The year in review: 2013
Wed, Jan. 1st, 2014 10:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scarlettina1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
--Bought a smart phone
--Had a project of mine win two industry awards
--Wrote the introduction for a friend's collection of short stories
Otherwise, not a lot of newness in 2013, though maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.
2. Did you make any New Year's Goals for 2013 and, if so, did you meet them?
I made goals, but I didn't meet most of them. 2013 seemed to be a year in which it was hard for me to get anything done at all and I'm not sure why. I was less creative, less adventurous, less everything somehow. I'm rather disappointed in myself, actually. But I think that not having a car most of the year really took the spirit right out of me.
3. Any goals for 2014?
I'm going to be less ambitious this year in the hopes of actually getting at least one of these things done.
1. Attend to at least one house project.
2. Attend more theater.
3. Journal more. I know people are leaving LJ in droves, but I don't feel like I can.
4. Live more healthfully.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this year, though![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mrdorbin and his husband adopted a beautiful baby girl.
5. Did anyone close to you die?
My cousin Matthew, in a turn of events that I could never have predicted.
6. What cities and towns did you visit?
Bainbridge, WA
Centralia, WA
East Setauket, NY
Lake Quinault, WA
Las Vegas, NV
New York, NY
Orlando, FL
Portland, OR
Port Townsend, WA
Quilcene, WA
Seatac, WA
7. What countries did you visit?
This year, none. I stayed in the US.
8. How many nights did you spend away from home?
East Setauket, NY (5)
Lake Quinault, WA (4)
Las Vegas, NV (4)
Orlando, FL (DisneyWorld trip) (6)
Portland, OR (10)
Quilcene, WA (2)
Seatac, WA (Norwescon) (3)
Troutdale, OR (company retreat) (1)
35 nights total and I never left the country, but I certainly did cross it. I wonder what 2014 holds!
9. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
More time and focus to nurture myself as an artist. More focus. More belief in myself and my worthiness for good things.
10. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 8-13, our trip to Disney World.
11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Two big things:
--Helping to win TWO Golden ENnies for The KOBOLD Guide to Worldbuilding
--Being recruited to work for Regence
12. What was your biggest failure?
Not losing more weight. Not finishing and submitting more fiction. Not getting any house projects done. I'm very disappointed in myself for 2013.
13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Happily this year I was pretty healthy. But I am healthy and whole and enormously grateful for it.
14. What was the best thing you bought?
My iPhone. My plan ticket to Orlando. My red Ford Focus SES sedan.
15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
This year? I think all of us merited celebration. We all had tough times at some point.
16. Whose behavior, what situations appalled and depressed you?
The Republican party in Congress.
17. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and paying down debt. The answer to this question rarely changes.
18. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
My trips to Long Island and to Orlando.
19. Compared to this time last year, you are . . .
Heavier and pretty frustrated about it; more employed and more financially stable. Unhappy with myself about the state of my writing. Resigned about my lack of dating.
20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Being more creative in general. Being more aggressive about meeting people online. Saving more money.
21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wishing I was writing. Wishing I was losing more weight. Waiting to buy a new car.
22. How did you spend Christmas?
Spent it at the home ofgrubbstreet and that delightful band of disreputable suspects. We had an enormous dinner of turkey, sided by green beans, mushrooms, salad, dinner rolls, my apple-crusted sweet potatoes, pies, cookies, and lots of wine.
23. Did you fall in love in 2013?
My heart was engaged--and still searching, too.
24. What were your favorite TV programs? Were there programs you stopped watching?
Favorites were Big Bang Theory, Project Runway, and Downton Abbey.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope.
26. What was the best book you read?
It's a tie: Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore and Farthing by Jo Walton
27. What did you want and get?
I wanted a smart phone and got one at the beginning of December.
