2006 in review
I've been doing this meme every year since 2003; it's fun and neat way to reflect back on my year.
2006 was a pretty rotten year for me. I read my entry for 2005, and I sound so happy and cheerful, full of life. This year wore me down and just kept wearing me down in nearly every manner possible. My much-adored boss left, there was work instability, my Big Project went wrong in nearly every way possible, Fitz-rat and Fool-rat died, my grandfather died, and assorted other little things just kept going wrong.
I'm so glad the year's over and really hoping that 2007 is better.
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
I started swing dancing! I mean, I've taken dance lessons before, way back when, but I never kept up with it. This year, I started going social dancing in May, so I'd take lessons and dance socially for the night as well, nearly every week. It's good exercise, but more importantly, I love it and it almost invariably cheers me up whenever I'm feeling down. And I've met new people this way, gotten a date, and felt a lot more confident about my body and how I move. I've even started going to more social ballroom things with other friends, so I'm branching out from swing!
I went to Wiscon for the first time. I participated in Yuletide for the first time. I also started really blogging and thinking about racism for the first time.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my grandfather, Fitz-rat and Fool-rat. It wasn't the greatest of years.
5. What countries did you visit?
Taiwan and ITALY! We will forget about that part in which I forgot my passport.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Last year I asked for: This year, I would like still like a stable brain (or stabler), and... er... a KitchenAid stand mixer. I can't really think of anything else I want this year that I don't already have. I mean, I would like to continue to have good friends and happy fat rats and a fun job and my pretty apartment and books and LJ and scintillating conversation and movies and music and sunshine and blue sky and farmer's market trips.
I think I have made it out of this year with a more stable brain, but a lot of the year was spent with not so much of one. And I bought myself my stand mixer! My fun job is now much less fun, my happy fat rats died, but I have new happy fat rats, I have found more good friends, I moved to a pretty new condo but sometimes still miss the apartment.
So it didn't work as well this year as it did last year, but I continue to have faith.
Next year, I would like acceptance to my grad school of choice, more time spent in classes, a feeling of fulfillment in my work, and bookshelves (I sold all of mine during the move and still haven't gotten new ones yet).
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
11/4/06, date of the Big Project launch. This seems to be a trend.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly, I think just getting through the year without breaking apart. Also, sort of learning how to follow well in dancing! This makes me very proud.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh man. You know, I'm not even going to go into this. I really do think a lot of what went wrong this year was out of my control and not caused by me, but I continue to feel residual guilt over so many things. My biggest failures involved losing my temper repeatedly, not being kind to myself and other people, constantly promising things to people and not delivering, and in general completely withdrawing emotionally.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really, though I've been getting colds every other week. I've also had horrible allergies through most of the year. I got sick the entire time I was in Italy. Yeah.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My pink KitchenAid stand mixer! That, and my new iPod.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Aside from the normal bills, yarn and manga. Lots and lots more yarn and manga. Especially the manga. And anime figurines.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Yuletide! Other than that, I really don't remember all that much that I got excited about this year; I was either feeling grey for most of the year or depressed. I also got really, really, really excited about assorted books, manga and anime, Heroes, the new rats, Italy, and seeing assorted people.
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Probably Thea Gilmore's "This Girl Is Taking Bets," since I had it on repeat for a while.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Sadder. I had a great year last year, and the meds stuff started kicking in about the end of last year and the beginning of this one.
Older or wiser? Older. Heh. I feel like I just kept going in circles this year and backsliding.
Thinner or fatter? Fatter. Ahhh, meds.
Richer or poorer? Richer. At least this one turns out well!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
So much. I wish I had gone out more, I wish I had knit more, I wish I had talked to more people and had more fun. I wish I had read more non-manga things.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I had done much less of being depressed and sad and angry and worn out and tired.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent Christmas with my sister and four of her friends; we watched Dreamgirls and I baked bread and made souffle and curry and more food, and then we stayed up till four in the morning playing cards and singing carols to my iPod. It was very lovely.
22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
With the new rats!
23. How many one-night stands?
I had quite a few flings with assorted fandoms, but never quite stuck with anything.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
You know, I'm going to do an entire post on this. But in short, my favorite live action shows were Heroes, which unexpectedly stole my heart, and Spooks, which I had known I liked, but didn't know I loved until it ripped my heart out and tore it to pieces and I loved it the entire way.
My favorite anime series that I finished were Fullmetal Alchemist, Princess Tutu and Samurai Champloo. I'd include Honey and Clover here, because I already like it more than a lot of other stuff I watched just seven episodes in, but I suspect it'll top next year's list.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Oh yeah. Don't worry, it's no one online. The Great Cultural Appropriation Debate and IBARW made me dislike quite a few people, but it never approached hate, thank goodness.
26. What was the best book you read?
I will post on this late ^_^.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
You know, I have no idea.
28. What did you want and get?
My pink stand mixer, my new iPod, my new rats, a ton of yarn, and other stuff.
