Hot People Continuously Improve

Just after Christmas, I was sitting in the airport waiting for my flight with Porter, wearing the hat I had just knit for myself (it's hilariously too big, but I guess that's how the kids wear them these days) and an American Apparel bandeau under my carefully colour-coordinated scoop neck and cardi, with my well-used bags and my brand new ipod.

As I was sitting there, engaging in self-reflection, I realized I had achieved something special. I SO want to be the kind of girl who wears American Apparel merch and handmade outerwear. I want to be the girl waiting at the gate of an alternative discount airline (where the flight attendants wear pillbox caps), listening to music on a $300 piece of digital genius.

The only thing that wasn't quite right is that I was definitely listening to Aerosmith (circa 2001, no less...embarrassing) and not Belle and Sebastian (or some way indie-er indie band that I'm too out of it to have even heard of).

So in the spirit of never quite being perfect, I started thinking about my New Year's resolutions.

1. Plan Abtastic. Obvs. This must start in earnest in 2010 (I know it's already started, but I'm on vacay...so by 2010, I mean January 12th, 2010). This may mean I have to stop eating Brie wheels like one might eat an apple. It may also mean that I can't pretend that kissing boys is a reasonable alternative to actual exercise (although I keep finding myself making this justification, despite the ill-advisedness of the kissing in general).

2. Be employed. Ok...so I've been working on this since late November, but it's one I desperately need to fulfill. Desperately. I've been a student for 8 and a half years, and while I would never say I was "starving" (see: plan abtastic), I'm starting to feel the pinchy, and I'm starting to feel like I want to be (gasp!) an adult. One with adult furniture and plates I bought myself and haircuts I didn't get in somebody's basement.

Interestingly, yesterday I kind of got a job offer. It was an interesting paradox, as I was getting a ride from my Daddy to meet my friend so I could stay for supper, and talking on the cell-phone I needed help from my Mommy to get (yes, even at the tender age of 25!). As I was talking, my father kept whispering at me to say "Yes." instead of "Yeah, uh-huh, awesome, etc."

I'm pretty sure I'll be employed by year's end, but this adulthood thing is concerning to me. I can't even stop TALKING like a 14-year-old.

3. Learn to speak French. My Dad's a French teacher. It would then follow that I can speak French. Not so. I remember being cornered in grade 10 by a student teacher while I was waiting outside my French class (taught by my father...yeah...high school was kind of messed), and she asked me in French if we spoke it at home. She was super disappointed when I answered, in English "No, we don't. We're English," as my classmates snorted at me with ridicule. Well, it turns out my unilingualism is finally biting me in the ass. It'll be difficult to attain resolution 2, job offer notwithstanding, without achieving this goal. but French is the language of love, yes? So I should think of night-school French classes as hotness lessons, right?

4. Learn to play the guitar. Last year, I kept only one resolution, but made about ten. The only one I was able to keep was learning to knit. Anyway, I feel like hot people play open mic nights, and lead the chorus at beach bonfires, etc. I also feel like a guitar is way more portable than my piano (which I actually play very well, thanks). So, I'm going to learn to play guitar (at least a few songs). Step 1, get guitar. Step 2, learn to play it. I feel pretty confident because my track record with "learning to" do stuff has been pretty good. Like, 100% success over one year. The hidden advantage of this is that I also kind of feel like guitar instuctors are hot (since they also, obviously, play guitar), and this is obviously a score for me.

5. Have better taste in music. I was actually super-ashamed to say what I was listening to in the airport just after Christmas. There is really no excuse for my embarrassing taste in music. I know it's bad. The worst of it is I have a number of friends who are musicians and one who is actually quite a well-respected music critic. I must listen to better music. I must.

In that spirit, I have opened up the comments section of the blog. Please contribute to the late music education of this girl who has extended her adolescence (including its music) far too long, by posting your personal hot people can't live without this album pick. Please.