Okay, Pretend It's January 1st ...
There was actually some talk about making a New Year's resolution to post more on LJ. Not sure I exactly made that resolution, but I do intend to try to post more and failing to post anything to mark the end of the year is not a very good start!
So here are a couple of New Year's memes:
Cribbed from alphabet26
1. What did you do in 2013 that you had never done before?
Built a house! (mostly)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and did you make more for next year?
Yes! (mostly) and yes, I made one.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one close enough that I got to hold a baby. :(
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, we lost my Aunt Dot, my Aunt Miriam, and a family friend, Mrs. Collins.
5. What countries did you visit?
I was trying to come up with a new smart-ass way to say "none" when I remembered! I went to Canada!! What's more, it's the first time I had ever been there.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
A FINISHED house.
7. What date from 2013 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
There were several seriously momentous events that happened this year but the dates are so far from etched that I have already forgotten them.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Building a house! (mostly)
9. What was your biggest failure?
Rooting for the Texans.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, no.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A house! (mostly)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The new pope (among others).
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Adam Lanza (among others). I just remembered this happened in 2012, so I'll say the NRA and others, in response to it. Among others.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Hee! As my husband likes to put it, we go out every morning and throw a bucket of money over the fence.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My house! Hobbit movies! Banff! Utah Shakespeare! Pottery! Thinner clothes! A return play on a missed field goal!
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Far over ... the Misty Mountains cold ...
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. Happier or sadder? Happier.
b. Thinner or fatter? Much thinner. :)
c. Richer or poorer? Poorer in money, of course, but it doesn't feel poorer. Quite the opposite.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Posting on LiveJournal. Organizing and cleaning.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Hearing bad news.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
In Florida, with my family.
21. How did you spend New Years?
Cooking and watching football with family and friends.
22. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Yes, with the writing of Megan Whalen Turner, the acting of Richard Armitage, and the dancing of Rhett Guter. :)
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Probably "Breaking Bad."
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Imagine Dragons.
27. Favorite film?
Duh, The Hobbit. (Which one? I'll have to say the first one.)
28. What did you want and get?
A house! (mostly)
29. What did you want and not get?
A house finished by Christmas.
30. What was your favorite live/stage experience of this year?
"Peter and the Starcatcher." Specifically, the second time I saw it (at USF), in the 4th row.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I can't remember what I did, except read a lot of wonderful birthday wishes via FaceBook and card. I was 52.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A better economic performance in the US and Europe.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Chicos, bought used on eBay.
34. What kept you sane?
Who says I am?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Thorin Oakenshield & John Thornton.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Fiscal policy & reproductive health.
37. Whom did you miss?
My son the most. Somehow never seeing him because he's far away in New York is much worse than never seeing him because he's in college across town.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
Sugar is Bad.
Cribbed from second-batgirl
1. Your main fandom of the year:
Honestly, probably Utah Shakespeare. Runner-up would be Tolkien.
2. Your favorite film this year:
(see above)
3. Your favorite book this year:
Counting only new reads: The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner. Runners-up: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy.
4. Your favorite album or song this year:
Night Visions by Imagine Dragons.
5. Your favorite TV show this year:
Breaking Bad. Also, The Mindy Project.
6. Your favorite LJ/DW community this year:
sounis
7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year:
New American Playwright Project and REACH Cabaret at Utah Shakes.
8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year:
Probably Season 2 of Korra. I didn't dislike it like some people but it was underwhelming.
9. Your fandom boyfriend of the year:
Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror.
10. Your fandom girlfriend of the year:
Alicia Florrick.
11. Your biggest squee moment of the year:
Gandalf and Thorin in Bree.
12. Your most missed old fandom:
This is kind of complicated but what I miss most is enjoying/discussing The Lord of the Rings with my Harry Potter fandom friends.
