Best of 2010
December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2010?
Arizona. Again. This time I got to climb up Flat Iron at Lost Dutchman, visit Slide Creek in Sedona and relax at a koi pond in Phoenix. But let's let the photos speak for themselves, more can be found at my facebook.
December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
Eating under a full moon at the Olive Tree in Gilbert and then visiting a seedy speakeasie for drinks and dessert with Ryan's folks :)
December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends.
A lot of the articles that I read are boring to all other people who are not in the veterinary profession. So, may I offer up instead a book about the place that I have moved to. In high school, many of us remember reading a dusty novel beginning with the famous line "Call me Ishmael." But one thing we never went over (at least in my class) was that Melville based his novel on an actual event. Philbrick's The Heart of the Sea recounts the true tale of the whaleship Essex, the first whaling vessel to be attacked and sunk by a sperm whale. We follow the crew from Nantucket in the twilight of the whaling years, to the sinking of the ship and the slow starvation and derangement of the crew members as they float endlessly on the Pacific.
Whale bones from the Whaling Museum in New Bedford which I visited while I was reading.
December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
Ffffffff...ok. Fiction, we can do fiction. These books were worth my time reading and I would pass them on in a heartbeat:
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Confessions of Catherine De'Medici - C.W Gortner
Leviathan - Scott Westerfield
Catseye - Margret Atwood
The Year of the Flood - Margret Atwood
Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima - Diana Preston
Frankenstein - Mary Shelly
Five People you Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
Thanksgiving dinner with my family, I hadn't seen some of them in many years and it was good to catch up.
December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
No, if anything I've been more likely to pick up an online class than look into an actual conference.
December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/category/stuff-you-missed-in-history-class/
And the accompanying podcast. With such gems as "No, you cant have whale vomit for your birthday." "Why was Richard I the Lion Hearted?" "Who was Zenobia Warrior Queen?" "No, we won't stop talking about women's history, the podcast is called Stuff you MISSED in history class." and "How to dress like a mamaluke."
December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
Here:
December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
All of the hard anesthesia cases. Ever.
December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Return to Cookie Mountain
December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
Borderlands State Park
December 12 New food.
Ryan's Chicken Soup
December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
I bought a printer. Woo hoo.
December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
The worst case ever. The dog had a splenic mass that was bleeding into the abdomen. We actually bolused blood (and ran out) and right as I placed the ET tube after induction the quiet thought "We're not gonna make it" crossed my mind once.
We didn't make it.
December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
People, it's paper. Really.
December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
Peace Iced Tea.
December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2010 was _______."
Busy. Very, very busy.
December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
AES student Loans
Ryan and Kate want a house savings account
Stop and Shop
...Dunkin Donuts :P
December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?
Old Apache Trail in AZ or Sedona in AZ.
December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2010?
I miss the 2009 interns but I like the 2010 interns all the same.
December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?
My DK tank in WoW. Miss HoHo. She has a small blog through our guild website and has really evolved since I started her on Ry's old server.
December 22 Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?
Our local public library. They keep my book buying to a minimum and open me up to free books and movies as well.
December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.
Sharepod. It allowed me to get my previously locked up music collection from my ipod.
December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?
A few.
-All things must die.
-You can never go back.
-All actions have consequences.
-Blood is not thicker than water.
December 25 Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?
I can't wait to try out my new camera :)
December 26 Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?
Reading through VIN and realizing exactly how ignorant people in higher education can be. Who didn't know that denying pregnant women health care regardless of business size was a violation of the civil rights act?
December 27 Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?
Nobody likes twitter. Adding a few more warcraft friends to my facebook as well as using RealID through Blizzard to connect with friends.
December 28 Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?
I still don't get off to paper.
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
Clients and coworkers, for the second year running you have made my day again and again.
"I thought my puppy was dead so I went to the backyard to bury her but the shed was locked so I didn't. It turned out that she was only sleeping."
"Is it normal for dogs to be stuck together after sex? How can I get them apart?"
"He's a vicious junkyard guard dog! (dog is sleeping on my lap and wouldn't hurt a fly)."
"Why won't you give me your DEA number over the phone?"
"Due to the shortage of robots, all your techs will be human."
"Come on penis!!!"
"Can I just put some green tea on my bunny's cancer lump to make it go away? I tried calling my animal spiritualist but I think he's meditating..."
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
That shock collar is on your dog's NECK. Please try before you buy.
December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...)
More art.
