Hello 2012! A new year’s meme

Last year, I stole this meme from another blog and posted it on my blog. This year, I am stealing it from myself!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
   
   I visited Houston (NASA!), toured the Temani Pesh-Wa Trail, attended Portland Revels (which will definitely become an annual holiday tradition going forward…you should all come with me, it was a blast and I've been humming "The Lord of the Dance" song ever since!), and I started working on creating 100 pieces of art (an ongoing project that will carry on to the new year).
   
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   
   No to keeping them; yes to making them. Hope springs eternal.
   
3. Did anyone close to you die?
   Yes, two somebodies - Toby, the sweetest dog ever and Loki the freeway cat. We have since adopted two new rescues, but I still miss them both every day.
   
4. Did you take any trips?
   
   I went to Texas in January, which is almost like visiting another planet! I also visited Troy, MI a few times.
   
5. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
   
   A cleaner line between my work and personal life and no guilt about drawing it with a super fat tipped marker!
   
6. What dates from 2011 will remain etched your memory, and why?
   
   I hardly ever remember dates, but some events the will stick with me are:
   
   My mom's birthday in August, just because we had such a fun day walking the Temani Pesh-Wa Trail, having a picnic, visiting Maryhill and stopping for a lovely dinner of cherry, chorizo and goat cheese pizza on the way home.
   
   The night I went to Portland Revels, because it was a perfect blend of most the things I love - arts, singing, friends, good company, and a delicious shrimp korma and dinner conversation.
   
   Losing Toby and Loki will be another less pleasant memory I will carry with me. It was heart breaking to see Toby fade the way he did over the course of a week or two and Loki's death was so sudden and came just a week or so later. It was really hard on everyone in my house.
   
7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   
   Professionally it was being the only person in my office who wasn't let go in September. As a result, I've been home officed since then (which was a goal for this year!). I LOVE because it eliminates about 300 miles of driving a week and I get to work in the same room as my dogs! Good for my sanity AND the environment!
   
8. What was your biggest failure?
   
   Letting my job affect my personal life. I am still learning to separate work stress from my family life. That is the one drawback of the lack of commute – there is no time to decompress. I'm thinking I need to create a little space between the end of my work day and the beginning of home life. Maybe that would be a good time to meditate or work on an art project!
   
9. Did you suffer illness or injury?   
   
   Nothing too serious. As with last year, when I finally got some vacation, I started feeling a little crappy – this time my neck.
   
10. What was the best thing you bought?
    
    Puppies (tops on the impractical purchase list…but, hey, the money went to non-profit animal rescues and they make me happy! I've never had TWO puppies before! On the more practical side, having extensive blood work done to pinpoint vitamin deficiencies was one of my better, more sensible ideas in a long while.
    
11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    
    Gizmo – he responds to every situation with the perfect blend of sweetness and kindness. He is just a puppy, but I could learn so much from his approach to life.
    
12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
    
    Every single person who ever mistreated an animal.
    
13. Where did most of your money go?
    
    If we're counting fun stuff (i.e. not living expenses), it would be restaurants and pet supplies. The rest was all about food, insurance, bills, etc.
    
14. What did you get really excited about?
    
    I've been studying alternative (aka non-Abrahamic) religions, which has been fascinating (and sometimes amusing…I 'm amazed at how much "You're not a real [insert path here] there is among Pagan religions) . I will probably continue that research into the new year.
    
15. What song will always remind you of 2011?
    
    There are two: That Mozella song "Love Is Endless". It was my favorite for quite a while (until they started using it in those commercials). Also Audra Mae's "The Happiest Lamb".
    
16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    
    1. happier or sadder? Happier – no scheduled work trips on the horizon
       
    2. Thinner or fatter? Slightly thinner
       
    3. Richer or poorer? About the same, though I feel poorer having gone a little overboard with Christmas this year.
       
    4. What do you wish you'd done more of? I wish I'd better used the nice weather during the summer – more meals outdoors, more outings, etc. Also more writing and creative stuff (though that did improve a bit during the last quarter of the year).
       
    5. What do you wish you'd done less of? Work and worry
       
    6. How did you Christmas? Christmas eve with friends and Christmas day with other friends
       
    7. Did you fall in love in 2011? No, unless it is literally puppy love and that is pretty okay with me.
       
    8. What was your favorite TV program? I am obsessed with Psych (old news I know, but I'm loving it now that I'm getting caught up), also Grimm (which is filmed here in Portland)
       
17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't have this time last year?
    
