2022 in review and 23 things to do in 2023

it feels like i say this every year, but SERIOUSLY: how is 2022 over already? i loathe the passage of time. anywho, it was a good year. a great year, even. it wasn't omg-best-year-of-my-life-all-my-dreams-came-true or anything, but you can't win 'em all. here are the highlights, and some to-dos for next year that will hopefully provide some inspo!

in 2022, i:

• resumed my tradition of winter getaways with a trip to visit my friend alissa in st. petersburg, florida, where we ate, drank, went on a museum scavenger hunt, drank coffee at cute cafes, stalked adorable houses, watched inventing anna, bought a drink for a tiktok star we saw at a restaurant, and watched the super bowl halftime show at a bar

  
  

• saw 40 artists/bands live (including 2 festivals, 16 acts i’ve seen before, and the long-awaited and twice-postponed def leppard/mötley crüe/poison/joan jett show at fenway)

• met andrew mccarthy of brat pack fame at a travel show

• spent a beautiful, perfect week in portugal

• started a substack newsletter, which will be returning in 2023; shameless plug to subscribe!

• took my first dance class (hip-hop) since before COVID!

• met my internet friend danielle IRL and had a fun-filled overnight trip in mystic, CT 

• drank frosé, people watched, and jumped around to ABBA at the tea dance in provincetown 

• enjoyed a completely idyllic weekend at a farmhouse in upstate new york with 6 other ladies for my best friend gleni's bachelorette extravaganza — we drank wine, made dinners and breakfasts and french press coffee, lounged in the pool, took edibles and sang karaoke under a blacklight, watched legally blonde, did nail art, had a coastal grandma photoshoot, and made s'mores by the fire pit

• went to brooklyn for for gleni’s wedding, gave a toast, and danced the night away

• dealt with the insanity that is salem, massachusetts on a saturday in october, but apple cider cocktails eased the pain

• reunited with my marist friend tati in vegas for a whirlwind adventure that involved a distillery, high winds, meow wolf, magic mike, and a frantic but ultimately successful search for when we were young sunday tickets after the festival was canceled on saturday

• did the stranger things thing as eddie munson with my friend cassidy (who was max) at the liberty hotel halloween party

• got a new couch!

• found out both my moon sign (aquarius) and my enneagram type (7) and have been fascinated ever since because they’re SO ACCURATE and have given me so much insight into why i am the way i am

• did barely ANY writing outside of my full-time job...for me, anyway. i've been dealing with a prolonged case of writer's block that i just can't shake, so i'm going to get my club out and chase that inspiration until it submits to me in 2023. i did manage to eke out a few pieces i tossed up on medium, though:
• mmmbye: breaking up with my favorite childhood band
• the enduring mystique of pizza hut
• searching for stars hollow

happiest moments:

• sitting for hours at a wine bar in porto, portugal with my new tour friend nolene — looking at the douro river, eating cheese and sardines, drinking wine, and chatting 
• marveling at the natural beauty of the caves on the algarve coast on a boat tour
• singing and dancing like a fool by myself at a machine gun kelly concert
• seeing a man walking his pet pig at the hollis flea market
• finding a random magic 8 ball on the sidewalk on my way to get a scone and sourdough and iced coffee on a summer sunday morning
• drinking painkillers at the treehouse bar + watching youtube videos with danielle in our b&b room in mystic
• floating in a random suburban pool cassidy and i rented through swimply
• walking 45 minutes to honeycomb creamery in cambridge and ordering a scoop of port cherry vanilla ice cream and a scoop of salted caramel crackle and walking home
• screaming "pour some sugar on me" with thousands of other people at the stadium tour
• singing karaoke for hours, watching family feud, and then sleeping in a magical canopy bed during the bachelorette weekend
• listening to "away from the mire" by billy strings several times on my solo road trip and tearing up every time
• seeing my best friend get married and dancing to the best wedding playlist!
• smoking a joint in my bathtub and listening to d'angelo on a random tuesday night
• reliving my emo glory days and catching up with tati 

pop culture favorites 

note that these did not necessarily come out this year (though some did), i just consumed them in 2022.

songs: HERE

albums:

the berries - high flying man

nilüfer yanya - PAINLESS

rolling blackouts coastal fever - endless rooms

why bonnie - 90 in november

harry styles - harry's house

momma - household name

they are gutting a body of water - s

PHONY - AT SOME POINT YOU STOP

soccer mommy - sometimes, forever

movies:

promising young woman

hotel mumbai

jackass forever

barbarian

top gun: maverick

books: 

mary jane by jessica anya blau

miss fortune by lauren weedman

in five years by rebecca serle

the paris apartment by lucy foley

everything i need i get from you: how fangirls created the internet as we know it by kaitlyn tiffany

cackle by rachel harrison

one italian summer by rebecca serle

a novel obsession by caitlin barasch

tv shows:

inventing anna

the 7 lives of lea

the sex lives of college girls

the summer i turned pretty

maggie

the bear

2022 to-dos review

well, out of 22 items, i did 11, which is kind of par for the course at this point. not bad!

