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So the volunteer here just gave me a tin of Christmas cookies, so I need something to occupy my fingers so I don't spend all afternoon eating. I could write intelligent things, but you can't concentrate on writing intelligent things when you're working, so instead I will fill in a Year-End Review Survey.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Played Wii!
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not make any new years' resolutions, but I did in fact make progress improving at certain things that other people who make NYRs MIGHT make as a resolution, such as using time more wisely.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Closest that I can think of would be![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
punterschlagen, though a few other lj friends I don't know as well did too. I can't think of anybody not-on-lj who did this year. OHHHHHHHHH, dumb me, my very first best friend did a month ago! I didn't post anything because I was psychobusy as usual. And maybe not posting makes me forget. Anyway, I'm not so close to her now because she lives in Amsterdam, but still.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not DIRECTLY close to me, but my husband lost two grandparents, both of whom I certainly KNEW and all.
5. What countries did you visit?
I wish I had some clever sarcastic answer for this, but I can't think of any.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Even BETTER time management, because dude, TWO small children with different nap schedules, I'm going to have to start from scratch!
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
None I can think of. I can't even remember the dates when big planned things DID happen, except maybe April 12 which was Sam's birthday party. And every time the 14th of any month hits I always still think it's significant, though that's really residue of a date from 2007 being etched in.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Keeping everything pulled together while working two part-time jobs, working from home on a contracted writing project, raising a toddler, and growing a new person? Probably that.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I'd say at birth control again, but that in the long run is likely to not count as a failure anymore.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Well, my back is always threatening to pull out again.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
At the moment the only thing I can think of is Cheez-its.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Sammy! Best kid ever!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Everyone blind to the goodness of others?
14. Where did most of your money go?
The mortgage. Is there any other answer once you have a mortgage?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
This was not a year for being really really really excited. Maybe pretty excited at times. Sammy made me laugh a lot, but that's not really excitement.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Nothing is sticking out.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? probably happier.
b) thinner or fatter? this is a tough one. Weight-wise, I am remarkably close to the same. Girth-wise, significantly fatter. But if you consider that extra girth is another human being and a big sack of fluid and yet I weigh the same, I guess in the long run I'm actually thinner.
c) richer or poorer? Richer moneywise, thanks to J's overtime and my temp second job. We'll see how well that takes us through when I stop working again. About the same amount of richness life-quality-wise.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing FUN STUFF
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinating
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Eve at my parents, day at my inlaws...
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope not really
22. How many one-night stands?
How many one-night stands have I EVER had?
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Uh, the only actual still-running TV program I watched while it was on TV was Heroes, but I don't think I'd even consider it a favorite, more like a fun little addiction. I enjoyed finishing up the X-Files earlier this year. And I saw the first 3 seasons of the Muppet Show on DVD too. Oh, does the Olympics count?
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate people easily.
25. What was the best book you read?
Probably my favorite of the books I read for the first time was one of those "How on EARTH did I never discover this years ago?!" books, Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle-- a very fun and engaging fairy-tale fantasy that still seems incredibly fresh and unique even though there's been about two decades go by of new fantasies written that could have been derivative. Maybe there WERE a lot of derivative books after that, but just not as good.
I've read a lot of new actual 2008 books too, but none of them are jumping out as being Favorite material. I enjoyed E. Lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks an awful lot. There's still a bunch more 2008 books that are on my to-be-read list still, too-- for instance, I still haven't read The Hunger Games and everyone who's ever mentioned it swears it's the Greatest Book Ever, from professional reviewers whose taste I approve of to this random obnoxious kid who was in the Teen Room last week and happened to bring it up out of nowhere, but I can't exactly name it the best book since I haven't actually read it yet, now, can I?
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Unfortunately posthumously, the huge impact Richard Wright had on shaping the sound I love most from my second-favorite band. Not that that gives me anything new to listen to or anything. Oh, also maybe that Last.fm keeps track of what I listen to, which makes posting the Guess the Lyric game much easier.
27. What did you want and get?
A chance to be a YA librarian temporarily!
28. What did you want and not get?
A piano, but, you know.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I haven't seen many 2008 films... I think I'm going to have to say Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, because even though, say, Iron Man or something was a BETTER movie, I think I enjoyed Indy more. My favorite film I saw for the first time this year that WASN'T actually from this year I think was Finding Neverland, which I'd got out just because I habitually want to watch movies about authors, and I was totally surprised how ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY I loved it.
30. What did you do on your birthday?
I forget. Oh, I went to Don Pablos with my parents, who also brought me an awesome cake. I don't remember if that was actually my birthday or some other time that week though.
31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
The ability to come up with awesome dinners every night, and also get a chance to eat them.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Usually wear whatever you wore the day before again, because why waste its cleanliness?
33. What kept you sane?
Naptime.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
don't think anybody's really sticking out. Maybe James McAvoy. Still have a bit of a thing for Masi Oka too.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Reclaiming Christianity from the too-hitched-to-a-not-Christian-enough-political-party Christian Right. I mean, every time some kind of Christian group was profiled doing something CHRISTIAN AND NOT REPUBLICAN, like protecting the environment or serving illegal immigrants or upholding the rights of the poor I was all like YEAH BABY! I'm totally on a crusade to be to be the Light of Christ in all the places that the Christian Right has been neglecting because of dang politics lately.
36. Who did you miss?
Hmm. everybody at some point.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Maybe the new permanent teen librarian who just started last week, just because it's cool to actually rave about books with someone who's actually up on and excited about the latest YA titles (she ALSO swears The Hunger Games is the Best Book Ever. I'll get to it someday!)
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
The INHERENT WORTH of a human being is CONSTANT, unrelated to that person's successes and failures.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Why did Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" suddenly pop into my head? I'm not entirely sure that's accurate.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Played Wii!