13. Your fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Emma Approved.
14. Your biggest anticipation of the New Year:
MY HOUSE! Oh wait, that's not a fandom, though it totally should be. Okay then, The Hobbit: There and Back Again. (also, the Auburn-Florida State game on Monday)
[Edited to add:]
A post about 2013 seems incomplete without mentioning the following. I know a lot of people had a bad 2013 and it had some bad parts for me too, especially the deaths and some other family things, but for me it was a magical year. Recently I was looking through my old LJ posts (trying to find something I wrote about Tolkien) and I came across this, which I wrote in 2002, about a month after I started this LJ. It was a list of 100 random things about me, and the very last one was:
1. My dearest wish is to be able to afford to build a nice house with a library, a swimming pool, and lots of storage space. This wish does not look like coming true in the near future.
But (eleven years later) it has come true! My dearest wish! If you see my FaceBook posts, you'll know how perfectly that describes my new house.
The other thing that has made this year feel like a dream is that I gave up sugar/sweets last November (due to being told I'm at high risk for developing diabetes) and I've lost 45 pounds (so far!) as a result. I'm almost down to my "ideal weight" and I'm enjoying clothes/mirrors much more than I have in years, plus I'm in waaaaay better shape for jogging/hiking/climbing stairs/etc. I have more energy for housework, too, which is good because there has been and will be a LOT of it associated with moving house.
And then there were some really nice trips/vacations. West Texas to celebrate my husband's aunt's 90th birthday, Alabama cemetery/family history tour with my father and brothers, Florida with my parents, daughter, and "twin cousin" Rosemary, Chicago with wahlee_98, connielane, and chicagoamy (and sister-in-law, niece, and husband), Banff/Calgary with my husband & kids, driving with my son up to Poughkeepsie, Albany with my cousin Rosemary (again), July in Florida with my parents and brothers and their families, TWO trips to Utah, where I got to introduce TWO new people (my mom and our friend Ray) to the Shakespeare Festival, Thanksgiving in West Texas with my husband's family, and, finally, Christmas in Florida with both kids. It was really a joyful year. I mean ... I got to see wahlee_98 three times and connielane twice!
So here are a couple of New Year's memes:
Cribbed from alphabet26
1. What did you do in 2013 that you had never done before?
Built a house! (mostly)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and did you make more for next year?
Yes! (mostly) and yes, I made one.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one close enough that I got to hold a baby. :(
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, we lost my Aunt Dot, my Aunt Miriam, and a family friend, Mrs. Collins.
5. What countries did you visit?
I was trying to come up with a new smart-ass way to say "none" when I remembered! I went to Canada!! What's more, it's the first time I had ever been there.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
A FINISHED house.
7. What date from 2013 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
There were several seriously momentous events that happened this year but the dates are so far from etched that I have already forgotten them.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Building a house! (mostly)
9. What was your biggest failure?
Rooting for the Texans.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, no.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A house! (mostly)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The new pope (among others).
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Adam Lanza (among others). I just remembered this happened in 2012, so I'll say the NRA and others, in response to it. Among others.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Hee! As my husband likes to put it, we go out every morning and throw a bucket of money over the fence.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My house! Hobbit movies! Banff! Utah Shakespeare! Pottery! Thinner clothes! A return play on a missed field goal!
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Far over ... the Misty Mountains cold ...
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a. Happier or sadder? Happier.
b. Thinner or fatter? Much thinner. :)
c. Richer or poorer? Poorer in money, of course, but it doesn't feel poorer. Quite the opposite.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Posting on LiveJournal. Organizing and cleaning.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Hearing bad news.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
In Florida, with my family.
21. How did you spend New Years?
Cooking and watching football with family and friends.
22. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Yes, with the writing of Megan Whalen Turner, the acting of Richard Armitage, and the dancing of Rhett Guter. :)
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Probably "Breaking Bad."
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Imagine Dragons.
27. Favorite film?
Duh, The Hobbit. (Which one? I'll have to say the first one.)
