So long, 2011

2011 started in Belize, where I rang in the New Year on a rickety bunk bed, listening to Counting Crows' "Long December" and Death Cab's "The New Year" while my traveling companions, quite sensibly, slept. On that trip, I experienced a whirlwind of bird walks and rainforest hikes. I found out what termites tasted like. I saw manatees and iguanas and sea urchins. I received more chigger bites than I imagined possible, and climbed a few Mayan pyramids.

And then it was back to school, for the start of a long and painful semester in which I took 8 courses, worked, and took on extra research projects just because. Luckily, one of my eight was Animal Behavior, and that class served to solidify my emerging goals for graduate school and beyond.

In February, Snowpocalypse threatened to come down just before my brother's family was due in Tulsa, and I skipped town ahead of the storm, arriving in Tulsa about an hour before the snow started to fall. We spent a week huddled indoors next to the fireplace, and it was lovely.

In March, I took off across the country to see Bright Eyes and my brother. I drove to Kansas City, then on up to Detroit, where I saw the Mynabirds open and spent an evening making new friends behind the venue while we waited for drunken hugs from Conor. I followed the tour bus to Chicago for the next day, and saw Bright Eyes + Mynabirds again, this time with my brother. We carpooled back to Madison and I spent a few days hanging out with my nephew. The 14 hours home was a lot of fun, even solo. I should go on more roadtrips.

In April I started my quest to learn how to brew beer, and we made a milkstout on our first attempt. It was our first and only time using a kit, and since then I've learned a lot of things. Also, I've made and drunk a lot of tasty beer. Brewing, in case you were wondering, is a highly social activity. I recommend it to anyone.

In May, the semester finally ended and, when the dust cleared, I was somehow left standing with a 4.0. Zack graduated and moved away in preparation for the big move to Japan. Katy and Corry moved in. I met up with Mel for Sasquatch! Music Festival at the Gorge in Washington state, and had the time of my life catching up with Mel, meeting random TIPsters, and seeing lots of my favorite bands.

The rest of the summer was for research, travel, and friends. I helped a couple of grad students in the field, spent some time at the cabin, worked a little, took a summer class. In June, Jacob and I went to Omaha to visit his family and catch a Bright Eyes show across the river in Iowa. I'm really not sure where the time went.

August brought more school, and the football season.

In September, I went to Austin for ACL, where I stayed with some cool people, made some festival friends, and saw some great acts and, of course, the Bright Eyes aftershow with Re-Fried Ice Cream and Kurt Vile.

October was OU-Texas, and we met up with Hunter and his friends for a weekend of partying in Dallas and in the RV. And, oh yeah, destroying the 'Horns. It made me feel better about having interviewed at UT in September.

November was a mad dash to get my grad school applications completed and turned in on time.

So far, December has been a lot of waiting. Waiting for grades, waiting to hear back from grad schools, and now, waiting for classes to start back up. I have plenty of research and work to be done before the 17th, but I have a hunch that everything will feel like waiting until I figure out what's going to happen with graduate school.

So, I'm ready for next year, and all of the things that may be about to happen. Bring it, 2012, end of the world and all.

Tomorrow night, we'll be celebrating 2011's end with the Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs at the New Year's FREAKOUT.

Best wishes to you and yours for the coming year.