New Year's Memes

From years past...


#1
1. Will you be looking for a new job? No. Not unless I have to, of course, but I don't foresee that.

2. Will you be looking for a new relationship? Only friends, just friends.

3. New house? My previous answer--"I'm not moving out of this house until we move out of this state"--seems to work. I wouldn't mind having a small place in the mountains somewhere, though.

4. What will you do differently in '13? I have GOT to stop eating so much sugar....!

5. New Year's resolution?  Have fun.

6. What will you not be doing in '13?  ...clean out your ears and look at #4, yo. ;-)

7. Any trips planned?  Perhaps Vegas in a couple of weeks, perhaps Tennessee in March, probably Colorado in August.

8. Wedding plans? Let's see, who's available in the family: BIL, James, Don, Jesse, and Sparky....yeah, I don't think there's anything there to consider. Outside the family, things could happen, but I'm not shopping for wedding gifts just yet.

9. What's on your calendar? I don't have anything on the calendar yet except birthdays, anniversaries and my weekend work schedule. Oh, and one haircut and one massage later this month.

10. What can't you wait for? I can wait.

11. What would you like to see happen differently? I need to to better on personal, face-to-face communication.

12. What about yourself will you be changing?  Bringing down my weight and cholesterol.

13. What happened in '12 that you didn't think would ever happen? I am appalled at the level of acceptance of random acts of violence we have achieved. Three major shootings affected me somewhat directly this year, and it's not ok.

14. Will you be nicer to the people you care about?  I already try to do this, but it's a good goal to keep working on.

15. Will you dress differently this year than you did in '12? Since I've outgrown a lot of my clothes, I guess so. Unless I lose that weight pretty soon!

16. Will you start or quit drinking? Nope. Status quo, baby, status quo.

17. Will you better your relationship with your family?  I sincerely hope so.

18. Will you do charity work? Of course. That is unlikely to ever change.

19. Will you go to bars?  Probably not any more often than I did this year...which (I'm trying to think here) was, maybe, once...?

20. Will you be nice to people you don't know?  I will do my best to at least be courteous.

21. Do you expect '13 to be a good year for you?  I hope so. It's a big birthday year.

22. How much did you change from this time last year til now? A great deal, internally. Still a work in progress, though.

23. Do you plan on having a child? Only for a visit!

24. Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now? Last time's answer--"If they'll have me"--again seems to hit the nail on the head. I'm sure there'll be some rearrangement among the less major players, though.

25. Major lifestyle changes? Yes. There is a need.

26. Will you be moving?  I think I will have to move more if I'm going to lose weight. But not moving house, I hope, just emptying out a lot of the shit IN this house.

27. What will you make sure doesn't happen in '13 that happened in '12?  "Make sure"? I'm not sure I have the power to ensure this, but I'm hoping for less medical and interpersonal drama in the house.

28. What are your New Years Eve plans?  The one just past involved a fondue while we sat around goofing off electronically and watching the local TV station 'stars' act like morons for an hour. They didn't disappoint!

29. Will you have someone to kiss at midnight?  I did, yes.

30. One wish for '13?  Bring our soldiers home from overseas, not least because we are spending way too much money on the wars. Still.


#2
1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year? Well, no one in the immediate family died.... Yup, that's about the best I can do.

2. What was the most challenging thing that happened?  Beast's (mostly medical) issues.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?  The birth of Simi.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?  Depression.

5. Pick three words to describe 2012.  Messy, sad, long.

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2012 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you). Helpful, short-tempered, naggy.

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2012 (again, without asking).  Pain, sad, hard.

8. What were the best books you read this year? I would suggest a trip over to my reading blog to see what I have to say later today.

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?  Beast, Amy, Sparky, and a few new people whose names are immaterial and yet critical.

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year? Well, work changed dramatically, and for the better.

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?  I'm much more patient about things that can't be helped, and less patient about some other things.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?  I feel a little out of it. Sunday School as been good with the kids.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?  I grew outwards. Again.

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?  Frank discussion.

15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home? Hiring people to clean it for me every few weeks. Hurrah!

16. What was your most challenging area of home management?  I haven't done anything productive this year. Pretty much suckage.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? Last time, my answer was "Facebook. Nothing else even comes close, not even blogging" and to that I would concur. I also discovered Goodreads and spent an awful lot of time uploading years of reviews.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?  Helping to hold things at work together.

19. What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?  I have skills in areas I didn't know about, and hope to never need again.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2012 for you.  Get the professionals involved, dammit.


The Three Threes
1) Three things that have changed since the beginning of the year: loss of two professional staff members and living without them for 4+ months at work, Beast's back is so much better it's not even funny, and my work hours (full-time since January).

2) Three things that didn't change: my OCD tendencies, my lackadaisical attitude about food and cleaning, and how much I love the Packers.

3) Three things you want to change this year:  my weight, my job (a little--not a lot), and the state of the pictures I've taken.


#4
In 2012, I gained: perspective.

I lost: a nightmare coworker (she quit) and a lousy boss (so did she).

I stopped: being willing to "just let things lie" when they are broken.

I started: having major trouble with my vision.

I was hugely satisfied by: most electronics in my life.

And frustrated by: my inability to put down the electronics.

I am so embarrassed that I: gained so much weight.

Once again, I: ignored my health.

Once again, I did not: make progress in organizing family history stuff.

The biggest physical difference between me last December and this December is: much shorter hair.

The biggest psychological difference between me last December and this December is: being more understanding of how difficult some situations really are.

I loved spending time: with the little kids at church.

Why did I spend even two minutes:  shortchanging myself.

I should have spent more time:  on myself in positive, productive ways.

I regret buying:  so much fast food.

I will never regret buying:  my new phone.

I worried:  about Sparky and Beast, mostly the latter.

I didn't:  have much time for vacation away from home.

Dealing with a few of my coworkers just about drove me crazy.

The most relaxing place I went was: Half Moon Bay, CA.

Why did I:  not get my new glasses ordered a month ago?!

The best thing I did for someone else was: not judging.

The best thing I did for myself was: being more discriminating.

The best thing someone did for me was: listen without doling out advice or making it seem like this was the end of the world.

The one thing I’d like to do again, but do it better, is: therapy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!