visit portugal

sing karaoke

visit a friend in a different state

take a road trip

find one of the records on my vinyl wishlist out in the wild and buy it (the list includes MC5, the stooges, and crosby, stills, and nash) found CS&N at bull moose in portsmouth!

take one day off work for no reason other than to relax and recharge

see a live play/musical counting lost spirits distillery and magic mike in vegas

finish the new york times crossword every day for a week

order a cocktail that involves fire got a smoked old fashioned at two different bars, so i'm counting it

hang out on someone's boat technically, the p-town ferry is someone's boat, right?

watch a classic movie rome adventure

23 things to do in 2023

1. do a sound bath meditation

2. visit a state i’ve never been to (looking at you in may, utah)

3. dine at the olde pink house in savannah, georgia

4. go to a sofar sounds show

5. finish taking (and develop!) the roll of film on the disposable camera i bought last summer

6. take a pole dancing class

7. finally learn to parallel park and do it successfully

8. get published on one of my bucket list publications (the new yorker, the new york times, travel and leisure, condé nast traveler)

9. go to a poetry slam at lizard lounge

10. make this bourbon cheddar apple pie

11. find the acler raven midi cutout dress secondhand for less than $100 because i fell in love with it last summer at saks off 5th and have thought about it nearly every day since, but have nowhere to wear it

12. go to a GVF show with danielle because we haven’t seen them together yet (bonus points if we get barricade on jake’s side of the stage so we can realize our banger sisters/cougar dreams)

13. host a dinner party for real, for real this time

14. try a tasting menu (maybe at tasting table?)

15. go to the encore casino since i haven't been

16. make dinner using a majority of ingredients from the farmers market

17. be a guest on a podcast

18. get a cute vintage table + chair set for my dining room

19. visit montreal

20. crash. a. wedding. SOMEBODY DO IT WITH ME!

21. complete and shop around a book proposal to literary agents

22. get another eerily accurate psychic reading from raymond at the tremont tea room

23. stay at a luxury hotel or resort (thanks, heather!)

also! i decided to take a look back and note the stuff that i've had on previous lists that i eventually accomplished in a later year. this was kind of a fun exercise. there were 45 in total!

2012:

visit san francisco 2015

go to a talk show taping 2013

take a pottery class 2019

go to an open house (with no intention of buying) 2014

visit nashville 2013

go out to a sit-down dinner by myself 2015 if bar dinners count, 2019 if we're talking an actual table

take pictures in a photobooth 2016

go to tampa & st. petersburg 2022 

go to the rock & roll hall of fame induction ceremony not the ceremony, but R&R HOF in 2018

make my own bread 2015

stay at a bed & breakfast 2016

go speed dating 2017+ 2019 with two different companies, and they were each comically awful and everyone received refunds because literally 20 women and 2 men showed up both times despite the fact that you had to prepay???

ride a bike 2016

finally get my cheeseburger tattoo! 2015

2013:

see blue man group, because i've never seen it and that's just wrong 2019 and it was one of the cooooolest manifestation stories ever
visit the pacific northwest (preferably portland, OR) 2017, seattle and portland!

drink a mint julep 2017

hula hoop 2022 when my neighbors were throwing theirs out and i swiped it from the curb

play a musical instrument 2022, trying guitar again!

send a query letter to an editor or literary agent 2014
go on a picnic 2015

2014:

try air bnb 2017

get something that i wrote published on mcsweeney's 2016, 2019, and 2020!

win at pub trivia 2015

2015:

secure a book deal 2019

go zip lining 2018

relax in a hot tub 2018

get a tarot reading at the tremont tea room 2017

2016:

take a day/weekend trip to providence and/or newport, RI (i've never been, somehow??) 2018 and 2017, respectively, and then newport again in 2021

sing karaoke (preferably a rap song) 2017, but i sang harvey danger

give a toast 2022

2017:

book a trip to south america 2018

jump into a ball pit 2018 

read seinfeldia 2020 i think?

adopt a shelter cat 2020

go to a renaissance fair and order a giant turkey leg 2021

find and buy liz phair's exile in guyville on vinyl from a brick-and-mortar record store 2018

2018:

visit south america 2019

related: take a selfie with an alpaca not a selfie, but a photo with one, 2019

get my aura photographed 2019

eat fried dough on hampton beach 2019

watch an outdoor movie 2019

see the sunflower fields at colby farm 2020

(weirdly, nothing from my 2019 list)

2020:

renew my passport 2021

spend a weekend in philadelphia 2021

a summer 2022 bucket list

greetings from your favorite (?) internet list-maker! i was making my own personal list of hopes and dreams for this particular summer, as i'm wont to do, and thought i'd share some ideas with you. obviously, many involve food. what are your summer goals??

p.s. if you missed this year's rolling summer playlist, here you go! i'll be adding to it through august.

