End of Year Quiz 2018
For once I'm doing my year-end update before the year actually ends! Weirdly I look forward to doing this lj quiz as much as I look forward to a new BFQOTY every year.
You can find my previous year-end surveys here: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
1. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before?
hired a contracter, lots of DIY projects around the condo, started an affinity group at the UU, GOT A CAT!, stayed in an airBNB, SAW BILLIE PIPER... lots of stuff!
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
last year I resolved to "cut myself down to one box of mac and cheese a week (or none), to make more meals from scratch on the weekends and budget them through the week, and to walk on the greenway at least once a week maybe? when it gets warmer? by the time I do this thing next year I want to be able to do the whole greenway loop!" and shockingly I did most of those! I've done the whole greenway loop twice but not from my door, so hopefully I'll get on that next year (it's about five miles if I don't drive to the parking lot at the entrance). actually I'm surprised I don't see it on here because I actually did make resolutions last year to get on the apps and date and to volunteer usher for Blumenthal (so I can see touring shows for free and meet new people). and I did go on a good number of dates! most of the people I met are just good pals now, nothing more exciting than that sadly (though I did manage to receive a sloppy drunken kiss last February that affirmed that I have NEVER been into dudes cause that was something else entirely)
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
listen.................. all my friends are gay............
4. Did anyone close to you die?
my great aunt Lib passed a couple weeks ago, but closer to home I had the absolutely crushing experience of losing my little white gerbil Pearl to a stroke the day after Halloween and, two weeks later, losing my precious baby Ikki to old age. Ikki was four and a half years old and has been with me since I slept in a hammock in NYC, and that was my absolute baby. that was awful. I still have Johnny Roquefort though, and that boy is Living in his enormous cage now
5. What countries did you visit?
no different countries this year (I bet this quiz was written by a European person) but I did get up to NYC in the spring to visit Kelley and see BILLIE PIPER ONSTAGE (also Bernadette Actual Peters y'all), and in November I drove to Atlanta with Kat and we stayed in a tiny house and saw Conan live and that badass zoo
6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?
I would like to not spend ALL my spare money on condo updates and to actually have some savings in case my 36-year-old HVAC breaks down
7. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't think there were any big ones this year... July 1st was when I finally got my monster renter out and got my new renter in. she's been here half a year now (as long as the previous renter) and we have had like NO conflict... it's a miracle tbh
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
well having both sliding glass doors replaced was massive, but I'm also very smug that I replaced every single beige light switch and outlet in this entire condo with fancy white rocker switches (and put USB charging outlets in each bedroom), and, more recently, I tore the carpet and pad out of my bedroom and installed a gorgeous grey waterproof laminate floor that runs into the closet! it was EXHAUSTING but it looks so gooooood. honestly on the anniversary of the day I bought my condo I made a list of all my DIYs I achieved in my first year here and it was seriously outrageous. ya girl has been busy
9. What was your biggest failure?
hmmm... maybe the fact that once I hit 100 laps in our pool over the summer I never went back because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to beat my own record? and then the pool closed for the winter and I was like damn. also probably never signing up to usher for Blumenthal (but I've been so BUSY). OH NO I KNOW, it was the shitty job I did with my bedroom ceiling! I scraped the popcorn down but then I didn't get it very smooth when I went to patch the rough spots, and I tried to sand it but the sander almost pulled me off the ladder, and then I tried to skim coat it but it was SO TIME CONSUMING I gave up after getting like a two foot square section done, so I just painted it white and covered it in glow-in-the-dark stars and hoped no one would notice how awful it looks haha. I'll do better with the other ceilings cause I'll be READY next time
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
not really, nothing more than some sniffles brought on from running a jigsaw in the cold without wearing a protective mask
11. What was the best thing you bought?
well I paid off my car with my tax return so that was fun! I didn't buy him but I received A BEAUTIFUL CAT he's so dumb and he purrs ALL THE TIME and is obsessed with me and I am obsessed with him. he is an angel
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
my mom was continually wonderful and supportive this year (as she is every year), also the new renter for being so easy to get along with
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
my new renter's ASSHOLE CAT Tuchis!!!! i didn't know it was possible to hate a cat but I had that boy. he's 15 and he's so mean to my cat all the time??? he chases him around and sneaks up on him when he's sleeping to slap him and he has awful diarrheas in my litter box... I know he's really sweet to her and he's a good cat in general but he's REALLY MEAN TO MY CAT which is unforgivable tbh. also my previous renter that I had to evict... I can't even get into all that. just... know that when she moved out, I had to clean old dried spaghetti sauce off the wall behind where her bed was. and she left a bunch of her stuff here including dirty dildos. which I had to dispose of.
