December 31: Just One More Word Before We Go...

What is your "one word"? One word for this year, one word for next year. (Amy)

2011:

 Perseverance

2012:

Promise

December 30: Wherever You Go...

If you could go on a trip regardless of cost, where would you go and what would you see? (Dana)

I'd spend the summer in a house right on the water on Bainbridge Island (Washington)...or the winter in a house up on a rocky outcropping of the north shore of Lake Superior (Minnesota). I'd quilt and cook and be a total recluse. In fact, you may never see me again, should this particular dream trip come to fruition.

I'd go to Prince Edward Island and pretend I was Anne of Green Gables...tracing her fictional steps and remembering the ways these stories shaped my childhood.

And since I'm already in Canada (though nowhere near by), I'd go on one of those polar bear adventures...in hopes of seeing all sorts of bears in their natural habitat. Manitoba? Is that where I go to see the bears? Buy me a warm hat and sign me up!

I'd go to Florence and see all the Renaissance art they talked about in my undergraduate art history course. As my professor said, "When you go to Florence...because everyone goes to Florence..." I'd go to Venice, assuming it's still above water...and I'd hunker down in Cinque Terre for an obnoxious amount of time...after an obligatory trip to Rome, of course.

Scotland? Ireland? Norway? Fine. All of them. Yes. Sign me up.

South Korea? Japan? Hong Kong? Absolutely. I just need good interpreters, so I can really appreciate and understand my experience.

I have romantic notions of spending time in a little fishing village in Maine. Watching boats come in...observing a town full of folks whose lives revolve around one particular industry. Cracking open shellfish with a wooden mallet at a table covered in butcher paper...laughing loudly and drinking beer and wandering outside after dinner, smelling salty sea air and seeing a sky full of stars.

I'd have Jay's pal Raj show us India through his eyes and life experiences. Raj is a dreamer and a debater and a filmmaker...so I know it would be a special journey. Observing he and Jay as they traveled together...that would be priceless.

I'd travel to Mexico to see ancient Aztec ruins at Teotihuacan and ancient Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Hiking the Andes in Peru to see Machu Pichu? A thousand times, YES. All because I fell in love with the Aztec calendar stone on a trip to Mexico with my high school Spanish class.

I'd go home to Mom and Dad's for as long as they'd have me. I'd have Buster wake me up every morning by jumping up on the bed.

I'd go absolutely nowhere at all...and be just as happy as if I'd seen the entire world.

December 29: My Life, In Song

What was the soundtrack of your year? Of your life? Which songs most strongly represent the various eras of your life? What songs were playing for the most crucial, formative moments of your life? Or, if the chronological approach doesn't work for you, which songs best capture the different facets of your life? (Childhood, Love Life, Adulthood, Loss, Growth, Career, Happiness, Sadness, etc.)  Please elaborate. (Bethany/Katie)

Well whaddaya know?! I unwittingly answered this post back on December 4. So I think I'm gonna just cheat and repost it...since I did put quite a bit of effort into thinking it up the first time. Here you go...

Early life scenes with Mom:  

The Best Day (Taylor Swift)

...and Dad:

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob Dylan)

The Middle/High School montage...completely inspired by (though with no factual connection to) Elizabeth Shue's lip-sync rendition of:  

And Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals)

College/Grad School Days:

 Ani DiFranco montage

College/Grad School Nights:

Be Good to Me (Austin Hartley-Leonard) 

The scene where the heroine is struggling: 

 Help Yourself (Sad Brad Smith)

The scene where she decides she can overcome anything life may throw at her: 

 Read My Mind (The Killers)

The part where he woos her, and woos her, and woos her...until she has no choice but to say yes:

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me (The Jayhawks)

The part where the joys and challenges of the future become clearer:

I Am the One (from Next to Normal)

 The everyday happiness and idiocy:

Let Her Dance (The Bobby Fuller Four)

The end credits where whole film sinks in and you leave the theater with a distinct sense of hope and possibility: 

 Berlin Wall (The Heavenly States)

December 28: Whatever.

Do you consider yourself a romantic person? Do you prefer fancy dinners, roses and chocolate romantic, or are you more non-traditional? What's the most romantic thing you have ever done for a loved one or had done for you? (Kassie)

No one will find us back here!

Although I do enjoy a fancy night out once in a blue moon, I prefer pizza to pâté...and comfy sweatpants to string quartets. To me, romantic is when you're in the right place for the right moment, appreciating the company of the person you love more than anything in the world. So while the birthday dinner at Cafe Lurcat (enjoyed at table in the window, overlooking a snow-covered Loring Park) was glorious, so is that little 2-top in the back of the Smashburger at HarMar Mall. And though I'll likely never have a meal as ridiculously decadent as the ones we've enjoyed at The Modern, take-out and Netflix are really the epitome of perfection.

As for the most romantic thing I've ever done for my Sweet Jay...this took some planning, as Jay--per his cutesie moniker--is awfully fantastic when it comes to romantic gestures, surprises and presents. In the summer of 2009, I planned a trip to one of Jay's favorite places--New York City--for his birthday/the 4th of July...without Jay having any idea that this was happening! I booked the tickets and the hotel...I called his boss and requested vacation...I packed the suitcase and hid it in our storage closet. And before we went to bed on the eve of his birthday, I even promised him that I'd meet him for lunch at Chipotle the next day.

YUM.

I woke him up at 4:30 a.m. (perhaps not the nicest part of my plan) with Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" blaring from my iTunes. We were on a plane by 7:30 and to NYC not long after lunch. After checking in to our hotel, I hauled him all the way down to the East Village for lunch at Crif Dogs. 

As we made our way back toward midtown, we happened upon comic book shop after comic book shop. I'd done a Google search and planned our walk back in a way that guaranteed he'd get to 3 different stores on his birthday. There were at least 2 others that we saw over the course of the next few days. All in all, I think I did pretty well that year.

"Does this mean we're not having Chipotle for lunch?" asked a sleepy Jay.

December 27: Abode To Be

What does your office/home/bedroom tell others about you? (Kristen)

Are we going for something other than, "Wow, she really doesn't clean very much, does she?"

