen's direction.

MuteMath (MuteMath)
Driving up Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor, Maine, to watch the sunset.

Anberlin (Cities)
Summertime.

In and out of like. Spite, too, sometimes.

Attempted romance this year ranged from a couple of much-needed, no-strings-attached snogs to gee-whiz jackasses to short-lived heart flutteries and newfound heartache. Bring on the new year. I'm ready.

Leavin' on a jet plane. And a train. And a car.

Vacation, I love you. Prince Edward Island, I miss you. Maine, your blueberries, lobster and harbors were more than lovely. Washington, D.C., thank you. Philadelphia, cheers. And Charlotte, gracious host. Laramie for the too-short family reunion, gracias. And Gillette for the much-needed visits home, I miss you sometimes; others, I'm glad we have some space.

Look out, Alaska. I'm on my way.

Between the covers ... of a book

Clearly, I read the Twilight saga. And I liked it — without apology. Other printed work that took up my spare time:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; Till We Have Faces (for at least the fourth time); The Hobbit;
The Lord of the Rings (all of them); The Harry Potter series - again; Wuthering Heights (after which I decided to not read Tess of the D'urbervilles - I can only handle so much depression); Founding Mothers; Jane Austen (by Carol Shields); The Seven Dials Mystery; A Christmas Carol (the original); Portions of Got Fight? (usually while blocking an aisle at Hastings and Barnes & Noble as I sit on the floor and proceed to laugh my head off - it makes for enjoyable reading, as long as you're not too greatly offended by language and tales of sexual escapades past); Still Waters (I think that's what it was called. It was by Tammi Hoag).

Movies

I'm not a movie theater-going gal too much these days, but I went to my first-ever midnight showing of a movie when "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" graced our fair city, and Brooke and I braved the disdain of our clearly more mature friends when we saw "New Moon" over Thanksgiving weekend. I enjoyed the first "Transformers" movie ... I had no clue what was going on in the second. I cried watching "Up," and I loved "Twilight" (save your rolled eyes for someone who cares). "Defiance" was AMAZING, and "Slumdog Millionaire" has no descriptor worthy of it. Freaking amazing. We'll try that. My parents treated me to "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" for my birthday, and it was fun. Good one to see with the folks.

I'll hit you. No, really — I will

The apprhension of a local camera-toting pervert drove me to do something more than scream and blow a panic whistle if I ever found myself in a moment of need.

I found myself signing up for three months at a mixed Martial arts gym ... and LOVING it. Almost everything about it. Six months later, I'm still there, I'm working on some fantastic abs, and my brother has banned me from play-punching him. Because it hurts. I love my shoulders, and I crave compliments on my legs almost as much as I crave chocolate. Yeah. I work hard on those legs. They ARE nice, and I don't mind if you agree with me.

Sundry

"Chicago" in Denver with Fuzzy. Except for getting a little bit lost on the way home (At least someone smart brought their Garmin navigation system ... and it wasn't me), it was a really, really good night.

30. 'Nuff said. Tears have been cried, relative peace has been found.

Pink. Boxing. Gloves. (hearts!)

The Best Worst Christmas Ever.

Birthday time with the brother (his birthday).

First-ever bikini. Not an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny one, though. I'm not delusional.

First-ever snowshoeing trek. F-U-N.