looking back on 2014 survey in survey time

Stolen from ermentrude:
{I wrote this last night, and was so sad to have no notes this morning … but figured I totally deserve no notes, I’m never here, I never note anyone else, of course I have no notes when I finally do deign to make an appearance!!!… then realized: OH. I had it on private. Oooops!}

What did you do in 2014 that you have never done before?
I started to say, “Go to New York!!!” but I actually did go to New York years and years and years ago, when I was in college, with some church friends, for just a few days. But I think I’ll still count !!GO TO NEW YORK!! because I went with my cousins, and we went as grown ups and stayed in Midtown and went to see Wicked and it was a totally different kind of thing. Really, I should probably list it not just as “going to New York”, but the first in what we plan to be an annual set of trips/visits. Because we have been friends all our lives, and in recent years we don’t see each other nearly often enough, and apparently when you are a grown up you have to actually PLAN to see your grown up cousins. They don’t just show up at multiple weddings and holidays and family reunions anymore. Weird.

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year
This is quite funny (or quite tragic), because I just read through my paper journal on New Years Eve, and last year I had this small and reasonable list of things I planned to do. Not resolutions, because I think making resolutions is just asking for failure. But things I wanted to accomplish. Goals, I guess. And..... I did not achieve one. NOT ONE!! I totally and completely failed at EVERY SINGLE GOAL!!!! And several of them I yammered on all year about!!! I did not work on my serious writing. I did not get more exercise. I did not lose 15 or whatever pounds. I did not do more tarot. (I did not do ANY tarot). I did not cut down on my beer consumption. I did not declutter my house. I did not wash the windows. I did not paint the fence. I did not work on making jewelry and sell things on Etsy. I did not do one single thing from the modest and reasonable list of things I really thought I could probably mange. Nothing! Nothing at all!!!!

Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year.

What countries did you visit?
This year I did not visit any other countries at all.

What would you like to have in 2015 that you didn’t have in 2014?
A trip to England!! Which I am totally planning on having! Also, an uncluttered, un-hoarder-like house. Which is a possibility if I will actually take some action in 2015.

What date in 2014 will remain etched in your memory?
Good question. I can’t think of any specific dates. There were a few events, such as the aforementioned New York Trip. And the Cousin’s Visit To Asheville in October. This has not been an overly exciting year, for the most part.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I believe that we have already established that I have achieved exactly nothing this year.

What was your biggest failure?
Everything on my list of Things I Intended to Achieve in 2014.

Did you suffer any illness or injury?
No, I really had very little sickness this year, and I don’t think I had any injuries at all. I don’t believe I even had a cold this year. I did have a weird allergic incident where I woke up with crazily swollen eyes for no apparent reason, but that was about it. It has been quite a healthy year, at least, despite my lack of proper diet and exercise.

What was the best thing you bought?
That would have to be my very cool camera – the Canon EOS Rebel SL1,
It is shockingly light and takes amazing pictures, and I am very very very pleased with it.

Whose behavior needed improvement?
MY LAPTOPS, FOR SWALLOWING THIS QUESTION. AAAGGGGHHHH. I think I’ll leave this for next entry since my idiotic annoying laptop just gobbled all my oh-so-witty answers up. Idiot.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mine, for not actually literally murdering any of the other drivers in this place. (This would make sense had my idiotic laptop not devoured the previous answer. I also should be celebrated for not smacking my laptop for that.)

Where did most of your money go?
One of the things I am totally failing at is keeping track of our expenses. But I’d say it’s mostly going to the mortgage. And to food, and at this time of the year to kerosene to keep us from freezing to death.

What did you get really, really excited about?
The decision to return to England in 2015!!!!! Kim and I – Baker B is still on the fence. But Kim and I are going at least. And I’m quite excited about it. We’ve also decided we are moving to Asheville when we retire and putting a modular home on the land that my dad gave me down there. I am having a little harder time getting all worked up about this than Baker B is, since I can’t retire for like ten more years. At least.

What songs will always remind you of 2014?
That is a very good question. I started to say anything by The Ralfe Band, but the most recent album was Son Be Wise in 2013. I’m going to count it anyhow, since I listened to it all the time in 2014 and I love it.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Lying on the couch, drinking beer and aimlessly wandering around on the internet.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Walking, writing and other creative endeavors.

How did you spend Christmas?
In Charleston!!! My favorite way to spend Christmas. We actually spent Christmas eve in Asheville this year, because my SIL said my niece’s adorable twins were going to be in a Christmas play on Christmas eve, and invited us to attend. We decided to go, and just leave for Charleston the next morning from Asheville, which is a shorter drive anyhow. Very very oddly, it ended up not being so much a Christmas play featuring the Twins as it was an actual Christmas Eve children’s church service. So we kind of got railroaded into going to church on Christmas Eve! But it was okay, and we lived and didn’t burst into flames, and also got to spend a little time with my brother and SIL and their kids and kids’ kids afterwards. (And it was held in an absolutely gorgeous huge ornate old Methodist church in downtown Asheville, so I did enjoy the church itself.) THEN we went to Charleston on Christmas day. Pictures may be forthcoming if I can round up the energy. it was calm and wonderful and warmish and… BEACH!!!! HISTORICAL DISTRICT!!!! BEER!!!!!

Which OD/PBers did you meet for the first time?
None at all this year.

Did you fall in love in 2014?
No. Wait, YES!! I fell in love with Sherlock. And Broadchurch. And probably a few more TV shows. No actual people I wasn’t already in love with, though.

OH!!!! OHHH!!!! I did definitely fall in love with my BFF’s new adorable kitten, Pixie.

How many one night stands?
Ha- none. Not a one.

What was your favorite TV show?
I had quite a few… not that I’m a TV addict or anything. Sherlock, Breaking Bad, Lost (we rewatched it from years ago), Would I Lie To You, QI, Fargo (just got hooked!), Only Fools and Horses. Big Bang Theory. The Mighty Boosh. The Killing. Vera. Downton Abbey. I’m sure there are more. Again, not that I’m addicted to tv.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I do not.

What were the best books you read?
Good question! And… I think I’m going to leave this for later. It’s nearly two in the morning and I have lost the ability to give answers.

Last updated January 03, 2015