Arizona. Again. This time I got to climb up Flat Iron at Lost Dutchman, visit Slide Creek in Sedona and relax at a koi pond in Phoenix. But let's let the photos speak for themselves, more can be found at my facebook.
December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
Eating under a full moon at the Olive Tree in Gilbert and then visiting a seedy speakeasie for drinks and dessert with Ryan's folks :)
December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends.
A lot of the articles that I read are boring to all other people who are not in the veterinary profession. So, may I offer up instead a book about the place that I have moved to. In high school, many of us remember reading a dusty novel beginning with the famous line "Call me Ishmael." But one thing we never went over (at least in my class) was that Melville based his novel on an actual event. Philbrick's The Heart of the Sea recounts the true tale of the whaleship Essex, the first whaling vessel to be attacked and sunk by a sperm whale. We follow the crew from Nantucket in the twilight of the whaling years, to the sinking of the ship and the slow starvation and derangement of the crew members as they float endlessly on the Pacific.
Whale bones from the Whaling Museum in New Bedford which I visited while I was reading.
December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
Ffffffff...ok. Fiction, we can do fiction. These books were worth my time reading and I would pass them on in a heartbeat:
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Confessions of Catherine De'Medici - C.W Gortner
Leviathan - Scott Westerfield
Catseye - Margret Atwood
The Year of the Flood - Margret Atwood
Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima - Diana Preston
Frankenstein - Mary Shelly
Five People you Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
Thanksgiving dinner with my family, I hadn't seen some of them in many years and it was good to catch up.
December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
No, if anything I've been more likely to pick up an online class than look into an actual conference.
December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.
http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/category/stuff-you-missed-in-history-class/
And the accompanying podcast. With such gems as "No, you cant have whale vomit for your birthday." "Why was Richard I the Lion Hearted?" "Who was Zenobia Warrior Queen?" "No, we won't stop talking about women's history, the podcast is called Stuff you MISSED in history class." and "How to dress like a mamaluke."
December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
Here:
December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
All of the hard anesthesia cases. Ever.
December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Return to Cookie Mountain
Click to viewDecember 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
Borderlands State Park
December 12 New food.
Ryan's Chicken Soup
December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
I bought a printer. Woo hoo.
December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
The worst case ever. The dog had a splenic mass that was bleeding into the abdomen. We actually bolused blood (and ran out) and right as I placed the ET tube after induction the quiet thought "We're not gonna make it" crossed my mind once.
We didn't make it.
December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
People, it's paper. Really.
December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
Peace Iced Tea.
December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2010 was _______."
Busy. Very, very busy.
December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
AES student Loans
Ryan and Kate want a house savings account
Stop and Shop
...Dunkin Donuts :P
December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?
Old Apache Trail in AZ or Sedona in AZ.
December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2010?
I miss the 2009 interns but I like the 2010 interns all the same.
December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?
My DK tank in WoW. Miss HoHo. She has a small blog through our guild website and has really evolved since I started her on Ry's old server.
December 22 Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?
Our local public library. They keep my book buying to a minimum and open me up to free books and movies as well.
December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.
Sharepod. It allowed me to get my previously locked up music collection from my ipod.
December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?
A few.
-All things must die.
-You can never go back.
-All actions have consequences.
-Blood is not thicker than water.
December 25 Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?
I can't wait to try out my new camera :)
December 26 Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?
Reading through VIN and realizing exactly how ignorant people in higher education can be. Who didn't know that denying pregnant women health care regardless of business size was a violation of the civil rights act?
December 27 Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?
Nobody likes twitter. Adding a few more warcraft friends to my facebook as well as using RealID through Blizzard to connect with friends.
December 28 Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?
I still don't get off to paper.
December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
Clients and coworkers, for the second year running you have made my day again and again.
"I thought my puppy was dead so I went to the backyard to bury her but the shed was locked so I didn't. It turned out that she was only sleeping."
"Is it normal for dogs to be stuck together after sex? How can I get them apart?"
"He's a vicious junkyard guard dog! (dog is sleeping on my lap and wouldn't hurt a fly)."
"Why won't you give me your DEA number over the phone?"
"Due to the shortage of robots, all your techs will be human."
"Come on penis!!!"
"Can I just put some green tea on my bunny's cancer lump to make it go away? I tried calling my animal spiritualist but I think he's meditating..."
December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
That shock collar is on your dog's NECK. Please try before you buy.
December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...)
More art.