I know it’s lame and redundant to bitch about heat in the summer, but the fact that I was sleeping with a fan in my window one week, and it was over 100 degrees the next is pretty messed up. I don’t even want to sit here at my computer! Every time I try to do anything, my brain is like, “Hey, why don’t you just take that fancy new android over to the couch, take your pants off, and watch some Netflix while you boing-fwhip some pissed off birds?”

Now normally, with it being summer and there being almost nothing on t.v., i’d be inclined to fight this feeling. But since one of my favorite shows is now on Netflix, I can’t fight this feeling any longer, and yet…i’m still afraid to let it flow. When I first caught Pretty Little Liars, managing to slam down the first six episodes right before they expired from hulu, I was like, “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS SHOW. IT IS AMAZING. IT’S LIKE LOST WITH TEENAGE GIRLS AND CELL PHONES AND I THINK A IS ACTUALLY THE SMOKE MONSTER.” But since most grown-ass adults don’t watch shows on ABC Family without prompting, my fellow enthusiasts were few. But now! Now! The first two seasons are on Netflix. So now everyone I know who isn’t my husband (who shuns ‘teen drama’ and who i’m going to divorce if he insults Veronica Mars one more time) can join me in the joys of Chad Lowe, suspense, Aria’s terrible wardrobe, gagging at The Fitzing, and trying to sort through the many, many red herrings. It’s too hot to do anything else anyway!

If you have seen the show, I am a nerd and made a Pretty Little Liars inspired mix. Even if you haven’t seen the show, it’s not like the songs will spoil much.

Pretty Little Liars from sendmorecops on 8tracks.

In other news, the 4th has come and gone so I am now six years deep into being a pretentious vegan, and my cats have passed their 17th, 10th, and 10th anniversary in my loving grasp. I made myself a cake and the cats got some wet cat food and Fatty may have taken a dump in my closet. Is the 17th anniversary gift feces?

So here is the funny thing about 2011. I spent the first three months in a solid depression over Bonny, sleeping about four hours a night on average. I spent most of my summer inside, watching t.v., instead of riding my bike or paying proper attention to my garden. And the panic over the holidays set in and most of fall was shot. Sounds pretty shitty, right?

But. BUT.

When I was going back looking for posts, I found a lot of good things. I got to see three of my favorite artists, I blogged about Ted Leo and The Thermals, but did I mention that I went to see Wild Flag and I washed my hands next to Carrie Brownstein? If I hadn’t just gone to the bathroom, I would’ve peed myself. When Brian and I left the show, I kept clutching my newly bought shirt to my face and smile-screaming into it.

I had lots of fun with MoFo and my theme.

I made friends with a baby squirrel.

Brian and I made donuts, something i’ve always wanted to try.

I helped raise over $500 for Ride To Light, and the frustration only made me cry once. Or twice.

I put myself on a personal budget to buy a new computer and became obsessed with nail polish.

Fawkes. He has come so far in just a few months, from a scared dog who didn’t even want to be held or play with toys to a chewing fiend who constantly wants to be rubbed. He is also a little shit who chewed the vacuum cord, escaped the back yard TWICE this weekend, and one of those times was to the neighbors yard, and he came back without his dapper sweater that makes him more visible at night. And we still can’t find it. Speaking of dogs, after two years of blood tests, medication, and playing with his diet, Chester’s liver levels FINALLY dropped and he lost three pounds. It was nice to have a vet visit that didn’t end with me wondering if his liver was about to shut down. I love my dogs, I love my cats, I love our little family.

And lastly…Brian and I started P90X! It’s EXTREEEEEEEME!!! fitness, six days a week. We just started week three (out of 12) and it is crazy. Google ‘I hate Tony Horton’ if you want to see what we’re putting up with. But I enjoy it overall, and after being sad all year I was glad to end 2011 feeling strong, productive, and working towards a goal. I am NOT on a diet. I do not have a goal to lose x amount of pounds. My goal is to complete P90X, and that’s it. I actually couldn’t be on a diet and effectively do P90X because of all of the strength training! I am eating lots of proteiny things and green smoothies so I am eating pretty good by default, minus the upcoming pictures. I will probably go into greater detail about the hilarity that is me trying to do a pushup at another time.

Onto New Year’s eats! Now, Brian and I don’t drink. We are also lame anti-social assholes, so we just stayed home and made pizza and Dr. Pepper floats, and I actually crawled into bed 20 minutes before midnight. I was just happy that I wasn’t ringing in the new year shivering on the couch, stricken with stomach flu and sadness like I was last year.

My pizza was another take on the Amy Deluxe/Supreme, basically all I did was put it on top of a pizza crust (using Upton’s italian seitan), sprinkled with Daiya. Brian’s pizza was the rest of the Upton’s, mushrooms, and Daiya. Then before midnight, we assembled what I thought was the genius idea of Dr. Pepper floats with cherries. Don’t do this! The ice cream kills the DP flavor, making it taste like plain soda water. Also, it made me feel like shit the next day! I should’ve just drank my celebratory Dr. Pepper and called it good. Lesson learned.

For brunch on New Years day, we made biscuits and gravy, adding mashed up black eyed peas to the gravy and I put steamed kale with mine for color and vitamins and what not. And I drank a lot of water. A LOT.

And here is my mix of my favorite songs from 2011 (that came out this year, I listened to this song a few hundred times and let’s not talk about all of the Ke$ha). Also judging by this year’s album collage, almost every single band/artist I like that is still making music/not dead came out with an album this year! So next year is probably going to be a boring year for music.

Happy Friday the 13th!  I couldn’t not share this everywhere because I keep looking at it and giggling.

Sing it with me:  I don’t want this slaughter to eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeend!

Now Brian and I are going to watch Jason X, because my box set is far away and it’s the only one available on Netflix.