1. go to an outdoor concert (duh)

i've had tickets to def leppard, motley crüe, poison, and joan jett for like 2+ years now, so hopefully that will come to pass if nobody dies before then?

2. take a roll of film on a disposable camera

hilariously, the youths are very into these again and as much as it embarrasses me to say, its resurgence has caused me to get over my pre-teen flashbacks and reawakened the urge to give one a whirl again.

3. eat a good-ass crab cake. no hockey pucks!

4. buy ingredients for a meal at a farmers market

5. see an outdoor movie at the boston harbor hotel, my favorite boston summer tradition (and maybe a drive-in movie, too)

6. find a new (but preferably vintage) dining room table 

7. pick strawberries 

about to go do this after i hit publish on this post!

8. drink on a rooftop

9. swim in a stranger's pool again

10. go to the brimfield antiques fair

11. eat the arlington diner counter

12. read 52 books

13. drink a root beer float

i technically already did this, but i see more in my future.

14. take a day trip to provincetown

15. make frozen brandy old-fashioneds (made frozen whiskey sours instead, close enough)

16. write 32 pieces

17. make a (non-microwave) s'more

18. take a dance class

19. successfully grow a vegetable or herb

20. skinny dip

21. make "my" smoked salmon pasta 

 

i've been making it for 10 years and it is one of the most perfect things i've ever tasted. pro tip: sub capers for the asparagus.

22. walk to magnificent muffin & bagel for a bagel with cream cheese and crazy-flavored iced coffee

eating my bagel and sipping my caramel-nut iced coffee as we speak!

23. have a solo patio drink and meal at a restaurant and write or journal

24. go roller skating

25. make alison roman's brown butter potato salad

26. take and post an instagram reel of a particularly fun day

27. make 4  2 summer dessert recipes (ideas: ambrosia salad, strawberry crumble, citrusy cheesecake, lemon sponge pie with pineapple)

28. have at least one beach day

i typically go to walden pond in concord because it's extremely close and kinda quaint, even if it's not the BEST.

some ideas for the most boring summer ever

remember when we all thought that things would be "back to normal" by now? LOL. granted, i'm currently writing to you from the parking lot patio of my favorite coffee shop because i had to get out of my damn house, so that's progress i suppose. but with no concerts, festivals, movie theater visits, or big trips on the horizon, it's going to be a loooong, pretty lame summer. but! all is not lost. i'm tapping into my unsinkable optimism and determined to make the best of it. here are some of my plans. i'd love to hear yours! especially if it involves inviting me to a pool party and/or one of the martha's vineyard gingerbread cottages.

1. take a day trip

yeah, the bathroom sitch is a little precarious, but i feel like this is still a possibility. if you're near a cute little town or seaside village of some sort, make a day of it and explore a new place near you.

2. try your hand at gardening

i meeeean, if i can do it, anyone can! so far, i'm growing tomatoes, chives, thyme, basil (purple and green), banana peppers, and climbing beans on my deck. we'll see if they all make it through the summer, but i'm feeling good so far. here's my setup:

3. have a patio dinner/drink (at a safe distance)

your mileage may vary, and i haven't ventured out to a restaurant patio quite yet, but i'm personally looking forward to enjoying dinner with a friend al fresco soon and feel fairly comfortable about it depending on the place's seating set-up. another option that i have tried: grabbing takeout and having a pal over to enjoy it on your own deck! almost as good.

4. make your house look really cute

i already wanted to marry my apartment and have like, 10,000 of its babies, but i've really kicked my love affair into high gear now that i'm spending so much time at home. my main project is a gallery wall, which i'm almost done with (an example of one is above if you're unfamiliar) and i'm so excited about it. also, one of the few good things about facebook is that it probably has a "free stuff" group for your town/city. i've gotten a bunch of great new items fo' free from mine, including an adorable yellow table, an aloe plant, and turkish coffee set. and as i was writing this, i saw that my upstairs neighbor, who's moving, put some stuff out front and i just snagged these great little tchotchkes. yessss!

5. go fruit-picking

it's pretty easy to keep your distance from other people, and if like me, you forgot what REAL/non-grocery store fruit tastes like, it's a nice reminder.

6. rewatch your favorite shows/movies

...and maybe find some new ones! when i'm in a less-than-great mood, the comfort of watching shows i love and have seen a billion times—lately, broad city, younger, workaholics, no reservations, and seinfeld—never fails to cheer me up. last week, i discovered being erica on hulu, thanks to the recommendation of a writer i follow, and i'm obsessed! it's one of those time-travel drama series i'm a sucker for, a la hindsight (which met its demise way too soon). this scratches that itch and i'm so happy i found it.

