urbandruid | New Years' Eve...

1. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?

Had surgery while awake. Told friends "no" once in a while instead of always saying "yes." NaNoWriMo. Watched Buffy, and fell in love with it.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Oh, hell, those things. I used to make them when I was younger- stupid, kid stuff. I solemnly vow I will not tear one single page out of my notebooks, no matter how much I want to, or how richly it deserves it. I once resolved not to lose the list of resoloutions; I thought that was funny. Number one on the list: "Don't lose this!" Hah.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not yet, but I think my friend J. is just about due.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not too close, not anymore, but my great-grandfather died last month.

5. What countries did you visit?

Um...America? Live here. Never lived anywhere else, or even visited. Want to, though.

6. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003?

Happiness. Love. Friends I could really talk to- and see in the flesh, and everything, just like a real person. Acknowledgement from my family that I am an adult, whether they like it or not. Little stuff, mostly.

7. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I had to think about this for a moment- what do I remember, what day? And then it hits me with a big "duh." July 31st. My lens implant surgery. Because...I was terrified, and I did it anyway, and it fucked up my life in ways I had never dreamed possible. And then it got better.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Passing Algebra 1. No, really.

9. What was your biggest failure?

A lot of little stuff, really, which I'd rather forget.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really. Twisted my ankle once or twice, messed up my back hefting a backpack full of textbooks, but nothing major. In that way at least, I've been lucky.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Oooh...this one I like. *pats question* Hmm. That I bought for myself? Babylon 5 season 3 on DVD. *nods*

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

The guy next door, when he yelled "shut the fuck up!" at the assholes playing rap music in the alley around midnight. Could have kissed him. Other neighbors, who have turned out not to be as evil as I thought. The firefighters and police, who I'm sorry to say have been really busy this year.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Michael Jackson. Politicians, President Bush (the second, as Mom calls him), and the mayor of Fresno. (Who used to play Bubba in "In The Heat of the Night", btw. *hugs Fresno* We're so silly here.) John Ashcroft. A lot of the kids I go to school with, who haven't got a clue what's going on in the world, and don't care.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Textbooks and tuition. Or I suppose I could have just said, I'm in college, where do you think it went?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Return of the King. My relatives going home. ;)

16. What song will always remind you of 2003?

I don't know. Most of the time I don't have songs that stick in my head as being from particular years. I know the songs I like that came out this year, but that's about it. That being said, there are songs from this year that will not die, that ought to.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
I. happier or sadder? A little sadder, I guess.
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same.
iii. richer or poorer? Oh, poorer. Definitly poorer. I blew up my laptop, and the car keeps dying. Money? What's money?

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

I wish I had tried harder to get to know people at school. I wish it had been worth it.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Oddly enough, I also wish I'd tried less to get to know people at school. Waste of time; all most of them wanted was the answers to the homework, which I worked too much for to give as handouts.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

Spent Christmas morning here at home, with Mom. Spent the rest of the day (and half the night) at my relatives. Let's see... that was the night we played Taboo, I think. It was actually fun, till Grandma started beating people over the head with the rules sheet.

22. Did you fall in love in 2003?

No.

23. How many one-night stands?

Nope.

24. What was your favourite TV program?

Alias.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I'm a little pissed off at my grandmother, but that usually happens around this time of year, so, um...no.

26. What was the best book you read?

Um... I liked the Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones novelization...

*pause*

I'm kidding. Gods, what a horrible book. Um, more seriously- Order of the Phoenix was good, as were other things. But I never can pick one "best book".

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

*flips through CDs on desk* Hmm. I'm partial to 3 Doors Down for this one, although I keep forgetting about, then remembering, Four Star Mary, the band who played as Dingos Ate My Baby in Buffy. Who are underrated, I think.

28. What did you want and get?

My lens implant. A passing grade in Algebra. A litle time to myself.

29. What did you want and not get?

Love. More friends. A little bit of peace.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

Return of the King or Pirates, I can't decide. Well...okay. Return of the King, but Pirates is a very close second.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Is it very sad that I had to check LJ archives to even begin to remmeber this stuff? It was a while ago, May 2. I went to class, came home, hung out, watched my birthday present (season 2 of B5; Mom rocks), went out to dinner with my mother... I think that was the night I took a gamble on Long Island Iced Tea, which

bohemienne recommended. Liked it. Um... came home. Ice cream cake. I was 22. My grandparents thought I was 21, wrote it in my card and everything. *headdesk*

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Some acknowledement from the former friend who stabbed me in the back and told lies about me to two seperate groups of people, that she really had fucked up, not just an apology because she thought she had better. I wanted her to call and say she was sorry and mean it.

Mostly I wanted her to not have done it. I wanted to have my friend back.

I wanted other things, too, just as impossible to have.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?

Um...if it fits, wear it?

34. What kept you sane?

Books. Being able to come home, slip my headphones on, crank a CD, and blot out the world for a while.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I still have this terrible crush on Victor Garber... but I haven't given up hope on Prince William, either.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The so-called "war" in Iraq; the "war on terrorism" in general. The ways in which my country is starting to resembel "1984". Big Brother has gotten a hell of a lot meaner, and he's got more teeth. I am truly, truly scared.

37. Who did you miss?

Michael and Jonni, once they'd moved away. My favorite great-grandmother, the one I was almost named for.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I met a lot of cool people, and I don't want to list them for fear of leaving someone out. All the new friends I made this year rock, though.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003.

I don't embody this vey well or anything, but there are times when you just have to let the past go. You can't change it, you can't make it anything it wasn't, and there are times when it can only hurt you.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

This...was harder than I thought it'd be.

It's down to this
I've got to make my life make sense
Can anyone tell what I've done
I miss the life
I miss the colors of the world
Can anyone tell where I am

Gods, I'm tired. I don't know why; it's not like I've done much lately. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that my grandmother called way too damned early to talk to the answering machine, and woke me up.

She wasn't even talking to me.