(Also, in writing news, my short story “Seeing Red” was accepted into the P&W Speakeasy anthology which we members are putting together as a fun project so we can all read each other’s work. I’m a co-editor but I edited the poetry.)
2010 The Year in Review
1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
I saw The Pixies in concert.
2. Did you keep your New Years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No, and my New Year’s resolution (just the one) is to keep doing what I’m already doing, only more so.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
[redacted for their privacy].
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
No new ones, unless you count Texas.
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Money.
7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I can’t think of any.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
This was a year of little incremental steps, not big achievements.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Eh.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. I had the flu a bit.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Alan’s birthday gift, but I can’t say what it is because I haven’t given it to him yet.
12. What was the best thing someone gave you?
The Kindle Alan gave me for Christmas.
13. Were you lucky in love or lucky in cards?
Love.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Yale self-study course American Novels Since 1945, which I’m listening to in the car.
16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Anything from Armistice, even though it came out in 2009.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder?: About the same.
Older or wiser?: Wiser, also, isn’t everybody older?
Thinner or fatter?: Fatter.
Richer or poorer?: Holding steady.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Wasting time on the internet. Ironic, considering that’s what I’m doing right now.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Hanging out with Alan’s folks and eating excellent pie.
21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?
We went to a club and then came home and watched old Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes with Jason and Amy.
22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
All over again.
23. Did you fall out of love in 2010?
Not unless you count my disillusionment with Obama.
24. What was your favourite TV program?
Community.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is too strong a word, but yes.
26. What was the best book you read?
Let the Right One In. Or possibly Lethem’s Chronic City.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don’t discover new music anymore. I crowdsource that task to Facebook. Thanks, Facebook.
28. What did you want and get?
I got to travel to a place I’d never been.
29. What did you want and not get?
A trip home.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Inception.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 37, and I’m not sure what I did. I think Alan took me to J Alexander’s, but that might have been another night that week, sort of in lieu. We really celebrated my birthday a couple weeks later while on vacation, at this restaurant overlooking this beautiful river/lake system outside Austin, where everybody claps when the sun sets.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A book contract.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Stuff that goes with black pants.
34. What kept you sane?
Alan. Lady Sovereign. Jordan almonds.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Neil Patrick Harris.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The Gulf Oil Spill. Or maybe the Google Book Settlement.
37. Who did you miss?
Everybody back home in Halifax, especially Louise, Waye & Marnie & family, Candace, Elizabeth, Anne, Alice, Jayne…
38. Who was the best new person you met?
My new friend Declan seems pretty cool.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
I didn’t learn any life lessons in 2010.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Oh my gosh my days are getting longer but there’s no turning back ’cause I’m working the 9 to 5.
JANUARY 2010
1. Who did you kiss on New Years? Alan.
2. Did you have a New Year’s resolution this year? I had two.
3. Does it snow where you live? Very occasionally.
4. Do you like hot chocolate? Oh yeah.
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? No.
6. Do you ski or snowboard? No. I can ski, but I don’t.
FEBRUARY 2010
1. Who was your Valentine? Alan.
2. When you were little did you buy Valentine’s for the whole class? Yes.
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? No.
4. What did you get for valentines? I think Alan took me for dinner. Since Grampie died on Valentine’s Day in 2009, I asked Alan to keep things pretty quiet.
MARCH 2010
1. Are you Irish? No, I’m Canadian, my Irish blood is many generations ago and I think it’s kind of obnoxious that three-quarters of North Americans want to claim Irishness when they’ve never been there.
2. Do you wear green every year on St. Patrick’s Day? If I remember.
3. What did you do for St. Patty’s Day? I don’t recall.
4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? I have mixed feelings, because it means Tennessee’s summer is coming.
APRIL 2010
1. Do you like the rain? No.
2. Did you play an April fool’s joke on anyone this year? No.
3. Do you get tons of candy on Easter? The day after, I got a bunch on sale.
4. Do you celebrate 4/20? No.
5. Do you “love” the month of April? No.
MAY 2010
1. What is your favorite flower? Orchids.
2. Finish the phrase “April showers”: No.
3. Do you celebrate May 24th? It’s Candace’s birthday but I only celebrate that if I’m home.
4. Is May anything special to you? Not really.
JUNE 2010
1. What did you do for Fathers Day? Called my Dad.
2. Did you do anything fun during this month? I’m sure I did, but who remembers what.
3. Have a favourite baseball team? I will say the Reds and make Alan happy.
JULY 2010
1. What did you do on the 1st of July? Felt resentful for having to go to work.
2. Did you go to the fireworks? I am in the wrong country for this question.
3. Do you tan in the day? No.
AUGUST 2010
1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer? We drove to Austin, TX and did lots of cool stuff there, it was awesome. And visited Sandy in Memphis en route.
2. What was your favourite memory of summer? Probably seeing the bats fly out from under the bridge in downtown Austin.
3. Did you have a sunburn? Probably.
4. Did you go to the pool a lot? No but I should have.
SEPTEMBER 2010
1. Were you attending school? No.
2. Do you like fall better than summer? Now that I live in the fifth circle of hell (weather-wise, that is) I do.
3. Anything special about September to you? Not now that I’m out of school.
OCTOBER 2010
1. What was your last Halloween costume? Some sort of woodland fairy, in 2009.
2. What is your favourite candy? Chocolate caramels.
3. What is your favourite thing about this month? Generally, Hallowe’en, but I was sick this year so I skipped it. Mom and Dad were visiting this year and that was awesome.
4. Whose house do you go to for Thanksgiving? Oh, Canada. October’s Thanksgiving is just another day here.
5. What are you thankful for? Mom and Dad visiting.
NOVEMBER 2010
1. What is your favourite thing about November? Yanksgiving.
2. Do you go to a Remembrance Day Service? No. I didn’t go to a Veteran’s Day service either.
DECEMBER 2010
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes, in an almost entirely secular way.
2. Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? Yes.
3. Get anything special? The aforementioned Kindle, and some really nice clothes.
4. What did you want this year? To be able to breathe through my nose (I had a cold).
Where did you begin 2010?
I actually don’t remember.
What was your status on Valentine’s Day?
Still married.
Were you in school (anytime this year)?
No.
Did you have to go to the hospital?
Every day, because I work there, but not in the sense meant here.
Did you move anywhere?
No.
What concerts/shows did you go to?
THE PIXIES who were amazing, and Craig Ferguson who was really funny.
Describe your birthday:
Apparently it was underwhelming because I don’t really remember.
What has been your favourite moment(s)?
Seeing The Pixies; seeing Memphis and Austin and my friends in both places; Craig Ferguson; seeing Molly Peacock and Billy Collins and Paolo Bacigalupi reading; going to the Chihuly at Cheekwood exhibit and to Radnor Lake with Mom and Dad; an awful lot of times just cuddling up to Alan watching tv or reading.
What was your best month?
It’s hard to pick just one.
Overall, how would you rate this year?
Pretty good.
Do you have a New Year’s resolution?
Yes, but it’s quite vague.
