Another year
1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before? I drank coffee!
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember if I resolved to accomplish anything last year; I will make no formal resolutions this time.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I don't think so.
4. Did anyone close to you die? I didn't know him, but some guy that bid in the RM It's Ac silent auction died. My mom found out by hearing his name in the list of ill people that this particular Catholic church was praying for, and then hearing his name in the list of deceased at the Christmas Eve midnight mass.
5. What countries did you visit? None, and as far as I'm concerned, it's no loss.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? Consistency.
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? This is me being obnoxious, I know... it's from memory, so the margin of error is +/- 1 day.
January 18- first semester senior year is over, which was appropriately celebrated over lunch and Halo with some juniors.
February 8- that kid I know :) took first place ($75,000) on Teen Jeopardy!
February 14- I actually don't get sick on Valentine's Day for the first time in four years.
March 12- Once Upon A Mattress.
March 31-April 2- receive three college-related letters.
April 23- Rumble on the Pike.
May 30-June 1 Catoctin.
June 3-5- NAQT HSNCT! (quiz bowl nationals).
June 27-29- watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Producers on Broadway.
August 21- move-in at CMU.
October 1- tournament at Rochester.
October 15- Lysistrata.
October 31- trick-or-treating at my programming professor's house.
November 12-13- ACF Fall.
December 9- last day of classes.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? College!
9. What was your biggest failure? Personal crap, of course.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I get sick a lot less when I live in a dorm. So much for the dangers of communal living; besides a cold about three weeks into the semester, I felt healthy more consistently than I have in years.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Used books: my FSF collection now exceeds that of the typical Barnes and Noble. Headphones: they're just a $10 pair of hook-over-the-ear things, but I enjoy them disproportionately much, so there you go.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I have people in mind, but fill in the blank yourself.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled? Myself, on occasion.
14. Where did most of your money go? Carnegie Mellon, Certificate of Deposit, Barnes and Noble (in that order).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Material purchases. Little impromptu movie trips with (somewhat new) friends. Meaningful compliments. Geeky things. (This is my answer from last year, but these four things will never change, really.)
16. What song will always remind you of 2005? "Hollaback Girl." I hate Brett a lot. :) (Even though he won't read this anyway: just kidding!) Video game music (DDR, Katamari Damacy). A Cappella and Filk, especially CS- and math-themed.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. (2004 sucked a lot. No one warned me that first semester senior year would be the least rewarding, most stressful period of my life thus far.)
ii. thinner or fatter? Same.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Er... nothing, really.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? My regrets tend not to follow such tidy trends. Or maybe these just aren't good questions.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent it watching holiday cartoon with my brother: Eight Crazy Nights, Futurama Christmas #1, Family Guy, and Futurama Christmas #2. Yay!
21. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2005? There are no "most embarrassing" things. (An old answer, but still true.)
22. Did you fall in love in 2005? No.
23. How many one-night stands? None.
24. What were your favourite TV programs? American Dad, Futurama, Colbert Report... I seem to like spinoffs better than originals. Also Monk, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Mission Hill (falling in love again on DVD!). I don't really watch TV anymore; in that respect, it was a really good semester.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I hate considerably fewer people than I did this time last year.
26. What was the best book you read? I have read very few books compared to last year, but Strong Opinions, a compilation of interviews with and essays by Vladimir Nabokov, was very good, as was some other compilation of interviews with Salman Rushdie.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm going to have to go with the tried and true Presidential Campaign Songs.
28. What did you want and get? Increased confidence in and pleasure from CS and math. Everything material I wanted (books & DVDs & laptop). Increased autonomy and privacy.
29. What did you want and not get? Nothing important. See the answer to #39.
30. What was your favourite film of this year? What the hell came out this year? Not Goblet of Fire or Chronicles of Narnia, though both were much more enjoyable than I'd expected. Ooh, I can't wait for X III (X-Men 3) on May 26, 2006!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 18, legal to do a lot more things, none of which interested me. Shamefully, I still haven't registered to vote. A week after my birthday, I obtained proof of age with photo ID from the MVA, which was useful when I was carded at the movies twice in several months.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If the whole year had been like June and October, the two best months, it would have been even better. Still, for all its significant flaws, 2005 may have been the best year ever.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Dress pants and a geeky t-shirt, with weather-appropriate layers and coats. Dressier tops when I get the chance to raid my mom's closet.
34. What kept you sane? Did I really stay sane?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Haha... I'm going to have to say Ken Jennings.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Intelligent Design and Dover, PA (which is not located near Pittsburgh, but thank you for asking anyway).
37. Who did you miss? Middle school friends while in high school; high school friends while in college; college friends while on vacation. I can't get enough of all of you!
38. Who was the best new person you met? Assorted college people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005. Sometimes good things will inexplicably happen. Try to deserve them anyway.
Here are last year's answers for comparison and contrast (hopefully without analysis).
Maybe a lot of you have already seen this, but I can't help linking the best Legend of Zelda TV commercial ever produced. I <3 Japan.
