2013 in Review

Wow! Cannot believe we are in the final countdown for this year. What a crazy year this has been. No really, even crazier than the other years I claimed were crazy. Looking forward to a productive, and hopefully calmer 2014. Big changes happened, and even more changes are on their way for the very first days of 2014. I think this is the earliest I've started writing the year-review. For a look at the last few years, see here and here and here. 
[I originally wrote this post the 24-25 of Dec. Then when I tried to publish it, I noticed that copying and pasting it somehow ended up with weird formatting. It's now Dec 28th and it just took me several hours to sort it out. And this is one of the reasons why I dont blog. How does text get formatted as black and small when it was never those things in the first place? I just dont get it.]

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before? 
Successfully worked from home, taught myself to use Adobe Illustrator and InDesign from tutorials on the internet, wrote and published a Book, carved linoleum and made prints, hosted a masquerade party, opened my own business (on Etsy).

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 
Well it appears as though I didnt really have resolutions last year, but I did accomplish everything that I set out to. So that was a win. 

For next year I want to get serious again about exercising (like I used to in the States 4-6 days a week). I also want to work on the 3 R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. Try to buy less; buy secondhand when possible, or buy handmade to support small artisans. Create less rubbish. Decrease our footprint.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 
My friend Cat from Boston had a baby boy and my cousin had a baby girl.

4. Did anyone close to you die? 
This year was a surprisingly death-free year in terms of family. However, a collaborator of our group in Haarlem who was a very close friend to my professor was diagnosed with kidney cancer and it turned out to be inoperable due to having already metastisized. He died pretty quickly. Also both of Jamie's parents were diagnosed with cancer this year (I Know, Both! ugh) and were unable to make it to my promotion (defense/graduation) which was really sad. But they are doing well now so that is good.

5. What cities/countries did you visit?
No new countries for us this year :(        But we did take my parents to Amsterdam, drove to Brussels, drove to Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-vallee, France and then drove back to Paris. 

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013? 
Better health. Still not doing very well with the insomnia and migraines.

7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched in your memory, and why? 
October 29 - the day I defended my thesis and was awarded my PhD.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I had 3 major achievements that all tie together: finished writing my PhD thesis, turned it into a book in a short amount of time, and defended my thesis which all led to the bestowment of the PhD degree. I'm a doctor!

9. What was your biggest failure? 
Hmmm, I had a pretty good year this year so I would have to say all the typos, mistakes, and forgotten sentences in my book. I was so sleep deprived by the time I turned it in I suppose it's a wonder I managed to spell the title and my name properly.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? 
Somewhere in the spring I had an insane bought of some horrible stomach virus, but other than that I did pretty well this year. My bad ankle has been hurting a lot though in the rainy weather. It's probably arthritis (ugh).

11. What was the best thing you bought? 
My Olympus Pen E-P3 camera! Loving the mirorless! Now I just need to learn how to use it optimally.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
My paranymphs for helping with the promotion and making an awesome video, and all the people near and far who participated in the video. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? 
My siblings for never saying any sort of congrats to me for my PhD (only the biggest and most important accomplishment of my life). Esp my sister who is apparently not speaking to me and wont tell me why she's mad. She is however behaving like a petty child and complaining to my parents that I'm a horrible person for not mentioning her in my thesis. What the what??

Also the estate agents in Birmingham were pretty much jerks and made me cry. 

14. Where did most of your money go? 
Publishing my book, the reception after my promotion, the dinner for my promotion, the party for my promotion, flights for interviews, my visa to the UK, moving costs. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? 
Becoming a Dr; getting interviews; getting a post-doctoral position; going to Disneyland! 

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2013? 
It's a small world. hahahaha sad but true

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? 
Happier, fatter, way way poorer. (How can I be fatter every year and not be all that huge? Well, every winter I manage to gain lots of weight, and it seems to be a bit more every year. Then in spring/summer I lose some weight. Ugh vicious cycle). 

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? 
Exercise and sleep.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? 
Lose sleep over stress.

20. How did you spend Christmas? 
In Utrecht with the cat packing boxes. First time ever I will be alone and not amongst either my family or Jamie's for Christmas. Kind of sad but I'm also super stressed over the move. 

