a year in review – 2010

Year End Review – 40 Questions

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Saw the most movies in the theatre (9) of any previous year (thanks to a new dollar theatre), saw the same movie three times at the theatre (twice!), saw a movie where it was just me in the theatre, saw an armadillo in my mom’s yard, changed the oil in a mower, and traveled the most of any previous year (see question 5), all to places I’ve never been before.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
For 2010, I only wanted to know my job better, and I’d say I’ve done that.
For 2011, my goal is to try not to be so sensitive.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No – thankfully!

5. Where did you travel?
I took six business trips: to Washington (state), New Orleans, Kentucky, Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
My biggest dream is still to own a home. If I can get closer to that in 2011, that would be awesome.

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No one date really stands out…

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I accomplished at least three of the more ambitious projects on my To Do list.

9. What was your biggest failure?
At least twice, people asked me a Very Important Question, and I *totally* blew it on the answers.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Minor illness (“sinus business,” as I call it), and recurring travel sickness when I fly before noon

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A (refurbished) DVR/VCR that was less than $100 at BestBuy.com. I’ve been planning for years to move some of our home video recordings to DVD, and I’ve actually been able to put a dent in that task.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Caren, at work. She’s so positive, and we’re really like-minded on a lot of things. Both of those things are so refreshing when sometimes it seems as if everyone else I know has issues and lives to disagree.
(Runner-up: my mom’s neighbor who helped us with the huge task of spreading truckloads of gravel.)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Maybe not “appalled and depressed,” but there were several contenders for “behavior repeatedly disappointed you,” and the most disappointing had to be my boyfriend, who let me down in a big way.

14. Where did most of your money go?
To paying for my apartment

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting to work reduced hours for a few weeks during the summer at my job

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Possibly Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” because I heard it at the height of my latest celebrity obsession (see question 33).

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? happier… I’m happy to report 🙂
Older or wiser? alternately both
Thinner or fatter? fatter. That inch I can pinch seems to be growing. :sigh:
Richer or poorer? richer, but then again I was unemployed for 9 months in 2009

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Connected with other people

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Dwelling on bad feelings

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Since we woke to a rare Alabama white Christmas, I took pictures first thing. My mom, sister and I opened our gifts, then ate lunch and hung out, which is what we usually do.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
No

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I’ve enjoyed re-discovering Scarecrow and Mrs. King on DVD and on-line.

23. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Probably the boss

24. What was the best book you read?
I read 4 books and liked them all: “Cherry Ames, Camp Nurse” by Helen Wells, “The Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman, “The Lure of the Mask,” by Harold MacGrath, and I re-read “Pride and Prejudice,” by Jane Austen.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
At work we re-lived the classics for a few weeks and listened to songs from the ’50s and early ’60s. (Every time “The Twist” came on, we invariably twisted in our chairs. It was great!)

26. What did you want and get?
I wanted the problem with our VCR to be only that the heads needed cleaning — and that was it!

27. What did you want and not get?
Feedback from the boss on my job performance.

28. What was your favorite film of the year?
Films Released This Year and Really Liked: How To Train Your Dragon, Iron Man 2, Knight and Day, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Red (saw the last two three times)
Films Released This Year and Liked: Date Night, Shrek Forever After, The Bounty Hunter
Films Seen This Year For The First Time and Really Liked: Rocky, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Iron Man

29. What did you do on your birthday?
I took the day off of work. I had my favorite lunch with my mother and my sister, which included cherry pie. I went shopping and found a few little things. I ended the day watching Iron Man for the first time. Oh, and I had almost 30 happy b-day wishes from my Facebook friends. (I love you guys!)

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If it hadn’t felt as if so many aspects of my life are stuck at Square One.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
A work in progress. I’m still trying to find “my look.”

32. What kept you sane?
Faith… and when that seemed strained, brief mental “escapes” through TV shows or website work

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Would you believe Sylvester Stallone?

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The elections

35. Who did you miss?
Brown Eyes, one of our cats, disappeared back in August. 😦

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Dan, from work

37. What changed the most in your life this year?
My hair. I got a ‘do that I’ve never tried before, and it’s silly but it kinda does make me feel like a different person. In a good way!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“I do believe it’s gonna be another red letter day. I do believe it’s gonna be another chance for me to take His Word and walk by faith.” ~ Red Letter Day, by Newsong