7. go wandering

walking has NOT been cancelled, thank god! i've been very much enjoying my daily neighborhood walks. and last weekend, i actually drove into kendall square on sunday so i could park for free/without dealing with meters and touching things, walked into the city, and spent the afternoon strolling around. aside from wearing a mask, it felt almost like the good ol' days!

8. have a picnic

who doesn't love a good old-fashioned picnic? a handful of years ago, my friend and i bought a pre-packed basket from this hotel restaurant that came with wine, cheese, charcuterie, crostini, and boston cream pies in little jars and we ate it in boston common and sipped our wine covertly out of plastic cups and it was adorable. i really wish they were still doing that this year (i just checked and they are not), but i'm hoping to recreate this experience at some point because it was just lovely.

9. make a summer playlist

thank god for music, man. as is tradition, i whipped up a playlist of new and old tunes to get me through the dog days.

10. go to a drive-in movie

can you believe i've never been to one, even pre-pandemic? i'm bound and determined to make it happen now that it's en vogue.

11. read!

on the plus side, i've read more books this year than i have in so very long; i think i'm on #10 now!

12. stock up your bar cart (and perfect a cocktail or two)

sort of related to making your home look cute...get that home bar cart ready to rock. i was inspired to get mine in shape after watching like 1,000 of the apartment therapy tour videos and noting that the bar cart just seemed to make everyone who possessed one seem like a real, live adult.

13. take a hike

you'll feel in touch with nature AND accomplished.

14. whip up a summer dessert or three

not only is it a great distraction and quite therapeutic, but you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor when you're done! i made this cinnamon ice cream a couple weeks ago and have a whole bunch of other light and easy desserts on the docket.

RELATED: hit up an ice cream stand for a sundae or root beer float.

15. take an aimless drive at night

queue up that playlist and just cruise around. it's the little things right now. it really is.

20 things to do in 2020 and 2019 in review

all in all, 2019 was really good—much, muuuuch better than 2018, that's for damn sure. i wrote an extensive summary of my decade over on medium, but i still had to look back on my favorite parts of the year...and come up with some to-dos for the coming one. cheers!

2020


1. get another tattoo
2. have a drink at the chateau marmont
3. renew my passport
4. attend a writing residency
5. host a dinner party
6. visit one new state (28 down, 22 to go)
7. get a photo taken with a celebrity
8. check out an open mic
9. pay for someone else's coffee
10. try axe throwing
11. meet an internet friend IRL
12. book my next international trip
13. spend a weekend in philadelphia
14. publish 10 7 humor pieces/articles/essays
15. take a candlelight yoga class
16. <strike>make pizza from scratch</strike>
17. buy myself flowers
18. crack the new yorker’s daily shouts
19. do a tarot/fortune telling card reading for someone (i just bought this dope "gypsy witch" deck from 1903 and learning it is FASCINATING/slightly terrifying)
20. find a used book with a message in it and buy it

2019

favorite books:

on writing by stephen king

comedy sex god by pete holmes

trick mirror by jia tolentino


favorite articles (interestingly and unintentionally, all by women): 

"the most gullible man in cambridge" by kera bolonik

"let's meet again in five years" by karen b. kaplan

"do you have a not-so-stranger?" by caroline donofrio (AND THE COMMENTS!)

"dating terms inspired by catfishing"by sara k. runnels

"rihanna's "bitch better have my money, repurposed for freelancers" by riane konc

"i think about this a lot: justin bieber's "call me maybe" lip-sync" by melinda fakuade

"a perfect, preemptive obituary for my ex-boyfriend" by danielle kraese


favorite songs: HERE

favorite albums:

djo - twenty twenty
catfish and the bottlemen - the balance
cherry glazerr - stuffed & ready
girlpool - what chaos is imaginary
oso oso - basking in the glow
the drew thomson foundation - the drew thomson foundation 
starcrawler - devour you
harry styles - fine line 

concerts (favorites bolded):

cherry glazerr
the cadillac three
girlpool
dandy warhols
greta van fleet
rooney
catfish and the bottlemen
jimmy eat world and third eye blind
damone
the struts
phantom planet
incubus
tegan and sara
ben kweller
twin peaks
hanson

favorite tv shows: 

shrill
russian doll
stranger things
modern love
home for christmas

favorite movies:

knives out
booksmart
little women
five feet apart
blinded by the light
someone great

goals:

1. do 1 activity per week that allows me to meet new people: DONE

...because i obviously kept track. highlights included a '70s punk rock photography talk, "buy me boston" old advertising/music scene talk, board game speed dating (because half the guys didn't show up), a drag queen disco bash, the opening of time out market, and the grand opening party for the citizenm boston hotel.

