Starting the New Year with optimism

After a fairly dramatic end to an entirely too dramatic 2010, I ran in the new year with very little panache. In fact, I think I was reading a book on my parents' couch with the dog in my lap when the clock struck midnight in Springfield, Illinois. I went to bed shortly thereafter.

You might think, "Gone are the days of excitement and intrigue. Where are thou, Shiny Special Life?" But, nay! 2011 is going to be an incredible year in my life, and I'm really looking forward to what's in store:

• My final semester of law school includes a seminar in Video Game Law and a lecture on Sports Law. That's right, folks! I'm going to be talking football all year and discussing the myriad of legal issues surrounding games like Halo, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty. Suck it, tax law!

• I graduate in 123 days. 'Nuff said on that.

• I turn 30 in June, and we all know that 30 is the new black/is the new 20/is some clichéd trend to make women feel like they're not old. I'm stoked about 30! I feel like I learned a lot about my self in my 20s, and I'm already thoroughly enjoying a grab-life-by-the-balls, take-no-ish era that comes with self-awareness and confidence.

• I take the California Bar exam in July. This both thrills and terrifies me. It's a beast of a test and there's a lot of preparation yet to do, but I'm going to approach it with the same determination that sent me on my path to law school in the first place.

In addition to these milestones, I'm really excited to be supporting my friends as they move forward in their professional and personal lives. Some I've known for 10+ years, others less than 2, but I'm surrounded by incredibly ambitious and daring people who will be taking steps, big and small, this year in their lives. They've blessed me with their words of encouragement, their wisdom, and their companionship, and I can't wait to pick up the pom-poms -- and sometimes the check -- to help them physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, metaphorically, metaphysically, etc.

Raise a glass with me to 2011, and prepare yourself for fantastic things to come. Slàinte mhòr agad!

Kurt Cobain Lives on Guitar Hero 5

According to Rolling Stone, Activision has announced that Guitar Hero players will be able to take on the characters of Kurt Cobain, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, Matt Belamy of Muse, and Shirley Manson in Guitar Hero 5. I'm geeked!

The Daily Special 8.11.09

• Need more evidence that people are not even remotely conscientious consumers of media? FOX just picked up OctoMom's two-hour special.

• Clearly, Angela Merkel has "more to offer" than her competition. Hey, baby! Flaunt 'em if you got 'em.

• My So-Called Life is now on Hulu. Angela, Rayanne, and Ricky captured the bleeding hearts and tortured minds of early-to-mid 90s teens (including me) with their flannel, babydoll dresses, heavy eye liner, and bright red hair. This, of course, was back when Jared Leto was still amazingly hot and such a good leaner. The emo kids of today have nothing on the angst and apathy of the grunge era. It was so beautiful, it was painful. And yeah, we had a time.

• Sometimes, I wish my blog, like my life, had a clear focus and purpose. Like the girl in Julie & Julia who had a goal of doing a new recipe per day. Or even the dude who runs this blog. He scours the news every day to find the craziest screw-ups. Then again, I do have a lot of TV to watch and food to eat, so where's the time?

• Ever since a brief text conversation the other night with my friend, Adam, I've had this song stuck in my head. Enjoy!