    No, hate is a waste of energy. I do, however, find myself less bothered by a couple of individuals at work, having chosen to change the way I respond to them. The stern talk I had with myself about not having to like everyone or want everyone to like me seems to have worked! It made more confident in dealing with the couple people who felt like a thorn in my side, which has made them less likely to run me ragged.
    
    Now my for the answer that makes me sound less noble: If I hated anyone, it would be the fucktard around the corner who uses New Year's Eve and 4^th of July as an excuse to blow things up that make my floorboards shake.
    
18. What was the best book you read?
    
    Probably A Discovery of Witches or Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I went through a witchy/spooky l phase earlier this year and those were my two favorites.
    
19. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    
    MoZella…I love the upbeat vibe to a lot of her music. I would say Audra Mae, but technically my friends Jen and Becky discovered her and shared her with me.
    
20. What did you want and get?
    
    A new iPod and to work from home.
    
21. What did you want and not get?
    
    A new body J
    
22. What was your favorite film this year?
    
    
    I don't know. I can barely remember seeing anything new besides The Help. It was a big year for Netflix at my house.
    
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    
    I went for dinner with friends and on a mystery road trip, which was AWESOME!
    
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    
    There were some difficult pet related milestones this year. Greater balance between work and home.
    
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
    
    Let's just say that working at home has allowed me to wear out my favorite Nick & Nora pajama bottoms. (RIP Sugar Skull pajamas.) Now I'm excited whenever I can find a reason to dress up.
    
26. What kept you sane?
    
    Who said I was sane?
    
27. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    
    I don't really have that much interest in celebrities, but am a little fascinated by Russell Brand.
    
28. What political issue stirred you the most?
    
    The death penalty
    
29. Who did you miss?
    
    Toby and Loki
    
30. Who was the best new person you met?
    
    I really do not know how to answer that.
    
31. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
    
    We are capable of much more than we ever thought possible. Don't let fear of not being perfect paralyse you.
    

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it's already 2012? Twenty…..twelve! It wasn't so long ago that the year 20anything sounded like we'd all be commuting to work via personal hovercraft. (By the way, why am I still driving a Matrix?) Wasn't Y2K like yesterday? Time goes so fast. The Bangles said it was when you are having fun, but that's only half true. The truth is that it just goes fast in general. No one tells you this when you're young or if they do, it doesn't sink in, because you are young and they are old and what do those geezers know anyway? When you're 20, getting older is something that happens to other people. The other thing they don't tell you, by the way, is that you don't feel older. I mean, sure, I'm not as big a dumbass as I was at 20, but it's not like you wake up one morning feeling like you've finally achieved all the wisdom and maturity. But holy crap on a cracker, does it all go quickly looking back!

2011 was no exception. Frankly, I'm glad it's over. I'm ready to move on. It was in some ways a tough year – dog drama, big changes at work, too much travel and the loss of two beloved pets within the span of a couple weeks. Toby and Loki had been with us for well over a decade each and it was heart breaking to have to say goodbye to two such sweet and loyal family members. I still expect to see them around the house. We also said hello to two new rescue puppies (Gizmo and The Muppet, who is so new his name is still in negotiations). They certainly don't replace our lost friends, but having a couple of babies to love (and keep from chewing or peeing on everything in sight!) certainly brings some joy to temper the emptiness they left in their furry wake. It also reminds me that joy and even beauty can evolve from even the most difficult transitions. The truth is that passings wouldn't hurt so much, if we didn't have the immense joy of loving a being. And I wouldn't trade that for the world, even a world without the pain of loss.

Still, even with life's normal ups and downs, I feel pretty lucky. I have great friends and family, a warm place to sleep and have of late been experiencing a renaissance of personal creativity (more about that another time, but there's been a lot more writing, music making and even exploring other creative media of late). I am still working on my goals for the new year (I am approaching them a little differently this year), but if there is one overarching goal that I have, it is to fill the corners of my life with the kind of inspiration Kurt Vonnegut was talking about when he wrote:

Practicing an art, no matter how well or how badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something."

And I guess that's the wonderful thing about new years. They offer us an excuse to start over; a reason to grasp for new possibilities, to start singing in the shower, dancing to the radio and forming all kinds of new habits to fill our lives with enjoy joy to carry us through the hard times. My wish for myself (and for you, if you're reading this) is that we go forth into a soul growing, joyful 2012.