New Year’s Eve

How the hell is it already New Year’s Eve?  Anyway, I love New Year’s Eve because as cynical as I am, I still pretend for a few hours that something will be different in the next year.  (Normally this includes “working out,” “eating healthy,” and “being positive,” which is what I tell myself every Sunday night.)

I’m actually very sad that I’m not in the U.S. today because for the last few years, I’ve eschewed going out (I went to Times Square to ring in 2002 — a gosh darn DECADE ago! — and never recovered from the horror) to going to my cousin’s house in Bergen County, where we put on elastic pants, order Hanami, and watch hours and hours of television (last year, it was Mob Wives and Clueless, among other things).  It’s glorious, comfortable, and you don’t have to hail a cab.  Plus, my relatives always gather at their house for New Year’s Day, so it’s just the easiest and best thing ever!

Tonight, a few of my classmates are coming over to celebrate.  It’s my first New Year’s Eve in Spain, so we’re going to attempt the grape-eating.  I’m secretly hoping that we don’t go to Sol, but I figure it’s okay to venture out in regular-waisted pants for once.

Anyway, to mark the end of 2011, I figure I’ll be cliched and note some year-end superlatives:

Worst movie I saw in 2011 my life:  The Tree of Life

Is it weird that this is the first thing that occurred to me?  I’m still so angry about paying money for this.  In June, Nicole, Emily, and I went to see this (the day after my last day of work!).  It was a terrible, pretentious, two-hour screensaver with no story.  NO STORY!

Okay, so maybe we walked out after 30 minutes, so maybe I don’t have a right to formulate an opinion on a movie that I did not actually see, but I don’t care.  People were walking out in droves, and at one point, Emily and I made a bet to see how many more people would walk out in the next 10 minutes.  We both lost because our predictions were exceeded.  I mean, I HATE wasting money, and I even sat through fucking In the Bedroom in 2001 (even though James begged me to leave) because I didn’t want to waste my money, but the three of us decided to walk out.  We did, however, ask for a refund, which I used the next day to watch X-Men: First Class by myself, even though I’d seen it before, but Michael Fassbender is supremely attractive so it was worth it even though the middle-aged Asian woman next to me kept texting throughout the movie.  Whatever.  (Speaking of Fassbender, I’m very annoyed that I’m in Spain and I’ll probably have to wait to see Shame on Netflix.)

(Of course I acknowledge that there are “worse” movies — Here on Earth and Valentine’s Day come to mind — but at least nobody was trying to win an Oscar when they green-lit those projects.)

Best thing I saw on Broadway in 2011:  The Normal Heart

In May, my boss asked me if I wanted the extra ticket to go with him to see this play, which I’d never heard of.  I decided to go mostly because I generally don’t turn down free things, even though I’d didn’t even know the subject matter (AIDS in 1980′s New York, by the way).  But wow, it was excellent and thought-provoking and made me feel shameful for not advocating for things (although I naturally let go of this after a few days).  But seriously, it was so good, and for the first time in my life, after countless years of seeing stuff on Broadway, I actually felt PRIVILEGED for having the opportunity to see this production.  My only regret was that I was with my boss, so I kept willing myself to maintain a professional composure and not to cry.

Funniest thing I saw on Broadway in 2011:  The Book of Mormon

Less than two weeks after The Normal Heart for free, I actually paid money (like $110, ouch!) to see The Book of Mormon.  My friend Arielle and I ordered tickets pretty early (before Tony nominations were announced), but it was worth it (especially since tickets became pretty much impossible to buy).  I don’t need to rehash all the rave reviews, but it was just as offensive and hilarious but also heart-warming as everybody else said.

Best trip where I didn’t have to pay for lodging:  Amsterdam

In March, I visited my friend Susanne in the Netherlands for a week.  We’d met in Barcelona in 2006, and she visited me in New York in 2009.  I knew that she would eventually relocate permanently to the UK (sure enough, she’s there now for a master’s), so I was like, Damn, I need to visit her!  Susanne’s family actually lives in Lelystad, like a 40-minute train ride from Amsterdam (which she claims is “really far,” but I guess when you’re from a tiny country, 40 minutes is a lot, but for me, that’s like a quick-ish subway ride from Queens to the LES), so I got to hang out in the city of Amsterdam but also see more of the countryside, like Blaricum, which I liked a lot.

It’s really funny how you can never view your country or city the same way as others do.  I feel like young people (especially from the U.S.) really idealize Amsterdam as this amazing place where prostitution is legal and you can smoke in bars (though I think that might be illegal now?), but Susanne’s father asked me in his accented but very proficient English, “Why would you want to come to Amsterdam?  I don’t understand.  You are from New York.  Amsterdam is my city, but when I walk around… I feel nothing.”  Haha!  I enjoy this story.

Worst customer service experience of my life:  Time Warner Cable on 6/23/11

I made an appointment with Time Warner Cable.  Of course they kept me waiting all day and then claimed that they called me when they never did.  I live-tweeted this experience because I realized that customer service reps only listen to you when you make your battle public.  It was a stressful day, but I slept triumphantly, knowing that I gave the TWC rep a serious headache.

Most shockingly hilarious insult hurled at me:  “Chinese pussy”

In April, I signed up for Hands On New York with my alumni association, mostly because my friends did and I didn’t want to feel like a jackass for sitting in my pajamas until 4 pm watching Law & Order: SVU on a Saturday (not that I feel shame in doing that).  Somehow, I got myself to the Bronx at like 9 am, and while walking to Claremont Park by myself, someone yelled out, “Chinese pussy!”  I deduced that that moment was not the time for a teachable moment and hurried along to find my group.

Scariest decision of 2011:  Leaving my job for a useless master’s degree

Still debating whether this was a good idea or not.  We’ll see in 2012.  I keep thinking of my dentist (an incredibly successful woman who owns her own practice and also has some sort of art career on the side) who earnestly told me back in October 2010, “Anny, you should do everything that you want to do!”  This is literally why I finally applied to grad school in 2010 after years of vacillating.  Because my fantastic dentist inspired me.

Stupidest decision of 2011:  Leaving my $900 studio in New York City

Need I say more?  Not only did I leave my $900 second-floor studio, I left an elevator building with an awesome super, laundry in the basement, and bike room (which I never utilized despite owning a bike, but hey, I like options!) that was located in a safe area (bike gropers aside) with plentiful street parking about two blocks from two subway lines.  Ugh.  I’m dumb.

Smartest decision of 2011:  España

I’ve been idealizing life in Spain since I was in Salamanca in 2003 and Barcelona in 2006.  Finally, I’m getting this out of my system and doing it before I’m 30 (thank God).

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Anyway.  There you go.  That’s all I could think about right now.

Happy 2012, everybody!  It’s going to be a big year:  February 29th, Summer Olympics, another presidential election (I can’t believe it’s already time), and the end of the world!  YES!  Bring it!