2009 Year in review

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Went to various Tumblr meetups, saw a movie that I worked on come out in theaters (with aspects of my influence apparent!), took improv classes, performed at UCB, had a series of A-list meetings, and guest performed with some friends’ group at IO West. In that order!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make any last year and probably won’t this year either. But I did decide in September that I wasn’t reading enough, so I resolved then to read 52 books over the following 52 weeks. I keep a separate Tumblr chronicling that resolution.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin Liesel had another baby this year, on my birthday, actually.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness. Which is the first time in three years I can say no to this question.

5. What countries did you visit?
Boo. For far too many years in a row, I haven’t left the US.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
I will continue to say a literary agent and a duck until I get both. This year, a certain someone I’ve alluded to before fits this category as well, but I’m not giving his name. If you know me well, you know who I’m talking about.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
All my UCB shows and performing with Nerdvana at IO because those shows were my first improv performances and they were all awesome. Visiting the Date Night set was super fun, and not just cause I got to meet the leads, though that was definitely cool too. Oh, and my A-list meetings were pretty amazing too, because they were the first gained solely by my merit and not additional factors as well.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting to the point where I can get on stage to do improv and be both comfortable and funny while up there is something I’m very proud of.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I guess I’ll continue to say not selling a script until I do, but I honestly don’t feel as if 2009 had any giant failures for me. I’m pretty happy with the way the year unfolded and feel like all the changes I made over the course of it were for the better.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had allergies and the occasional cold/flu but nothing too serious. Z-packs are life savers, though.

11. What were the best things you bought?
Improv class tuition and tickets to see John Darnielle.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Is it bad if I say my own? I’m proud of myself for embracing improv and all that it requires. It’s not something I ever thought I could or would do.

13. Whose behavior appalled you?
Once again, I can’t say on my blog lest the offending parties find it, but trust me, there were a few. Even more this year than last year.

14. Where did most of your money go?
As always, rent, car, basically to pay for the necessities of the daily grind. And I guess UCB accounts for the largest part of my discretionary spending this year, but it’s the best thing I’ve found to spend money on in LA on a regular basis, so that’s cool with me.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Working with certain actors at the studio, a special pre-release screening of Away We Go where I met John Krasinski, improv classes, going to see The Tonight Show during Conan’s first few days as the host, certain shows at UCB, certain job prospects, new albums from The Mountain Goats and John Mayer, seeing John Darnielle/the Mountain Goats (sadly only once this year), trips home. Still in order!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Oh man. Probably equally “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” and “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats”, which are both by Los Campesinos! (exclamation theirs).

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder?
Definitely happier!

ii. thinner or fatter?
The same.

iii. richer or poorer?
Definitely poorer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing, painting, and improv.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Work, interview places, and generally be stressed out/worried.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Inclement weather kept me and my parents at home all day on Christmas Eve and Christmas, though that didn’t change our plans much for Christmas day. We opened presents, had our Christmas dinner, and watched Leatherheads, which I’d given my mom as a gift. The day after Christmas we met my uncle Chris and aunt Sue and their kids at Hackney’s in Glenview for dinner and gift exchanging since we’d be unable to go to the annual Christmas Eve party they host. It was lots of fun!

21.
There will never be a 21.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
No, but I developed a pretty good crush on a guy who is not at all like my usual “type”. I’ve yet to act on it.

23. How many one-night stands?
I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Yep. I wish my answer to this wasn’t affirmative, especially two years in a row!

26. What was the best book you read?
This question is significantly tougher this year what with my 52 book endeavor, but Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger was probably my favorite book of the year. It’s both well-written and incredibly engrossing, plus it got me emotionally more than anything else I read this year.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Los Campesinos! (exclamation theirs) and Final Fantasy. I had a couple other new discoveries right before the end of the year, but I don’t yet know their music well enough to categorize them here, so I’ll save them for next year.

28. What did you want and get?
A UCB hoodie and lots of books cover the material world pretty well.

29. What did you want and not get?
A duck and that certain someone. But I made no attempt to get either. Maybe 2010 should be a year of carpe diem.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Also a very tough question. Away We Go and (500) Days of Summer both stand out in my mind right now.

31. What did you do on your birthday?
Celebrated the Saturday before it by going to see Sentimental Lady at UCB with a bunch of friends, which was made even more fun when they picked my object to inspire the show and had the whole theater sing “Happy Birthday” to me. After the show, we went to Birds for dinner and drinks, where I got a sparkler in my drink that set my glass on fire (no one got hurt, so it was awesome). On my actual birthday, my mom was in town and took me and my dear friend James to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in LA, Morels, where I was presented with creme brulee with candles in it for me to blow out. After dinner, we saw Up In The Air, which is the second Jason Reitman movie I’ve seen on my birthday.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasureably more satisfying?
Selling a script so that I wasn’t going on job interviews.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Well, jeans and hoodies are always staples of mine, but this year skirts, dresses, and boots entered my world significantly for the first time.

34. What kept you sane?
James and Jess, plus UCB, which is funny since it’s anything but.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
My list as it stands for the end of 2009:
1. John Krasinski
2. John Mayer
3. Robert Downey Jr.
4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
5. Eddie Izzard
The internet didn’t merit its own top five list this year, but I have to say Jake Hurwitz is still mighty fine in my opinion.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Prop 8 still really bothers me. I can’t believe it hasn’t been overturned yet.

