The only way to get me to post anything: 2006 in review!
1) Where did you ring in 2006?
In the kitchen of the Lake Hawea camping grounds, playing Rummy with an orange-haired man. Actually I might have decided to go pee at that point. Who knows. We'd thought that it would be fun to go camping down south for new years, since we were both living in Australia (him in Sydney, me in Melbourne), we wanted to see some scenery, and some band was playing and his friend was down there and blah blah. Turns out we couldn't get tickets to the band, the friend was occupied elsewhere, and there was NO ICE left in town. Plus it was full of drunken teens. So we had to sit in the kitchen with our beers in the freezer, defending them from rabid 16 year olds while playing cards and reading the paper. Then we went and played on the merry-go-round.
2.) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
I've never really been that hung up on Valentines day. I was making moosey phonecalls to Italy on a regular basis, though.
3.) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Nope. Formal education is for suckas, sucka.
4.) How did you earn your keep?
I massaged drunk people in pubs (and sitting at pokie machines in workingmen's clubs!) in Melbourne and Cairns. Then I made some websites, wrote some sales copy, fixed up a whole lot of HTML and talked a whole lot of shit to people who thought I was someone else. Hah hah!
5.) Did you have to go to the hospital?
I went for an ultrasound to look at my ovaries. That's a long story. My ovaries are fine, and two.
6.) Did you encounter the police?
I'm a very good girl. I hardly do anything illegal these days.
7.) Where did you go on vacation?
I jumped in my car and drove from Melbourne to Adelaide to Alice Springs to Townsville to Cairns. Then I guess I jumped on a plane to New Zealand for a holiday from my holiday.
8.) What did you purchase that was over $500?
Plane tickets to New Zealand. A lease on a flat?
9.) Did you know anybody who got married?
My boss got married, so I attended my second ever wedding in the history of my life, and got drunk at my second ever reception. Actually there's a wedding bug going around my office, it's frightening. I think you catch it off keyboards.
10.) You know anybody who passed away?
Cats don't count, right?
11.) Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with?
Only Delwyn in Melbourne, but I stalked her there in the first place. I ran into some chick I went to Japan with when I was 15. She sold me printer paper in Whitcoulls. She didn't recognise me.
12.) Did you move anywhere?
Yup. I left my house in Melbourne and uprooted to Cairns, figured I couldn't live in Cairns so jumped on a plane to sleep on my parents couch in Christchurch, moved into a house on Manchester Street for two months, ran screaming from that place to a shithole in New Brighton for five weeks, then moved again (for the last time in a while, I hope) to the mirror-image of my old house in Hagley Ave. Yeehah!
13.) What sporting events did you go to?
Sport is for suckas, sucka!
14.) What concerts did you go to?
Goodness, I can't use the same witty answer twice in a row can I? I have been musically deprived this year.
15.) Are you registered to vote?
In New Zealand. I should be registered in Australia but I'm not. In fact I think the Australians arrest you and throw you into a pit in the desert for not voting. I should really look into that.
16.) If so, did you do your patriotic duty on Nov. 7?
Yes. Yes I did.
17.) Where do you live now?
I live in Hagley Ave, in Christchurch. Opposite the park. Down from the Canterbury Draught factory. Mmm malty!
18.) Describe your birthday.
When it ticked over to April 19th I was lying in the back of my Kingswood in Cape Otway with an Italian guy. He might have woken me up to say "OH MY GOD, FIVE YEARS!" (being the age difference between us. Yes I was a cradle snatcher.) In the morning we probably argued, then piled into the car with a bizarre Norwegian man to go look at the twelve apostles (rocks in the ocean) where it proceeded to rain. And rain and rain and rain. We ended up staying the night in a hostel in Port Fairy because it was too wet to sleep in the car. There was no cake because all the supermarkets close early in Port Fairy. I stood on the bed in our dorm room trying to get cellphone reception so my mother could call me to wish me a happy birthday. We had to hide from the Norwegian man by locking the dorm room door and ignoring him when he stood there whining "guys....? guuuuys....?? GUYS??!?!" I think I made pumpkin soup, watched ER and then froze to death in the shower. The end.
19.) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2006?
Move back to Christchurch to work beind a desk. Plant pansies.
20.) What is one thing you regretted this year?
Spending so much of what might have been my last jaunt around Australia attempting to deal with a sulking boy. Should have turfed him out of the car in Cape Otway. I regret not making it up to Kakadu and Darwin. I regret not telling my travelling companions to piss off so I could find a job on Magnetic Island. I regret leaving my car in the care of my flatmates and my aunt, who let it be destroyed. Lots of Australian regrets.
21.) What's something you learned about yourself?
I'm not indestructable. And I destruct quite spectacularly! It's not the best self-awareness revelation I've ever had.
22.) Any new additions to your family?
Kittens don't count, right?
23.) What was your best month?
Probably January or February, when I was angsting about saving money and working myself to death and hanging out in Melbourne and feeling silly and creative and like I actually felt at home there.
24.) What from pop culture will you remember 2006 by?
Pop culture? Umm, christ. My finger slipped of the pulse a long time ago. Gotta be the Borat though, don't you think? Or will that just disappear? I don't know if it's got any cultural-consciousness stickability.
25.) How would you rate this year with a scale from 1 (shitty) to 10 (excellent)?
I'm sure in hindsight it will go up in the rankings. Turmoltuous times are always great in hindsight. Plus there's the possiblity that the rest of my life will be dead boring, so I'll be pining for the angst. But at present, I'm angling towards a 4. Both thumbs horizontal with a slight downward twitch.
