Stealing Lara's Meme for the New Year

I figured I would join this bandwagon of looking back at 2008, and Lara's meme (pronounced "meeeeem") looked as good as any way to do it. (Memes, if you don't want to click the link, are just questionnaires that I fill out, then you see and fill out according to your own opinion. Memes are not those little personality tests that tell you what color is your personality or whatever.) Besides, while my life might not have been as momentous as hers in 2008, it did change quite a bit this past year. So here goes:


1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Moved out of my childhood family home with all of my worldly possessions. I don't count the college years because I left about half of my stuff back at home to come back to. But this time, I moved for permanent and changed my address on all the mailing lists I am on.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
... I have no idea. I'm not sure I even made official resolutions last year. I know I was supposed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after graduation, and I did that as planned (more or less). I don't really make "RESOLUTIONS" so much as I think about where I want to be in twelve months. Like when I graduated, I did not plan to work where I am or be living where I am, but I wanted a real job and to be progressing in my personal life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Some high school friends are moms now (disconcerting to say the least!) but no one really close.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Sadly, yes.

5. What countries did you visit?
No foreign travel in 2008. Not much domestic travel either.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Health insurance.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 20, 2008: Moved in with John.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a real job that is using my college degree.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I choose to suppress such memories, but let's just say that I don't email people at my work anymore.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing more than the sniffles.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Yarn splurges! I've got Sublime yarn under the bed waiting for me... I'm a kept woman now, though, so best gift would have to be my laptop. So much easier to deal with than a desktop when I don't have my own computer at work. Though, I do miss my screen saver of pretty men pictures.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mother's, for not kicking her part-time working, no-rent-paying, food-eating, water-using, grown daughter out of the house after college. Love you, Momma!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I worked retail for most of 2008... you don't get normal people coming into retail shops. I feel like half of them could / should be my clients now that I am a counselor.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Yarn! I worked at a yarn shop, for crying out loud; it couldn't be helped. Then, after moving, I spent a lot of money on a new "career Barbie" wardrobe. Lots of dress pants, button-up shirts, and cardigans.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving, getting a new job, starting working in my field.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I've never been one of those "our song" people. But new songs of 2008 that I liked: Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, Addicted by Saving Abel, and Bubbly by Colbie Caillat.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Happier. I've moved in with my sweetie and have a real job. I feel like a real adult. Can't beat that.
Fatter. Victoria's wedding failed in that it did not make me lose weight like Lara's wedding did in 2007. Maybe I need more family members to get married, rather than friends.
Richer. Better (though not great) paychecks help out a lot. As does not having ANY local yarn shops to visit.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Saving some money. Not that I wish I'd bought less yarn, but that somehow I could still buy yarn and put some aside in savings. The college attitude of living paycheck to paycheck, only needing money for fun stuff lingered a little longer than I would have hoped. Grown people put money aside for rainy days and retirement.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastination and delay. If you want something, don't wait around for it. As preachy as it sounds, life does not come to those who sit on the couch and watch tv all day.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas 2008 was whirlwind-y, as you have already found out. Multiple people to visit, the first actual Christmas with John's family, and Victoria's wedding added to the fun.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Already was in love with a certain geeky boy

22. What was your favorite TV program?
New: Moonlight (damn you, CBS, for taking it off the air!)
Reruns: NCIS. Gotta love the back-to-back-to-back run they have in the afternoons.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
... Can't think of anything. Though, I try to "hate" people by ignoring them, not by fixating all my energy upon them.

24. What was the best book you read?

I've burned through a good bit on trashy romance novels, especially over the summer.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't even know what that means. I'm not a talent scout. I guess the largest musical discovery for me recently is that there are no radio stations out in the mountains.

26. What did you want and get?
A real life.

27. What did you want and not get?
Health insurance.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Duh, DARK KNIGHT! I also really liked The Bank Job (minus the one bit of gruesome torture and killing of a character), Iron Man, and Wall-E.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 24 and me, John, his family, and Momma all went out to eat at a really nice restaurant in Richmond. John took me shopping.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A personal thing that I don't want to share because the lack of it depresses me when I think about it.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Beginning of the year: Twenty-something casual.
End of the year: Teacher-chic

32. What kept you sane?
John. He is so much calmer than I am.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I've always been a sucker for fictional characters rather than real people, but some of my favorite famous men are Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Mark Dacascos, and Edward Norton.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I run and hide from politics because it's just a bunch of arrogant people trying to force their ideologies and beliefs upon you. Seriously, no one has known "what is best" for me since my parents were taking care of me in grade school.

35. Who did you miss?
I miss living with Victoria, though I accept that our respective boys would not approve of the foursome. But I would have settled with near-by apartments.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
My old boss, Sharon, at Knit Wits. She is awesome, quirky, vivacious, and totally insane. Gotta figure out how to work my way into her will so I can inherit my very own yarn shop.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
For the love of all things holy, don't email people at work!!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
You have to make a living / But you'd rather be at home ...
AND GET A REAL JOB / GET A REAL JOB
-- Get a Real Job, by M.O.D. (I'd never heard of the song, but it fits, no?)

Your turn!