My offices (work and home) would tell you that I love high-end post-its and notepads and organizing/filing systems from the Minneapolis-based organizational/office-supply store, Russell + Hazel...even if I'm not particularly adept at using them. I try to keep things filed and organized, but often fall victim to severe pile-itis. And sometimes I think the post-it notes are too pretty to use...and the notebooks and binders not worthy of my banal work/thoughts.  But I love the colors and the style it adds to the desks at which I spend so much of my time.

Thoughts are more fun to organize (and so are recipes) when they're stored in a sharp little binder with a fun rubber-band holding it shut. I even used a particularly gorgeous notepad (that I won!) to provide extra motivation as I cranked out that complete draft of my dissertation.

As for the rest (bedroom/house)...we're sort of in transition right now. We have lots of ideas for the new house...we just need all that to come to fruition. I'm looking forward to creating an eclectic home that is replete with our personal styles and interests.

I want a kitchen full of vibrant Fiestaware...with crock pots and toasters and coffee pots in red stainless steel (or whatever material it really is). We want it to give off a bit of a space-age diner vibe. We think this awesome print by Sean Tubridy will add just the right touch. We've had it for years. But it doesn't have a place of honor in which to hang. It will soon.

And we're hoping to find a way to do a digital scan the actual box top of a childhood toy of my father's, have one of our talented graphic-design-y friends do some retouching and recoloring, and then print and frame it. We think it would make a really unique and personal addition to our home. Is this so us or what?!

But with a lighter background and brighter reds and blues...
...and even some oranges and greens!

In the rest of the house, I want my quilting to be a pervasive, though not necessarily prominent, part of our home. A few folks have suggested that our (potential) walls will be the perfect size for hanging quilts. But I'm not sure that I want to be so self-aggrandizing. We'll see.

We're looking forward to furniture and accessories that hang well together....but don't match at all. We're looking forward to mixing mid-century modern and batik fabrics and retro space junk. We're looking forward to pictures and plants and hopefully a puppy that keeps us from getting too tidy or fastidious.

We're looking forward to creating a home that is comfier than it is clean, and quirkier than it is cosmopolitan.

We are so ready...

December 26: Word Hoarding

Write about the things you collect, include photos, tell why these items are cherished by you. (Catie)

1984 Fleer Update Card...
Was pretty rare. And I have it.

Other than Fiestaware and quilting fabric (which are actually more pragmatic than just pure collectibles), I don't know that I'm much of a collector of actual, tangible things. I have high hopes of collecting MSP-inspired art by local artists, once I have walls that need adorning. And when I was a kid, I had a phenomenal collection of Kirby Puckett baseball cards (technically, I still have those). But I think that's about it.

Maybe it's the blogging...or the dissertating...but I love amassing new words and phrases and quotes. It's sort of like shopping for a new sweater or getting a new pair of earrings...so fun to try out when you first bring them home! There are so many sources for new words and phrases:

Sometimes it involves committing to memory the powerful words of American treasures, like poet Lucille Clifton's wisdom, "What they call you is one thing. What you answer to is something else," or poet and activist, Audre Lorde, "When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."

Other times, it's about generating clever iterations of celebri-spew. We got a lot of mileage out of LeBron's "taking my talents to South Beach."

We commit movie lines to memory and then over-use them. I think I mentioned how hilarious we find Simon Pegg's rendition of Montgomery Scott...especially when he boasts, "Which is easy, by the way," about his teleportation abilities. 

Other times, we blatantly steal from people in our lives. When I first met my Befri, he was real into, "I cannot be bothered by [her/him/them/that]," and my current boss often uses "not to be believed" when describing a ridiculous scenario. I love plagiarizing other peoples' brilliant wit and hyperbole.

Just the other night (on Facebook) one of my Viking-centric pals posted about the guilt he was experiencing by rooting for Aaron Rodgers...he had to, because it benefited his fantasy football team. He posted "I feel so dirty, but he is a winner." So freaking hilarious! I hope to find a use for that sentence...especially if it has nothing to do with sports. 

In addition to quotes, I'm always collecting new words. I love my thesaurus. I love working new words into my lexicon. Nothing fancy or obnoxiously polysyllabic...just things that add a little zip to conversation (or blogging) and make the Sunday NYT crossword a little less arduous. My favorite part is how, eventually, the words burrow their way into my daily vocabulary and become an established part of how I express my interpretation of the world. Sort of like using the box of 64 crayons (or even 120!) instead of just the little box of 8. Life becomes a bit more vibrant when there are so many more colors with which to paint the picture.

December 25: The Peace & The Magic of Home

Silent Sunday - Just post a picture that represents your day.

From a Christmas 2008 run in the field with Buster.
Reminds me of everything I love about being home with my family, enjoying the magic  of the holidays.

December 24: 'Tis Equally Good to Give and Receive

Name your top 5 best holiday gifts given or received. Who gave it to you? Who were you giving it to? Why was it memorable? (Kassie)

I think I'm just going to do my top three favorite Christmas gifts. While I have many wonderful Christmas memories...both giving and receiving...there are three that are particularly meaningful to me. While I can think of many presents that were a joy to think up and give...and even more that were awesome to get...these three were the awesome-est.

3. On Christmas Eve Day, I remember that we always used to go out with Dad as he drove around our small town, bringing cookies to family friends. Toward the end of the route, we'd venture to a neighboring town to deliver treats to our Great Aunt Edna. One particular year (we're thinking it was the mid-1980s), we spent much longer than the usual 15-20 minutes at her house. I think we were there for an hour. At least. And I seem to remember that Dad kept calling someone. Or the phone kept ringing and it was always for Dad.

Finally, we went home. And enjoyed dinner and eventually opened presents. And then, at the end of the orgy that was Ronning Family Gift Opening, we were instructed to head down to the basement. Waiting for us? THIS:

A used-and-restored Harlem Globetrotters pinball machine! How many hours did I spend playing that game? I bet if we measured it out in quarters, I could have bought a fleet of Mini Coopers for every day of the week. Man, I loved that machine. In fact, I may go play a few games as soon as I finish this post.


