Happy New Year! 2013, I am ready for you.

For the past five years, the ringing in of the New Year has been the same for me.  At midnight, I grab the nearest co-worker for a friendly kiss on the cheek, take a perfunctory sip of cheap champagne, and get back to work.   If I’m lucky, I catch Clayton on the phone from wherever bar he’s landed, and we do the countdown together.  The whole thing smacks of romance.  Still, I love New Year’s Eve.  That two minutes after midnight (Iron Maiden inverse, whoa!) is the bottom of Pandora’s Box:  The demons of bygone years have flown away, and all that remains is shining, beautiful hope.

Smacks of romance, indeed.

Then some drunk person pukes in the centerpiece and it’s all downhill from there.

With nights like that, New Year’s Day is pretty uneventful.  Being a consummate morning person, staying awake until 5 am is burdensome, especially since sleeping past 10 just doesn’t happen.  Being a morning person is a blessing and a….no, it’s just a blessing.  Morning people are happier, you know.  Science says so.

Anyhoo, my new thing for Jan. 1, 2013 was fun but kinda lame to write about.  We went up to the Standard so we could properly celebrate New Years, that is, having one cocktail and playing the Megatouch machine.  Yep, my new thing New Year’s Day was trying a new Megatouch game.  Like I said, kinda lame to write about.  Come to think, the new game we tried was kinda lame too.  We played Bangkok Shuffleboard, which is regular shuffle board, only with graphics of white ladie’s legs/high-heel clad feet in the background.  Not sure what that had to do with Bangkok, and electronic shuffleboard doesn’t hold a candle to real shuffleboard.  Unfortunately, the shuffleboard table at the Standard has been replaced by a bean bag game.  We did not try the bean bag game.

Jan. 2nd I bought a new dress…in preparation for my new job!

Jan. 3rd I started my new job!  I am the official Marketing Assistant at Criterion Brock.  I’m really excited!   I’ve been at CB for some time now as an intern, and now, through a combination of  sheer luck and skills involving a  unique ability to make hilarious jokes about flooring involving cats, I have been hired on as a marketer!  YAY!!  Everyone at CB is simply lovely, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity.  Plus, I doubt I’ll have to be marketing flooring until 4 am on New Year’s Day next year, so that’s a big plus.

Jan. 4th I bought a bunch of new art for my new (old) office.  I bought bears!  Or bear art, anyway.  I also learned how to say thank you in Vietnamese.   The lady who does my eyebrows taught me.  “cảm ơn bạn” only it kinda sounds like “come on” so I thought she repeatedly kept telling me to come on and I was getting a little confused.   Oh, and I tried a new workout.  It was kinda hard!  Damn Fitness Pal, keeping me all honest and hungry and wine-deprived.

Oh my god, Google “wine deprived” and this comes up. I need this book. Maybe that will be today’s new thing.

Yesterday was another new workout.  I won’t bore you with the details, but it was a lot of me huffing around while Melissa patiently pretended she was as slow as I am.   Still, I want to get back to fighting weight and sweatin’ as an oldie may be one way to do it.  That, or go buy a nice bottle of Pinot Gris.

See you soon!

December new.

This blog began with my imagination.  I pictured myself chronicling new adventures every day like some modern day Margaret Mead.   5 months later, and here I sit, struggling to remember the wine I tried a week ago.   Did Margaret Mead drink wine and write about it?  Sigh.

So, this entry is going to be my little holiday present to myself.  I HAVE done something new every day.  It’s part of what I do now.  However, I’m going to touch on the highlights of the last 12 days and call it good.   Otherwise, RNT will NEVER get finished.

New things I’ve enjoyed this month:

New!  Breakfast at Pambiche with my wonderful friend Mandy.  I had the Socialist Soy Hash.  It was a delicious collaboration of flavors.

New!  Thrift store in Newport.  I got a cute black shirt.

New!  Using a tablet.  My parents gave Clayton one for Christmas and it is awesome. Welcome to the future, McCallard family.

New!  Biggest Dinner Party (at this house) yet!  Fun for all,  and lots of new wine (there’s been a lot of new wine this month).

New!  Jewelry.  From my lovely mother-in-law, Hollis.  Stunning pearls, onyx, and coral.  I feel fancier just thinking about it.

New!  Movies (thanks, stupid cold kicking my butt).   Worth watching (Netflix users, i.e. everybody, start queuing).  Hugo.  Yes, I know this came out last year.  It took us a while to see it, okay?  Geez.  Anyway,  Hugo is a lovely story adapted from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret loosely based on the filmmaker Georges Méliès.  A woman told me last year (when Hugo first hit theaters) that she’d already seen the film three times because she thought it was the best movie ever made.  While I wouldn’t go that far, I’d definitely recommend it.   Also recommended: Super 8.  The acting, especially that of Elle Fanning, was impressive.

NOT RECOMMENDED! (As in, if I hadn’t been so sick I couldn’t move to change the movie and now that’s two hours I’ll never get back Nicholas Cage why must you torment us all?)  Season of the Witch. OMG this movie was TERRIBLE!!  Ol’ Nick and Ron Perlman wandering around the middle ages battling a CGI demon does not make for a compelling movie.  On the contrary.  Come on, Perlman, you’re better than that.  Hope they paid you well, at least.

New!  Read!  We went to a bookstore in NEWport (couldn’t resist) that we’d never been to before (new!) and I, in an attempt to regenerate a few of the brain cells that committed suicide rather than suffer through Season of the Witch, bought a book by Gabriel García Márquez.  Strange Pilgrims is lush and tactile exportation into the world of words.   I am enamored.

New!  Stuff!  My first pair of Ray-Bans.  No, I didn’t pay full price.  Goodwill hunting, baby: $3.99 for $130 glasses.  Score!

