Year in Review... 2004

[jay]

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
New social contexts and experiences. Visited Portugal. Dated someone with shorter hair than mine (grin). Felt welcomed in social settings.
2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I improved communications with my loved ones, and felt like I was worthwhile for myself, and feel connected to a community with new friends this past year... so yes.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
US, Canada, Spain, Morocco, Portugal. The UK, if one counts Gibraltar.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
More one-on-one time with each of my kids. Relationship stability. More winning research proposals. Overnights.
7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
2/7, when I for the first time felt welcomed and accepted in a group setting. Early July. My surprise party on 7/17. November 2 was disappointing, and December 26 was horrifying.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Strengthening my relationship with Pat, improving our communications and beginning to wean myself of caretaking. And making a demonstration happen in Spain after shipping and satellites and staff and plans all went awry.
9. What was your biggest failure?
My wedding anniversary and surrounding events in the first half of July.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. I was fortunate, and have a strong immune system.
11. What was the best thing someone bought you?
Not really a specific thing, but best was my very first birthday party -- a surprise party in July, put together secretly by patgreene with assistance from p3aches and others.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mother scarlet1 for supporting my father in his ongoing illness.
patgreene for repeatedly demonstrating her love and affection and patience and forgiveness. House Weirdness for taking a chance. sarahh for jumping into the breach and going to Spain the same week she was hired. Nancy for convincing tenacious_snail that I would be worth it in the long run. geekchick's patient support this summer.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The guys in the front office, i.e. this administration. And anyone that tried to suppress voter turnout.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage payments, medical bills and taxes. Everything else was minor.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Drills on Mars! Strange buried crater features! David's singing voice! James's maturity! Kevin's mainstreaming! Showing new countries and places to those dear to me :).
16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
"Closer to Fine", Indigo Girls. Singing it in February with sarahh, karenbynight and kineticphoenix is pleasantly burned on my memories. The world spun a quarter-turn for me at that moment, and my life changed again.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?: happier. But there were some bad spots in order to get here
b) thinner or fatter? : thinner, by a couple of pounds
c) richer or poorer? : richer, both a little bit financially and in other ways :)
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Kissed Pat. Played with my kids, before they get older and leave. Exercise. Starting something new and innovative at work, I feel like I'm in a slight rut.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Pick arguments sometimes just to maintain boundaries, to distance myself when things get too scary or vulnerable. Being overly self-critical at times.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home here with the kids, patgreene and tenacious_snail.
21. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Yes. :) And also re-fell, and also didn't fall really, but sort of did anyway... I think I gave goofy limerent grins to... five people in 2004. All deserving of it.
22. How many one night stands?
Zero. I've never had a one-night stand.
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Um... I didn't really watch TV this year, myself. I don't think I turned on a set other than at someone else's request.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, rather the opposite.
25. What was the best book you read?
Hmm... I didn't read much this year. But the most meaningful was When Things Fall Apart, by Pema Chodron (a timely birthday gift from geekchick)
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Queen?
27. What did you want and get?
Project success on several fronts, a surprise birthday party (two of them!), overseas adventures, and much improved communications with patgreene. Feeling like Pat and I were allies again :).
28. What did you want and not get?
More face-time and cuddle-time with my LDRs. Peace. A less tense relationship with my relatives. Completion of my kitchen remodeling and my crater geophysics paper. (finally finished a draft today...) A space of my own, at home, other than hiding in the garage. To find a more-relaxed, easier-flowing connection with someone.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
What the (bleep) Do We Know?
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I spent the day on airplanes -- Edmonton to Yellowknife to Cambridge Bay to Resolute. I was greeted at Resolute airport by a group of a dozen HMP and DAME project staff, including my sister suspira20, who sang "Happy Birthday". I was 44.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
To have handled things better in July...
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Matching colors, no holes or stains.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
None, I ignore celebrities.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election campaign... was a disappointment. Enough said.
36. Who do you miss?
I miss my father being healthy. On a different level, I've had to get used to lower levels of communication and interaction with geekchick, dawnd and who_is_she over the course of 2004.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
"Best" sounds judgemental... but clearly tenacious_snail was the new person in my life this year who has had the biggest impact.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004?
I'm an actual gift to others.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"The best thing you've ever done for me
is to help me take my life less seriously
it's only life, after all..."