Best of 2009: Car ride

[I'm participating in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, in case you're all like, what's with the theme?]

Car ride.

I sat behind the driver’s seat. My son sat next to me. Cows and horses and sheep out the windows.Open sky. Grass. Trees. Green, red, orange and yellow leaves. A chill in the fresh air. Warm inside the car. Easy conversation. Easy laughter. Comfort. Safety. Some things are so good that you recognize there’s very little you might do to screw them up, accidentally or otherwise.  And the family you choose for yourself is very often one of those things.

Best of 2009: Shop

[I'm participating in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, in case you're all like, what's with the theme?]

Shop.

This has been a year of not buying.  (Conveniently, it’s a lot easier not to spend money when you work from home; no lunches out, no dress code; no happy hours…and yeah, it’s also depressing. But I digress.) What little shopping I did was almost all via Etsy, excluding necessities like a new laptop (to replace the old busted one) and a new iPod (to replace the one that was, ahem, stolen out of my car). It ain’t news, but Etsy is a wonderland of gorgeous things, many of which can be had for practically a song. I love Etsy and I love its merchants. Here, the treasures I procured there in 2009 (click on each title for an image; I’m having some really dumb trouble with formatting. AND MY LATTE IS TEPID! WAAHH!).

Caramelo Fascinator

purchased from Stella Fashions to wear to the Leonard Cohen show.

Laptop Bag

purchased from Selina Vaughn

Mad Scientist Earrings

purchased from thioviolet

While The Empires Burn Down Porcelain Poem Pendant

purchased from panoply

So, to sum up:

throw as much hard-earned money at Etsy as possible. Etsy deserves a party.

Best of 2009: Word or phrase

[I'm participating in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, in case you're all like, what's with the theme?]

Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year.

Intense

Amazing

Backbreaking

Liberating

Vital.

The Best of 2009: Tea

[I'm participating in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, in case you're all like, what's with the theme?]

Tea of the year. Lemongrass.

I’m a coffee drinker addict. (It keeps me from hitting the harder stuff, like cocaine stalking Nick Cave.) But I do love tea, and all its accoutrements. That said, this tea of the year is really more the tea of my life. (And if the purists are right, it’s not even really tea, but tisane. Whatevs.)

When I was growing up, my mom made lemongrass tea for us all the time. Hot, with a little sugar, it’s delicious and soothing. Cold, it’s terrifically refreshing. Instructions: rip off a small handful of the leaves. Rinse. Throw into boiling water. Turn off heat, cover leaves and let steep about 5 minutes. If you want the tea to turn a brighter green, add a little cold water while it’s steeping. The end.

Best of 2009: Rush

[I'm participating in Gwen Bell's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge, in case you're all like, what's with the theme?]

Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?

I’m a little hesitant to post this. It’s all manner of silly. And also, it’s been a rough day (sick boy in the ER) and I’m not sure that I’m not just tired of Big Serious Things. And now I’m over-thinking this. So–eh–here we go.

The best rush of 2009 was when the wicked-smart, delightfully naughty Craig Ferguson asked a question about Twitter, and I, without thinking, answered out loud from the studio audience, resulting in his mocking me both on- and off- camera.

It was pretty great.

Yeah.

(And if you haven’t already seen it, check out this clip of him banging on a drum with some fellow Scotsmen. You’re welcome.)