Twenty eleven.

Here I am in 2011, and it is 1:27 in the morning. My insomnia clearly didn't catch the memo that I resolved to rid myself of it in the new year. Alas, this is when I tend to blog; during a bout of insomnia or when I actually have something to say. In a journal-like fashion, I've decided just to update on what's been going on in my fascinating life.

First off, let me say that I am really happy we are in a new decade, and as such we've changed how we speak the year. It's not "two thousand eleven." After all, you didn't say "nineteen hundred and eleven" unless you were part of the pretentious bourgeois. The new decade means we just say "twenty eleven." It seems much more efficient and classy, in my opinion.

My New Year's Eve was pretty darn successful, if I do say so myself. I made some phenomenal buffalo chicken dip to take to a party. It wasn't nearly hot enough for me, but I really, really love hot sauce. The first party we went to was at my friend's new house. He bought acreage in Van Meter and it is absolutely gorgeous when you get that far into the country. He hosted a casino-themed party, so there we played craps, poker, and blackjack. I drake NA beer the entire time because I was planning on driving us back to Des Moines for midnight. Now, most people would scoff at NA beer as being as pointless as decaf coffee. I understand that, but I actually enjoy the taste of beer. It was a really bizarre experience to be drinking something that tasted like beer, but not to feel any of the standard "buzzed" effects after 2 or 3. Maybe it's a stupid thing to take note of, but it wasn't nearly as terrible an experience as I thought it would be when I bought it (especially when the liquor store clerk asked when I was due - as in, when I would be giving birth). But the real beauty of the situation came to pass when we left at 11 o'clock and I could absolutely, 100% feel confident that I could drive.

From there we went to a house party just off Ingersoll in Des Moines. It was a beautiful old mansion that is rented out by a bunch of artsy people. As a result, the party was themed (masquerade) and there were things you'd only see at an artist party; a photo booth with an old school tri-pod camera and an actual lobster on ice were two of my favorites. I knew about a handful of people there, but everyone else turned out to be really quite nice. Turns out, a few were excited to meet me, so I suppose that helped matters. I think the most memorable story from the evening was when someone tried teaching me how to open a beer bottle with a lighter. It probably would have been successful if I had any arm strength, but instead I chipped the lighter and sliced my finger open on the bottle cap. Either way, things went pretty well.

New Year's Day I watched absurd amounts of football (well, as much as this Big 10 fan could handle) and went to Anna's family's New Years party. It was actually a lot of fun. I ate too much food and drank my volume in coffee (hey, never said I drank NA beer all night) before driving up to Fort Dodge to see my other friend, Rachel. I hadn't seen her in months and she just moved into a new house, so that provided plenty of entertainment. Allegedly, it used to be a drug house, evidenced by the bizarre drawings and quotes that are painted on the basement ceiling, as well as the paraphenilia they found in the rafters when they cleaned. But the best part was easily the conversation we had until 3am. Rachel always makes me laugh, but she also makes me think. I also believe that if you can confess something you're weary about to Rachel, you can handle anyone. This means I'm going to have an awkward conversation with my boss tomorrow that I should've had weeks ago, but just didn't have the nerve.

In a related topic, although it doesn't seem like it, I tackled that intimidating process known as "filing the FAFSA" today. I was actually quite surprised by how easy it was. The Free Application For Student Aid would probably be more complicated if I actually had any money/assets/investments, but as it turned out, they consider me an "independent student," I made an embarrassingly small amount of money last year, and I didn't have to delve into my parents' financial information. This is a blessing and a curse, I suppose, because I maxed out at the most money you can get for grad school. Blessing because that means I have more flexibility in choosing a school, a curse because that means that much more money to pay back down the line... at a higher interest rate than undergrads have to pay. Oh well. My dad can no longer tell me I'm being overdramatic when I tell him how poor I am. The government says I'm the most destitute of applicants.

I'm looking at a year full of infinite possibilities, which I know is cliche. In my immediate future, I'm just taking it day by day, which is a very hard thing for me to do because I am a planner by nature. The quote from Almost Famous seems applicable right now: "If you never take it seriously, you never get hurt." Probably not the most responsible words to live by, but for the time being I think that's ok.

Now, if only I could get a handle on my insomnia life would really be grand.