21. Did you fall in love? 
I stayed in love.  

22. no question? 
23. What was your favorite TV program? 
Well we still love the same ones we loved last year. As for a new favorite, it would have to be Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? 
Hate is a strong word. I might consider removing this question in the coming years. 

25. What was the best book you read? 
I'm not sure if I read a book or not this year (edit - I completely forgot that I read the entire Dark Tower Series this summer! Book 3 was the best). I was too busy writing and doing the layout for my own book. Ohh but I did read part of a book for my review article (that was published by the Lancet Respiratory Medicine woohoo!) and my PhD supervisors managed to find a copy to gift to me when I promoted. The book is: Pneumonia: With special reference to pneumococcus lobar pneumonia by Roderick Heffron, MD. Originally published in 1939, but the copy that I have is the Harvard Commonwealth second printing in 1979. 

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I'm pretty sure I didn't discover anything musically this year. 

27. What did you want and get?
A first author publication (2 acceptances this year!), a PhD, a post-doctoral position in England. 

28. What did you want and not get? 
A post-doctoral position in a coastal city; the university to cover my visa application fees; a smooth and easy move to England; a sale on Etsy. 

29.  What was your favorite film of this year? 
Umm the only movie I can remember watching this year was Despicable Me 2. And we didnt even see it in the theatre.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 
I was 31 and invited friends over for a BBQ. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but gosh darnit I BBQ'd. Even did some smoking of meat which was tasty. And made my own BBQ sauce. --With blackstrap molasses, of course.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 
Less migraines. Kind and supportive siblings. Definitely knowing that we are approved to rent the house we applied to rent in Birmingham. 

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Damask patterns! It was everywhere this year. So I bought a couple things.

33. What kept you sane? 
Knowing that the PhD had a very definite end in October.

34. Which public figure did you admire the most?
Well it was the 100 yrs anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace, so I suppose I learned about a person I should have known about.

 35. What political issue stirred you the most? 
No surprises here: Immigration rights and environmentalism. 

36. Who did you miss? 
My grandparents. And Jamie's parents. I wish they could have all been at my promotion. 

37. Who was the best new person you met? Why? 
My new boss! Because he hired me, of course.

38. Biggest discoveries for 2013 (vague on purpose) 
That I really enjoy printmaking. That I love wearing hand-knitted socks, but hate knitting them. That homemade pickles are delicious (esp from home grown cukes!). That spring onions are surprisingly easy to grow in small containers.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014. 
Well I knew this one already but was painfully reminded of it: You don't get to choose your family. Or how they behave.

40. A quote or song lyric that sums up your year.          
I really like all the quotes I used in my book. I'll re-post them here:

"Though my soul may set in darkness, 
   it will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
  to be fearful of the night."
       ~Sarah Williams

"Nature composes some of her loveliest poems for the microscope and telescope"
     ~Theodore Roszak

"And to our health we drank a thousand times, it's time, to ramble on"
   ~Led Zeppelin

2009 wrap up

Wow it's already Jan 1, 2010. Figured I may as well do the year end wrap up Ive done now for the last two years. In case you want to keep track, here is 2008 and 2007. I have to admit, this year has been a bit of a blur, so there may be some things that I have forgotten!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Moved to a new country/continent; drank alcohol at 9 am local time (it was 4 am "my time"); wrote a masters thesis.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really have resolutions last year, but I have been really bad about getting sleep since I moved to Utrecht. I will make resolutions this year. They are: learn to speak Dutch; complain/worry less about being single; find my equilibrium in the Netherlands - get my confidence back; find the joy in life again.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My best friend Anne (and her husband) gave birth to Noah.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Uncle Tom died of brain cancer.

5. What countries did you visit?
USA, Netherlands. (Kinda Ireland too, I had a beer in the airport there on my layover). No new countries though ):

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Stability. A significant other.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
My sister's wedding, the day I moved to the Netherlands, the day Noah Serrell-Dube was born, the 12 days Kevin visited me in Utrecht.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Graduating from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a Master of Health Sciences in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I finished knitting a couple things I have not yet seamed.....

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Oh yes. After moving to the Netherlands i've been sick with all sorts of crazy things. I'll spare the details.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Dutch bike. My Obermeyer winter coat.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My co-worker who let me crash at his place when the trains weren't running and drove me to the airport in a huge snow storm.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Lots of Americans - in general. Many random Dutchies.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Moving. Rent. Moving. Air tickets.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving to Europe. Meeting Noah.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
First taste by Triggerfinger

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
Sadder, thinner, more debt but also more spending money due to a steady paycheck.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Seen the USA. Seen the Netherlands in the summer.

