2013 in review; or: Look what you can do when life is kinder
Triumph of the day: I woke up at 8:15 instead of 10! Maybe I am slowly making progress on this sleep debt/Central Time Zone thing at last. On the other hand, it's 7F in Chicago and my bed is next to a pretty drafty window, so, there's also that helping. "Helping."
Yesterday I finally saw Catching Fire with my friend Julie; holy nerve-wracking and great, Katniss! Tonight I have two whole parties to attend, one of which promises breakfast in the morning. We'll see what happens.
Last night I filled out that year-in-review questionnaire/meme thing. I was feeling pretty gloomy when I started it, but I think I worked myself into a better mood. Privately I have been in a bit of a funk since Christmas, which is pretty unfun. But screw it, the whole world is talking momentum right now, so I'll try and latch onto that.
So, 2013, how did we do?
1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
Earned a master's degree! Also, swing dancing.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Never make 'em. Though I always want to. I should.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not really, no.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I think we used up that card last year, don't you? That said, people close to me lost people close to them, horribly.
5. What countries did you visit?
No other countries, though I would dearly like to in the nearer-than-far future. Aside from living in Chicago, I've been to Ohio, New York and Seattle this year. Some of that was by train. Wow, that's a distressingly little amount of travel. I didn't even make it to Indiana.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
The usual: someone to chase off my Lonelies with. Also, a job, or a fellowship that leads to a job. And maybe a completed manuscript and some short stories to start publishing for real.
7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 10, the day I turned in my capstone project. Everything else is pretty much a blur of grad school and deadlines and assignments. Except Tanvi's birthday party, which is a blur of a more specific nature, but getting to watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan on a perfect summer morning was glorious times a bunch.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My Master's of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University!
9. What was your biggest failure?
Yeah, not answering this. What good is dwelling? I do enough of that on my own.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Mostly heartache and lonelies. Although having braces again wasn't entirely fun. And there were the two moles I had removed, one of which was, for the first time in my long history of mole removal, actually wonky!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My master's degree, I guess. And the Zombies, Run! apps.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Wendy Davis. My shrink. A whole lot of you.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled?
The Medill administrators. At least one classmate.
14. Where did most of your money go?
School tuition, rent and eating out! Mint.com has made that abundantly clear to me…
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
It turns out that I really love geeking out about journalism. Like, a lot. My chosen field is really cool.
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Uh. Hmm. Dubstep Hotspur?
17: Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) happier or sadder? There was nowhere to go but up from last year. But I think I am happier overall, baseline. I have a better idea of where I can go and what I can do and who wants my skills, and that's huge.
(b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, actually! I really miss running, though. I need to suck it up and deal with the cold or find an indoor track or a treadmill or something.
(c) richer or poorer? Way poorer. It will be nice to have an income again someday.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
The answer is always "cooked more" and "finished more" and "been braver." And maybe "collaborated more" or "failed more/tried more/ventured more."
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Hurting. Feeling helpless and isolated and needy and oppressively overwhelming. (Because… yeah, those are things that can be controlled and helped.)
20. How did you spend Christmas?
In Seattle, with my dad, my sister, her two girls and her creepy ex-husband. We opened presents the night before, but sister and I took a good hike on a trail and we all saw Frozen in the evening.
21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
No. I mean, with this idea of being a journalist, yes, but with a person? No.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
I don't even know what I've been watching. Downton Abbey? Orphan Black? Anything with Joe Armstrong in it?
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate's a really strong word. But are there people out there who make my heart hurt? Yes.
24. What was the best book you read?
I'm super loving the Animorphs series, hand on my heart.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
…Dubstep Hotspur? I miss being super into music. It was so much easier when there was an affordable a free way to share it and try it. Gone too soon, lunatunes. (I should get more into other people's fanmixes.)
26. What did you want and get?
Piercings! One of the actual best decisions of my year. Of many years. (You don't know about this, because I haven't talked about it here. It's still private, I think, but I may write about it someday.)
