Old Year’s Meme

Also from Megan, with nods to Ann and Kitty’s answers and the two blogs Megan got the questions from:

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Went on an actual organized diet (South Beach – yes, it works).

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t make any last year.  I don’t think I will this year, either.  People change all the time; while it’s not a bad idea to recognize this fact and try and steer your personal development, I’m pretty sure that January 1st is not the right day to do it.  Mob mentality attempts at individualistic self-awareness seem sort of self-defeating, right?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
What everyone else said: no. But we got some coming next year!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
We were pretty close to Canada at one point, but stayed in the U. S. of A. this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More square footage.  Not gonna happen, but we can wish, right?

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Yeah, November 4th is pretty much the answer here.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
All of my achievements were incremental steps on the way to a couple of big achievements.  A couple of big ones coming up this year (school and work related).  2008 was a development year.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Can’t think of any really big screw-ups in 2008.  One of the things about development years is that so many things are moving forward at a general pace, it’s hard to really have anything big go wrong.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had a lousy stomach bug at one point, but nothing really worthy of note.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The Kitchen Sink of the Gods.  Some people might react to that with pity (really, Pat…?  Nothing FUN??) but you just don’t understand.  My sink is AWESOME.

[edited – Kitty informed me that the Sink was a purchase of 2007.  It’s staying on the list anyway, for the awesome]

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Both children deserve high marks.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed
John McCain.  I get the whole “energize the base of the party to get elected” reality of modern politics, and I think he would have been a credible centrist if he actually won the election… but I cannot excuse his choice for Vice President.  She was just a wretchedly irresponsible pick.  I didn’t mind her inexperience, I was horrified at her lack of curiosity.

14. Where did most of your money go?
What is this thing you call “money”?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Just generally waking up and realizing that I didn’t hallucinate marrying the greatest woman in the world was probably number one, there.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I don’t have a very memorable musical association this year.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder? Thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?
Neither, a smidge thinner, and always richer.  Maybe not monetarily, but money isn’t everything, right?

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
More sleep would have been nice.  I wish I had done more research, too.  Those are mutually exclusive, I guess.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I had been less irritated with maintenance.  The year was a little short on my goal for patience, overall.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
We sort of spontaneously hosted Christmas Eve and then went to brother Tom’s house.

21. Did you meet/date anyone special in 2008?
I’m reminded of that scene in “When Harry Met Sally” when Carrie Fisher turns to Bruno Kirby and says, “Promise me I’ll never have to be out there again” 🙂

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Every day!

23. How many one-night stands?
Zero.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
For the lion’s share of the year, “Holmes on Homes”.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t generally hate people.

26. What was the best book you read?
Tie between E.B. Sledge’s “With The Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa“ and Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma“.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
2008 was just a non-year for music.  This will be corrected in the upcoming year.

28. What did you want and get?
That Kitchen Sink of the Gods.

29. What did you want and not get?
A Playstation 3, a bike, and a new shed.  The bike is the one I actually want the most, right now, but I need to get the shed first.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I had the most fun watching Iron Man.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
We were leaving the next day to drive home from Montana to California.  We celebrated the day before (co-celebrating with Kitty’s mother Toni, who is the 11th) with a party and pie.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A winning lottery ticket?

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Geek Functional

34. What kept you sane?
I’m not sure I understand the question.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Megh.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Anybody who’s been following this blog can guess, I bet.  The entire saga of the warrantless wiretapping program, the telecom lawsuits, and FISA.  A good chunk of politicians including our President-Elect are on my “no donate” list over that whole thing.

37. Who did you miss?
Greg, Greg, and Marc.  I saw Andy often enough, but those four represent my oldest and dearest friends.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Met some new people, but don’t know any of them well enough to pick the best yet.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Two lessons:

One, some years are about treading water

Two, it really sucks to have spent a huge chunk of effort living more responsibly and watch the entire economy go to crap because too many other people didn’t.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Again with the music!  If I were picking a theme for this year, I’d pick something instrumental, actually.