2010 in Review: Turn Around, Bright Eyes

At our Amsterdam wedding after party, in Texas.

To continue with an annual tradition started at least half a decade ago, it’s time to look back at the year that was. I’ve already been quoted calling it “the longest year ever,” but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Let’s see. We said goodbye to John Wooden, Leslie Neilsen and George Steinbrenner, the whole country learned what a blowout preventer was and somehow I made it through all of 2010 without seeing a single episode of ‘Glee’.

Noteworthy Taiwanese Imports: NextMedia Animation, the company that makes shameless animated versions of the news, and that chubby cherubic looking kid Lin Yu Chun, who totally KILLED IT with William Shatner on a rendition of karaoke fave, “Total Eclipse of the Heart”:

Noteworthy Low Moment: When the Tribune’s Niran Babalola and I tried to karaoke to “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in front of 500 strangers packed into an Austin bar during SXSW in March. We were bad, and I’m not just saying that. Behind us was an oversized projection of the instant Twitter comments as we were singing. “This is OUT OF MY RANGE!” Niran kept reminding me.

Personal Buzzword: “Werd.” I realized it’s spelled “word,” but my partner-in-crime Justin and I feel we pronounce it slightly differently, and that the difference is in the vowel.

Blissful Discoveries: Breaking Bad (OMG!), Austin’s Rainey Street district, and how I can hold down Apple+H keys to hide all of my windows MUCH FASTER now. How did I go so long without these luxuries?

The Rest of the List:

-Became a godmother

-Became a wife

-Became a contributor to The New York Times

-Got eyesight (due to the advances in laser vision correction)

-Attended six weddings (including my own)

-Rode a donkey up a mountain to a cave where they say Zeus was born

-Took a trip to LA to receive a journalism award

-Took a trip to New York to pick up a different journalism award

-Spent two delightful weekends in D.C.

-Ran into Danger Mouse at a bar

-Reluctantly endured the cycle of losing my cat and finding him at least three times

Visited Greece and Spain, allowing me to mark Thanksgiving by gorging on seafood in Barcelona (Thankful, natch)

Chuck Todd > Chuck Norris

-Got a too-excited photo with Chuck Todd at the White House Christmas party for the network television folks, which my White House staffer friend kindly let me formally crash (not wearing a sari, natch)

-Formalized our Celebrity Death Pool, in which our competitiveness led us to strangely dark proclamations

-Threw one epic, four-day party in Amsterdam, preceded by a swank engagement party hosted by a dozen of my besties, a pair of bachelorette nights (one on each side of the Atlantic), a shower at (where else?) a hot dog place, followed by a raging after party held by a pair of distinctly Austin hippies, also featuring hot dogs.

Thanks for another wild one, 2010.

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2009 Year in Review | 2008 Year in Review

2009: Hu’s Looking Back

As we prepare to celebrate a new beginning, let’s continue the newly-old tradition of looking back at the year that was. (I don’t think I’ll ever achieve the same pair of “new experiences” from 2005 — the Daytona 500 and that one KKK cross burning. Oh well). We’ll start chronologically and then lose all sense of chronology since my memory just isn’t that stout.

Skipping stones on the Danube River with brother Roger

 

Never made any new year’s resolutions.
Covered the election of a new Texas House Speaker.
Bought April a fat, happy puppy after scoundrels broke into her house and stole (or let escape) her Maltese, Frankie.
Met two beautiful newborns in the same week.
Got engaged.
Quit my job.
Found a new job.
Helped launched a public media brand with some of the coolest geeks around.
Embraced my love of Twitter.
Spoke at  a dozen panels, meetings and college classes, mostly about Twitter.
Won an award for using Twitter.
Took a trip to Washington, D.C.
Took a trip to Philadelphia.
Took three separate trips to Europe.
Got my home burglarized (again).
Got a photo with Kevin Nealon.
Got a photo with Cheryl Hines.
Got a photo with the dude who played Lawrence in Office Space.
Saw Pearl Jam live, finally.
Celebrated the beagle’s 11th birthday.
Hosted my friend Drew from New York three times.
Said goodbye to my friend Craven, who moved to New York.
Led my Fantasy Football league, until a five game losing streak at the worst time in the season.
Co-hosted two baby showers for my girlfriends.
Got car broken into (again).
Made a bunch of videos.
In a rare fit of motion, ran two half-marathons at the beginning of the year and a full marathon at the end of it, miraculously without getting injured. Well, besides those two times I tripped and fell on concrete – one time in my neighborhood, the other time down by the Danube River.
Finished 2009 with full resolve to not make any resolutions next year, either.