Best Year Ever

I'm in the post-Christmas doldrums and not coming up with anything of any reasonable originality to write about, but I happened upon Sundry's year-end questionnaire (I have a minor girl-crush on her, by the way, and a definite baby jones thanks to little Riley's cheeks) and so...  Off we go, to recap Ought Six:

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?  Bought a home.  Started a blog.  Traveled to Costa Rica.  Held my first nephew.  Visited Allison and her husband.  Started the adoption process. 

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  My husband and I made resolutions last year and I think we kept about half of them.  They're mostly the same year after year -- explore the city more, spend more time with friends, run the marathon, strive for a work/life balance, blah blah blah.  Nothing terribly ambitious, since I find I disappoint myself just fine without putting specific goals in writing. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?  Why, yes.  My brother and his wife welcomed a gorgeous baby boy who has red hair like me and the most smooshable cheeks ever.  Our closest couple-friends here in the city, B&C, also had a gorgeous little peanut, a teeny girl who surprised everyone by coming six weeks early.  Also, Allison and her husband finally got their referral for the fabulous Miss Maggie, and I had the privilege of seeing them on their way home when they stopped in Newark for a few hours.  It was, overall, a year of baby bliss.

4. Did anyone close to you die?  No. 

5. What countries did you visit?  Costa Rica.  We also went to the Bay Area for a wedding, DC for a surprise anniversary trip, and Florida for my Granddad's 90th birthday, and I went to Charlotte to visit Allison. 

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?  A baby!  Heh.  Hopefully, we will get our referral and travel in 2007, although I don't want to get too married to a particular time frame, because I will drive myself nuts.  Other than that...oh!  A new kitchen.  LORD, I can't wait to get our kitchen redone.   

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  I'm not so great with dates per se, but some memorable moments include meeting all those babies mentioned above -- seeing my brother stand over his newborn son in the nursery; being there when the doctor came out of the O.R. to tell C. that he had a baby girl; and following along online as Allison and David traveled around China and welcomed Maggie into their family.  Also, finishing the marathon with a gimpy foot and meeting a certain blogger-friend and her adorable husband.   

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?  Buying a home and finishing the marathon.  Not at the same time.

9. What was your biggest failure?  Not keeping the dog's teeth clean enough.  GodDAMN, he has some stanky breath. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  See gimpy foot reference above -- the mystery marathon injury that came out of nowhere halfway through the race and disappeared a few days later.  Stupid foot.

11. What was the best thing you bought?  An apartment.  For all the expense and the agita of home ownership, I love our place and our block and the proximity to the Park.  And for all my angst about whether or not I'll be able to take living in New York City forever, I'm pretty damn happy here at the moment.  I just wish we could move our friends and family here, too.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?  My husband's.  From playing games with my family to soothing my many neuroses to sharing the excitement about (and the responsibilities/minutiae of) the adoption process to handling irritating things like our finances to making me laugh til my stomach hurts, he consistently amazes me with his generosity and his (UGH) spirit.  He also did smashingly with anniversary, birthday and Christmas gifts this year, I have to say.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  Britney Spears, yo.  You get rid of K-Fed, and then start hanging out with Paris Hilton?  No.  NO. 

14. Where did most of your money go?  Aside from the deli guy for Diet Mountain Dew and Balance Bars, we poured a whole lot of dough into the new apartment.  The down payment, of course, but also the bathroom renovations.  OH, the bathroom renovations.  Thinking of it makes me twitch.  The end result was worthwhile, but OH, how I loathe dealing with contractors. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?  The many bebes.  Our impending bebe.  My new camera.  Going to see Allison.  Our trips.  Our new TV.  Felicity going away with Ben on the road trip (I always thought I was pro-Noel, but I found that I was irrationally happy that she spent the summer with Ben).  Having our own Christmas tree. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?  Uhhhh.  I don't even know; I have a crippling mental block wherein I cannot recall songs, books, movies or celebrities unprompted.  But if I had to say, it would probably be something from my marathon mix -- maybe "Move Along" or "Unconditional" or, oooh, "Mr. Brightside."  (I had to go look at my iPod to come up with these.)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:  a) happier or sadder?  b) thinner or fatter?  c) richer or poorer?  Happier, about the same weight (I think I've weighed the same for about five years now), and richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?  I should say something like charity work or going to church, but really I think I did the best I could with the time I had outside of work.  Although maybe I could have spent more time eating chocolate chip cookies. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing about work.  I need to calm the hell down.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?  We spent it with my family at my brother and sister-in-law's house.  And it was awesome. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?  Kind of.  I fell in love with our new apartment, with all the aforementioned babies (them AGAIN!  I know), with my husband every day (aw) and with our dog every time I see him (except maybe right now, because he keeps blowing horrific farts at me). 

22. How many one-night stands?  Well, there was the time I slept in the guest room because I was up puking all night from a migraine and I ended up cuddling with the cat instead of the dog. 

23. What was your favorite TV program?  "So You Think You Can Dance," hands down.  They need to hurry up and start the new season.  Also, "America's Next Top Model" and "Felicity" on DVD.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?  Ben Affleck.  I don't understand why he's famous and gets to have so much more money than I do.  In that same category, any Simpson.  Jessica, Ashlee, Joe, OJ.  They should all be shipped to an island and left without shelter, food, plastic surgery or media exposure.

