1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Ate at Topolobampo. Steve and I had one of the chef's tasting menus, and it was deeeeeeelicious. I also inadvertently stared at Rick Bayless for a while, which was fun and not-at-all embarrassing (I was 7 months pregnant! I had come right from a conference! I was tired, and spacing out!). Apparently Topolo (as those in the know say, according to the website, oh aren't I la-de-dah special?) is/was a favorite of the Obamas. They were not there that night though. If they had been, I am sure I would have been staring like a damn fool for real.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't remember any resolutions, so either I didn't make them or I didn't keep them. This year my goal is to exercise more, and to complete the Couch-to-5k program.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Lots of people! I'll probably forget some, but, in no particular order...Jen and Chien, Jessie and Dave, Ron and Kathie, and Chris and Kim all welcomed little ones in 2008. And...hm. Who else? Oh.....yeah. ME!!! Hooray for the arrival of sweet Benjamin Michael, 7/17/08.
4. Did anyone close to you die? We were lucky enough to avoid losing anyone in our immediate family or circle of friends. Sadly, people whom we care about did deal with loss and tragedy this year.
5. What countries did you visit? Um....the United States? I didn't travel much this year, but hope to change that soon!
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Ha. Tenure, but since I'm not up for that until 2011, I don't think that will happen. So...more free time.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Benjamin's birth, and I don't think I need to explain why!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Managing to survive! It was a rough one, with adjusting to life with 2 kids, an unexpected (but ultimately good) job change for Steve,
9. What was your biggest failure? This was going to be the year that I achieved some semblance of work/life balance. I am pretty sure I failed in that regard.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? The only think I can really think of was the allergic reaction (reactions?) to something I had after my c-section surgery. An unexplained head-to-toe rash when one is recovering from surgery is not cool. I need to find out if it was an antibiotic allergy or not, because if it is, that's another whole group of antibiotics I can't take. So I'm crossing my fingers that it was something else!! So, all-in-all, I was pretty fortunate, since that's that comes to mind!
11. What was the best thing you bought? The Prius. I love it. And no, I don't get the optimal gas mileage out of it, since I don't drive long enough distances to work and back, but it's better than I would be getting out of any other mid-sized car in my price range. And, hatchback! I never would have guessed that I would love that so much.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Steve's. He's continuing to impress people around the state/country in his profession, and he has been an awesome dad every day to these boys.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Uhhh. Oh boy. I don't think I can really say. Let's just say that some people exhibited a significant lack of self-awareness this year, and I hope that changes in 2009.
14. Where did most of your money go? Hmmm. House/car/food/baby/clothing, probably in that order. Baby would be more, but hand-me-downs are quite helpful.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Baby! And the presidential election.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Heh. Any Justin Timberlake song. Or any song that evokes mullets and spandex. Because to me, 2008 and 1988 are the same thing.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier, for sure.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, but last year I was pregnant.
c) richer or poorer? Richer, in just about every way.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Traveled/ate out, even if it were just in Madison or Milwaukee. Relaxed. Slowed down and enjoyed the pregnancy, since it will likely be the last!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worried!
20. How did you spend Christmas? Oooh. This was the first Christmas where we got to spend at least some of it on our own. It was SUPER. So. Finals were done early for me this year (and did not get affected by the snow, lucky me!), so I had two days to get my baking/cooking/wrapping/Xmas cards done, and somehow I managed. On Christmas Eve, we watched the snow fall and hung out at home. When the kids went to bed, Steve and I put out snacks and drinks, and just relaxed together. Christmas Day, we opened presents here over breakfast and then went to my hometown to be with my family. The Saturday after Christmas, we went to Steve's hometown to be with his family. We did NOT do the Steve's-extended-family Christmas Eve celebration, which might have caused his family angst (I don't know, they didn't say anything), but saved our sanity and made the holiday better for our
21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Oh, I'm so repetitive, but yes, with my little son.
22. What was your favorite TV program? Mad Men! We caught up with the first and second season on iTunes, and managed to watch the 2nd season finale in real time.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Hate...nope.
24. What was the best book you read? Oh man, I can't remember when I read what. They Marched into Sunlight was a really interesting read, but I don't know if it was the BEST book I read...
25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Alexi Murdoch
26. What did you want and get? See, all of this ends up repeating itself. A healthy baby, a Prius, a kitchen scale, a real Christmas tree, Steve home more, stuff like that.
27. What did you want and not get? Hmmm. Well, I am sure there was something, there are always minor wishes that go unfulfilled. But I can't really think of anything major. I was pretty blessed this year.
28. What was your favorite film of this year? Oh please. This is even worse than the books, because i'm not even sure I saw a film from this year! Unless King Corn counts..I like that. Hee.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I don't remember what we did to celebrate...went out to dinner, had a quiet time at home, I think. I remember that my students sang Happy Birthday to me in lab though! That was pretty sweet. Oh, and I was 32.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A state budget without a shortfall? An economy not in collapse? Less stress at work, for sure, but that encompasses many things.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Classic Modern. Not trendy, but not stuffy, probably leaning toward preppy, things I can wear year after year.
32. What kept you sane? My friends and family. Wine club!! Coffee.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Fancy? Or admire? Obama is all right with me, for one!
34. What political issue stirred you the most? There are so many! Science and math literacy in the United States, education funding, health care, equality issues, women's rights, environmental pollution...I can't really pick just one.
35. Who did you miss? Some of my friends from grad school, my advisor.
36. Who was the best new person you met? I think 2008 was more about getting closer to people I already knew. I met lots of cool people, of course, but to narrow it down to one best person is really difficult. Of course, the easy answer is Benjamin, but if you read this far you knew that already! One person I met who really made an impression on me is Maria--I am so insipred by her enthusiasm for life and commitment to living her principles.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. You get out of relationships what you invest in them, and sometimes you have to make not just the first effort, but the second, third, and fourth efforts before that effort is returned. But the wait can be worth it! .
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. It's times like these you learn to live again/ it's times like these you give and give again/it's times like these you learn to love again.
