Highs and Lows

Greetings, loyal reader. I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately, and to help unload the maelstrom of thoughts from my already overburdened cranium, I've decided to take a page out of Herebe's book and plop them here. (After all, that's really what this blog is for. If I were doing this to entertain you poor slobs I would have named the blog "Entertainment for Losers" rather than "Mental Excrement.")

2004, in Review (in no particular order):

Highs:
1. "Back" massages.
2. Being asked out for coffee by a witty, charming, talented, athletic hunk, who's OH MY GOD HE'S TALKING TO ME HE'S ACTUALLY TALKING TO ME QUICK SELF-ASSESSMENT DO I SMELL ANY BOGIES HOW'S MY HAIR OK HOLY SHIT HERE GOES. "I'd be delighted, thanks."
3. Simon and Garfunkel, third row, dead center.
4. Falling in love with a 4-year-old girl who likes salad more than pizza and an 11-year-old boy who plays with Legos and kicks my ass at chess.
5. My first formal ball.
6. A rainy morning at the Lowry.
7. Michaelangelo's 'David.' If you havn't seen it, I can't explain it. If you have, I don't need to.
8. Horseback riding in Provence.
9. Those peaceful mornings when you sat on the foot of my bed, sipping coffee, and neither of us said a word.
10. Spring training camp in Bordeaux, including (but not limited to):
a. Throwing up on my coach's shoes (not only did he deserve it, but I gave him ample warning which he neglected to heed.)
b. "Steph is a babe"
c. Winning the seat trials
d. Collapsing from exhaustion
e. Wine at every meal
f. "Lizzy!"
g. "Never, never have I ever..."
h. escargot on the hoof
i. fit boys in lycra
11. Pre-dawn row on the Bridgewater Canal in the dead of winter. Blackness, silence, plop, breath, fire, flip, spots, blackness, silence...
12. Being serenaded.
13. Learning to play the piano.

Lows:
1. My personal performance at Henley. My team was stellar about it, but never in my life have I disappointed myself so completely.
2. "I wish I hadn't done that." You know who you are, you wanker.
3. Having the greatest musical experience of my life alone, instead of in the company of the one person I know who would have enjoyed it as much as me.
4. My Latin grade. I really do think I was screwed, and I've never said that about a mark in my life.
5. Having my camera stolen at the formal ball and losing all my photos.
6. Marley's engagement to the most boring human alive.
7. Losing two of my best friends.
8. Five weeks of Victorian pronouns.
9. Saying "goodbye"
10. Coming home.

Since the highs outnumber the lows, and since many of the lows are potentially correctable, I'd have to say that on the whole it's been a stunning year. Much thanks and love to everyone who helped make it that way.