Year in Review, 2010

It’s time to drag this tired old thing out of the closet and beat it again with my memory. Let’s see how we did this year, based on a meme I’ve been filling out pretty regularly for a while now…

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Put an offer on a house

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Kind of – I think I can do better at the teeth brushing in 2011

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not super close, but people I like a lot sure did!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, and it was awful

5. What countries did you visit?
None but my own.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A better idea of where and how we want to live the next chapter of our lives

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why (optional)
I’m not very good with dates, but I’ll always remember the day Kathy died, and all of those days nearby as both foggy and crystally clear

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Almost buying a house felt pretty grown up and important

9. What was your biggest failure?
I’m not sure I really believe in FAILURES anymore, like I said, I could have brushed my teeth more devoutly

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope – ER free (so far, a few days left!)

11. What was the best thing you bought?
my iPhone

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Sky’s — being there for his family, going to work every day

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Some people in my organization, which is a bummer

14. Where did most of your money go?
A fantastic trip to NYC, vet bills for dumb cats, rent

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting engaged, once it all settled in as a reality and we could tell people about it; vacations; looking at houses

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
I’m going to come back to this one because nothing is springing to mind all QUICK LIKE

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Both
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner
iii. richer or poorer? Richer

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

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

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent it with family in Humboldt

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
I re-do frequently

23. How many one-night stands?
0

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Mad Men or Project Runway as those are the two we watched

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
This question is still dumb, I’m a lover not a hater.

26. What was the best book you read?
Patti Smith’s wonderful Just Kids

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hot Chip!

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Too many good ones to count! I’m beginning to think, once again, that this meme is more frustrating than it is enlightening. So I will say my favorite film of the year was the video on YouTube of the cat riding the turtle.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 34 and we — I kind of forgot what we did. Is that terrible? I could cheat and go look at my blog entry… Oh no wait, I’ve remembered. Jaime visited and we spent the last weekend at Kathy & Katie’s house before it was sold. It was a bittersweet few days.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Um, no death?
If I can’t cheat that way, then I’m going to go with no drama/budget/reorg/layoffs @ work instead.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Things that match even when I pull them out of the closet in the dark and put them on without looking, Amen.

34. What kept you sane?
Sky, cats, cookies

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jon Hamm’s crotch

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

37. Who did you miss?
My 20 something self

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Michelle Wagner! She’s an awesome lady. I’ve only hung out with her twice but those two times made an impression, you know?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
Hold loosely, because clenching your fist around people, situations, or ideas won’t change them