New!  Recipes!  During the course of my holiday baking, I tried three new recipes from La Dolce Vegan, a vegan cookbook (obviously) we received as a wedding present.  Pumpkin cranberry bars, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and coconut chocolate chip bars made for some good eatin’.  Yay for baked good love!

I didn’t look quite this glamorous as I was slopping pumpkin in a bowl a 6 am.  Almost, though.

New!  Candy!  Four-spiced vegan toffee made by my sister’s friend Ken, who makes mouth-watering treats at his company, Willamette Valley Confectionery.  Clayton calls it Kendy.  Because he is hilarious.   And puns rule.

They RULE, I say!

So that’s all the newness for now…I’ve kept up the spirit of this blog, if not the actual blog.  I’ve done something new everyday.   If someone offers me the option of new versus old, I almost always go for the new.   But, we’re not done yet!   6 months and 15 days of wine, exercise, and the occasional trip left.  I can’t wait.

My little blog soldiers on.

Hey, everybody- y’all ready for some newness (read in an Oprah or Ed McMahon voice depending).   Let’s new this!

Last Sunday, as in, like, two Sundays ago, I did something new.  I wrote it down.  I wrote “Trader Joe’s.”  Dude, thanks for NO HELP AT ALL, yester-me.  What the hell does Trader Joe’s mean?!?  So I’m going to take a stab in the dark and assume that I was talking about the Trader Joe’s holiday cookies.

New?

Monday, I learned how to replace memory card on my laptop.  “Wow,” you’re undoubtedly saying. “Did you enroll in ITT tech?”  You’d think so, right?  But no, my laptop isn’t working and the guy I had come look at it suggested a new memory card.   Which worked for all of like 1/2 a day.  So, whoo!  My laptop’s still down.  Hooray!

Tuesday I tried the Farm-to-table pizza at Pizzacato.  It was delicious.  Better than a busted laptop, too.

Wednesday and Thursday were new wines (thanks, Mom!).  The Serenity, a white blend, was good, but I liked the Sauv. Blanc better.

Friday I Black Friday shopped for the first time.  I feel like I sold a little piece of my soul for two-for-one boots (SO cute!  Squee!) so, you know, totally worth it.

Saturday I debuted a new (old-my grandmother’s) hat.

Thoughts on the hat?

Sunday I watched scaffolding get raised.  I was going to help, but my awesome neighbor Carl thought it best if the ladies watched and gave moral support.  Still an interesting process.

Monday, I heard a really interesting panel of women speak about the Politics of Sustainability:  Sarah Higginbotham of Environment Oregon, Tara Sulzen of 1000 Friends of Oregon, and Lisa Libby, Mayor Sam Adam’s sustainability director.  It was quite an inspiring talk.

I also had a sugar cookie latte.  Eh.  It was so so.

It looked exactly like this! WOW!

Tuesday was a looong day, topped off by watching (1/2 of, anyway) Bernie.   This movie is streaming on Netflix right now.  Do you have Netflix?   Of course you do.   Now go watch Bernie, stat.  Despite receiving mixed reviews, Clayton and I both thought this was an entertaining (though sad) film, largely due to Jack Black’s impressive performance in the eponymous role.

Yesterday, Clayton and I tried the new Veggie Grill downtown!  YAY YAY YAY!  Healthy vegan fast food?  Yes, please!  I’m not even mad they stole my idea (I’ve been saying for years Portland needs a vegan fast food restaurant) it was that good.  I had the veggie crab on a bed of kale with a side of corn chowder, and Clayton had the nachos, plus cauliflower mashed potatoes and quinoa mac and cheese.   All vegan, all amazing.  I can’t wait to go back.

Drool.

See you soon!

This weeks new: Have Mercy, and stay on track.

Monday, I applied for a new job.  Since I already have three jobs, you may be thinking to yourself a fourth job may seem just a teensy bit superfluous.

None of the jobs I have involve watching TV with a chihuahua on my lap.

Truth is, I applied for this job not expecting to get it.  I think (fingers crossed) I have a full time job lined up after my 7,345 years of school come to a close this spring (a least for now-graduate school is always a possibility!  Also typing that I misspelled possibility so maybe a trip back to 6th grade is in order, too.).   However,  hedging one’s bets is a sensible course of action, and just in case the full-time job is for whatever reason off the table then I want to have established other options, hence, I applied at Mercy Corps.  I’ve always (figuratively speaking) wanted to work for Mercy Corps,  so applying felt pretty great.  Have Mercy, indeed.

Tuesday I tried Jacob’s Creek Cab/Merlot blend.  Not bad for a $8.00 bottle of wine!

Wednesday, another application of new:  I applied for a Solution’s Generator grant.  This was a team effort, come to life by an idea conceived from something I saw in Thailand.  I’ll give you one (1) floppy hat if you can guess what it was.   (Now no one will guess-nobody wants the damn hat.  It’s just too floppy, I suppose.)  Still:  Hint:  the Solution’s Generator grant gives money to students for projects that embody the ten One Planet principles.

Seriously, how could you NOT want this hat?

Thursday I finally jogged on the indoor track at PSU!  It was awesome!  Yes, I had a running partner (Hi, Melissa!) which always makes working out more fun, but dude!  Super easy track, with a bird’s eye view of both the PSU Volleyball team and a heretofore unknown (at least by me) ping-pong table.  If that isn’t the most exciting thing you’ve heard all week, then good for you!  You’re out there living life and I salute you.

Today, it’s more PSU new.  I’m going to see the campus production of Othello.  I’ve never been to a play at PSU, nor have I ever seen Othello.  Love the new!  See you soon!

Pretty sure Lawrence Fishburne will not be appearing in the PSU production.