Best of 2008

The compilation you've all been waiting for! The top 5 (or fewer) of each category can be found in green. The rest are included because they're still hits!

Best new place explored (from an alley to a continent) and why

• I discovered a little chocolaterie in Montreal called Juliet et Chocolat. I'm not an insane chocoholic, but the chocolate mousse, made at the store, was divine. I still think of it 5 months later.
  
• Glacier National Park Montana. Most beautiful place I've ever been and the best flavor I've ever tasted in everything - huckleberry.
• The island of Lana’i! It’s probably the least visited of the Hawaiian islands that can be visited, and we opted to stay in a home we rented through VRBO rather than at one of the resorts. Everything was cute, quaint, and old school—from the way we traveled in an itty puddle jumper to get there to the places we ate and local museum visited.
• Tedeschi Vineyards on Maui. It’s definitely the islands best kept secret. Located in “up-country,” it isn’t as popular as Haleakala Crater or the Road to Hana, but the views were truly amazing, the wine was delicious and affordable, and the experience with a friend was one for the memory books.
• Paris, reminded me so much of New Orleans.
  
• Our own neighborhood, through the eyes of a child, but from the new perspective of a full time parent. You see a lot more around you when you have all day to spend with your child, than when you are in an office with a bunch of adults!
  
• I would have to say Hong Kong was my favorite new place this year, with Singapore second... I always say travel refreshes the mind and quenches the Soul.
  
• My neighborhood. I live in the historic area of Madrid. And I've spent many days wondering these streets that are filled with hundreds and hundreds of years of history. You can actually feel the history almost as a physical presence as you walk through the narrow, winding "calles." They kept me sane and have driven me insane at the same time. Perhaps I was not discovering the streets and alleys so much as discovering myself.
  
• Belize--the island. The beach. Riding one speed bicycles in the dark along the tree-meets-water-line. The memory of riding a one speed. Thinking, by choosing to do so in the dark was clearly reverting back to a level of limited intelligence. Falling down a lot. Finding allegory in what some might consider pure stupidity.
• Ohhh Canada! Montreal is in fact an appropriate substitute for Paris. The French Canadians or "Quebekers" are lovely people who have a soft spot for wine and cheese that warms my heart. And Canadian men are a FINE substitute for their stinky brethren across the sea. If the Americans are ever bummin you out....just look North my friends, just look North.
• New Orleans: The inner sanctum of hell that is the game of finding the road with the least amount of potholes.
• The Hills of Austin, Texas - absolutely beautiful. I honestly never knew rolling hills existed this far south.
  

Funniest observation-- can be a joke, animal habit, Sarah Palin debate remarks, etc.

• This made me think of my students. One thing is that when I gave out candies to my Korean students, no one cared about strawberry or grape like Canadian kids would. It was all about the orange ones (which i always hated growing up!) Also, i have a student who has an involuntary action-she screams out "I love you Andrea" out of nowhere in the middle of class, OFTEN. It makes me feel like a rockstar- I love her! anything my students do delights me 95% of the time!
  
• "Slunt" - best new word of 2008 especially when it comes out of the mouth of a prim and proper Southern lady!
  

Most memorable moment-- embarrassing or exciting

• A new US president who is Christian with a Muslim name like me- yes, we can!
  
• The ridiculous effect Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" still has on me (back story: I hadn't cried even once through all the goodbyes from NYC.....but on my way out the door to JFK (after many...many mimosas) Andy plays Journey and I lost it!!!!! Boo hooíng like a baby! Class....Jersey-style Class.
  
