How Are You Doing?

I know not one but TWO dogs named Bagel.

Things you enjoyed in 2022 that you’d like to do again in 2023: Having monthly dinners with a group of friends. We had to skip a month or two, but we already got in January’s so I hope we stick to it!
A dog name you like: I met a dog named Farley, after Chris Farley this weekend in Key West. He was such a good boy. My dog is Reilly.
A celebrity you’d want to have dinner with: Emma Thompson

My dog’s name is Mister. Once at the dog park, I called out, “Hey, Mister!” because he was rolling in something disgusting. All of the men turned, naturally. One woman said, “I hope he’s actually a boy and not just identifying as one.” And that’s on Texas. SMH.

I knew a cattle dog named Grit, such a perfect name for a working dog. Our dogs name is Rascal,and he lives up to it! He opened the freezer door last week and got the bacon grease container out, licked it clean, and promptly threw up. RASCAL!

During the early days of the pandemic, we would take our kids out for a walk before we started our day of remote work and school. My kids, perhaps starved of social interaction, would yell out enthusiastic greetings to EVERYONE we saw and if they had a dog, they would ask the dog’s name. We collected somewhat of an inventory of dog names. The best one, hands down, was Birthday. Birthday, the dog. So delightful. Runner up was probably ‘Alejandro’ because the kids thought that was just so much fun to say!

Our dog’s name is Basil, and our cat’s name is Sage. A guy at the dog park heard Basil’s name for the first time and with genuine frustration shouted “I didn’t even THINK of the herbs!” His dog’s name is Alaska. That cracked me up.

I have a doodle named Billie Jo (girl) and it’s still fun to say the name after two years. If I ever get another, I love Hank for a boy and Pippa for a girl. Now that I think of it, these would also be great kid names.

“Regulars” made me immensely happy this year- these are weekly friendship dates. Every Sunday I have lunch with my brother. Every Monday, my two mom friends and I rotate homes and cook for each other and our kids play together. I love just having things on the calendar I don’t have to plan – standing weekly dates are the best!

I also loved finally being able to fulfill my dream of doing interior decor for a place from top to bottom setting up our first short term rental. At 41, it feels amazing to finally find my dream career, combining my love of entertaining and hosting with my love of aesthetics and creating beautiful interiors. And best of all, I can design interiors without having to please any clients. It has been a dream come true. We are now onto designing and remodeling an airstream and our next short term rental.

I just want more things that truly bring me happiness and joy this next year and for me that is eating and spending time with friends and loved ones and having work that is meaningful to me.

Oh and I’ve discovered the joy of watching tik tok videos and making them myself!

Dinnerparties with friends, being brave, ride my bike, visit my parents, take way too long train rides to hug friends, learn languages, adk for help, taking on opportunities shake the imposter feeling away!

I would name my dog Kiara after The lion king II. Growing up my brother and I always listened to that audiobook.

Maybe John Green

Things i enjoyed in 2022: painting every day, writing my three priority to-dos every morning, and a one night hotel stay between Christmas and New Years to do a dinner date and then day long year-plan with my husband.

Great dog name: we call our Aussie Shepherd Friday, because everyone loves the weekend. ;) it gets a big smile from everyone who asks.

Celeb Dinner Date: Pete Buttigieg and Chastin, because they just seem super smart and charming.

Things I enjoyed in 2022 and would continue to enjoy in 2023: flavored coffee beans, painting my nails multiple different colors at the same time, spending time nurturing a new friendship
A female dog name I like Sunny. We have a pup named Piper and I love her name. For boy pups I like Ludo and Archie.
Celebrity I would like to have dinner with is Brene Brown. I find her thoughts on imperfection and her willingness to laugh very comforting.

Things you enjoyed in 2022 that you’d like to do again in 2023: I took a lot of pictures of flowers in 2022 whenever I noticed them walking around NYC. I am from California and miss nature so much sometimes living here. But by trying to document beautiful flowers whenever I saw them, I realized there are so many beautiful moments in New York I missed just by not looking for them.
A dog name you like: I dream of having a dog and naming it Pesto someday. But I also met a dog named Trouble recently, which I thought was really funny. The owner could say “Here comes Trouble!”
A celebrity you’d want to have dinner with: Beyonce was the first person who came to mind, but I would be so nervous I don’t know how I’d get through the meal.

When we got our dog years ago, my husband was teaching third grade and he asked his students to give him some name ideas. I can only recall two, they were Fluorescent and Pie Face. We ended up calling her Winnie (after Winnie Cooper) but her middle name was Pie Face.

– Things I enjoyed in 2022 and would like more of in 2023: Long talks with friends, road trips with my partner, sweaty workouts (I need a pep talk every time, but the endorphins!!), concerts, being outside
– Dog names: I’m stumped on this one. I need to see and know the dog to name it!
– Dinner with Conan O’Brien would be intimidating as hell, but hilarious!

