2013 Year in Review (1)

I have used this format at the end of each year since 2004.  So, let the tradition continue.  I’m going to break it up in two posts.

40 questions about my year (Part One, 1-20):

1. What did you do this year that you'd never done before?

The most new experience was marching in the Atlanta Pride Parade.  There were a handful of other little things: Attended the Maryland RennFair; went to AnarchroCon, the Greenville Scottish Games, and the Domination parties in Asheville – witnessed a gay bashing in Asheville – saw Spank! the 50 Shades musical parody, the Blind Boys of Alabama, and Maya Angelou… and bought a Babylon 5 DVD from J. Michael Strazynski’s nephew.

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

I made two: (1) Finish and publish the family history book I’ve been researching/writing for three years.  Check.  (2) Sketch in my new leather, hand-made sketchbook at least once a week. No check.  I resolve to try that again next year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. Did anyone close to you get married?

Yes.  Loki and his husband got married.  Legally.  Yea!  :)

6. What places did you visit?

Continued to spend a fair amount of time in Atlanta… and SC.  Went back to Dragon*Con for the first time in like 5 or 6 years.  We went to the Maryland RennFair and visited Mertyl Beach to fly a kite; did Frolicon, SELF, SITS…

7. What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?

 Vast cosmic power

8. What day from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

 The day I got my vest at Frolicon, marching in Atlanta Pride Parade, and the CAPEX Halloween (in November) party were memorable.

9. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

 This is kind of an odd answer, but I think it was just being there for people who needed me to be there and hanging in there with them.

10. What was your biggest failure?

It’s not exactly a “failure,” but: I had to throw away five, big boxes of my books.  My 16 year-old cat started pissing all along the bottom of the book cases in the library and before we realized it she had destroyed most of my history and psychology books and Star Wars novels.  Kind’a sucked.

11. Did you suffer illness or injury?

A hernia… which required surgery to put back together – my first ever surgery

12. What was the best thing you bought?

 I didn’t buy it, but work issued me an iPad mini which I’ve come to enjoy – mostly for listening to podcasts; that’s 95% of what I use it for.

13. Whose behavior merited a celebration?

My friend Max who, after taking a few years off, re-started his career this year, and so far it’s looking pretty good.  I’m glad to see him getting his mojo back.

14. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

(1)  A couple of pieces of human garbage up in Virginia Beach took in my pack mate, Pup Hunter, and after Hunter started suffering some depression they kicked him out, kept (i.e. stole) all his belongings, and even, out of sheer cruelty, phoned in an anonymous tip to the air port security that he was smuggling drugs, which got Hunter detained and strip-searched by the cops at the airport.  *Growls*  People like that have no business cluttering-up planet Earth, and should be removed to some place that has less atmosphere.  (2)  One of my friends acquired his own Alex Forrest.  A girl whom I believe to be literally obsessive and delusional stalking him around online, bombarding him w/ text messages, etc. (even though he never responds to her).  Then some of her friends sent threatening messages to my Owner…  It’s actually a bit scary.

15. Where did most of your money go?

Technically I bought a car this year, but Ma’am is paying for that, so: Kitten’s beautiful Renn outfit and new hot tub parts!

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

Our pack doing a puppy play class at CAPEX.  That was fun.  :)

17. What song will always remind you of this year?

Hmmm… probably Viva la Vida by Coldplay.  No particular reason; I just got stuck on that for a while this year.

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

in a lot more pain.  (Recovering from open – not laparoscopic – surgery.)

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

Same answer as last year:  Gaming and attending Trish’s philosophy salon.  Always enjoy both, but never get an opportunity for either more than a couple of times a year.

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

Waiting for Max to finish the shit he needs to do for the book we’re co-authoring