Year In Review

I did this last year here, so I'm just redoing it. In case you cared.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Went on a girl's holiday with my Bestest Friend. Just the two of us, tackling a strange city and reading lots of maps.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I never make resolutions. Ha ha. I wrote that last year. But I do want to be more mindful of my health, just like everyone else. And I want to be better about maintaining contact with my family and friends.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Oh, geez. There were three babies born into the family this year. So, yeah.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Sadly, yes. My Aunt Jackie and Uncle Lenny both died. I have to admit that it was hard.

5. What countries did you visit? Hmmm. My passport went unstamped yet again this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? An academic job for my husband next academic school year.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? May 27, the day we got the phone call that my SIL was going to have the twins three months early. We were in Rochester with my other SIL and BIL and we kept getting terse text messages from family members. And when we heard they were born and alive...well, it was quite a day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Giving the cat back without crying too much.

9. What was your biggest failure? I haven't figured out the job thing yet. But I'm making progress.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No. Not once!!

11. What was the best thing you bought? These burp cloths from dodgeboysmom's Etsy shop. I got some for the twins and for our other nephew and then the parents loved them so much I went and got some more!! I got major props for those.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My Best Friend for some real personal progress she made in the last ten months.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The media's incessant reporting of Michael Jackson's death and apparent delusion that he was anything other than a mentally ill pederast.

14. Where did most of your money go? A casual glance at my most recent bank statement shows the biggest outlays going for rent, plane tickets for out of town funerals, groceries, and gasoline. I live life on the edge.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Seeing my Bestest Friend so much over the summer. Possibly moving to Dayton (denied). Possibly moving to Nova Scotia (unlikely, but not impossible). Babies arriving. A cat showing up on our doorstep. Really, it turns out I'm very excitable.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? There are a few. A few we heard over and over again on our recent trip. "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. "Do I" by Luke Bryan. "Big Green Tractor" by Jason Aldean. "Alright" by Darius Rucker. "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? fatter, oh, I don't really want to talk about it
c) richer or poorer? right around the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Spending time with my aunt and uncle when they were dying. Or at least calling them more regularly.

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

20. How did you spend Christmas? At my in-laws' house.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? (Cue cheesy music.) I fall in love with my husband every day. He is my joy. Oh, and the cat. Did I mention that I love that damn cat?

22. What was your favorite TV program? So we were late to get on the Battlestar Gallactica bandwagon, but we have rented through the middle of the second season and it is getting good!! So yeah. And we're still kind of obsessed with Bones even though every episode is the same. We are like five year olds and repetition is good for us.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Ummm..will anyone stone me if I say President Obama? I just want him to act, damn it. Do something. Anything. Don't pussyfoot around. I'm starting to think of him as just another big talker and it's frustrating me. People wanted change - wasn't that message? But change is not a comin' anytime soon. But, ummmm, I guess that's why I'm not a political advisor.

24. What was the best book you read? I reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Francie Nolan became my friend all over again. The young adult book Just Listen by Sarah Dessen is also one of my favorites. I just finished The Girl Who Played with Fire, the sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and man, is that book fabulous. The first book had so much set up, it nearly did me in, but the payoff is great. I read it the last week of 2009, but finished it today, so does it count as a 2009 book?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Great Big Sea. I love them.

26. What did you want and get? Okay, I've been waiting to write about this. My husband got me a Kindle for Christmas!! I love it so much I can hardly stand it. Pro: One little device can hold 1500 books!! Bookshelf space!! Pro: The screen is amazing. So clear. Pro: Built in dictionary. Pro: Weeks without charging! Pro: Amazon stores all your books on the site, so if you lose your Kindle or it breaks, you still have your books. Pro: No wireless connection needed. Pro: Books are cheaper than paper versions and many are free from the Kindle store!

Con: No cover. Con: Limited library. Con: Addictive.

There are some traditionalists out there who are all against e-readers for various ethical and moral reasons, but I say bring it on. My Kindle is awesome.

27. What did you want and not get? Honestly, I can think of nothing. I mean, it would be wonderful if my husband had a job in place for next year already, but we knew that was unlikely.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Up. Coraline. Zombieland. I don't know. Pick one of those.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I went to visit the twins in Dubuque. I was 30.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being able to keep the cat? (I kid, N. I kid. Kind of.)

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Terrifyingly gaudy socks?

32. What kept you sane? Weekends.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I think Nicole Kidman is hot.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? The treatment of sexual assault and domestic violence perpetrators in the media. In particular, I'm thinking about the Chris Brown case. He beats a woman black and blue and there are supporters saying that he's being unfairly judged. Tiger Woods is at the very least emotionally abusive and people are mad at his wife for forcing him to take a leave of absence from golf. Charlie Sheen hits his wife on Christmas and people says she's a liar because she recants. Why can't abusers be held accountable for their actions?

35. Who did you miss? I miss my Uncle Lenny.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Those little babies.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. Don't wish time away. Every day is a valuable day.