25. What was the best book you read?  Probably "I am Charlotte Simmons," although now I'm drawing a blank on everything else I read.  I swear, my brain is a sieve.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?  All the songs that Guinness Girl recommended for my marathon mix.  I'm a wee tad behind the times, so...yay, Killers!  Yay, Snow Patrol! 

27. What did you want and get?  A schmancy yet easy to use digital SLR.  A trip to see Allison.  A plasma TV and home theater system.  Woot!

28. What did you want and not get?  I can't think of anything, except a reservation at Gramercy Tavern for my husband's birthday (we're on the waiting list, dammit, although it's my fault because I didn't call exactly one month in advance).  Oh, and world peace. 

29. What was your favorite film of this year?  The last thing we saw in the theater was "Match Point", so I'm not even sure what all came out in 2006.  On Netflix, I enjoyed "An Inconvenient Truth" (as depressing as it was) and "Shopgirl."  I'm completely blanking on anything else.  Again:  sieve.  I'm going to be in a nursing home by mid-2008. 

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?  I turned 31 this year.  And what DID I do other than move closer to senility?  I had to look at my day planner to find out.  It turns out that I was in Charlotte the weekend before my birthday, and Allison and David took me to Noble's, where I ate the best filet mignon I've ever had (OH MY GOD.  SO GOOD.), and then on my actual birthday I got flowers and lots of nice presents from Captain America, and then we had dinner with our friends B & C at Telepan.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  Making some progress -- ANY progress -- on one of my several writing projects.  (Other than this site.  Heh.)  Having a personal assistant to complete all annoying and/or time-consuming tasks for me (i.e., shopping of any kind).  Also, winning an Oscar and/or being invited to become a Rockette.  What? 

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?  PAH!  Bah.  Heh.  Uhhhh...comfortable?  Non-offensive?  Bland?  Preppy on tranquilizers?  All V-Necks, All The TIme? 

33. What kept you sane?  My husband and my e-mail buddies (you know who you are).  Also, this stupid blog, oddly enough, and the rather awesome people I've met (or "met") through it. 

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Noel Crane.  Or maybe Ben Covington.  Dammit, I just can't decide.  (And yes, I know it is no longer 1998, but I was in law school when the show first aired and therefore was too busy dancing on bars and eating in diners at 4 AM -- the usual law school stuff, you know -- and I'm just now catching up with our friends at the University of New York, and I defy anyone who claims it ain't the best show every put up thar onto the teevee.  (The hell?  Yeah, I don't know).)

35. What political issue stirred you the most?  See No. 34.

36. Who did you miss?  Allison.  My parents.  Life would be perfect if they could live right next door. 

37. Who was the best new person you met?  Take a wild guess.  (She also wins Best Hair.)

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.  Aw, shit.  You're getting all philosophical on me.  Hell, I don't know.  I am so not wise, or maybe I just stubbornly make the same mistakes over and over and never learn anything.  Umm.  Yeah, I got nothing.  Except maybe the thing about trying on skinny jeans the day after Christmas.  DON'T DO IT.   

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  "I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned."  -- "Unwritten"

Comments

[jonniker]

Aww man. *sniff*

Me too. To almost all of it. You, the husband, the dog. Man, it was a helluva great year, wasn't it? Best ever. Best. ever. By a long shot.

xoxo

[-r-]

I want to hear more about these other writing projects!

I'm glad you had such a fantastic year. May 2007 be even better!

PS I stole some of these questions for my 13 today.

[Jamie]

Oh man...I was going to do this, but I blanked so many times on the answers that required actual remembrance of the events of the year that I just up and quit.

Typical.

I loved yours, though! I am excited to hear about how the adoption stuff goes, and as always, wish you the happiest of New Years!

[lizgwiz]

Gee, I get the feeling you might possibly be thinking about a baby. Maybe? (Hee.)

I was thinking about stealing some of your questions, then realized my answer to #17 would be too depressing (just the same...it's all just the same, damn it), and I lost my momentum.

Sounds like you had a great year, though!

[guinness girl]

Oh, what a great list! I wanted to reach through the computer screen and hug you, you're so damn cute. :) #35 cracked me up. Heh. xo

[Beth]

Completely and totally unrelated:
On Showtime, they're currently showing a "documentary" (term used loosely) where they interview all the now-adult women who starred in Annie as kids.
Fascinating, and lots of Sarah Jessica Parker.

[Laura B.]

Is it lame that I copy you so much? First with the apartment pictures and now I am totally planning on doing this, too, if only because I have nothing else in my empty empty head. In fact, I don't know... this might be too difficult for me right now. I really enjoyed reading your answers, though!!

[brian]

SYTYCD is also one of my favorite shows... and i seem to end up watching every episode of ANTM because my fiance always tivos it.

i thought match point was pretty good, strange and different but not bad. you should check out the devil wears prada, just redbox-ed that and it was pretty good...

[Stinkypaw]

May 2007 be just as great for you and yours!

[Jen W.]

Are you planning on talking about the adoption process? It's something I'm interested in hearing more about (in general, not just from you).

Hope you have a great New Year's!

[metalia]

This list was awesome, but # 38 was my fave, as it is most definitely a very valuable lesson. (For life. In 2006).

A very happy new year to you!