Hundredth Post (!)

This isn't going to be as exciting as I had hoped.

Ever since I saw that my blog posts were numbering in the nineties, I thought and thought about what sort of thing I would write for post one-hundred. Would it be a clip-show-style journey through my past blog posts? Would it be a poem? Could it ever be something as popular as my mistletoe math post? As short and sweet and snappy as 90/10 (the two numbers do add to 100, after all)?

I then thought of lots of other ordinary things that I wanted to write but also wanted to wait until after the 100th post, as quite ordinary they were indeed.

[WARNING: This is going to be one of those times in which a valuable life lesson is learned in the context of a relatively workaday event.]

If I planned my life the same way I plan this blog, I'd probably do a lot of this:

(If my artistic genius is not clear enough for you, this is me chucking all of the things I have to do on the other side of a wall that represents a major life event or something. Also, this is not the only stick-figure-Alex on one side of a wall cartoon I've made in the past few days)

We can't postpone our lives because [Insert Milestone Here] hasn't happened yet, and I can't postpone writing about all the other cool things going on because this post might not be as awesome as the 100th episode of "Buffy."

This is what I know: sometimes we have to work on our birthdays; there's no reason why the 74th anniversary issue can't be as great as the 75th anniversary issue*; a round number or a perfect square doesn't magically make something special; sometimes writing the 100th post is just the thing you have to do before writing the 101st post.

This sounds a lot more "closing voiceover of hour-long TV serial drama**" than I mean it to sound (as a matter of fact, I'm running through the playlist in my brain right now trying to think of the perfect song/artist to underscore this moment), but I'm actually quite content and also quite excited to start my next hundred posts. As always, keep reading.

*Ten points to anyone who can get this reference.

**"Grey's Anatomy", "Sex and the City", "Doogie Howser" (was that an hour long?), etc...

Boring Life-Update Post

...or "BLUP," I guess?

Most of my posts on this blog are about a specific thing, because I find those things to be more interesting than the things that are going on in my life. However, I know there's a whole fleet of people back home (what up, Beaver Valley Ward Relief Society!) who read this and probably want updates, and I guess I do have some things going on, so here they are:

• I have a grad-school interview at Michigan State University for their PhD program in Anthropology in less than two weeks. This was the most last-minute I've ever bought a plane ticket before; and I was very stressed about it until I wrapped my brain around the idea that it was a good thing. East Lansing, here I come (at least for two days, anyway)!
• I gave a lecture at the BU Academy All-School Meeting last week. The title was "Forensic Anthropological Age Estimation Using the Pubic Symphysis: Traditional Methods and New Technologies." It was basically the part of my thesis that I'm presenting at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences meeting with some extra background about what pubic symphyseal aging methods are all about, adjusted to appeal to high school students. They actually liked it and asked a lot of really good questions. I think I can get used to the whole lecturing thing.
• I am currently only working two jobs now, as the course I TA'd for was just a Fall Semester course. I'm still on-call at the preschool, and they might need me on the occasional Wednesday, but I do like having a day-off, especially since I have to put together my presentation for the AAFS meeting.
• Boston is cold! This is my third winter here, and I keep forgetting how awful it is. I think New England winters are like childbirth in that respect, though I have no first-hand experience with the latter. I haven't yet frozen off my bottom, and thankfully there's been no snow, either (though I've just jinxed the heck out of myself and the whole of Massachusetts by saying that).
• I had a dinner-date last night and ate Indian food for the very first time. I know what you're thinking: "but Alex, you're twenty-six years old! and an anthropologist! and 'Temple of Doom' is your favorite Indiana Jones Movie! How have you never eaten Indian food before?" For some reason, it always terrified me. I was always afraid that it would be burn-your-face-off spicy or somehow else unpleasant, but I should have known better. I mean, how can one go wrong with saucy things over rice?*
• I have a cold. Again. You know how normal people are healthy for most of the year and maybe spend about one month per year being sick? I feel like I probably get about one or two healthy months per year. Fortunately, all of my health insurance paperwork is finally done being processed and I am now allowed to enroll in some sort of cheap health plan.

So that's my first few weeks of January in a nutshell. In unrelated news, this is my 99th blog post, which means that the next post I write will be my 100th blog post**. That means it has to be something spectacular. Stay tuned.

*The one downside: my coat and everything I wore last night now smell like Indian food, and I feel like that smell has spread to every permeable surface in my room (including my hair a little bit). It's probably more in my head than anything else. I guess it's nothing that a load of laundry and a little Febreeze can't fix, right?

