I’m Amanda. I’ve got wide eyes, a smart mouth, and a MetroCard. And I’m not afraid to use them.
It’s last minute, I know. But if you’re hell-bent on getting me a holiday gift, I’m happy to point you in the right direction.
1. Crazy Twizzler boots from Irregular Choice:
I fell in love with these boots at the Irregular Choice store in Soho. My boyfriend says they look like something a Native American superhero would wear.
That’s why I want them!
And I’ll cry a trail of tears if I don’t get them. (Bad joke, I know).
Appreciate. What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it?
We have a remarkable ability to survive painful, humiliating, gut-wrenching failures, mistakes, and accidents.
I suppose I express gratitude for this by doing it. Again and again.
I brush myself off and move on, like these guys:
Body Integration. This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present?
Skydiving.
My mind and body were one, all fight or flight with my lips and cheeks blowing back.
Let me reiterate that I didn’t shit myself.
The experience deserves its own blog post. I’ll write it before the end of the year. Promise.
I saw this graffiti around 110th and Central Park West a few weeks ago.
For the next few days, I’ll be working from home and celebrating My Very Own Special Christmas 2.
Wanna give me a gift? How about some comment and Facebook love for my latest posts on Nerve?
There’s today’s big post, “Everything I Know About Love I Learned From… The Coen Brothers.” Film nerds, you’re welcome.
Last Friday, I waxed sarcastic about the week’s news in sex.
Oh, and I talked to a fashion guy named Naim about his sense of fashion. Before he speak his suit bespoke.
Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out?
I made a few wise decisions this year, and I think they all came from the land of “If you don’t ask, the answer’s no.”
Which is to say, I decided to ask just in case the answer might not be no.
The repeal of DADT is a small step in what needs to be a gay rights dance party.
Gay marriage, you’re next. It’s time.
But first, a little victory dance:
I saw this on my way to the Hunch office this morning. It summed up exactly how I feel, especially on the day before a writing deadline.
Pitches are easy. Completed pieces are hard.
Beyond the feature I need to write about the Coen Brothers tonight, I know the most worthwhile endeavors aren’t easy.
But battles can be won.
I’ma win this one.
Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.
It’s hard to look at yourself objectively. I can fire off some things I’d love people to feel about me - that I’m talented and smart and refreshing in some way.
Instead, I’ve opted to copy and paste something my boyfriend said to me when we were just transitioning from friends to people who are dating. He’d kissed me for the first time only days before.
This is how he said he felt about me. (He shared this over IM, which makes it no less special, but much easier to record).
Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?
The last thing I made was sugared cranberries. Does that count?
It involved sugar and cranberries and minimal effort, which is what attracted me to the project.
I love the DIY mission. It’s just hard to put into practice when you’re anti-cleaning-up-all-this-crap. Which I am.