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

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it with my family in Illinois.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I have fallen completely in love with baby Noah. I told him I wont be having kids for at least 5 more years, so he can be the love of my life.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
In the States I watched Lost, Deadliest Catch, How the Earth was Made, South Park. In the Netherlands I watch Weeds and Californication.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope, no hate.

25. What was the best book you read?
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Triggerfinger!! Them Crooked Vultures!

27. What did you want and get?
I'm drawing a blank here

28. What did you want and not get?
too many things this year

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
didnt see many films this year. But I did see some amazing ones this past week: Avatar, 500 Days of Summer, Up, District 9. Also saw Old Boy for the first time, pretty mind-blowing.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 27. It was pretty crappy. I didnt do anything. My sister's wedding was the day before and no one was interested in me. Wouldnt even drive me to the train station so I could go downtown Chicago. No cake either. Why bother? - they had cake the day before at her wedding.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Feeling like I belong somewhere in this world.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Same as 2007-2009: Wear whatever doesnt make me look like a pudgeball - it involved lots of black.

33. What kept you sane?
I'm pretty sure I lost my sanity this year

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one really

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Marriage equality - no reason the States should discriminate. Immigration rights. Now that I'm an Expatriate/Immigrant these things are important for me.

36. Who did you miss?
My friends who are not in the same country as me. My Grampa.

37. Who was the best new person you met? Why?
I met so many new people!! - I cant pick just one! Brent has been awesome for teaching me Dutch; Sue and Tamara live in my building and are great neighbors; the knitters on tuesdays have listened to my immigration woes and offered advice; my Dutch office-mates Eveleine, Marieke, and Axel help me with cultural integration; co-workers Wouter, Bas, Bart, Claudia are fun to drink with; Andras has helped me with all the Dutch animal experimentation laws, regulations, and paperwork; and I reconnected with Kevin after loosing touch for over a year - he really helped me through the bad times when I first moved.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Life as an immigrant is like a sine wave: it's in constant motion, there are very high highs and very low lows and you can flux between the two states very rapidly.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I dont have a song lyric, but I do have a quote I've been thinking about (Amanda posted it on her blog a while back). "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning to sail my own ship" ~Louisa May Alcott.

Triumphant return??

I know, grad school has been crazy. Life has been crazy. I've been gone for some time. I am going to TRY to get back to blogging (hence the questionable triumph). I figured I'd start with the 2008 wrap-up, using the same questions as last year.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Visited Europe; went on a vacation by myself; drove a giant moving truck cross-country; killed a cockroach (well ok, many); flew over-seas; started grad-school; switched to an Apple computer - bought a laptop.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did fairly well last year. Since this is year is going to be particularly crazy what with graduating from Hopkins, leaving Baltimore and moving to Europe, I have no resolutions this year, other than to savor the calm moments and get plenty of sleep.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Just cousins again.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year.

5. What countries did you visit?
England, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A significant other.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The days I left for and returned from EuroCrazy08. Election day (hooray Barack Obama!)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Acceptance into and success in grad school.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Medical school rejection, again.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No "real" injuries thank goodness (there were a couple sprained wrists and ankles from nights of drinking and dancing). Illness - yes. Two head colds, one bought of coughing, a UTI, and food poisoning all during my EuroCrazy08 trip.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Gregory backpack and my MacBook.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The American people.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The locals in Barcelona. My neighbors in Baltimore. Israel and Palestine.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent. EuroCrazy08 Trip. Grad school tuition.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My trip to Europe! Getting A's at Hopkins. Getting a position at the University of Utrecht Medical School to do my PhD!

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Ghosts by Ladytron

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

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

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry about my future, argue with my family.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I was in the Illinois with the family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I did. But thanks to bad timing and our lives going in two completely different directions we decided to do the difficult but necessary thing and say goodbye. I think this is the hardest reality of moving to Europe: leaving the people I love.

22. How many one-night stands?
That's personal information thanks.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Pushing Daisies. CSI. Lost.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No but my family sure is trying hard to make me.