2. Winter of 2004 I was finishing up the first semester of my PhD program. I was turning in papers and cramming for a stats final right up until a week before Christmas. I hadn't even thought about Christmas...hadn't made a list...hadn't purchased a present. I survived my stats final and headed out into the fray on December 21. I told Jay I'd be home late and not to wait around for dinner, etc. And yet he kept calling, "Are you almost done shopping? Are you on your way home yet?"

I stumbled in the door around 9:30 that night. The house was lit up with a million tea lights. The Christmas tree was glowing. Carols were playing. "What's going on?" I asked. "We're celebrating the completion of your first semester of graduate school," said Jay. He led me over to the tree and started pointing out his favorite ornaments, as it was our first Christmas in our apartment together. "Which ornaments are your favorites?" he asked. I looked at the tree, pointing here and there...until I came across a little sparkly one I hadn't seen before. By the time I realized that the silvery band (with a beautiful diamond) hanging from a shiny red ribbon wasn't exactly an ornament, Jay was down on one knee.  

Only one gift could top that one...

1. My brother and sister are both adopted from South Korea. My brother joined our family in March of 1989. My sister joined our family in December of 1981. She was supposed to arrive on December 23...but just as we were getting ready to drive to the airport that day, a phone call came, telling us that we'd be waiting yet another day for this beautiful addition to our family. So on Christmas Eve Day, we set out on the adventure all over again. This time? Success! We've always been more of a Christmas Eve family than a Christmas Day family...at least in regard to general holiday fanfare. Maybe this is why? :)

December 23: CEO of Ridiculousness

If you could have any job, what would it be?

(Dana)

I can't answer this question seriously today. In part, because my brain is fried right now (see Wednesday's post)...but also because I do not currently feel like I have any idea what I want to be when I grow up. I know I need a more challenging gig, compared to what I'm currently doing. But honestly, I'm not sure where my heart is at about all this work stuff right this very moment. I could go on and on about that...but I'm not in the mood. I just don't know how to describe how I feel about my professional aspirations.

You know what I do know?

I know that I want to be done with my PhD. I know that I want a house. I know that I want to only wear sweatpants for the better part of this 2-week Christmas vacation. 

I can't strive for too much more than that right now.

But if the following jobs were offered to me, right this very moment (with salary and benefits commensurate to what I'm currently making...hey, I'm gonna have a mortgage one of these days, so we've got to be practical), I'd be inclined to say "Sign me up!!"

In no particular order:

• State Fair Tour-Guide
• World-warming Blogger
• Professional Minnesota Twins Fan
• Full-time "Reflective Woman" Instructor
• Stay-at-home Quilter
• Pep-talk Provider
• An Oft-quoted "Waxing-philosophically-about-public-good"-er
• Pizza Taste-Testing Expert
• Travelling Jetpack Joyride Competitor
• Surviving-Heartbreaking-Badger-Losses Consultant
• Innovative F-Bomb Dropper
• Social Media Contest Winner (there is hope for me in this arena...e.g. here and here)
• Sweatpants Model

It's good to have options, isn't it? :)

December 22: Settlers of Ronning-landia

If someone made a board game of your life, what would it look like? What pieces would you need to play? (Jessica)

A couple years ago, Jay brought home a new board game. He held it up and exclaimed "Emmy! Emmy! This is the best game ever! Everyone loves it! You're going to love it too!"

I mean come on...this is supposed to be captivating?!

I took one look at the cover of the box and was like, "Nope. Not a chance. This is the dumbest looking thing I've ever seen. I will not play this game with you." It looked like--and I quote MST3K--we'd flown into a Flemish painting. (My art history references might be a bit off, but I think you get what I'm getting at.)

Eventually, I was tricked into playing Settlers of Catan (or Catan-landia, as I refer to it). And I loved it. A lot. So much so, that we've foisted it upon everyone we know (that doesn't already know about it)...including my sister and her boyfriend, last year over Christmas break. Except they couldn't keep their yappers shut as we were trying to explain the rules. Their questions must have sounded a little condescending and critical of Catan, because I snapped, "If you'd shut up for like 5 seconds and let us explain this, I swear you're going to LOVE. THIS. GAME."

And they did.

In fact, they loved it so much that when they came home over the summer, this happened:

Obviously our names were on the back...like jerseys.

Anyway.

A board game of my life would resemble Catan's flexibility. I like how (once you get into it) everyone knows the rules and how things work, but there are still countless numbers of ways to set up the board and proceed with the game. You can--and should--adopt a wide variety of strategies in attempts to be successful.

You're not going around and around a board. There isn't only one way to win. There are rewards for being creative and flexible and patient. If you change strategy in the middle of the game, it's okay...it might even work out in your favor.

And there are always expansion packs...in case you ever need a new adventure.

Bricks for wheat? Wood for sheep?

That's how I view my life...we have a general idea of how things should go...but it's okay to change plans and paths. It's okay to switch from wanting brick to wanting ore. And if someone blocks your longest road, just try for the largest army instead. There are lots of ways to live life. It's really more about enjoying a successful journey and less about winning in one particular way.

And here's the thing about winning in Catan...Catan isn't like Monopoly, where, eventually, after racing blindly around in circles, one percent person bleeds the other ninety-nine percent players dry. In Catan, although only one person technically "wins," everyone else usually has a really good showing and could just as easily have won. While it may be tough to get 10 victory points, it's not hard to amass 5 or 6. The middle class is strong. Cooperation is encouraged. Luck only gets you so far.

I like that.

December 21: They Don't Call Them "Terminal Degrees" For Nothin'

If you returned (or went, if you've never been) to college to study anything you want, what would you major in, and why? (Matt)

You know what, kids?

I turned in a draft of my entire dissertation today. BOOM. Done. 

Until I get the edits back, then it all starts up again. But we're not talking about that right now.

Perfect use of coveted Russell + Hazel notepads.

I was supposed to do it yesterday...but I did it today. I wanted to hand the 107ish pages (is that all?! Feels like it should be so much longer) to my advisor in person, and that was only possible to do if I did it today. I figure, you don't work on this shit for almost 8 years to leave a stack of paper in someone's fucking mailbox with absolutely no pomp and circumstance. How anti-climactic is that?! 

Anyway, all that yammering is to say...

I CAN'T EVEN PLAY ALONG WITH THIS POST TODAY.