28. What did you want and not get?
I wanted to keep my silver Ford Focus for several more years. Instead, I got rear-ended and the car was totaled. For 8 months I tried the carless lifestyle and found myself frustrated and unhappy. Ultimately I got another car that I like a great deal, but I would've given anything not to go through yet another car accident and car loss.
29. What were your favorite films of this year?
I saw so many movies this year, and yet I didn't review as many of them as I thought I did, so I don't remember many of them movies I saw. Interestingly, there were so many I wanted to see that I didn't get to, that it's hard for me to make choices. Of the films I wrote about, these are the ones I enjoyed the most.
Fanie Fourie's Lobola
Twenty Feet from Stardom
Thor: The Dark World
30. What was your favorite play or musical of the year?
Honestly, I think that I enjoyed the Cirque du Soleil show, "Zumanity", that I saw in Vegas the best of any I saw this year.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I marked 51 years this year. I went hiking with Elizabeth that day and it was, as I recall, a lovely thing.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
One thing? Getting a car a lot sooner than I did. Also, getting at least one house project completed.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
A little more stylish with an emphasis on accessories.
34. What kept you sane?
Sleep. Books.davidlevine. My amazing circle of friends.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
36. Whom did you miss?
Mark. My mom.
37. Who was the best new person you met? Who did you reconnect with?
Th best people I met were my new coworkers. So many of them are so cool. I landed in a really good place in terms of the people and I'm pleased about that.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned--or relearned--in 2013.
No one's ever really lost if you go looking for them. I think of this in context of my reconnecting with family in the wake of my cousin Matthew's death. The toughest thing about this is keeping in touch and reforging the connection. I've made a point to call and send cards. There's been no reciprocation from the other side, though my 80+ year old aunt occasionally leaves a note for me on Facebook, which is very dear. I must call her this weekend, and make sure the connection is secure.
I send my wishes to everyone here for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. May we all have and keep the good things and successes that we strive for, and may we all survive and thrive in 2014. I send my love.
--Bought a smart phone
--Had a project of mine win two industry awards
--Wrote the introduction for a friend's collection of short stories
Otherwise, not a lot of newness in 2013, though maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.
2. Did you make any New Year's Goals for 2013 and, if so, did you meet them?
I made goals, but I didn't meet most of them. 2013 seemed to be a year in which it was hard for me to get anything done at all and I'm not sure why. I was less creative, less adventurous, less everything somehow. I'm rather disappointed in myself, actually. But I think that not having a car most of the year really took the spirit right out of me.
3. Any goals for 2014?
I'm going to be less ambitious this year in the hopes of actually getting at least one of these things done.
1. Attend to at least one house project.
2. Attend more theater.
3. Journal more. I know people are leaving LJ in droves, but I don't feel like I can.
4. Live more healthfully.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this year, though
mrdorbin and his husband adopted a beautiful baby girl.5. Did anyone close to you die?
My cousin Matthew, in a turn of events that I could never have predicted.
6. What cities and towns did you visit?
Bainbridge, WA
Centralia, WA
East Setauket, NY
Lake Quinault, WA
Las Vegas, NV
New York, NY
Orlando, FL
Portland, OR
Port Townsend, WA
Quilcene, WA
Seatac, WA
7. What countries did you visit?
This year, none. I stayed in the US.
8. How many nights did you spend away from home?
East Setauket, NY (5)
Lake Quinault, WA (4)
Las Vegas, NV (4)
Orlando, FL (DisneyWorld trip) (6)
Portland, OR (10)
Quilcene, WA (2)
Seatac, WA (Norwescon) (3)
Troutdale, OR (company retreat) (1)
35 nights total and I never left the country, but I certainly did cross it. I wonder what 2014 holds!
9. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
More time and focus to nurture myself as an artist. More focus. More belief in myself and my worthiness for good things.
10. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 8-13, our trip to Disney World.
