Champagne From A Paper Cup

Despite my post-Christmas laziness, I wanted to slip in one more entry of 2011, a year that definitely came with highlights and important life events for me and those close to me, not the least of which included participating in graduation in May (well worth the 9 month wait after my August 2010 degree conferral, and also my dad's milestone birthday in October (he turned 80 but true to how some people joke that "Asians don't age", he looks about 60 and I hope he can stay as fit and healthy as possible for a long time to come to match his youthful looks).

This past summer saw me faced with an important and tough decision. Ultimately I decided NOT to take the job at University of Michigan, which I knew was the right decision as tough as it was. My choice to not take it was undoubtedly the right decision, as it continued to become even clearer in the months following that decision. I say so even though deciding not to move up to Ann Arbor gives me continued uncertainty about what will come after my current position. But it's so not worth sacrificing my health and other aspects of my life (happiness? sanity? etc) to try to churn out 30 papers over the course of 10 years (need 3 accepted per year to feel secure you'll get tenure). Even in the bad economy I am certain there are other ways to make a living and be successful that don't involve that type of pressure cooker and high risk of failure. Hopefully this isn't my naive optimism at play.

Since I haven't written much this year, I unceremoniously let my 9 year d-land anniversary slip by at the end of October. Yes, I know diaryland is so 2002. So who knew I'd keep this little corner of the internet up for this long? But here you have it, only a few of us remain, and maybe for similar reasons. Any time a name lights up on my largely dormant buddy list, I love it, especially when someone slips in and I get a blast from the past.

Other important things marked this year, and I continue to be a work in progress (even at age 37), looking ahead to 2012 as the year I hopefully can do/achieve/get some of the things I still want for myself. I do have a gut feeling that I, and some of those close to me are on the cusp of many different changes for next year. Only time will reveal exactly what they might be, and hopefully they all turn out to be positive things.

Christmas in our household is never complete without a Greek spinach pie, and an assortment of cookies, which almost always includes Russian Tea Cakes. This year, we added in a Cajun twist to the mix and had homemade Gumbo soup on Christmas night. And bonus: who knew that reserving an "intermediate size" rental car would score me....no, not a Toyota Corolla or some type of Nissan sedan.....but a muscle car (a Dodge Charger that basically looks a lot like a Ford Mustang). The car is so not me, but it gives a satisfying rev as soon as it hits 30 mph! Fun. So, I guess I'm making up for the fact that my high school boyfriend didn't rent a Ford Mustang on prom night, and who can pass up the wild fun of driving a muscle car w/o having to own one?

For tonight, though, I may be drinking champagne from a paper cup, as I will ring in the New Year at my sister's (and her boyfriend's) new house, and at the same time raise a glass (cup) for a toast of well wishes to them in this new chapter. (Paper cups are in order, as the moving is in progress and the kitchen is still packed in boxes. But, the tv is hooked up so the ball drop is on. Yeah!

Wishing you a happy 2012! More on the flip side....and PS, wish me a lot of luck, b/c early in the new year, I will be getting a new boss/post-doc mentor (actually someone who comes from the university where I chose not to take a job in July). It all feels weird and uncomfortable but could turn out to be a good thing--hard to say yet!