14. Where did most of your money go?
home reno stuff dude. ceilings, floors, outlets, light fixtures, the fan, the sliding glass doors... I'm basically a property brother now
15. What were you really, really, really excited about?
CAT! for Christmas I also gave my parents a queen-sized blanket I crocheted for my old room (now their guest room) which I had been working on for the past two years, so that was a Moment too
16. What song will always remind you of 2018?
probably "That's Me" by ABBA. I spent most of July only listening to the LM Mogodor CD and then from like late July until Thanksgiving I listened to literally nothing but the complete works of ABBA
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? I think I'm probably slightly less happy just because I had JUST bought my place this time last year and was beside myself with joy (and that's a hard mood to recreate) but I'm very happy overall! I have a CAT, a great friends' group here in town, I'm in a group chat with my besties from college (we met like eleven years ago now yall) and we got to reunite recently in Greensboro, I've got a good renter (who pays more in rent than I pay in mortgage WINK don't tell her that tho) but... politics have really worn me down man.
b) Bigger or smaller? I think I'm the same size again? that's how metabolisms work
c) Richer or poorer? I mean my condo is almost definitely worth more now thanks to my flips than it was when I moved in, so technically richer I guess? I mostly have my CC paid off and my savings are coming back after the great bedroom floor replacement of 2018 (I sprung for that high-quality shit)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
yeah I wish I'd actually volunteered with Blumenthal but idk WHEN I could have done so? I did a pretty damn good job this year honestly
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
uhh maybe I wish I'd spent a little less? but I also don't wish I hadn't done all these home reno projects so idk what to say about that. I guess I wish I'd put more money on my student loan so I could quit renting faster cause I REALLY wish her room could be a guest room... when people come visit I have to make a bed in the closet and I give them my bed which really confuses my clingy cat
20. How did you spend Christmas?
I went home to my parents' house around midday on Christmas eve and spent a couple hours wrapping the 10x12 foot rug I got my brother (to hilarious results). then we went and looked at some light shows and went to the 11pm service at my childhood Lutheran church. Christmas day we did presents, had a big family lunch, and went to see the Mary Poppins sequel (which I expected to be kinda judgy of but which I actually ADORED) and then I headed home so I could reassure my screaming cat that I had not abandoned him
21. How many one-night stands?
some years I think I should just delete this question. I got kissed at a drag show by a drunk girl I was on a date with and that was actually a surprise to me when it happened bc I am picky in love and a slow mover and insecure so. just hang tight with this question.
22. Did you fall in love in 2018?
with my cat
23. What was your favourite TV programme?
(told you this was written by a european) Doctor Who came back with Jodie Whittaker and it was my EVERYTHING. I'm also currently acquiring the first episode of the new LM miniseries so let's hope it's exciting!
24. How will you see in the New Year?
wellllllll I was gonna throw a shindig (I think of it as my tradition even though it's an every-other-year thing since college) but one of my local friends said she was doing a shindig, but today she actually canceled the event so... I'm probably just gonna be crocheting and playing Stardew Valley with my college friends in our co-op named after our old dorm
25. Do you hate / dislike anyone now that you didn't hate / dislike this time last year?
yep!
26. What was the best book you read?
UPROOTED BY NAOMI NOVIK I've been yelling about it all year! I also got really into Jacqueline Carey's Agent of Hel series. And the new Ember in the Ashes book came out this year which was glorious but ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER DAMMIT
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
SHATNER CLAUS
28. What did you want and get?
new doors, a new bedroom floor, a CAT!, various small kitchen appliances bc I cook most of my meals now, things to entertain my cat, a better renter, wonderful neighbors
29. What did you want and not get?
a new HVAC system, the ability to actually light a fire in my fireplace (I hired an inspector and they p much told me if I lit a fire in there I would set my downstairs neighbor's ceiling on fire), the affection of the person I've quietly had a crush on for like a decade (moving on now!)
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
like a new film? I didn't see many in theatres so p much the only one I saw that I loved was the new Mary Poppins movie I think? idk it's been a long year... OH WAIT NO I LIE, MAMMA MIA 2 DUH
31. What did you do on your birthday?
ON my birthday I think I just went to work and my boss bought cupcakes, but FOR my birthday (a little bit earlier) I went to NYC and Kelley and I saw Billie Piper AND BERNADETTE PETERS on the same day! and I reunited with my old coworkers at Springer which was beautiful and wandered around NYC thinking how happy I was to not live there anymore
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
a different government
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?
well I've given up on all my cute dresses and skirts from my NYC and call center days, and I've picked up lots of weird button-downs at Goodwill which I sometimes wear unbuttoned over a tank. with jeans. and I have a couple pairs of shoes that are like, oxfords kinda? and for christmas i got HOT PINK CHUCKS which I am excited about. so I'm gonna say... lazy lesbian?
