2005 in review

from Jenica

1. What did you do in 2005 that you’d never done before?
I said "no" to a lot of people about a lot of (primarily volunteer) activities.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Resolutions are against my religion. OK, not really, but decades ago I realized that making promises that are sure not to be kept is bad karma. So I don't make them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Jenny! And other people I know less well. But JT is the biggie for me this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Those not of this earth include Chaos, Panic, Worry (where I live) and Disorganization. None on earth beside the U.S.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
A vacation and a healthy husband and mom.

7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 6, when there were ambulance people in my living room.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I'm still married, and no one was murdered.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I continue to provide fodder for years of therapy for Sparky. And I probably pissed people off at work a lot, not to mention annoying people online.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
My health issues were minor and put squarely in perspective this year by the health of others around me. I sure would like to get my back/shoulders sorted, however.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
VS bras.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mom's on occasion. Sparky's on occasion. Beast while off work.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Just about everyone involved in the debacle in Iraq.

14. Where did most of your money go?
By overall percentage, the mortgage. By percentage of "spending money," eating out. We do that far too often.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My niece's wedding and the rest of the hoo-haw surrounding it.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
Nina Simone, "Mississippi Goddam"

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a)Happier or Sadder? Happier. The cloud around the deaths of my sister and dad has lifted. At last.
(b)Thinner or Fatter? Fatter. And this week didn't help at all!
(c)Richer or Poorer? Relatively stable, but we probably have more in the back, thanks to Beast.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading. If that's possible! If not, maybe baking in the sun during the hot months.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Woops, guess this was supposed to be done last week!
So, I'll tell you how I will be spending New Year's Eve instead: at friends' house--where we normally do Christmas Day--celebrating late with their kids.

21. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Yup.

22. How many one-night stands?
Yeah, right.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
CSI, Survivor, Amazing Race.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't really do the hate thing. But I sure don't like our current administration.

25. What was the best book you read?
I'll have to get back to you on that. I read a lot of good ones, but I can't think of any one that was particularly fabulous.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Launchcast

27. What did you want and get?
Faster internet access at home.

28. What did you want and not get?
To have the living room/dining room/kitchen painted.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 42 and I think I took the day off work and lay around and read. Or something. We went out to dinner, too.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A healthy husband.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Try shopping once in awhile. Spend some money. Generally, though, I don't "do" fashion. I just buy clothes that I like.

33. What kept you sane?
Nothing. Although blogging kept me from suicide a couple of times.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
William Peterson.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Bush. Everything about him and his cadre. He/they really need to go. Far away. We need them like we need another Katrina.

36. Who did you miss?
Rob.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Kelly.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
I have absolutely no control over what goes on, and I need to really internalize that. There is very little I can do to change things, but I can change my reaction to the big stuff.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
{the one on Launchcast now is The Bellamy Brothers' If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me) which cracks me up for all the wrong reasons} My actual answer is this one:

"So f--- the FCC
F--- the FBI
F--- the CIA
Livin’ in the motherf---in’ USA"

Your turn.