2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember if I resolved to accomplish anything last year; I will make no formal resolutions this time.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I don't think so.
4. Did anyone close to you die? I didn't know him, but some guy that bid in the RM It's Ac silent auction died. My mom found out by hearing his name in the list of ill people that this particular Catholic church was praying for, and then hearing his name in the list of deceased at the Christmas Eve midnight mass.
5. What countries did you visit? None, and as far as I'm concerned, it's no loss.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? Consistency.
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? This is me being obnoxious, I know... it's from memory, so the margin of error is +/- 1 day.
January 18- first semester senior year is over, which was appropriately celebrated over lunch and Halo with some juniors.
February 8- that kid I know :) took first place ($75,000) on Teen Jeopardy!
February 14- I actually don't get sick on Valentine's Day for the first time in four years.
March 12- Once Upon A Mattress.
March 31-April 2- receive three college-related letters.
April 23- Rumble on the Pike.
May 30-June 1 Catoctin.
June 3-5- NAQT HSNCT! (quiz bowl nationals).
June 27-29- watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Producers on Broadway.
August 21- move-in at CMU.
October 1- tournament at Rochester.
October 15- Lysistrata.
October 31- trick-or-treating at my programming professor's house.
November 12-13- ACF Fall.
December 9- last day of classes.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? College!
9. What was your biggest failure? Personal crap, of course.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I get sick a lot less when I live in a dorm. So much for the dangers of communal living; besides a cold about three weeks into the semester, I felt healthy more consistently than I have in years.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Used books: my FSF collection now exceeds that of the typical Barnes and Noble. Headphones: they're just a $10 pair of hook-over-the-ear things, but I enjoy them disproportionately much, so there you go.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I have people in mind, but fill in the blank yourself.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled? Myself, on occasion.
14. Where did most of your money go? Carnegie Mellon, Certificate of Deposit, Barnes and Noble (in that order).
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Material purchases. Little impromptu movie trips with (somewhat new) friends. Meaningful compliments. Geeky things. (This is my answer from last year, but these four things will never change, really.)
16. What song will always remind you of 2005? "Hollaback Girl." I hate Brett a lot. :) (Even though he won't read this anyway: just kidding!) Video game music (DDR, Katamari Damacy). A Cappella and Filk, especially CS- and math-themed.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. (2004 sucked a lot. No one warned me that first semester senior year would be the least rewarding, most stressful period of my life thus far.)
ii. thinner or fatter? Same.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Er... nothing, really.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? My regrets tend not to follow such tidy trends. Or maybe these just aren't good questions.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent it watching holiday cartoon with my brother: Eight Crazy Nights, Futurama Christmas #1, Family Guy, and Futurama Christmas #2. Yay!
21. What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in 2005? There are no "most embarrassing" things. (An old answer, but still true.)
22. Did you fall in love in 2005? No.
23. How many one-night stands? None.
24. What were your favourite TV programs? American Dad, Futurama, Colbert Report... I seem to like spinoffs better than originals. Also Monk, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Mission Hill (falling in love again on DVD!). I don't really watch TV anymore; in that respect, it was a really good semester.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I hate considerably fewer people than I did this time last year.
26. What was the best book you read? I have read very few books compared to last year, but Strong Opinions, a compilation of interviews with and essays by Vladimir Nabokov, was very good, as was some other compilation of interviews with Salman Rushdie.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm going to have to go with the tried and true Presidential Campaign Songs.
28. What did you want and get? Increased confidence in and pleasure from CS and math. Everything material I wanted (books & DVDs & laptop). Increased autonomy and privacy.
29. What did you want and not get? Nothing important. See the answer to #39.
30. What was your favourite film of this year? What the hell came out this year? Not Goblet of Fire or Chronicles of Narnia, though both were much more enjoyable than I'd expected. Ooh, I can't wait for X III (X-Men 3) on May 26, 2006!
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 18, legal to do a lot more things, none of which interested me. Shamefully, I still haven't registered to vote. A week after my birthday, I obtained proof of age with photo ID from the MVA, which was useful when I was carded at the movies twice in several months.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If the whole year had been like June and October, the two best months, it would have been even better. Still, for all its significant flaws, 2005 may have been the best year ever.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Dress pants and a geeky t-shirt, with weather-appropriate layers and coats. Dressier tops when I get the chance to raid my mom's closet.
34. What kept you sane? Did I really stay sane?
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Haha... I'm going to have to say Ken Jennings.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Intelligent Design and Dover, PA (which is not located near Pittsburgh, but thank you for asking anyway).
37. Who did you miss? Middle school friends while in high school; high school friends while in college; college friends while on vacation. I can't get enough of all of you!
38. Who was the best new person you met? Assorted college people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005. Sometimes good things will inexplicably happen. Try to deserve them anyway.
Here are last year's answers for comparison and contrast (hopefully without analysis).
Maybe a lot of you have already seen this, but I can't help linking the best Legend of Zelda TV commercial ever produced. I <3 Japan.