(no subject)

[spryng]

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Ran a 5k in less than 30 minutes.
Worked with a county.
Got married.
Read 75+ books in one year.
Hosted Christmas.
Played the ukulele.
Been on unemployment.
Ran four miles.
Lifted 200+ pounds.
Successfully baked bread.
Legally changed my name.
Managed to do a double-under.


2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
As far as I can tell, I didn't make any resolutions last year. And for this year, I am not so much making resolutions as actionable goals. Only called something cooler than that. ;)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this year - but next year!


4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year - and hopefully not next year. :/


5. What countries did you visit?
None - but that will (again) change next year.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
The same thing I would like to have every year: a publishable manuscript and/or an agent.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Sept 21 and 22. It will be hard to forget a wedding like that, and the next day has been immortalized in DITL form.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Landing a day job I actually somewhat enjoy and am well-suited for.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Wasting so much time and energy on that teaching job. As much as I love sharing knowledge, I just don't think I would have handled the minutiae of the actual job very well, but it still prickles to not have gotten it.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing severe - mostly a terrible rash that was excruciating and awful and a number of smaller, fitness-related injuries. My ankle is still healing from the twist it received in November.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My netbook, although technically that was last year. If we're going to be strict about it, probably my ukulele.

12. How did you earn your keep?
At first through unemployment, then through both that and a horrible temp job, then finally through the county as a title examiner with the assessor's office. It plays to all of my detail-oriented, competitive finickiness. Also, I get to listen to audiobooks. :)

13. Where did most of your money go?
Food. Wedding. Crossfit.

14. What was your best month?
I'd say... toss up between March and October. March was wonderful because I got hired and I also got to go hiking like woah and say fuck you to the temp job, but October was amazing because I set writing as my priority and I fucking wrote. It was my most productive month and I felt absolutely terrific. It also taught me a lot about prioritizing.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Oooh, several things. The new job. My cousin's wedding. My first 5k with Lady in June. Seeing my niece Lydia. My birthday. The wedding, although that was parts excitement and parts stress and parts terror.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Demo, by Herbert Groenemeyer and Lights by Ellie Goulding, both because I listened to them ad nauseam for wedding. But Shake it Out will also remind me of 2012 because I listened to it on the way to my interview with the county and it really helped me gain perspective over the whole job search thing.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Same, probably. I've been pretty happy for a few years now.
ii. thinner or fatter? What a subjective question! I weighed less last year, but most of the difference now is lean muscle mass. :P
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer, strangely enough. Well, if you don't include my retirement account. I do make less than I did with the city and my savings have suffered what with the wedding.


18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I don't know. There was only so much time, so wishing I'd seen friends more or written more would just be ignoring the reality of things. Although both would have been nice. :)

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Ah... less fretting about the wedding, definitely.

20. What steps will you take to actively change what you're unhappy with?
For one, I'm going to make my priorities on a month-by-month basis, instead of letting them slide and losing my goals in the process.

22. What's something you learned about yourself?
If I really put my nose to the stone, I can do anything. But it does involve making sacrifices. TINSTAAFL, after all.

23. What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2012?
For a while, I never thought I'd get married - but that was back when I first came out, so I'm not sure that counts.
Finally say "good bye" to NaNoWriMo and mean it. Hard to part with the program after having had such success with it, but I've definitely moved beyond it now.
And last: legally change my name.

24. What was your favorite TV program (not Doctor Who!)?
Sherlock! Finally watched it with pennywhistle. It is truly amazing. I love that man's cheekbones. Also, I think Lady and I have finally found a male whom we can agree on jumping. ;)

25. Did you know anybody who got married?
My cousin! Oh... and us. :)

26. What states did you visit in 2012?
Nebraska, Minnesota, Minnesota, and Minnesota.

27. Where were you when 2012 began?
At pennywhistle's, enjoying cocktails, apples-to-apples, and delicious foodstuffs.


28. Who were you with?
The usual crew. ;)

29. Where will you be when 2012 ends?
So far it's looking like our place.

30. Who will you be with when 2012 ends?
...so far it's looking like just me and Lady, maybe the_verb and her husband.

31. What was the best book you read?
Don't make me choose! I absolutely love-love-loved the Monstrumologist, but I also loved the Likeness and Discount Armageddon and Railsea and the Fault in Our Stars and Warbreaker. This was a year of amazing books!

32. What was your greatest musical discovery?
the Lumineers. Not exactly greatest ever, but fun and folksy.

33. What did you want and get?
An amazing and meaningful wedding.

34. What did you want and not get?
A thoroughly completed manuscript and agent. ;)

35. What was your favorite film of this year?
Didn't really watch much in the way of films (again), but Frankenweenie was special and adorable in all the right ways.

36. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 26 this year. As per my usual, I took the day off. It was a Friday, so I went to Crossfit, then I picked up Doug and went to court and changed my name. Afterwards we ate sammiches at the Sausage Shop and I went to the social security office and updated my name. Then I re-organized my office and went out for barbecue and passed the hell out. It was awesome.

37. Where did you go on vacation?
Aah - Minnesota, inasmuch as one can call that a vacation.

38. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Business casual. I'm migrating more and more to a core closet around which I can cycle accessories and blouses for better efficiency. But I mostly wear fairly conservative skirts and solid colored, untextured blouses.

39. What kept you sane?
CATS. Oh, and Lady. Books. Friends. Exercise.

40. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I may have developed a pretty solid crush on the actor in Sherlock.

41. What political issue stirred you the most?
Oooh, the election in general, but the various marriage amendments in particular. I am so happy that the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in MN was defeated, you have no idea.

42. Did you have to go to the hospital?
No.

43. How many concerts did you see in 2012?
...eeek. Failed on this, even though there were quite a few I wanted to see.

44. Did you have a favorite concert in 2011?
See above.

45. Who was the best new person you met?
Aaaaah. That would have to be one of my coworkers - I kind of love Kem, but that's mostly because she shares the name of one of my characters. I think Brie and I could probably become better friends than we are, but omg Roy is delightful.

46. Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
I... uh. Hmm. I don't know. I'm trying to do a better job of owning up to everything I do and while maybe sometimes I didn't do the "right" thing, I'm not ashamed of what I did because it preserved my sanity.

47. What was your most embarrassing moment of 2012?
Oh god. Mom going on and on and on at our wedding. I'm really glad she stood up and talked at the ceremony, but I should have given her a 30 second cut-off. >>

48. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
I am a whole lot more capable than I give myself credit for.

49. What are your plans for 2013?
Bettering myself in a million tiny ways. Hiking Hadrian's Wall. Finishing the edit for MA and either rewriting SC or navigating my way towards finishing Guardians. Becoming a better friend. Learning rudimentary Spanish. Filling the gaps in my reading, especially of English canon. Receiving 50 rejections. Really working on making the best of what time I have, but also finding that balance between efficiency and rest.

50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

Comments

[pennywhistle.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I'll work on Spanish with you!! :-)