My husband and I took our kids to Europe in 2022. It was a bad moment to travel in terms of airfares and hotel costs suddenly shooting up in post-pandemic hopefulness. So we spent an idiotic amount of money getting there, but our vacation consisted mostly of eating the cheapest stuff we could find in the grocery store on the grass in Swiss parks while the kids took turns riding city rental bikes in circles around us, 1 Swiss franc at a time. It was completely great. I’m really frugal, so those plane tickets were painful. But the kids’ big eyes while they explored around “ANOTHER COUNTRY” were worth it. I hope we do it again this summer.

I like Mozart for a dog’s name, because that was the name of my only dog. She was a beautiful Britney spaniel and definitely in the running for stupidest dog on planet Earth. She was stolen three times, but we always got her back when people realized their mistake! :-)

Anyway: I only typed this comment so that I could say how much I want to have dinner with Kim Namjoon.

Things you enjoyed in 2022 that you’d like to do again in 2023: I did a solo international trip for the first time! I loved it and while I would enjoy doing more solo trips, the joy of it just made me want to travel more in general. With those I love. Near and far. More joyful adventures in 2023.
A dog name you like: Spoons
A celebrity you’d want to have dinner with: Jack Black was the first name that came to mind!

1. In 2022
I stopped night shifts.
A life changer.
I will never go back.
I saw my friends, got to be spontaneous and felt the peace of less anxiety.
2. Walt is our pup.
3. Celeb crush Ms Tracee Ellis Ross.

My new favorite dog name comes from a book I just finished: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. The dog’s name is “six-thirty”, which makes total sense in the book.

At first I thought it would be another boring book about sexism, and I did not want to become depressed but it was such a much better story than I thought and I hated it to end. I fell in love with that dog!

I can’t wait to read both those memoirs – thanks for the heads-up!

Can’t think of a celebrity I’d want to have dinner with, maybe but Brad Pitt keeps showing up in my dreams haha so maybe him? But otherwise either Shoshana Zuboff, or a female AI/meta scientist so I can ask her a bunch of non-religious spiritual questions about where we’re going with that realm and why.

Although my mom died at the beginning of last year, the rest of the year was JOYOUS! Big postponed birthday celebration for my husband with friends at JazzFest, one daughter graduating Veterinary School and the other daughter getting married. So much to celebrate. I want to continue the travel and celebrating.

My favorite dog’s name is our dog’s name: Rufus. A rescued potcake from the Bahamas, turning 13 this year.

I’d like Brene, Glennon and Abby to come to dinner. I imagine I’d feel incredibly grounded after that meal!

I enjoyed learning to fly an airplane! I am still a student but hope to get my certificate soon. Have more fun flights planned in 2023. Such a unique and special way to travel our country. We rescued a pup over thanksgiving and named her Betty. After Bitching Betty, the female voice of Garmin navigators. But also because she has the good nature charm of a midwestern waitress named Betty. If she could, she’d call you “hon”. I’m not sure dinner with a celebrity would be as much fun as it is to pretend. Seems like a lot of pressure. But Jeff Goldblum would prolly put me right at ease. Or Dolly Parton seems eternally delightful.

Things I enjoyed in 2022 that you’d like to do again in 2023: I learned how to paddleboard and paddleboarded down the river a couple of times. I am really looking forward to new adventures with the paddleboard this coming summer.
A dog name you like: I’ve got ’em all picked out – a white chow named Potato, a red chow named Yam, a Pomeranian named Tater Tot, a golden doodle named Hashbrown, and a full size Doberman named French Fry. He’s an extra crispy french fry.
Celebrity I’d like to have dinner with: Olivia Coleman or Joe Burreaux or Mila Kunis

I‘m determined to try to like the place we’ve lived in for the past 8 years. I still am homesick for the life and community our family left behind. But it’s time to put down roots and embrace where we live. Horribly hot summers and all.

My 9 yr old came up with a dog name that makes me laugh every time I think of it: Teapot!
I’m not sure what dog he thought of when he came up with it but I love his quirky sense of joy.

I’d like to have dinner with Michelle Williams. I went to school with her and remember how she defended me from racist bullying that most at the school turned a blind eye towards. In unpacking that trauma I value her kindness and humanity.

I would love to continue travelling as I did in 2022, already booked 2 trips!!!
We have a family dog called Ronnie (after the famous snooker player Ronnie O’ Sullivan:), other names I like are Peggy Sue, Jack…
I have a long lasting celeb crush on Ethan Hawke so he would be my choice for a celeb dinner date.
Oh, and I even spotted him in NY when I came to visit my sister about 16 years ago!!!

Things you enjoyed in 2022 that you’d like to do again in 2023:
I had a baby in 2022 and have been loving bonding with and watching him grow. I also purchased my dream house so I’d like to continue creating vignettes and slowly decorating.

A dog name you like: My dogs name is Professor which always gets a reaction from people – they love it or hate it! I also think Pfeffernusse is a great dog name.

A celebrity you’d want to have dinner with:
Amy Poehler or Maggie Smith

2023: Renting a vacation house with a sauna. Reading lots of fiction!
Dog: Diggory (after a Hardy character)
Dinner: Ada Limón or Stephen Colbert