anagramofbrat | Wellp It's that time of year again...

I feel a little silly doing this because there's an entire month left in 2012, but it's already making the rounds so nyeh.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
A few things? Oh, I suppose the whole getting legal married counts.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I'm shit at keeping them so I don't make them. I do however make these grimly determined goals that I then forget about and yet somehow manage to accomplish them anyway.

...well maybe this year I'll see how long I can go without buying anything at 7-11. I don't want to think about how much of my money they've gotten over the past few years.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
There's at least one new addition to the monkey space, and several debuting in 2013.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not close close but "in the family." November was a rough month.

5. What countries did you visit?
That implies I have money to go places.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 6 (wedding) and November 9 (aforementioned death). And the kiddos' birthdays but those make the list every year.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
planning and executing that whole legal mrrrd thing. Apparently when given a decent budget I throw a classy-ass party. Also starting up beading again with a vengeance. and writing somewhat more often.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Money management, per usual. Getting over some emotional roadblocks.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. Well, not yet. Again, one whole month left.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought personally? Hmm. Unsure?

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I'ma have to go with my compadres and salute Harmony House for toughing out their difficulties this year. They have much to celebrate this holiday.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
The louder members of the political party opposite from mine, though the schadenfreude reaped on election night was quite delicious.

On a more personal level, two people severely let me down this year, but not going into why.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills, commuting to work, and I do spend an appalling amount of money on things to stuff into my craw. I think this will be the Year of the Crock Pot and Tupperware.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Not my wedding towards the end, there, but I don't think any bride is in the days immediately leading up to, if they're doing something bigger than City Hall. Them things is STRESSFUL.

PaxEast was an adventure though.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
"Rainbow Connection"

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? I'll go with happier
b) thinner or fatter? About the same, though some of my pants are getting encouragingly tight. Maybe I'll be less skelatal in 2013?
c) richer or poorer? About the same, which is to say, shit broke. Kinda wish I'd at least taken a shot at the powerball a couple nights ago.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travel maybe? IDK.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
let myself get paralysed by my own brain.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Trapped on Martha's Vineyard watching my family haze my husband.

22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Not really, but I continued being in love?

23. How many one-night stands?
I don't generally do those.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
So many good ones. Community. Adventure time. Downton Abbey. Gammatrons.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope, Arya's litany of names remains unchanged this year.

26. What was the best book you read?
Jeez. *goes and looks at her Goodreads list* Hmm. I think I'll go with The Kingdom of the Gods tied with The Lies of Locke Lamora.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
RadioBDC.

28. What did you want and get?
A whole lotta stuff on our wedding registry that we rather desperately needed. Also a blu-ray player that happens to play video files from the internet via USB drive as a very welcome bonus.

29. What did you want and not get?
A smartphone, but that'll come in 2013. I think i can just barely afford to keep up with one next year, and I do rather stupidly need one.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Can't decide between The Hunger Games or the Avengers. Both were pretty good. Of course I have yet to see Wreck it Ralph, Life of Pi, Les Miz, or The Hobbit.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I quietly turned 34 the day after my wedding. Emphasis on quietly. I think the most exciting thing that day was getting taken out for Japanese food.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
While I'm pretty good with the job I start in a week, I'm still bitter about not getting any of the 5-col jobs I put in for.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Pretty much any interaction with my closet involved a MY GOD WHY ARE ALL MY CLOTHES TOO BIG

34. What kept you sane?
That implies there was some semblance of sanity to keep.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Michelle Dockery, though it was pointed out to me that while she doesn't exactly favor my ex, she does have a lot of the same physical traits. I may have to rethink my choices in celebrities.

Also my president and his lovely lady wife remain on my *twitterpated sigh* list. Especially since the image of Michelle Obama dressed as Wonder Woman was inserted into my brainmeat.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Universal health care. Thankfully this was a good health year for me, because I spent a good chunk of it uninsured. However a few people in my monkeyspace weren't so lucky, either in the health department or the insurance one, or, quite nastily, both. This shit system needs an enema.

37. Who did you miss?
People who aren't reading this, making their naming pointless.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I didn't meet too too many new folk this year. Maybe

transversely's little sister? Or Meg?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
Can't summarize it in one pithy platitude, really. But one that I'm constantly surprised by is the quote from Christopher Robin to Pooh: "Always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." I may have to get that as a wall hanging just for the reminder.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways
All my underdogs, we will never, never be
Anything but loud and nitty gritty, dirty little freaks
Won't you come on and raise your glass?

Also regarding today:

We met eight years ago, when your oldest was still discovering her toes. Four years later, when both of our lives were rapidly unravelling, we somehow decided weathering those particular storms together was a better idea than dealing with them separately. This year we threw a party and got rings and stuff. 32 years ago, though, you were born, making all this possible.

My icon says "sail away with me." These days I'm confused as to whether the ninja sailed away with the pirate, or the pirate is chasing the ninja across the rooftops of Tortuga swearing and brandishing an empty rum bottle in a fit of pique. Either way, every year has been an adventure, and I don't think I ever want to get off this ride.

Happy birthday, my love, my darling, my

cell23.