29. What did you want and not get?
Alas, all the non-material things go here. I wanted Fitz-rat and Fool-rat to live forever, even though I know that's illogical. I wanted things to go well at work. I wanted more energy and brainspace to do things.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Blood Diamond, which I still need to post on.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I hung out with sophia_helix and actoplasm, bought my pink stand mixer, watched S1 of The Office and watched the rats hang out in the windowsill.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
My old boss. Working meds. A less insane personal life. You know, all that stuff.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Lots and lots of skirts, especially after I couldn't fit into most of my old clothes anymore.
34. What kept you sane?
Very little! Immersing myself in manga and anime kept me sane when very little else did, as did phone calls and talks with friends. So did time off from work.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Eh. No idea.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Ahhhh, racism. Yes, I know, sort of late, but... better late than never? And at least I'm thinking about it more now.
37. Who did you miss?
I miss Fitz-rat and Fool-rat still. I miss having my old boss around.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Um, I met rilina, rushthatspeaks, cofax7 and laurashapiro in person this year, which was awesome! I also met all the people from swing dancing!
And they aren't people, but it was really, really, really awesome taking home Renren and Ruki and Bya and getting to know them and getting to know their little rat personalities.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
Sometimes you really just need to take a break from things or people, no matter who ends up disappointed in you or what you end up not doing or how guilty you may feel.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"This girl is taking bets, this girl's a silhouette, can't you see?"
ETA: an addendum
ETA2: For my own records, my 15 most-commented-upon posts of the year (numbers inflated because of me replying to people, excluding any locked posts):
Race and Pirates 298 comments
Cultural appropriation, pt. 2 131 comments
Minekura Kazuya - Saiyuki, vol. 01-09 (reread) (Eng. trans.) 75 comments
IBARW: Speaking out 66 comments
Wiscon - Cultural Appropriation panel 61 comments
WisCon - Feminist Romance panel 52 comments
Intl. Saiyuki week! 47 comments
IBARW: Random nidgy things that I've noticed in the past two weeks 46 comments
Birthday market! 45 comments
IBARW: Random notes that turned into a post on discomfort 39 comments
Saiyuki icons! 36 comments
Saiyubito notes (Intl. Saiyuki Week) 36 comments
Icons! 36 comments
Bleach, ep. 01-09 35 comments
Things I learned in six months of cooking 35 comments
Unsurprisingly, most are from the posts on race and cultural appropriation. I'm also amused that the Saiyuki ones are up so high!
2006 was a pretty rotten year for me. I read my entry for 2005, and I sound so happy and cheerful, full of life. This year wore me down and just kept wearing me down in nearly every manner possible. My much-adored boss left, there was work instability, my Big Project went wrong in nearly every way possible, Fitz-rat and Fool-rat died, my grandfather died, and assorted other little things just kept going wrong.
I'm so glad the year's over and really hoping that 2007 is better.
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
I started swing dancing! I mean, I've taken dance lessons before, way back when, but I never kept up with it. This year, I started going social dancing in May, so I'd take lessons and dance socially for the night as well, nearly every week. It's good exercise, but more importantly, I love it and it almost invariably cheers me up whenever I'm feeling down. And I've met new people this way, gotten a date, and felt a lot more confident about my body and how I move. I've even started going to more social ballroom things with other friends, so I'm branching out from swing!
I went to Wiscon for the first time. I participated in Yuletide for the first time. I also started really blogging and thinking about racism for the first time.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my grandfather, Fitz-rat and Fool-rat. It wasn't the greatest of years.
5. What countries did you visit?
Taiwan and ITALY! We will forget about that part in which I forgot my passport.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Last year I asked for: This year, I would like still like a stable brain (or stabler), and... er... a KitchenAid stand mixer. I can't really think of anything else I want this year that I don't already have. I mean, I would like to continue to have good friends and happy fat rats and a fun job and my pretty apartment and books and LJ and scintillating conversation and movies and music and sunshine and blue sky and farmer's market trips.
I think I have made it out of this year with a more stable brain, but a lot of the year was spent with not so much of one. And I bought myself my stand mixer! My fun job is now much less fun, my happy fat rats died, but I have new happy fat rats, I have found more good friends, I moved to a pretty new condo but sometimes still miss the apartment.
So it didn't work as well this year as it did last year, but I continue to have faith.
Next year, I would like acceptance to my grad school of choice, more time spent in classes, a feeling of fulfillment in my work, and bookshelves (I sold all of mine during the move and still haven't gotten new ones yet).
