The Year In Review
Written byStill working on the wedding post; meanwhile, here’s a fun meme I saw over at Lachlan’s.
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Bought a new car. How thrilling. Not that I don’t appreciate my new car, I certainly do. But it’s not like I pushed the envelope, you know?
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I haven’t made NY resolutions since …. well, I can’t remember ever seriously making a NY resolution. The concept has always seemed stupid to me, like going on a diet. It is a truth universally known that a person in possession of a resolution must be in want of a disappointment.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No. Most of my friends are done with the breeding thing, as are my generation of my relatives. It will be a few years before the next wave of weddings/babies/divorces/babies/weddings begins anew.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, for which I am grateful. I had enough of that in my youth, so I hope this death-free stretch continues for many more years.
5. What countries did you visit?
South Dakota and Wyoming. Oh, you said “countries,” not “the country.” None then…
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A modicum of confidence in my fiction skills and a finished novel. A vacation in the United Kingdom.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I’ve never been one to remember actual dates for anything. Ask my friend Tom, who in the 20+ years we have been friends has only once received a birthday card from me during the correct month. I do remember events, however, and the first that are coming to mind during 2009 are the inauguration of Barack Obama, and the deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. New beginnings and sudden endings.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
See #9.
9. What was your biggest failure?
For years now, I’ve refused to rank my undertakings as either “successes” or “failures.” If I wanted to reduce the richness of life to dualities, I’d get religion.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
For the past three years I’ve had a recurrings (goes away, then flares again) illness that resembles mono or the flu (minus a fever). I’ve seen physicians, chiropractors, naturopaths; been tested for mono, lyme disease, etc. several times. When they can’t identify it within a few visits/tests, doctors lose interest. So I do not know what it is; all I know is improved a lot when I had my IUD removed.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our Subaru. It feels very luxurious to me, what with things like heated seats - though the first time we used the, Kevin turned them on without telling me and I thought I wet my pants.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Whomever chose justice over peer pressure and did not sign that ridiculous Free Polanski petition.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No names! Bad juju.
14. Where did most of your money go?
I like to think to savings, though like everyone else, we paid a lot in regular old bills.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Every time I have a good writing day, I get inordinately excited. Of course, a bad writing day makes me go seriously emo - all is sourness and ruin! I’m going to go eat worms!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
My mind doesn’t organize music like that. I have a friend who not only associates specific songs to specific years, but also to the season of that particular year. He gets annoyed when it comes on the radio during the wrong one.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier. I seem to get happier every year, I’m happy to say.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, though I cannot say the same as for a), I am sad to say.
c) richer or poorer? Richer, mostly because we are better at saving money and I have lost interest in a lot of the material fascinations I once had, like clothes. If it doesn’t improve my writing, I’m not very interested.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Kevin’s brother and his sweetie came over. We exchanged gifts, had dinner, and then played some sort of Zombie card game that baffled me so I eventually went off to clean the horrendously messy kitchen which I thoroughly enjoyed. (I am wierd that way.)
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
In a manner of speaking. A true renewal of one’s feelings of appreciation for someone is just as good, if not better.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
House. Though Saving Grace runs a close second.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is a pretty strong word.
24. What was the best book you read?
Tie: The Gargoyle and The Shadow of the Wind
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Didn’t make one this year, in my attempts to kick my iTunes addiction.
26. What did you want and get?
Gobs of books for Christmas. Seriously, my entire Amazon Wish List under my tree. Sweet!
27. What did you want and not get?
An diagnosis (see #10).
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Jane Eyre, the Masterpiece Theater version, which I got for Christmas. It’s the first film I’ve watched all the way through in a long time - and that’s saying something since it’s 3 hours long. It’s three years old though - I rarely watch recent films anymore. I watch everything on Netflix and it’s almost always a few years old. Lately, I haven’t even been able to watch the few that we’ve rented. Most films are mediocre to bad these days, so I get distracted easily. I have way too many other things I could do with the precious hours I am not at work or fulfilling some other obligation.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I honestly can’t remember. I turned 41, which may explain that. I know I didn’t have a party - that was the 40th. Hmmm…
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting further along in my novel. Or maybe just being happier with my writing. Yes, I think the second one is more accurate.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Slacker Chic.
32. What kept you sane?
Being creative and my sweetie.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
This is a good summary of my 2009 celeb crushes; latest is Toby Stephens (see #28). As far as public figures go, I’m impressed with Hillary’s ability to shake off the haters without sinking to their level.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Abortion rights. They’re anything but guaranteed, ladies.
35. Who did you miss?
My maternal grandmother.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
A very nice 70 year old woman at the wedding I attended on New Year’s Eve. She was super-friendly and genuinely nice. I went out of my way to visit with her (hoped it would rub off on me).