27. What did you want and not get?
"Smooched/laid" is the perennial favorite; also, "a group of friends/a community," but I'll add "a job" only because I have a good feeling about the next few weeks and months; "published" actually happened, though not in fiction. Not yet!
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Shoot! Oh no, did I have one??? I… maybe it was still the Hotspur bits of The Hollow Crown? I don't remember really loving anything film-length from this year, except, perhaps, the Downton Abbey Christmas Special, which was candy of the most perfect sort.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Just one? Being able to write some sort of manuscript, I guess; having a novel draft in hand. But there was a lot going on this year, and I can forgive myself that much. Beyond that, Medill in general being less frustrating on an administrative/political level.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Doc Martens, jeans + t-shirt, adult braces; occasional vintage swagger; "hello, I run in this but it's comfortable and I don't want to wear real pants"
31. What kept you sane?
Knowing I was in an environment of people who supported me, understood me and my work, wanted me to succeed and actively liked me. And that I'm pretty good at this journalism thing - I'll humblebrag away: I did really well for myself this year.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
*shakes fist* Someday I'll have you, Closer to the Moon. Someday I'll get to see Joe Armstrong play a likes-to-fight con artist Jewish Romanian rock star journalist bank robber from the '50s.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Baby Boomers shitting all over Millennials; educational debt; reproductive rights; basic civil rights; not liking either "height differences" or "cats being assholes is cute," come at me, bro
34. Who did you miss?
My mom. Fandom, which I just can't seem to do right these days. Someone I clearly haven't met yet.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
It is so much better to stand up for yourself and be truthful than to think it'll just be easier and more convenient for everyone if you silently suffer. Corollary: it's better not to wait for the perfect circumstances, because otherwise you'll never do the thing you're trying to give yourself permission to do.
Also, your friends will still love you when you tell the truth.
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I can't - it's all shape note syllables.
This was originally posted on Dreamwidth, where it has
comments. I would love to hear from you at DW! If you can see this post, you can comment here using OpenID. Thanks!
Yesterday I finally saw Catching Fire with my friend Julie; holy nerve-wracking and great, Katniss! Tonight I have two whole parties to attend, one of which promises breakfast in the morning. We'll see what happens.
Last night I filled out that year-in-review questionnaire/meme thing. I was feeling pretty gloomy when I started it, but I think I worked myself into a better mood. Privately I have been in a bit of a funk since Christmas, which is pretty unfun. But screw it, the whole world is talking momentum right now, so I'll try and latch onto that.
So, 2013, how did we do?
1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
Earned a master's degree! Also, swing dancing.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Never make 'em. Though I always want to. I should.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not really, no.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I think we used up that card last year, don't you? That said, people close to me lost people close to them, horribly.
5. What countries did you visit?
No other countries, though I would dearly like to in the nearer-than-far future. Aside from living in Chicago, I've been to Ohio, New York and Seattle this year. Some of that was by train. Wow, that's a distressingly little amount of travel. I didn't even make it to Indiana.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
The usual: someone to chase off my Lonelies with. Also, a job, or a fellowship that leads to a job. And maybe a completed manuscript and some short stories to start publishing for real.
7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 10, the day I turned in my capstone project. Everything else is pretty much a blur of grad school and deadlines and assignments. Except Tanvi's birthday party, which is a blur of a more specific nature, but getting to watch the sun rise over Lake Michigan on a perfect summer morning was glorious times a bunch.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
My Master's of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University!
9. What was your biggest failure?
Yeah, not answering this. What good is dwelling? I do enough of that on my own.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Mostly heartache and lonelies. Although having braces again wasn't entirely fun. And there were the two moles I had removed, one of which was, for the first time in my long history of mole removal, actually wonky!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My master's degree, I guess. And the Zombies, Run! apps.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Wendy Davis. My shrink. A whole lot of you.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled?
