Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Why Blog 2011: A Year in Review

A lot happened in 2011.

It was my first full year living in New York City, and it was the first full year the class of 2010 was officially out of college. Here’s a look at what else happened throughout 2011, with links to blog posts from that event. And if you don’t want to read the blah blah blah, scroll down for the “Top Ten Posts” list at the bottom of this entry. Enjoy the journey through time…

January began the year with a Snowpocalypse of sorts through New York and much of the east coast. While overall inches of snow accumulation weren’t as high as 2010, I was grounded in VA for 2 extra days after Christmas. With the airports still out of commission, my high school friend Alice and I Chinatown bussed it up here. Though there were huge highlights to January (Martha Stewart Living internship, brunching at the Plaza, etc.), I must admit: It was a miserably cold month. You could walk outside and get a brain freeze… or simply slip on ice.

February wasn’t much better weather-wise, but the sun did grace us with his presence on occasion. While we sat shivering in New York, Egyptian protests were beginning to heat up. Tahrir Square held millions of demonstrators, and the “Arab Spring” was set in motion.

March led to my bold statement, the term "code blue," as well as one of your favorite “Thursdays Things New Yorkers Say” posts, according to blog statistics. I was balancing time between grad school, the magazine internship, and working at Bloomingdales while Charlie Sheen seemed to be publicly losing his mind.

April was gray, gray, gray everyday. But the column “Poor in New York” was born, and my friends and I spotted Robert De Niro filming in Astoria. I also scored the next internship at Parents Magazine, increasing my magazine business network. Oh, and we had one sunny day at the end of the month that saved all of NY from insanity.

May was beautiful. Whatever was irking Mother Nature in April had been vanquished and the city was in full summer mode. While skipping spring isn’t ideal, I was simply happy for long days and late nights. Which they were – I was working at least 20 hours at Bloomies and 40 hours at Parents. But do you remember what else was vanquished that month? That’s right – Osama bin Landen was assassinated May 2, 2011.

June was exceedingly busy, but led to my first national byline at Parents Magazine. I also had an unexpected visitor in my room, and a little freak out via poem on the blog. But you guys didn’t seem to mind – thanks for that.

July was sunny, hot, sweaty, and marvelous. We watched fire works, visited Coney Island, and explored the city in the summer. My childhood ended mid-month, the NBA lockout began, and the News of the World phone hacking affair erupted.

August is my birthday month! And was also apparently the end of the world. We had an earthquake up and down the east coast, as well as a violent hurricane only a week later. But I was officially hired at Parents Magazine, and resigned from my retail job. Meanwhile, the US debt ceiling was on the rise, and the London riots were heating up across the pond.

September was intense. My roommate was moving out, another needed to be found, loans had to go through for school, and I just couldn’t seem to find the time to sleep. Occupy Wall Street was in its infancy and Facebook “Timelines” were popping up all over the internet.

October led to one of my favorite posts about commuting, random Halloween snow, and a trip to see what was happening on Wall Street. Everyone working on their thesis began to sweat a little bit, and the global population reached 7 billion (22.2 million of which inhabit New York City + boroughs).

November brought holidays, which also led to a view surprises. NYC’s weather remained relatively mild, and Rockefeller Center was decorated for the annual Christmas extravaganza.

December was quick and homework-filled. In fact, I’m so glad the holiday decorations stay up through the New Year because I feel as though I missed them entirely before Christmas. Friends came to visit our festive city, and we students finally turned in our thesis projects!

Top Ten Post of 2011:
9) I Lied

Alright... So we’ve got a lot to contend with for making 2012 simply superb. Happy New Year one last time my friends. 



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3 comments:

Olivia said...

Quite the year, my dear… well done! Happy 2012! Lots of good things to come!

Anonymous said...

Love the New Year recap Brit!!! Excellent job - Happy and Healthy 2012to you!!! :)

Mom said...

Great blog, fun to recap the years events!!!! Love, mom