AMANDA OF ARABIA

 

Okay, so another year came and went, even though years are made up by folks. I typically use my birthday to bookend years, but the rest of the world doesn’t yet (rude) so here is some information about 2011, which is the year that just passed.

Highlights – General

• I finished my MA. This was hard, but I was proud to have finished.
• I applied for graduate school. I do not know if this was a highlight yet because I may have failed in this endeavor, but I do know that it was a highlight that my professors were willing to write recommendation letters on my behalf and everything.
• I got a Prius. I love Prius.

Highlights – Personal

•  I got out of a bad relationship. This is a challenging thing to do and I am happier for it. I am grateful to John, Jeff, and Cara for this one.
• I made some new friends, including the friend with whom I will live next semester in Cairo. Excellent, friends!
• Nothing else of my personal life is any of your business, but the year ended well in this department.

Trips

• In February, I went to North Carolina to present at a conference and see my family. This was most excellent.
• In March through April, I went to Cairo to visit with my Cairene homies.
• In May, I went to Phoenix to go to the Phoenix Comicon. This was kind of boring, but it was fun to be with my brother and his girlfriend.
• In July and August, I did a long roadtrip that went through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to Anza-Borrego State Park to Hollywood to Six Flags Magic Mountain (failure) to Las Vegas to Bullhead City to Las Cruces, NM to Albuquerque to Amarillo to San Antonio to Brownsville, TX, to South Padre Island to Big Bend, TX and Terlingua to Las Cruces to Tucson. It was pretty sweet.
• In August through September, I went to Cairo again to defend (successfully) my MA thesis.
• In October, I went to Boston to hang out with Hannah and Sam and further some professional endeavors.
• In early November, I went to Six Flags again with someone better than my first Six Flags-partner, but who still ended up being lame in the end. Oh well. Six Flags is boss.
• In late November, I went to North Carolina for more endeavors and to see my family again.
• In December, I went to Princeton, NJ to hang with my bestie James and see Harry Potter.

Highlights – Acquisitions (like a good consumer)

• Prius
• Urban Decay eyeshadow in half baked. This is the best one
• Dry shampoo, best idea ever
• Master’s degree
• Projector for watchin’ shows (but this is no longer mine; see: getting out of a bad relationship)
• Kindle

World Highlights

• Revolution duh
• uhhh I liked following the occupy stuff and also making some occupy jokes
• okay I’m tired of this format

2012?

• Maybe the end of the world? No regrets, dudes. I don’t plan on any. Probably just going to say and do whatever I feel like, the whole year, until it’s confirmed at least that the world didn’t end.
• Upcoming trips: California in January, Washington, DC also in January, Cairo from January to at least June.