2015: The Year in Review
It's January 3rd, and this is my first post of the new year. I'm late. Usually, I post my year in review either on the last day of the old year or the first of the new. So this is sort of emblematic of where I've been. I'd like it not to be emblematic of where I'm going. Still, for 2015, here's the scoop. As I did last year, I've edited down the number of questions to eliminate those that either no longer felt appropriate to me, or that I have answered consistently from year to year in more-or-less the same way.
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
2. Did you make any New Year's Goals for 2015 and, if so, did you meet them?
I journaled more. And though it wasn’t listed here, I worked assiduously on the health literacy project at my day job, which has achieved a level of success and attention from upper management that is satisfying, but demands even more attention for me to really consider it successful.
3. Any goals for 2016?
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Miki! She brought little Zev into the world and it is a consummate goodness. I’m looking forward to meeting him.
5. Did anyone close to you die?
In July, bedii passed away after a long bout with cancer. And just five days ago, my cousin Paul. It’s wrecked me more than I expected. I think that’s because we had only just started to reconnect and I was feeling like I had more family, which is something that is scarce around here to begin with.
6. What cities and towns did you visit?
7. What countries did you visit?
This year, none. I stayed in the US. I'm not happy about this, but it's the way things turned out. I very much want it to be different this year.
8. How many nights did you spend away from home?
30 nights exactly:
9. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
As in 2015, more focus to nurture myself as an artist. More belief in myself and my worthiness for good things. And more travel, preferably out of the country.
10. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Friday, November 20: the day I arrived in southern California to learn that the chemo hadn’t been helping my cousin Paul (and in fact may have been exacerbating his condition) and that he had merely weeks to live. As it turned out, he had about five weeks from that day.
11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
12. What was your biggest failure?
Not paying sufficient attention to my weight and health.
13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had to have two crowns put on my teeth. That’s a first. One tooth was cracked; the second had an old filling that was rotten. I have new teeth. That’s weird.
14. What was the best thing you bought?
15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Several people really impressed me this year:
16. Whose behavior, what situations appalled and depressed you?
Appalled: The Republican party in Congress, as ever. Depressed: The number of people in my life who are dealing with devastating illness and death. I want my best beloveds to be happy and healthy.
17. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and paying down debt. The answer to this question rarely changes.
18. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
19. Compared to this time last year, you are . . .
Heavier and pretty frustrated about it. More financially stable. More determined than ever to give my inner artist space to breathe and grow.
20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Save more money. Traveled internationally.
21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wishing. Crying. Eating.
22. How did you spend Christmas?
With the usual gang of suspects: at ironymaiden’s place, and then at grubbstreet’s for dinner.
23. What were your favorite TV programs? Were there programs you stopped watching?
Favorites were Big Bang Theory, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Orphan Black.
24. What was the best book you read?
“Tooth and Claw” by our own papersky (Jo Walton). Other top reads included “Mask of Apollo” by Mary Renault, “It’s Superman!” by Tom DeHaven, “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi, “Starvation Heights” by Gregg Olsen, and “Silver on the Road” by our own suricattus (Laura Anne Gilman).
25. What did you want and get?
The good company of congenial, entertaining, kind and well-informed people, good meals, good trips. A start on the bathroom reno. The completion of a new short story.
26. What did you want and not get?
A feeling of general satisfaction. A personal direction. A sale on said new short story.
27. What were your favorite films of this year?
28. What was your favorite play or musical of the year?
“The Twilight Zone Live” at Theater Schmeater. It’s pretty much a certainty that if I see this annual production, everything else will pale in comparison. But I will also note that I loved being able to attend a LA Theater works presentation with my cousins Paul and Susan, more for the company than for the production itself.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I completed my 53rd year in 2015. I had brunch with EB and ladyjestocost as well as getting a mani-pedi in their good company. I had dinner with suricattus.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Feeling like I'd accomplished more than I have. Selling that short story.
31. What kept you sane?
Sleep. Books. My cats. My amazing circle of friends.
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
I was so disgusted with so much of what went on this year politically that after a while I was too exhausted to engage, to be perfectly frank. I always care about environmental issues and animal conservation. I always care about women's rights.
33. Whom did you miss?
My mom, as ever, and someone else who will go unnamed here.
34. Who was the best new person you met? Who did you reconnect with?
I met Robin, my bathroom designer, who is a complete delight. I reconnected with Danny a college friend, though I suspect there will be more to that story before we’re done.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned--or relearned--in 2015.
Tell the people you love that you love them as often as you can, and in as many ways as you can. The presence in your life is precious and, in the grand scheme of the universe, fleeting.
I send my wishes to everyone here for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. May we all have and keep the good things and successes that we strive for, and may we all survive and thrive in 2016. I send my love.
1. What did you do in 2015 that you'd never done before?
- Made beef stew from scratch
- Commissioned a major household renovation (the upstairs bathroom)
- Helped organize a TEC meet at the Portland Money Show
- Attended the annual Health Literacy Conference in Portland, OR
- Saw "Cold Comfort Farm"
- Had a mammogram scare (that turned out to be nothing)
- Got two crowns put on my teeth
2. Did you make any New Year's Goals for 2015 and, if so, did you meet them?
I journaled more. And though it wasn’t listed here, I worked assiduously on the health literacy project at my day job, which has achieved a level of success and attention from upper management that is satisfying, but demands even more attention for me to really consider it successful.
3. Any goals for 2016?
- Attend more theater
- Journal more, especially about books and movies and being creative
- Live more healthfully
- Take one international trip
- Pursue one art consistently and achieve some level of competence.
4. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Miki! She brought little Zev into the world and it is a consummate goodness. I’m looking forward to meeting him.
5. Did anyone close to you die?
In July, bedii passed away after a long bout with cancer. And just five days ago, my cousin Paul. It’s wrecked me more than I expected. I think that’s because we had only just started to reconnect and I was feeling like I had more family, which is something that is scarce around here to begin with.
6. What cities and towns did you visit?
- Kent, WA
- Lake Quinault, WA
- Portland, OR
- Seatac, WA
- Woodinville, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Valencia, CA
7. What countries did you visit?
This year, none. I stayed in the US. I'm not happy about this, but it's the way things turned out. I very much want it to be different this year.
8. How many nights did you spend away from home?
30 nights exactly:
- Lake Quinault, WA (4)
- Woodinville, WA (1)
- Valencia, CA (3)
- Portland, OR (18)
- Spokane, WA (4)
9. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?
As in 2015, more focus to nurture myself as an artist. More belief in myself and my worthiness for good things. And more travel, preferably out of the country.
10. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Friday, November 20: the day I arrived in southern California to learn that the chemo hadn’t been helping my cousin Paul (and in fact may have been exacerbating his condition) and that he had merely weeks to live. As it turned out, he had about five weeks from that day.
11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- Finished a new short story, “Ghosts in the Machine”
- Launched the health literacy project at work
- Launched the bathroom renovation project
- Organized the TEC meeting at the Money Show in Portland
- Paying attention to the fact that I’m depressed and getting help for it
12. What was your biggest failure?
Not paying sufficient attention to my weight and health.
13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had to have two crowns put on my teeth. That’s a first. One tooth was cracked; the second had an old filling that was rotten. I have new teeth. That’s weird.
14. What was the best thing you bought?
- My new winter coat
- The photojournals of my 2012 Europe trip
15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Several people really impressed me this year:
- My cousin Paul: He handled his illness with grace and determination.
- My new cousin Susan: who, in the face of losing a second husband in the space of five years, bore up with a kind of strength that I can only call awesome, in the literal sense of the word.
- davidlevine: who took admirable care of kate_yule this year as she dealt with the fallout from her cancer
- kate_yule: As she dealt with her cancer
- ladyjestocost: As she dealt with the fallout of bedii’s death
- alanh: As he dealt with his mother's decline
- randybyers: As he dealt with his cancer diagnosis
16. Whose behavior, what situations appalled and depressed you?
Appalled: The Republican party in Congress, as ever. Depressed: The number of people in my life who are dealing with devastating illness and death. I want my best beloveds to be happy and healthy.
17. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and paying down debt. The answer to this question rarely changes.
18. What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
- The TEC meeting in Portland
- The bathroom planning
- SIFF
- The Alice in Wonderland Kickstarter project
19. Compared to this time last year, you are . . .
Heavier and pretty frustrated about it. More financially stable. More determined than ever to give my inner artist space to breathe and grow.
20. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Save more money. Traveled internationally.
21. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wishing. Crying. Eating.
22. How did you spend Christmas?
With the usual gang of suspects: at ironymaiden’s place, and then at grubbstreet’s for dinner.
23. What were your favorite TV programs? Were there programs you stopped watching?
Favorites were Big Bang Theory, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Orphan Black.
24. What was the best book you read?
“Tooth and Claw” by our own papersky (Jo Walton). Other top reads included “Mask of Apollo” by Mary Renault, “It’s Superman!” by Tom DeHaven, “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi, “Starvation Heights” by Gregg Olsen, and “Silver on the Road” by our own suricattus (Laura Anne Gilman).
25. What did you want and get?
The good company of congenial, entertaining, kind and well-informed people, good meals, good trips. A start on the bathroom reno. The completion of a new short story.
26. What did you want and not get?
A feeling of general satisfaction. A personal direction. A sale on said new short story.
27. What were your favorite films of this year?
- “The Primary Instinct”-actor Stephen Tobolowsky's concert film
- “Henri Henri”-a quirky French comedy
- “Very Semi-Serious”-a documentary about the cartoon editor and the cartoonists at The New Yorker<
- “The Price of Fame”-a French comedy about the theft of Charlie Chaplin’s corpse
- “Inside Out”-the new Pixar animated film
- “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”-which was better than it had any right to be, and as good, if not better, than it needed to be
28. What was your favorite play or musical of the year?
“The Twilight Zone Live” at Theater Schmeater. It’s pretty much a certainty that if I see this annual production, everything else will pale in comparison. But I will also note that I loved being able to attend a LA Theater works presentation with my cousins Paul and Susan, more for the company than for the production itself.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I completed my 53rd year in 2015. I had brunch with EB and ladyjestocost as well as getting a mani-pedi in their good company. I had dinner with suricattus.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Feeling like I'd accomplished more than I have. Selling that short story.
31. What kept you sane?
Sleep. Books. My cats. My amazing circle of friends.
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
I was so disgusted with so much of what went on this year politically that after a while I was too exhausted to engage, to be perfectly frank. I always care about environmental issues and animal conservation. I always care about women's rights.
33. Whom did you miss?
My mom, as ever, and someone else who will go unnamed here.
34. Who was the best new person you met? Who did you reconnect with?
I met Robin, my bathroom designer, who is a complete delight. I reconnected with Danny a college friend, though I suspect there will be more to that story before we’re done.
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned--or relearned--in 2015.
Tell the people you love that you love them as often as you can, and in as many ways as you can. The presence in your life is precious and, in the grand scheme of the universe, fleeting.
I send my wishes to everyone here for a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. May we all have and keep the good things and successes that we strive for, and may we all survive and thrive in 2016. I send my love.