Year end/beginning meme...
From ubiquitousmixie...
1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Travel out-of-state in a car to see my sister in Kentucky. I want to move there, it's beautiful country down there with friendly people.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I really don't make New Year's resolutions. Figuring out a way to maybe get college without so many loans would be a start; the fear of debt has me frozen to do so.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not really.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
There was a death of a co-worker's wife that hit me pretty hard, and there were others I heard about who just passed in their sleep and were relatively young.
5. What countries did you visit?
I'm going to count Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky in this case even though they're states.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A sense of appreciation from others for my sacrafices.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 25 because of MJ's death.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Beginning to cut back on needless things. With the internet I no longer need the local paper every day. I realized the last time I actually watched more than 5 minutes of anything on Starz was five years ago. I also completely ditched men's mags except for Esquire; you've seen one girl in a bikini, you've seen them all. Now to tackle my USA Today need.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I didn't stand up for myself. I let other chauvanistic idiots who wanted more idotic content in my femslash scare me from writing. I had so much work to do I never got to my Christmas cards.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Lots of feeling ill going on, but not like I'm totally on a deathbed.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Two things:
·An HDTV. I can never go back to watching standard def again.
·Playstation 3. Finally got to a point where I could buy it without selling an arm and a leg and glad to be in next-gen gaming after waiting it out. It's the best podcast and movie player I know, and the games I have are pretty awesome.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Many people, but especially my friends. Without them I'm just some guy writing funny and sexy stuff on the internet.
13. Whose behavior/ what situations appalled and depressed you?
I would love the media to begin to 'ignore it and it will go away' to these silly little stories like balloon boy, the Gosselins and Tiger Woods and maybe take some news media Ritalin so they can pay attention to good stories like Iran, USA Today's great examination of the school lunch program and small businesses that seem to be buried by the need to report that some celebrity left a nightclub.
Individually I was appalled by Chris Brown. Idiot deserved to have his album bomb and I'm firmly on Team Rhianna. Also, who D mentioned on her list. I was incredibly disappointed by how she blew everyone off the way she did and how she abandoned us all.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Charter Communications to keep me entertained and on the web, Alliant Energy to keep me in a lit house, and AT&T for keeping me connected away from the house via my iPhone.
15. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kentucky was awesome! I also really felt excited for Liza's guest appearances through the year, though Shonda blowing her load by casting her as a lame Izzie plot advancement instead of a memorable character kinda pissed me off.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"Howl" by Florence + the Machine. Best album I bought this year when radio seemed to decline horribly to play the same inane 16 songs with the same 16 stupid titles. Thank God for 88.9 and WUWM in Milwaukee, which actually both play great music.
17. Compared to this time last year, you are…
Thankfully appreciative I have a great circle of friends and a roof over my head.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Being more outside than I was this year. It didn't help my bike broke down a few times this year.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I need to stop worrying about others so much at the peril of my own health.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Sadly, mostly sleeping because of meteorological circumstances. Sister couldn't come up so my birthday later month becomes Christmas II.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
More of a renewal...not saying more than that.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Going with Grey's Anatomy on this one, although at other times I got hooked on The Good Wife. And hello Discovery HD and Mythbusters.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Chrissy Brown...come out to play. Rhianna wants to bust out your windows and eye sockets, along with most of America.
24. What was the best book you read?
The best reading device I tried out was the Kindle. It was a pleasure to use it in the one week I rented it from the library. Very enjoyable.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
Again, Florence + the Machine. So glad there's still great talent out there years after Lillith Fair, though I have to discover more on my own than being guided by the roboto-radio stations out there that continue to insist some kid from Degrassi is who I should listen to.
Also to brokenCYDE and Kei$ha and Kaci, who want me to get freaky now while destroying my vocal chords/objectifying women/acting like total morons, listen to beats that were dead in 1997 or beat someone up for the very act of even touching their significant other; Anger management classes and/or institutionalization and laryngitis to you all.
26. What did you want and get?
PS3 and HDTV, along with an HD radio and other things.
27. What did you want and not get?
A better desktop computer. And a new house. So tired of this one.
Also, "Glee" S1P1. Nice job planning out the DVD sales so I didn't get one, stores. Show is more popular than Madden!
28. What were your favorite films of this year?
I'm not a film person and didn't attend a movie.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I think it was just like every other day.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More time in the day.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
T-shirts and jeans. Just like 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005...
32. What kept you sane?
Danielle, the light at the end of the tunnel, sleep, my lovely laptop which continues to hum along just fine, my favorite weather subchannel, and a certain someone.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
You know…I have to admit that I'm generally pessimistic about politics in general.
34. Whom did you miss?
My sister.
35. Who was the best new person you met?
Quite a few people. But especially Maireke, who is on my LorPar wavelength and is a generally funny person.
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Stop living for others and live more for yourself.