A time to remember

One year ago today at exactly 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time I started my job. I was fresh-faced and doe-eyed and full of preconceived notions of what my job and life in Boston was going to be like. Unfortunately, my reality was nothing like these preconceived notions. The only thing I liked was my apartment (and my roommate) and there were only a few things I could turn to that would comfort me. I would now like to take a moment to thank those comforting items.

1. Burritos, Indian food, ice cream, and chocolate together you represent my old diet. With you I probably gained about 10 pounds, but without you I would have been even more malnourished. Thank you for being open to me eating you at any time of the day, especially you ice cream. I could eat you for either breakfast, dinner, or dessert and you never made a judgmental comment. Burritos and Indian food, without you I am pretty sure no vegetables would have been able to find their way into my "I don't have time for food" diet. To all of you I extend a mighty thank you.

2. Beer. Whether it be a well-loved beer sipped from my trusty Löwenbräu stein, pints of local craft beer enjoyed with a friend at my favorite neighborhood bar, or the many taste tests completed with the brown ale M. and I somehow found the time to brew, beer (and often a friend as well) was always there for me at the end of a long day or even longer week.

3. (Iced) Soy Mochas. If this smooth combination did not exist I would have had nothing with which to coax myself out of bed and into the world at 8:00 in the morning.

4. The Office. I watched you my fourth year of college in order to de-stress and a few months later you were there for me again. The laughter you induced activated my ventromedial prefrontal cortex encouraging the production of endorphins and thus the only feelings of pain relief and well-being I was likely to feel in a 24 hour period. Jim Halpart's adorable faces were particular comforting too.

5. Parks and Recreation, your endearing cast of characters, ever-amusing jokes and witticisms, and short episode lengths helped me to branch out from The Office and realize that there was at least one other show in the universe that could help in increasing my bodies endorphin production.

Thank you, all of you, for your support.