The Second Annual Year in Review
1. What did you do in 2005 that you’d never done before?
Got a job in the city, lived in Jersey City, and went on over fifty job interviews and about twenty temp agencies. Applied to grad school, went to my graduation, and learned my way around Brooklyn. Among other things.
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Sebastian and Laura were the only one who really knew about my New Year’s resolution, and while it took me awhile to keep it, I eventually did. (Which was stop talking to HWSNBN and MOVE ON)
3. What countries did you visit?
None.
4. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
An acceptance letter to graduation school, I suppose.
5. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory?
May 15, May 21, June 19, July 17
6. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The success of the Great-NYC-Job-and-Apartment search
7. What was your biggest failure?
Not relaxing enough and worrying too much. Letting people who weren’t worthwhile hurt me. Typical stuff like that.
8. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing a little willpower couldn’t solve
9. What was the best thing you bought?
Well I didn’t buy my apartment, so that’s not accurate. So…my winter coat. It’s very warm and I need it.
10. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Michael.
11. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The same person as last year, actually.
12. What did you get really, really, really excited about??
Finding an apartment, finding a job.
13. What song will always remind you of 2005?
Lots, depending on what part of 2005. The second annual soundtrack entry will definitely be written, but off the top of my head? The Heart Remains a Child, by Everything but the Girl, Almost, by Bowling for Soup and American Girl, Tom Petty. Oh and, for early in the year “After All” by Dar Williams.
14. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
I will say I am less euphoric, more worried/stressed, but that I am headed in a good direction and more sure of things in general than I was a year ago.
15. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Taken advantage of city things, but I had to save my money for grad school applications.
16. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying! I would say something like ‘waste time over someone not worth my time blah blah blah’ but everything happens for a reason, and I wouldn’t be living in New York if I hadn’t done all that nonsense
17. How will you be spending Christmas?
Jewishly (movie and Chinese food)
18. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Tocqueville is still my political theory boyfriend.
19. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t really hate anyone.
20. What was the best book you read?
Wow, I read an insane amount of books this year. Yay self-education. Maybe “Why Geography Matters” for non-fiction, Ignorance (Milan Kundera) for fiction. “Race and Culture” by Thomas Sowell was also quite good and forced me to grudgingly admit my previous assessment of his work was incorrect. I also enjoyed “Death and the Penguin” just because it was so silly and it had a penguin.
21. What was your greatest musical discovery?
No great musical discoveries. Dar Williams new CD was fabulous. Kind of got into Belle and Sebastian.
22. What did you want and get?
I had no idea what I wanted out of ‘the real world’ at this time last year, besides my tentative plan to teach in Europe, which I wound up not wanting to do. Then I wanted a job in New York, which I got. And an apartment. Which I got.
23. What did you want and not get?
HWSNBN, once and for all. Sigh.
24. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
My birthday was the day after my graduation ceremony, so it was like a weekend of celebratory-ness. Graduation weekend was awesome and wonderful and I got to walk with Xina and sit with Kristen (who I gradated nursery school, middle school, and high school with) and hang out with my professors, and it was so lovely and perfect. My actual birthday was low-key. Xina and I went out to dinner and told our waiter he was hot, and then we had drinks with Mike, and he kissed me, and I was like “Hmm…I don’t really like him.” And then I went home.
25. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I can’t think of anything. Having the toast I made at Brent’s b-day celebration come true?
26. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
I got a “real” job and started dressing like an adult instead of a 16 year old. Most of the time anyway. But damn, real clothes are expensive.
27. What kept you sane?
Whilst living in O-Town: My brother, DCFF, Mike clubbing, Craigslist, phone calls with Michael, Sebastian’s emails, Reason.com , The Smart People’s History Class
Post-Move: Michael, the Strand, vodka, OCD notes, walks to/from work, books
28. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most??
Jon Stewart (same as 2004) AND I MET HIM RANDOMLY IN A CAFÉ. And I’m noticing that Christopher Meloni (aka Elliot Stabler) is pretty hot.
29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005?
The cliché “sometimes it’s holding on that makes you strong. Sometimes it’s letting go,” is very true. It isn’t easy to do, but sometimes it’s the only thing you can do. Hobbes was completely right
And I will repeat this, for the umpteenth time: Just because someone can make you smile does not mean they care to do so. Just because you care about someone does not mean that you make them happy. And just because you love someone does not mean they will accept or even respect it. -
New York is fucking hot as hell in the summer.
