The start of the year

Out with a bang

For those of you who have been reading along, you know I had a plan:

1. Leave the continent – Didn’t happen
2. Quit my job (10 years of state employment is more than a person should endure) - CHECK!
3. Take on a massive design project -  I call it life phase 2.0
4. Read more – I read a lot on the internet
5. Spend less money/time on home repair - CHECK! I sold that money pit over the summer.
6. Master Indian Cuisine -  Can one really master Indian Cuisine?

After writing this list I revised it to say that I was going to be the opposite of my breeder friends.  I was going to quit my job and focus on my art.  CHECK!  Some things fell into place a little later vs. sooner but, I managed to make it happen. I am thankful for the people that helped along the way.  Friends old and new.

Here’s my year in lists.

This year in live music: SXSW 2011 ( Theophilus London, Foster the People, Noah and the Whale, Portugal. the Man,  Charles Bradley and the Menahan Street Band,  TV on the Radio , Ellie Goulding, Smith Westerns,  Matt and Kim,  J. Roddy Walston and The Business,and Wanda Jackson.) Reggie Watts, Arcade Fire, Thermals and Matt and Kim, and Junior Boys,  Fun^3 Fest 2011 (Heartless Bastards, Thermals, Franki Chan, Big Freedia, Reggie Watts, Four Tet,  Public Enemy, Passion Pit,  T-Bird and the Breaks, Joy Formidable, M83, Lykke Li,  We Were Promised Jetpacks, Mates of State, MNDR, Austra, Ted Leo,  Architecture in Helsinki, Del the Funky Homosapien, Flying Lotus,  and Diplo)

This year in Sewing: Restoration work for Amelia’s RetroVogue,  participating in Vintage Vivant, Costuming for Riley Do Right and A Ride with Bob,  In-store seamstress gig at Frock on Vintage, and altering a few wedding dresses.

This year on the interwebs: A few site redesigns, getting to know social media.  Giving up on Gowalla.

This year in Movies: I joined AFS so I could see more new releases for cheap or free! . (theater) The Muppets,  Thunder Soul, Beats, Rhymes and Life: the Travels of a Tribe Called Quest , Cowboys and Aliens, White Material, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2,White Material Submarine, Everything Must Go,  WAR!: Women Art Revolution. SXSW (the Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Little Deaths, Documentary Shorts,  Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey, Super,  Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop, Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Narrative 2, Medium Cool, Something Ventured,  El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, Fambul Tok, Blacktino, Hesher, the Other F Word, Our Day will Come, A Matter of Taste: Serving up Paul Liebrandt, Outside Industry: The Story of SXSW, and PressPausePlay.).

This year in Books: Sadly not much time for reading this year… Goodreads

This year in kicking ass: I am officially DBA Spinsta.   I was a SXSW Crew Chief.  I got promoted to Bookkeeper/Money wrangler for BluesShout!, Refashionista, Fun^3 Fest Blogger, Apparel Surgeon, and baby whisperer.

Unfinished Business: Just before Christmas I got an email from my friend who is a stylist for Amazon.  He asked me to ship him some stuff to shoot.  We had been talking about it for awhile so I made it happen.  Stay tuned.

Plans for 2012 (in no particular order):

1. Seeing my favorite kiddos in SC
2. Collaborating with Savannahred and many more designers
3. Teaching sewing classes
4. Saving the lives of many more garments
5. Brushing up on ASL
6. I am thinking about guitar again or maybe accordion