Saturday, December 7, 2013

It was July yesterday. I'm sure of it.

I decided to write a year-in-review type post a few months back and am thrilled that I actually made time to do it. As is usually the case with my posts, it's more review-esque than anything, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway. It's broken into pieces: movies, television, music, books, concerts, and, you now, actual things that happened in my life.

The movie studios should really be paying me.
2013 was a good movie year for me. Amongst tons of others, I saw some classic “oldies” (You’ve Got Mail, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion), a really impressive indie (Lars and the Real Girl - it’s on Netflix, go watch it), and the spectacular Elizabethtown (also on Netflix - go watch it immediately). There was also the day that my sister and I watched The Art of Getting By, The Family Stone, and Love and Other Drugs consecutively, which was over four hours well spent. 

And I also finally saw Star Wars IV: A New Hope for the first time this year, at 21-years-old. Just The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi left and I can be on the same page everyone else has since 1984.

Additionally, I've seen a total of 13 movies in theaters so far this year. From can’t-miss fandom sequels (Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) to the April of indies I wrote about earlier on this blog, I saw some really good effort put forth by Hollywood. (Also some not-so-good: Melany and I may have paid money to hate-watch Beautiful Creatures). Overall, it was a very good year and I'm still hoping to catch Disney's latests efforts Frozen and Saving Mr. Banks, as well as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug before the year's out.

I live in the "Vast Wasteland"
TV has continued to be a distressingly big part of my life this year. From casual appreciation shows (ABC’s 80s-set The Goldbergs that I was bound to love and the CW’s fabulous SATC prequel The Carrie Diaries) to guilty pleasures (Teen Wolf is good, ok?) and cult classics I’ve just now gotten into (oh, Buffy). And finally, my two new loves: Parks and Recreation and How I Met Your Mother. It’s serious with those two, y'all.

"Music. A magic beyond all we do here."
First, I - like everyone else on the planet - am thoroughly obsessed with Lorde. She’s 5 billion times more awesome than I was at 17 (and am now) and the first two lines of “Team” are cooler than anything I will ever do in my life. 

Second, I have been obsessed with both singles The Pretty Reckless (a band I’ve followed for years) have put out this year. Still sad that they had to push the release of their album to next year because Hurricane Sandy ruined their equipment, but until then, “Going to Hell” and “Heaven Knows” are totally tiding me over.

And finally - Save Rock N’ Roll. [Big Sean voice] OH GOD. I mean, right? That album is absolutely fantastic. It immediately made its way onto my list of favorite albums ever. And this love is real, y’all: I listen to it top-to-bottom at least once a week and it’s still amazing. I wasn’t even a fan of FOB when it most seems like I would have been (12-year-old Britny with her plaid skirts, knee-socks, and color-coordinated eyeshadow - dear lord, that child), but I got into them via long car rides home with Melany and am so thankful I did. This album just solidified my love for all eternity. 

There is not enough time in the world for all the books I want to read.
Because school is the worst forever, I haven’t gotten to read a whole lot this year. But I did fit in a few great titles, namely insanely funny memoirs by equally funny women (Tina Fey’s Bossypants, Jenny Lawson’s Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?) and also made time to finally finish Fahrenheit 451. Additionally, upon Maggie’s suggestion, I read John Corey Whaley’s spectacular debut Where Things Come Back and adored it. Seriously. Read that book. It’s insane (-ly awesome).

Concerts are my happy place.
This year was different when it came to concerts for me. Typically, I see a few small shows throughout the year and one big classic rock show in the summer. But this year, it was all smaller venues for me. 

The piece-de-resistance was my insane “three concerts in two weeks” in the early days of summer: Taylor Swift with Ed Sheeran and Florida Georgia Lane in Austin in May, followed by Darren Criss with Theo Katzman in Dallas, and then Fall Out Boy with New Politics back in Austin by the end of the week. Though admittance to having seen T-Swift in concert will get you some scoffs from a lot of people, the girl puts on a great show and I had a blast (also: Dear Ed Sheeran, let’s get married). Darren was of course too good for words and I actually felt like I was dying/had died and gone to Heaven for 98% of the show. To summarize, I’ll say it was the first time I’ve ever understood why those girls in old clips of the Beatles are always sobbing their eyes out. And finally, my feelings about seeing Fall Out Boy in concert were about the same as my feelings about Save Rock N’ Roll. It was insane, better than I could possibly have imagined, and though I was actually worried about my health upon occasion (suffocation was a legitimate concern), I was in ecstasy.

Also, as impossible as it is to believe, Patrick Stump is that cute in real life.

Honorable mention show: after many years of pining after local tour dates, I finally got to see The Pretty Reckless this October. They put on a great show, I was - as usual - mesmerized by Taylor Momsen’s everything, and I think I managed to not look like the usual insane person that I turn into at rock concerts because Melany was there with me (saving me from having to go to a show on Sixth Street alone - what a pal).

Sometimes, I have a real life too. Sometimes.

  • I moved into my first apartment this year! Following the pattern I and my friends use for absolutely everything, I moved into a complex I was already familiar with, with my newest roommate being KaCee, whom I was already friends with. It's been a fun change from dorm life and KaCee and I are significantly more living-together-compatible than I was with my last roommate, which is awesome.
  • I got to meet several members of the Blogger Family in person this summer. Which was too cool for words. Thanks for including me, guys.
  • I turned 21! Oh, yes. That happened. Thankfully, I don't have the kinds of friends who like to drag you places you hate and embarrass you to death, so the weekend following my 21st birthday, I got to have a very relaxed celebration with them all. We spent most of the day eating pizza in our pajamas and watching The Emperor's New Groove and Halloween episodes of Sabrina (I was turning 21. Just a reminder), and then we headed out for an amazing fancy dinner and a chilled-out night at Icenhauer's. Not the crazy Sixth Street rager most people go for, but it was exactly what I wanted. Thanks guys.
  • And then I made up for not being a sad little lightweight on my birthday by being one on Halloween. Ugh. For maybe the first (and hopefully the last) time, I was gloriously irresponsible that night. Let's just say the night involved spilled whiskey, a Ryan Gosling costume, a lost roommate, a man in a dress, and taking a nap on the bathroom floor (bless it's carpeting). Note to self: Don't mix liquors. Listen to your parents.

Anyway. Happy 2013, everybody! Hope you had a happy Thanksgivukkah, you have a merry Kwanzmas, and that one spectacular New Year awaits you.

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