Ringing It Out

I don't know if I originally got this from Linda but she's the one who makes it easy to do. For some reason this is the meme that makes me take the new year assessment seriously.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?


Traveled further west in the US than I ever had before, visiting Mt. Hood, Portland and Seattle. Signed up for Twitter. Posted to the internet via my phone. Played Rock Band. Euthanized a beloved pet.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


It seems I didn't make any resolutions for 2009. A lot of this year was an experiment in flying by the seat of my pants, sans lists, sans plans, sans confirming phone calls. It...worked but, you know? I think I'll get more done if I get back to my lists.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


No, no one super close. Someone I recently rediscovered via Facebook gave birth early in the year. And another one adopted. They're both half a world away (in slightly different places). I'm excited for them and their kids are gorgeous!

4. Did anyone close to you die?


My dog, my dear girl. It was horrible. It still is.

5. What countries did you visit?


Still trapped in America. Have my birth certificate now (so much less impressive than I thought it would be) so I'm once step closer. At least I explored more of America. I checked out the wild west and I got more familiar with Wisconsin and Chicago.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Here's what I said last year: "A passport, a job I love, an answer to my cat's health issues, sex." I think I'll stick with those and add a flash, a 50mm lens, an 18-200mm lens and a finished novel.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?


October 3rd was the day I woke up and realized I'd have to let Emily go.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


Gosh I don't feel like I accomplished much this year. Does the fact that I'm still standing here now count? I threw myself my dream birthday party when I turned 40, that was pretty awesome and I still cannot thank everyone who participated enough. It was exactly what I wanted!

9. What was your biggest failure?


Not following through on my writing and performing projects enough is a huge failure and one I continually repeat. Time to break that cycle.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?


Got the swine flu but, frankly, it wasn't all that bad, at least the version I got.

11. What was the best thing you bought?


The best thing I spent money on was having the vet come to my home to help Emily go. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have walked her to a place she hated in order to kill her. She got to go at home with just us. Worth every penny and cost much less than I thought it would.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?


You know, there are a lot of people but, at the risk of playing favorites, I have to say that I've spent the year both envying and celebrating Zelda's ability to move forward, live in the moment and make things work. I don't think she's felt like it was her most successful year and yet I see someone who consistently pays attention to her priorities and works toward her dreams. I've got a lot to learn from her.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?


I've been exposed to some of the craziness of the internet this year. It was instructive and depressing to have a front row seat to the power of the squeaky wheel, the narrow mindedness that can prevail and the useless application of artificial drama. In honor of all those people I failed to kick in the gonads: CUNT!!!!!! Cunt cunt cunt cunt cunt. Cunt. Fucking cunt.

14. Where did most of your money go?


Health insurance. Have I mentioned that in September my monthly premium went up by $300 bringing it to $1530 for just me? I met a relatively famous doctor/author the other day. He had the grace to be appalled. It made me like him even more.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?


My birthday party. My trip out west.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?


Oy, I always have trouble with this one, just not wired this way. For the last month it'd probably be the soundtrack to 1776 but for the whole year? No idea.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?


a. Sadder. Definitely sadder.

b. Little fatter. Thinking about how I want to handle that.

c. I think slightly richer which seems impossible. Don't think that's going to be a trend.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?


In the immortal words of me last year: Work on my career.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?


As I said last year: Worry about my job. Also, play computer games to soothe my mind.

20. How did you spend Christmas?


With friends and family up north. Had beef stew for dinner which was unbelievably delicious!

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?


No.

22. What was your favorite TV program?


Man I love TV. Glee, Mad Men, Saving Grace, Sons of Anarchy just to name a very few.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?


I probably do but since they only sign on to the site as "Anonymous" it's hard to tell.

24. What was the best book you read?


Not a book but a play. Sara Ruhl's Eurydice is fucking spectacular!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?


Chopin Ballad by Melanie Doane, maybe. Didn't make a lot of discoveries musically.

26. What did you want and get?


Clarity about when to let Emily go.

27. What did you want and not get?


Not to have to let her go.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?


This sort of question makes January seem so very far away. Maybe a tie between Away We Go and A Single Man. I recommend both very highly.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?


Had dinner and fancy drinks with a close friend on the actual day then threw a huge, 2 venue party the next day. I turned 40.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?


To have had one of my plays produced.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?


Mmmmm, comfy.

32. What kept you sane?


Am I sane? What I learned about my sanity is that walking my dog was my meditation time and, now that I don't have that, my coping skills are suffering. I'm still working on what to do about that. Writing keeps me sane and always has if I let it. Friends, friends, friends.

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


Without knocking any of my old celeb boyfriends off their pedestal I've greatly ramped up my admiration of Craig Ferguson. His combination of goof and intelligence is ridiculously alluring.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?


Health care. How could it not given where all my money went?

35. Who did you miss?


Emily. Todd.

36. Who was the best new person you met?


Turns out I didn't meet a lot of new people this year. Fortunately I did meet Aaryn Belfer both online and in person and she is glorious.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.


I've learned parts of the lessons around death but I learned some of the more wrenching ones in depth this year. Not excited I had to but can't downplay the value.

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

How about a little Dylan (thanks to Sons of Anarchy for pointing it out):

May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
And may your song always be sung
May you stay forever young

and from the incomparable Kander & Ebb there's a snippet from Cabaret's Maybe This Time:

All the odds are in my favor
Something's bound to begin
It's got to happen, happen sometime
Maybe this time I'll win