By any meme necessary
1. Was 2016 a good year for you?
It had its ups and downs, but mostly yes.
2. What was your favorite moment(s) of the year?
a) Anime Detour, where I got to be a real staff member again
b) Balticon, especially the part where I got to hang out with deathquaker and talk about Fallout.
c) Election Day.
3. What was your least favorite moment(s) of the year?
a) The Salt Lake Anomaly.
b) Finding out that Block canned our District Manager for not doing the impossible
c) Having to fight with Social Security to get James' disability unfucked after they cut mine off for working too much.
d) Having to deal with rabid Sturmtrumpers at the precinct caucus.
4. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?
Went to a bunch of places in Nevada and Utah that I'd never been to before.
5. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do New Year's resolutions. To quote one of my passengers from Friday night, "New Year, New You? F**k that shit!"
6. Where were you when 2016 began?
Home playing Fallout: New Vegas
7. Who were you with?
Mugs, pugs, thugs, Caesar's Legionaries, a purchasing agent for the Brotherhood of Steel, and a robot.
In meatspace, it was just me.
8. Where will you be when 2016 ends?
I was actually in the TNC staging lot at McCarran Airport, watching fireworks over the Strip.
9. Who will you be with when 2016 ends?
A bunch of other Uber and Lyft drivers, none of whom of I know personally.
10. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
11. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2016?
I'd like to say my Uncle Joe Jaramillo, but we weren't really close.
12. Who did you miss?
I would have liked to have seen P, but things got screwed up and we couldn't get together.
13. Who was the best new person you met in 2016?
There were no new people in my life, to be honest.
14. What was your favorite month of 2016?
April; the reasons why should be obvious.
15. Did you travel outside of the US in 2016?
No, why would I?
16. How many different states did you travel to in 2016?
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maryland.
17. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
I think I have just about everything I need, I just have to use it properly.
18. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Election Day. I was resigned to seeing Hillary Clinton in the White House, and instead she got crushed by the God-Emperor.
19. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Passing the Senior Tax Specialist exam.
20. What was your biggest failure?
Ongoing failure to get on top of the dietary horse and stay there. (Same as it ever was.)
21. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious. No time spent in the hospital, and I think I only lost a couple of days to colds or flu this year.
22. What was the best thing you bought?
A Samsung digital TV and Amazon Fire stick combo.
23. Whose behavior merited celebration?
cipherpunk, for too many reasons to go into here.
24. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I was appalled at the behavior of various Sturmtrumpers at the precinct caucuses, but not depressed.
Honorable mention: the management of H&R Block, who came very, very close to forcing me to find work with some other tax preparation firm.
25. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, the other stuff at the base of Maslow's pyramid.
26. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I don't think I was that excited about anything this year.
27. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2016?
No, hardly any. I think I had a glass of wine with dinner after the disastrous SLC Anomaly.
28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2016?
Proposition 2 doesn't take effect until 2017, and aside from that, I gather I'm actually taking fewer medications than most folks my age.
29. Did you treat somebody badly in 2016?
No.
30. Did somebody treat you badly in 2016?
I had to deal with a number of annoying people, but nobody I can't ignore/block/mute/killfile.
31. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? - I think I'm happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? - Fatter, unfortunately. But not by much.
iii. richer or poorer? - About the same; my disability pay was terminated, but Uber has made up for it.
32. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2016?
I didn't do nearly enough walking around this year.
33. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating the evil carbs.
34. Did you fall in love in 2016?
Haha, no.
35. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
The Man In The High Castle. Much better than the book.
36. What song will always remind you of 2016?
This year has no theme song.
37. How many concerts did you see in 2016?
None.
38. Did you have a favorite concert in 2016?
No.
39. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't know if finding my CD copy of Cords by Synergy really counts.
"Love Removal Machine" by The Cult, I guess.
40. What was the best book you read?
Tie between Larry Correia's Son Of The Black Sword and Correia & Ringo's Monster Hunter: Sinners. I read some other good books as well (Max Uriarte's The White Donkey, Nick Cole's Ctrl-Alt-Revolt) but those two were definitely the best.
41. What was your favorite film of this year?
Best new movie was Hacksaw Ridge, without question.
42. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Collected free foodlike objects and had dinner at Fogo de Chao.
43. What did you want and get?
I bought a digital TV to replace the monitor on Learned Cow so watching TV would be less painful.
44. What did you want and not get?
Nothing. I'm good.
45. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I would have liked to attend the Block annual meeting in Kansas City so I could have given them a piece of my mind, and then gone off to do lunch with friends.
46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
It continues to be a cross between "The Color Of Survival is Khaki" and "It Only Comes Out At Night."
47. What kept you sane?
I'm not certain I am actually sane, but since I'm not a danger to myself or others, it's not an issue
48. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I can't think of too many celebrities that I'd want to be seen in public with, though there are some ladies on my Facebook f-list I wouldn't mind spending time with.
49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
I'm a bit old to be learning those.
