14.75 hours until 2011
Fri, Dec. 31st, 2010 09:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scarlettinaI woke this morning to discover frost on the balcony railing. It's 9:15 AM in Seattle, and the old year is slowly winding down. Here's my annual year-end survey, possibly the most useful meme ever to emerge on LiveJournal.
1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
1. Traveled the North Cascade Highway
2. Trod through the tidepools at Golden Gardens park
3. Attended the Highland Games
4. Gave Spanky medication by injection
5. Went to the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum
2. Did you keep make any New Year's Resolutions for 2010 and, if so, did you keep them?
Nope, no resolutions made.
3. Any resolutions for 2011?
1. Write more fiction.
2. Take more pictures.
3. Live healthier.
4. Be a good friend.
5. Be a good sister.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
miss_swamp gave birth to Miss Ellen. And mrdorbin and southplains adopted handsome little Zach.
5. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.
6. What cities and towns did you visit?
I went to New York City to sightsee and visit family and friends. I went to Boston, MA for the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money. In Oregon, I visited Toledo, Newport, and Portland to see friends. In Washington state, I visited Leavenworth, Winthrop, Twisp, Lake Chelan and all those pretty, interesting little towns on the Cascade Loop.
7. What countries did you visit?
Just the US this year.
8. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
More international travel. More tickets to the theater. More time and focus to write, to take pictures and, in general, to nurture myself as an artist.
9. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't want to talk about it.
10. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I feel like it's been a pretty flat year in terms of achievements. If getting and keeping employment can be said to be an achievement, then that may be the biggest achievement of 2010.
11. What was your biggest failure?
Not being a better girlfriend tojackwilliambell.
12. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I broke my hand whenjackwilliambell and I went to see Iron Man 2. That being the case, I blame Robert Downey Jr. Happily, when I finally saw the film, he was hot enough that it was a consolation to me.
13. What was the best thing you bought?
My new winter coat: warm, stylish, classic. I love it.
14. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All of us, for getting through another year.
15. Whose behavior, what situations appalled and depressed you?
The number of friends who have had to deal with traumatic illness and injury. I guess it's that time of life, but it saddens me. I want us all to be healthier and happier in 2011. I was appalled by the behavior of the Republicans in the House of Representatives. And I was appalled and depressed by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drill platform and the subsequent pollution of the Gulf of Mexico. What a nightmare. And the most depressing thing about it is that something like that will probably happen again.
16. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and paying down debt. The answer to this question never really changes.
17. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeingclea_s for the first time in nearly 30 years. Driving the Cascade Loop, which I've wanted to do for a really long time.
18. Compared to this time last year, you are . . .
A little heavier, a little older, much less in debt, much more employed.
19. What do you wish you'd done more of?
More writing, more photography, more art of one sort or another.
20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I'd been less reluctant to attend to important stuff around the house; it's so nice when they're addressed. There will be more addressing important stuff around the house in 2011.
21. How did you spend Christmas?
On Christmas eve I had sushi for lunch witholdmangrumpus. That evening, he and I went to have Chinese food and see "True Grit" with GS and AMS, both WANOLJ.
22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
No, my heart was already spoken for.
23. What were your favorite TV programs?
Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, Ghost Hunters, Mad Men
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate? No.
25. What was the best book you read?
You know, I read a number of books in 2010, fewer than I would have liked, but enough to have a sampling and, honestly, I didn't like one much more than the others. Stands outs included Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and Lamentation by Ken Scholes, but I can't say I had a favorite.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
The music from the musical City of Angels. I still need to write that post about ripping my CD library to disc and all the rediscoveries I've made. Note to self...
27. What did you want and get?
A full-time job with benefits.
28. What did you want and not get?
I wanted to get more writing done. I wanted to travel more. And one other thing that's too personal to talk about.
29. What were your favorite films of this year?
Black Swan, True Grit How to Train Your Dragon--but for the first time within memory, nothing I want to own. I'm really surprised.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I enjoyed a bagel brunch at my place with some of the usual suspects, and went tidepooling withjackwilliambell out at Golden Gardens for the lowest tide of the year.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding the answers to life's persistent questions.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I don't think I had much of one this year. It was all about comfort, which is usually true anyway.
33. What kept you sane?
Sleep, and my friends.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I'm sick, truly sick, of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, John Boehner, and the entire Republican party and the way they do business. That we had to fight for a health fund for 9/11 first responders because the Republicans wanted tax cuts for the rich is just reprehensible.
35. Whom did you miss?
This year, no one in particular. Lately,jackwilliambell.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Michele, my brother's fiance, and her daughter Valerie. I still don't know them very well, and we haven't had much chance to talk, but I'm hoping for more in the new year.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
I don't think this was a learning so much as it was a reminder: Be true to yourself, no matter how hard it may be.