**Bring on the trumpets. (Okay, I'll admit, that one I stole.)

The "Year of Alex"

My New Year's Resolution is to have this year not suck. Scratch that. My New Year's Resolution is to have this year be awesome. This year is going to be the "Year of Alex" (just for me; I don't expect the other 7 billion people on Earth to adhere to this calendar). These are the things I am going to do in my year:

1. Get a passport and leave the country. I finally found my birth certificate and once I can wrangle together the $100, I am marching my butt to the post office and getting a passport. Then I am going to go to Canada, because it's the closest place to me that is in not-America. (In related news, anyone want to go to Canada this spring?)
2. Learn to drive. Third time's the charm, right? (The night before I decided I would do this, I had a nightmare about learning how to parallel park... and some other stuff happened too, but I don't want to talk about it.)
3. Get into a PhD program. This is happening. This has to happen. If it doesn't happen, I may just give up on academia. I'm really praying that I get in somewhere and that, that "somewhere" is in Boston.
4. Stop being ridiculous and getting in my own way. I don't think this one needs any explanation. I am ridiculous and I get in my own way. This needs to stop.
5. Stop using "I don't need to" as a reason to not do things.

I think I can do all of these things, but I think it's best that you all follow up when you see me.

The Prize

Now that I've announced a winner to my blog giveaway, I should announce the prize. I made this before I knew who was going to win, so don't worry, this isn't one of those "I'm secretly in love with Patrick and I'm going to make him a mix tape that subtly and poetically reveals my true feelings" kinds of things (if it were, there would be different songs on it).

The "But You Are Made of Bones" Starter Mix

(Track Listing with Explanations!)

1. "Skeleton Song" (Kate Nash) - This song inspired the title of my blog, so obviously it's the first track!
2. "Organ Donor" (Jeremy Messersmith) - The music video for this song has dancing skeletons, and there's reference to embalming, and it's just a really cool song.
3. "Sway" (Bic Runga) - One of my "Top 25 Most Played." I really like the lyrics. If I were going to make an "I'm secretly in love with you" mix, this song would probably be on it.
4. "Fade Into You" (Mazzy Star) - This song is on my list of "Slow Songs that Don't Suck." It's also very relaxing to listen to, it's like the musical equivalent of being in a hammock (maybe, I've never been in a hammock).
5. "The Story" (Sara Ramirez) - Sara Ramirez is a powerhouse of vocal awesomeness. I actually like this version much more than the Brandi Carlisle original because of the faster tempo.
6. "Crazier Than You" (Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor - "The Addams Family" OBC Recording) - This one might be a little Patrick-centric as I want us to sing this duet one day if by some miracle we're both not sick.
7. "Blackout" ("In the Heights" OBC Recording) - I like the musical theatre, and I like those songs where the entire cast is singing different things all at the same time.
8. "Burning Love" (Elvis Presley) - There were days when I'd be in my kitchen baking and listening to this song and dancing around. It was fun.
9. "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" (Queen) - I couldn't figure out which Queen song I wanted to put on here, and I decided on this one because probably not very well-known and it's also quite quirky.
10. "Promise Me This" (Pancho's Lament) - Not enough people know this song. It's beautiful and it reminds me of my "Late-Nineties Serial Drama" phase.
11. "Grace Kelly" (Mika) - Try not to lip synch this one in your bedroom mirror.
12. "Wuthering Heights" (Puppini Sisters) - A fun cover of the song with perhaps the most terrifying music video that ever happened.
13. "Lady" (Regina Spektor) - I also couldn't figure out which Regina Spektor song to put on this mix. I picked "Lady" because it has such a haunting, somber tone to it, but it also has a little bittersweetness at the end.
14. "A Snowflake Fell (And It Fell Like a Kiss)" (Glasvegas) - It's wintertime, and this is a wintertime song, and it's so pretty!
15. "Song for a Winter's Night" (Sarah McLachlan) - Sarah is my idol, and this song just has so much beauty and emotion in it.
16. "Tomorrow" (Jeremy Messersmith) - I might have broken a rule by repeating an artist on here, but I don't think a lot of people are aware of Jeremy Messersmith. Also, this is just a really good "last track on the mix" song.

I figured that sixteen tracks is a decent amount of music (it's just under an hour), even though there were a bunch of other great songs* that I wanted to put on here. At any rate, this is the mix that the winner of my blog contest (and anyone else who entered who tells me that they want one) will receive. It is my fervent hope that I can get the message of non-awful music out there and one day we will overpower the "Top 40**" culture.