50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Day after day, I get up and I say/I better do it again..."
It had its ups and downs, but mostly yes.
2. What was your favorite moment(s) of the year?
a) Anime Detour, where I got to be a real staff member again
b) Balticon, especially the part where I got to hang out with deathquaker and talk about Fallout.
c) Election Day.
3. What was your least favorite moment(s) of the year?
a) The Salt Lake Anomaly.
b) Finding out that Block canned our District Manager for not doing the impossible
c) Having to fight with Social Security to get James' disability unfucked after they cut mine off for working too much.
d) Having to deal with rabid Sturmtrumpers at the precinct caucus.
4. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?
Went to a bunch of places in Nevada and Utah that I'd never been to before.
5. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do New Year's resolutions. To quote one of my passengers from Friday night, "New Year, New You? F**k that shit!"
6. Where were you when 2016 began?
Home playing Fallout: New Vegas
7. Who were you with?
Mugs, pugs, thugs, Caesar's Legionaries, a purchasing agent for the Brotherhood of Steel, and a robot.
In meatspace, it was just me.
8. Where will you be when 2016 ends?
I was actually in the TNC staging lot at McCarran Airport, watching fireworks over the Strip.
9. Who will you be with when 2016 ends?
A bunch of other Uber and Lyft drivers, none of whom of I know personally.
10. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
11. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2016?
I'd like to say my Uncle Joe Jaramillo, but we weren't really close.
12. Who did you miss?
I would have liked to have seen P, but things got screwed up and we couldn't get together.
13. Who was the best new person you met in 2016?
There were no new people in my life, to be honest.
14. What was your favorite month of 2016?
April; the reasons why should be obvious.
15. Did you travel outside of the US in 2016?
No, why would I?
16. How many different states did you travel to in 2016?
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maryland.
17. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
I think I have just about everything I need, I just have to use it properly.
18. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Election Day. I was resigned to seeing Hillary Clinton in the White House, and instead she got crushed by the God-Emperor.
19. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Passing the Senior Tax Specialist exam.
20. What was your biggest failure?
Ongoing failure to get on top of the dietary horse and stay there. (Same as it ever was.)
21. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious. No time spent in the hospital, and I think I only lost a couple of days to colds or flu this year.
22. What was the best thing you bought?
A Samsung digital TV and Amazon Fire stick combo.
23. Whose behavior merited celebration?
cipherpunk, for too many reasons to go into here.
24. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I was appalled at the behavior of various Sturmtrumpers at the precinct caucuses, but not depressed.
Honorable mention: the management of H&R Block, who came very, very close to forcing me to find work with some other tax preparation firm.
25. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, the other stuff at the base of Maslow's pyramid.
26. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I don't think I was that excited about anything this year.
27. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2016?
No, hardly any. I think I had a glass of wine with dinner after the disastrous SLC Anomaly.
28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2016?
Proposition 2 doesn't take effect until 2017, and aside from that, I gather I'm actually taking fewer medications than most folks my age.
29. Did you treat somebody badly in 2016?
No.
30. Did somebody treat you badly in 2016?
I had to deal with a number of annoying people, but nobody I can't ignore/block/mute/killfile.
31. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? - I think I'm happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? - Fatter, unfortunately. But not by much.
iii. richer or poorer? - About the same; my disability pay was terminated, but Uber has made up for it.
32. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2016?
I didn't do nearly enough walking around this year.
33. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating the evil carbs.
34. Did you fall in love in 2016?
Haha, no.
35. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
The Man In The High Castle. Much better than the book.
36. What song will always remind you of 2016?
This year has no theme song.
37. How many concerts did you see in 2016?
None.
38. Did you have a favorite concert in 2016?
No.
39. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't know if finding my CD copy of Cords by Synergy really counts.
"Love Removal Machine" by The Cult, I guess.
40. What was the best book you read?
Tie between Larry Correia's Son Of The Black Sword and Correia & Ringo's Monster Hunter: Sinners. I read some other good books as well (Max Uriarte's The White Donkey, Nick Cole's Ctrl-Alt-Revolt) but those two were definitely the best.
41. What was your favorite film of this year?
Best new movie was Hacksaw Ridge, without question.
42. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Collected free foodlike objects and had dinner at Fogo de Chao.
43. What did you want and get?
I bought a digital TV to replace the monitor on Learned Cow so watching TV would be less painful.
44. What did you want and not get?
Nothing. I'm good.
45. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I would have liked to attend the Block annual meeting in Kansas City so I could have given them a piece of my mind, and then gone off to do lunch with friends.
46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
It continues to be a cross between "The Color Of Survival is Khaki" and "It Only Comes Out At Night."
47. What kept you sane?
I'm not certain I am actually sane, but since I'm not a danger to myself or others, it's not an issue
48. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I can't think of too many celebrities that I'd want to be seen in public with, though there are some ladies on my Facebook f-list I wouldn't mind spending time with.
49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
I'm a bit old to be learning those.
50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Day after day, I get up and I say/I better do it again..."