1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
1. Traveled the North Cascade Highway
2. Trod through the tidepools at Golden Gardens park
3. Attended the Highland Games
4. Gave Spanky medication by injection
5. Went to the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum
2. Did you keep make any New Year's Resolutions for 2010 and, if so, did you keep them?
Nope, no resolutions made.
3. Any resolutions for 2011?
1. Write more fiction.
2. Take more pictures.
3. Live healthier.
4. Be a good friend.
5. Be a good sister.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
miss_swamp gave birth to Miss Ellen. And mrdorbin and southplains adopted handsome little Zach.5. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.
6. What cities and towns did you visit?
I went to New York City to sightsee and visit family and friends. I went to Boston, MA for the American Numismatic Association World's Fair of Money. In Oregon, I visited Toledo, Newport, and Portland to see friends. In Washington state, I visited Leavenworth, Winthrop, Twisp, Lake Chelan and all those pretty, interesting little towns on the Cascade Loop.
7. What countries did you visit?
Just the US this year.
8. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
More international travel. More tickets to the theater. More time and focus to write, to take pictures and, in general, to nurture myself as an artist.
9. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't want to talk about it.
10. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I feel like it's been a pretty flat year in terms of achievements. If getting and keeping employment can be said to be an achievement, then that may be the biggest achievement of 2010.
11. What was your biggest failure?
Not being a better girlfriend to
jackwilliambell.12. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I broke my hand when
jackwilliambell and I went to see Iron Man 2. That being the case, I blame Robert Downey Jr. Happily, when I finally saw the film, he was hot enough that it was a consolation to me.13. What was the best thing you bought?
My new winter coat: warm, stylish, classic. I love it.
14. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All of us, for getting through another year.
15. Whose behavior, what situations appalled and depressed you?
The number of friends who have had to deal with traumatic illness and injury. I guess it's that time of life, but it saddens me. I want us all to be healthier and happier in 2011. I was appalled by the behavior of the Republicans in the House of Representatives. And I was appalled and depressed by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drill platform and the subsequent pollution of the Gulf of Mexico. What a nightmare. And the most depressing thing about it is that something like that will probably happen again.
16. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and paying down debt. The answer to this question never really changes.
17. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Seeing
clea_s for the first time in nearly 30 years. Driving the Cascade Loop, which I've wanted to do for a really long time.18. Compared to this time last year, you are . . .
A little heavier, a little older, much less in debt, much more employed.
19. What do you wish you'd done more of?
More writing, more photography, more art of one sort or another.
20. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I'd been less reluctant to attend to important stuff around the house; it's so nice when they're addressed. There will be more addressing important stuff around the house in 2011.
21. How did you spend Christmas?
On Christmas eve I had sushi for lunch with
oldmangrumpus. That evening, he and I went to have Chinese food and see "True Grit" with GS and AMS, both WANOLJ.22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
No, my heart was already spoken for.
23. What were your favorite TV programs?
Big Bang Theory, Doctor Who, Ghost Hunters, Mad Men
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate? No.
25. What was the best book you read?
You know, I read a number of books in 2010, fewer than I would have liked, but enough to have a sampling and, honestly, I didn't like one much more than the others. Stands outs included Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and Lamentation by Ken Scholes, but I can't say I had a favorite.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
The music from the musical City of Angels. I still need to write that post about ripping my CD library to disc and all the rediscoveries I've made. Note to self...
27. What did you want and get?
A full-time job with benefits.
28. What did you want and not get?
I wanted to get more writing done. I wanted to travel more. And one other thing that's too personal to talk about.
29. What were your favorite films of this year?
Black Swan, True Grit How to Train Your Dragon--but for the first time within memory, nothing I want to own. I'm really surprised.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I enjoyed a bagel brunch at my place with some of the usual suspects, and went tidepooling with
jackwilliambell out at Golden Gardens for the lowest tide of the year.31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding the answers to life's persistent questions.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I don't think I had much of one this year. It was all about comfort, which is usually true anyway.
33. What kept you sane?
Sleep, and my friends.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I'm sick, truly sick, of Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, John Boehner, and the entire Republican party and the way they do business. That we had to fight for a health fund for 9/11 first responders because the Republicans wanted tax cuts for the rich is just reprehensible.
35. Whom did you miss?
This year, no one in particular. Lately,
jackwilliambell.36. Who was the best new person you met?
Michele, my brother's fiance, and her daughter Valerie. I still don't know them very well, and we haven't had much chance to talk, but I'm hoping for more in the new year.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
I don't think this was a learning so much as it was a reminder: Be true to yourself, no matter how hard it may be.