The "Looking Back on 2015" survey in survey time

I did this one last year about this time, so think I’ll do it again. Always good to have a review of the year. And always good to get the new year off to a writing start.

What did you do in 2015 that you have never done before?
I took a jewelry class. I took TWO jewelry classes, actually, both through the Craft Enrichment program at the university. First was “Beginning Jewelry” and the second was “Advanced Jewelry”. I LOOOOVED them! And they really catapulted me into jewelry making, which is something I’ve been interested in for, oh, EVER. Seriously - I still have supplies that I bought during the 80s. I’ve always had periods of renewed interest in it, and I’ll make some stuff, then, since I have the attention span of a butterfly (Gemini!!!), I’ll get interested in something else and drop it again. But taking the classes gave me some proper instruction and more confidence and now I’m quite hooked and have made a bunch of stuff (and started posting pictures here ages ago– then quit! Another thing to renew). My next step is to put it on Etsy. Hopefully that will happen soon. Anyhow, that was the big thing I’d never done.

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Well, amusingly enough, my answer would be the exact same thing as my answer was for 2015: “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.... And..... I did not achieve one. NOT ONE!! I totally and completely failed at EVERY SINGLE GOAL!!!! “

Again, I read through my paper journal on New Years Eve and again I did not accomplish any of my goals! Didn’t start getting more exercise. Didn’t lose any weight. Didn’t cut down on the beer (which would result in losing all the weight I need to lose, as it’s not THAT much and my beer consumption is just enough to keep me at a higher level than I’d like to be). Didn’t work on serious writing! Didn’t declutter the house!!!! Go me!!!!!!!!!!!

What I DID do in preparation for this year is buy a planner. I know, I know ---- I always firmly believe that the only thing I need for an explosion of accomplishments is THE RIGHT PLANNER. And so I am always buying planners and oddly enough they don’t do all the stuff I need to do for me, so I end up continuing to lie on the couch drinking beer and mindlessly surfing the internets. But this one is really interesting and quite different. It focuses on making goals each week that are steps towards what you’re wanting to accomplish, and has a zillion spots to write stuff in which I always loooove. It seems like a really good way to bypass my lifelong bad habit of deciding I will do a thing and then never doing it because .... I’m waiting for it to do itself, I suppose.

It’s called The Spark Planner, and I got it from a Kickstarter campaign. Another thing I’ve never done! I kept seeing ads for it on Facebook and since it was a complex unique planner of course I had to check it out. Anyhow, part of the process is considering what you wanted to do last year and how you succeeded or not, and what you want to do this year, and thinking through it as well as writing about it so that is kind of my point. I feel much more like I may actually make some progress this year due to actual.... PLANNING. Because I do not plan. I never ever plan and that, in a nutshell, is why I never make much progress in anything. (checking the link, it’s for the Spark Notebook. The Spark Planner is… sold out. Although they may end up with extras. I think the notebook is very similar to the planner, but not pre-dated.)

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this year.

Did anyone close to you die?
One of my best friends from childhood’s mom died last year. I knew her most of my life, and she was really good friends with my mom, so she was like an aunt when I was growing up. I spent a lot of time at their house, which I thought was the coolest house ever back then. At one time they’d had quite a lot of money, and this house was SO great- it seemed very old, although I don’t think it actually is THAT old, and it had all these weird teeny mysterious rooms all over the place. It had a little library on one end with a spiral staircase up to the next floor, a dumbwaiter, a teeny door that led to a well, and a music room with a balcony and its own teeny kitchen! She was a classically trained singer and sang professionally before she married.

Odd I’m talking more about the house than Mrs. P. Anyhow, I was very fond of her, and she was one of those people who never ever changed. The last time I saw her was at my mom’s funeral, and she looked EXACTLY like she had when I was a kid. And when I heard that she’d passed away, despite the fact that she was 90, I was shocked. It was hard to believe she could just stop being here, weirdly enough.

What countries did you visit?
None at all. We’d planned a trip to England for last summer, but had to postpone, sadly. Till this summer, then postponed again till 2017. Stupid money.

