The 5 things I loved most in 2003

(Warning: I'm about to reveal just how dorky I really am).

1. Internet, in particular blogs- Self explanatory, I love the internet. I've been online since I was about 14. I loved the bulletin boards on Prodigy but had to limit my time on them since internet was paid for by the minute. Lounging here in my living room with my wireless connection on my laptop seems lightyears ahead of using dial-up on my Mac Classic in my parent's house all those years ago. The first piece of news I got on the internet was in 1993 that River Phoenix had died. I've gotten 99% of my news online since about 2000. Blogs have made getting news more interesting than ever before. One story is praised and attacked by such a wide segment of people. Blogging displays the various positions people hold in the most clear, user-friendly way possible. There are a million ways to look at any one situation or story, blogging allows you to see all of them.

2. Meetups- I've noted frequently how much I enjoy meetups. I've been going to different Republican events in NYC for a few years now. While I like all events that combine rightwingers, a good speaker and a bar, meetups have allowed me to meet some really cool people that previously had not been part of the 'scene'. I also like that there is a meetup approximately once a week. I find that like an alcoholic needing an AA meeting, a week surrounded by liberals in NYC makes me need to be around conservatives.

3. School- I know I've complained about it, but being back in school has given me a million opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise (not the least of which is taking advantage of 'student rates' for just about everything). I graduate in May with a Master's degree and the possibilities of what I can do excite me very much. I don't know where I'll end up but school has opened doors for me and allowed me to do what I really love.

4. Going to Palm Beach in August- We'd taken several trips in the last year both separately and together (between Peter and I, we've visited Massachusetts, Chicago, Montreal, DC, Alaska, Ohio, Ireland, Pennsylvania and Pearl River, New York in the past year) , but this is the one that sticks out in my mind. The summer had been rainy and cold. Getting away to Palm Beach, staying at this great hotel, laying on the beach during the day and going out in Palm Beach or Miami at night was exactly what we needed. We weren't looking for crazy partying or adventure, just a rest before the cold weather arrived. I recommend Palm Beach, especially to New Yorkers sick of Miami, it's close, cheaper than most hot spots, and quite beautiful.

5. Politics- I began my obsession with politics very early in life, especially if you consider politics, as I do, a study of the world and the way that things work. When I was a kid, my father would quiz me about the capitals of various countries over breakfast (I found the capital of Honduras to be the most challenging to remember. Oddly, Tegucigalpa does not flow off a 10 year old's tongue). He would tell me stories about despots and dictators and how lucky we were to be living in this great country. Every year we celebrate our arrival in America with a cake and party. On my father's sixteenth year here (we came at different times), he got himself a Sweet Sixteen cake, heart shaped. My parents dragged me all over the world and this definitely played a significant role in who I am today. Our first trip out of the country was to Venezuela. We stayed in Caracas for a few days and then went to Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Lost World', Canaima. I saw red water and mud brick schools. We slept in huts and you could hear animals running around just outside through the night. I was fascinated. I also grew up knowing that it did matter, a lot, who was running the country. I grew up hearing about 'that idiot Carter' and what a difference a man can make. When I got to college, I was planning to be a doctor. I told this to my best friend and she said 'really? I always saw you doing something in politics.' It was honestly the first time I had ever thought about that at all. I drifted toward it rather slowly, one course per semester until one day all four of the classes I had chosen started with the POL abbreviation. Breaking it to my parents was difficult, I had never wanted to be anything but a doctor. Years later, it seems like the most obvious choice. I still had some distractions along the way (turns out, I like money and politics doesn't pay as much as you'd think), spent a few years in the legal field after college, considered law school. Politics in 2003 was exciting, less so than in 2002 and the 9/11 aftermath, but that was almost a blessing. I'm looking forward to the election and the stories it will bring with it and I'm thankful that I respect the man in the White House, he makes me proud.