I'm A Year-End Meme Thief
That's right. And I don't care. I took this from an Australian Pirate named Elaine. Please feel free to steal it from me.
It's kind of cathartic to look back on a year. I suggest you try it.
1. What did you do in 2005 that you hadn't done before?
Man—there’s so many things. Lots of changes, but they all come from little things, many that seem insignificant. This will sound like a trite answer, but it’s sincere shorthand: in 2005, I really started to live.
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Define ‘close.’ The wife of my manager at work dropped her load, as did the new wife of an old friend. Of course, I haven’t seen him in since he started dating her, and I’ve never actually met her…so short answer would be ‘no.’ Sorry for giving the long answer first
3. Did anyone close to you die?
I put one of my cats out of my misery. Does that count?
4. Did you travel? Where did you go? Best holiday memory?
Not much travel this year. Went to visit my brother on the other side of the state a couple o times with the kids. Would have gone more, but the transmission is going on the van, so I’m keeping it local, and praying the thing stays together until I can afford to get a different car. I also flew out to Las Vegas and helped Lt. Trouble close up his apartment in preparation for deployment in Iraq.
Assuming that ‘holiday’ here translates into the American colloquial ‘vacation,’ then it would be watching my 9-year-old do a series of cannonballs into my brother's pool. Close second: firing 21 rounds with an assault weapon in the desert. I discovered that 1) I'm a pretty good shot, and 2)I don't like shooting.
5. Best thing you bought?
A very nice pair of khakis.
6. Where did most of your money go?
Creditors. STBEW ingested a large amount of my income for several years (and I didn’t have the will to make smart financial choices at the time) and I’ve got a bunch of debt to pay off. The rest went towards home, heat, food and kids.
7. What do you wish you had done more of?
I wish I could have spent more time with my kids.
8. What do you wish you had done less of?
Work. I have a full-time job and five part-time jobs. See #6 above.
9. What kept you sane?
The serenity prayer; contact with a large number of sane people, prayer and meditation.
10. What drove you mad?
The current President, his regime, and its supporters.
11. What made you celebrate?
UNC-Chapel Hill 75
Illinois 70
Hey, I went to grad school there. Plus, I freelanced for ESPN and Jefferson down there, and really became a fan.
12. What made you sad?
Making my 20-year-old addict son leave the house.
Watching STBEW squander even more opportunities for help, and blaming it on other people.
And #3 above.
13. How was your birthday this year?
I honestly don’t remember. My birthday is about 2 weeks after Fathers’ Day, which I spent in the Emergency Room with a swollen face and a high fever due to an infected tooth. I’m assuming the birthday was moderately better than that.
14. What political issue stirred you the most this year?
Oh, Lord, don’t get me started. You really wanna know? Go to my other blog.
15. Were you in love in 2005?
Are you speaking of fabulous, shmabulous, sunshine-lollipops-and-roses love? No.
16. What would you like to have in 2006 that you didn't have this year?
Money. I’m not avaricious, but I want to be able to put some money in my children’s college fund, pay for braces, be able to take a nice vacation (oops, ‘holiday’), and buy a new car. Unfortunately, it looks like funding for all that will be at least one year away.
17. What date from 2005 will be etched in your memory and why?
Sunday, April 3. I told my son he had to leave. Watching him stuff clothes into his backpack, take his guitar and head off into the world, looking like every other lost boy on the streets, will stay with me forever.
18. What song will remind you of 2005?
Just give up
And admit you’re an asshole
You would be
In some good company
and I think you’d find
That your friends would forgive you
Or maybe I
Am just speaking for me
When I look around
I think this, this is good enough
And I try to laugh
At whatever life brings
Cuz when I look down
I just miss all the good stuff
And when I look up
I just trip over things
I’ve got no illusions about you
Guess what
I never did
When I say
When I say I’ll take it
I mean
I mean as is
-Ani DiFranco
19. Compared to this time last year are you happier?
Oh, hell yes.
20. Biggest achievement this year?
See #1, above; losing 55 lbs.
21. Biggest disappointment this year?
Steelers didn’t make it to the Superbowl. But guess what? The sun came up the next day.
22. What is the one thing that would have made you more satisfied?
If I have to rely on any one ‘thing’ for satisfaction, then I ain’t doing something right….
23. Best new person you met this year?
Take a look at the links on the side. They’re all cool folks, plus a bunch of others: The wonderful Jessica, the conservative but thoughtful Mallory, Misty, and others. They’re all in consideration. As is Dave, the new guy at work who fit right in from day one. But the top two spots are Angel—a woman who, if anything, is even busier than I am, and with whom I’m having a long-term ‘not going out’ non-relationship—and Bruce, my sponsor.
24. A valuable life lesson you learnt this year?
Although I didn’t learn it from her, Rowena says it best: “I need a mess of help to stand alone.”
25. Question you made up yourself?
25a: Am I worth the effort?
Hell yes.
Yeharr
It's kind of cathartic to look back on a year. I suggest you try it.
1. What did you do in 2005 that you hadn't done before?
Man—there’s so many things. Lots of changes, but they all come from little things, many that seem insignificant. This will sound like a trite answer, but it’s sincere shorthand: in 2005, I really started to live.