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not make any new years' resolutions, but I did in fact make progress improving at certain things that other people who make NYRs MIGHT make as a resolution, such as using time more wisely.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Closest that I can think of would be
punterschlagen, though a few other lj friends I don't know as well did too. I can't think of anybody not-on-lj who did this year. OHHHHHHHHH, dumb me, my very first best friend did a month ago! I didn't post anything because I was psychobusy as usual. And maybe not posting makes me forget. Anyway, I'm not so close to her now because she lives in Amsterdam, but still. 4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not DIRECTLY close to me, but my husband lost two grandparents, both of whom I certainly KNEW and all.
5. What countries did you visit?
I wish I had some clever sarcastic answer for this, but I can't think of any.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Even BETTER time management, because dude, TWO small children with different nap schedules, I'm going to have to start from scratch!
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
None I can think of. I can't even remember the dates when big planned things DID happen, except maybe April 12 which was Sam's birthday party. And every time the 14th of any month hits I always still think it's significant, though that's really residue of a date from 2007 being etched in.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Keeping everything pulled together while working two part-time jobs, working from home on a contracted writing project, raising a toddler, and growing a new person? Probably that.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I'd say at birth control again, but that in the long run is likely to not count as a failure anymore.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Well, my back is always threatening to pull out again.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
At the moment the only thing I can think of is Cheez-its.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Sammy! Best kid ever!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Everyone blind to the goodness of others?
14. Where did most of your money go?
The mortgage. Is there any other answer once you have a mortgage?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
This was not a year for being really really really excited. Maybe pretty excited at times. Sammy made me laugh a lot, but that's not really excitement.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Nothing is sticking out.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? probably happier.
b) thinner or fatter? this is a tough one. Weight-wise, I am remarkably close to the same. Girth-wise, significantly fatter. But if you consider that extra girth is another human being and a big sack of fluid and yet I weigh the same, I guess in the long run I'm actually thinner.
c) richer or poorer? Richer moneywise, thanks to J's overtime and my temp second job. We'll see how well that takes us through when I stop working again. About the same amount of richness life-quality-wise.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing FUN STUFF
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinating
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Eve at my parents, day at my inlaws...
21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope not really
22. How many one-night stands?
How many one-night stands have I EVER had?
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Uh, the only actual still-running TV program I watched while it was on TV was Heroes, but I don't think I'd even consider it a favorite, more like a fun little addiction. I enjoyed finishing up the X-Files earlier this year. And I saw the first 3 seasons of the Muppet Show on DVD too. Oh, does the Olympics count?
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate people easily.
25. What was the best book you read?
Probably my favorite of the books I read for the first time was one of those "How on EARTH did I never discover this years ago?!" books, Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle-- a very fun and engaging fairy-tale fantasy that still seems incredibly fresh and unique even though there's been about two decades go by of new fantasies written that could have been derivative. Maybe there WERE a lot of derivative books after that, but just not as good.
I've read a lot of new actual 2008 books too, but none of them are jumping out as being Favorite material. I enjoyed E. Lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks an awful lot. There's still a bunch more 2008 books that are on my to-be-read list still, too-- for instance, I still haven't read The Hunger Games and everyone who's ever mentioned it swears it's the Greatest Book Ever, from professional reviewers whose taste I approve of to this random obnoxious kid who was in the Teen Room last week and happened to bring it up out of nowhere, but I can't exactly name it the best book since I haven't actually read it yet, now, can I?
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Unfortunately posthumously, the huge impact Richard Wright had on shaping the sound I love most from my second-favorite band. Not that that gives me anything new to listen to or anything. Oh, also maybe that Last.fm keeps track of what I listen to, which makes posting the Guess the Lyric game much easier.
27. What did you want and get?
A chance to be a YA librarian temporarily!
28. What did you want and not get?
A piano, but, you know.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I haven't seen many 2008 films... I think I'm going to have to say Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, because even though, say, Iron Man or something was a BETTER movie, I think I enjoyed Indy more. My favorite film I saw for the first time this year that WASN'T actually from this year I think was Finding Neverland, which I'd got out just because I habitually want to watch movies about authors, and I was totally surprised how ABSOLUTELY TOTALLY I loved it.
30. What did you do on your birthday?
I forget. Oh, I went to Don Pablos with my parents, who also brought me an awesome cake. I don't remember if that was actually my birthday or some other time that week though.
31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
The ability to come up with awesome dinners every night, and also get a chance to eat them.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Usually wear whatever you wore the day before again, because why waste its cleanliness?
33. What kept you sane?
Naptime.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
don't think anybody's really sticking out. Maybe James McAvoy. Still have a bit of a thing for Masi Oka too.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Reclaiming Christianity from the too-hitched-to-a-not-Christian-enough-political-party Christian Right. I mean, every time some kind of Christian group was profiled doing something CHRISTIAN AND NOT REPUBLICAN, like protecting the environment or serving illegal immigrants or upholding the rights of the poor I was all like YEAH BABY! I'm totally on a crusade to be to be the Light of Christ in all the places that the Christian Right has been neglecting because of dang politics lately.
36. Who did you miss?
Hmm. everybody at some point.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Maybe the new permanent teen librarian who just started last week, just because it's cool to actually rave about books with someone who's actually up on and excited about the latest YA titles (she ALSO swears The Hunger Games is the Best Book Ever. I'll get to it someday!)
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
The INHERENT WORTH of a human being is CONSTANT, unrelated to that person's successes and failures.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Why did Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" suddenly pop into my head? I'm not entirely sure that's accurate.
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Date: 2008-12-22 11:31 pm (UTC)From:see you soon sweetheart.