list

A friend put up a list of reflections and resolutions from the last year. It reminds me of the 'old' days when such lists were the heart and soul of spam. Now if I get one list for every 55 hundred Viagra emails I feel blessed.

In the spirit of the list and with a somewhat lighter tongue than I've had recently, here are my answers...

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1.What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Raised a 3 year old. I cannot recommend it, yet it seems I am doomed to repeat the experience in 2008. *g*

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I've moved on to an ongoing resolution system. Every week I try to exemplify some aspect of my values. I fail frequently, but I get to re-resolve each week. :?)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, my wife.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Mmm, I hope I haven't forgotten anyone.

5. What countries did you visit?
Not a one. I hope to visit D.C. this year and learn how the government works in that country.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
More resolve. Less doubt. More patience. Less schoolwork. More pay.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 12. Daddy Day 2.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
We made it to delivery and brought a perfect little human into the world. Now we just have to not ruin her.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Glimpsing the path to peace of mind, then taking my eye off it and losing it for a while.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had every throat problem I can think of and experienced what a stupid-yet-debilitating injury feels like. But then I am frail and need lots of love. Even in my dumps I had it far batter than many people's good days.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought music, which I had given up on doing for a long time (overpriced garbage, anti-industry sentiments). It was good for my soul. and showed me that sometimes my righteous stands are too costly (tho I still will not shop Walmart).

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Many of my countrymen.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
May of my elected leaders.

14. Where did most of your money go?
To fulfilling one of my darling's dreams.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Rediscovering old friends.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
Plainsong. captures the breathlessness of big decisions, trying to hold it together on one income, feeling always on the edge with never much safe ground to retreat to if fortune turns bad.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier and more anxious
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter
iii. richer or poorer? Richer and less wealthy

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Living today. Cooking.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying. Eating. (they seem to go together)

20. How will you be spending New Year's?
A break for capuccino with my darling in betwix feedind, burping, rocking and changing.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Yes. With new things about my darling and with baby (but just barely with baby-- they aren't very lovable until they start getting those little gassey smiles.

23. How many one-night stands?
heh heh-- Just the one. Seems like we hit the fertility jackpot.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Deadwood on DVD.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
no

26. What was the best book you read?
Player of Games. Banks riffs on the serpent in paradise as well as anyone.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Two. That I can love classical music. and The Cure.

28. What did you want and get?
healthy baby, healthy mom

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Batman was well done. They did something I wouldn't have given anyone credit enough to do - gave the series a new lease on life. Serenity was a long-awaited payoff. Was this Spiderman 2 year? Was better than the first one.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 33. I am sure we did something, but I can't remember.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being done with my masters. It is a weight around my neck.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Nike aquires Converse --> Jeremy downgrades to converse-casual for the workplace. Hey, it could be worse, the active life folkes wear Hurley!

34. What kept you sane?
That's a rather largish assumption....

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Well, Barak Obama has bucketloads of charisma...lets say I fancy his oratory and politics, K? *g*

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Terror (ours) and lies.

37. Who did you miss?
My bro. I need to spend more time with him.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
Sell your house for what you think you can get--don't cave in to the realtor's doubt. Otherwise even if you get everything you ask, it'll taste like ashes.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"i think it's dark and it looks like rain" you said
"and the wind is blowing like it's the end of the world" you said
"and it's so cold it's like the cold if you were dead"
and then you smiled for a second.

Mucho angst, hurtling along without the reigns in my hands, but then for a moment I can see that it's worth the fright and I wouldn't change the choices we've made.