In the kitchen of the Lake Hawea camping grounds, playing Rummy with an orange-haired man. Actually I might have decided to go pee at that point. Who knows. We'd thought that it would be fun to go camping down south for new years, since we were both living in Australia (him in Sydney, me in Melbourne), we wanted to see some scenery, and some band was playing and his friend was down there and blah blah. Turns out we couldn't get tickets to the band, the friend was occupied elsewhere, and there was NO ICE left in town. Plus it was full of drunken teens. So we had to sit in the kitchen with our beers in the freezer, defending them from rabid 16 year olds while playing cards and reading the paper. Then we went and played on the merry-go-round.
2.) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
I've never really been that hung up on Valentines day. I was making moosey phonecalls to Italy on a regular basis, though.
3.) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
Nope. Formal education is for suckas, sucka.
4.) How did you earn your keep?
I massaged drunk people in pubs (and sitting at pokie machines in workingmen's clubs!) in Melbourne and Cairns. Then I made some websites, wrote some sales copy, fixed up a whole lot of HTML and talked a whole lot of shit to people who thought I was someone else. Hah hah!
5.) Did you have to go to the hospital?
I went for an ultrasound to look at my ovaries. That's a long story. My ovaries are fine, and two.
6.) Did you encounter the police?
I'm a very good girl. I hardly do anything illegal these days.
7.) Where did you go on vacation?
I jumped in my car and drove from Melbourne to Adelaide to Alice Springs to Townsville to Cairns. Then I guess I jumped on a plane to New Zealand for a holiday from my holiday.
8.) What did you purchase that was over $500?
Plane tickets to New Zealand. A lease on a flat?
9.) Did you know anybody who got married?
My boss got married, so I attended my second ever wedding in the history of my life, and got drunk at my second ever reception. Actually there's a wedding bug going around my office, it's frightening. I think you catch it off keyboards.
10.) You know anybody who passed away?
Cats don't count, right?
11.) Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with?
Only Delwyn in Melbourne, but I stalked her there in the first place. I ran into some chick I went to Japan with when I was 15. She sold me printer paper in Whitcoulls. She didn't recognise me.
12.) Did you move anywhere?
Yup. I left my house in Melbourne and uprooted to Cairns, figured I couldn't live in Cairns so jumped on a plane to sleep on my parents couch in Christchurch, moved into a house on Manchester Street for two months, ran screaming from that place to a shithole in New Brighton for five weeks, then moved again (for the last time in a while, I hope) to the mirror-image of my old house in Hagley Ave. Yeehah!
13.) What sporting events did you go to?
Sport is for suckas, sucka!
14.) What concerts did you go to?
Goodness, I can't use the same witty answer twice in a row can I? I have been musically deprived this year.
15.) Are you registered to vote?
In New Zealand. I should be registered in Australia but I'm not. In fact I think the Australians arrest you and throw you into a pit in the desert for not voting. I should really look into that.
16.) If so, did you do your patriotic duty on Nov. 7?
Yes. Yes I did.
17.) Where do you live now?
I live in Hagley Ave, in Christchurch. Opposite the park. Down from the Canterbury Draught factory. Mmm malty!
18.) Describe your birthday.
When it ticked over to April 19th I was lying in the back of my Kingswood in Cape Otway with an Italian guy. He might have woken me up to say "OH MY GOD, FIVE YEARS!" (being the age difference between us. Yes I was a cradle snatcher.) In the morning we probably argued, then piled into the car with a bizarre Norwegian man to go look at the twelve apostles (rocks in the ocean) where it proceeded to rain. And rain and rain and rain. We ended up staying the night in a hostel in Port Fairy because it was too wet to sleep in the car. There was no cake because all the supermarkets close early in Port Fairy. I stood on the bed in our dorm room trying to get cellphone reception so my mother could call me to wish me a happy birthday. We had to hide from the Norwegian man by locking the dorm room door and ignoring him when he stood there whining "guys....? guuuuys....?? GUYS??!?!" I think I made pumpkin soup, watched ER and then froze to death in the shower. The end.
19.) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2006?
Move back to Christchurch to work beind a desk. Plant pansies.
20.) What is one thing you regretted this year?
Spending so much of what might have been my last jaunt around Australia attempting to deal with a sulking boy. Should have turfed him out of the car in Cape Otway. I regret not making it up to Kakadu and Darwin. I regret not telling my travelling companions to piss off so I could find a job on Magnetic Island. I regret leaving my car in the care of my flatmates and my aunt, who let it be destroyed. Lots of Australian regrets.
21.) What's something you learned about yourself?
I'm not indestructable. And I destruct quite spectacularly! It's not the best self-awareness revelation I've ever had.
22.) Any new additions to your family?
Kittens don't count, right?
23.) What was your best month?
Probably January or February, when I was angsting about saving money and working myself to death and hanging out in Melbourne and feeling silly and creative and like I actually felt at home there.
24.) What from pop culture will you remember 2006 by?
Pop culture? Umm, christ. My finger slipped of the pulse a long time ago. Gotta be the Borat though, don't you think? Or will that just disappear? I don't know if it's got any cultural-consciousness stickability.
25.) How would you rate this year with a scale from 1 (shitty) to 10 (excellent)?
I'm sure in hindsight it will go up in the rankings. Turmoltuous times are always great in hindsight. Plus there's the possiblity that the rest of my life will be dead boring, so I'll be pining for the angst. But at present, I'm angling towards a 4. Both thumbs horizontal with a slight downward twitch.