This is from the Soviet Union
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before? Not gone to schule.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I think I've kept my resolution. For next year, I'm going to make a resolution to be in Japan by December.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A few cousins. Nobody horribly close (except Jimmy and Becky).
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, but I know somebody who went into a coma and is now learning to live again.
5. What countries did you visit? Candanide-eh.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? Good times despite the lack of disco.
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Maybe April 1, a.k.a. the murder of my self-esteem by Harvard, Yale, MIT and Dartmouth.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I dunno, straight 5s on AP tests? Is that an achievement?
9. What was your biggest failure? Too many to mention.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? A ninja from a rival clan poisoned one of my taquitos!! Speaking of ninjas, Taco Bell injured my soul.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Abigail the gorgeous bass, hee hee.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Well, if I had to pick, maybe Soren's or either Andy's.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Mine, mostly. Though my coworkers helped from time to time.
14. Where did most of your money go? Abigail then savings.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I forgot how to become excited, I think. Maybe for the JWS album? Definitely for the Aquabats and Rush concerts, and my AP test scores. And learning if I got into colleges (doh!).
16. What song will always remind you of 2004? Pain - The Comeback
17. Compared to this time last year, are you...
i. happier or sadder?: My circumstances are sadder, but I'm happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? Haha, I was in weight training this time last year...fatter.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer. Don't ask me for money, jerks.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Aggressive efforts to get into colleges.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Moping, complaining, etc. Also being on messenger.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Firing my most devoted employee and refusing to give him a single piece of coal.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004? Every time I did, it was either exposed as mere infatuation or immediately snuffed out.
23. How many one-night overthrowing the capitalist pigs (formotherrussia!!)? I quit two jobs, so I guess two.
24. What was your favorite TV program? I learned to love King of the Hill, but my favorites still remained The Simpsons and MST3K.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Well, right now, I probably hate less people because I'm in contact with fewer of them.
26. What was the best book you read? Screwtape Letters was pretty cool. I'll side with Summer, though, and say the standard works.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I got more and more into Five Iron Frenzy this year. Also Radiohead. Awesome!
28. What did you want and get? Simpsons Season 4 and Strange Brew and some Rush albums. Yay! Also a Speed Racer t-shirt.
29. What did you want and not get? The Adventures of Pete and Pete on DVD. (This guy on eBay ripped me off.)
30. What was your favorite film of this year? Nappy D.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 19 and hung out at BYU in the morn. Then I worked from 4-8ish, and some buddies were real nice and came by and gave me presents. Then I helped Tyson close, but it was a real cool day, best birthday in probably about 6 years.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Maybe getting into MIT with a generous aid package. Or maybe not striking out with the ladies on a constant basis.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? "World's Greatest Grampa"
34. What kept you sane? Duck Guardian
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Fancy? Zombie William Howard Taft.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Education and abortion, depending on the race.
37. Who did you miss? My brother until he came home. Then he left and I started missing him again. Also Nathan, already.
38. Who was the best new person you met? Jessica, tee hee. Actually, I met her at the beginning of the school year, but...
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004: "Stave it off, 1-2-3, now you can count to 3."
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
He was a drunk, he was a punk... useless slob
And he didn't even wanna get a job
They say the world is a stage and every man must play his part,
But he didn't make the call-back list.
He had a 5 o'clock shadow on his heart,
he was so weak he couldn't even make a fist to punch himself.
She came along, and right away he felt a little less wrong,
subsequently just a little more strong
This anomaly flipped his lid.
He checked his hair, and he smoothed out the ruffles in his shirt
because he suddenly remembered how to flirt.
He took a Tic-Tac (he knew it wouldn't hurt),
he put his lips on yellow alert,
and he said "Hello, how are you?", and he shook her little hand. (Whoa!)
These days he don't know that much about much but here's his summary:
God is great, and the devil is bad, and somewhere in the middle there's you and me...
In the wreckage and ruin (standing side by side) and they know what they're doin'.
In fact he feels like he is finally pulling away from the devil since he met her.
His strength is coming back right like a prodigal son, like a prodigal son.
He checked his couch and his pockets and his car's ashtray
and he found enough dinero to pay for things from the Goodwill store
like soap and Listerine to make him fresh and clean,
and a pretty decent old black comb (he found it on the street on his way home).
He borrowed some Speedstick from the guy in the apartment behind him.
He didn't tell him, though, I hope he doesn't mind him,
he really shouldn't leave his door unlocked
because he also took a pair of his socks and a Falco tape,
I'm sure he didn't play it anymore. (Whoa!)
Shaved face smooth as onion, dressed in out of fashion clothes,
ready for their secret tryst about which everybody knows...
and that's perfectly cool.
He's always been a big fool.
But thanks to her, he thinks he's finally pulling away from the devil, he's just begun:
his strength is coming right back like a prodigal son, like a prodigal son.
Breakdown: One step forward, two back (bored games were his monopoly)
One step forward, two back (plastic loser falling behind)
One step forward, two back (no dice, he chose the moves that he made...)
And the moves that he made led him away, away from the game.
Same old same old, but further away...
And he still finds life perplexing but he submits his thesis humbly:
God is great, the devil is bad, and somewhere in the middle there's you and me...
In the wreckage and ruin (standing side by side) and they know what they're doin'.
She is the oil can to his Tin Man,
the extra stuffing to his Scarecrow,
the Gamma rays to his Incredible Hulk (though that sounds crude)
And he feels like he is finally pulling away from the devil since he met her.
That's "The Comeback." I like how Pain can put about a billion words into a 3 minute song :D