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Friday, December 28, 2007
the obligatory year-end survey meme
1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before? Enrolled in college. Bought a house. Participated in SERIOUS DIY (or DIWTHOYDAMF --that's Do It With The Help Of Your Dad And Many Friends) renovations.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember if I made any resolutions last year. (Gee, Rachel, maybe you should check for the last time you did this survey?) I haven't thought far enough ahead to make any yet for next year, but I'm thinking maybe the standard what-the-heck-I'll-only-break-them-anyway resolutions will do: Lose weight and get in better shape, have more financial discipline (actually, this one I will have to keep or they will take away our house, and that's not pretty), keep the house tidy. I hear you laughing.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Susan did! Greetings, Tabitha! Susan provides me with fodder for this question pretty much every year. Go Susan! :)
4. Did anyone close to you die? Our next-door neighbor (at the time) did. I don't think there was anyone else.
5. What countries did you visit? HA! Har har. Tee hee. You so funny.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Great faith (sigh) and, as always, discipline.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? June 20th: the day our landlord dropped the bomb. October 5th: The day our offer was accepted on the house. November 29th: The day we closed escrow, finally.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Not killing our landlord. What. OK, I think I made straight A's in my college classes (for all nine units I completed during the year), and I know I did every assignment in every class, which I haven't done since sometime in the third grade, or maybe before.
9. What was your biggest failure? I was, generally speaking, a slob.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing serious. The miserable stomach bug that has just departed only seems serious because it was so recent, right?
11. What was the best thing you bought? A house.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My parents deserve a medal. They have put us up since mid-September, tolerating our extremely annoying here-just-long-enough-to-eat-and-make-a-mess status for the first few weeks of that time as well as the past month; they've watched our kids while we were off gallivanting working and/or painting; they've pretty much made the work on the house possible with their expertise, tools and help. There are other friends who are also contributing to our well-being in huge and selfless ways, like our friends who have lent us a vehicle and many power tools and bought us an engine and helped with tons of stuff on the house, and Tolley's dad who donated his real estate commission for our closing costs, and other friends who have saved us tons of money by telling us what to do and/or helping us do it, and of course there are lots of people who have been awesome just in general ways that have nothing to do with us. Anyone with creative ideas for how to thank these people beyond holding a barbecue and giving a teary-eyed speech over dessert? *snif*
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My own, at times.
14. Where did most of your money go? Ordinary bills, Lowes, and Home Depot.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The house, for the about three seconds that it was neither a paperwork nightmare nor a huge monumental task to be completed. Seeing Jenn in Morro Bay. Going to Morro Bay in general.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007? Well, 2007 was The First Year of the iPod, so I listened to a LOT of new-to-me music. Maybe "Fidelity".
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?? a) don't remember how I felt this time last year b) maybe a wee bit fatter and c) richer in assets (thanks to a good amount of sweat equity), poorer in cash
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Spent time with my friends. Also, I feel like for the past few months, since I've had free-and-easy babysitting, ESPECIALLY for the last month which is about the only time we've actually taken advantage of the above, I haven't seen my kids as much as I'm used to. I'm looking forward to getting back into our routine.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Griped.
20. How did you spend Christmas? Here at my parents', with much eating.
21. Did you fall in love in 2007? Over and over again, with the same person.
22. What was your favorite TV program? I only watched one (Jericho, via the Internet).
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No. I find it hard to hate pretty much anyone for more than a few seconds at a time.
24. What was the best book you read? Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Regina Spektor.
26. What did you want and get? oh gosh. So, so much.
27. What did you want and not get? Nothing worth having that isn't worth waiting for.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? I have only watched one film that was actually made in 2007 (people, I am so cultured, no?), and it was just eh-ok. (Martian Child.)
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I celebrated turning 33 with my family here at home.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I had suddenly been transformed into a size-eight, disciplined, more cheerful version of myself. Or if the house thing had gone more smoothly and we hadn't had to impose on my parents for so long. Otherwise, nothing.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Well, I finally started wearing jeans that SIT SLIGHTLY BELOW WAIST. Still overall rather Mom-ish, though.
32. What kept you sane? Sometimes it was the grace of God and nothing else, and that only by a hair. (Also, there's the fact that if I really do have a genuine nervous breakdown, it will scar the poor kids for life.)
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I do not fancy celebrities or public figures.
34. What political issue stirred you the most? I have become nearly apolitical as a general rule. I mean, I have firm positions on issues, but I don't get riled about them.
35. Whom did you miss? Lots of people.
36. Who was a nice new person you met? Sarah, a friend in my English class.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. NEVAH, NEVAH, NEVAH give up. OK, so I didn't hear the WORDS in 2007, but I certainly took them to heart in a very real way.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Oh, I am so bad at this. Let me rummage through my iTunes playlists... hmm... OK, this one, as a prayer for what should be, as the rest of the song intends, and not necessarily a statement of current affairs:
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou my inheritance, now and always:
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High king of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
(from "Be Thou My Vision").
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OK, everyone, your turn now. whew.
Comments
Regina Spektor, eh? Oh my gosh, you and my friend E.
I have to laugh too at the travelling question. Um, not so much for us, either.
Posted by: Beck at December 29, 2007 11:11 AM
Go Susan?! Nay, I had nothing to do with it!
Well, a little perhaps. ;-)
(She is suuuuuch a fussy little creature. May possibly be the one to make us cry UNCLE! and thus end the fodder for your year-end-memes. *sigh*)
Let's hear it for birth control babies!
Posted by: Susan at December 30, 2007 07:37 AM
