38 for 2008

Mike, who hadn't blogged much at all the second half of 2007 as his new job has been very time-consuming and his computer was eaten by a virus (twice?), managed to poke his fingers into the internets enough to tag me with a meme that has 38 questions. In an effort to keep Mike blogging, I will attempt to answer. In an effort not to piss off anyone else, I will not tag anyone. Feel free to swim at your own risk...

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before? Work at an international film festival. Play Wii. Tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I resolved to be resolute. Tell me if you think it's working.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No, I stay out of the maternity ward.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Alas, yes, my dad.

5. What places did you visit? San Francisco, Anderson Valley, Paso Robles, Los Angeles, Escondido, northern New Jersey, New York City all too briefly.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007? Common sense. Uncommon dollars.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? September 12. See answer #4.

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? Survived the grueling 11-day SBIFF. Became Food Editor of the Independent.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not getting the new website at my real job up by year's end (but that's also because of the company we hired to help us do it, so I'm taking them with me into blamedom).

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Alopecia.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Can I say Amy's A3 (blond in photo not included)?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? The dogs have been pretty good.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Pretty much everyone in politics. The New York Mets since September 1 (that includes the off-season).

14. Where did most of your money go? If I only knew.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Shoot, I think I only got up to two exciteds this year. With both parents now dead and a sore back most mornings, I get excited waking up each day.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? That dreadful one that begins with the piano chords featured in the Zales ads and played on KLITE twice daily--I refuse to know its name or know who the "artist" is--which I can't help but hear from my co-worker's cube but I have yet to damage any of her teddy bears in revenge.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? Both, depending on the moment. So, deeper.
b) thinner or fatter? I became a food editor and got a year older. Any guesses?
c) richer or poorer? Work a job and a quarter and take vacation to work a third and you do become richer. It's odd how that works.

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

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

20. How did you spend Christmas last year? My mom died Christmas 2006. But I was with my sisters and niece, which was the one plus.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007? I fell a long time ago, and we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this year.

22. How many one-night stands? Um, did you hear me an answer ago?

23. What was your favorite TV program? Probably Top Chef.

24. What did you do for your birthday in 2007? Went to a cheese tasting and then dinner.

25. What was the best book you read? Here's four: Then We Came to the End, Little Scarlet, The United States of Arugula, and The Year of Magical Thinking.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Five on my own, as much as any discovery is solo: The Mendoza Line, Truckee Brothers, Detroit Cobras, I'm from Barcelona, and Okkervil River. Sure, I should have known some of these prior to 2007. Three thanks to Ahab: Loose music samplers, Damien Jurado, Sparklehorse.

27. What did you want and get? A powerful, recently elected Democratic majority that got us out of Iraq.

Sorry, thought it was April 1 for a second.

28. What did you want and not get? Ah, I just twofered!

29. What was your favorite film of this year? As has been our habit, I missed many of the films I thought I'd like best. Watched Born Yesterday, which I hadn't seen in years, with my in-laws and Amy over Christmas break and we all enjoyed it immensely. So for that warm watching experience, I go with Judy Holliday and William Holden.

30. Did you make some new friends this year? There's this guy Tony who lives in my mouth. Seriously, yes, I did. People I only know from the internets send me CDs now. How cool is that?

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? The Democrats achieving, oh, anything.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? Try to be sure that fly is zipped. And I apologize to everyone for that one sloppy day....

33. What kept you sane? I'm crazy for Amy.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Can I answer which one I plain the most instead?

35. What political issue stirred you the most? Have you heard of Iraq?

36. Who did you miss? My parents. Although it might be good that my mom didn't have to suffer through the Mets' collapse.

37. Who was the best new person you met? I assume you mean "new to me" and that I don't have to choose an infant. Well, I'm not into ranking my friends like that. But I made a bunch this year in all sorts of avenues (and no dark alleys). So they're all best. Especially that one guy who owes me 10 dollars.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007. Hug Mookie every day, because he lets you, the sweet boy. And he's ten now.