1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
This was basically the year of adult decisions: I stuck to a budget for the first time ever, bought a house, adopted our dogs, basically kept on track with healthy eating (although I've strayed during this holiday season, oh, how I've strayed). Oh! And I am actually entertaining the thought that I might have a shot at learning a musical instrument, since we moved the piano into the house and Nate insists that I am a quick study. He has a lot of building me up to do, after my sisters' tore me down musically when I was seven and recorded "That's what friends are for" in the mall. I guess I never did recover from that.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Goals for next year: I covered some of these in my first blog (ever) two entries ago, butI want to pursue some interests I've been postponing for a while now. I want to get good at running, start building up a metal smithing office in the barn, get our raised vegetable beds going, and keep the flower beds in good condition.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
So many people! My sister just bore me an adorable niece, Jolie, who truly is the fattest and cutest baby alive. If I could figure out how to post pictures on this thing, I would, right now.
Also, my lady friends Kristen and Catherine had babies this year: Emmett and Marion, respectively. Both are healthy, beautiful babies. All this baby making has put my ovaries into overdrive. Nate's too. We both stare at babies and toddlers with sappy, moist eyes these days. God, we're pathetic.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Not one, but did I mention we are going to France this spring? Well, we are.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
More organization, more motivation to work on getting this house set up so that it isn't so cluttered downstairs and completely empty upstairs. A shit-ton more energy.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I sound like a broken record, but I won't forget moving day on 10/31. We moved everything on that day, I wept while cleaning the kitchen of the rental house from sheer exhaustion, then Nate had a show in Portsmouth that they played while dressed as ZZ Top which I only made it to the beginning of. I went home, alone, only to discover that the power was out and I was alone in the dark on the first night in our creepy old house, and I had no idea where the flashlights were. I stood, paralyzed in the dark for a full 10 minutes before I could bring myself to go up the stairs and crawl under the blankets.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a hold on our finances.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Being generally paralyzed by the daily rut of things. I really need to learn to shake that.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have had 2 headcolds in the past month, and I hadn't been sick in 3 years before that. I blame the dogs and all of the freezing cold walks I've been taking.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
The house. The treadmill. Besides that, my money's been mostly going to food and books. And beer, now that the local pub lets dogs in again. Ha, that sentence makes it sound like I'm talking about ME. No, I meant my actual dogs.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
This question sounds snippy to me, am I imagining that it's meant to be a passive agressive invitation to criticize someone's past behavior?
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Oh, I get it.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Into this house, fancy cheeses, animal care, home depot, a few Anthropologie dresses.15. What did you get really excited about?
Farm livin'. Of course, it's easy to get excited about when it's winter and no work really needs to be done. When it's summer and I'm getting home from work and weeding for 3 hours a night I might change my tune.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"Lovecraft in Brooklyn" by the Mountain Goats. I listened to it quite a bit this year. Also, "Make a plan to love me" by Bright Eyes. So romantical, that second one.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? More temporarily dissatisfied, due to our house guest.
– thinner or fatter? Slightly fatter, got to get that under control.
– richer or poorer? Less in the bank, but more credit at my disposal I guess.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Taken more weekends away with Nate or even my girlfriends.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Couch-sitting, which is what I'm doing now, but we are in a BLIZZARD, for eff's sake.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At Nate's father's house down the road, and then we went to my parent's house, where it was sheer chaos, but we scooted out within 3 hours guilt trip free.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I gave my heart to two hot bitches with large haunches and giant flapping teats.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
True Blood, for sure.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Heh, no.
24. What was the best book you read?
The Debt to Pleasure, by John Lanchester. It's a cookbook/memoir as written by an aristocratic serial killer. So funny and strange.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I can't think of a single band I just started listening to this year. I basically keep the same ten CDs in my car and listen to them over and over and over again. I did discover one song I really liked: Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright.
26. What did you want and get?
A home near my family, for all of the children in my family to be healthy and happy, for my partner to still love and like me, and vice versa, after our trying year of fiscal responsibility.
27. What did you want and not get?
A really sweet pair of Frye riding boots. Some Miller Harris Geranium Bourbon perfume.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Ohhh, I don't know. We just saw Avatar, and that was awesome. I also really liked Oldboy, which was not a new movie but extremely strange.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I invited a very small group of people over for wine n cheese, and got extremely drunk very quickly despite eating 10 lbs of cheese and bread, so I missed out on most of the fun.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A 6 month sabbatical and $100,000.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Sweats and fleece jackets. Sad. I did buy some pretty dresses, but didn't wear them very often.
32. What kept you sane?
Laughing. Already being laid back.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Most celebrities are revolting, but I can't help but think that Jake Gyllenhaal is pretty darn cute.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The economy and the healthcare reform issue.
35. Who did you miss?
The kids in my family when I hadn't seen them for a while.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
My twenty year old niece, who I had met before but on different terms. She's a young woman now, and one that I like very, very much.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
There's always something you can do without. Physical exhaustion helps you to sleep. When you invite someone to stay at your house, give them a definitive time limit at the beginning for your own sanity.
From "Swimming Song":
This summer I went swimming,
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around, I moved my arms around.
This summer I swam in the ocean,
And I swam in a swimming pool,
Salt my wounds, chlorine my eyes,
I'm a self-destructive fool, a self-destructive fool.
This summer I swam in a public place
And a reservoir, to boot,
At the latter I was informal,
At the former I wore my suit, I wore my swimming suit.
This summer I did the backstroke
And you know that's not all
I did the breast stroke and the butterfly
And the old Australian crawl, the old Australian crawl.
This summer I did swan dives
And jackknifes for you all
And once when you weren't looking
I did a cannonball, I did a cannonball.
