Everyone Loves a List, Pt. I

Mode of distraction: Obsessive list-making and worrying over forgotten items
Distracting me from: Looking up movie times for tonight, keeping boyfriend company while he cooks

I thought of doing a 2010 review for my first blog post, but I felt like the whole "looking backward as I move forward" contradiction would create some sort of bad blog karma. And with only two followers, who needs that? (Feel necessary pity and shame here.)

I spent the day compiling these various "Top 10 in 2010" lists, which provided lovely mini-distractions on a particularly grizzly Friday. Undoubtedly you must expect movies to be the first thing I list, but no--that list will come later when I post my tame and reserved Oscar opinions (just a few more films to see first). Also to no one's surprise, I can't help but write too much about everything, so this post will be split in two--starting with the more personal lists.

Here we go, y'all. My Top 10 in 2010, Part One:

Y E A R   H I G H L I G H T S 
1. Family vacation to Montana - A truly necessary respite from the city to Big Sky country. Gorgeous scenery coupled with the always splendid and loving McKay family all wrapped up at the cabin? Unbeatable. Throw the Sip-n-Dip and "Say My Name" and "No Scrubs" karaoke and we've got a contender for highlight of the decade.

2. Publication in the Saints + Sinners 2010 Literary Festival Anthology -  My short story, "Dancing Pink Roses," won runner-up in this inaugural LGBT fiction contest. The winner? A former Pulitzer Prize nominee. Cool stuff. Even cooler? It's available on Amazon! Even cooler? I got a positive shout-out in a review (and it isn't from my grandmother).
3. Move to a new apartment - Light. Space. New furniture. Close to school. Across the street from Lucky's. It's fantastic, and all credit goes to mi amor for shoving me out of my cave.
4. My mom gets elected to a community college board - Years of service and carrying the school district on her shoulders pays off with a well-deserved win after so much hard work on a truly positive campaign. Community colleges in her district ought to be thanking their lucky stars.
5. Sister Carly performs...a lot - A voice that won't be ignored any longer, she sang the national anthem for her UCLA graduation, performed in front of Richard Carpenter at a scholarship competition, and sang and danced at the El Capitan Theater for Disney's Tangled preshow. 2011 is already bringing more performance slots, so it's only a matter of time...
6. I switch to long fiction - And...it was the best choice ever.
7. Nikki and Tasha visit take over San Francisco - They planned to stay for a few days. They stayed for two weeks. It was monumental fun.
8. Tracy and Jess come to play in the city - A balcony dinner at Cheesecake Factory provided a lovely view and lots of laughs...but not as many as later than night while playing the most ridiculous game ever: Queef Quelf.

9. Major Project 1 - Where writing Muscle Memory turned from school assignment to something that made me happy and eager to write more.
10. I got a new laptop - I just love it. That's all.

E V E N T S
1. Grandma's 75th birthday party - The whole family got together for a karaoke party to end all karaoke parties. Everyone sang. Everyone danced. Everyone drank. Everyone hopes Grandma loses the video footage.
2. Fab4 Reunion - Just before the year ended, the Fab4 (plus beloved additions Alejo and Jess) got together for a delightfully disappointing dinner at The Melting Pot (being mean is just more fun than truly enjoying yourself) followed by a nostalgic drinking fest in the den that birthed the best drinking game of the year. Music Catch Phrase and strip poker followed, and we all made it through without vomiting. A+.

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Drinking Game: The Dinner Party

Drink when any of the following occurs:

Camille mentions her pizza oven
A flashback to New York
Anyone says the name "Allison"
Allison makes a bitchy face

 

3. Mom's 50th birthday party - A perfect combination of family and friends proved just how young 50 is these days.
4. Halloween party at Lauren's - Fantastic costumes (well, except one...), dancing the night away, and Angie and Andy even came down! Which proved necessary. Karen and I unknowingly called upon the spirit of Ethel Rosenberg, and now any one of us and our circle of friends are subject to being pushed down stairs or tripped without notice. Walk carefully, all. We apologize in advance.
5. Gay pride parade - My first, and it did a number on me. Fortunately, an ill-advised treat furthered the fun and saved me from certain hangover hell. See you there next year!
6. Booze sailboat for Kyle's birthday - New friend Kyle brought a gaggle of glorious Canadians to the city for a weekend of drinking for his birthday, culminating in a fantastic sailboat under the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.

7. Housewarming party - With our apartment decorated just in time and a table full of various alcoholic concoctions, the evening was set for perfection. But our neighbor, a full-grown troll with Asian decals on his door, threw a fit and called the cops. Still, it was a great night and we brought our energy to the Castro.
8. Switchback reading - "Dancing Pink Roses" was also published in the 12th issue of Switchback, and it was a great reading, highlighted by Brian's crowd-pleasing story, "Tuesday Anonymous."

9. Brunch at Lime - In the infamous words of Beyoncé, this was a disastuh. But in all the right ways. I lost a jacket, got kicked out of a bar, and had to miss work the next day. Can't wait to go back.
10. Adrienne's going away party at the Schmidt's - This would be higher if it weren't so damn sad. Some of the best barbecue I've ever had coupled with infamous French martinis wasn't enough to take the sting out of Adrienne moving to Washington D.C., but it was an appropriately intimate and delicious send-off.

Stay tuned for my top 10 TV shows, songs, albums, books, and--eventually--movies of 2010.