Part 1: Cookies

Here in the midwest, December rolls around and you start getting invited to Christmas cookie parties. Everyone makes their favorite recipe. Much hilarity ensues, with (literally) too many cooks in the kitchen and the oven going full-blast for hours. The smell of butter and sugar permeates your clothes. You leave your neighbor’s house exhausted, with a delightful variety of goodies. Unfortunately, your bakery booty is more than you will ever, ever be able to consume. You hope never to see another cookie again in your life.

Part 2: A white Christmas

It’s great to see some snow on the ground at holiday time. Festive, magical, pristine snow. Not so nice: eighteen inches overnight, blizzard-level winds, and snapped trees everywhere. As you probably noticed this year, nature is awesome, but she can be a total bitch.

Part 3: “Learning experiences”

Once in college, when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed by circumstances and the general pace of change, I said to one of my professors, “Does it always feel like this? Do things ever get any simpler?” She thought about it and said, “Life doesn’t get easier…but your ability to manage it steadily increases.” For years I hung onto that bit of insight whenever it felt like the universe was having a laugh at my expense.

This year I turned forty, and when my former professor was in town we went out to dinner to catch up. It had been a particularly bumpy several months, so I thanked her for giving me strength to get through tough times. “It’s so amazing how wise you were back then,” I said. “You knew exactly what to say. And you were so much younger than I am now!”

“I have absolutely no recollection of telling you that,” she replied, laughing, “but I can assure you I felt every bit as overwhelmed as you. I was just faking it!”

And just like that, she hit me with another epiphany. ‘Imposter syndrome’ never goes away. And we are always somewhere right near the edge of what we feel like can handle.

So anyway, here’s to slightly less character-building adventures in 2013.

Download here.

1. Over the Border—Saint Etienne
2. Motion Sickness—Hot Chip
3. (I’m In Love With Your) Girlfriend—Citizens!
4. Love Is Greed—Passion Pit
5. Hypnose—Lescop
6. Lost In My Bedroom—Sky Ferreira
7. Der Microarc—Violens
8. Never Come Down—Alice Cohen
9. Disappearing Industries—Grass Widow
10. Cherokee—Cat Power
11. Grown Up Blues—Chairlift
12. Cold Shoulders—Gold Motel
13. Free—Noisettes
14. Devils Work—Miike Snow
15. Roskilde -94—Familjen
16. Controller—Blouse
17. & & &—Rebecca Gates & The Consortium
18. Do My Thang (ft. Janelle Monae)—Estelle
19. By Your Side Part 2 (ft. Pacific!)—Breakbot