I CAN'T EVEN PRETEND THAT I WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL.

I WENT BACK TO COLLEGE TO STUDY "ANYTHING I WANTED" AND LOOK WHERE IT GOT ME?!

GAH.

I mean, I sorta joked the other day that I should have studied sustainable agriculture. But after all the coursework and reading and research and analyses and writing and rewriting...after all of the guilt and the apathy and the frustration...after all the syntax and citations and tables...I have no ability to engage in this wonderful prompt. Because I know how much work it actually is. And how grueling it is. My imagination is too feeble--and my psyche too fragile--to pretend otherwise.

How sad is that?!

But here's what I will say (and this is totally unrelated to the prompt...my apologies):

This Reverb Broads business completely helped me finish the last chapter of my dissertation. 

Part of it was the confluence of timing. Just as we were getting started with this challenge, my dissertation completion group (about 6-7 of us who were being co-advised) was wrapping up. So here I am, writing e-pages and e-pages of blog posts...simultaneously knowing that if I could crank out another 10-12 dissertation pages, I'd have a draft of the whole damn thing. A person can't write and write and write about one thing while complaining that they couldn't possibly find the mental and intellectual wherewithal to write about something else. Because we'd all know that's a load of bullshit.

The other really helpful part of all this was the public audience...all the encouragement and accountability that comes with talking about something like this to a group of people. I shared my story and told you why I've felt frustrated. And then you commiserated and encouraged. It's not like I haven't been through that cycle before. But the timing was right this time. The amount of work that was left was so ridiculously attainable.

Eventually, all it really comes down to is that it's time to stop whining and start writing. You all helped me with that. More than you can imagine.

The draft is in.

The end is in sight.

Thank you for being part of the forces that compelled me to finish.

Writing this? My favorite part.

December 20: What's Not to Love?

Life is a work of art, or so they say.  What beauty do you regularly appreciate/revere in your life? (Neha)

This is one of those topics where I feel like I could go a mile wide, but not particularly deep. I feel like there is so much beauty in the world...but I don't know that I have the artistic expertise to describe why I feel the way I do.

Home.

I love natural beauty... especially of the the ever-green trees and rolling, Midwestern fields variety. Mountains and  oceans are stunning, to be sure. But there is something about the vastness of wide-open spaces and the majesty of tall, tall trees that really draws me in. Maybe it's because I grew up in a pine forest (wink, wink Lanie), but I'm real into moonlight sparkling on the snow...casting dramatic shadows and creating that ethereal inability to tell where the sky starts and stops.

A park above the city...built on
abandoned elevated train tracks

Now that I'm a city girl, I've become increasingly appreciative of art in urban public spaces...and all the ways architects and planners and landscapers and artists (and more) strive to bring beauty and creativity and celebration to the spaces in which we spend so much of our time.

From the plaza outside Target Field to the High Line Park in Chelsea, people are working so tirelessly to transform our communal spaces. Sometimes, it's about reclaiming abandoned urban blight, while other times it's about going the extra mile to transform a mundane space into one that is a completely integral part of the experience. It is all so worth it.

The art...and all the beauty and contemplation that comes with it...is all around us. Throw in a little sidewalk poetry and it's almost as soothing as being at home in the woods.

Almost.

December 19: Worth 1,000 Words

Self-Portrait: Post a picture of you that you like, write about yourself, post a video - what do you want your self-portrait to say about you? (Kristen)

I hope my self-portrait will convey:

Joyfulness

Hearty Midwestern Sensibility

Love of public higher education

 Love of my Sweet Jay

Confidence

Perseverance

Thoughtfulness

Quilty-ness

Badgerocity

Gratitude

December 18: Civil Rights Activist, Diane Nash

Who would you most like to meet and why? (Dana)

Earlier this year, I went through an "I'm going to learn all about the American Civil Rights Movement" phase. I watched all of Eyes on the Prize, read quite a few books, and spent a lot of time online trying to learn more about specific people whose roles in the Civil Rights movement were particularly compelling to me.

I found myself really drawn to the stories about the Freedom Rides...in part because 2011 was the 50th anniversary and there was just a ton of information available as I was beginning my journey through this part of our nation's history...but also, because I think it was such a riveting moment in the non-violent protest era of the Civil Rights movement.

Freedom Ride routes

In May of 1961, a group of activists (many of whom were college students) planned a series of bus trips through southern states in an attempt to see the extent to which segregation was still the law of the land, even though the Supreme Court had banned these practices on interstate travel. Although the rides started out peacefully, as the buses made their way deeper into the south, violence prevailed. The Freedom Riders faced Klansmen (working in concert with local police) in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama. A bus was blown up and riders were beaten nearly to death. Others were jailed.

Jim Zwerg from Appleton, WI...after sustaining
a mob beating in Montgomery, AL.

But these non-violent activists didn't turn back. Additional buses were sent on the same journey. A bus that was assured protection from police in Alabama was abandoned by Highway Patrol just outside of Montgomery. The Freedom Riders were attacked by white mobs when they reached the bus station within city limits.

Over the course of 6 months in 1961, over 60 rides took place. There were over 400 riders, the majority of whom ended up in jail upon reaching Mississippi. The demographics of the riders were inspiring...although only 25% were women (though this may have been a decent number for the early 60s?), the split was about 50/50 when it came to race (black/white...not sure about other races). Even more amazing? The vast majority were under the age of 30. There were so many amazing people...so many compelling stories.

Credit: The Nashville Tennessean (from this site)

But the person whose story leaped right out of the screen and seized my full attention was that of Diane Nash. Ms. Nash was a key figure our country's Civil Rights movement. She was a student leader, getting involved in non-violent protests in college and evolving into a leader of successful sit-ins and, eventually, the Freedom Rides.

When Ms. Nash moved from Chicago to Nashville to go to college, she discovered that racism was present in ways that she had not experienced during her life in the northern part of the United States. She hadn't encountered things like lunch-counter and rest room segregation in Chicago. Nashville was an entirely different world than the one in which she had been raised. A lot of people would have left...would have moved back to the familiarity of home. But Ms. Nash stayed...and got involved. She learned as much as she could about non-violent protest. And then she taught what she'd learned to others. She organized. She fought.

