- Speaking at my first conference in Washington, D.C.
- Speaking at my second conference in Greensboro, NC.
- Speaking at my third conference in Indianapolis.
- Spending an evening with cousins in Ohio at an event called Monocles & Bourbon.
- Lunches of cheese and grapes at the end of the summer.
- Spending two weeks in August and September in a trunk while playing Iachimo for my Shakespeare company.
- Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.
- Graduating at the top of my class with my first master's degree.
- Winning the thesis award on the day I graduated.
- Having my father and my brother in Staunton to celebrate graduation with me.
- Doctor Faustus at the ASC.
- An extraordinarily wonderful conversation about theses and ideas in Indianapolis with my dear friend Molly.
- The Great British Baking Show.
- Spending winter Mondays with my best Marfall watching Downton Abbey and Wolf Hall.
- House sitting for Matty for a week and enjoying all the delights of his garden, his porch swing, and his cat, Prince Madoc.
- House sitting for Doreen and JP for a week, and enjoying all the delights of their magnificent kitchen, their deliciously plush carpets, and their kittens, Jellybean and Snickers.
- The Winter's Tale at the ASC.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream at the ASC, especially Greg's face.
- Getting a doozy of a first publishing contract—a chapter in a book on early modern stage directions, published by Arden, co-authored with my favorite professor/the director of my program.
- Getting my first article published in a small academic journal.
- Everyman in his Humour at the ASC. Specifically Ben's socks, Ben's face, and Chris's everything.
- Shakespeare Prom, aka the ASC annual benefit gala.
- Rick Blunt's triumphant return to and victorious departure from Staunton.
- A delicious summer research trip to the Library of Congress, wherein I spent an entire day touching 400-year-old books.
- A picnic in front of the Capitol with my rad gal pal Haylie and her super cool husband Ross.
- Listening to the entire first season of Serial for the first time, one after the other, on my drive to Indianapolis.
- Walking 2300 miles this year.
- Two days in Richmond at the Library of Virginia touching letters, diaries, and documents from the Civil War.
- Voice class with the amazing René Thornton, Jr.
- My darling Haylie's incredible podcast, Philia.
- Julius Caesar at the ASC, specifically Tim's incredible turn as Cassius.
- Seeing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, and finding out that it's kind of charming.
- Marriage equality, y'all.
- The Importance of Being Earnest at the ASC.
- Speakeasy night at Queen City Brewing with Sarah, Merlyn, Aubrey, and Kayla.
- The Boston time capsule.
- Putting up the amazing Clyomon & Clamydes with my very best Marfall.
- Getting to sit through the Textual Culture class for a second time by TAing for Dr. Menzer.
- Getting to caress a three-volume set of Jonson's 1640 folio and meet the lovely people who donated it to our program.
- Being asked to be a "guest expert" for an event that ultimately never happened. But still, thrilling to have been asked!
- Finishing my Master of Letters thesis and creating this great word cloud of it.
- A late-night trip with friends and pajamas and blankets and cocoa to see if we could see the northern lights. We couldn't.
- The New Street ducks.
- Presenting at my fourth conference, right here in Staunton, in front of about 200 of the finest scholars my field has to offer.
- A tour of Gettysburg with my darling Meredith.
- Starting my second master's thesis, and writing the entire thing in six days. Then making this great word cloud of it.
- Wearing ribbons in my hair nearly every day of the spring and summer, and most of the fall.
- Joan of Arc, aka 1 Henry VI, at the ASC. Hung be the heavens with black.
- Dessen &Thompson's Dictionary of Stage Directions.
- The new Norton Shakespeare.
- This gorgeous font.
- A summer of long, long, long walks full of bunnies (in the morning) and fireflies (in the evening).
- Sending off all my PhD applications.
- Making this great patriotic cake for a super fun fourth of July party.
- Having blue hair for two and a half months in the summer and the fall.
- Mystery Show.
- Meeting a fellow Oregonian in the parking lot of Kroger the day before Thanksgiving.
- Eating funnel cake at the Augusta County fair.
- Lots of gelato. A whole summer of gelato. So much gelato.
- Turning 30, and having the best birthday in a very long time.
- Wearing so many cute dresses.
- Feeling better about my body at 30 than I ever did at 20, and loving it.
- Learning and growing so much.
- Fuck in the 14th century.
- Dirty Dancing in the park with Merlyn.
- A perfect week in September in which I got a publishing offer, went to Shakespeare prom, saw The Winter's Tale a zillion times, and had great good times in class.
- Learning to tolerate Antony & Cleopatra at the ASC. Made easier by Rick's dancing and Greg's face.
- Getting the biggest coup of my career so far: a solo-authored chapter in an anthology on absent mothers in literature.
- Getting to interview the amazing Stephanie Holladay-Earl about her role in The Winter's Tale as research for my chapter on absent mothers.
- Selfies with Marshall at Shakespeare Prom.
- Cutting a super-weird seventeenth century play about cuckoldry.
- Getting accepted to one of the biggest Shakespeare conferences in the world, and finding out my panel includes my favorite professor/the director of my program.
- Making plans to travel and room with my dearest Haylie at this big awesome conference.
- Finding a love note in my wallet after a play, left by the dearest Ellie.
- My sequined gold skirt, which got me a wink and a nod from Greg on my birthday.
- A delicious fall break staycation in Staunton with my dear Haylie and her husband Ross.
- Getting business cards for the first time.
- Another delicious, long conversation with that delightful Molly, this one full of gossip as well as ideas and research.
- Seeing my bestie Tiffanie for the first time in two years. And meeting her husband!
- Deep lunges.
- Overcoming two enormous personal events that should have ruined my year and having one of the best years ever in spite of everything.
- Becoming actual friends with people I'd hero-worshipped for two years.
- Not Your Father's Root Beer.
- A June weekend in Staunton with Haylie where she made me try guacamole for the first time and revolutionized my entire existence.
- Being hit on by an ASC actor at the Blackfriars closing night party.
- Creating an index for a great book by my favorite professor/the director of my program.
- The amazing five days that was the Blackfriars Conference.
- Dressing as a footnote for Halloween.
- Becoming Twitter friends with several of my academic crushes.
- Six weeks of bruises all over my arms and legs because of Hamlet combat rehearsals.
- Spending every spare minute at the playhouse during the fall.
- Bath bombs.
- A tiny Christmas tree from my very best Marfall.
- Nights of drinking and dancing at the breweries with non-Wag friends.
- Accidentally teaching rhetoric to my freshman comp students.
- A crazily uncharacteristic program party right before Thanksgiving. There was loud music and dancing and someone puked and people made out.
- Cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal in my teensy, barely-functional apartment kitchen.
- Skyping with my darling Ellen in the summer and with my nerdy brother and father on Thanksgiving.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
- This actual video of what my soul looks like.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
100x2015
Inspired by the brilliant and adorable Tim Sailer, 100 things that made my 2015 so good:
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