Bye, 2006. Miss you. Call Me.

Well, it's all over. Christmas, New Year's Eve, that weird week between them in which it seems half of the world's population just disappears. The roads are clear, the seating is immediate, the half-population still around only really wants to chat and eat.

It's all over. The big year of 2006 - the summer road trip, the quitting of the job, the Europe extravaganza, the new job, the thesis writing.... ok, it's not all over but, shut it, close enough. What a year, eh? My mind spins thinking about it, as if hearing a really crazy story that I can't fully get my head around. Some of it doesn't even feel like it happened to me...

St. Croix (US Virgin Islands, not western Wisconsin), D.C., Memphis, Louisville, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Croatia, Prague, Munich, Rome, Paris, Istanbul, London. Good lord. St. Patrick's Day, Champagne Summer, Mel's Cabin, shows, films, birthdays, dancing in the kitchen...


Some of my favorite pics from the first half of the year, before the birth of the Cabaret:

The happy little family in St. Croix. Right after we all blew through a bunch of cash at the casino.

Our 11th grade field trip to our nation's capitol.

Late night D.C. dirt angels.

Bubbles, bubbles at the Washington Monument.

God, this is almost enough to make a girl cry into her coffee a little.

MORE PHOTOS TO COME, fyi

I tried a couple of times to do a best-of 2006, in music, type entry, like Jason so nicely did, but I just can't do it. I just haven't had a big music year, at least not new music. Two reasons: 1) I've taken to really listening to a lot of talk radio these days. If you haven't yet - check out Stephanie Miller in the a.m. on Air America. And 2) I got an Ipod for christmas last year, and so found myself rather engrossed in my already existing library. I've been listening to albums I haven't for six years, which has been really fun.

But there were a few new releases this year I got into: The Decemberists, The Hold Steady, Neko Case, Bettie Serveert, Lily Allen, Gomez, Kasabian, Muse, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Submarines, Gnarls Barkley, Cat Power. And I actually really like Thom Yorke's Eraser, but it took me about five listens.

My favorite line of the year:

"Hey, citrus & liquor, I love it when you touch each other."
- The Hold Steady, Citrus


Okay, lovers, gotta run. I'm gonna give movies of 06 a shot. Maybe. And let me know what you loved, I'm curious.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. Here's another great line, from the same Hold Steady song: "I've had kisses that make Judas seem sincere."