Credit: WGBH (from this site)

Diane Nash was present for some astounding moments in our nation's history...hell, she was responsible for some astounding moments in our history. And I couldn't imagine a greater honor than talking to her and having an opportunity to understand how a woman in her early 20s could be so breath-takingly brave.

The imminence of violence...the not-particularly-remote chance of death. The Sisyphean task of filling counter after counter, bus after bus...wondering if the beatings would ever end, if the laws would ever change. I can't imagine what sort of courage and patience and resolve that would take.

When I hear her talk and I read about her story, I can't help but wonder what I would have done, had I been a young person in that era. Had I been a student in Tennessee (or wherever) and my peers were involved in non-violent protest, would I have joined in? Would I have sat at lunch counters? Would I have participated in history?

Or would I have been afraid of the beatings? Of going to jail? Of my parents (who likely would have been concerned for my safety)? Would I even have embraced the movement? Or would I have clung to the status quo? Would I have been scared to make waves? Would I have just made excuses and waited on lethargic politicians?

I think we all like to imagine we'd do the right thing when confronted with a serious or dire situation. We would stop the crime occurring in front of us...we'd blow the whistle on an unethical colleague...we'd stand up for a friend. But would we do what Ms. Nash did? Would we really? Would I?

History-maker...world-changer.

I hear Diane Nash's story and for some reason, I feel drawn to her. I try to hurl myself back in history and imagine what I would do if I was in college ...in my early 20s...far from home...experiencing a force I'd never experienced before. What made her do what she did? What drove her? What kept her going? What confluence of innate personal characteristics and that particular moment in history gave rise to her action?

When history sneaks up on you and stares you in the face and challenges you and offers you a chance to change it, do you recognize the opportunity? Do you accept the responsibility? Or do you shy away?

How did she know that this was the moment? How did she find the strength to embrace this challenge?

Getting to hear her address these particular ideas...that is why I would love to meet Diane Nash.

Watch The Student Leader: A Short Film from Freedom Riders on PBS. See more from Freedom Riders.

December 17: Haters Gonna Hate

Instead of a list of your favorite things, write a list of your least favorite things, e.g. Worst book you ever finished, the color you hate, bad songs, bad romances, bad recipes. (Amy)    

I sense a trend here in mid-December...pet peeves, things we hate. Gosh it's fun to bitch sometimes, isn't it? Is this to make sure we don't get annoyed by too much happy, sappy stuff? Fantastic!

Here we go...in no particular order:

1. The movie "Reality Bites."
2. Olives. And blueberries too.
3. Those "net" Christmas lights that people put on shrubs. Christmas lights are supposed to be wonky and swirling and unkempt. They're not supposed to look like graph paper. I don't care if you have them...but mess 'em up a bit. Don't just throw them over the shrub and be done with it.
4. Gollum...especially when Jay does "My precious" impressions.
5. The New York Yankees.
6. Humidity.
7. Willful ignorance.
8. Feigned piety.
9. Having to be the person who gets out of bed first.
10. Renaissance fairs.

December 16: #firstworldproblems

What are your biggest pet peeves?  (Emily) 

Ah, the things we complain about that don't really deserve the energy. They're fun to grouch about, aren't they? :) Here are a few of my "favorites"...

• Message indicator lights: On my cell phone, on my work phone...icons for unread emails or text messages...I hate them all. They stress me right-the-hell out. I have to read/listen/check these things the minute I see them. Or else I end up with some itchy, twitchy sense of impending doom. I'm a little OCD about it.

• Unfinished lines: You know in movies or TV shows when someone interrupts someone else? And you only hear half the sentence? I hate when you can tell that no one ever bothered to write the second half of the sentence because you can hear it in the speaker's tone of voice...how you can feel them start to pause before they even get to the end. "I was just about to..." You were just about to NOTHING. We can tell. You were just about to wait to be interrupted.

But the biggie...the one that inspired this prompt...

•  Clothing that looks brown when I buy it but then not really brown when I get it home. I have these dumb-ass pants from Banana Republic that are brownish-grey with cream pinstripes...when I wear them with brown shoes, they look grey...and when I wear them with black shoes they look brown. I don't think I've ever worn them and felt like I've assembled a successful outfit.

It's a wonder I can even get out of bed in the morning.

December 15: A Taste of What's to Come

Did you taste any new flavors this year? Did you love or hate them or something in between? Will you incorporate these new flavors into your life?  (Bethany)   

Where have you been all my life?

How did I get this far in life without eating Fingerling potatoes? What the hell is wrong with me? Can I blame this on my parents and get them to pay for the therapy? I am a potato aficionado--to put it lightly--and yet I'd never enjoyed these little autumnal beauties until this very fall. Now, I find myself wishing it was harvest time again...just so I can break out the olive oil, sea salt and rosemary, fire up the oven and roast up more of that potato-y goodness.

That was the big new thing for me this year. Ridiculous, huh? I did get to some new-to-me restaurants...that was pretty fantastic. For example:

Though not new to Mexican food, I spent much of 2011 craving empanadas and found great ones in NYC and at home in St. Paul. I had a Kurdish meal that I absolutely loved. And if this place and it's "Devils on Horseback" were in my neighborhood, I'd likely never cook again.

But tonight, in spite of all the wonderful flavors I've tasted this year, I've got other food-related thoughts in my head.

I attended a luncheon/lecture today and listed to a talk given by University of Minnesota faculty member and director of the Institute on the Environment, Jon Foley. His talk was about about sustainably responding to the agricultural needs of our world, specifically asking, can we feed the world and still save the planet?

It was one of the most troubling yet inspiring things I've heard in quite a while. It made me wish I could go back in time and start my academic career all over again. It gave me new appreciation for the depth and breadth of issues around food, agriculture and global sustainability. It was one of those things that you wish everyone you know could have heard. "You guys! You guys! Come listen to this! This is important! This guy is brilliant!  You've gotta hear this!" It was amazing.

Fortunately, it was a talk (or an iteration of a talk) he gives on a pretty regular basis. And thankfully, a local version of TED Talks captured it...so you can see it too! If you've got 17-18 minutes, I think you'll enjoy this very much...

