Ida's to blame

[verbicide]

1. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?
Um. Nothing. Oh! Wait! Learned to quilt (made one for nephew's first birthday) and knit (enormous, bright blue blanket for first nephew's 4th birthday!)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Don't make 'em.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank god.

5. What countries did you visit?
None, dammit.

6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003?
A career with benefits.

7. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 9th. The date I found out I got into UW's TC program and realized my life was finally going to swim forward again, instead of treading water.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Helping my parents pack up and move out of the home we'd lived in for 25 years. Developing a great friendship with my dad as an adult.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not developing a great friendship with my mother and continuing to clash with her when I should know better.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Have been free of colds/flus for nearly two years now, but did have a recurring erm personal thing crop up. It was summarily dealt with by and large with Vicodin and bed rest.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The Two Towers EE dvd.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My 1 year old nephew learning to walk!

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
My government's.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Books and movies. Amazon owns my soul.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving to Seattle again and going to UW.

16. What songs will always remind you of 2003?
John Mayer's "No Such Thing."

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier.

. . .thinner or fatter?
I've lost a few. Thinner.

. . .richer or poorer?
As a student, definitely poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Saved more money.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Been less neurotic about everything.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Eve: hanging out with my best friends. Day: with my best cat.

22. Did you fall in love in 2003?
Mercifully, no.

23. How many one night stands?
None.

24. What were your favourite TV programmes?
Hrm. Survivor. I would normally say West Wing, but I wasn't very happy with season 4. So the second choice would be either Trading Spaces or Queer Eye, both which I constantly forgot to watch. Or the early seasons of X-files which I watched on dvds.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
As much as I seethe and mutter, I don't think I hate anyone that much. Not really. Not even D.

26. What was the best book you read?
Ooo. Hrm. Too many, too many. Fingersmith was great, I loved The Devil Wears Prada, Middlesex was excellent. I know there are others, too. OH! OH! Order of Phoenix. Hands down. No contest. If I could have read only one book this year, that would have been it.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Dream Theater.

28. What did you want and get?
Materially? PS2.

29. What did you want and not get?
Nothing that I really looked for.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I really want to say RotK, but I had so many frustrations with it. Maybe Chicago. That was an amazing movie. Also loved Bend it Like Beckham.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Thirty-two. Spent wonderful day hanging out with Judy doing all the things I love (movie with Colin Firth, great discussion and debate, garlic fries, ice cream.)

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
International travel.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?
Jeans. College tees. My dad's polo spirit slippers.

34. What kept you sane?
The fact that despite my many, many flaws, I manage to retain some of the most amazing people as close personal friends, who laugh off my neuroticness and love me anyway and still want to spend time with me, sometimes suffering inconveniences and/or flying great distances to do so.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I would say Clive Owen won for this year, though Colin Firth hangs over all others as the Ultimate.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Tie between Bush's regime and all the spiteful lobbying to take away gay rights, such as they are.

37. Who did you miss?
My aunt who died Sept 2002.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Hrm. My TC401 professor. She's freaking amazing.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003.
If you know people are going to be late, and you're going to be pissed at being made late, give them their own bloody ticket and tell them to meet you there. Everyone will be much happier.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Dido, "White Flag":
I will go down with this ship
And I won't put my hands up and surrender
There will be no white flag above my door