In January I mused about the varied and creative names that I come across on my student rosters. I ranted about how Americans are advised to eat HFCS “in moderation” and the impossibility thereof. And I discovered that the Post Office really cares about me, even though they tear my mail to pieces.

February found me recollecting an argument John and I had over a decade ago about Canada: vacations therein. I wondered if “common courtesy” still exists. Then there was that Terminator movie whose name, I decided, was Terminator Supremo. And our bathroom remodel began, at last.

In March we discovered that Luke might be an only dog sort of dog. Our bathroom remodel ended, beautifully. I ranted about why we wipe our butts with old-growth forests and about the rhetoric of freedom. And I revealed my super hero identity.

In April, I dreamed that Luke started his own business but lacked a good business plan. I got a teaching award and thumbed my nose at my former high school trig teacher. And I tried to silence the voice in my head.

May found us back in Kansas, visiting friends and family and our old haunts. When we returned, I had a genius idea for an anonymous donation center. I displayed my ignorance about simple baking instructions. We celebrated six married years. Oh, and I ranted about the USPS, again.

In June I devised a devilish way to game the postal system. I mused about women who stand by their cheating husbands. I unlisted our phone number. And I ranted about “Farm News.”

July was a month full of dissertating, punching and pulling till it looked okay. My credit card number got stolen and the culprit went wild with it, spending all of $3.49. And I reminisced about Manic Monday and MiracleGro

I started August in a dentist’s chair, pondering life’s great questions. Then I thought a lot about what it’ll be like When We Get Where We’re Going (all we know for now is that when we get there, John has to pee). I compared universal healthcare to universal education. We said goodbye to John’s maternal grandmother. I revealed my musical past. And I got stuck in line at the UPS store, behind a guy shipping an empty suitcase to Hawaii and a guy shipping four tires.

In September I weighed the pros and cons of having the Sesame Street characters as roommates. I met a cat who wagged his tail. And I was shocked to find Dirty Dancing on ABC Family.

October brought the realization that Luke really and truly is a one-dog kind of dog. I mused about friendships that shrivel and die, my online presence, and the town-gown dichotomy.

November. Ah, November. November found us stuck on the side of a mountain, wondering whether or not we’d live to tell the tale. Then there was that time John got laid off. And the time we got accosted by a religious nut job. My students thought Nancy Reagan was dead. I revealed what my Pit of Despair looks like. And my blog got a facelift!

December being what December is, I didn’t blog a lot. I celebrated my 32nd birthday. I wondered why certain things stick in my head when half the time I can’t remember where I put my cell phone. And I reminisced about what was missing from our wedding bed. What I didn’t say, but should have, is that I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Happy 2010!

In honor of the New Year, I thought I’d revisit a New Year’s quiz I’ve done the last couple years. Here’s to a great 2010!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

   I finished a draft of my dissertation.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for 2010?

   It wasn’t a formal resolution, but after I read In Defense of Food, I decided to pay much closer attention to the foods I eat. When we’re at home, we only eat local meat whose provenance we know; we mostly eat local, organic, in-season veggies; we’ve expelled HFCS from our diet (for the most part– it’s hard because it’s in everything!); and we make a lot of our staples ourselves: cereal, stock, pesto, etc.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

   Yes, my friend Kimberly gave birth to a lovely baby boy!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

   John’s grandmother died in August. While I can’t say I was personally close to her (I’d only met her once before her Alzheimer’s really set in), I can see her in so much of our lives: in the traditions she handed down, in the foods she made, and in the children and grandchildren she loved.

5. What countries did you visit?

   None.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

   Last year I said I wanted more self confidence in 2009, which I think I definitely have. For this year, I’d love to learn to be happy with what I’ve got while I’ve got it.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

   November 17th, when John got laid off. And then, happily, December 22, when John got a shiny new job offer!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

   I won a teaching award and I finished a draft of my Epic Dissertation.

9. What was your biggest failure?

   Last year I wrote, “In 2008, as in all previous years, I lacked patience.” I think I’ve started to learn how to be more patient. But I certainly procrastinated when I shouldn’t have.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

    I got really sick in August and honestly, I think it was swine flu. Oink!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

    Well, the best money we spent this year was probably on our master bathroom remodeling project. It turned out so perfectly, and I can’t even remember the sheer horror it was before!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

    Without sounding like a braggard, I think John and I navigated his unemployment with aplomb.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

    Two things: I’d love to see the American public be more patient with Obama. I think many people expected he’d be able to wave a magic wand and fix everything after his inauguration and when it didn’t happen, they got disgruntled. Secondly, I’ve been fairly appalled at the behavior of our politicians, on both sides of the aisle. Not their personal behavior, necessarily (although what a doozy of a year 2009 was for that!), but the lack of willingness to find common ground. The increase, even, of partisan politics. The fear mongering. I could go on.

