Happy New Year

I found this meme over at A Hazy Shade of Winter. I started tracing where it came from but decided to leave that to anyone who really wants to follow all the links.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before? Visited St. Augustine, Florida. I'd been to other places like Orlando, Tampa, Homestead, the Keys, Panama City, etc. but never to the oldest city! I'm sure there are lots of other things, but that's the first one that came to mind.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't bother to make a list that won't be kept anyway.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My niece had a daughter and my nephew's wife had twin daughters.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, although not immediate family.

5. What countries did you visit? Just the good old USA.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004? A house of my own.

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Election night - I was very relieved when I saw that Bush could win with Ohio. I had checked online and knew from when I had lived there that the precincts that weren't reporting were Republican strongholds so I knew Bush would win and that I could go to bed and sleep peacefully. (I should have called some of my friends so they could have done the same.)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I'm not sure.

9. What was your biggest failure? Again I'm not sure. It's just too early to look back and really assess things like this.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? The usual sinus stuff and headaches.

11. What was the best thing you bought? A digital piano for myself my cat. He lets me play it to entertain him.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Those responding to the hurricanes in Florida and the tsunami in Asia.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Easy one--Michael Moore.

14. Where did most of your money go? To pay the bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The election outcome.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004? I liked Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying."

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? sadder

b) thinner or fatter? thinner

c) richer or poorer? about the same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? cross stitching

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? working (Don't we all wish we had more free time?)

20. How did you be spend Christmas? with my parents

21. Did you fall in love in 2004? no

22. How many one-night stands? none

23. What was your favorite TV program? Emeril Live

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? no

25. What was the best book you read? The Bible - but I'll also mention Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank. I liked it so well that I bought the previous novels she had written. I didn't like them quite as much as Shem Creek but they were good. Maybe a little more graphic than I like in places though.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not sure there was a big one. Maybe the great price on the digital piano. I just can't think of an artist that I discovered for the first time that I thought was great.

27. What did you want and get? affection from my cat

28. What did you want and not get? affection from my cat (Cat lovers will understand why this was in both places.)

29. What was your favorite film of this year? My cat says to put Garfield the Movie. I don't think it's my favorite, but I'm not a big movie goer, and I did buy that one because I love Garfield. I tend to watch older movies. The more recent ones are too graphic for me usually. Was The Passion of the Christ this year or last? It was good.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I have no idea, and it's impolite to ask a woman her age.

31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I can't answer this one without discussing personalities so I'll not answer it.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? My usual is to find great priced separates of good quality.

33. What kept you sane? Church.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I'm not big on celebrities but it would probably be one of the chefs on the Food Network.

35. What political issue stirred you the most? Rathergate.

36. Who did you miss? Ronald Reagan (after he died).

37. Who was the best new person you met? In the interest of omitting someone, I'll skip this one.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004. I need to think on this one. I'm not a person who can answer a question like this without a lot of reflection.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Here in the real world, it's not that easy at all."