*Like most things by Kate Nash--check out "Pumpkin Soup," "We Get On," "Merry Happy" or "Kiss That Grrrl" for more upbeat songs, or "The Nicest Thing" for something a little more "I secretly love you and am real sad about it."

**times 10^-1. Because these stations only play four songs.

And the Winner Is...

A big thank you to all of you who entered my blog giveaway contest. My apologies for the delay in posting, but it took me a while to not only pick a winner, but also find the best way to announce the winner. Following the example of many commenters, I felt it only appropriate to declare a winner in poetry. And when I say "poetry," I mean Poe-etry.

On this night in January, reading my blog's commentary

To finally declare an ending to this blog and Facebook war

Watching all my friends competing, my favor for their words entreating

Their hope, that by the rest defeating, a custom-made CD to score.

The winner, whom I must decide, this awesome mix CD will score.

Now to pick one--what a chore!

An entry that I must adore: a lim'rick from my dear friend Laura

Whose drive and competing aura are two things I can't ignore.

Certainly she is no loser, but the question: will I choose her?

Would my music just confuse her? she knows Kate Nash, but little more.

She knows the Kate Nash song she gave me, but she's aware of little more--

The Beatles, Dylan, not much more.*

Dave, so coy, rewards my blogging with empty threats of late-night snogging
Methinks his memory needs jogging, as this has never worked before

Certainly, this Mr. Healey knows I don't do "touchy-feely"

As such, his second entry really brings a little something more.

His Middle-Eastern couplets (or "ghazal") my favor they implore--

Yes, my favor they implore.

Patrick really thinks he's won it, bringing out a lovely sonnet

Such Shakespearean verse can truly make my jaw drop to the floor

With his smooth iambic phrasing, certainly the bar he's raising

While the others he's not praising, he's boosting the esprit de corps

(Yeah, that's right, I used some French, et je suis fabuleux, toujours!)

Does Patrick win? I'm still not sure.

On this night in January, thumbing through my dictionary

For some of this vocabulary falls above my verbal score**

"Amphibrach" and "xanthocroic" sound, I will admit, heroic

But I must try to stay a stoic, with objectivity in store

I cannot let my thoughts be swayed by words I've never used before;

I have not used them heretofore.

With a flattering acrostic that is anything but caustic

Matt tells me I'm kind and nimble-minded and that I allure

Tyler does not try to woo me, but he might just see right through me

His sarcastic words eschew the ardent praise from those before

These two roommates, though contrasting, have an interesting rapport

Are they the winners? Still not sure...

Erik's Japanese translation earns a well-deserved ovation

It also is a nice vacation from the poetry galore

Camaraderie in force, is found in most of these discourses

Matt, with charity, endorses Erik's post, if he's passed o'er.

Sportsmanship is sort of a nice change from all the blood and gore,

(Although too much can be a bore!)

Would I be a dreadful sinner saying "everyone's a winner"?

I should just get on with it; I don't know what I'm waiting for.

Patience here is quickly waning, but all these posts are entertaining!

This judging process is so draining--I know it won't be long before

I throw my hands up and exclaim that I can't do this anymore!

I'm done with poems, evermore!

That poem accomplished nothing. Basically, I'm the most indecisive person ever. Here's a breakdown of my awards:

Best Poem: Patrick's Sonnet

Most Original: Erik's Japanese Translation

Best Attempt to Win Through Flattery: Matt's Acrostic

Best Concession: Carly

Comment That Made Me Laugh the Loudest: (A tie!) Laura, "Also Patrick, you suck..." and Tyler's rant.

Best Comment That Assumes I'm Some Sort of Hussy Who Can Be Bought with Kisses: Dave

I guess I have to pick just one, and I think that winner is...

Patrick!

Congratulations, pal. You won it with a sonnet.

(But seriously, I have a million blank CDs, so I might just make one for everyone anyway.)

*This is in no way a dig on Laura's taste in music, though it is limited in scope. It's just kind of funny that one of my favorite artists on the mix is an artist to whom she introduced me!

**on the GRE, which was actually pretty awesome, but I needed something to rhyme, and so I'll pretend that I rocked the GRE less than I actually did.

2011: The Year in Review

Happy Countdown to the New Year, Everyone! I'm spending my New Year's Eve blogging and doing some things with some friends in Copley Square, all the while hoping that Billy Crystal* is running through the city streets to tell me all the things he loves about me as the clock ticks away to midnight.

I guess I can divide my year into five categories. Someone told me once, and I don't know if this is a real thing or not, but if you have more than five categories, you have too many categories. So here is the breakdown of my 2011, in terms of school, work, church, men, and miscellaneous.

