DolciDeleria

"Explain this to me."

Well, folks, here we are at the close of another year.

The last time I sat down to write the Annual Letter, the result ended up looking a bit like a miniature travelogue. We'd been here and there, done this and that. (And for those of you who are wondering, yes, I am *still* working on the Journal.)

So, what did we do to top last year? We stayed home. I mean, really, how do you top two continents, seven countries, and a castle?

Never fear, it wasn't all thumb-twiddling and basket-weaving. Among the Cool Things That Happened, we:

1. Got engaged. (Whee!)
2. Got laid off and jumpstarted a new career. (Bye-bye dot-com, hello Hollywood!)
3. Submitted a short story for consideration. (Results announced in February.)
4. Showed our new music videos to mini film-fest audiences. (They were very well received.)
5. Spent a whole year in one residence.

In between these landmark events, it seemed we were always buried in some project or another. Our Creative Endeavors produced tangible results:

1. Three music videos.
2. A handful of websites.
3. Several stories. (Some are more finished than others. We'll keep at it.)
4. Five new quilts and several pillows. (Someday I'll get the pictures online.)
5. A garden in the back yard and a small jungle in the house.

Some endeavors were yummier than others. Things We Learned To Cook include:

1. Navrataan Korma
2. Rose Lassi
3. Maccaroons
4. Baklava
5. Spanikopita

Of course, we continue to be media junkies...

• Favorite New Movies:
  1. Memento
  2. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
  3. Amelie
  4. Monsters, Inc.
  5. Moulin Rouge!
• Favorite New Music:
  1. Detunized Gravity by De-Phazz
  2. The Magnificent Tree by Hooverphonic
  3. Haunted by Poe
  4. Sounds of the Satellites by Laika
  5. Keep On Moving (It's Too Funky in Here) by Funkstar De Luxe
• Favorite Novels:
  1. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
  2. Traveling Light by Katrina Kittle
  3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
  4. Smoke & Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
  5. Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn
• Favorite Nonfiction Books:
  1. Coercion by Douglas Rushkoff
  2. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
  3. Lynch on Lynch edited by Chris Rodley
  4. On Writing: A Memior of the Craft by Stephen King
  5. Three Minutes or Less: Life Lessons from America's Greatest Writers by various

Once in a while we were able to pry ourselves away from the excitement at home. The world is, after all, still a big place and worthy of exploration.

• Most Frequent Modes of Transportation:
  1. Our Feet
  2. MUNI
  3. BART
  4. MR-2 (our car)
  5. CityCarShare
• Trips Taken:
  1. Seattle for Ian's 30th birthday
  2. Santa Barbara for Solstice (and the next weekend for a lovely house-cooling party)
     
  3. Mendocino to visit an old friend and take a walk in the rain
  4. Big Sur to celebrate a magical wedding
  5. Presidents' Day weekend drive north, just because

So 2001 has been quite the change of pace. We can just make out 2002 lurking on the horizon, misty with promises. May it bring treasures to all of us.