#best09...Best Book, Best Night Out, Best Workshop/Conference

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were
you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?

The best book that I read this year easily is Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men. McCarthy is a master. He has a simple, succinct style that I appreciate, admire and enjoy reading. This was one of his more amazing books...once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down.

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved
one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of
the night?

I am having a hard time picking just one day in one best night out. I sort of have two homes...one is in Texas and one is in Colorado. So I'll pick one best night from each place!

ONE BESTOF AUSTIN NIGHT: The best night out of the year in AUSTIN was the day that one of my favorite people in the world was visiting Austin. My best friend from back home, Carrie, a RECENT NY LAW SCHOOL GRAD came to visit me this summer. It was a Friday night. Most of my Friday nights are not complete without a visit to Yoga Vida 707 - a hot yoga studio. And so, me and like 8 of my friends went and did yoga at the studio. We had an amazing, clarifying practice with one of my favorite yoga instructors, Vic, and then we went out to dinner at the nearby Lambert's BBQ. It was delicious. The yoga. The food. The drinks. But most of all, the company. I enjoyed everything about the night, including the effortlessness of it all and the fact that almost all of my dear friends were in the same place at the same time. It truly was a night to remember.


THE OTHER BESTOF COLORADO NIGHT: The best night of the year in COLORADO was the night of my cousin's wedding November 14, 2009. We were nestled in a gorgeous restaurant on the side of a mountain in Beaver Creek called the Chop House. We celebrated my cousin's love with lots of champagne, wine, and continuous dancing as puffy white snowflakes fell outside. My family was together and we celebrated like crazy. It was the most fun I've ever had at a family wedding! The night did not end, though. Once we got back to the condo we capped the trip off with a hot tub dip while the snow was still softly coming down. I remember feeling the flakes falling on my face in the hot tub. I was so warm and the flakes were so icy cold, but they felt oddly good. It was an amazing night.

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop
you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did
you learn?

The best workshop I experienced this year was one in association with a group of folks that I know who were reading the book "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. In the workshop, we created vision boards of our futures as writers and artists and we shared them with the group. It was one of the most transformative workshops I've ever been to and that particular day, I feel, was instrumental in me "coming into my own" as an artist.