New Year's Survey

This is a survey you're supposed to fill out on January 1st, but I chose to fill it out on December 1st. I'm a rebel that way. I've done this survey for the last few years. It's a fun one to revisit.


1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
I made videos which led to signing autographs. Not many, but enough to make me feel cool!

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I resolved to stop gossiping. This became quite easy after I stopped living with my then-roommate. I still gossip a little bit, but not nearly as much as I did when she was an influence in my life. I feel like I’m a better person. My resolution for 2009 is to read more. Specifically, 50 books between Nov. 1st, 2008 and Nov. 1st, 2009.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Lots of people I know gave birth, but no one I was really close to.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes.

5. What countries did you visit?
I drove through Canada a few times... it’s been a slow year, travel-wise.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
an iPod? I wouldn’t know how to answer, life-wise. Things are sort of up in the air at the moment.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 8th, 2008. It was just a really fun day, start to finish. Chellie and I got up early, coffee’d up and drove to Chicago, where we saw John again and met Hank, and then met up with another nerdfighter and walked around the city looking at awesome stores before heading over to the Bean. We saw a brilliant piano concerto while we were waiting for 8:08pm to roll around, and then we participated in making a movie... and if that wasn’t enough, we then went to Reggie’s Room where I convinced the doorman to let us in early (despite a block-long line) and we danced/drank with the Green brothers and a huge crowd of Harry Potter nerds until 1:30am. It was just a fun day, and I’m glad we did it, even if we did have to pull over and sleep in the car on the way home.
(by the way, Chellie was drinking Diet Coke, because she’s 18. Just to clarify.)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Seeing the show I designed tour to the festival and win awards, getting accepted to all of my favorite grad programs, and finally getting my Bachelor of Arts. It was a good year for achievements.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Though I know it isn’t my fault that this grad program was advertised to be something it isn’t, I still feel a bit like a failure for leaving.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes. Evidently I have Crohn’s Disease.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My bookshelves!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Zac. He’s been a good friend, and makes me feel good about my decisions.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I’d rather not say.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent. Love Boston, but good god! So expensive!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Dracula at ACTF, the NYC trip (I LOVE the president of my former university... sending all of the theatre grads to NYC for free? Seriously? So Awesome) and when the vlogbrothers featured the shortsisters on their channel. That was exciting.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Effington, from Ben Folds, What I’m Looking For, from Brendan Benson, or anything from Hank Green or Julia Nunes.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? more confused
ii. thinner or fatter? thinner
iii. richer or poorer? poorer. Grad school will do that to you.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
more sketching, more calling friends, more traveling

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I have the tv on too much. Even when I’m not really watching anything.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Probably at my mom’s house in the morning, Dad’s in the afternoon, and at a family friend’s in the evening.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Nope!

23. How many one-night stands?
Um...

24. What was your favorite TV program?
I’m a big fan of Project Runway. and House.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don’t hate anyone.

26. What was the best book you read?
My favorite book that I read is Paper Towns. The ARC made me feel like I was in on a secret, which made it special. I know I wouldn’t have read it if I hadn’t seen the video blogs, because it’s been like 9 years since I’ve read YA fiction, but the book really impressed me and I was glad to read it.

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?
Yo-Yo Ma! All year I’ve been listening to the Bach cello suites. I can’t stop!

28. What did you want and get?
To get into my top grad programs.

29. What did you want and not get?
A boyfriend? I didn’t exactly try to get one, though. I’m waiting for a good sale.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Did Juno come out this year?

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 22. We went out to Roadhouse and everyone filled in a page of my Wreck This Journal. More people came than I expected, and I had fun.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I had liked Brandeis.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
comfortable and relaxed.

34. What kept you sane?
Remus, the lion-cat who is currently purring into my lap.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I don’t really do that anymore. I suppose Barack Obama received most of my attention, but not in an I-fancy-him sort of way.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The one that gets me the most riled up is the right to marry, although I wouldn’t say it is the one I think is the most important. To me, it is the silliest, which is why it stirs me. Why should people care who marries whom?

37. Who did you miss?
I miss former-roommate Zac, and I miss former-mentor Greg.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Can I just broaden this to “The YouTube Community”?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
I can achieve the goals I set for myself. I can survive the things that stand in my way. Additionally, I am made of awesome. :-)

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I know that I just wanna look some more. And I won’t be satisfied till there’s nothing left that I haven’t tried.” -What I’m Looking For, Brendan Benson

“The flower said ‘I wish I was a tree.’ The tree said ‘I wish I could be a different kind of tree.’ The cat wished that it was a bee. The turtle wished that it could fly really high into the sky, over rooftops and then dive deep into the sea.... the rattlesnake said ‘I wish I had hands so I could hug you like a man.’ And then the cactus said, ‘Don’t you understand? My skin is covered with sharp spikes that’ll stab you like a thousand knives. A hug would be nice, but hug my flower with your eyes.’” -Tree Hugger, Kimya Dawson