and only a week late!

The inevitable new year's blog.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Ummm, owned a cat, worked in a flower shop, ate fish after a 5-year hiatus, lived in three different houses, drove a U-Haul, suspected I had an anxiety disorder.

2. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
A steady job, enough money, fucking internet access! Friends who I see regularly.

3. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmmm, I got back into Civic for a third year. I can't think of much I did, although I'm sure there were some other things, I hope?

4. What was your biggest failure?
I don't really want to go there.

5. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Erica for being a good friend and distracting me with her tales of woe and humor, Tabitha for calming me down when I freak out about things, Jesse and Lauren for sending me jam! Kenny for always making me laugh. Aaron for still using IM.

6. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
my stand partner (put on your damn mute and play the right damn part of the music!), as always the government. Certain significant people who I don't want to name.

7. Where did most of your money go?
food, alcohol, christmas ornaments that have yet to be mailed.

8. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Books, cooking (again, yay!), porch parties at my old place.

9. What song will always remind you of 2007?
A lot of Fiona Apple (as always, I'm roughly a decade behind the times), "Soda Shop" from the Shortbus soundtrack, the "Comfortably Numb" cover from the Scissor Sisters.

10. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
happier most of the time with pronounced periods of sadder.

ii. thinner or fatter?
The same, I think. Damn it.

iii. richer or poorer?
Poorer, mostly anyway. But I have a savings account!

11. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Talking to other people, reading good books (as opposed to just re-reading things for a while). Been outside.

12. What do you wish you'd done less of?
drinking and having long embarrassing phone conversations

13. What was your favourite TV program?
I really only saw the L Word. And Weeds, which I didn't like anywhere near as much as I had hoped to.

14. What was the best book you read?
On Beauty, The Botany of Desire, many many others. It actually was a good book year, I think.

15. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Fiona Apple, probably.

16. What did you want and get?
A colander. Seriously. And several jobs, based on nothing more than my winning smile as far as I can tell.

17. What did you want and not get?
the Tucson Symphony job.

18. What was your favourite film of this year?
I loved... Stranger than Fiction, Notes on a Scandel (because Judi Dench was so unbelievably creepy), lots of others.

19. What did you do on your birthday?
Had brunch at Tabby's restaurant, went to rehearsal.

20. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
more human contact. Also internet.

21. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
I wore a lot of Donna-Reed-esque dresses this summer... Also one that was more Laura Ingalls Wilder.

22. What kept you sane?
Tabitha, Erica, my cats.

23. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Oh, I don't know... I wish I got more crushes.

24. What political issue stirred you the most?
Racism, if that counts.

25. Who did you miss?
Erica, Greta, Aaron, pretty much everybody at some point.

26. Who was the best new person you met?
Kenny, Debra, the boys upstairs, I'm sure there are more...

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Animals are infinitely more engaging than I ever realized before.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"On the roller coaster of all these years..."

41. Where did you ring in 2008?
Chicago, at a giant house party that I felt intimidated by.

42. What was your status by Valentine’s Day?
in a relationship, eating a late night dinner in a hipster cafe.

43. Where did you go on vacation?
Just Arizona. Nebraska, although it wasn't very relaxing...

44. What did you purchase that was over $500?
Nothing I can think of.

45. Did you know anybody who got married?
Emily and Jason, Valerie and Dustin. Maybe others?

46. Did you move anywhere?
Just from house to house within Chicago.

47. What’s the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2007?
Ate fish.

48. What is one thing you regretted this year?
Mood swings.

49. What’s something you learned about yourself?
I really have no idea what my future will be like.

50. What was your best month?
Probably May. Early summer, late spring.

51. What pop culture event will you remember 2007 by?
?