2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Define ‘close.’ The wife of my manager at work dropped her load, as did the new wife of an old friend. Of course, I haven’t seen him in since he started dating her, and I’ve never actually met her…so short answer would be ‘no.’ Sorry for giving the long answer first
3. Did anyone close to you die?
I put one of my cats out of my misery. Does that count?
4. Did you travel? Where did you go? Best holiday memory?
Not much travel this year. Went to visit my brother on the other side of the state a couple o times with the kids. Would have gone more, but the transmission is going on the van, so I’m keeping it local, and praying the thing stays together until I can afford to get a different car. I also flew out to Las Vegas and helped Lt. Trouble close up his apartment in preparation for deployment in Iraq.
Assuming that ‘holiday’ here translates into the American colloquial ‘vacation,’ then it would be watching my 9-year-old do a series of cannonballs into my brother's pool. Close second: firing 21 rounds with an assault weapon in the desert. I discovered that 1) I'm a pretty good shot, and 2)I don't like shooting.
5. Best thing you bought?
A very nice pair of khakis.
6. Where did most of your money go?
Creditors. STBEW ingested a large amount of my income for several years (and I didn’t have the will to make smart financial choices at the time) and I’ve got a bunch of debt to pay off. The rest went towards home, heat, food and kids.
7. What do you wish you had done more of?
I wish I could have spent more time with my kids.
8. What do you wish you had done less of?
Work. I have a full-time job and five part-time jobs. See #6 above.
9. What kept you sane?
The serenity prayer; contact with a large number of sane people, prayer and meditation.
10. What drove you mad?
The current President, his regime, and its supporters.
11. What made you celebrate?
UNC-Chapel Hill 75
Illinois 70
Hey, I went to grad school there. Plus, I freelanced for ESPN and Jefferson down there, and really became a fan.
12. What made you sad?
Making my 20-year-old addict son leave the house.
Watching STBEW squander even more opportunities for help, and blaming it on other people.
And #3 above.
13. How was your birthday this year?
I honestly don’t remember. My birthday is about 2 weeks after Fathers’ Day, which I spent in the Emergency Room with a swollen face and a high fever due to an infected tooth. I’m assuming the birthday was moderately better than that.
14. What political issue stirred you the most this year?
Oh, Lord, don’t get me started. You really wanna know? Go to my other blog.
15. Were you in love in 2005?
Are you speaking of fabulous, shmabulous, sunshine-lollipops-and-roses love? No.
16. What would you like to have in 2006 that you didn't have this year?
Money. I’m not avaricious, but I want to be able to put some money in my children’s college fund, pay for braces, be able to take a nice vacation (oops, ‘holiday’), and buy a new car. Unfortunately, it looks like funding for all that will be at least one year away.
17. What date from 2005 will be etched in your memory and why?
Sunday, April 3. I told my son he had to leave. Watching him stuff clothes into his backpack, take his guitar and head off into the world, looking like every other lost boy on the streets, will stay with me forever.
18. What song will remind you of 2005?
Just give up
And admit you’re an asshole
You would be
In some good company
and I think you’d find
That your friends would forgive you
Or maybe I
Am just speaking for me
When I look around
I think this, this is good enough
And I try to laugh
At whatever life brings
Cuz when I look down
I just miss all the good stuff
And when I look up
I just trip over things
I’ve got no illusions about you
Guess what
I never did
When I say
When I say I’ll take it
I mean
I mean as is
-Ani DiFranco
19. Compared to this time last year are you happier?
Oh, hell yes.
20. Biggest achievement this year?
See #1, above; losing 55 lbs.
21. Biggest disappointment this year?
Steelers didn’t make it to the Superbowl. But guess what? The sun came up the next day.
22. What is the one thing that would have made you more satisfied?
If I have to rely on any one ‘thing’ for satisfaction, then I ain’t doing something right….
23. Best new person you met this year?
Take a look at the links on the side. They’re all cool folks, plus a bunch of others: The wonderful Jessica, the conservative but thoughtful Mallory, Misty, and others. They’re all in consideration. As is Dave, the new guy at work who fit right in from day one. But the top two spots are Angel—a woman who, if anything, is even busier than I am, and with whom I’m having a long-term ‘not going out’ non-relationship—and Bruce, my sponsor.
24. A valuable life lesson you learnt this year?
Although I didn’t learn it from her, Rowena says it best: “I need a mess of help to stand alone.”
25. Question you made up yourself?
25a: Am I worth the effort?
Hell yes.
Yeharr
posted by Balloon Pirate at 10:58 PM
7 Comments:
Another year down...
That's one way of looking at it, I guess....
Yeharr
Aw, thanks for considering me. What was the cat's name?
Abbyno. Used to be just plain Abby, but common usage changed it.
We still have Wendyno and Popperno.
Yeharr
all i have to say is i really admire you for everything you do and have done this year.
you da man mijo
ok, no i don't. i can't leave it on a sappy note:
what's with the no on the end of the kitties' names? is that like me being called "dammit colleen?"
yes colleen.
we used to have a greyhound named shawndown.
yeharr
I'm using it.
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