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
11/4/06, date of the Big Project launch. This seems to be a trend.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly, I think just getting through the year without breaking apart. Also, sort of learning how to follow well in dancing! This makes me very proud.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh man. You know, I'm not even going to go into this. I really do think a lot of what went wrong this year was out of my control and not caused by me, but I continue to feel residual guilt over so many things. My biggest failures involved losing my temper repeatedly, not being kind to myself and other people, constantly promising things to people and not delivering, and in general completely withdrawing emotionally.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not really, though I've been getting colds every other week. I've also had horrible allergies through most of the year. I got sick the entire time I was in Italy. Yeah.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My pink KitchenAid stand mixer! That, and my new iPod.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Aside from the normal bills, yarn and manga. Lots and lots more yarn and manga. Especially the manga. And anime figurines.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Yuletide! Other than that, I really don't remember all that much that I got excited about this year; I was either feeling grey for most of the year or depressed. I also got really, really, really excited about assorted books, manga and anime, Heroes, the new rats, Italy, and seeing assorted people.
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Probably Thea Gilmore's "This Girl Is Taking Bets," since I had it on repeat for a while.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Sadder. I had a great year last year, and the meds stuff started kicking in about the end of last year and the beginning of this one.
Older or wiser? Older. Heh. I feel like I just kept going in circles this year and backsliding.
Thinner or fatter? Fatter. Ahhh, meds.
Richer or poorer? Richer. At least this one turns out well!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
So much. I wish I had gone out more, I wish I had knit more, I wish I had talked to more people and had more fun. I wish I had read more non-manga things.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I had done much less of being depressed and sad and angry and worn out and tired.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent Christmas with my sister and four of her friends; we watched Dreamgirls and I baked bread and made souffle and curry and more food, and then we stayed up till four in the morning playing cards and singing carols to my iPod. It was very lovely.
22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
With the new rats!
23. How many one-night stands?
I had quite a few flings with assorted fandoms, but never quite stuck with anything.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
You know, I'm going to do an entire post on this. But in short, my favorite live action shows were Heroes, which unexpectedly stole my heart, and Spooks, which I had known I liked, but didn't know I loved until it ripped my heart out and tore it to pieces and I loved it the entire way.
My favorite anime series that I finished were Fullmetal Alchemist, Princess Tutu and Samurai Champloo. I'd include Honey and Clover here, because I already like it more than a lot of other stuff I watched just seven episodes in, but I suspect it'll top next year's list.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Oh yeah. Don't worry, it's no one online. The Great Cultural Appropriation Debate and IBARW made me dislike quite a few people, but it never approached hate, thank goodness.
26. What was the best book you read?
I will post on this late ^_^.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
You know, I have no idea.
28. What did you want and get?
My pink stand mixer, my new iPod, my new rats, a ton of yarn, and other stuff.
29. What did you want and not get?
Alas, all the non-material things go here. I wanted Fitz-rat and Fool-rat to live forever, even though I know that's illogical. I wanted things to go well at work. I wanted more energy and brainspace to do things.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Blood Diamond, which I still need to post on.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I hung out with sophia_helix and actoplasm, bought my pink stand mixer, watched S1 of The Office and watched the rats hang out in the windowsill.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
My old boss. Working meds. A less insane personal life. You know, all that stuff.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Lots and lots of skirts, especially after I couldn't fit into most of my old clothes anymore.
34. What kept you sane?
Very little! Immersing myself in manga and anime kept me sane when very little else did, as did phone calls and talks with friends. So did time off from work.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Eh. No idea.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Ahhhh, racism. Yes, I know, sort of late, but... better late than never? And at least I'm thinking about it more now.
37. Who did you miss?
I miss Fitz-rat and Fool-rat still. I miss having my old boss around.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Um, I met rilina, rushthatspeaks, cofax7 and laurashapiro in person this year, which was awesome! I also met all the people from swing dancing!
And they aren't people, but it was really, really, really awesome taking home Renren and Ruki and Bya and getting to know them and getting to know their little rat personalities.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
Sometimes you really just need to take a break from things or people, no matter who ends up disappointed in you or what you end up not doing or how guilty you may feel.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"This girl is taking bets, this girl's a silhouette, can't you see?"
ETA: an addendum
ETA2: For my own records, my 15 most-commented-upon posts of the year (numbers inflated because of me replying to people, excluding any locked posts):
Race and Pirates 298 comments
Cultural appropriation, pt. 2 131 comments
Minekura Kazuya - Saiyuki, vol. 01-09 (reread) (Eng. trans.) 75 comments
IBARW: Speaking out 66 comments
Wiscon - Cultural Appropriation panel 61 comments
WisCon - Feminist Romance panel 52 comments
Intl. Saiyuki week! 47 comments
IBARW: Random nidgy things that I've noticed in the past two weeks 46 comments
Birthday market! 45 comments
IBARW: Random notes that turned into a post on discomfort 39 comments
Saiyuki icons! 36 comments
Saiyubito notes (Intl. Saiyuki Week) 36 comments
Icons! 36 comments
Bleach, ep. 01-09 35 comments
Things I learned in six months of cooking 35 comments
Unsurprisingly, most are from the posts on race and cultural appropriation. I'm also amused that the Saiyuki ones are up so high!