Year in review

My blogging friend over at Holli's Hoots and Hollers had a Year in review questionnaire that I thought I'd try my hand at.  First, let me tell you about Holli's year.  She has been an unselfish giver to the underprivileged, as well as sharing in a Tuesday's Tunes link up that has featured a lot of good music.  In between, she's gotten married, helped her father through a double-lung transplant that he died three times during, saw a valued co-worker pass away and a good friend move away.  Despite it all, she's kept a tremendous attitude and continued to put others first.  So there, go visit her!  And when you're done, come back here and see how my year stacked up.

What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
Well, I learned to operate a computer cutting machine, which I think is pretty neat...

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Still keeping the one from about 40 years ago, to never make another.  Let's see one of you yahoos beat that mark!

 Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not to my knowledge.  That's calmed down a lot now that we don't have any hamsters.

Did anyone close to you die?
I don't remember my sister calling and saying, "Christopher, I have some bad news, "  so I think that's a no.

 What countries did you visit?
China, South Africa, Russia... no wait, that was the President.

What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
I remember when I was younger, I'd have said, "Sex," but I guess more self-control might be a better answer.  Oh, and Cheddar Bay Biscuits!

What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory?
How about May 6th, when I hired in at my new job?

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting that new job.  Making our first walk to Shoaff Park.  And of course, the Buffalo Burger at Johnny Appleseed.

What was your biggest failure?
The ongoing battle to walk the straight and narrow.  Thankfully, I have a very forgiving Coach.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had a screaming molar that went from, "Hey, that hurts!" to "And good riddance!" in a matter of hours.

What was the best thing you bought?
Dental insurance.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Anyone who has to put up with me on a daily basis, such as Laurie, or Rhonda and Debbie at work.

Where did most of your money go?
Between the one tooth I had pulled and the seven that Scrappy got yanked.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Fox sightings on our walks, the 12-hour period I thought my KCAs fantasy football team made the playoffs, Rewound Radio.

What song will always remind you of 2013?
So many golden nuggets I've stumbled upon do to Rewound Radio.  Shelby Flint's Cast Your Fate To The Wind, Manfred Mann's Fox On The Run, Lighthouse's Pretty Lady.  But I think the one that will stick for the year is going to be Middle Of The Road's Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.

Compared to this time last year, are you: Happier or sadder?
For the first time in a long time, happier.

Richer or poorer?
Pretty much a wash, but in a better place.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
Tickling Laurie's toes and trying to get her to smell my socks.

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Bitching and complaining.

 How will you be spending Christmas?
Not sure, but it won't be looking at eight bobbing reindeer buttholes.

 Did you fall in love in 2013?
No, I have two things now that I didn't have in my youth to prevent it- Laurie and better sense.

 How many one-night stands?
Did you not read the answer to "what you want in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?"

 Who were your best friends?

What thing did you do that was meaningful to others?
Hopefully my Sunday Messages.

What were your favorite TV programs?
The only one I watch regularly is Deadliest Catch.

 Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is a waste of energy, ignoring works much better.

What was the best book you read in 2013?
Susan Wise Bauer's History Of The Renaissance World.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
Rewound Radio, of course...

 What did you want and get?
Three double cheeseburgers plain and a large fry.

What did you want but did NOT get?
A "Best of the West" Oakland A's division champions t-shirt.

What was your favorite film of this year?
As my son can attest, not a big movie person.  I think, though, I'll vote for Thor: The Dark World and hope it's as good as all that when I finally see it.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Me and Laurie were born 5 days apart, and we always celebrate somewhere in the vicinity with Red Lobster.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having my old boss call me to come back and getting to laugh at him.

What kept you sane?
Who said I was there in the first place?

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I can't get over how much cuter Suzy Kolber is now that she let her hair get longer...

  What political issue stirred you the most?
How about the President that was too busy playing cards and skipping security briefings while four loyal Americans were butchered?

 Who did you miss?
MOST (but not all) people from my old job.  Especially my last supervisor there.  My new one kinda reminds me of her in a geez-she's-skinny sort of way.

Who was the best new person you met this year?
A lot of candidates, but I'll go with the inimitable Stephen T. McCarthy over at Ferret-Faced Fascist Freaks.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
That just as God seals some people in faith, He allows others to be sealed in unbelief, and if He built that wall, you ain't gonna breach it.

 Quote that sums up your year:
"He got beat like a red-headed step-mule!"


-------------------------------------------------

Hey, I've been meaning to let you in on Christmas Lights 2013:

I'll get you one from room-level later.

Also, the Laurie-ites get it:  The Elks beat the Ducks 52-33 to set up the SECOND all-Laurie Super Bowl (no, none of us have even done it once).  They'll Face the Greenwoods, who topped the Angels 42-15.  The Greenwoods beat the KCAs in the very first Super Bowl Waaaaaay back in 1997 31-27; the Elks lost in 2003 (to the KCAs 31-30 in the best SB ever) and won in 2007 (the other Laurie vs Laurie game, over the Beagles 28-24).

Finally, another shoutout to the aforementioned Mr. McCarthy.  In addition to a CD I won on a giveaway on his blog, he also sent me 10 more beer caps for the ol' collection (which I will post about on the caps blog this weekend-ish-  I had the Blue Moon and the Shiner, but the others were all winners).  Merry Christmas!