• Sooo my boyfriend and I were creeping here in Iraq :) and all of a sudden someone came knocking on his door to his trailer. We remained quiet, figuring they would go away. They walked away and we started to get dressed when someone else came and knocked on the door. It looked like they were not going away, so he went and answered the door and it was an NCO from his office saying he needed to report in at 8pm because his boss had a question about a PowerPoint presentation. So my beau shut the door after he told the NCO to give him a minute while he put his shoes on. He finishes and rushes out the door just after he gives me a quick peck on the check goodbye and says "just wait a few minutes and sneak out." He shut the lights off and took off in the truck awaiting him. Soooo... here I am sitting in the dark on his bed when someone else comes by and knocks on the door again, but this time they call out his name. Then they turned the knob to the door and opened the door! I about had a heart attack when I realized the door wasn't locked! I just stayed quiet in the corner of the dark trailer sitting on the bed! I was afraid this NCO would hear my heart racing, because I sure did. Luckily, Iraq is sooo dark that he didn't see me or anyone in the dark trailer and he shut the door behind him, good thing he didn't turn on the light. I ran over and immediately locked the door with shaky fingers, of which was perfect timing because someone else came and knocked on the door and tried to turn the knob but to no avail, they gave up and walked away. I was about to go out of my mind; here I was sitting in a male's trailer while five different people were looking for him because of some stupid question on a PowerPoint presentation at 8pm! What if they had seen me? What would I say? What could I say? Agghhhh!!!!!!! I waited a couple of more minutes till I didn't hear any footsteps outside and I sneaked out. I am pretty sure they all suspected something anyway, because several weeks later one of the NCOs was joking about not being able to have sex and they curtly told my boyfriend that he was full of crap because the NCO had thought he heard my voice in the trailer the night he came looking. My beau only countered with "Don't you dare start that rumor!" If only they really knew ;)
  
• Spending a week in Madrid with my "Argentinian lover" and realizing that I was experiencing one of those beautiful love affairs that only a few of us are lucky enough to experience in life.
  
• Driving home with my two new puppies, apricot labradoodles, admiring their trust as they fell asleep in my lap.
  
• Driving in Quebec on a road designed for the German Autobahn but with a speed limit of 60 mph, I (inevitably) get pulled over. Side note: why don't PT CRUISERS have CRUISE control? Ahh, Chrysler. Anyways, so the lights are flashing and I'm on the side of the road. Mr. PoPo French-Canadado walks over so I decide to impress him with my "French." I thought I'd make light of the situation and say that this was the first time I'd ever been pulled in Quebec EXCEPT what I ENDED UP saying was "This is my first time with a Quebec police officer." Translated directly it's even more awkward. The subtleties of "first time with" are not so subtle when directly translated from English to French...he turned red, I melted and the bastard still wrote me a ticket.
  
• Voting for a winning president, for once. Being a part of the process. While I bitched and moaned about being forced to watch hours and hours a day, every day of the week of MSNBC from the beginning of the year with the start of the primaries to the final call... I am grateful for being part of such a historic and exciting time for our country.
  
• Seeing Rufus Wainwright in concert on Valentine's day. Or maybe finding out two days prior that there was a Rufus concert on Valentine's day and then booking the tickets.
  
• Giving my number (on a napkin) to a cute Auburn guy I met at a bar one night, and having him become my boyfriend a few weeks later.
  

Most interesting new trial-- food, sport, method of travel, whatever!

• Does converting to a mac count? They rock! If not, I would say red bean ice cream.
• Going to Dr. fish- a local lounge and putting my feet in a pond to have tiny fish eat away at my dead skin! Creepy!
• Hurricane dodging and evacuation planning. When do you go, what do you pack, when should you come home and why is Ray Nagin such an absolute idiot of epic proportions. Getting the timing right is precise... you can't leave too early or everyone will think you're paranoid and being overzealous, but if you wait too long, you'll be stuck on I-10 for an eternity with every other New Orleanian who have quickly all become procrastinating idiots.
• Pho is a winner food-wise along with other Vietnamese food.
• The North End in Boston
• While cruising the Western Caribbean after Thanksgiving, I learned how to play UNO! Sure, it's a child's game; but, I had never played. To tell the truth, I had never heard of it. Now, I am hooked on playing it. Does this mean that I have given up playing Poker? Fat chance - NEVER! Now going back to the learning experience of playing UNO - this proves that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.
• Grocery shopping at HEB. We don't have these in Louisiana. The specialty items are fantastic, the produce is always fresh, the shelves are always stocked, the staff are always friendly, AND it's super affordable! Wal-mart should take note...
• Mochi ice cream and large boats on open ocean water...
  

Strangest conversation-- with a bum, a hard-of-hearing family member, someone clueless...

• I had a first date with a dude who asked what my plans were. He interrupted me rudely after 5 minutes, saying that he didn't hear anything about him being included in my plans. I told him that since we knew each other 4 days and were on our first date, my plans would change FOR NO ONE.
  
• Someone I know thinks Barack Obama should just say he's white to appease the white Americans. I was like... but he's not white, he's mixed, and he doesn't look white????
  
• I visited my great grandmother right before I deployed to Iraq my second time, knowing it would be the last time I would likely see her, because her lung condition was worsening. I met her in the one stop-light town, Cecilton Beauty Shop, where I told her I wanted to see her before I took off on my Asia travels and then Iraq. She replied in a loud voice, as she is hard of hearing, "What are you going back to those ol' rag heads again?". I told her I was going to Hong Kong and a few other places first for vacation then heading to Iraq and my Grandmother's reply"Whatcha gonna do with those ol Chinamens?" I wouldn't go visit those ol'chinamens!.... I would just reply with a big smile on my face "Mom Mom, you can't say that!" Definitely a diferent generation. She passed away this November 30th at ripe old age of 91.
  
• I was sitting on a bench in Retiro Park (Madrid's "Central Park") and reading a book and listening to my ipod...essentially saying to the world, "Don't bother me." Along came "Luis" a 70-something Madrileno. He sat down next to me and wanted to talk. So, I took the opportunity to practice my Spanish with him. We ended up taking a walk together and he asked me if he could hold my hand...I had to let the poor guy down...
  
• The background is: I suffered second degree burns to the majority of my right thumb and to the top of my hand. I accidentally over-heated bikini wax which exploded onto my hand. I decided to be candid when people asked "what happened?" I love and continue to treasure the responses, verbal and non-verbal. Nervous glances followed by the abrupt change of topic to, "I can't believe you do it yourself!! Would you tell me more about that?" Good times.
• OMG! I am a volunteer who helps families with all sorts of things they might need- from power turned on to hospital locations, etc. On one of my first days on the job, I got a phone call from a guy who told me more about his personal life than I’ve ever wanted to know about even my closes friends. Sure, it’s my job, but there’s still a boundary of what’s appropriate. From his and his wife’s sex life to his social disorders and financial woes, I was both confused and concerned!
• I was picking up a woman at the airport as a favor to a friend. The woman insisted on taking me out to dinner as payment. So I went. I didn’t know her very well, but she had just come back from her grandmother’s funeral, so much of the topic centered on mortality. She told me that if her husband goes first, she wants him to be cremated. When she dies, she wants to be buried in a casket, but holding his urn, that way they can be buried together. FER-REAK!
  

Lessons learned-- big or small, good or bad

• There is no destiny or fate-everything is a choice.
• Forgive and let go of things when it hurts too much-life generates more joy that way. I'm going to live infinitely, with infinite possibilities. Money isn't everything, but love is everything. If all else fails, coffee generates happiness. Sugar is overrated. There's value in second chances...and always cover your face when you box- ouch! I learned that the hard way.
  
• Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up. (Quoting Bruce Wayne's father)
  
• That cancer doesn't discriminate.
  
• Life is a series of gray areas: commitments, marriages, friendships, where you call home. There are no absolutes.
  
• Marriage is picking someone you wouldn't mind going to hell (figuratively) and back with, to, or for. Know that through the time, you'll want to: leave this person in hell, stay in hell to get away from this person, get halfway in to the journey to hell (for this person) and be unable or unready to turn back, experience more than you'd ever thought, ignore the personal junk that comes up in the midst of whatever the promise means, sacrifice without losing anything, figure out what one of you changing means, etc. Welcome to the jungle.
  
• Prepare for what you can and for the rest, remain loose, flexible and positive. What does not kill you will make you stronger - if you let it. Learn from everything. Trust and follow your gut. Stop and listen to what the universe is telling you. Let that influence what you do but use your head as well. What you think will kill you, won't. And you'll be one strong bad ass for it all. Keep your chin up. Someone else is always going through something worse.
  
• Life is not defined by the job you hold. It is in fact defined by who you are and how you handle it... the good, the bad, the pretty and the ugly. The exciting and the very devastating. The friends who stick by you and who you know you can count on when things aren't exactly how you planned.
  
• There is a tremendous difference between compromising and settling. Do not confuse the two, and never, ever settle. Period.
• It really is true what "they" say -- leave home at least once while you're young. You'll either love it or hate it, but you'll never look back and wonder if the opportunity passed you by. My favorite quote says, "When we walk to the ends of all the light we have, and take a step into the darkness of the unknown, we must believe one of two things will happen: that we will land on something solid, or we will learn to fly." Home will always be there. Go back if you wish, but get away while you can.
• Family is so, so, so important. Hold on to them, tell them you love them, forgive and forget when necessary, and be unconditionally supportive. They'll usually do the same in return.
  
• Everyone has a story. You can learn from anyone. You never have any idea where they’re coming from, so maybe the guy you’re honking at just left family court, maybe the old lady in the grocery store is extra chatty because she has a new grand baby. Cut folks a little more slack, be a little more understanding and you‘ll be better understood. And they’ll be thankful for it.
  

High/Low points (can piggyback on the above):

High Points:

• Jazz Fest baby!
  
• When running the New Orleans Marathon, rounding a corner and seeing the ENORMOUS sign with my name on it posted in the ground and my entire family watching and yelling. It was so big all the other runners were telling me, "I wish my name were Megg!"
  
• Realizing that I can live on my own. I'd rather not, but I can if I am ever in that place.
  
• Going to the Grand Canyon with my family - particularly when my dad hiked up to the top of that rock with me.
  

Low points:

• Having a stroke at 26
  
• Realizing that I can't judge...anyone...for anything. Because as I get older, I find that I've done, or may do, many of those things that I used to judge others for. Not that it makes those actions "right."
  
• Discovering my husband does not indeed sparkle... Edward Cullen has destroyed my notion of perfection and that unfortunately does not bode well for the males of the world.
  
• Getting in a wreck with the biggest, most ignorant a**hole of all times. After having pulled out in front of me and totally demolished the entire passenger side of my new car, he proceeded to blame me for (1) running a yellow light, then (2) speeding, then (3) running a red light. Which is it? Make up your mind! To make matters worse, he provided a valid insurance card to police at the time of the accident, only to find out a week later that there was a lapse in coverage for non-payment. Shocker. A thousand dollar deductible and one month later, (all while driving a Kia Rondo rental), my car was finally fixed.
  

Favorite form of art you experienced, be it through books/movies/CDs/plays/concerts

Books:

• Eat, pray, love.
• Sophie's Choice
• Atlas Shrugged
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
• The Velvet Rage
• The Art of Racing in the Rain. Wasn't sure if this would be my kind of book; it's narrated by a dog, which, let's be honest, is sort of cheesy. Boy was I wrong. I couldn't put this thing down. Anyone who loves dogs absolutely must read this book.
  

New magazines:

• Budget Traveler
• Bust
• Rogue
  

Movies

• Australia
• Seven pounds
• Sex and The City
• Persepolis.c.r.a.z.y.
  

Theater:

• Pina Bausch - Bamboo Blues
• August: Osage County
• O at the Bellagio
• In the Heights
• Cirque Du Soleil’s Saltimbanco! Everything about it is WOWing!

Music:

• Mariah Carey's e=mc2 (I'm not a fan, so I was actually surprised at how much I loved this one!)
• Bebot by Black-eyed peas (song)
• Meu sonha by Kaleidoscopia (song)
• Alicia Keys' As I Am album
• anything Amel Larrieux.
• Joe's greatest hits
• Amy Winehouse!!!
• Leona Lewis

Concerts:

• Brazilian Girls in Prospect Park
• Dolly Parton at the Greek
• The Police. I went with friends of a friend and hadn’t spent much time with these folks before. We had a lovely dinner with some great Police song memories shared, and then they toked it up before we went in to watch the music. An interesting night!

• Is it really conceited to say exploring my own photography has been a blast??!!! Who knew I'd love being behind a camera.
  
• I still love the Red, Green and blue photograph collages displayed by a student in Hawaii University during one of the first nights in Chinatown Honolulu.
• Indians warming themselves in tee pees in Montana. REAL TEE PEES!
• I met a really amazing guy recently who restored my faith that there actually are smart, interesting, straight men in New Orleans. He read me a Grimm´s tale as I laid in his arms, and it was sexy!!:)
  
• (being a counselor,) I've loved seeing my clients' artwork. Whether it is painting or drawing, or even making things out of play-dough, I see the meaning (as they explain it to me) and have gotten to know them better in the process. I believe, as art stimulates both sides of the brain, to be revealing, even to the resistant. Also, tattoos. I've seen quite a few this year. I have a new respect for them and the people who have them.
  
• I had my wedding bouquet turned into a painting. Incredible artist in Lafayette: http://www.flowersintopaintings.com/
  

Most overrated trend (from Web site to restaurant or article of clothing-- anything new that just wasn't worth it!)

• Crocs!!! They’re just that!
  
• Gladiator shoes!
  
• I know I'll be shot for this...but the Obama bandwagon annoyed the shit out of me... I'm talking worldwide, not just the US. People supported him and didn't even know what he stood for. Actual issues aside, I just hated how "cool" it was to vote for / support him.
  
• Is '80s clothing really back in style? May the fashion police have mercy. Lots and lots of mercy.
  
• Obama- Sorry I just think the News media has sensationalized this man too much to the fact that some ignorant American's actually believe he will single-handedly give them mortgage breaks, health care, bring home the Soldiers and keep gas prices low.
• Those God-awful skinny jeans. You know, the ones that are all tight below the knee and bunch up around the ankle? They don’t make anyone’s hips look any smaller, they can’t possibly go with any pair of shoes ever made, and I mean, whose idea were they, anyway? It’s just a dumb thing.
• The go-green movement. Don’t get me wrong, I love the environment and want to be loving towards it and everything, but it seems that it’s just so trendy to “be green.” We aren’t Kermit here, folks. Ever notice that people buy this organic, locally produced milk or make their own furniture or something, and then drive an SUV because they got a super great deal on it? Am I the only one who sees the contradictions here?

Internet winners and losers - sites, web applications, etc.

Winners:

• iweb!
• politico
• huffington post
• love www.nymag.com. The runway show pages are my happy place
• Google Maps/Translation Tools save my life on a daily basis!!
• Blogging, simply because it has made the world a little bit smaller in just the right kind of way. For now, at least.
• wealthymen something or other dating website horrible trial, never click on the pop up ad!
• thestreet.com stocks under 10$
• Definitely, definitely, definitely someecards.com. (Editor's Note: Someecards got MANY votes!) Also, a favorite pastime during those “need a recharger” at work moments, overheardintheoffice.com.
• LOLcats
• Overheardinnewyork - when my quote about Cathyanne / Tom from Myspace got published
• http://gc.kls2.com/ (great circle mapper)
• bbc.co.uk. American online news is mostly crap.

Losers:

• ¨MySpace¨ I never had a ¨MySpace¨ account, but Facebook has apparently taken over the world.
• Hotmail. I've finally made the switch after losing countless emails... expecting not to lose more.
  

Regrets?

• That illness and death doesn't always bring people closer together.
  
• I wish I'd read more challenging books.
  
• Not taking a step back when I get angry, putting myself in another’s shoes, and calming the heck down quicker.
  

Best meals of 2008

• The best peach pie in the world at Mountain View Bakery outside Volcano National Park on the big Island of Hawaii.
• Almendra 13, one of my favourite restaurants in Madrid where you sit on tiny stools and old barrels at low tables and eat lovely ¨jamón¨ and olives and drink cañas and vino!
• Caesar salad served in a shot glass. It was first pureed and then injected with CO2. So it was puffy/like whipped cream or merangue. Topped off with a crumb of Parmesan cheese and served with a teeny tiny spoon.
• A toss up... returning to Houston for fajitas at lupe tortilla - there just is nothing like a good margarita and the perfection that is Mexican food- and a lucky dog on bourbon street... mustard, chili and onions. When the chili drips down your hand and all you can do is lick it off and hope that none has been wasted on the pavement. Yum.
• Birthday dinner at Delicia Brasil - especially the part where the other birthday girl and I went into the bathroom together, came out to see everyone in wigs and masks with disco lights... and when the chef hugged me.
• My old roommate’s wedding cake with peanut butter frosting
• The Original Ninfa's - I honestly thought Ninfa's started in north Louisiana, but the true original restaurant is in Houston. The location and atmosphere weren't top notch, but the food was fabulous.
• Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. The food was pretty good for everyone, but I distinctly remember my father-in-law getting a really good belly laugh out of a story I told him about a doctor visit. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him laugh so hard!
• Those times my friends or I cooked for one another or a small group of friends, had wine, and just simply hung out with folks we enjoy.

Copyright 2009 Olivia R. King