2012 in review: 40 questions
Jan. 1st, 2013 11:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sharplittleteethThe old year is buried. All hail the new year.
If I were to graph out the good and the bad of last year, there would several spikes of wonder and joy, separated by long troughs of stress and exhaustion.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Lots:
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I can't remember if I made any last year.
My resolutions for this year are to:
Yes - Alex and Berni. I wrote about it here.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just Australia. I plan to go overseas in 2013.
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?
New Years Eve masquerade ball with Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman.
Visiting Cockatoo Island as part of the Sydney Biennale, and falling in love with Tiffany Singh's joyful windchime installation.
And hosting a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival, because EWF is my favourite of Melbourne's many festivals.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Work: moving the Student Union from our old Lotus Notes email system to the University's Exchange.
Politically: Acting as Union delegate in the Collective Agreement negotiations.
Personally: hosting a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing my novel yet.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yeah.
At the start of the year, I was snoring, sleeping badly, and waking up exhausted. So I saw a specialists, and ended up having nasal surgery to remove some polyps and straighten my septum. The results were good for a few months, but recently I've started snoring and having interrupted sleep again.
I also injured my lower back in September - a peripheralized nucleus in one of my discs. It was caused by years of bad posture while sitting at a computer. So I'm doing lots of physio and trying not to sit as much.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My baritone ukulele. Because it's so small and light, it's my go-to instrument to pick up play.
Honourable mention: my Macbook Air.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Everyone who kept fighting the good fight.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Our politicians, in their treatment of asylum seekers.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent. Food. Travel. Bands.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
MONA FOMA. My favourite museum + Dresden Dolls + lots of weird, experimental music.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra - 'Lost'. It's such a perfect balance of loss and hope.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? More stressed, so sadder.
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter
iii. richer or poorer? about the same
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading. Writing. Seeing friends.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinating. Being stressed. Doubting myself. Getting sick.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Down in Tasmania with A's family.
21. What LJ users did you meet for the first time?
None.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Yes, with Railsea (see question 26).
23. How many one-night stands?
N/A
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Game of Thrones. Community. Good Game.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
Railsea - China Miéville. A rollicking fun adventure story.
Honourable mention: Discordia - Lauren Penny and Molly Crabapple. Street-level journalism about the effects of the Greek financial crisis.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Shellac live at the Hi-Fi Bar.
Amanda Palmer's new album.
But to be honest, I listened to very little music this year, let alone new music.
28. What did you want and get?
Deeper involvement with the Emerging Writers Festival.
29. What did you want and not get?
To finish my novel.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Ruby Sparks.
Honourable Mentions: Brave. The Avengers (which was fun rather than brilliant).
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 41. We had a pub lunch for both A. and my birthdays. But my actual birthday? Can't remember.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finishing my novel.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Frustrating. All my old clothes are wearing out, and I couldn't find new ones that both fit and looked decent. (Also, I'm getting fat.)
34. What kept you sane?
Angelica. My guitars.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hex from Good Game. The Eleventh Doctor.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I spent a lot of time in 2012 reading political stuff on the internet, getting angry, but then feeling too drained or overwhelmed to follow through.
37. Who did you miss?
My friends. I was a hermit this year, too stressed and exhausted to go out, too embarrassed by the state of our flat to invite people over.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Dr. Christy Dena, one of my EWF panelists.
And Francesca Louise Hammond.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
If you want to get something done, you need to schedule the time to do it.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Chin high, puffed chest, we step right to it
The choice is there ain't no choice but to pursue it
If I were to graph out the good and the bad of last year, there would several spikes of wonder and joy, separated by long troughs of stress and exhaustion.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
Lots:
- Saw Sisters of Mercy live - and weren't they crap?
- Went to the MONA FOMA music festival in Hobart.
- Moderated a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival.
- Called 000.
- Had nasal surgery.
- Visited the Sydney Biennale, and the Blue Mountains.
- Threw out my old leather jacket
- Read 'Pride and Prejudice'. On my iPhone.
- Acted as a union delegate in our Collective Agreement negotiations.
- As union delegate, persuaded our members to go on strike.
- Saw a corpse flower in bloom at the Royal Botanic Gardens.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I can't remember if I made any last year.
My resolutions for this year are to:
- Finish my novel
- Go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
- Get healthy
Yes - Alex and Berni. I wrote about it here.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just Australia. I plan to go overseas in 2013.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
- My book finished and submitted to a publisher.
- A trip overseas.
- Better health.
- Less stress.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
New Years Eve masquerade ball with Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman.
Visiting Cockatoo Island as part of the Sydney Biennale, and falling in love with Tiffany Singh's joyful windchime installation.
And hosting a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival, because EWF is my favourite of Melbourne's many festivals.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Work: moving the Student Union from our old Lotus Notes email system to the University's Exchange.
Politically: Acting as Union delegate in the Collective Agreement negotiations.
Personally: hosting a panel at the Emerging Writers Festival.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing my novel yet.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yeah.
At the start of the year, I was snoring, sleeping badly, and waking up exhausted. So I saw a specialists, and ended up having nasal surgery to remove some polyps and straighten my septum. The results were good for a few months, but recently I've started snoring and having interrupted sleep again.
I also injured my lower back in September - a peripheralized nucleus in one of my discs. It was caused by years of bad posture while sitting at a computer. So I'm doing lots of physio and trying not to sit as much.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My baritone ukulele. Because it's so small and light, it's my go-to instrument to pick up play.
Honourable mention: my Macbook Air.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Everyone who kept fighting the good fight.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Our politicians, in their treatment of asylum seekers.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent. Food. Travel. Bands.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
MONA FOMA. My favourite museum + Dresden Dolls + lots of weird, experimental music.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra - 'Lost'. It's such a perfect balance of loss and hope.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? More stressed, so sadder.
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter
iii. richer or poorer? about the same
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading. Writing. Seeing friends.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Procrastinating. Being stressed. Doubting myself. Getting sick.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Down in Tasmania with A's family.
21. What LJ users did you meet for the first time?
None.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Yes, with Railsea (see question 26).
23. How many one-night stands?
N/A
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Game of Thrones. Community. Good Game.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
Railsea - China Miéville. A rollicking fun adventure story.
Honourable mention: Discordia - Lauren Penny and Molly Crabapple. Street-level journalism about the effects of the Greek financial crisis.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Shellac live at the Hi-Fi Bar.
Amanda Palmer's new album.
But to be honest, I listened to very little music this year, let alone new music.
28. What did you want and get?
Deeper involvement with the Emerging Writers Festival.
29. What did you want and not get?
To finish my novel.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Ruby Sparks.
Honourable Mentions: Brave. The Avengers (which was fun rather than brilliant).
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 41. We had a pub lunch for both A. and my birthdays. But my actual birthday? Can't remember.
32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finishing my novel.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Frustrating. All my old clothes are wearing out, and I couldn't find new ones that both fit and looked decent. (Also, I'm getting fat.)
34. What kept you sane?
Angelica. My guitars.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hex from Good Game. The Eleventh Doctor.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I spent a lot of time in 2012 reading political stuff on the internet, getting angry, but then feeling too drained or overwhelmed to follow through.
37. Who did you miss?
My friends. I was a hermit this year, too stressed and exhausted to go out, too embarrassed by the state of our flat to invite people over.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Dr. Christy Dena, one of my EWF panelists.
And Francesca Louise Hammond.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
If you want to get something done, you need to schedule the time to do it.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Chin high, puffed chest, we step right to it
The choice is there ain't no choice but to pursue it
