And I Said Oh-Kay: 2010 in Review, Part One

This year, I said oh-kay to a lot of things. Some decisions weren't the best, but as we know, I find it hard to say no. While others left me smiling days and months after the fact. And since this is the time of year where everyone seems to look back on the year and wonder where the fuck it all went, I figured I'd get in on the act. So, here is a month by month account of my high's and low's. And by high's, I mean enthralling experiences, not drug trippyness.

January -- I got "let go" from a job that I detested. Pro: Freedom, restored sanity and dignity, not having to work for a loser bitch. Con: No more health insurance or steady pay checks. Get through my slump by drinking my face off with some friends in a house upstate. Thanks, friends.

February -- A way better month. My play, Recovery, gets accepted into the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, marking my first Off-Off Bdway production of a full-length play. And no job means more time to do what I was meant to do. Turn 32, and have a fun Three's Company-themed party. Plus, my friend and I go to Savannah and Charleston, where we strolled through historic squares, sipped on sweet tea, and ate a shit load of BBQ. Also decide to treat myself to some Broadway shows: Billy Elliot, Next to Normal and Jersey Boys, all of which were awesome.

March -- always my least favorite month. No exceptions this year. Hit hard by the ones I lost, and unexpected twists make me sad. No need to revisit that.

April -- Better than March. Recovery starts to take flight. I learn what it means to be a "producer." Begin spending most of my days in Prospect Park.

May -- Recovery rehearsals in full-swing. That keeps me busy. Also have a fundraiser for the show, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and that makes me feel loved. Annual Memorial Day at my friend Josh's house enables me to play my favorite game, "Ball Slap." It's not as dirty as it sounds, more like a combo of dodge ball, volley ball, and kickball with very few rules. I am surprisingly good, and that makes me happy. And I finish my novel, which has yet to be published, but I'm still proud of the achievment.

June -- Recovery opens with a bang. Sold out show, and most of the audience loves what they see. The five-show run goes really well, and I am thrilled with the responses. The experience reaffirms that former job can suck it, and I am meant to be a playwright for reals. Also, an article about me appears in my hometown paper, and I'm reunited with a doctor who first treated me for leukemia when I was five on the closing night of the show. That one makes me choke up a little. I've taken aback, in a good way, by the magic of theatre.