Looking back
I only did this meme 'cause I wanted the chance to publicly highlight the song at the end. People spend a lot of time matching song lyrics to their life, but it's rare when you have a non-romantic situation that's perfectly described in a song.
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Got fired. Learned a new skill and used it to deal with the stress.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t do resolutions. I don’t believe I need an excuse to start important things…and if I’m not going to do it over the rest of the year, New Year’s isn’t going to be enough of a kick in the rear.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, but a significant number of people had hospital visits, and there were a couple of close shaves.
5. What countries did you visit?
Ireland. I didn’t get holidays this year ‘cause I was busy trying to secure myself a research group and a job.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
Job security. And holidays.
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
29 January. That’s the day I gave my research presentation, and my boss told me he wasn’t going to support me in getting a PhD. (Are you noticing a theme here? 2004 was about one thing for me. Everything else was static on the line.)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not leaving Caltech.
9. What was your biggest failure?
My job.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
My wisdom teeth decided to show up and wreak havoc.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My new laptop, tiefling.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
xaosseed. A distant second is the professor who reevaluated my request to join his group after turning me down when I told him I’d work for free and get a job to support myself. I didn’t have to do that ‘cause I found another group that was actually a better fit, but the talk I had with him about options and plans was one of the best ego boosts I got all year.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Oh wow, where do I begin? Following the firing, there are some people in my old group who get slops for their gross insensitivity and overall bad behaviour. A few months later, someone said some awful things to my boyfriend, and that kept me angry for several days. The people in my department who decided to talk amongst themselves rather than ask me what was going on. Then there was the election. Then my family started being stupid.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Vices.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
JCQ. xaosseed’s visit at the end of October. And Greg/Grace’s wedding in November.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
I won’t know until I hear the songs again. I suspect it’ll be albums and not songs: AFI’s Sing the Sorrow, A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms, Breaking Benjamin (album name forgotten), Calexico’s Feast of Wire.
Individual songs...maybe “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day), “Somebody Told Me” and “Mr. Bright Side” (the Killers), and “Poem” (Taproot).
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? What an appalling question.
ii. thinner or fatter? Much thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer, but not by much.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Swim. I did a lot in the first half of the year, much less after the wisdom tooth debacle. And yoga. I should have started a long time ago.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Deleting comment spam on Cobweb.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With Ger and his family.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Sort of.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
24. (Not a numbering error.) I rented the first season and lost 24 hours of my life watching it. I loved every moment.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
James Joyce, “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.”
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I know I’m supposed to say “Calexico!” or “AFI!” but honestly, the biggest musical discovery was that I could sing, and that I get paralyzing stage fright. (I didn’t get stage fright back in high school.)
28. What did you want and get?
A spot in my new research group.
28. What did you want and not get?
I’m not going to discuss that here.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
”The Incredibles.”
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I made breakfast for my flatmates, and they threw a gathering for me in the evening. I turned 24.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Holidays. I get antsy when I’m trapped in one place, especially when it’s one place I don’t like very much.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Changing.
34. What kept you sane?
Letters, both written and received, and my new vices.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Colin Farrell and/or Johnny Depp. Yum.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The separation of church and state, or the increasing lack thereof in America.
37. Who did you miss?
Ger, and my friends from Dublin.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
That professor from #12. Tevana and Carlin.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004.
I didn’t learn a lot, but I spent a lot of time applying things I already knew. Persistence pays off, etc. Running away from a problem doesn’t solve it (and I didn’t run from anything this year, though I wanted badly to). You have to have an outlet or else you’ll cease to be effective at anything. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of the two sides you hear from people. And, of course, big problems have simple solutions.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
AFI: The Leaving Song
Walked away, heard them say
"Poison hearts will never change,"
walk away again.
Turned away in disgrace,
felt the chill upon my face
cooling from within.
Hard to notice gleaming from the sky,
when you're staring at the cracks.
Hard to notice what is passing by
with eyes lowered.
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Got fired. Learned a new skill and used it to deal with the stress.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t do resolutions. I don’t believe I need an excuse to start important things…and if I’m not going to do it over the rest of the year, New Year’s isn’t going to be enough of a kick in the rear.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, but a significant number of people had hospital visits, and there were a couple of close shaves.
5. What countries did you visit?
Ireland. I didn’t get holidays this year ‘cause I was busy trying to secure myself a research group and a job.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
Job security. And holidays.
7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
29 January. That’s the day I gave my research presentation, and my boss told me he wasn’t going to support me in getting a PhD. (Are you noticing a theme here? 2004 was about one thing for me. Everything else was static on the line.)
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not leaving Caltech.
9. What was your biggest failure?
My job.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
My wisdom teeth decided to show up and wreak havoc.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My new laptop, tiefling.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
xaosseed. A distant second is the professor who reevaluated my request to join his group after turning me down when I told him I’d work for free and get a job to support myself. I didn’t have to do that ‘cause I found another group that was actually a better fit, but the talk I had with him about options and plans was one of the best ego boosts I got all year.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Oh wow, where do I begin? Following the firing, there are some people in my old group who get slops for their gross insensitivity and overall bad behaviour. A few months later, someone said some awful things to my boyfriend, and that kept me angry for several days. The people in my department who decided to talk amongst themselves rather than ask me what was going on. Then there was the election. Then my family started being stupid.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Vices.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
JCQ. xaosseed’s visit at the end of October. And Greg/Grace’s wedding in November.
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
I won’t know until I hear the songs again. I suspect it’ll be albums and not songs: AFI’s Sing the Sorrow, A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms, Breaking Benjamin (album name forgotten), Calexico’s Feast of Wire.
Individual songs...maybe “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (Green Day), “Somebody Told Me” and “Mr. Bright Side” (the Killers), and “Poem” (Taproot).
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? What an appalling question.
ii. thinner or fatter? Much thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer, but not by much.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Swim. I did a lot in the first half of the year, much less after the wisdom tooth debacle. And yoga. I should have started a long time ago.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Deleting comment spam on Cobweb.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With Ger and his family.
22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Sort of.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
24. (Not a numbering error.) I rented the first season and lost 24 hours of my life watching it. I loved every moment.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
James Joyce, “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.”
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I know I’m supposed to say “Calexico!” or “AFI!” but honestly, the biggest musical discovery was that I could sing, and that I get paralyzing stage fright. (I didn’t get stage fright back in high school.)
28. What did you want and get?
A spot in my new research group.
28. What did you want and not get?
I’m not going to discuss that here.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
”The Incredibles.”
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I made breakfast for my flatmates, and they threw a gathering for me in the evening. I turned 24.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Holidays. I get antsy when I’m trapped in one place, especially when it’s one place I don’t like very much.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Changing.
34. What kept you sane?
Letters, both written and received, and my new vices.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Colin Farrell and/or Johnny Depp. Yum.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The separation of church and state, or the increasing lack thereof in America.
37. Who did you miss?
Ger, and my friends from Dublin.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
That professor from #12. Tevana and Carlin.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004.
I didn’t learn a lot, but I spent a lot of time applying things I already knew. Persistence pays off, etc. Running away from a problem doesn’t solve it (and I didn’t run from anything this year, though I wanted badly to). You have to have an outlet or else you’ll cease to be effective at anything. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of the two sides you hear from people. And, of course, big problems have simple solutions.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
AFI: The Leaving Song
Walked away, heard them say
"Poison hearts will never change,"
walk away again.
Turned away in disgrace,
felt the chill upon my face
cooling from within.
Hard to notice gleaming from the sky,
when you're staring at the cracks.
Hard to notice what is passing by
with eyes lowered.