11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Two big things:
--Helping to win TWO Golden ENnies for The KOBOLD Guide to Worldbuilding
--Being recruited to work for Regence
12. What was your biggest failure?
Not losing more weight. Not finishing and submitting more fiction. Not getting any house projects done. I'm very disappointed in myself for 2013.
13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Happily this year I was pretty healthy. But I am healthy and whole and enormously grateful for it.
14. What was the best thing you bought?
My iPhone. My plan ticket to Orlando. My red Ford Focus SES sedan.
15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
This year? I think all of us merited celebration. We all had tough times at some point.
16. Whose behavior, what situations appalled and depressed you?
The Republican party in Congress.
17. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and paying down debt. The answer to this question rarely changes.
18. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
My trips to Long Island and to Orlando.
19. Compared to this time last year, you are . . .
Heavier and pretty frustrated about it; more employed and more financially stable. Unhappy with myself about the state of my writing. Resigned about my lack of dating.
20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Being more creative in general. Being more aggressive about meeting people online. Saving more money.
21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wishing I was writing. Wishing I was losing more weight. Waiting to buy a new car.
22. How did you spend Christmas?
Spent it at the home of
grubbstreet and that delightful band of disreputable suspects. We had an enormous dinner of turkey, sided by green beans, mushrooms, salad, dinner rolls, my apple-crusted sweet potatoes, pies, cookies, and lots of wine.23. Did you fall in love in 2013?
My heart was engaged--and still searching, too.
24. What were your favorite TV programs? Were there programs you stopped watching?
Favorites were Big Bang Theory, Project Runway, and Downton Abbey.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope.
26. What was the best book you read?
It's a tie: Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore and Farthing by Jo Walton
27. What did you want and get?
I wanted a smart phone and got one at the beginning of December.
28. What did you want and not get?
I wanted to keep my silver Ford Focus for several more years. Instead, I got rear-ended and the car was totaled. For 8 months I tried the carless lifestyle and found myself frustrated and unhappy. Ultimately I got another car that I like a great deal, but I would've given anything not to go through yet another car accident and car loss.
29. What were your favorite films of this year?
I saw so many movies this year, and yet I didn't review as many of them as I thought I did, so I don't remember many of them movies I saw. Interestingly, there were so many I wanted to see that I didn't get to, that it's hard for me to make choices. Of the films I wrote about, these are the ones I enjoyed the most.
Fanie Fourie's Lobola
Twenty Feet from Stardom
Thor: The Dark World
30. What was your favorite play or musical of the year?
Honestly, I think that I enjoyed the Cirque du Soleil show, "Zumanity", that I saw in Vegas the best of any I saw this year.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I marked 51 years this year. I went hiking with Elizabeth that day and it was, as I recall, a lovely thing.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
One thing? Getting a car a lot sooner than I did. Also, getting at least one house project completed.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
A little more stylish with an emphasis on accessories.
34. What kept you sane?
Sleep. Books.
davidlevine. My amazing circle of friends.35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
36. Whom did you miss?
Mark. My mom.
37. Who was the best new person you met? Who did you reconnect with?
Th best people I met were my new coworkers. So many of them are so cool. I landed in a really good place in terms of the people and I'm pleased about that.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned--or relearned--in 2013.
No one's ever really lost if you go looking for them. I think of this in context of my reconnecting with family in the wake of my cousin Matthew's death. The toughest thing about this is keeping in touch and reforging the connection. I've made a point to call and send cards. There's been no reciprocation from the other side, though my 80+ year old aunt occasionally leaves a note for me on Facebook, which is very dear. I must call her this weekend, and make sure the connection is secure.
I send my wishes to everyone here for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. May we all have and keep the good things and successes that we strive for, and may we all survive and thrive in 2014. I send my love.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
hooAHH
Date: Sat, Jan. 4th, 2014 09:49 pm (UTC)Where does creative work fit in your plans this year? ((To the extent that plans exist, of course.)) How do you figure this will get its teeth enmeshed with the other turning gears of your life?