oughty ought sizzle
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Bought a condo, and the myriad new and scary procedures that accompany that process. Drove the Pacific Coast Highway. Threw my parents an anniversary party with my sister. Bought a car with less than 20,000 miles on it. Made an album in digipaks. Cancelled a release show. Served on a jury. Went to seven weddings. Played guitar at a wedding. Went to a dermatologist. Voted in a mid-term election (and its primary.) Had a review. Got a raise. Got a work laptop. Went to a high school reunion. Danced the hullabaloo.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I resolved to get a newer car than my minivan, and I did that. I resolved to eat better, and I didn't really do that. I resolved to focus more on playing shows, but I didn't really do much of that, either. This fall I resolved to spend more time on songwriting and less time on things like playing video games, and so far I've actually been really diligent about that. Haven't made any resolutions for next year, other than to accept the end of my twenties gracefully.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My co-worker Nicole, and some friends of friends; no one truly close.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Well, thankfully no human beings did, but sadly we lost several pets this year, including our Doberman Buddy, our miniature pinscher Bailey, and my aunt's sheltie Rudy.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just the US. Plans are already on in 2007 for trips to Mexico, Canada, and Poland.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
To play live music more often. To do more non-wedding travel.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 3 -- Bought new car. February 4 -- Opening for Skeleton Key on a Saturday night at Great Scott. March 26 -- Made decision to leave the North End and buy a place with Sarah. April 8 -- Made offer on our place, which was accepted. May 6 -- Going to Chicago for a wedding, kicking off the spate of seven for the year. May 12 -- The day the P&S was signed and agreed on, the "no turning back" point. June 28 -- The day we closed. July 1 -- The day we threw my parents a party for their 30th anniversary (the actual anniversary was on the 3rd). August 5 -- Played guitar at my friend Jason Fagone's wedding. August 12 -- Went to my high school reunion. October 4-10 -- driving the PCH in California. November 7 -- The Democrats take back Congress. December 14 -- getting a review and a raise for the first time.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Definitely buying the condo, I think.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I think I overworried about things too much. It's easy to do when you're making big changes, but it rarely resulted in anything more than needless stress.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, no.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
The condo.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My sister, who continued her upward career arc as a corrections officer in the penal system, now making roughly twice the salary and with full benefits. My parents, who've pulled off marriage and couplehood for 30 years. The American voters who told the Republican congress what they thought of it. J. Robbins and his wife Janet, for dealing with a tragic family situation and weathering it well. And my friend Gordon, for making a difficult decision and coming out of it alright.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I can't really single anyone out here. It's hard to get too appalled or depressed over fools like Mel Gibson or Michael Richards exposing their prejudices. The neocons didn't bother me as much, especially with their laughable attempts to rationalize the midterm elections as anything other than a sea change. And as for the idiots who used to stand outside my building in the North End and hurl bottles and fists at each other, well, I don't have to deal with them anymore.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Condo-buying, car-buying, furniture-buying, and record-making.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our new place. Finishing the Shark & Bear record. Going to California.
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
My acoustic finger-picked version of "Here Comes the Bride", because I practiced it about a thousand fucking times.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? about the same
iii. richer or poorer? a bit poorer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, playing shows, travelling outside of weddings.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being passive-agressive, general worrying.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Driving back to central PA, spending time with my and Sarah's respective families.
21. Where did question 21 go?
I think I saw Sasha Baron Cohen making a sexytime with it out back.
22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
Yes, with a lot of really great music.
23. How many one-night stands?
zippo, bringing my cumulative lifetime total to: zippo.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
The Office (American) became my favorite show. In many ways I've come to love it more than the British version. My new favorite is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, even though most people I know have some beef with it. I continued to watch LOST, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs, and American Idol.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't think so. Pretty much status quo around here.
26. What was the best book you read?
For the second year in a row I have to pick a David Mitchell book, and this time it's "Black Swan Green". A close second is TC Boyle's "Drop City", and after that was Johanthan Lethem's "The Fortress of Solitude" and James Morrow's "The Last Witchfinder". I only read 12 books this year; usually I read between 15 and 25.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Some of the better discoveries this year include Clogs, Maps and Atlases, Maritime, the Pipettes, the Essex Green, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mastodon, Final Fantasy, Belle & Sebastian, Beirut, Neko Case, Herbert, Camera Obscura, Gnarls Barkley, Crush Kill Destroy, Howe Gelb, Cursive, Joanna Newsom, Mogwai, and the Format.
28. What did you want and get?
A new place to live. A raise.
29. What did you want and not get?
To release the Shark & Bear record, though it'll happen on February 10, 2007.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I actually haven't been that enamored with too many films this year. I enjoyed some documentaries, such as "An Inconvenient Truth" and "Wordplay". "Borat" was brilliant, though in learning how it was made my love for it dimmed a bit. Pixar did a great job with "Cars", Scorsese did a great job with "The Departed", and I also enjoyed "Little Miss Sunshine", "The Devil Wears Prada", and "Stranger Than Fiction". We also rented some solid films, like "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "Curse of the Were-Rabbit".
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 29. Tried to take the day off, but ended up working until 7. Sarah took me out for an amusing dinner at Bugaboo Creek Steak House, and then we went to see Chris Brokaw and Curtis Harvey at PA's in Somerville. Then we went home and I opened her presents to me, including an iPod.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If I would have been able to tell off a couple of our clients.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Comfy sweaters and T-shirts, the same two or three pairs of jeans.
34. What kept you sane?
music, Sarah, food and sleep.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The mid-terms.
37. Who did you miss?
My pal Larry from Words for Snow moved away in July. My pal Chris, our engineer and also in WFS, is moving away in a couple of months. Besides that, I miss my family and my friends who aren't in Boston.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Our upstairs neighbors Fillipo and Marjunette are two incredibly nice people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
I think this year I made several efforts to change things that I was unhappy with; our living situation when we were renting, the minivan I was driving into the ground, and my own inertia as far as songwriting and moving musical endeavors along. While I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to in these arenas, I feel like I accomplished a lot, and in some cases just kind of had to throw my worries to the wind and go for something, and it always paid off.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
An easy pick, but it's true: "I'm just so white and nerdy." -- Weird Al