December 14: A Time for Action

Is volunteering something you do regularly? If yes where do you volunteer? If not, why not? (Kassie)

At this particular point in my life, I am not engaged in any service activities. I wish I was. I should be. Making charitable donations, helpful as they may be, is not the same as actively engaging in one's community. And I don't have any good reasons for not participating...other than a few volunteer outings for some local political campaigns and a couple opportunities for neighborhood service activities, it's just not something that I've made time for in recent years.

I think part of it is finding the right cause or the right organization ...political events in our state have provided just such an opportunity.

Tag-board and markers...it's how we'll change the world.

Toward the end of May, Jay and I spent the better part of a Saturday at the Minnesota State Capitol protesting a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as one man and one woman. Proposed by the Republican majority in Minnesota, the motion made it's way through the state House and Senate and will be on the 2012 ballot.

Although I fully support gay marriage and would happily fight to ensure equal rights in regard to marriage, that isn't actually what this battle is about. This is about amending our state's constitution to prohibit gay marriage. So not only is gay marriage not currently legal (something with which I vehemently disagree), but an attempt is being made to write this discrimination into our state constitution. I do not believe we should use our most sacred civic documents to deny rights to others. I also do not believe that the civil rights of a minority of citizens should be voted on by the majority of citizens.

While a day of protesting was energizing and inspiring, 10 hours at the Capitol isn't enough. Organizations have been established and efforts are being coordinated. Soon, there will be daily opportunities to fight for the civil rights of all Minnesotans. And I am thrilled to be part of that battle.

I am grateful that Minnesotans United for All Families exists. And I'm really grateful that their Volunteer Action Center opened this week. 

I imagine I'll be spending quite a bit of my 2012 in their new space.

Photo credit: Andrew VonBank
And yes, that is a "Marriage is so gay" shirt that I'm wearing.

December 13: Be Excellent

What are three things you are better at than most people. (Catie) 

My husband's favorite high school teacher had a saying that he used in class quite often. That saying was "Be excellent." It's hard to argue with the wisdom of your husband's favorite teacher...especially when that favorite teacher is also your own father. :)

So here we go:

1) Being a fired-up tour guide. 
One thing that I'm pretty fantastic at is playing tour guide and introducing people to some of my favorite things. There are few things I love more than taking folks on their maiden voyage to one of my old stand-bys. Getting ready for your first trip to Target Field? the State Fair? Al's Breakfast? The Blue Door Pub? Please, please, please let me take you! Oh, you'll like it just fine on your own, but I bet you'll like it even more with me. It isn't so much that I think I know more about these places (or events or whatever) than other people...likely, I don't. But I just get so darn fired up...so proud of whatever it is...so excited about whatever it is...and I want to introduce you to it...I want you to love it as much as I do.

2) Getting to the core of it.
File this under "Things-I-hope-I-do-and-try-really-hard-to-do-but-I'm-not-sure-if-I'm-always-successful": I try really hard to get to the core of the people in my life. Especially in regard to working with others over a long period of time. I try very hard to understand who people are and what motivates them. I try to make sense of what matters to them and even what their fears are. I try to remember to view situations and experiences through their lenses, instead of just through my own. I feel like this allows all of us, in a given situation, to figure out what is really at stake...what is really driving the conversation or the disagreement or the whatever. I try to consider what things are really about at the center of it all...at the core...and then we work our way out from there.

3) Yelling at Jay.
Poor Jay. I can always find a reason to crank at him. It's an amazing talent of mine. Fortunately for everyone involved, the thing that Jay is better at than most people is defusing my churlishness. The best example of this--ever--was one particular night when we were hurrying around the house, tidying up, doing dishes, making the bed...Jay was cracking jokes...I was annoyed. Because apparently, I can't listen to jokes and clean at the same time.

I turned to him and--dead serious--snapped, "I'm not in the mood for this crap!"

Without missing a beat, Jay--dead serious--replied, "What kind crap are you in the mood for?"

 I love it when we're all excellent at our roles.

December 12: Don't Hate Me Because I'm Hoity-Toity About My Hair

Name and explain the one guilty pleasure you can't live without. Then explore the idea of how you would feel if you gave that thing up for a year. (Neha) 

I don't have many guilty pleasures. Not because I don't indulge in things I could go without...but because I don't really "do" guilt. I think guilt is sort of a wasted emotion...unless it is for a particularly serious transgression.

Am I over-thinking this? Probably.

I enjoy plenty of things in moderation. And there are plenty of things on which I could cut back. But I don't think I'm unapologetically gluttonous about much.

The one thing, however, that I am rather decadent about is my hair. This is a little surprising (even to me) because I'm not much of a girly-girl. I'm pretty minimal with make-up...at least in regard to the amount of time I'm willing to spend applying it. And, as I've said before, I couldn't use a curling iron or blow out my "do" to save my life. But I spend money on my hair.

Sweet nectar of the coiffeurs!

I go to a salon much de luxe-ier than I am. I am a Bumble and bumble zealot. I get an unhealthy amount of joy from a good haircut. I unabashedly, unashamedly love it when people complement my hair. Especially now that I've gone back to the fabulous pixie style.

It's obnoxious.

And you know what? I'm fine with it.

Is she reading the menu?
Or smugly admiring her own haircut?
What do you think?

I don't wanna go without this ridiculous sumptuousness. 

You can't make me.

I won't do it.

How would I feel if I went without these things for a year, you ask? 

I feel like my already-considerable loathing of showers would grow exponentially. 

I feel like there would be a lot of headbands. And hats. And whining.

I feel like the experiment wouldn't last a year. And I'd be right back at the salon.

And I'm fine with it. 

It is, after all, my only guilty pleasure. ;)

December 11: Snap Out Of It

How are you like your mother? And if you're a mother, how is/are your kid(s) like you?
(Jessica)

As I thought about how to frame this post and reflected on the ways in which I am like my mother, I found myself thinking about her mantras, about memorable parenting moments, and about things I may not have understood at the time, but seem to make an awful lot of sense now.