2. take 2 classes: DONE

did an extremely unhelpful summer writing workshop and just finished a pottery class. not for me, but at least i tried!

3. bake 3 desserts (or breads, whatever): DONE

white chocolate lucky charms cookies, atlantic beach pie, and pear tart!

5. place 5 humor pieces or essays: DONE

1.  little old lady comedy: barry manilow rewrites “copacabana” after visiting lohan beach club

2. points in case: i am the woman who bakes brownies for her coworkers on a weeknight, and my life is definitely not crumbling before my eyes

3. mcsweeney’s: i’m an adorable romper, and i’m about to make your life a living hell

4. little old lady comedy: welcome to dating app ninja warrior 

5. weekly humorist: announcing the ex-boyfriend reunion tour

 
6. take 6 trips (at least 1 international): DONE

charleston, new york (3x), provincetown, peru


7. watch 7 new tv shows: ALMOST...6!

shrill, russian doll, tales of the city, modern love, breakfast, lunch & dinner, home for christmas

(carryover from 2018) get my aura photographed: DONE 

stuff i didn't do: volunteer 4 times, take 8 dance classes (only 1), try 9 new dinner recipes (only 5), read 10 books (only 6)

my 2018 to-do list

new year, who dis? i only crossed off a pathetic 10 items on my 2017 list, but i guess that's 25%, so it's not that horrible when you really think about it. i considered shortening the list, but i figure the more items, the more chances i have to accomplish them. or something. as always, if anyone's willing to help me out with any of these, holler at yo' girl. god knows that 2018 has to be better than this dumpster fire of a year!

1. take a ski lesson
2. spend a night in a treehouse
3. visit south america
4. related: take a selfie with an alpaca
5. bake a funfetti cake (made funfetti oreo bars instead, but i'm counting it)
6. hang out on a boat
7. order a boozy milkshake at grass fed
8. get my aura photographed
9. try 10  new restaurants (the draft, brassica kitchen, fabian's, stickney's, wit's end, hot eastern, bar boulud, red heat tavern, DENDEN, congress tavern)
10. go for a night swim
11. find MC5's back in the usa at a brick-and-mortar record store
12. do hip-hop yoga
13. meet a celebrity
14. stay in a cabin OR beach house
15. see greta van fleet in concert
16. take a glass-blowing class
17. buy a cute ring that fits one of my tiny fingers
18. eat fried dough on hampton beach
19. make something by hand (that's not food--pottery, a sculpture, etc.)
20. visit the boston athenaeum
21. attend a "murder at the mansion" CLUE live! event
22. win a contest
23. obtain something new for my apartment for free from my neighborhood "buy nothing" facebook group
24. dine at tasting counter
25. read 12 new books
26. watch an outdoor movie
27. eat one of the '90s donuts at PVDonuts in providence
28. complete my book manuscript
29. visit 2 new states (to make 30)
30. finally watch the room
31. really, seriously learn to parallel park
32. take a bubble bath (with candles and errything)
33. make a youtube video
34. keep my peace lily alive (it's been going strong since august!)
35. do a cannonball into a pool
36. have a drink at codex
37. take a road trip
38. see the sunflower fields at colby farm
39. make an old-school mix CD or tape
40. CRASH A WEDDING

a 2017 to-do list

i'll admit that, while there are still a few days left in this year, i made a real paltry showing in 2016. out of 40 items, i was only able to accomplish 15. :(  however, it's only made me more determined than ever to attack 2017 and make shit happen. what do you want to cross off of your list next year?

1. visit seattle & portland
2. related: catch a fish at pike place market (i saw someone catch one; does that count?)
3. also related: order the maple blazer blunt doughnut at voodoo doughnut
4. get a hot stone massage
5. tell a story at a MOTH story slam
6. book a trip to south america (possibly this one)
7. write and place five one new essay
8. attend an art gallery opening
9. make my own cheese
10. get another tattoo
11. jump into a ball pit
12. order a drink at an old-fashioned soda fountain
13. create 4 crafts, one for each season
14. move into a new home that i love
15. spend the day at an amusement park
16. ride in a horse-drawn carriage
17. read seinfeldia
18. order room service
19. visit washington depot, CT (the inspiration for stars hollow in gilmore girls)
20. pay it forward at a drive-thru
21. travel by train
22. stay overnight at the house i was born in (which has been turned into a b&b)
23. dine at il pesce at eataly boston
24. drink something from a coconut
25. host a theme party
26. run a 5k
27. adopt a shelter cat
28. make a recipe from anthony bourdain's appetites cookbook
29. go see a stand-up comedian i really like but haven't seen live (maybe: joe list, aziz ansari, or rod man)
30. take a weekend trip to the hudson valley
31. swim in a rooftop pool
32. [keeping to myself]
33. start a conversation with a stranger at a bar
34. go to a renaissance fair and order a giant turkey leg
35. do a tarot card reading for someone
36. go on a photo expedition to somewhere that's been abandoned
37. make a jar salad
38. have drinks with a band i like
39. find and buy liz phair's exile in guyville on vinyl from a brick-and-mortar record store
40. crash a wedding (this will be on the list until i do it)

my 2016 to-do list: 6-month update

so ... i gots a lot to do. out of the 40 items i set out to complete, i've only accomplished 8 of 'em:

2. have high tea in london
the most 'grammable tea groupon could buy.

