cellio | year-in-review survey

I've seen this in several journals.

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?

Interviewed a rabbi for a job.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I'm not a resolution-making kind of person. Life has a way of throwing you curve balls that make them obsolete halfway through. (Or am I thinking of goal-setting during performance reviews?)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No. (That was the tail end of 2004.)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just the US and Canada.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?

Job-related confidence and clarity. To lead Friday-night services in my synagogue. Skill (maybe even proficiency?) in biblical Hebrew.

7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 1, the day our company was acquired. (I thought it was a joke at first.)

Erev Shavuot and erev Simchat Torah, days people close to me died. (What is it with the holiday timing?)

Rosh Hashana, when I impressed a bunch of people reading torah.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Becoming a sh'licha k'hilah.

9. What was your biggest failure?

No one big thing; little things mostly involving getting paperwork and errands done promptly.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

None to speak of.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Nothing is particularly standing out. Probably a book, but how can you single out just one? :-)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My manager, for really trying to make his employees happy.

Everyone who worked together to complete a wonderful story in the form of a D&D campaign.

Dani.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Assorted members of our government.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Mortgage, utilities, food... the usual. My biggest unforseen expense was Erik's surgery and followup care. My biggest discretionary expense was tuition/board for the Sh'liach K'hilah program.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Maybe the sh'liach k'hilah thing; maybe the direction study with my rabbi has gone.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?

Nothing's coming to mind.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
b) thinner or fatter?
c) richer or poorer?
d) healthier or sicker?

About the same on all four.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Spent time with friends.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Worrying about a sick cat.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent a few hours on the obligatory visit with the relatives. (I'm Jewish; they're not.) Erev Christmas we saw Harry Potter and went out for Chinese food.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

I spend very little time on the phone. So it could be any of Dani, my mother, or lefkowitzga, but we're talking about two or three hours over the course of the year, most likely.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?

No.

23. How many one-night stands?

None. I'm happily monagamous.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Of things currently on the air, I guess Commander in Chief. I was riveted to 24 and liked it a lot at the beginning, but by the end of the season, while I was still watching avidly (and will watch the next season), I was disgusted by the POV character's behavior. So the show worked well in that I found it interesting enough to keep watching, but I'm not sure I'd call it a favorite.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No. I try not to waste energy on hatred. Now digust is another matter... (No one I know, but plenty of people running the country, state, and city.)

26. What was the best book you read?

Ack. There are lots of books; it's hard to keep track of what I've read when. Did I read Lapsing into a Comma by Bill Walsh last year? If so, that's high on the list. Or maybe Miss Manners' Guide to Domestic Tranquility, or The Art of Public Prayer (but I haven't finished reading that one yet, so maybe I should reserve judgement). Edit: possibly Mishkan T'filah; yes, the same sort of weirdo who reads style guides casually also reads prayer books casually. And while there's stuff in this one I disagree with, overall it's very good.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Craig Taubman's "Friday Night Live" recording, unless that was the previous year, though another of his that I later picked up (title forgotten) underwhelmed me. I also re-discovered Neshama Carlebach last year; I'd heard her before and liked what I'd heard, but she'd fallen off my radar until a song of hers showed up on a compilation recently.

28. What did you want and get?

Another good geek-writer to work on my project. Some opportunities from my congregation. A satisfying D&D campaign.

29. What did you want and not get?

Other opportunities from my congregation. For a certain family member to grow up (and I don't mean physically).

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

I think I only saw three movies in the theatre; none were stand-outs. On DVD I mostly watched TV shows and (a little) anime.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I think my birthday was on Shabbat, so went to services. Old enough. :-)

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I can't think of anything that was actually plausible and would be "immeasurable". I mean, I could always say "winning the Powerball", but that really only works if you buy a ticket occasionally.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?

Expedient. :-)

34. What kept you sane?

Cats, friends, my own writing, my rabbi. Not necessarily in that order.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I don't do celebrity crushes.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The attacks on civil liberties and the move toward totalitarianism at the federal level.

37. Who did you miss?

My friend Steffan (who I rarely see).

38. Who was the best new person you met?

I have about as much trouble remembering when I met people as I do remembering when I read books. The best ones just become part of the life experience and are as if they've always been there. So, umm, I don't really know.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005

Passion and enthusiasm can make up for a deficiency of experience. If you're sufficiently passionate, you'll make up for a lack of experience; conversely, all the experience in the world won't help you enjoy something you're not passionate about.

year-in-review survey

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