- Planted tomatoes and peppers
- [Finished] Strip[ping] and repainted furniture
- Visited a Frank Lloyd Wright house (Fallingwater)
- Visited the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh
- Saw the Boston Pops with J
From last year:
- Run a 10K • I did not do this, but I did run two 5Ks. That counts, right?
- Open an etsy store • I also did not do this, but I got a job, which was really the point of the etsy store at the time the goal was made. I would still like to do this, but it's no longer at the front of my mind.
- Redesign my website • Nope. I did move everything over to Behance, though.
This year:
- A bad habit I'm going to break: Snacking mindlessly
- A new skill I'd like to learn: Photoshop (like a pro)
- A person I hope to be more like: My manager, who is patient and kind and outgoing
- A good deed I'm going to do: Donate blood. It's been a while since I've been able to do this
- A place I'd like to visit: The El Paso Mission Trail
One of my besties from college had a baby boy, and managed to name him after a member of N'Sync. Another College bestie had a baby the same month. Babies, everywhere!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
None this year—we stayed Stateside.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
A house
7. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
January 29th, because that was when I was hired to contract at my new job, which I love. December 11th, because that is the date they told me I would be hired as an employee.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finding a job that I love, learning that I need to love myself first.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not loving myself enough, blaming myself for things I cannot control.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the usual: colds, stomach flu, banged up fingers and toes.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
An Alyson Fox rug from West Elm, and a Rabbit bottle opener for my mother-in-law.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My managers really went to bat for me when it came to hiring me after I temped for almost a year
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Only my own
14. Where did most of your money go?
We've been saving for a house this year, but as usual, a large percentage of our non-housing money went towards travel: travel for weddings, travel to see family, and vacation(s).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Only my own
14. Where did most of your money go?
We've been saving for a house this year, but as usual, a large percentage of our non-housing money went towards travel: travel for weddings, travel to see family, and vacation(s).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- Seeing Fallingwater
- Getting hired at [job]
- House hunting
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Cinema by Skrillex, which will forever remind me of J's 30th birthday that we spent in PA with his brother. A great weekend, for sure.
17. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Hiking and general outdoorsy-ness.
18. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating. Particularly processed and canned foods.
20. How did you spend Thanksgiving?
Vegas, baby!
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Cinema by Skrillex, which will forever remind me of J's 30th birthday that we spent in PA with his brother. A great weekend, for sure.
17. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Hiking and general outdoorsy-ness.
18. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating. Particularly processed and canned foods.
20. How did you spend Thanksgiving?
Vegas, baby!
20. How did you spend Christmas?
In PA with J's family.
21. How will you be spending New Years?
Probably at home with Dial-A-Pizza and a mini champagne bottle.
22. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Again and again.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Breaking Bad, which went out with the biggest bang and most satisfying ending since Six Feet Under, although like Six Feet Under I was devastated when there were no more episodes.
Then we rewatched it and realized it's just revenge porn.
24. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*
*I have added an addendum to include the strong sense of dislike that I feel for people who mark up library books.
25. What was the best book you read?
Crime and Punishment
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
fake electronic music (only the pop stuff for me!)
27. What did you want that you also ended up getting?
A trip to Fallingwater, time with a very expensive wide angle lens (from borrowlenses.com)
21. How will you be spending New Years?
Probably at home with Dial-A-Pizza and a mini champagne bottle.
22. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Again and again.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Breaking Bad, which went out with the biggest bang and most satisfying ending since Six Feet Under, although like Six Feet Under I was devastated when there were no more episodes.
Then we rewatched it and realized it's just revenge porn.
24. Do you "hate" anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I think that I've come to decide that "hate," even the mild pretend "hate," is a completely wasted emotion. This doesn't mean that there isn't anyone that could have made this list, just that I choose not to participate in this question anymore.*
*I have added an addendum to include the strong sense of dislike that I feel for people who mark up library books.
25. What was the best book you read?
Crime and Punishment
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
fake electronic music (only the pop stuff for me!)
27. What did you want that you also ended up getting?
A trip to Fallingwater, time with a very expensive wide angle lens (from borrowlenses.com)
28. What did you want that you did not end up getting?
A greyhound, again. We had finally started to pull the trigger, even going to an adoption agency to meet dogs, then I got a job downtown, and realized I couldn't juggle those two life changes. One day we will have a dog, and a house, and kids, and chickens. One day.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
We didn't really see any movies this year that were stand outs...probably my most enjoyable theatre experience was It's A Wonderful Life at the Brattle—our yearly Christmas tradition.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29. J and I went to one of our favorite tapas/cocktail places, CasaB, and were treated like royalty—they even had champagne cocktails waiting for us when we arrived! It was wonderful and low key and perfect.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A patch of land in the country.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
I turned 29. J and I went to one of our favorite tapas/cocktail places, CasaB, and were treated like royalty—they even had champagne cocktails waiting for us when we arrived! It was wonderful and low key and perfect.
A patch of land in the country.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Recycled
33. What kept you sane?
Prozac and Klonopin
33. What kept you sane?
Prozac and Klonopin
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Benedict Cumberbatch—I even had a series of dirty dreams about him. As Sherlock Holmes, of course.
I didn't realize how many things I've seen that he's been in because really, this started out as a Sherlock thing more than a Cumberbatch thing. And I hardly seem like the only one to have realized this in 2013.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Pretty much the same as always.
I was upset about the Marathon Bombings, and the aftermath of how it was handled. I don't believe in the goodness in people the way I did when I was younger, and all of it just rang so false to me. It made me very angry, and I was too close to the issue to appreciate it when other (far away) people got worked up about it.
What does any of this have to do with politics? Nothing, which is why I got worked up when people tried to talk about this awful thing in terms of political action, inaction, or different sets of (religious/political) rights and wrongs.
36. Who did you miss?
I always miss my grandmother, but this year I missed her especially. I have no idea why it was so difficult this year in particular since she passed in 2005, but it was nice to be able to sit with her memory for a while longer than usual this year.
Benedict Cumberbatch—I even had a series of dirty dreams about him. As Sherlock Holmes, of course.
I didn't realize how many things I've seen that he's been in because really, this started out as a Sherlock thing more than a Cumberbatch thing. And I hardly seem like the only one to have realized this in 2013.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Pretty much the same as always.
I was upset about the Marathon Bombings, and the aftermath of how it was handled. I don't believe in the goodness in people the way I did when I was younger, and all of it just rang so false to me. It made me very angry, and I was too close to the issue to appreciate it when other (far away) people got worked up about it.
What does any of this have to do with politics? Nothing, which is why I got worked up when people tried to talk about this awful thing in terms of political action, inaction, or different sets of (religious/political) rights and wrongs.
I always miss my grandmother, but this year I missed her especially. I have no idea why it was so difficult this year in particular since she passed in 2005, but it was nice to be able to sit with her memory for a while longer than usual this year.
Many of the people I work with now
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
To love myself.
I'm still working on it.
I'm still working on it.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Raskolnikov felt sick, but he couldn't say why
When he saw his face reflected in his victim's twinkling eye
Some things you do for money, and some you do for fun
But the things you do for love are going to come back to you one by one.