3. drink coffee & eat a croissant at a sidewalk cafe in paris 
i got a crepe instead, since the waitress was being mad rude...cigarette emoji for dramatic effect

4. visit an amsterdam coffee shop 
twice...really don't want to remember the latter experience

10. celebrate my 30th birthday in style
said "hey, what's up, hello" to the big 3-0 with a little soiree on the patio of one of my favorite local restaurants with booze, music, food, and some of the best people i know.

19. watch live jazz
twice! at the beat brasserie in cambridge, and wally's in the south end.

27. see the mona lisa at the louvre
naaaailed it.

33. organize my gmail inbox (and get to 0) ... of course, it's back to being a hot mess now


that means i have 32 left. here are some of the "reach" ones i might need some help with. anyone?

8. CRASH A DAMN WEDDING
9. complete my book manuscript
25. go skinny-dipping
26. visit 4 new states (to reach 30 states visited)
32. buy a home
37. visit montreal

my 2016 to-do list

for my list this year -- the sixth annual -- i pared it down a bit from 2015's 50 items, since i've only accomplished like 18ish of 'em. ugh. there are a few repeats here; mostly ones from my 30 before 30 list, which i've bolded. five months left for those. what do y'all want to accomplish next year? LEGGO!

1. submit an essay to the new york times' "modern love" column
2. have high tea in london
3. drink coffee & eat a croissant crepe at a sidewalk cafe in paris
4. visit an amsterdam coffee shop
5. finish reading sloane crosley's the clasp
6. take a contemporary dance class
7. see the neighbourhood in concert
8. CRASH A DAMN WEDDING 
9. complete my book manuscript
10. celebrate my 30th birthday in style
11. ride a bike
12. take a day/weekend trip to providence and/or newport, RI (i've never been, somehow??)
13. attend a music festival (maybe firefly, so i can also cross off #7)
14. whiten my teeth
15. sing karaoke (preferably a rap song)
16. make my own pasta
17. buy a t-shirt at a concert
18. sleep under the stars
19. watch live jazz
20. buy myself a bouquet of flowers
21. give a toast
22. go meatless for a week
23. eat at one of the roxy's grilled cheese brick-and-mortars
24. see a double feature at the capitol theatre
25. go skinny-dipping
26. visit 3 new states (to reach 30 states visited...this will be tough since most options are in the midwest and west)
27. see the mona lisa at the louvre
28. learn this dance routine
29. take a ski lesson
30. have breakfast in bed
31. buy something handmade from etsy
32. buy a home (???)
33. organize my gmail inbox (and get to 0!)
34. order a tasting menu
35. attend the big e
36. learn conversational french (ideally before my trip)
37. visit montreal
38. stay in a cabin or cottage
39. see blue man group
40. take a writing class or workshop at grub street

5 things i love: boston winter edition

if you couldn't tell by the flood of iPhone weather screenshots, it's cooooooooold here in the northeast. i'm hunkered down with a blanket, some coffee, my favorite candles, my wax warmer, my flannel PJs, uhhh you get the idea. but it got me thinking about some of my favorite things to do 'round here when the temps drop and drop and drop and drop.

1. drink hot chocolate at max brenner and LA burdick

if you hate hot chocolate, i feel bad for you, son. there are only a handful of both max brenner and LA burdick locations in the whole country, and the boston area is blessed to host both chains. while both provide top-notch cocoa and ambiance to boot, i've gotta hand it to max brenner because of their adorable hug mugs. also, i made the mistake of ordering a large hot chocolate at burdick a few weeks ago, and almost fell into a chocolate coma on newbury street because it was so rich. but i mean, if i had to fall into a coma, a chocolate one would probably be the best kind, eh?

 

for once, i didn't steal anyone's photos for this one! that's my very own hug mug from a visit to max brenner, and what i like to call a "where's waldo selfie" at LA burdick. 