25. What was the best book you read?
Microbe Hunters by Paul deKruif.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Ladytron and Apocalyptica.

27. What did you want and get?
Acceptance into grad school. A career path. To prove to myself that not only can I make it at Johns Hopkins, but I can ace it.

28. What did you want and not get?
A certain guy.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Tie: Persepolis and Dark Knight.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 26. It was amazing. I went on the Sam Adams Brewery tour with Anne and Erik and then we met all of my wonderful Boston friends at the Milkyway for candlepin bowling and pool and beer and fun.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
To have the vaccine paper accepted somewhere.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Same as 2007: Wear whatever doesnt make me look like a pudgeball - it involved lots of black.

33. What kept you sane?
My friends!

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Well wasnt everyone enamored with Barack? Jon Stewart was pretty awesome too.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
the same one that always does: the Environment and Global Weirding

36. Who did you miss?
Everyone in Boston. Friends in other countries. My Grampa.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Marty.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Life is not always bunnies and cupcakes.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I'm drawing a blank here. But I do have a quote from a little quote book I have that I ripped out and tacked up on my wall (its even here in Baltimore): "Failure is the mother of success."

dash of this

dash of that. basically lets go over everything that's happened whilst i've been gone from blogging. i've been so busy!
ready to recap? set? go!
Made the decision to attend Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the fall and get a 1 yr masters in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Accepted Debby's offer to get my PhD in her lab at the University of Utrecht (Holland) after my masters.
Lots of Europe trip planning.
My super awesome birthday. Anne and Erik came up for that - we went to the Sam Adams brewery and started the day off right with free beer after the tour. Then we ate too much yummy food. Climbed a mountain (well ok, Summit Ave). Went candlepin bowling at the Milky Way Lounge with lots of wonderful people. Oh and, holy crap! - I'm now closer to 30 than 20. Feeling old.

Finished first sock and started second (of the pair).
Totally effed up my sisters mittens (They've been a 2 yr wip, ugh) and stopped knitting out of frustration.

Submitted an abstract for the New England TB Retreat and was asked to give a talk too. (stunned that they asked me, a lowly technician, to give a talk but honored. And scared. And where am I going to get the time to prep for a talk too!??). Hired and started training my replacement at work.

Went to the Webs tent sale with the lovely ladies Danielle, Alexis, and Catherine. Money was spent. Projects were planned. Northampton was beautiful and a great day was had by all. Revived my desire to knit crazy new things.

And now for the pictures!

Here's the first sock when it was almost done. I have a huge calf, I know. Its meaty. -Ew - what a word.














Here's some beautiful STR color Mossay that Ariel was kind enough to obtain for me while she was at Sock Camp.

And the stash it grows in the night!












Here is the yarn i ended up with from Webs. One of these days I Will buy yarn for a sweater. Maybe.
We have here a huge cone (for only $3!) of super soft cotton - probably for a blanket and pillow cover its so nice. And another cone - mercerized cotton. Probably going to see if this works for a shawl.
Then we have the Hempathy for The Bag (linking to Grumperina's Bag photoshop explanation).





Super excited that I was able to find the liner material for the Bag as well! I'm stoked to start this project but I think it's going to have to wait until after Europe.















Here is my fabric haul. Goodness me I got a little carried away. In my defense, this is my first major fabric purchase since I was, oh, 16. Most of them are fat quarters destined for knit bags or to line knitted items. Except for the black and white floral pattern at the bottom.
I fell in love with that fabric and immediately SAW the skirt in my head. so I bought it. Problem is, I dont have a sewing machine and dont really know how to sew. But it WILL happen. It must. Inspiration struck. Its going to be a rockabilly style skirt with a black sash around the waist (tying in a bow at the back) and white and black ruffled petticoats peeking out from the bottom. Anyone have a sewing pattern for this type of skirt? Or know where I could get one? Help please!

Well, now I must be off for bed. Tomorrow starts the longest 2 weeks of my life. Sigh. Way too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Belated Birthday Yarny Goodness!

And here you thought I'd abandoned the knitting part of my knit/craft blog!
I don't get to see my best friend Anne very often since her and her husband live in CT, but they were up in Boston for a jazz concert so I met up with them for dinner tonight before their concert. (And after already having a couple beers w/ Andreas since he has been working 12-14 hr days and needed a beer). At dinner Anne gave me a very knit theme belated b-day gift. Yay! Yarn!

