I've watched a lot of people do this year-review, and just had to join in. Thanks to Linda who I believed started it a few years back.
1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Flew to Vegas, saw the Grand Canyon, flew to New York for BlogHer, ran a mile without stopping, ran two 5Ks on the treadmill.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made any last year. If I did, I don't remember them. I think for 2011 my resolutions will be to run at least two road races, to continue eating healthy, and to get my blood sugar under control.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Two coworkers and several internet friends. Even more are pregnant and ready to give birth in 2011!
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
None. Several states, but no other countries.
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Better physical health (working on it) and less anxiety (also working on it).
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 24th, 2010 - I turned 30 and was diagnosed with diabetes on the same day. Not my best day ever.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Running. I've never been a runner, and just a couple of months ago managed to run a full mile without stopping. That felt HUGE. In elementary school when we had to run the mile every year I always felt like such a loser for not being able to finish. My gym teacher, Mr. P., would sit by the side of the track under a shade umbrella with a glass of ice water and yell at us to run faster, and roll his eyes at the few of us who couldn’t finish. Delightful teacher.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I…don’t really like this question. Hmm. I’m nowhere near perfect, but I’m evolving and working on those things, so maybe they are temporary failures?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was in physical therapy and in a cast for a while with my heel spur/plantar faciitis issues early in the year, and I was diagnosed with diabetes at the end of September.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A housekeeper! I suppose that isn’t so much “bought” as “hired”, but I’m counting it. I am SO MUCH HAPPIER when I can keep my environment together, and with both T and I being in grad school and working full time it was just not happening without outside help. Now we keep everything picked up and put away, but someone else comes in every couple of weeks and deals with the deeper cleaning. Love it.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Nothing comes to mind.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Brett Favre. OH HOW HE MAKES ME ANGRY.
14. Where did most of your money go?
My grad school classes, T’s grad school classes. Knowledge is expensive, dude.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I was super excited about Blogher in New York in August. It was SO MUCH FUN to meet so many of my Internet People, and to see a new city.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Right now all I can think of is Rasputin, which was in the Wii game Just Dance 2 and OMG GET THAT SONG OUT OF MY HEAD PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier!
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner!
c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I had made more time for cooking and eating healthy food vs sticking to chicken nuggets for the first nine months of the year.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
See above: chicken nugget eating.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
T and I drove up to Minnesota to spend a week with my parents, and drove with them to Wisconsin to my aunt and uncle’s farm for Christmas Eve. There were many “Reindeer Games”, including Farkle, Bonkers, and a whole lot of Just Dance 2 on the Wii.
21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
I fell in love with the new bedding we got for our bedroom, and my wife accused me of having an affair with the fuzzy white blanket, but I’m thinking that is possibly not what this question is asking. But it was my biggest new love-affair of 2010.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
Probably So You Think You Can Dance. I love that show SO MUCH, and it always makes me cry a couple of times per season.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I can’t think of anyone I hate.
24. What was the best book you read?
I’m going to go with a tie between Devil in the White City and The Glass Castle. I read both of them nearly in one sitting – I just couldn’t put them down.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I’ve been listening to The Bird And The Bee a lot lately.
26. What did you want and get?
A trip to Blogher, a trip to Vegas, an A in all three of my grad school classes this year.
27. What did you want and not get?
A baby.
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
We don’t go to movies very often. I think the only movie I saw in 2010 might have been Harry Potter. At least that’s the only one I can think of at the moment.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30 this year, and I spent most of the day in hysterical tears after being told I had diabetes and we couldn’t start trying for a baby in October as we had planned. It was a really, really hard day.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A baby. (I have a bit of a one-track mind, you see.)
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
“Holy shit, it fits!” I’ve lost a lot of weight lately, and I continue to be amazed at the new, smaller clothes that fit me.
32. What kept you sane?
Cymbalta, my therapist, my friends, and my wife. Not necessarily in that order.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. I *heart* Bones and Booth.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
I teared up a little when Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed.
35. Who did you miss?
I miss my friends and family who live in Minnesota, since I never get to see them as often as I’d like.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
My friend Jennifer - we have more fun together than is really at all reasonable.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
I learned that if I keep trying, I CAN make huge changes in my life. I never believed in myself enough like that before. I ran a mile! I lost more than twenty pounds!
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
It was always simple, not hidden hard. You’ve been pulling at the strings, playing puppeteer for kings and you’ve had enough. But the search ends here, where the night is totally clear, and your heart is fierce, so now you finally know that you control where you go – you can steer.
