Nothing like Christmas and the approach of the year's end to make one feel contemplative and guilty for neglecting one's oft neglected blog. I have spent the past two weeks being gloriously unproductive and spoilt, being constantly fed, catching up on the old seasons of Community, reading books for pleasure, ignoring questions about my future, and all in all enjoying the company of family and friends. Toronto awaits me in two days with its frozen witch's teat of a weather, and I plan to spend the remaining hours of 2011 thoroughly drunk and alternating between states of euphoria and catatonic depression. When your mind and motivation has been running on empty since November (which is always, always the most awful month of the year), it's time to just accept and initiate your crash and burn so you can emerge a hungover phoenix ready to kick some major ass for the next 365 days. And that's what New Year's Eve is for.

Double Two.

Other than the fact that I must now ban Lily Allen's song from my playlist so I don't dissolve into a heap of blues and angst, I am looking forward to a low key, chilled out birthday hanging out with the few individuals who are special and with no real plan in place on how the night will go/end. Midnight started with somewhat of a bang at least, taking a cinammon shot (with gold flakes for extra class) with my roommate followed by obligatory bothering of Pistache.

I am as much an old lady as I am a wild child at heart, and these days the former seems to be dominating. Honestly, my idea of a good night is drinking white wine while watching Jersey Shore with my cat.....yes, this may be as archetypal an image of Lonely Single Girl as you can get, but in the wise words of my pop hero Kelly Clarkson, it "doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone." Skyping with my mum earlier, she asked if I had a boyfriend and when I said I wasn't remotely interested in even finding one right now, she proceeded to extol the virtues of experimenting and getting experience at this stage in my life....which I found really rich coming from the same woman who used to feed me horror teenage pregnancy-suicide stories.

I did receive some good advice though, to her credit. She said between now and 30 is the best time of my life with few responsibilities and a million possibilities, and I should enjoy each day and smile each day. I agree and call bullshit on the myth that the University Years are the best years....they are phenomenal years in the right shade of hindsight sure, but where I am and what I'm doing right now? It feels great in the present. And so this former nostalgia tripper may just be converting into a now tripper with a complimentary side of bad decisions and no regrets.

Okay but seriously

If you would like to keep up with my budding career (allow me the self delusion for the time being), go here. Or you know, just stay here to live vicariously through my inanities.

Things to look forward to [UPDATE].

April 11: So I am done, free, graduated, unemployed, and loving it....for now. Check back in a week when I may be in bed eating frozen yogurt and watching Hugh Grant movies feeling fat and ugly....but at least I'm currently making progress with The List.

- READING. BOOKS. FICTION. POETRY.

Currently re-reading Immortality by Milan Kundera, need to restart and finish White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Trying not to compile a reading list because it will only make me constantly feel guilty.....going to see what catches my eye in the library/bookstore instead. But P.G. Wodehouse is most likely a must this summer.

- Pretending Villette is about my potential gap year in France

Need to get on this, but France plans have taken a back seat for now to more immediate summer theatre plans.

- Sleeping in...more.

10-12 hours a night counts as more right?

- Party hardying

Quad Party: the last hard party? I think so. Beers and dancing and music all night. Just missed checking off the drunken make out, but probably for the better. Instead, a couple of group cuddle nap sessions throughout the night was sufficient for the semi-hobag in me.

- Strasbourg's Seder and Iron Chef

Seder Success tonight! Even though we almost burnt the house down when the shank bone caught on fire in the oven. At least it didn't happen when we had 20 guests in the house. So. Much. Food. Brisket, Beet Tartar, Chicken Soup, Mashed Potatoes, Spinach Pie, Matzah, Wine....so much nom.

- Running outside

Still too cold and I'm a wimp. Hitting the gym in the meantime.

- Summer dresses, flip flops, shades

Again, the weather is still bipolar and today's sunshine cannot be trusted.

- Sangria

To Be Arranged...

- The Kills. May 1st.

COMING SOON, SO SEXCITED.

- Spring cleaning

Floor is clean(er), dusty/cluttered surfaces to be dealt with mercilessly

- Throwing things out

So far this has mostly been paper....paper with readings/school notes....pretty cathartic dumping it all into the recycling box.

- Confronting the parents once and for all

This was less confrontational than I anticipated. I told my dad my gap year options were France, theatre, applying to grad school for urban planning and stage management.....and all he did was ask me about the upcoming federal elections. It's either full on denial or implicit permission granted.....either way, I'm going to pretend this problem has been dealt with.

- Hustlin' for a job/whoring myself out to theatres

10 emails with cover letters and CVs and counting.....next step: picking up the phone and banging on doors.

- More RENT???

THIS IS LOOKING EXTREMELY LIKELY, FINGERS CROSSED AND BREAKING LEGS AND KNOCKING WOOD.