triticale - the wheat / rye guy

Time Waster

I haven't done one of these question things in a long time, but Terry Teachout's year in review list, found at Pejman's, looks worthwhile, even tho I didn't have the sort of year which really warrants it.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
4HO-DiPT

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Not particularly.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
One neighbor and the daughters of a couple of others. Nobody I know well.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My wee wifey's foster sister Kate, who, along with her children, had been part of our household the last few years.

5. What countries did you visit?
We got to parts of Wisconsin which we hadn't been to before, and we did touristy stuff in parts of the state I've driven for work.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
A modern econo/performance 302 in the Fairmont, to take the place of the worn out oilburning smogmotor 302 in it now. I can get double the horsepower, better gas mileage, and emissions as low as before the valve guides started leaking.

7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory?
I don't track dates very well, but in the long run the X-Prize flights of Space Ship One will be as important as the re-election of President Bush.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Nothing spectacular.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Nothing spectacular.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A minor retinal tear, out of the line of sight, which has left me with a persistant floater.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Nothing spectacular. I've started accumulating tools toward the model shop I will set up as we finish moving.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Nothing spectacular.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The Bush haters, including too many of my neighbors and family.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Subsistance and savings.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The 27 T track roadster which is the feature car in the latest issue of American Rodder magazine. The design concept is very close to what I've had in mind and the execution is near perfect.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2004?
Gretchen Wilson's Redneck Woman

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

� Happier or sadder?
Like Terry& Pejman, somewhat happier.

� Thinner or fatter?
I'm fitting comfortably into the pants at the tight end of my range.

� Richer or poorer?
Incrementally richer. We have recovered from the bad year we had in 2002.

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

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

20. How [did you spend] Christmas?
Christmas was a work night for the wee wifey; I puttered around the houses. The celebration was New Years Day, spent with Kate's offspring. Not a big party.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Nobody; for hundreds of hours. next would be the wee wifey.

22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Continuously.

23. How many one-night stands in this last year?
I'm a third of the way thru my fourth decade of monagamy.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
It was so long ago that I don't remember.

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

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
Most of them.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I've diversified greatly. Lounge, bhangra, Stockhausen, Big Bill Broonzy...

28. What did you want and get?
Nothing spectacular.

29. What did you want and not get?
Nothing spectacular.

30. What were your favorite films of this year?
Last new release I watched was Sixth Sense. If I'd been between contracts this year I probably would have watched a few videos.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I don't recall that I did anything specific on the day. I'm now 54.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I can't imagine anything having that big an impact.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
I'm wearing more black jeans instead of blue, because I got lucky at Goodwill.

34. What kept you sane?
It has been a long time since my sanity was at risk.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
It was so long ago that I don't remember.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Most of them.

37. Who did you miss?
A platonic girlfriend of the previous decade. Kate's death from cancer reminded me of hers.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Owen, from Boots and Sabers is the only person I've gotten to know and met in person this year.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004.
Nothing spectacular.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
It hasn't been the sort of year one writes songs about.

Posted by triticale at January 10, 2005 10:00 PM