(no subject)
01. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Watched my studio shut down at MS, got a speeding ticket and went to a mitigation hearing for it, went on a "botanical garden spree" in the spring, saw Nobuo Uematsu hold a fake salmon over his head at a Final Fantasy concert, started making daily bento boxes for myself, joined a CSA, developed an interest in cooking, joined an Iaido dojo, toured open houses, put an offer in on an house, studied Ruby on Rails.
02. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really make any serious resolutions last year. This year I'm making "mental notes for improvement" that I hope to keep in mind/adhere to on some level. :)
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Piyali from ACES! :D
04. Did anyone close to you die?
My Great Aunt Evelyn.
05. What countries did you visit?
Canada (for Mike's birthday).
06. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A house with a bigger kitchen, a small garden, and a compost pile. A very nice commuter bike and a decent biking route into work. More time with friends and family whom we don't see often enough or hardly see at all anymore.
07. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Gavin and Na'omi's wedding.
Darin and Nicole's wedding.
Jason and Kylie's wedding.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Discovering that cooking is actually quite enjoyable and that I'm not, in fact, destined to be terrible at it.
09. What was your biggest failure?
Allowing anxiety to prevent me from participating in events I otherwise really wanted to attend.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
This year has been a real decline from my normally healthy self. I had a VERY weird--probably stress-related--rash all over my body that lasted a little over a month after my studio closed. It was bizarre--to the point where the feedback from three doctors was, "Huh. That's really weird. Never seen that before. Not sure what that is or how to help it." Not reassuring. Thankfully, it went away. I also caught the dreaded "PAX Pox" and had to work from home for about a week. In general just felt coughy this winter. In the mental department, I just felt like I had a cycle in which I felt little more anxious, spacey, and less motivated than usual. Very annoying.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our part of a CSA membership.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mikey, always. :)
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
MS for shutting down ACES and laying off %98 of the people I knew at MGS.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and food.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our Canada trip. Iaido. Studying Japanese.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"A Glorious Dawn" by John Boswell. Kind of led to some life-changing shifts in perspective.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Wiser? Somewhat. I certainly gained more cooking EXP.
Healthier? Meh.
Richer? Slow and steady. :)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Biked to work; since I started working in Bellevue, I stopped biking into work AND I MISS IT LIKE CRAZY. Spent more time with people we don't see often enough. Felt inspired and worked productively on personal projects of value instead of sitting around.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worried about stupid things, felt overwhelmed and uninspired from time to time, felt impatient with myself.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Visit Mike's Grandmother on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day at Tiffo's.
21. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
Watching "Dune" at Jeremy's.
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
*kisses Mikey's nose*
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Cosmos: A Personal Journey has been inspirational. Mike and I also enjoyed This American Life and Gankusuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope. If anything, I want to contact the only person I ever had a massive falling-out with and express that I no longer have any hard feelings--not that it really matters, but it would be nice to provide some amount of closure by saying, "FYI - I'm not mad anymore, and I haven't been in years. It was a long time ago and I doubt you care, but I just wanted to let you know."
26. What was the best new book you read?
Not that it's new, but "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan was awesome. I also really liked "Eat Pray Love" not only because of the Bali third, but because it was a good read.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Autotuned historical figures and scientists.
28. What did you want and get?
Positive personal growth in areas I didn't expect because I doubted it would ever happen; this has given me to courage to branch out in other areas and taught me not to doubt myself so much.
29. What did you want and not get?
A house and a commuting bike.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
UP.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 27. I don't remember what I did on my birthday specifically, but around my birthday there was a lot of birthday-related trips to botanical gardens. Seriously therapeutic.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had more time to do everything and worried less.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Turtlenecks and jeans.
34. What kept you sane?
Mike, Mom, nightly walks around the neighborhood, tea, chocolate, sleep.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Carl Sagan
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Referendum 71
37. Who did you miss?
My late aunts, Marvel, late pets.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Gunnar and the rest of the Iaido crowd, David from DreamBox, Jessica from ACES.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
You can't be "productive" all the time without going insane; balance is essential.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
The sky calls to us
If we do not destroy ourselves
We will one day venture to the stars
- Carl Sagan, "A Glorious Dawn"
Watched my studio shut down at MS, got a speeding ticket and went to a mitigation hearing for it, went on a "botanical garden spree" in the spring, saw Nobuo Uematsu hold a fake salmon over his head at a Final Fantasy concert, started making daily bento boxes for myself, joined a CSA, developed an interest in cooking, joined an Iaido dojo, toured open houses, put an offer in on an house, studied Ruby on Rails.
02. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really make any serious resolutions last year. This year I'm making "mental notes for improvement" that I hope to keep in mind/adhere to on some level. :)
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Piyali from ACES! :D
04. Did anyone close to you die?
My Great Aunt Evelyn.
05. What countries did you visit?
Canada (for Mike's birthday).
06. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A house with a bigger kitchen, a small garden, and a compost pile. A very nice commuter bike and a decent biking route into work. More time with friends and family whom we don't see often enough or hardly see at all anymore.
07. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Gavin and Na'omi's wedding.
Darin and Nicole's wedding.
Jason and Kylie's wedding.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Discovering that cooking is actually quite enjoyable and that I'm not, in fact, destined to be terrible at it.
09. What was your biggest failure?
Allowing anxiety to prevent me from participating in events I otherwise really wanted to attend.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
This year has been a real decline from my normally healthy self. I had a VERY weird--probably stress-related--rash all over my body that lasted a little over a month after my studio closed. It was bizarre--to the point where the feedback from three doctors was, "Huh. That's really weird. Never seen that before. Not sure what that is or how to help it." Not reassuring. Thankfully, it went away. I also caught the dreaded "PAX Pox" and had to work from home for about a week. In general just felt coughy this winter. In the mental department, I just felt like I had a cycle in which I felt little more anxious, spacey, and less motivated than usual. Very annoying.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our part of a CSA membership.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mikey, always. :)
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
MS for shutting down ACES and laying off %98 of the people I knew at MGS.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and food.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our Canada trip. Iaido. Studying Japanese.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"A Glorious Dawn" by John Boswell. Kind of led to some life-changing shifts in perspective.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Wiser? Somewhat. I certainly gained more cooking EXP.
Healthier? Meh.
Richer? Slow and steady. :)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Biked to work; since I started working in Bellevue, I stopped biking into work AND I MISS IT LIKE CRAZY. Spent more time with people we don't see often enough. Felt inspired and worked productively on personal projects of value instead of sitting around.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worried about stupid things, felt overwhelmed and uninspired from time to time, felt impatient with myself.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Visit Mike's Grandmother on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas Day at Tiffo's.
21. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
Watching "Dune" at Jeremy's.
22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
*kisses Mikey's nose*
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Cosmos: A Personal Journey has been inspirational. Mike and I also enjoyed This American Life and Gankusuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope. If anything, I want to contact the only person I ever had a massive falling-out with and express that I no longer have any hard feelings--not that it really matters, but it would be nice to provide some amount of closure by saying, "FYI - I'm not mad anymore, and I haven't been in years. It was a long time ago and I doubt you care, but I just wanted to let you know."
26. What was the best new book you read?
Not that it's new, but "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan was awesome. I also really liked "Eat Pray Love" not only because of the Bali third, but because it was a good read.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Autotuned historical figures and scientists.
28. What did you want and get?
Positive personal growth in areas I didn't expect because I doubted it would ever happen; this has given me to courage to branch out in other areas and taught me not to doubt myself so much.
29. What did you want and not get?
A house and a commuting bike.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
UP.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 27. I don't remember what I did on my birthday specifically, but around my birthday there was a lot of birthday-related trips to botanical gardens. Seriously therapeutic.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had more time to do everything and worried less.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Turtlenecks and jeans.
34. What kept you sane?
Mike, Mom, nightly walks around the neighborhood, tea, chocolate, sleep.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Carl Sagan
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Referendum 71
37. Who did you miss?
My late aunts, Marvel, late pets.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Gunnar and the rest of the Iaido crowd, David from DreamBox, Jessica from ACES.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
You can't be "productive" all the time without going insane; balance is essential.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
The sky calls to us
If we do not destroy ourselves
We will one day venture to the stars
- Carl Sagan, "A Glorious Dawn"