Where Was I?
Apparently I stopped worrying about reverb10 when I climbed in the train for Paris. Go figure. So, what did we miss?
Day 13 Action. When it comes to aspirations, its not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen. What's your next step?
Easy. Moving to Germany.
Day 14 Appreciate. What's the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
The first answer that came to mind? Sleep. So we'll go with sleep. I express gratitude for it by sleeping.
Day 15 5 minutes. Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.
Friends bringing in a surprise cake for what then became my birthday party. The red roses and champagne I got later that night. The fantastic lady who gave them to me. Dances. Conferencing in San Francisco with two (lab)mates. Dancing Argentine tango to blues music for the first time. Dancing Argentine tango with my eyes closed for the first time. Lindy hopping outside at sunset. Hours spent writing alone in my office. Defending. Submitting my final paperwork. My last evening in SoCal. Chicago's street art. Being in a chopper, diving into the Grand Canyon. Hanging out with French friends again. Seeing The National live. Giving a research talk to a small but interested audience of computer scientists not in my field. *Diiing*
Day 16 Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?
That, my dears, is between she and I.
Day 17 Lesson learned. What was the best thing you learned about yourself this past year? And how will you apply that lesson going forward?
I can do it. I can write a dissertation, I can defend it, I can write a research proposal on a field I'm far from knowing much about yet, I can get that proposal funded, I can write myself my own letter of recommendation, I can convince people they want to work with me, I can drive a car.
Therefore I will be able to manage in Germany, I will be able to do hot science there, and I will have the time of my life.
(Yes, this was calling for a "Look at how wonderful I am" type of answer and I do hate it for it, thanks for asking.)
Day 18 Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn't go for it?
Reading all the books that are in my moving boxes and that I haven't read yet. I tried in 2010 and I ran out of time. Partly because I decided to read the entire Discworld series instead and that took me half the year. (I still have the last two left, actually.)
Day 19 Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011?
I defended my PhD and then traveled around the country for 3 weeks. That healed me from a lot of stress and fatigue, believe me. For 2011, I'd liked to be healed from all my minor ailments in one fell swoop. Yeah, well, it's Christmas-time, I can wish.
Day 20 Beyond avoidance. What should you have done this year but didn't because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)
Told some people exactly how much I love them. I might do it, and yet again, I might just let them figure it out by themselves. It's hard to say it without sounding cheesy. It's easier to show it, but will they understand?
Day 21 Future self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead? (Bonus: Write a note to yourself 10 years ago. What would you tell your younger self?)
I have two versions of that note:
(1)
Dear Former Self,
It's all fine and dandy to put all the hard questions aside thinking that I'll take care of them, but now we're 30 and jolly well good that did us.
Get your act together, you fool.
No cheers,
Future Self.
(2)
Dear Former Self,
Will you ever stop worrying? It turns out all right, I promise.
Love,
Future Self.
As for the letter to my 15-year-old self?
Dear Fifteen-year-old Self,
Life is shit when you're 15. It gets better once you turn 20, I promise. Although you and your low self-esteem are going to take a few real bad decisions in the meantime, let me tell ya.
Hang in there,
Future Self.
Day 22 Travel. How did you travel in 2010? How and/or where would you like to travel next year?
How? By plane and by train and by bus and by car? Is that what the question is supposed to mean?
Next year: Germany. Germany, Germany, Germany. Trips to Paris. I'm contemplating one trip to Stockholm and one to Grenada. See whether I can fit London, Portugal, and/or Greece in there. Italy would be nice too, it's been a long time. A trip back to the US to hang out with the folks I left there would be good too, but I'm not sure it's going to happen in 2011.
Day 23 New name. Let's meet again, for the first time. If you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?
Well technically, Krazy Kitty isn't my real name, ya know. So, that's kind of what I've done already.
But in real life? I love my name, which is absolutely unique. I love my first name, which is very unique too provided you don't shorten it, and common enough in its shorten form that people aren't surprised at it. I love my last name, although French speakers have a hard time pronouncing it (English speakers don't). So, no, I'll keep it, thank you very much.
Day 24 Everything's OK. What was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? And how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?
Well, we've already touched on that with Day 17, haven't we.