37. Who did you miss?
My parents, because I saw them less this year than I usually do.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Wow, this is too tough to nail down to one person this year because of all the awesome people I met through UCB. My teachers and coach all fall under this category, as do friends like Chris and Stephen, who are so fun both to play with and hang out with.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
I don’t know if it’s a life lesson, per se, but this year I feel like I really embraced positivity in a way I’ve never done before. Being open to possibilities and finding the best aspects of situations instead of the worst does wonders. It’s cheesy to say this, but doing improv changed how I think about a lot of things, and it’s definitely for the better.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“Who says I can’t be free
From all of the things that I used to be
Rewrite my history
Who says I can’t be free”
- Who Says by John Mayer

Michael hobbles into the office on crutches with his foot wrapped in bubble wrap.
Pam: You missed two big conference calls today, one with corporate.
Michael: Oh, did you explain why?
Pam: No, I didn’t mention that you cooked your foot.
Michael: Burned my foot, Pam.
Jim starts popping the bubble wrap.
Michael: Please stop popping my cast.
Jim stops.
Michael: Thank you.
Jim: So where are you shipping your foot?
Michael: Ha ha ha, so where are you shipping…
Dwight: Your foot.

-“The Injury”, one of my favorite episodes of The Office.

2008 Year in review

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Had my first “grown up relationship” breakup, got a job at a movie studio, wrote with a partner, attended table reads for upcoming features, directed a play professionally, attended my first film industry awards show, and got in a car accident. In that order!

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make any last year and probably won’t this year either.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousins Heather and Liesel both had babies this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandpa Ken died right before Labor Day. I’m sparing the details here because they’re very depressing. And while some people may not think this counts, I also have to add that my kitty Buster had to be put down at the beginning of November. He was 18 and we’d had him since I was 5, so it was very difficult to lose him too.

5. What countries did you visit?
Boo. Once again, didn’t get out of the US.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Again, a literary agent and a duck.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
My car accident because it was the first one I’ve had. Most of the other big occurrences this year were stretched over several days.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a job at a studio and finishing 2 screenplays in one calendar year (I generally only pump out one a year because I rewrite and polish before moving on to a new script).

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting an agent/selling a script. But again, I wasn’t in much of a position to do that, so having focused on my writing to have something to give to an agent is probably best.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Again, I suffered from allergies and the occasional cold/flu, but nothing serious.

11. What were the best things you bought?
Tickets to see John Darnielle and the hotel room in Vegas for New Year’s Eve.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Um, I feel bad saying this, but no one’s, really.

13. Whose behavior appalled you?
I can’t say on my blog lest the offending parties find it, but trust me, there were a few.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Once again, rent, car, basically to pay for the necessities of the daily grind.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing John Darnielle/the Mountain Goats (4 times!), trips home, table reads at work/certain actors coming in, and going to Vegas for New Year’s Eve. Still in order!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
“This Year” by the Mountain Goats.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder?
Happier.

ii. thinner or fatter?
Thinner!

iii. richer or poorer?
Richer. Woah. Trippy.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing and painting.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Work and generally being stressed out/worried.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
As I always do, I went to the annual Christmas Eve party at my uncle Chris and and aunt Sue’s, and spent Christmas day with my parents at home.

21.
There still is no 21.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope.

23. How many one-night stands?
Ha. None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Yes.

26. What was the best book you read?
Okay, I really don’t mean to sound like a creeper here, but honestly my favorite book of the year was Master of Reality, the 33 1/3 book John Darnielle wrote about Black Sabbath. Not only is the book great, but I got to meet him and get my copy signed at a reading.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
It might seem hard to believe that I only got into the band this year based on how much I love it, but hands down: the Mountain Goats.

28. What did you want and get?
A certain person. Be careful what you wish for.
On a happier note, tons of books, movies, clothes, and games.

29. What did you want and not get?
A duck.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Wall-E!

31. What did you do on your birthday?
Celebrated the night before it by going to see the opening of the play I directed, then going for drinks with friends after. The actual day was spent bowling and arcade gaming with friends, followed by awesome gourmet cupcakes, a lovely dinner out, and watching a movie.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasureably more satisfying?
Selling a script.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
As always, mostly blue jeans and hoodies. I’m a simple girl.

34. What kept you sane?
James and Jess.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
My list as it stands for the end of 2008:
1. John Krasinski
2. John Mayer
3. Robert Downey Jr.
4. Jonathan Rhys Myers
5. Leonardo DiCaprio
Also, this year I’m adding a supplemental list in this question, the internet fancying list:
1. Bo Burnham
2. Jake Hurwitz
3. – 5. Tumblr crushes I’m not spilling. ; )

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hahaha. Gee, I don’t know…the election? Oh, and Prop 8. I still can’t believe that awful thing passed.

37. Who did you miss?
My parents, Todd, and my Chicago friends.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I’m cheating and saying three: Sarah, Beth, and Bryan. They make my work days fun!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Sometimes where you need to be and where you want to be are at odds, and no amount of tears will change that.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“There’s bound to be a ghost at the back of your closet,
no matter where you live.
There’ll always be a few things, maybe several things,
that you’re gonna find really difficult to forgive.”
- The Mountain Goats, “Up the Wolves”

or, perhaps a bit more simply:
“I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.”
- The Mountain Goats, “This Year”