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
This, too, shall pass. OK, I re-learned it…but every time I do, I value it more.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Don’t bring me bad news, no bad news / I don’t need none of your bad news today / You can’t have my fear, I’ve got nothing to lose, can’t have my fear / I’m not getting out of here alive anyway / And I don’t need none of these things, I don’t need none of these things / I’ve been handed / And the bird of peace is flying over, she’s flying over and / Coming in for a landing (No Bad News, Patty Griffin)
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (0)You’ll shoot your eye out!
Written bySeriously, what Christmas shopper doesn’t want to shoot Santa by now?
I know the Rib has been tres quiet lately as I take much-needed break from teh internets, but I promise we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming as of Jan 1, 2010. (Jebus Christ on a pogo stick, I can’t believe it’s going to be 2010.)
Wishing a merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year to all my beloved Rib readers.
coffee House
Written byOriginal coffee art by created and Flickred by Rakka. Check out her suspect and fugitive set; the Alfredo Hitchcock is awesome. 
Girls gone wild
Written byClearly they know about my weekend plans.
We Should Worry originally uploaded by stevechasmar.
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (0)Havin’ a heat wave, a tropical heat wave
Written byIn the twenty-two years I’ve lived in Seattle, I’ve never seen this:
It’s not just that it’s hot. It’s hot for a long time.
That just doesn’t happen here at sea level, where cooling breezes float in from the Sound 24/7 and nobody bothers to install air conditioning in their homes because they “don’t need it.”
OK, I promise no more posts about the weather. Unless I’m dying of heatstroke in which case I’ll be sure to post my will for the convenience of the two people in it.
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (0)We are experiencing technical difficulties
Written byPlease stand by.
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (0)Synchronicity
Written byThursday while driving to work, I was half-listening to some guy talking on NPR. I think it was a movie review or something. Whatever it was, it had nothing whatsoever to do with birds, but for some reason he ended his chatter with a thought about how we all know what pigeons look like because they’re pretty much the only kind of bird we see in the city.
Which is when the host replied (to no one in particular, because the movie review was taped), “Oh, I don’t know about that. I saw a hawk on my lawn.”
This made me ponder: How did she know it was a hawk? Would I recognize a hawk when I saw one? Sadly, I figured probably not. I grew up in cities, and like the movie reviewer, the only big bird I ever saw was, well, Big Bird. Oh, and that bizarre blue bald eagle on the Muppet Show (”It’s the American way!”).
“Now an American bald eagle!” I consoled myself, “I think I’d at least recognize one of those.” But I figured I would never know for sure because I still live in the city.
Guess what I saw on my walk through the park today? Just hanging out at the top of the highest tree, surveying his domain all majestic-like. The sun made his white feathered head glow.
I’ve never seen a bald eagle at all, let alone in a little city park. I’ve never thought about bald eagles, or heard about them on the radio, until two days ago.
Sometimes life is kinda creepy. In a good way.
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (1)Old. Young. Just words.
Written by- George Burns
Think life after 60 means rocking chairs, liquified food and Depends? For you, maybe.
Watch the trailer for the new documentary film Hats Off to see what life could be like if you decide to make it so.
And if you don’t fall at least a little bit in love with Mimi Widdell, you have a heart of stone.
Technorati Tags: documentary films, Mimi Widdell, aging
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (1)“Let me sing you a song”
Written byAs I came out of Elliot Bay Book Store today, a young homeless man stepped into my path and said in a soft voice, “Could you spare some change so I can get a cheeseburger?”
I reached into my jacket pocket and fished around for my wallet.
“I will sing you a song,” he said as I rummaged. “I will–”
Without bothering to count them, I put a wad of folded bills into his outstretched brown hand.
His mouth dropped open a little bit. “Oh, thank you,” he said earnestly, looking into my eyes.
The young man’s shoulders were unnaturally hunched and his head thrust forward and to one side. Though he was at least my height, he had to look up slightly at me. It made him seem wistful, like a child in a toy store.
“You’re welcome,” I said, smiling.
He thrust the bills in his own jacket and held out his hand. “Thank you,” he said again. “Let me sing you a song.”
His hand was warm and soft. “I need to go,” I said. “But I will take a rain check.”
We both grinned at the joke. I turned and headed down the street.
He called after me, “Happy Valentines Day!”
I looked over my shoulder. He was standing still, but leaning toward me like a tree in a wind.
Filed under Miscellany | Comments (3)“Many Dry Weekend Moments!”
Written byGotta love this classic Pacific Northwest headline courtesy of the morning weather report emailed today from the local news station.
Is it just me, or is there a rather desperate quality in this elation?
“Not only will there be dry moments this weekend, but many! Why, there might even be enough for a full minute! Don’t jump!”
Filed under Miscellany | Comment (1)