There's a tangerine scented candle, the Green issue of Knit.1 and a skein of hand painted yarn!

Excited about the Knit.1 mag. Was actually contemplating buying it myself, sounded neat. And it was featured in my Sierra mag so its officially good stuff. ha.





Close up of yarn goodness!! Very pretty (:{













And that will have to tide you over until the 20th which is the revealing of the Secret Solstice gifts.

More birthday goodies

Here is the necklace that Emily gave me for my birthday. I love necklaces. I was worried at first b/c its red, but since I actually dont own any red clothing besides my old BU stuff (worn only for hockey games of course) it wont clash with anything. And it draws attention to me, which, in a crowded bar is a good thing (well this kind of attention is good, not the look at the drunken idiot kind).



And here is the bouquet of flowers that my roommate Lindsey bought for me. They are so beautiful! I went all crazy with the camera on saturday morning, and I have to say, the pictures came out amazing. I have a couple for you here. It was hard to choose which to show since there are about 40 that are my "favourites," but as time goes on i'll probably insert one here or there in a boring blog moment (:{ But for now, enjoy these.






And why am I up so late blogging and not working on my 5 knitting wip's? b/c of a random full-on migraine today ugh. Couldn't even make it to the gym. I just slept the afternoon away and now that i woke up I feel the usual post migraine queasy-out-of-sorts-hungover feeling. And I cant concentrate on knitting when I feel like that. Ugh, now I'm going to have to overload on benedryl or I wont be able to fall asleep after the nap. Stupid migraines.
Hopefully this weekend will bring serious progress on the wip's and maybe even some pictures o:{

Birthday goodness

Yesterday was my 25th birthday. I could talk all about how for the past week I've been having a stupid "quarter-life-crisis" even though I think its stupid and assured myself that I would never do anything silly like that, but instead I want to talk about my awesome birthday day (:{

The picture below is the mum plant that my old boss Jyothi gave to me for my birthday. Luckily the sun was shining into my window yesterday and I was able to gt some good shots that adequately depict the pretty-ness of it. Other goodies at work included a card and a cake at lunch, and my friend Liz made me a beaded bracelet.



After work I headed to Sol Azteca with Andreas to meet a whole host of people I had invited out for dinner. Sol Azteca is one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Boston and the Sangria is amazing. When we got there Alexis and Catherine were outside and Amanda and Ariel were already inside at the table. After several other people arrived (my roommate Aditi, Liz, Angela, Laurie) the yarners decided it was time to give me my gift. Here I am wondering what it is that they have for me. (pictures courtesy of Ariel, the paparazzi for the night)


Here is Amanda un-veiling the gift: a Sock Virgin kit!!

Backstory: I'm the only one in the knitting group who does not know how to knit socks. The rest of them are almost obsessed with it. So they created a kit just for me! Squee!




And there is my reaction to it! (Andreas next to me is thinking "now I know for sure Cassandra and her friends are weird and crazy. wtf?")






And here is the contents of the kit
Lion Brand Magic Stripe in blues and greys, Inox needles (good for magic loop socks I hear), a pattern called "Beginner's Lightweight Socks" from Knitting Pure & Simple (this is The pattern that Amanda used to learn to knit socks!), hand-painted Tess Designer Yarn from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Ariel and Amanda attended, and last but not least: a Sock Virgin Coupon Book!





There I am sniffing the yummy sock yarn. It actually smelt quite nice!











And reading the sex themed coupon book for the first time. This is not the most attractive picture but it is really hilarious. The coupon I'm reading in this says: When things get kinky: turning the heel.



And below: Going for the big T"O"E: Finishing






After presents and dinner came desert of course! Here I am blowing out imaginary candles on my mousse









And finally, here is a close up of the wonderful hand-dyed sock yarn that smells so nice (:{



I'd have to say, this is probably one of the best birthday's I have had in a very long time.
After dinner Elissa from work stopped by (she had to work at her second job at the REI bike shop so she couldn't make it) and a few of us continued with one more drink at the Beacon St Tavern.
So I returned home completely full of wonderful food, a little tipsy, and full of merriment and joy (and somewhat gushy). After all of this "what am I doing with my life and career" stress it was a much needed good time.