Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

While I was reading other blogs this evening, I found a great Best of 2009 Blog Challenge.

The idea is to post one thing a day for the month of December that made 2009 awesome. Over 200 people are taking the challenge, so why not join in? Sign up, maybe find a great new blog to read and share your life with millions of strangers! (Hmmm – that sounded a lot less creepy in my head. Anyway…)

Here we go:

December 18 – Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year? Online – oh Blizzard Entertainment, how do I love thee? Oh, and RW & Co. too – thank you for helping me dress better.

December 17 – Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. “2009 was productive – both personally and professionally.”

December 16 – Tea of the year. Vanilla green tea – smells like cookies, tastes like green tea goodness; what more can you ask for?

December 15 – Best packaging. My Jayne Hat. The Jayne hat is the same knit hat that Adam Baldwin wears in Firefly (cancelled by Fox because they have no taste). My Jayne Hat was knit by fellow Browncoat, Heather Hill, and shipped in a box covered in fake port stamps mirroring the postal journey it might have taken in the show. When I opened the box, my perfect hat was packed carefully in straw and I must say, it looked very cunning. It looks even better on!

December 14 – Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year? I’m not sure it was the best rush, but I did nearly get sick after a particularly nasty PNE ride!

December 13 – What’s the best change you made to the place you live? We rent the bottom half of a house and beneath our bed is the area where overflow from storm water collects. Unfortunately, it was plumbed wrong and the upstairs sink, garburator, and dishwasher were all emptying into that area. Anyone reading this who has cleaned out a grease trap at a fast food restaurant knows what our bedroom sometimes smelled of. We got the owner to call in a guy to have a look and fix the problem. Milani Plumbing fixed the issue (after several screw-ups like not showing up to the house on the appointed date without any equipment to fix the issue) and all seems to be well now. I don’t particularly recommend Milani’s – but I do recommend not having a house that smells of methane from time to time!

December 12 – New food. I’ve discovered I really, really like tako sunomono. Contrary to my first uninformed opinion, it is not a disgusting bowl of octopus suckers and noodles. It is a DELICIOUS bowl full of thinly sliced octopus (that sometimes has suckers attached) and noodles. It’s light, refreshing and not at all fishy tasting. I highly recommend trying it before making barfy faces like I did – it’s really very tasty.

December 11 – The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? Joe and I just (and by just I mean this afternoon for the first time ever) had lunch at Knight and Day – a small restaurant on Broadway here in Vancouver. It was great: the music wasn’t too loud (and it was oldies to boot!), the service was great, the food was simple and delicious and our server was super nice. It’s a great and relaxing place to have lunch – and they don’t serve HUGE portions so you leave feeling comfortably full instead of stuffed and sick. I am looking forward to going back.

December 10 – Album of the year. What’s rocking your world? I’ve been listening to A LOT of Blue October and Filthy Thieving Bastards this year. They aren’t new, but I sure like them. I’ve also discovered some new (for me) music I like after watching Glee. What a fun TV show!

December 9 – Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. Going back to an office environment after working from home for more than a year. I started working from home after a rather nasty experience in a very poor working environment that was incredibly stressful. I got an unexpected change to work where I am now and decided to at least go to the interview. I’m SO glad I did. The people where I am now are amazing. I’ve  learned to not take on so much stress – the success of my team or the company does not hinge on me alone. I also learned that other people’s issues are just that; other people’s issues.

December 8 – Moment of peace. Two days of solitude. I took a trip to Victoria by myself for a weekend. I needed some time to just be alone, have someone else do all the cooking and tidying up and sprawl out in bed without running into anyone. It was marvelous and I loved every second of it. It also made me really happy and grateful to go back home to Joe. Taking a vacation was nice, but being with Joe is better.

December 7 – Blog find of the year. Oh, this one goes to The Oatmeal – hands down the funniest thing I’ve read in ages. You need to read this post about the Twilight series and the post about the phases of computer ownership. I didn’t know my stomach could hurt that bad from laughing.

December 6 – Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? What did you learn? I took a three-day Agile course for my new job. It seems like a pretty common sense approach to make software: everyone works towards a common goal together at the same time. No more silos, no frantic patch releases because User Assistance realized something development did six months ago is unfathomable to users and everyone is responsible to everyone else on the team. Plus, I kind of like saying things like, “My Scrum Master says…”

December 5 – Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? It was more of an afternoon out, but Joe and I invited our closest friends out the day after our wedding for an afternoon of hanging out, eating, and drinking at our favourite pub to celebrate the wedding. Nearly everyone we asked came and we all had a good time. It was low-key (which suits Joe and I really well) and it was a jeans and t-shirt dress code – but it was great to get all the people we both really like and care about in one place at the same time.

December 4 – Big Event. What was your Big Event for the year? Getting married! Woo! Joe and I asked my sister and our mutual friend Shaun to stand as witnesses at our wedding. We married in Vancouver at the Pan Pacific Hotel on October 23 (which is the same wedding date as the two main characters in one of my favourite books!).

December 3 – Book. What book have you read that you still talk about? I’ve read lots and lots of books, but I’d have to say The Elegance of the Hedgehog was the best one. I still think about it, reread it, flip through it for my favourite bits…it’s really, really, good. Plus, the main character and I share the same name – how cool is that?

December 2 – Restaurant moment. What was the best restaurant experience you had this year? That was the Five Sails Restaurant at the Pan Pacific Hotel. Everything, absolutely everything was amazing. The service, the food, the wine selection, the food (it bears mentioning twice – it’s that good). The broccoli and vanilla soup was incredible. I know, you’re thinking; “That sounds like a big bowl of vomit.” It was really, really, really good. If you have but one night a year to splash out on a great dinner, go to the Five Sails – it’s fantastic.

December 1 – Trip: What was your best trip in 2009? My trip to Victoria, BC with Joe for our honeymoon was great. We bought 500 lbs. of books, ate like kings and really enjoyed being together without interruptions like work, Internet, games and telemarketers. We also enjoyed the quiet lounge on the ferry ride over – a place where running around, talking at top volume on your cell phone and other irritating habits are not allowed. Plus – for our $10/ea. fee to get in, we got fruit and tea and newspapers!