28. What did you want and get?
A house! (mostly)
29. What did you want and not get?
A house finished by Christmas.
30. What was your favorite live/stage experience of this year?
"Peter and the Starcatcher." Specifically, the second time I saw it (at USF), in the 4th row.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I can't remember what I did, except read a lot of wonderful birthday wishes via FaceBook and card. I was 52.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A better economic performance in the US and Europe.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Chicos, bought used on eBay.
34. What kept you sane?
Who says I am?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Thorin Oakenshield & John Thornton.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Fiscal policy & reproductive health.
37. Whom did you miss?
My son the most. Somehow never seeing him because he's far away in New York is much worse than never seeing him because he's in college across town.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
Sugar is Bad.
Cribbed from second-batgirl
1. Your main fandom of the year:
Honestly, probably Utah Shakespeare. Runner-up would be Tolkien.
2. Your favorite film this year:
(see above)
3. Your favorite book this year:
Counting only new reads: The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner. Runners-up: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell and Lucy Carmichael by Margaret Kennedy.
4. Your favorite album or song this year:
Night Visions by Imagine Dragons.
5. Your favorite TV show this year:
Breaking Bad. Also, The Mindy Project.
6. Your favorite LJ/DW community this year:
sounis
7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year:
New American Playwright Project and REACH Cabaret at Utah Shakes.
8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year:
Probably Season 2 of Korra. I didn't dislike it like some people but it was underwhelming.
9. Your fandom boyfriend of the year:
Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror.
10. Your fandom girlfriend of the year:
Alicia Florrick.
11. Your biggest squee moment of the year:
Gandalf and Thorin in Bree.
12. Your most missed old fandom:
This is kind of complicated but what I miss most is enjoying/discussing The Lord of the Rings with my Harry Potter fandom friends.
13. Your fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Emma Approved.
14. Your biggest anticipation of the New Year:
MY HOUSE! Oh wait, that's not a fandom, though it totally should be. Okay then, The Hobbit: There and Back Again. (also, the Auburn-Florida State game on Monday)
[Edited to add:]
A post about 2013 seems incomplete without mentioning the following. I know a lot of people had a bad 2013 and it had some bad parts for me too, especially the deaths and some other family things, but for me it was a magical year. Recently I was looking through my old LJ posts (trying to find something I wrote about Tolkien) and I came across this, which I wrote in 2002, about a month after I started this LJ. It was a list of 100 random things about me, and the very last one was:
1. My dearest wish is to be able to afford to build a nice house with a library, a swimming pool, and lots of storage space. This wish does not look like coming true in the near future.
But (eleven years later) it has come true! My dearest wish! If you see my FaceBook posts, you'll know how perfectly that describes my new house.
The other thing that has made this year feel like a dream is that I gave up sugar/sweets last November (due to being told I'm at high risk for developing diabetes) and I've lost 45 pounds (so far!) as a result. I'm almost down to my "ideal weight" and I'm enjoying clothes/mirrors much more than I have in years, plus I'm in waaaaay better shape for jogging/hiking/climbing stairs/etc. I have more energy for housework, too, which is good because there has been and will be a LOT of it associated with moving house.
And then there were some really nice trips/vacations. West Texas to celebrate my husband's aunt's 90th birthday, Alabama cemetery/family history tour with my father and brothers, Florida with my parents, daughter, and "twin cousin" Rosemary, Chicago with wahlee_98, connielane, and chicagoamy (and sister-in-law, niece, and husband), Banff/Calgary with my husband & kids, driving with my son up to Poughkeepsie, Albany with my cousin Rosemary (again), July in Florida with my parents and brothers and their families, TWO trips to Utah, where I got to introduce TWO new people (my mom and our friend Ray) to the Shakespeare Festival, Thanksgiving in West Texas with my husband's family, and, finally, Christmas in Florida with both kids. It was really a joyful year. I mean ... I got to see wahlee_98 three times and connielane twice!