Until then, I am going to try to not just get through the holidays, but ENJOY them. Even rough years can end on a happy note.

One of my badges is learning how to play the piano. I am tone deaf. I can read music on a basic level, but I can’t really HEAR mistakes. I took piano lessons from age seven to about 14, and was mediocre at best. I mostly viewed it as a chore. My mom used to tell me I had nice piano playing fingers, and I think a lot of her pushing me to play came from the fact that SHE had always wanted to play piano. And I resented that. I quit and never played again.

But I love music, and I’d like to make some. I will never be a great piano player, but who cares? I’d just like to play a song. Yesterday I met a woman who teaches beginning and intermediate piano lessons. I told her I was interested and she asked if I had any rhythm. I said no, and saw her face fall. “Well that’s going to be hard,” she said. But before I could revert to being a tone-deaf nine year old, she gave me her card. “Let’s do it,” she said. “Call me anytime.”

The Frames

STOP FIGHTING OVER THE LEFTOVERS AND RENT THE PROPOSAL THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

I am not a fan of the rom-com. I’m not even a fan of the cutesy, shortened name. It brings to mind chick-lit, or half-caff. I’ll make exceptions for the British, who know how to inject a healthy dose of sarcasm and wit into their love stories. But American rom-coms, especially from the last five or so years, tend to be dreadful. Even the trailers make me cringe: Matthew McConaughey refuses to grow up, Renee Zellweger is a fish out of water, Kate Hudson (or Jennifer Aniston or Reese Witherspoon) is unlucky in love.

So I came into The Proposal (Anne Fletcher, 2009) with that baggage, but also with slightly higher expectations: I actually like Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. And Betty White! Who doesn’t like Betty White? (People with black hearts, that’s who.) And I came away feeling… delighted? Delighted.

The premise of The Proposal is absurd, as the premise of most of these movies are: Ball-buster boss (the company peons IM each other with “the witch is on her broom” as she moves through the office) is about to be deported to Canada, because she broke the conditions of her visa agreement. In a desperate attempt to save her job, she tells the higher-ups that it’s okay, because she is engaged to her assistant. Thus sets off a chain of events where Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) takes his new fiancee Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), the woman he has told his whole family he despises, to Alaska for the 90th birthday party of his Gammy (Betty White).

Does Andrew’s hatred of Margaret turn into a surprising love? Does Margaret’s cold shell begin to soften in the company of a large, supportive family? I think you know the answers to these questions. But knowing doesn’t matter, because the journey is hilarious and hijinks actually do ensue: The Paxton women take Margaret to a strip club. Andrew and Margaret are forced to tell the story of their proposal (and kiss) in front of about 50 family members and friends. There’s a fight with an eagle and a hilarious scene where Gammy gets in touch with her inner Native American. And of course, there’s a villain always lurking around the corner: the INS agent who believes their sham marriage is indeed a hoax.

This movie succeeds where similar films have failed for several reasons, including a clever first-time script by Peter Chiarelli, which allows characters to be more than stereotypes. Andrew and Margaret may have a contentious relationship from the start, but they have enough similarities (ambition, dry sense of humor) to make their eventual pairing completely believable. There are also no weak actors, even among the supporting cast. Craig T. Nelson and  Mary Steenburgen play Andrew’s surly and doting parents, respectively. Oscar Nunez, of The Office fame, plays… well, you’ll have to see. And even the perky blonde Malin Akerman, as Andrew’s college flame, comes off as a fully realized character, not a cliche inserted for manufactured drama.

You know how there seem to be no new movies you can watch with your family over the holidays? Either the sex scenes are too awkward to watch in front of mom and dad, the language will make Grandma clutch her pearls, or the wholesomeness is so corny you’d consider going back to your Uncle Bob’s Fox News? Well The Proposal might just be the answer to your post-turkey dilemma. Enjoy.

And just a side-note: The Paxton family puppy, Kevin, is just about the cutest animal you’ll ever see on your TV screen.

So I came up with this idea. I would get out of the bar and off the couch and start DOING things. I would try things I’ve always wanted to do, things I’ve been afraid to do, and things I haven’t done in years. I would try them and not worry about being the best.

My husband is an Eagle Scout. When I explained my plan to him he said, “Sure. It’s like earning merit badges.” And so here we are. I’ve made a list of my own  modern merit badges, a list that I’m sure will continue to grow. The only requirement for earning a badge is trying. And with each new badge, I will chronicle my adventures here in this blog: why I chose the activity, and how it turned out. I’ll tell you stories and post pictures and ask you for suggestions. So come on: let’s do this thing.

Some things I’m afraid of: furry spiders, small spaces, tightly packed crowds, standing or seeing other people stand too close to edges, flight landings, commitment, failure, success.

# Draw something

# Sew something

# Review a film

# Review a restaurant

# Go on a bike ride

# Ski

# Camp

# Learn to drive a stick

# Take a cooking class

# Write an essay

# Host a dinner party

# Take a trip by myself

# Take an acroyoga class

# Write a short story

# Write a poem

# Learn to play the piano (again)

# Ride a horse

# Sing something on key

# Make a video

# Play nine holes of golf

# Actually learn the Microsoft Office Suite