I was thinking about the time, in like 7th or 8th grade, that I came home from basketball camp. I must have been a little full of myself after a week in the big city, staying on a college campus, learning the fundamentals of basketball from pre-colossal-academic-cheating-scandal Clem Haskins. I'd been home a couple days and Mom was driving me a few miles down the road to drop me off at my summer job at the strawberry patch. With about 3 minutes left in the trip, Mom launched into a big, sternly-worded speech. She told me that she was done with my attitude, done with my laziness and ready for me to start acting like myself again. She said that when they came to pick me up at the end of the day, I'd better be "the sweet Emmy she knew and loved." She timed it perfectly. The speech ended right as we pulled up to the stand where I was about the spend the day sorting and weighing berries. She turned to me with a big smile and said, "Have a great day!" I remember staring at her incredulously and getting out of the car, mad as could be.

I also remember going home that day, a much more respectable version of my young self.

"Snap out of it," has always been a mantra of Mom's. Sometimes we received that message quite directly, while other times it was couched in gentler terms. But the moral of the story was always the same. There is a time to get over things...a time to get back to normal. Because as comforting and therapeutic as it may feel to wallow around in our own crankiness (or whatever), there comes a time to move on. As Dad says, "Your mother has always been great at helping you kids with your problems...and then telling you when you were over them."

When I was younger, I suppose I thought I needed more time to emote. More time to feel my deep-seated feelings. As an adult, I recognize that there are very few things in life that necessitate sustained, decadent wallowing...but the things that do require it, well, you're gonna be glad that those kinds of things are few and far between...and you're gonna be glad that you saved your energy.

The rest of it?

Snap out of it.

None of this is to suggest that Mom isn't supportive or empathic or on our side or any of these kinds of things. I call the woman 12.7 times a day. She always cares. She always listens. She always knows just what I need...just what to say...just how to help. She has absolutely always been the perfect mother...the best mom ever...the mom I hope I am, when Jay and I have kids. She is my mom...The Mom.

"Snap out of it" has made me reflective. It has given me perspective. It has continuously challenged me to uphold my goals of optimism. "Snap out of it" has made me stronger. It has made me less nervous...and more no-nonsense. In all of those ways, whether she meant to or not, Mom has imbued the best parts of herself in me. The parts that make her, in my eyes, such an imitable woman, are the things that I realize I try hardest to be...every single day.

 

The very best mom...my mom. The Mom.

 

December 10: It's All Good

What is the best and/or worst thing about your life right now?

(Dana)

A few months ago, I would have had a lengthy response to this prompt. I would have processed and thought and wrung my hands and searched for silver linings, as we were in the midst of some general unpleasantness. But in the last month or so, life has really brightened. Storms have been weathered. Life is good.

And we're about to go spend the day doing all sorts of festive, happy, Christmas-y things.

So honestly, today, my response to this prompt is...

...absolutely everything and/or nothing at all.

December 9: The One Where the Skin Horse Drops Some Mad Wisdom

What was your favorite children's book?

(Niki)

I'm gonna just do a quick post this time around. And here's why:

Remember how I was whining about not getting anything done on my dissertation? Well, thanks to your kind words, the encouragement of a fellow dissertator, and the omnipresent support of my family, I buckled down for the better part of the last 36 hours, knocked out the better part of Chapter 5 and am totally on track to turn in a draft of the whole effin' thing on Monday, December 19!! (If you'd like to hold me to that, please send me notes pestering me about my progress...I'll be glad to have the encouragement.) But now I need a break. My teeny, tiny little brain is fried. So imunna go home, eat a lot of pizza and lay on the couch. I may even get to see my husband for the first time since like Wednesday morning. I seem to remember him being a decent guy.

Anyway, a while back, I did a post about The Velveteen Rabbit. I don't know that it was my favorite book when I was little, but it's certainly my favorite little-kid book as an adult. Its life-lessons are so prescient. It has that beautiful, olde-tyme feel to it. Like when kids were treated like little adults...instead of everything being so gosh-darn age-appropriate. And my heart always just aches for that poor bunny. I wouldn't have forgotten about him. Ever.

For what it's worth, I may have internalized certain messages in that book a little too much as an adult. Why, you ask? Because my "Real" pal will be joining me on the couch tonight. And he can have all the pizza he wants.

December 8: Blogito Ergo Sum

Why blog? Why do you or why do you like to blog (recognizing that these are not always the same thing)? (Kristen)

Well, Kristen...it's funny you should ask. Because when it comes right down to it, I blog because you do! Seriously. I mean it. A couple years ago, I really began to notice (via the Facebooks) how much fun you had with your blogs. I saw the community you were forming/becoming part of...I saw the forum for blowing off steam...the forum for celebrating accomplishments...the forum for discussion and debate. And I loved it all.

These observations happened to happen about the same time that I was having another realization in my own world. Specifically, how choosing optimism and striving to celebrate what's right with the world is seriously hard work. These sorts of values have always been a part of who I am (just you wait 'til 12/11/11 when we talk about how we're like our mothers!)...but it's ridiculously, almost depressingly, difficult to do on a consistent basis. I think I was even wondering if I was, indeed, the positive person that I imagined myself to be. Did I actually live the values I was espousing?

An email came to me--from one of the dearest people in my life--on Tuesday, April 13, 2010. The subject line? "Shield the Joyous Ones." The message?

You've seemed a little extra stressed lately—via Facebook and on the phone earlier today. I want you to know that I think you're wonderful.

I’m reading a book called “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin. She writes about people who are extra joyful and enthusiastic—and how hard it is to be joyful and enthusiastic (there are a lot of kill-joys out there!). It made me think of you because you are someone who tends to be cheerful and positive, spreading joy around, and perhaps many of us don’t realize what hard work this is. [She] has a life lesson around the phrase “it’s easy to be heavy, hard to be light,” meaning it’s easy to be a kill-joy and hard to be the enthusiastic one (you!). She also quotes a prayer by St. Somebody (Forgot the name! You know I’m a heathen at heart.) that goes on about protecting the sick and hurt, but also has the line “shield the joyous ones” and Gretchen thinks this has to do with protecting people who are doing the hard work of being cheerful and joyful.

So today, I’m thinking “shield the joyous ones” about you. I hope things are less stressful soon!

Whew. Talk about your friends building you up and making you sob all at the same time. It was absolutely one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.