34. What kept you sane?
my mom for sure, plus my awesome friends group here in town and our bimonthly GAYme nights. and definitely the UU. our new second minister is (beautiful and) an actual angel.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don't think I liked anyone MORE than I like Diane Dassigny... it was very exciting to see Billie Piper and Bernadette Peters of course cause those are both crushes from Before I Realized. idk I didn't focus as much on celebrities this year as I usually do
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
probably the midterms? I'm one of the voters in that infamous NC district where somebody went door-to-door stealing absentee ballots so THAT was interesting... it's unclear if/when we're gonna get to go vote again??? geez
37. Who did you miss?
I don't really know how to answer this one this year. I wasn't as isolated thanks to the GAYme Night clique as I usually am, so that was nice
38. Who was the best new person you met?
this might be jumping the gun but my most recent okc date was with someone who had the EXACT SAME SENSE OF HUMOR AS ME and knew almost all of the random shows and movies and youtube videos as I did. I can't wait to hang with her again. we went to an advance screening of Aquaman and stood in the parking lot laughing our asses off at whatever we had just witnessed for nearly two hours afterward
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018.
If you block and ignore everyone who doesn't share your exact values and views, you're going to put yourself into an echo chamber of people who only affirm what you already want to believe and you will become so convinced that your way is the Only Way that you will be unable to handle interactions with someone who is looking at the world from a different angle than you are. It's okay to spend time with, listen to, and respect people with whom you disagree. You will never be able to change a heart with insults and disrespect.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"I don't believe in fairy tales / Sweet nothings in my ear / But I do believe in sympathy"
41. What was your favourite moment of the year?
hmmm probably the Atlanta trip? I love a really, really good laugh and Conan was beyond hysterical (and Flula Borg was with him and I have loved him since the Jennifer poops at parties video in like 2008). that and how awesome the zoo was?? but I also had Vincent come visit from Paris last week or so and we went to Winterfest at Carowinds (I keep telling him the rides at Eurodisney suck compared to little old Carowinds) and he loved the one coaster that was actually open (Top Gun) so much that he started saying he's gonna try to come visit me in the summer sometime so we can go to Carowinds properly when everything is open
42. What was your least favourite moment of the year?
I had the joy of reliving the clique drama of my early 20s at one point in the year, but was luckily able to remove myself from the situation this time. If anyone else is living with clique drama right now, just know that when you and your friends grow up a little, this will hurt a lot less. The people who hurt me when I was in college have apologized and over the years we've been able to completely mend our friendships to the point where I don't hold grudges against them for anything, but there was a time when I couldn't stand to know they lived on this earth with me. I outgrew it and moved on--clique drama isn't forever, my young friends. Be strong.
43. Where were you when 2018 began?
right here in my beautiful condo, livestreaming the ball drop on youtube and forcing everyone to listen to ABBA's Happy New Year on a loop
44. Who were you with?
with a group of my friends from the UU and a group of my nasty ex-renter's lovers lol
45. Where will you be when 2018 ends?
probably in this exact chair playing Stardew Valley or flopped on the couch crocheting
46. Who will you be with when 2018 ends?
my cat who purrs as loud as a diesel engine, and maybe my renter but hopefully not cause she's nice and all but i prefer my own company
47. What was your favourite month of 2018?
that's a tough one... maybe May because I got my doors and my cat and replaced my closet light with a hot pink chandelier?
48. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2018?
nah, I usually have wine around the house but it's always a bottle I opened a month ago and forgot about. sometimes when I need to unwind before bed I pour wine into my giant mug and sip on it while I watch Moana or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
49. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2018?
yeah this question is so unnecessary, of course I didn't
50. How many people did you sleep with in 2018?
still none, this question is kinda weird now that I don't blog my entire life though
51. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
I think I handled myself very well this year considering.
52. What was the worst lie someone told you in 2018?
I'm gonna skip this one for 2018 cause I JUST told a whole story about how drama is for childrens and ya girl turns 30 in a few months
53. Did you treat somebody badly in 2018?
nope I did my best in all circumstances and am proud of the way I handled myself
54. Did somebody treat you badly in 2018?
yep but I'm about to be 30 and I'm not bringing negativity into the next decade of my life
56. How much money did you spend in 2018?
good jeez, all of it??? I invested a TON into the condo if you haven't picked up on that
57. If you could go back in time to any moment of 2018 and change what?
um I think I just need to learn to let conversations exist without me trying to interject my opinion into them, no matter how much I disagree with the turn the conversation in question has taken
58. What are your plans for 2019?
Replace the windows in April or May with my annual bonus. Get about $10K in savings so I could afford to replace the HVAC if it breaks down. Up my monthly student loan payments by a LOT. Be prepared to possibly plan a trip to Paris in the fall for MOR's tenth anniversary (and also be okay with leaving my cat behind for more than one night... I have only been away from him three nights total since I got him in May so an actual trip abroad would be really difficult for both of us). My college friends and I talked about doing a roadtrip on the west coast but I don't know if they'll follow through (shh don't tell them I said that). Oh, and maybe this will be the year I apply to usher at Blumenthal!