Brushing away the cobwebs

I intended to start off the new year easy, with a nice little questionnaire meme borrowed from The Fairly Odd Mother's blog. I didn't intend to make any resolutions this year - my mom had the idea of choosing a word for the year instead. Her word is BOLD! At first, I thought of joke words (FACETIOUS!) or dour words (SCHEDULE!). Ugh. I wanted a fun word, too, a good word, a positive word, a word that didn't feel like a chore. I thought about FOCUS...but I always focus. Sometimes too much. There are a lot of things I would like more of this year. More time, more reading, more making, more stability and resources. But MORE does not seem like a good word - too needy, perhaps.

So I am choosing ABUNDANCE. And I mean that sentence in both ways.

And I was going to leave it at that. But, as the day has gone on, and I have heard other friends talking about some of their resolutions, I have developed the resolution itch. I don't believe in setting myself up for failure, in making resolutions that are made for breaking. I like ones like "try to cook more new dishes" or "get into Indian food" or "learn how to knit socks" - those resolutions worked for me.

I'm still working on the ones for 2011. I'm also using the guidelines on The Happiness Project web site to develop them, but I am pretty sure at least one of them will involve cooking, and at least one will involve making and at least one will involve writing. I'll get back to you on those.

In the meantime...meme time!


1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Moved to North Dakota.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes and no, to both questions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Some friends had babies, yes, sweet babies!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My cat Emily – after 18 years, I think I can say she was indeed close to me. Close to my heart.

5. What countries did you visit?
Mainly the Kingdom of Crazy, where I reign supreme.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Hmm. Lots of things spring to mind. Stability would be a nice start.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I am not so good with dates, frankly. I’ll remember lots of events, but I doubt I will be able to match them to dates within a year. I’ll remember the opera finally happening, camping, the godawful process of selling the house, moving, Christmas with my parents.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not completely falling apart about #1.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not completely keeping it together about #1.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing that will leave a visible scar.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Markers for Cora. It seems like there was something else I was saying was the best thing, just a few days ago, but now I have no idea what it was. Oh - Chris says it was the slow cooker and the awesome slow cooker cookbook (The Slow Cooker. That's the title. Seriously.)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My kind and thoughtful and accepting friends.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Bullies. All types.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Moving, definitely.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Knitting, sewing, cooking, finishing the Thumbelina poems.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
I don’t think there is one, unless it is one from the princess song CD that lived in my car for nine months. Pocahontas, I think about you way more often than I ever thought I would.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Somehow, both happier and sadder. Not thinner, not with the bumper crop of stress 2010 brought in. And, financially, poorer. Alas. In some less tangible ways, richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing. Relaxing. Sleeping. Sewing. Reading. Eating out at favorite Twin Cities restaurants.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Packing! Worrying! Crying! Not-sleeping!

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With Chris and Cora and my parents – my dream Christmas companions.

21. Did you fall in love with 2010?
God, no. I think the last year I even had a strong crush on was 2008.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Was there a mystery in it? A dead body? A scientist or other brainy-type person? A good fight scene? An improbable turn of events? A modicum of clever dialogue? Yep - that was my favorite.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope.

24. What was the best book you read?
I didn’t read as much I would have liked. I don’t remember a lot of what I read. I’m going to say Mary Roach’s Packing for Mars, because it is fresh in my mind. This is a good place to say again how much I love, love, love my Kindle!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Pandora!

26. What did you want and get?
Help, when I was able to ask for it, or when someone caught me at the right time.

27. What did you want and not get?
Help; I was not always good at being able to ask for it and I often put up a better front than I should have.

28. What was your favorite film of 2010?
I think I saw two films in the theater, so I guess it has to be Inception or Tangled. Did I see other films? I have no freaking clue.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I will always remember that I spent my 40^th birthday at a surprise party that truly surprised me!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A dream job for either me or Chris that allowed us to stay in the Twin Cities. Or, you know, afford to move to Santa Barbara. Ha!.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2010?
“Just get dressed.”

32. What kept you sane?
Cooking, drinks with Kristi and Nora, sewing.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
If by “stirred” I can mean “moved” and if by “political” I can mean “social justice” then I have to say the It Gets Better Project.

34. Who did you miss?
My parents, lots. Chris, when he was in ND. Friends in far and not-so-far places.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
I don’t think I could choose just one.

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
I’m still sorting out the lessons I learned in 2010. There were a lot of them. Not all were welcome ones.

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Some days take less, but most days take more
Some slip through your fingers and onto the floor
Some days you're quick, but most days you're speedy
Some days you use more force than is necessary
Some days just drop in on us
Some days are better than others
“Some Days Are Better than Others,” U2