Things to Love About 2008

Before it's good and gone a few things to note, and be thankful for, about 2008:


* Book Club! It was one of the first groups I joined as an adult and I loved it. A great group of smart, funny women drinking, eating and talking (mostly) about books. One of the things I miss most about living in the Mitten. Hello ladies!

* WeeBug. (Or as my dad calls her The WeeBug.) I've never really been car proud before but how that changed when I got her in April. I still smile when I see her pregnant rollerskate self. And I still wave when I see other Yaris drivers. Sometimes they wave back.

* Live Music! James McMurtry again. Drive-By Truckers twice! Making an ass out of myself in front of Justin Townes Earle. Laughing at Hayes Carll. They were all great shows that reminded me how much I love music and how lucky I, and the rest of their fan families, are that these artists do what they do.

* The Jones Wedding My favorite party of the year. It was a pure pleasure to hear those vows and to bear witness to that ceromony.

* Election Fun It sure was a rollercoaster, wasn't it? I was glued to the TV, watching it all unfold. And at the end I, like a lot of people, was left speechless by the history unfolding, by the change wave rolling all the way from Jim Crow and cresting in the Oval Office.

* Moving Home I wanted it. And I made it happen. I don't have all the answers yet but when I feel lost or have second thoughts I take comfort in geography. I think of my grandmother buried across the street. My high school less than a mile away. There's no doubt this is my place and it's damn good to be here.

*WFPK Louisville's listener supported radio and perhaps the best radio station ever. I listen every day. From World Cafe to Kentucky Front Porch to Wild and Wooly Video Update I like it all. (And I was happy to become a member for Christmas since I was feeling guilty I listen so much and hadn't given them a dime!)

*New Boys! From the 'what was that exactly?' (Andrew) to the fleeting (Nate) to the 'what's less than fleeting?' (Wayne) it's for sure I haven't figured this one out yet. But I'm working on it. I'm putting on my best game face and working on it. Not a hopeless romantic, rather, a hopeful one.

*Birthday Fun Of all of 2008, the birthday surprise, with all its contributors (famous and not) was the best. One of the most intense, singular experiences of my life. I still take comfort from the memory of it and from the suitcase full of letters that say just how much I am loved and thought of. Thanks again all. Again and again.