Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

Triathlons (this will be the answer to many questions, I suspect) & pre-dawn boot camp.

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

Last year's resolutions: "I'd like to stick with running, be a good friend, sister, pseudo-aunt, and daughter, and continue to travel down life's path attempting to make my dreams come true. Also, my sister and I made a mutual resolution: Clutter-Free in '09!"

I think I did pretty well with these! I'm not totally clutter-FREE by any means, but I've made progress. As for traveling down life's path attempting to make my dreams come true, I think I came into a clearer focus in 2009 -- which was kind of a year of rebuilding and recreating and re-imagining -- of what those dreams actually are, assisted in part by this loveliness. So that was a good thing. In 2010, I want to buy locally/independently (food, books, coffee shops, etc.) whenever humanly possible ... to move toward recreating my home as a space that feeds my soul ... I want to fit in to the perfect space, feel natural and safe in a volatile place ... to be brave and open ... and to run the half-marathon on my birthday faster than I ran it in '07! I want to ring 35 in with a celebratory bang.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! To twin sons, wow. A couple more babies are on their way in the coming weeks and months -- a girl and a surprise -- about which I am very, very excited.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?

None. I did leave the continental U.S., though, when I went to Hawaii for the second year in a row! Which was, again, awesome.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Mad, passionate, true & fiery love! I'm just gonna go ahead and put it out there.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Inauguration Day, the birth of the aforementioned sons, and even though this might sound weird, the day Michael Jackson died.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Triathlons. And giving up sweets for Lent -- maybe that shouldn't be considered an "achievement," but it totally felt like one!

9. What was your biggest failure?

One of my favorite friendships got bungled this year (see #37); thus far, it has been semi-salvaged and is well on the way to being repaired, I think, but I'd like to completely heal it in the coming year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No illness to speak of, thank goodness. (Strangely, the sickest I usually am all year is during a period of wretched, miserable hay fever, from which I've suffered for the past 15 years or so, without fail. This year, during my sweets reprieve, I didn't suffer from it at all. I barely even sneezed. No idea if the two were related, but I found it fascinating.) My shins are injured every time I start a running training program, and this year was no different.

11. What were the best things you bought?

My bike because it made me a triathlete. My bed because it helped me to sleep better. My plane tickets to visit my friend and sister. My various and sundry concert tickets.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

She might not approve of my saying this, but I totally celebrate my friend for facing the shocker of having twins with aplomb and caring for not one but two newborns at the same time. I didn't realize all that goes into such a thing until visiting them, and I remain awestruck. It is a feat. She is awesome!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Repeat of last year: "Quite frankly all of the people who voted against gay rights in various elections. It sickens and saddens me a whole lot."

14. Where did most of your money go?

Registrations for various athletic events and equipment and attire for various athletic activities. WEIRD! But good.

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

The awesome live music I saw this year ... I mean, I had so much fun at these concerts; they were like therapy. The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile (twice), the Indigo Girls, Ingrid Michaelson, and the Swell Season. All of these but two were with my little brother, which made them all the more fun & special to me. I also got very excited about my older brother's impending nuptials and other exciting family news.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

Last Tears, specifically this version. I just think it's very beautiful.

I don't regret and won't forget
a single thing that we went through ...
I'm gonna dip into your memory and take a good stiff drink
And when I'm drunk on the last drop of sadness about how we went wrong
I'm gonna play this song
Make some coffee black and strong
Give thanks for healing time
And finally make up my mind

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier.

b) thinner or fatter? About the same, but a wee bit stronger. Just a wee.

c) richer or poorer? Richer, but not exceedingly more so.

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

Purchasing locally grown food from the farmer's market ... I definitely made tremendous strides in this regard but could have done better.

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

Fretting. Regretting.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Slept in, attended mass, ate a giant delicious meal, went to see Up in the Air, and watched Up. A fun, family-filled day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

I thought maybe I did, but I think I was just confused.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

The TV show I most flipped my lid over this year was Chuck! It aired for two seasons before I watched it ... how this happened I'm still not sure ... but I'm all caught up and one hundred percent in love with everything about it and can't wait until it starts up again in January. Other than that ... the usual ... Friday Night Lights, Ugly Betty, The Office, So You Think You Can Dance, Mad Men, and Battlestar Galactica, which ended earlier this year and was a huge commitment time-wise and emotionally for several years. My favorite new show by a mile is Parks & Recreation. If you only watched the first season and haven't tuned in to see how funny it is this year, you're missing out. Also, I loved watching Extras & In Treatment and the hilarious and heartwarming Gavin and Stacey on DVD this year. I guess I watched kind of a lot of TV this year. But it was all good.

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

I can't think of anyone. I try not to be a hater.

24. What was the best book you read?

Young adult fiction: I loved Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson and The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt and Looking for Alaska by John Green and The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. Nonfiction: I loved Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life and Melissa Anelli's Harry: A History and Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Other than Patty Griffin, with whom I fell in complete love and was new to me, this year was less about discovering new artists than it was about falling in love with some favorites all over again ... new albums by the artists listed in #15 made up the soundtrack of 2009 for me. I also couldn't get enough of Regina Spektor's new album. As for other artists who were brand new to me in 2009, I really like Amy Seeley & Greg Holden.

26. What did you want and get?

Medals for all four triathlons in my series. (Plus one extra.) thirtysomething released on DVD. A warm friendship with my ex-boyfriend, which I've learned is much better than having someone be dead to you.

27. What did you want and not get?

Rid of my under-eye circles.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Gonna have to go with Slumdog Millionaire & The Edge of Heaven & The Class ... nothing else really grabbed me like those did. But I did also really enjoy Last Chance Harvey and Milk and Up in the Air and Up. (I laughed so hard when Doug the dog said, "I was hiding under your porch because I love you." I laugh basically whenever I remember it. Such a good movie.)

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

I had a nice Thai dinner with my parents and brother the night before and a fun patio dinner with friends the night of. I turned 34.

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

Hmmmm...This is a hard one to answer. Honestly, looking back, it was a pretty great year.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Jeans? T-shirts? The usual.

32. What kept you sane?

The usual: great parents, great siblings, great friends. New: long bike rides and swims -- two of the most meditative and therapeutic activities I've ever participated in. Who knew?

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

It's a toss up between Chuck Bartowski and Don Draper. Chuck Bartowski is a perfectly reasonable fictonal character to adore; Don Draper, not so much ... Chuck is dopey & kind; Don is a cad but super sexy. I feel very divided!

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Marriage rights for all.

35. Whom did you miss?

My sister & faraway friends.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

The sons!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

In the immortal words of Liz Phair, "It's better to be friends than lovers, and you shouldn't try to mix the two."

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

There was a dream, and one day I could see it,
like a bird in a cage I broke in
and demanded that somebody free it ...
Decide what to be, and go be it.

The Avett Brothers

(2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, and 2003.)