2. shop for weird vintage jackets and scarves at oona's and raspberry beret

the only thing better than wearing a cute sundress or romper that belonged to some random, strange person is wearing a fur coat or a fluffy patterned scarf that belonged to some random, strange person. y'all know that i am all about secondhand stuff, and thus completely unfazed by all of the odd smells and other unknowns ... perhaps disturbingly so. but anywho, you can find some true gems at oona's in harvard square and raspberry beret in porter square, from big jackets to cute hats and all sorts of other winter wear. plus, how can you NOT love a place named after a prince song?

3. watch people fall down while ice skating at the frog pond

am i a bad person? i mean, i do love watching great skaters do their thang, too. but as someone that has only been on ice skates a few times in her life -- and spent most of those times flat on her ass -- i've just gotta sympathize (while chuckling) with the poor souls that chose to show off their skills (or lack thereof) right there in the middle of boston common. we're laughing with you!


4. eat mac & cheese at the publick house 

ugh, i wish i lived closer! their beer menu is killer, but i come for the mac & cheese. you get your choice of add-ins, which include shrimp, scallops, lobster, and short rib. 'nuff said. 

5. get cozy with a cocktail at JM curley

i'm actually obsessed with this bar. and it's in downtown crossing, so that's saying a lot. from my first visit, when the insanely hot bartender lit my friend's and my drink ON FIRE with a match in his mouth, i was sold. whew, sorry, still get a little flushed thinking about that moment a year later. aside from the drink pyrotechnics and eye candy behind the bar, it's got a super-cozy neighborhood vibe and they have yummy cocktails and an amazing food menu (ramen lasagna, huhhh). plus, they give you bacon-y popcorn! great great great.

my 2015 to-do list

as i began to draft my annual list of things to do, i realized that i'm headed into my 29th year. STOP THE WORLD,  I WANT TO GET OFF. jk, i'm (sort of) cool with it. but i had to dig deep into my 30 before 30 list this time around, considering that i've only completed 7ish of the items on it thus far. there are a couple repeats from years past on here -- can someone please crash a wedding with me?! -- but i'm feeling confident that i can make most of these happen.

what do you want to accomplish in the new year?

1. learn to parallel park
2. secure a book deal
3. go skinny-dipping
4. get my cheeseburger tattoo
5. see the grand canyon
6. kiss in the rain
7. go zip lining
8. meet dave grohl (ok, i'll settle for any famous musician ... but bonus points for dave grohl)
9. do something in vegas that stays in vegas
10.strike up a conversation with a stranger on public transportation
11. go to the zoo
12. pose for a photo in front of tom's restaurant in NYC
13. read i wear the black hat by chuck klosterman
14. start a daily journal
15. [keeping this one to myself]
16. cook dinner for someone
17. attend a celtics game
18. make a fancy cocktail for myself
19. go climbing at brooklyn boulders in somerville
20. have a happy & fulfilling romantic relationship with a grown-ass, emotionally available man
21. ride a rollercoaster
22. dine at the top of the hub
23. buy a home (let's try this again ...)
24. bake one of each of the following: a bread, a cake, a pie, a pastry, and a cookie
25. see a drive-in movie (can you believe i've never been?!)
26. leave a lucky penny for someone to find
27. see a band that i love for the first time in concert
28. book the trip to london/paris/amsterdam that i've been dreaming about for 3 years
29.order a whiskey flight at citizen public & oyster house
30. get ice cream delivery from scoopsies
31. do a "cleanse" (maybe after the ice cream delivery?)
32. relax in a hot tub
33. visit an island
34. begin a collection (i'm thinking souvenir mugs)
35. buy a meal for a homeless person
36. read a famous memoir
37. submit something that i wrote to an anthology
38. go pear-picking
39. make cold-brewed coffee
40. go to a strip club
41. crash a wedding
42. send a snail-mail letter
43. take a class for fun
44. get a tarot reading at the tremont tea room
45. see a movie and then read the book it was based on
46. complete the new york times sunday crossword in one hour or less
47. hang out in a tree house
48. play blackjack
49. attend a dance performance
50.meet someone from twitter in person

my 2014 to-do list: 8-month update

totally meant to do this like, in july, but oh well. umm ... it's almost the end of the year now, and i've only completed 13 (that's 32.5%) of my 40-item list. granted, some of them were pretty big items, but i just can't finish out 2014 with less than 50%. it's unacceptable.

here are the ones i've accomplished so far:

2. visit new orleans

...and it was AMAZING.

6. finish my book proposal

it only took 2+ years! currently querying agents far and wide.

9. visit somewhere that's haunted

everything in new orleans is haunted, so ...

10. color my hair

decided on some red balayage highlights a few weeks ago, and i'm pretty happy with how they came out.

12. dine at 5 restaurants on the eater boston 38.

jm curley, hungry mother, highland kitchen, ten tables, and bergamot. boom!

14. watch a whole tv series that i've never seen before

watched all of HBO's "silicon valley" in a weekend.

15. take the jeopardy online test

this was like 6 months ago, so i doubt i made the cut.