14. Where did most of your money go?

    Our mortgage, our bills, our home improvement projects…

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

    I’m really excited about John’s new job. He really disliked his previous job, and in many ways it was a blessing when he got laid off. I was nervous, yes. But I was also full of excitement at the promise of a better future for him, work-wise. And I think his new job will be really rewarding.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

    Fly Me Away, by Annie Little.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

    Happier and thinner, but poorer (see: unemployment).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

    I wish I’d been able to see my family more. If wishes were fishes, though…

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

    Stress over stupid stuff: piles of laundry, dirty dishes, etc. They need tending to, certainly, but they shouldn’t stress me out.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

    We flew to Kansas and spent time with John’s family in Kansas City. Then we drove to Lawrence and hung out, supporting the local economy, eating good food, frequenting all our favorite haunts, and seeing good friends. Just as the ice started to come down on Christmas Eve, we drove to Manhattan and spent time with my family, eating more good food, hanging out, and marveling at all the snow! Then we had one last day in Kansas City before we came home on Monday and celebrated Christmas just the two of us on Tuesday. Whew!

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

    No.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

    NHL Hockey on Versus.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

    Nope.

24. What was the best book you read?

    In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

    Rodrigo y Gabriela.

26. What did you want and get?

    Without sounding like a complete hippy, I wanted to be more at peace, more serene. And I was (am). Oh, and job for John!

27. What did you want and not get?

    A job for myself, though the hiring year’s not over yet!

28. What was your favorite film of the year?

    Um… drrr… I don’t really like movies. But we went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and I liked it.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

    I turned 32 on my birthday. I opened presents in the morning, baked an apple pie, talked to family and friends, and went out to dinner with John at a cool local restaurant. Since I’d turned in my final chapter the day before (yay!), I allowed myself not to do an ounce of real work. It was divine.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

    Being closer, geographically, to family and friends.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

    Clean and comfortable.

32. What kept you sane?

    I don’t know that it was any one thing. The year of Writing The Dissertation pushed me in many ways, and often it was HARD, but I always looked forward to going to the dog park in the evenings. It was often a sigh of relief at the end of the day.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most

    Fancy, huh? Hmm. I’ll continue with the Michael Pollan theme. He’s wicked smart, incredibly articulate, and man, does he have something to say. We could all learn something from him. In fact, we should.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

    Healthcare, no question. We’re working without a net right now, until John’s new job starts, and it’s scarier than I thought. What would we do if we got really sick? Would we be able to swing it on our own? Would it become a stupid “pre-existing condition” that would affect our ability to get insurance down the road? And we’re financially solvent folks– can you imagine what it’s like for people who are just barely scraping by?

35. Who did you miss?

    I missed Kansas and everyone in it the most. My heart is lighter there.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

    I was part of a search committee last year and we brought in four candidates to the department. They each gave job talks, with varying success. The candidate who stood out, the most junior of all of them, gave a job talk that knocked my socks off. From the first word he uttered, he grabbed everyone’s attention. The audience was deadly silent, rapt, hanging on his every word. We wound up hiring him, fortunately. He beat out two associate professors and one assistant professor for the job. His hire gave me hope that it’s possible to find a job, a good job, in this terrible job market. (Now, my phone isn’t exactly ringing off the hook. But there’s hope!)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

    The road ahead, murky and scary though it may be, is also terribly exciting.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

    “It’s a brand new day/The sun is shining/It’s a brand new day/For the first time in/Such a long long time/I know/I’ll be okay .” Brand New Day, by Joshua Radin

Or those of you with bebes already could grab some of these cute little numbers:

You menfolk out there might enjoy a jaunty sweater:

And for all you women, well, who doesn’t want to lounge around the house in these:

I could go on and on! Old Navy is running a ton of deals these days, and I bet there are plenty of you who could use a little something for yourself (after all, you’re exhausted from doing all that holiday shopping!), or a few stocking stuffers for the elves in your life. So go ahead! Enter the giveaway! Just answer the following question in the comments section of this post:

What holiday traditions from your childhood have you kept alive as you’ve gotten older? (If you’ve started all new traditions, tell me what they are!)

One entry per person, no entries after 5:00 pm Eastern Time on Friday. The winner will be randomly selected. Go!

Update: Congratulations, Will! I’ll send along your gift card today.

If shoes make the man (or woman), what do your shoes say about you right now?

Good one, Plinky. Let’s see. Right now, I’m barefoot. I think that says “a risk taker,” “able to walk through life au naturale,” “embracing summer to its fullest,” “in touch with her inner child,” and “willing to get a little dirty to get the job done.” Of course, it could also mean “works from home, can’t be bothered to wear shoes.”

*Bonus points if you catch the reference.