2014 in lists
Favorite moments:
- Exploring Bar Harbor with Paul
- Camping in the White Mountains
- Braving the freezing cold to walk to First Night
- Last-minute camping trip on the Mid State Trail
- Hiking Mt. Nittany at sunrise in the snow (and enjoying coffee at the top)
- Meeting Terry Gross, as awkward as that was
- Having a piece air on NPR
- Taking the kids to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum
- Visiting friends in WNY
- Sipping coffee and listening to a podcast on the bus to work
Favorite material acquisitions:
- New microwave (our old one has been broken, on and off, for a year)
- Dyson vacuum (birthday present from in-laws)
- Clever coffee dripper
- Sheepskin slippers
- New phone
- Duffle coat
Favorite house projects:
- New microwave/hood vent
- A fence!
- Little Free Library
- Kids' desk
- Tea station
Notable media consumed:
- Cheesiest and most enjoyable TV series: Chuck on Netflix
- Most painful TV experience: the How I Met Your Mother finale
- Most time-consuming TV: the World Cup
- Kids' new favorite: The Princess Bride
- Best book: We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
- Best media, period: Serial podcast
- Tensest media moment: the pause before Sarah K. meets Jay in Serial
- Favorite music by default*: Gregory Alan Isakov
Best food eaten:
- Endless lobster rolls (Maine)
- A whole lobster (Maine)
- Ramen (Tadashi)
- Beef nachos (Happy Valley)
- Rachel's Mom's Swedish Kaka
- Anything made by Olivia
- Holiday shrimp
- Oyster casserole
Things I learned:
- Evangelicals don't have a corner on truth (yes, it's taken me three decades to realize this)
- Always map out a story before logging interview tape (and don't always log tape!)
- Don't read questions during a two-way interview
- Don't pack each radio story with all of the information
- How to tell (almost) any story in 4 minutes
- I really enjoy podcasts
Toughest moments:
- Single-parenting for a month
- Cutting a key interview from a radio piece
- Applying for a job I wasn't sure I wanted
- Learning how to deal with work management
