Sunday, January 4, 2009

Highlights of 2008

So what did I do in 2008? In no particular order (and I'm sure I'm forgetting things):
  • In addition to my regular teaching schedule at Montgomery College, I taught a section of General Psychology at Georgetown (Spring & Fall semesters) and in the Winter 2008 session at Montgomery College (with a wicked flu the entire time -- blech!)
  • Continued to refine my teaching and try out new assignments and classroom activities
  • Became a faculty contact for the Writing in the Disciplines program at MC
  • Organized a conference panel about writing at AFACCT, and gave two presentations about writing at MC
  • Coached the Vagina Monologues at MC (was this my fourth time?!?)
  • Continued to organize the Psychology Brown Bag series at MC, and gave two talks as part of the series: Lusting in Your Heart: What do your feelings say about you? and Viagra: The Solution, or Part of the Problem?
  • Wrote an Ask the Sexpert column for the student paper on whether homosexuality is natural
  • Had a panel presentation accepted to the Mid-Atlantic Women's Studies Association conference
  • Continued to be the faculty advisor for the People's Alliance club, which met fairly regularly and put together a display for the Health Fair at MC -- they did a great job
  • Organized the annual silent auction to raise funds for the Women's Studies Student Scholarship Fund at MC -- put up advance pictures online for the first time
  • Went to Boston to visit a friend who showed us around the city and was a wonderful hostess
  • Got to see my father sing the Major General song on stage at George Mason University (with full orchestra and chorus backup, including a verse he wrote himself about academia)
  • Went to my father's talk at GMU about writing over 100 books (wow!)
  • Became a regular at the local farmer's market (during the growing season)
  • Gardened extensively: Put in my vegetable garden and various annuals, did my regular maintenance, and began putting in new paths in the garden (well, Q did most of it, really, but I helped)
  • Watched the bunnies and birds in our yard -- ooh, and I saw deer, and a fox, and a woodpecker while at my father's house
  • Cooked and baked with the wonderful summer produce and helped Q make our usual summer pesto; discovered some new recipes, including delicious blueberry muffins and and raspberry coffeecake
  • Made pizza from scratch for the first time -- and it was yummy!
  • Finished painting the basement, including the finishing touches on the peach pit (the stairs) and the bathroom (with its violently orange faux finish and a lovely sump pump cover that Q built)
  • Started painting the bedroom (still in process, but it looks fabulous so far)
  • Researched and purchased a new washer and dryer and a new refrigerator (more energy efficient -- yay!)
  • Went to Quebec for a wonderful vacation, which included climbing a mountain (with only moderate whining and gasping), seeing whales, eating sugar pie, and going to some cool museums, including a terrific exhibit of Inuit art and an exploration of the historical layers of Montreal buildings
  • Continued my dance education with regular classes with Yasmin, Turkish workshops with Artemis, workshops with Leila from Egypt, and going to Folktours Dance camp and the Herdeljezi Festival
  • Put on three Starlight Shimmy shows at the New Deal Cafe
  • Created some new dance performances, including some new comic fusion pieces, but also stretched myself to create more emotional depth and explore some new aspects of dance
  • Continued to dance at local gigs, including restaurants and private parties, and did some substitute-teaching that has led to an ongoing teaching opportunity
  • Went to a number of dance shows (too many to keep track of!)
  • Went to Wisconsin to visit my grandparents, and put on a dance performance for their community
  • Sewed: Finished a jacket, finished beading a costume belt, and made progress on a couple of other projects
  • Saw Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with stellar performance by
  • Saw Kooza, my first experience with Cirque de Soleil -- amazing!
  • Saw a performance of the Song/Dance Ensemble of West Africa
  • Saw a local performance of the Pirates of Penzance that included a very effective use of trampolines
  • Went to a couple of Batala performances, and they were fabulous
  • Did a lot of walking and increased my use of public transportation to get to work
  • Read a lot of books (and articles), including both fiction and non-fiction
  • Saw some good movies (and some not so good movies, too); I was also a discussant for two film presentations at MC (Secretary and Chak De! India)
  • Began a Facebook account
  • Had semi-weekly brunches with my father
  • Got to see my brother and his family a number of times -- my nephew and niece are great kids
  • Spent lots of time with my sweetie and with good friends -- many thanks to all of you for being such good friends
It was a busy year!

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