Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I just keep my resolutions the same: read a lot, write a lot, do fun stuff. That’s all I need. In 2015, though, I will be doubling down on writing.
Resolutions always seem kind of vague to me. I prefer goals, and I set a big one for 2014:
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope. A few coworkers that I’m not terribly close to, but that’s about it.
Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully. Two brothers, though, who are among my best friends lost their father, though, so that was a tough period.
What countries did you visit?
Physically, I never left the United States this year. Mentally, though, I left it daily! In fact, I left Planet Earth on a nearly daily basis.
What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
More people reading my book!
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmmmm...seems to me I got something pretty big done, now what was it...geez, what was that...oh yeah!
Sometimes I mentally undervalue getting Stardancer out, but...dammit, that was a real thing I did there, wasn’t it? The story that has been consuming my heart for four years now, and which continues to march onward, finally got out there for other people to read. It’s a hell of a thing.
I did it. I got the job done.
And you know you had a hell of a year when you have an accomplishment that actually outranks “moved into our first house” on the Awesome Scale.
What was your biggest failure?
Not finishing the draft of The Adventures of Lighthouse Boy, I suppose. And we’re still not completely moved in yet!
What was the best thing you bought?
The bookshelves for my personal library. At long last, I can see and access all of my books. It’s amazing!
Honorable mention? Scarves!
(Possible honorable mention: the dee-oh-gee, if you consider him to be a ‘purchase’. We adopted him, and there was an adoption fee, but I’m not sure we count that as a purchase.)
Whose behavior merited celebration?
As always, The Wife and The Daughter.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Let’s just say that as a person on the left side of the political fence, this was not a banner year for sane political action in the United States.
Where did most of your money go?
Well, we moved. There went a big chunk!
What did you get really excited about?
Releasing a book and moving!
Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Oh, take a wild guess!
Thinner or fatter?
Maybe fatter by a couple of pounds, as I write this. Not by much, though, and that’ll start to come off again as the holidays recede and I stop eating like every day is some kind of grand Bacchanalia.
Richer or poorer?
Richer. Not by much, but we’re doing OK, and I’m hopefully getting a foundation built for a future writing career.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
I always wish I’d written and read more. I never ever ever feel that I’ve done enough of those things.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the Internet: it’s all your fault, people! Also, responding to people in comments who simply aren’t worth the time or effort.
How did you spend Christmas?
At home, with the family. The way it should be. (We never got our tree up this year, owing to a few logistical and scheduling issues that bit us, along with a short Christmas season and that big storm a few weeks back that threw everything into flux around these parts.)
Did you fall in love in 2014?
I fall in love on a daily basis. (Yes, that’s my stock answer!)
How many one-night stands?
Now, that’s not the kind of question a gentleman answers! (Another stock answer!)
What was your favorite TV program?
This year? Person of Interest and Castle. We’ve recently discovered Veronica Mars and Cutthroat Kitchen. Other than those, really, we haven’t made any major discoveries of late.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don’t hate. I just don’t. I did form several visceral dislikes, but that’s about it.
What was the best book you read?
Joyland by Stephen King; Where Nobody Knows Your Name by John Feinstein.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
It’s provisional, but I am thus far impressed greatly by the country music trio The Band Perry.
What did you want and get?
A house, a library of my own, and books with my name in the byline. Oh, and scarves.
What did you want and not get?
Somehow I managed to go the entire year without getting a pie in the face from The Wife! It just didn’t work out in terms of scheduling. Maybe next year, I hope! (My sole pieing this year was, as part of a ‘challenge’ thing, self-inflicted.)
What were your favorite films of this year?
Guardians of the Galaxy, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy, in that order. I did enjoy The Hobbit III, but I have a few reservations that I’ll flesh out in a blog post sometime.
What did you do on your birthday?
I worked! We rarely celebrate my birthday on my actual birthday, choosing instead to celebrate a week or so later with our annual trip to Ithaca. (That said, the annual trip to Ithaca might not happen in 2015 because of other potential ideas we’re kicking around for late-year travel. Stay tuned....)
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Does it ever change? All overalls, all the time. And scarves. I’m getting seriously into scarves. And fingerless gloves. Those are pretty cool.
What kept you sane?
Finally having enough space to live; finally getting a sense that I’m moving toward something; and after initial trepidation, having a dog helped.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Kat Dennings, Martin Freeman, George Takei, Sarah Shahi, Lana Parrilla, Robert Carlyle...so many more!
What political issue stirred you the most?
They’re all angering, actually.
Who did you miss?
This was not a year for loss. A welcome thing, that – loss will come again. But this year, it held off.
Who was the best new person you met?
I couldn’t pick just one! So many amazing people, both online and off. What a fantastic world!
If you take selfies, post your six favorite ones:
This is a new question that I’m adding, since I saw it on Tumblr. Here I am, in various states from pie-faced to water-soaked to just plain happy about stuff.
(Yeah, that's seven, not six. Oh well.)
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
There really is “no place like home!”
And the usual ones: Read a lot, write a lot. Go for walks and look at sunsets. Take all the pictures you want. Learn new things and try new stuff. If you have a dog, take him for walks. Buy books for your daughter, even when she complains that she likes to pick her own books (let her do that, too). Nothing fits your hand so well as your lover’s hand. Eating out is fine, but learn to cook things, too. Have a place to go where they know you and what you order. Don’t be afraid to revisit your childhood passions now and again; you weren’t always wrong back then. Overalls are awesome, it’s OK to wear double denim, and a pie in the face is a wonderful thing!
And as always: Make good art.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Hmmm, what song to use? It seems pretty obvious to me, after its use in my favorite movie of the year:
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) I can't stop this feeling
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) Deep inside of me
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) Girl, you just don't realize
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) What you do to me
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) When you hold me
In your arms so tight (Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) You let me know
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) Everything's alright
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me
Lips as sweet as candy
Its taste is on my mind
Girl, you got me thirsty
For another cup o' wine
Got a bug from you, girl
But I don't need no cure
I just stay a victim
If I can for sure
All the good love
When we're all alone
Keep it up, girl
Yeah, you turn me on
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me
All the good love (Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
When we're all alone (Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga)
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) Keep it up, girl
(Ooga-chaka ooga-ooga) Yeah, you turn me on
I'm hooked on a feeling
I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me
I'm hooked on a feeling
And I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me
I said, I'm hooked on a feeling
And I'm high on believing
That you're in love with me
Hooked on a feeling!
Thanks for the memories, 2014! Hey 2015: BRING IT!!!
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