School: 2011 was a very good year for school...sort of.

• The good: I wrote a thesis, got my Master of Science degree in Forensic Anthropology, and got to speak at my graduation ceremony.
• The sucky: I got rejected by lots of PhD programs. Well, not lots, only two up front, and one strung me along for a few months before telling me that they had no money for me.

The end of 2011 was spent fussing over my personal statements reapplying to two of the same programs from last year in addition to two new ones. With hope, funds will be in place, my applications will be impressive, and I'll get in somewhere. With hope, that somewhere will be in Boston.

Work: 2011 was the year of all of the jobs. Let's see, there was Jewish preschool, Fran, BU Academy, law office, and BU Forensic Anthro TA. That's five jobs, everyone. Thankfully, I'm only going to have three W2's.

Church: My calling didn't kill me, and I haven't been released! I see lots of more ward-choir-related wonderfulness in the future. Also, I'm taking Temple Prep (again), and those related things are coming together well.

Men: 2011 brought about two very productive non-relationships.

• Non-Relationship Number 1: While the actual dating part of NRN1 happened in 2010, the aftermath occurred in 2011. It taught me a lot of things about the way I handle relationships. For instance, I handle them very poorly. The door on that one is closed, but I know now how to be a little more of a grown-up and a little less of a jerk.
• Non-Relationship Number 2: NRN2 didn't end the way that I wanted it to end at the time, but now I'm very okay with the way things are. The events therein made me realize the things that I want in a non-non-relationship.

I'm closing out 2011 as a single person, and I'm pretty fine with that (if I were speaking this instead of typing it, my voice would get all high-pitched because that's what it does when I'm lying).

Miscellaneous:

• My mom came out to visit me for my graduation. It was the first time she'd ever visited any place I lived, so it was pretty exciting and special.
• I sang in a community choir and had an operatic solo in our concert.
• I applied for health insurance for the impoverished.
• I saw "Star Wars" for the first time.
• I bought the most fantastic dress that ever existed and wore it on a non-date to a moderately swanky Christmas gala.
• I was selected to present my thesis at a conference next year.
• I painted my ugly stairwell.

Well, so long for the year of 2011, readers. Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind... What does that song mean? My whole life, I don't know what that song means**. Anyway, it's about old friends, and that's what you are. Wishing you a happy and safe New Year!

*If you haven't seen "When Harry Met Sally..." before, you totally should. It's rated R for language, but the edited version is on TV all the time. It's probably my favorite movie with a New Year's Eve scene.

**This is also a line from "When Harry Met Sally..." Seriously, take the time to check this movie out. Most of it is on Youtube.

Back!

Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but I'm so glad to be back in Boston. Whenever I go back to Pennsylvania I get used to being there, but there's always this weird transition vibe in the air, or a "disturbance in the force," if you will. Now that I'm back on my couch in my apartment in the Town, I feel that all is right in the world again.

Highlights of being back home:

• I cooked and baked quite a bit. I made a Cranberry Pear Pecan pie with Pecan Streusel Topping, Orange Peel Cookies (that involved putting a whole orange in the food processor), and lots of fancy pasta dishes that were amazing. I tried to make a cinnamon pie with a recipe from the internet, but it was kind of awful and very unlike the non-awful cinnamon pies I've made in the past. I was all over the Christmas dinner with roast turkey and Pancetta Chestnut Stuffing and cranberry sauce from scratch (that's right, boys).
• I watched way too much TV. It's not really my fault; we don't have real channels at our apartment here, so I have to get the network syndication in as much as I can. My mom and I hit up all the NCIS and Big Bang Theory marathons.
• I got to sleep in the giant queen bed that daylights as the family room couch. Space-saving, yes, but it doesn't really give one much privacy.
• I spent time with my sister. My sister is awesome. We spent most of the break watching old movie musicals starring Howard Keel and Christmas specials starring the Muppets.
• I went to church in my home ward. They had their Christmas program on Christmas day, so I got to listen to tons of musical numbers using the incorrect choral pronunciation of "angel." It's a schwa, people! If you don't say "ain-jell" then don't sing it! Also, I told the choir director to tell the tenors that there's nothing shameful about falsetto. She disagreed.

That was pretty much the all of it. I'm definitely glad I had the break, but also glad that I have texting so I could keep in touch with people that aren't my immediate family.

Now that I'm back, be prepared for some amazing blogging. I've got a few things up my sleeve (and by up my sleeve, I mean, saved in my drafts) that are pretty stunning, if I say so myself!