No Original Ideas Here ... Hence, a New Year's Meme

Because I'm tired of looking at my previous post, but have nothing of particular interest to say ...

1. what did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
puke out a bus window, start writing a dissertation, move to dc ... a couple other things...

2. did you keep your 2008 resolutions, and will you make more this year?
i don't think I made any resolutions and haven't so far this year...

3. did anyone close to you give birth?
people all over the place seem to be having (or getting ready to have) babies. I feel a little behind the times.

4. did anyone close to you die?
no, i don't think so.

5. what countries did you visit?
Ecuador

6. what would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Chapters 1 and 2? A summer with my partner (the first since 2005!).

7. what was your biggest achievement of the year?
er... it was really a year of little achievements, not so many whiz bang moments, i'm afraid. But, rescuing Anna's sun glasses from a drunken would-be thief in Quito is pretty far up there.

8. what was your biggest failure?
i'm still a long way from my goal of not saying unnecessarily snarky things about other people.

9. did you suffer illness or injury?
not much ... there was the puking out a bus window + fainting + altitude sickness episode in August, but i'm otherwise hale and hearty.

10. what was the best thing you bought?
A week at the Black Sheep Inn ecolodge in Ecuador with Anna (despite the bus window/fainting/altitude sickness issues)

11. whose behavior merited celebration?
wow. I'm pretty pleased with 54% of the US electorate right now ... and I think the Ecuadorian electorate's approval of the new Constitution could be a pretty good thing. And, closer to home, I'm pretty proud of Anna's graduation from law school and beginning of a fabulous new job.

12. whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
a shocking list of elected officials (or officials seeking to be elected) whose behavior demonstrated a willingness to pander to the worst in all of us (cough, Gov's Palin and Blagojevich? I'm talkin' to you!)

13. where did most of your money go?
housing ... people of our income level don't usually maintain a city home and a country home.

14. compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a.) same? b.) thinner; c.) both ... dang increase in cost of living ...

15. what do you wish you'd done more of?
spending time with friends & family, being in/on water (and out in nature in general)

16. what do you wish you'd done less of?
wasting time online when I could be wasting time outside, with a good book, or with friends.

17. did you fall in love in 2008?
every morning.

18. what was the best new book you read?
you've probably been reading this blog enough to know that i'm oh so poorly read ... i am just completely captivated by Nancy Mulvany's Indexing Books right now ... though i sort of wish I was reading Indexing, The Art of instead ...

19. what was your favorite film of the year?
um ... i'm not such a movie person ... but I had fun seeing Dark Knight and Quantum of Solace at our cool neighborhood theater and I really want to see Frost/Nixon soon.

20. what kept you sane?
having a dog who needs three walks and two meals and at least 8 hours of cuddling each day.

oh, and eating meals at regular intervals.

21. tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
the more interesting your city of residence, the more house guests you will have.