Scotch and Pancakes

I enjoy the ridiculousness of the world around me. Let's indulge together.

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Goodbye, 2011

2011 was a year of major changes for me, although certain things remained the same (as tends to happen).  I grew up a lot over the course of the year - I learned to be OK on my own (really on my own, not just living alone) and I developed a love of bleu cheese, über-peaty scotch, brussels sprouts, and full-bodied red wines.  I let go of certain rules, though I developed some new ones.  I let new people into my life and I kicked others out.  The latter part of 2011 will likely be the most memorable though.

It wasn’t until mid-2011 that I really began to feel like an adult - and it wasn’t the financial independence, increased responsibilities at work, or general lifestyle in Manhattan that made me feel this way.  Rather, it was shaking some of the negative influences from my youth and college days and associating more with a whole host of new and diverse people.  I’ve been exposed to a new side of life, New York, and myself through the people I met and got to know in 2011.  And, by better defining my social life and friend group this past year as compared to years prior - when I would let rules, obligations, and social pressures dictate my life - I felt more mature and in control.  I’ve also discovered a lot more about human nature, interpersonal relationships, and what it is that I want and need.  

Some of the people that indirectly taught me these lessons are still in my life, others are not, and others are being or will likely be phased out - but regardless of these individuals’ roles in my life come next New Year’s Eve, they will always be an integral part of that “coming of age” period of my life - you know, that year or so we see portrayed in movies like Good Will Hunting, The Graduate, and Almost Famous, the period of your life that you one day talk to your kids about as they are finally embarking on their adult journeys.  

I’m excited for what 2012 holds, and I feel like I’m in a much better place to begin a new year of my life - more confident, happier, and self-assured - than I was last New Year’s Eve.  So, to 2011, goodbye.  It’s time for you to go, like each year before you, but I certainly won’t forget you.

Posted in New Year's Eve New Year Coming of Age The Graduate Almost Famous Good Will Hunting
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This week, someone told me that they feel as though New Year’s Eve is incredibly overhyped. I responded that the same thing could be said about nearly any holiday. Why do we get so excited about eating turkey, which is inevitably going to be dry and unsatisfying, on the made-up anniversary of the day that perhaps some colonists dined with Native Americans instead of infecting them with smallpox and killing them off with their superior weaponry? Why do we all give each other chocolate and $3 teddy bears to commemorate a “religious figure” who illegally married young, naïve couples from his jail cell? Why do we get so giddy over the thought that some fat man with ruddy checks (i.e. an alcoholic) is going to break into our house via our chimney and leave behind gifts (or lumps of coal) after abusing an entire heard of reindeer? It’s not the original meaning behind these holidays that matters anymore; rather, what’s important about holidays is that they give us the opportunity to come together with others over something positive for a change. Which is even more meaningful given that we live in a world that is full of negativity and clouded by the endless stream of depressing stories offered to us by the 24-hour news sources. What I’m saying might be a bit twee, and others would likely argue that holidays are only good for commerical reasons, for capitalistic pursuits. Nonetheless, if we just choose to look at holidays through a more positive lens, I think we could all agree that they offer a much-needed break from the “tragedies” of everyday life and provide an occasion to connect with others or reconnect with loved ones. And, really, could you ask for anything better than that? Regardless though, if any holiday involves Ryan Gosling wrapped in a string of lights, I’m in.

This week, someone told me that they feel as though New Year’s Eve is incredibly overhyped. I responded that the same thing could be said about nearly any holiday. Why do we get so excited about eating turkey, which is inevitably going to be dry and unsatisfying, on the made-up anniversary of the day that perhaps some colonists dined with Native Americans instead of infecting them with smallpox and killing them off with their superior weaponry? Why do we all give each other chocolate and $3 teddy bears to commemorate a “religious figure” who illegally married young, naïve couples from his jail cell? Why do we get so giddy over the thought that some fat man with ruddy checks (i.e. an alcoholic) is going to break into our house via our chimney and leave behind gifts (or lumps of coal) after abusing an entire heard of reindeer?

It’s not the original meaning behind these holidays that matters anymore; rather, what’s important about holidays is that they give us the opportunity to come together with others over something positive for a change. Which is even more meaningful given that we live in a world that is full of negativity and clouded by the endless stream of depressing stories offered to us by the 24-hour news sources. What I’m saying might be a bit twee, and others would likely argue that holidays are only good for commerical reasons, for capitalistic pursuits. Nonetheless, if we just choose to look at holidays through a more positive lens, I think we could all agree that they offer a much-needed break from the “tragedies” of everyday life and provide an occasion to connect with others or reconnect with loved ones. And, really, could you ask for anything better than that?

Regardless though, if any holiday involves Ryan Gosling wrapped in a string of lights, I’m in.

(Source: feministryangosling)

Posted in Ryan Gosling Christmas Thanksgiving Valentine's Day New Year's Eve