This is that thing that Jaquandor does on December 31, but I do on January 1.
Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Not only did I not keep them – to do less -I did more until a point in the last quarter, when I lost most any desire to do anything but to cocoon. Circumstances didn’t really allow for that, though.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Anna, the daughter of friends of mine, who is partially named for me, had a baby on November 13.
Did you attend any weddings?
Don’t think so. But I was pleased that my online friend Melanie got hitched.
Did anyone close to you die?
Well, yes. My cousin Donald Yates, whose brother Robert was on the list LAST year. Margaret Hannay, a woman from church who I was mighty fond of. And my good friend Norm Nissen, who I think to call now and then before I realize, yet again, that I cannot.
What countries did you visit?
None, but my passport is in order, just in case.
What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
I guess, at this point, I’d settle for civility in the world.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Helping the Daughter survive the transition to middle school.
What was your biggest failure?
Not going to a shrink.
What was the best thing you bought?
House of Blues: Essential Women in Blues. But it was the circumstances. A friend of mine had to go into physical rehab, and her clumsy caretaker knocked over her portable CD player, smashing the CD therein. I found it used, burned me a copy, then gave it to my friend.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
Anyone who faced bigotry with grace. Anyone who stood up to bigotry directed against others.
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Kellyanne Conway, Steve Bannon, Eric Trump, Paul Ryan. The bigots who threaten people because their side “won.” And, of course, the progenitor of much of it, Agent Orange.
Where did most of your money go?
The house, though we had no big projects.
What did you get really excited about?
I think I could get excited about contributing to Quora, if I had TIME to actually do it.
Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Sadder by a very large degree.
Thinner or fatter?
Yo-yo much of the year, heavier of late.
Richer or poorer?
Richer, marginally.
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading books; I’ve started several. Donate blood. Maybe drinking (Nah…although…)
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Reading Facebook.
How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve means singing at church, so that. Eventually, we go to the in-laws.
Did you fall in love in 2016?
Absolutely.
How many one-night stands?
Jaquandor: “Now, that’s not the kind of question a gentleman answers! (Another stock answer!)”
What was your favorite TV program?
CBS Sunday Morning with Jane Pauley, JEOPARDY!
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I’m on the precipice…
What was the best book you read?
That I FINISHED? Apocrypha Now.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
See below. Also, I do like the rediscovery of some of the items Jaquandor has posted.
What did you want and get?
A different place to sit in my office.
What did you want and not get?
Sanity.
What were your favorite films of this year?
Spotlight; La La Land; Zootopia; Sully; Hail, Caesar!; Cafe Society
What did you do on your birthday?
I took off the day from work and…oh, who knows?
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
“We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town, Beep-beep”
What kept you sane?
May I argue the premise of the question? That said, my dads’ group in church, especially with Norm gone. My best male friend is out of town; I should call him more often.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Bernie Sanders, George Takei.
What political issue stirred you the most?
The sheer terror a lot of Americans already feel in the age of Trump.
Who did you miss?
Norm. My old friend Tom Hoffman, who died in 2004 – I wonder what he would have made of this political year?
Who was the best new person you met?
Some new choir members.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:
The trouble with normal is it always gets worse.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I looked at the Billboard singles charts in the middle of the year, and the only song I could identify by both song and artist, AND knew audibly for sure, was The Sound of Silence by Disturbed, which you can listen to HERE
And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening