2010. it's almost over, how about a best list?

2010 is nearing it's end. in honor of an epic year, i've taken the liberty to assemble a list of my 10 favorite films. of course i've not seen them all (i'm still looking forward to true grit, among others). so, of the films i did see, here are the winners:
not in any particular order..
* winters bone
*black swan
*despicable me
*love and other drugs
*restrepo
*inception
*greenberg
*please give
*shutter island
*jack goes boating

how you inadvertantly gave me the warm-fuzzies

a gift from my mom, dave egger's book of insanely awesome illustrations. but more of a print extravaganza than a traditional book.

yes, believe it. these boots appeared under my tree via my mother*in*law. squeals of delight still ring in my head.

this amazing book was a gift from the man of the house. any frida fan would find judy chicago's take refreshing.

and also from the man i adore, the NPR map!

because i love my public radio and road trips!

yes, it was exciting to receive these awesome gifts. but you know what rocked my world? having people who know me this well.

xx

do you love christmas like i love christmas?

because i'm pretty sure i love it more.
but just to be fair, i'll give you a post-present. the only kind a blogger can, a linky-doo.

if you're a girl (or a very nice boy) you will want this to be the only (other) website you ever visit. trust me.

coal anyone?

my kids are about to learn that you don't actually have to behave for a bountiful christmas. santa is either going to look like he's slacking on that whole 'checking it twice' protocol, or that his rules too do not need following.
 in their defense, it's royally sucky to be an eight/five year old with an eight/five year old brother who is always in your space. and rules do really need to be repeated six or seven times otherwise who is going to recall 'no hitting' or 'don't whine'. i mean, really. i think we are maxxing out our time-outs here.
it's just unfortunate that we are going through this "you take my pencil and i'll poke you really hard with it" phase right before christmas. it really does make santa look bad.

therapy monday

i had a repairative weekend that allowed me to shed the stressful schedule of this past semester and peer out, seeking the middle ground between digging myself into a hole of over-achievement and udder complacency. 
we tend to forget about the emotional surge that comes after the dust settles. it can be over-whelming, even sickening. it comes to whisper to us those things that we put on hold and i choose to honor these little bubble ups rather than to deny their validity.
today i'm thinking about shame, guilt and connection networks (our nearest, dearest, trustworthiest) . the interconnectedness of these three super powers can be so destructive, and are often the things we talk about least. a lot of the training we receive as future social workers is about the absolute necessity of a strong, reliable network. the problem is, we aren't all taught how to build the right one. how to seek and invest in the right ones. hell, i'm not even sure what the right one would look like.
i'm reading a lot of brene brown's blog posts on this topic and i would recommend to everyone to do some brene browsing too. here's my today picks:
on connection networks and shame
her ted talk (along with other amazing speakers)
on perfectionism and shame

i was concerned

i wouldn't remeber how to paint non-houses. but nonetheless i pulled out some paper and did a little watercolor doodle.

the weather

i have blue toes. so not cute. turns out, it's raynaud's disease. super not cute. but i was very delighted to find that the satorialist is on my page today. because the eskimo look is gonna have to come back for me.

today is my last final. after this i'm back. no more commissions (yes! i finished) no more classes (until feb) and no more elaborate weekends (fingers crossed). i'm in desperate need of some r and r.

i have lots of pictures to go through and post. stay with me here folks...

mug shot

this kid has cut his own hair, stuck his finger in an open flame, drew with a sharpie on my kitchen counter and now "decorated" his face with permanent marker. all in one 48 hour period.
god save me.

in the spirit to the molten lava core

*there are tiny snowflakes barreling down

*my staircase is decked with garland and and excess amount of cranberries

*i had a gingerbread bagel for breakfast

*declan and i bought hundreds of blue and silver ornament balls, with a vision in mind

*we're getting a tree tonight!

cheers!