2007: A Year in Review
Well, it's about that time again...time for the annual This year it's slightly painful answering these questions and looking at where I was this time last year, but that's how it is, and I can only hope 2008 will bring something better.
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Moved to another country without a job, a home, or any money. It's not the first time, but it's always a new experience.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wanted to write more often, move to Germany, join a global warming campaign, save some money, read more often, and switch to Linux. Actually, I did just about all that. I looked for more writing jobs and managed to keep my translation job; I did move to Germany; I didn't join a campaign but got my housemates in Spain and my mother to start recycling and think about the Earth; I did save some money, I definitely read more often, and, though I halfheartedly switched to Kubuntu, I think I'll just buy a Mac and not worry about it anymore.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, thank goodness. I couldn't handle any more babies.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My stepdad's mother, but I hadn't seen her in years and it was an end to her misery.
5. What countries did you visit?
Spain, Germany, the U.S., if that even counts.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A future.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 16...the day everything slipped out from under me.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Doing what I had set out to do - moving to Germany, learning yet another language, deciding what I really want to do - be a writer.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I think that's pretty obvious for anyone who knows me.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just a broken heart.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A MacBook Pro...okay I didn't buy it yet, but it will definitely be the best purchase of the year.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
All my friends who welcome me back no matter how long I've been gone, and my European friends who haven't forgotten about me, and go to great lengths to show they care.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Do we really need to answer this?
14. Where did most of your money go?
Down the drain.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
New experiences.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
"Umbrella" - the Marie Digby version
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Unfortunately, sadder.
b) thinner or fatter? Probably about the same...I'm always larger around the holidays.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, but I have more money saved for a special occasion.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Experience everything and not worry about money so much.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Get my heart broken.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At my stepfather's house, as usual.
22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Nope.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Gilmore Girls.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone...though I'm not my own favorite person lately.
26. What was the best book you read?
"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" - Haruki Murakami, "The Paradox of Choice" - Barry Schwartz, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" - Michael Pollan
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Mika and Sara Tavares.
28. What did you want and get?
A new computer. A chance to see Germany.
29. What did you want and not get?
Hmm.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Paris, Je T'aime
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned a quarter-century old. I actually celebrated for a whole week. Monday I went out to dinner with Andrew at Las Tablas, which I have been dreaming about since I last went there five years ago. Tuesday was salsa dancing at the Green Dolphin. Wednesday was dinner with my dad and Lynette. Thursday, my actual birthday, I bought myself a new dress, got my hair highlighted, and went dancing at Frankie's Blue Room, where I finally got the coveted birthday dance. On Friday, Eric and Steph took me out for drinks and it ended up being a party, and on Saturday my mom and I had a fantastic (and expensive!) steak dinner at Morton's. On Sunday, Jinnel came home from NH and we went out for tapas and saw Juno. An excellent birthday, if I may say so.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having a broken heart. Not being a failure. Not sucking at life.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Revamped. Sophisticated. At least, that's what I was going for.
34. What kept you sane?
I think alcohol, chocolate, girlfriends, and chick flicks would top that list.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I am faithful to my first love, John Corbett.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Besides climate change, the fact that there's still a year left of George W. Bush. This coming election year should be interesting.
37. Who did you miss?
Verena and Hanna, Jinnel and Jill.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Helga in Germany.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
Nothing is forever.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
There's no particular quote that I feel sums up what I'd like to say, so instead I offer a song full of resolutions that I always find motivating and inspirational. These are the lyrics to "The Sunscreen Song," actually a column by the Chicago Tribune's own Mary Schmich, later set to music by Baz Luhrmann. That Mary is a smart, smart woman. Cheers to you all, and may this coming year be the best one yet:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Here's to new beginnings!
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Moved to another country without a job, a home, or any money. It's not the first time, but it's always a new experience.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wanted to write more often, move to Germany, join a global warming campaign, save some money, read more often, and switch to Linux. Actually, I did just about all that. I looked for more writing jobs and managed to keep my translation job; I did move to Germany; I didn't join a campaign but got my housemates in Spain and my mother to start recycling and think about the Earth; I did save some money, I definitely read more often, and, though I halfheartedly switched to Kubuntu, I think I'll just buy a Mac and not worry about it anymore.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, thank goodness. I couldn't handle any more babies.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
My stepdad's mother, but I hadn't seen her in years and it was an end to her misery.
5. What countries did you visit?
Spain, Germany, the U.S., if that even counts.
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A future.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 16...the day everything slipped out from under me.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Doing what I had set out to do - moving to Germany, learning yet another language, deciding what I really want to do - be a writer.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I think that's pretty obvious for anyone who knows me.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just a broken heart.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A MacBook Pro...okay I didn't buy it yet, but it will definitely be the best purchase of the year.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
All my friends who welcome me back no matter how long I've been gone, and my European friends who haven't forgotten about me, and go to great lengths to show they care.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Do we really need to answer this?
14. Where did most of your money go?
Down the drain.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
New experiences.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
"Umbrella" - the Marie Digby version
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Unfortunately, sadder.
b) thinner or fatter? Probably about the same...I'm always larger around the holidays.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, but I have more money saved for a special occasion.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Experience everything and not worry about money so much.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Get my heart broken.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At my stepfather's house, as usual.
22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Nope.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Gilmore Girls.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't hate anyone...though I'm not my own favorite person lately.
26. What was the best book you read?
"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" - Haruki Murakami, "The Paradox of Choice" - Barry Schwartz, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" - Michael Pollan
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Mika and Sara Tavares.
28. What did you want and get?
A new computer. A chance to see Germany.
29. What did you want and not get?
Hmm.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Paris, Je T'aime
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned a quarter-century old. I actually celebrated for a whole week. Monday I went out to dinner with Andrew at Las Tablas, which I have been dreaming about since I last went there five years ago. Tuesday was salsa dancing at the Green Dolphin. Wednesday was dinner with my dad and Lynette. Thursday, my actual birthday, I bought myself a new dress, got my hair highlighted, and went dancing at Frankie's Blue Room, where I finally got the coveted birthday dance. On Friday, Eric and Steph took me out for drinks and it ended up being a party, and on Saturday my mom and I had a fantastic (and expensive!) steak dinner at Morton's. On Sunday, Jinnel came home from NH and we went out for tapas and saw Juno. An excellent birthday, if I may say so.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having a broken heart. Not being a failure. Not sucking at life.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Revamped. Sophisticated. At least, that's what I was going for.
34. What kept you sane?
I think alcohol, chocolate, girlfriends, and chick flicks would top that list.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I am faithful to my first love, John Corbett.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Besides climate change, the fact that there's still a year left of George W. Bush. This coming election year should be interesting.
37. Who did you miss?
Verena and Hanna, Jinnel and Jill.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Helga in Germany.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
Nothing is forever.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
There's no particular quote that I feel sums up what I'd like to say, so instead I offer a song full of resolutions that I always find motivating and inspirational. These are the lyrics to "The Sunscreen Song," actually a column by the Chicago Tribune's own Mary Schmich, later set to music by Baz Luhrmann. That Mary is a smart, smart woman. Cheers to you all, and may this coming year be the best one yet:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Here's to new beginnings!