What would you like to have in 2016 that you didn’t have in 2015?
More money. And a new house!!! That might actually happen in 2016. A new-to-us house, not a NEW house. A house that’s not my current house.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I think it would have to be the leap into jewelry-making, since that’s pretty much my ONLY achievement.

What was your biggest failure?
Everything else I planned to accomplish.

Did you suffer any illness or injury?
I had a terrible – virus maybe, it seemed way worse than a cold. I was fevery and achy and wiped out and could barely get off the couch for days. I actually called in sick to work three days, which NEVER happens. It took like a MONTH to really feel normal again. That was about this time last year. Hopefully I’ve had my sickness for this year- I caught a nasty cold from my SIL last week and felt terrible on New Years eve and New Years day and for a couple of days afterwards. I don’t get sick often at all so maybe that will be it.

Where did most of your money go?
A furnace, a heat pump, new gutters. Bills, groceries, kerosene. Fire Mountain for jewelry making supplies. The usual.

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Same as last year- lying on the couch moping and drinking beer and meandering aimlessly online.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
Serious writing, exercise, other creative things. At least I did make jewelry!

How did you spend Christmas?
In Charleston! Yay!!!! I swear I’ll post pictures soon.

What was your favorite TV show?
I think that would have to be Broadchurch, which I absolutely loved and can’t wait till the next season airs. Also really liked Mr. Selfridge. We discovered Eight Out Of Ten Cats Does Countdown, yet another British show, which appears to be a mashup of the original Eight Out Of Ten Cats, a panel show about – I think– statistics, merged with Countdown. I’ve never seen Countdown, but this involves making words out of a group of letters and coming up with a specific number out of a group of numbers. Yes, that probably sounds less than thrilling, but we really enjoyed it. It was hilarious.

Upon reflection, I don’t think we watched anything BUT British TV. Would I Lie To You (another hilarious panel show), Luxury Comedy (Noel Fielding!! Bizarre and surreal and wouldn’t have gotten one episode here but managed two seasons there), Shetland, Hinterland, (police mysteries I watched on my own because apparently I like police mysteries) … OH, Luther, speaking of weird excellent disturbing Police shows – what DID we watch that was American??? Maybe the next-to-most-recent episode of Big Bang Theory. OH!! Fargo! That was REALLY good.

OH!! Latest love, which I got Baker B hooked on too - Outnumbered. I’d never heard of it, but saw it on Acorn as a “going away soon” show (which ended up being on Hulu too and not going away at all). I started watching it quite recently and talked Baker B into giving it a shot. Basically it’s about a couple in London and their three kids. Their three weird kids. Well, the oldest one is kind of the straight man, but the middle one is a danger-addicted habitual liar and the youngest is .... bizarre. And hysterical. Apparently the kids all got to improvise their lines, making them a lot funnier than child actors usually are. As an illustration, here is Karen explaining a drawing she’s done.

Sadly - and inevitably - the kids aren’t nearly as funny during the last season, where they are teens and a pre-teen. But it’s still a good show, kind of about nothing.

So yes, again I have spent my year watching TV.

What was your favorite film this year?
We hardly ever watch movies anymore, which is really strange. I think TV shows have taken over. We did actually GO TO THE THEATER, though, and saw The Martian when it came out, and it was REALLY good. So was the book, which I’d already read. The only other movie I can even remember seeing was What We Do In The Shadows – three vampire roommates navigating modern times. It was absolutely hysterical, and oddly sweet. Starring Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?
Hahahahahaha!! Fashion concept!! Ummmm… hobo with ADD?? Middle Aged Woman With Clothes Spanning Three Decades, Non Of Which Fit Properly??? Whatever Isn’t Wadded Up In A Pile On The Floor, Or If It Is, Can At Least Be Salvaged With Wrinkle Release Spray???? Oh, if only I had a fashion concept. Maybe that should be another goal for 2016.

What are your greatest hopes for 2016?
That it leaves me with more positive answers for this survey than 2015 did.

Last updated January 07, 2016