The Medill administrators. At least one classmate.
14. Where did most of your money go?
School tuition, rent and eating out! Mint.com has made that abundantly clear to me…
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
It turns out that I really love geeking out about journalism. Like, a lot. My chosen field is really cool.
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Uh. Hmm. Dubstep Hotspur?
17: Compared to this time last year, are you:
(a) happier or sadder? There was nowhere to go but up from last year. But I think I am happier overall, baseline. I have a better idea of where I can go and what I can do and who wants my skills, and that's huge.
(b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, actually! I really miss running, though. I need to suck it up and deal with the cold or find an indoor track or a treadmill or something.
(c) richer or poorer? Way poorer. It will be nice to have an income again someday.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
The answer is always "cooked more" and "finished more" and "been braver." And maybe "collaborated more" or "failed more/tried more/ventured more."
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Hurting. Feeling helpless and isolated and needy and oppressively overwhelming. (Because… yeah, those are things that can be controlled and helped.)
20. How did you spend Christmas?
In Seattle, with my dad, my sister, her two girls and her creepy ex-husband. We opened presents the night before, but sister and I took a good hike on a trail and we all saw Frozen in the evening.
21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
No. I mean, with this idea of being a journalist, yes, but with a person? No.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
I don't even know what I've been watching. Downton Abbey? Orphan Black? Anything with Joe Armstrong in it?
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate's a really strong word. But are there people out there who make my heart hurt? Yes.
24. What was the best book you read?
I'm super loving the Animorphs series, hand on my heart.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
…Dubstep Hotspur? I miss being super into music. It was so much easier when there was an affordable a free way to share it and try it. Gone too soon, lunatunes. (I should get more into other people's fanmixes.)
26. What did you want and get?
Piercings! One of the actual best decisions of my year. Of many years. (You don't know about this, because I haven't talked about it here. It's still private, I think, but I may write about it someday.)
27. What did you want and not get?
"Smooched/laid" is the perennial favorite; also, "a group of friends/a community," but I'll add "a job" only because I have a good feeling about the next few weeks and months; "published" actually happened, though not in fiction. Not yet!
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Shoot! Oh no, did I have one??? I… maybe it was still the Hotspur bits of The Hollow Crown? I don't remember really loving anything film-length from this year, except, perhaps, the Downton Abbey Christmas Special, which was candy of the most perfect sort.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Just one? Being able to write some sort of manuscript, I guess; having a novel draft in hand. But there was a lot going on this year, and I can forgive myself that much. Beyond that, Medill in general being less frustrating on an administrative/political level.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Doc Martens, jeans + t-shirt, adult braces; occasional vintage swagger; "hello, I run in this but it's comfortable and I don't want to wear real pants"
31. What kept you sane?
Knowing I was in an environment of people who supported me, understood me and my work, wanted me to succeed and actively liked me. And that I'm pretty good at this journalism thing - I'll humblebrag away: I did really well for myself this year.
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
*shakes fist* Someday I'll have you, Closer to the Moon. Someday I'll get to see Joe Armstrong play a likes-to-fight con artist Jewish Romanian rock star journalist bank robber from the '50s.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Baby Boomers shitting all over Millennials; educational debt; reproductive rights; basic civil rights; not liking either "height differences" or "cats being assholes is cute," come at me, bro
34. Who did you miss?
My mom. Fandom, which I just can't seem to do right these days. Someone I clearly haven't met yet.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
It is so much better to stand up for yourself and be truthful than to think it'll just be easier and more convenient for everyone if you silently suffer. Corollary: it's better not to wait for the perfect circumstances, because otherwise you'll never do the thing you're trying to give yourself permission to do.
Also, your friends will still love you when you tell the truth.
36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I can't - it's all shape note syllables.
This was originally posted on Dreamwidth, where it has
comments. I would love to hear from you at DW! If you can see this post, you can comment here using OpenID. Thanks!