19. do volunteer work

it took me a second to remember what i did, because it wasn't for charity or anything. i made grilled cheese sandwiches with roxy's grilled cheese at the boston calling music festival!

20. visit martha's vineyard

ALSO AMAZING.

21. drink a "green smoothie"

only slightly ashamed to say that i've now had more than one. like, at least a handful in recent months. they just taste like juice!

23. write to a celebrity and receive a response (online or snail mail)

i think there was another twitter-related exchange that i can't remember, but i do know that i've been retweeted by both andrew wk and ludacris this year! woo.

28. buy a plant for my apartment (and don't kill it)

ok, so the flowers are gone, but the leaves are healthy as ever! it counts.

30. reconnect with an old friend or acquaintance

i got back in touch with my old coworker, kathleen, who actually helped me conquer most of the eater boston 38 restaurants.

here are the remaining items that i think i can knock off:

4. take a cooking class

7. learn enough french to get around (being optimistic here)

11. get business cards

13. make a collage

22. overcome my eyelash-curling phobia

24. see a non-musical play

25. say "yes" to something i want to say "no" to at first

26. make my own sushi

29. participate in a scavenger hunt

31. teach myself a dance routine via youtube tutorial

33. pack a picnic lunch and eat it on boston common

34. win at pub trivia (2nd place finish twice ... come on!)

35. go to an ice bar

36. make my own pizza

37. win money from a slot machine or scratch ticket

38. send christmas cards

39. go out to dinner by myself

...and these ones will be a stretch, pending some miracles and/or assistance and/or intense effort:

1. purchase a home

3. be in a music video

5. swim in an infinity pool

16. try air bnb

17. get something i wrote published on mcsweeney's

18. go to a state fair

27. crash a wedding 

32. go sailing (or at least, on a sailboat)

40. watch 5 movies on the IMDB top 250 that i've never seen before

help, guys! 

my 2014 to-do list

four years ago, i decided that resolutions pretty much suck, and that it's so much more satisfying -- and tangible -- to check the items off as you go through the year. an annual "things to do" list was born! after coming up with 100 things for 2011 and 2012, i pared it down to 50 for 2013 and got even more focused this year. going for quality over quantity, and repeating some that i still haven't accomplished (#3, #27, #39). what do you want to tick off of your list in 2014?

1. purchase a home
2. visit new orleans
3. be in a music video
4. take a cooking class
5. swim in an infinity pool
6. finish my book proposal
7. learn enough french to get around
8. use a terrible pick-up line on a random guy
9. visit somewhere that's haunted
10. color my hair
11. get business cards
12. dine at 5  restaurants on the eater boston 38
13. make a collage
14. watch a whole TV series that i've never seen before
15. take the jeopardy online test
16. try air bnb
17. get something that i wrote published on mcsweeney's
18. go to a state fair
19. do volunteer work
20. visit martha's vineyard
21. drink a "green smoothie" :(
22. overcome my eyelash-curling phobia
23. write to a celebrity and receive a response (online or via snail mail)
24. see a (non-musical) play
25. say "yes" to something i want to say "no" to at first
26. make my own sushi
27. crash a wedding
28. buy a plant for my apartment (and don't kill it)
29. participate in a scavenger hunt
30. reconnect with an old friend or acquaintance
31. teach myself a dance routine via youtube tutorial
32. go sailing (or, at least, on a sailboat)
33. pack a picnic lunch and eat it on boston common
34. win at pub trivia
35. go to an ice bar
36. make my own pizza
37. win money from a slot machine or scratch ticket
38. send christmas cards
39. go out to dinner by myself
40. watch 5 movies on the IMDB top 250 that i've never seen before

100 things to do in 2012: month in review

ahhhh it's december! i just finished my comprehensive exams this weekend for my master's (to graduate in the spring!) and am so looking forward to a nice month-long winter break in new hampshire in just about a week. :) this month was a little slow, but i managed to check some more items off of the list.

speaking of which, i'm starting to come up with ideas for my 2013 list. if you have any great ideas, leave 'em in the comments!


7. take a boat ride: COMPLETED.

so this might be kind of a cheat, but i went to disney with my friend & her hubby and we did both the jungle river cruise as well as the "tom sawyer's island" thing, which involved a barge/ferry ride over to the island. close enough for me!

56. pop champagne: COMPLETED.

i spent thanksgiving solo this year, but decided to spice it up a bit with a breakfast of french toast and mimosas before my big meal of savory crockpot chicken sandwiches, stuffing, and broccoli. i managed to pop the cork without hurting myself, hooray!

77. find one new song that i like each week: COMPLETED.

lots of great new tunes! check out my november playlist for some of 'em. i also made a christmas playlist that you can enjoy while baking cookies, trimming the tree and binging on 'nog.