So between Kristen's blogging examples, my thoughts on how I view the world, and my friend's recognition of my (unintentional?) efforts to be one of the "joyous ones," I decided I now had a mission. I was going to start a blog that celebrated all that was right with the (my) world. I was going to have criteria! I was going to have sunshine! I was going to have a blog!

On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, I published my first post.

Here we are, some 21 months later, and I'm still at it.

I blog because I want to put positive energy out into the world. I blog because I hope someone will read my words and maybe it will make a difference in their lives...or maybe they'll at least just think I'm mildly entertaining. I blog because it helps me remember to focus on the joy that is all around us...waiting to be discovered and celebrated. I blog because it challenges me to actively live out my values.

I blog because it brings me joy...and I hope it brings that same joy to you.

December 7: The Very Best Medicine

Who or what makes you laugh so hard that milk shoots out of your nose and why? Slapstick, dry witty comedy, your kids, Monty Python? (Kassie)

There is virtually nothing I don't find funny. In fact, one of my special talents is an uncanny ability to find levity and humor in pretty much everything. I believe we grow from being able to laugh at ourselves. I believe that humor is cathartic and instructive and healing. I love to laugh.

Don’t wait for me to say "Oh, Chuck!"
Get in here on the "Oh!"

My comedic chops were honed, at a very young age, on Abbott and Costello. Hold That Ghost and Buck Privates were a couple of my absolute favorite childhood movies. We owned these films on VHS, and I bet I saw each of them over 100 times. I loved Lou Costello, thought the Andrews Sisters were so glamorous, and knew all the gags by heart. When I watch these movies today, they are replete with nostalgia... comedic and familial.

We Ronnings are funny folks. Embracing humor is totally a Ronning family value.

I love my dad's jokes. I love it when he starts laughing in the middle of a story and can't finish it.

I love that my brother has inherited my dad's sense of humor. He is dry and quick-witted and sharp. The two of them play off of each other so seamlessly.

I love that my sister and I chat online every day and have essentially created our own IM vernacular. We use it to communicate, but sometimes we just laugh at our own jokes. Because we're funny, dammit.

I love that none of us really think of Mom as a jokester, and then when we're not paying attention, she drops a huge laugh-bomb. She told one a couple years ago (it would take too long to explain) that we still talk about on a regular basis...it still sends us into riotous fits of laughter. Dad still says "I wish I would have thought of that one!"

Proving the old adage: You always
marry a man just as funny as
your father.

And I love (most of) Jay's jokes. I rate them with "Wockas" (like Fozzie Bear wockas...I've been doing this for years, not just because the great Muppet movie came out). Sometimes he'll get 5-out-of-5 wockas...sometimes he'll only get 2. And if it's bad, he actually gets wocka demerits. My favorite thing about Jay's joke-telling (ubiquitous as it is) is when he gets all indignant after I groan at one of his not-particularly-great ones, and pouts, "You would have laughed if your dad told it."

Just about anything can send me into snorty, snot-spewing, hiccup-filled fits of hilarity...I don't really have one type of humor. So here comes a non sequitur, non-nonsensical brain dump of a few of my favorite comedic gems:

I love The Onion. I'm sure you do too. Except I loved The Onion before you loved The Onion. I'm not just saying that to be a hipster snob (okay, I am, a little bit)...I really did love it before you did...because The Onion was created by University of Wisconsin students in 1988. And when I started school there in 1993 (pre-internet, obviously), it was largely still just a Madison thing. I still remember the first thing I ever read in The Onion...an issue was laying open on the floor in a Chemistry lecture hall...scattered among the newspapers from that day. Staring up at me from the floor blared the most awesome article ever...an "Ask the Virgin" Sex Advice Column ("I've never had sex, but if I did, I'd be sure to use two condoms...just in case). There's been no turning back, ever since.

And, as I'm sure many of you do, I love 30 Rock. But while Tina Fey is hilarious and may evoke all of our inner Liz Lemons, I think that Alec Baldwin is the MVP of that show. This is the funniest scene that has ever graced the airwaves. And I'll fight you if you try to say otherwise.

I do feel guilty about that.

I love Simon Pegg in the new-ish Star Trek film. Especially when he's talking about teleporting grapefruits from planet to planet, and quips, "Which is easy, by the way." Jay and I spout that line all the time. For everything.

Mystery Science Theater (especially the full-length film) is a gift sent down to earth from some celestial, Minnesota-based, comedic deity.

And the Fake Rahm Emanuel Twitter account was pure, f@cking genius. 

"Jay, have you seen my thermos?"
"It's in Stephen...all ready to go!"

My comedic house of worship lies in the studios of Comedy Central: I am a zealous disciple of Stewart and Colbert. I even carry a Colbert tote bag to work every day. This is generation-defining stuff, people. It's one of those things that 20-some years from now, I'll be proud to be able to say, "I lived through this! These were the people of my era!"

I laugh at any and every FRIENDS rerun. Even though I've seen each of the episodes at least a dozen times.

And this Mary Mack person (watch the video on the bottom left)...a local, Twin Cities, comedienne...she is too much! I need to make a concerted effort to catch her live again.

German Guest: Will you stop talking about the war?!
Fawlty: ME?! You started it!
German Guest: We did not start it!
Fawlty: Yes you did...you invaded Poland!

Thanks to Netflix, I was able to watch the one-and-only, gem-of-a-season of Fawlty Towers. John Cleese is bloody brilliant. I can't believe there are only 12 episodes of this deliciousness for the world to enjoy. Connie Booth? Prunella Scales? Dear Heavens. Screw those panda bears that refuse to mate. Someone should have saved Fawlty Towers.

I could go on and on.

Like I said, there isn't much that I don't find funny. I wish I'd put together a more cogent presentation of all this stuff...but mostly I've just been sitting here, watching videos and chuckling to myself. So this turns out to be a rather self-indulgent post...but it made for a spectacular night, so I guess it's all okay.




One more thing before I go...(and pardon my politics)...

Since Donald Trump is about to moderate a debate (a man who never lets anyone else talk is going to referee an event where other people take turns talking!!!! [head explodes]), I leave you with this (totally NSFW because of all the bleeped-out effing eff-bombs):

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Me Lover's Pizza with Crazy Broad
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