2009-01-03 - 10:56 a.m.

Another New Year's Meme! (thanks ladyloo!)

1. What did you do in 2008 that you�d never done before?
gave birth.

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

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
err, yes. Lots of folk, in fact.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately, no..

5. What countries did you visit?
USA

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
more time.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 16th � birth is hard to forget.
November 6th, Obama was elected.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Apart from the obvious birth thing � submitting a paper after a two-year dry spell.

9. What was your biggest failure?
not saying �no�

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
colds, and err, birth related stuff. (do I detect a theme here?)

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Plane tickets to visit friends and family

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Barack Obama

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Canadian voters, PM Harpo, Sarah Pa1in

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and Nannies

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

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Baby Beluga.

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

18. What do you wish you�d done more of?
Exercise / yoga � I still lack a balance between work, baby, and exercise that I need to regain.

19. What do you wish you�d done less of?
work during mat leave

20. How did you spend Christmas?
playing with Susi, calling relatives, playing in the snow.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No, but I didn�t fall out of love either, I�m happy to say.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Seinfeld reruns

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn�t hate this time last year?
Hate is always a pointless emotion.

24. What was the best book you read?
FICTION:Ysabel, NON-FICTION: Keeping our Cool: Canada in a Warming World

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Raffi

26. What did you want and get?
Netbook

27. What did you want and not get?
child care

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Man Who Wasn�t There

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 40 and I saw Cirque du Soleil with K.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Writing another paper.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Blue jeans, RL long sleeve shirts.

32. What kept you sane?
real estate shopping, long walks with the family

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
tough call. Fancy as in, you know, FANCY? Colin Firth. Or just respect a lot? Barack Obama

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
the fact that global warming is still considered a political belief rather than a reality in the US and Canada; the excitement around the vote of no-confidence and the prorogation

35. Who did you miss?
My family. My friends in Germany

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Two new young colleagues in my department.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I didn't just learn this, but I've had it reinforced how extremely lucky I am to have fabulous family (parents, siblings, spouse, ovary-aching baby).