2009? 2009.

I thought I'd give this a shot. Why not, right? It'll pass a little bit (a lot, as it turned out) of time and it's writing. Which is something that, despite my recent lack of it (the veritable dearth of it), I still really enjoy doing. Writing is such a great release/outlet/exhalation, that I wish it would still come readily to me. Maybe it'll return. I certainly hope so. Sooner rather than later, of course. I feel sort of unfinished without it. Incomplete.
So, here goes nothin', I suppose.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Most importantly, in relation to the progress of the rest of the year, I sliced my right ring finger open at work. It required seven stitches to close. That's quite a story. Not really one I feel like telling right now, though. Sorry about that. Let's leave it at the thought that my hands seem like strangers now. Unfamiliar.
What else happened this year that had never happened before? Let's leave the shitty stuff alone (I think that last one's good enough) and focus on some of the good things. Met LeVar Burton. Went to FanExpo. Both of these were really fun events. Celebrated our second anniversary with my absolutely outstanding partner, Gabrielle (this was happening the day after we met LeVar Burton; we told him, and he sang for us). Visited Niagara Falls. There's a lot of water there, huh?! Saw Isis and Skinny Puppy (separate shows) live, which was something I never really expected to happen. Started a blog about wine-drinking and wine-appreciation and wine with Gabrielle.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't even remember if I made any resolutions last year. I guess this year's would be to find a job that doesn't make me [redacted] on a regular basis and to start writing again. Being less of a selfish pail of turpentine.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I don't think so. Not that I can remember, anyway.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, fortunately.

5. What countries did you visit?
Work, house, work, house, work, new house, work

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A positive sense of self. A job that i enjoyed for at least a single reason.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 10th: Sam and Hailey joined the family.
July 17th: sliced open my right ring finger.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
[redacted]

9. What was your biggest failure?
Oh, dear.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I don't know if I've mentioned this yet, but I sliced open my right ring finger.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Maybe the complete series of TNG? Food was pretty all right, too. I like that stuff.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Gabrielle. For being so damn supportive, patient and there. Sam. For being so much fun (for the most part). Hailey. For being such a silent, crazy beast.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
A couple people at work. Mine.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, food, booze.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Skinny Puppy. FanExpo (particularly Avery Brooks and Bruce Campbell). Sam and Hailey. Gabrielle.

16. What songs will always remind you of 2009?
"Sincerely, Liza (Bucket Song)" by Richard Laviolette. It was in my brain almost constantly throughout the year.
That's the only one I can think of. I've been working on listening through my entire CD collection from A to Z (currently on O), so there's not really much I've listened to over and over.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Probably sadder.
b) thinner or fatter? Roughly the same.
c) richer or poorer? Richer, I guess, considering that I have my credit card balance back to zero and more of my student loan paid off.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Writing, playing music, working at things I enjoy, being posi.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Damaging myself, brooding, being negi.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it with the M. family. In a mostly relaxed sort of week. Eating a lot.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Sam and Hailey. Gabrielle still and again and again and still and

22. How many one-night stands?


23. What was your favourite TV program?
DS9.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't think so.

25.What was the best book you read?
Looking back at my reading list for 2009, I discovered that I read almost 100 things, so I'm going to list my top ten, in the order in which I read them.

Love Is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon
Local Anaesthetic by Günter Grass
Contact by Carl Sagan
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Bone by Jeff Smith
White Teeth by Zadie Smith

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I discovered any new bands, though, in relation to listening through my CD collection, I reawakened my love for Darkthrone and Nasum.

27. What did you want and get?
Cats.

28. What did you want and not get?
A decent job.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Synecdoche, New York, Wendy and Lucy, and Aguirre: Der Zorn Gottes (I really enjoyed watching it yet again). Pretty sure that Synecdoche, New York pulls out the win. Big time. Wow.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Drunkenly and untunefully played a guitar and sang loudly (just to clarify: the singing was just as drunkenly and untunefully done as the guitar playing). Drank more than I should have.

31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding a job that offered something.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Not caring, probably.

33. What kept you sane?
Gabrielle, Sam and Hailey, weekends, booze, video games (video games!), books, music and coffee.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?


35. What political issue stirred you the most?
I've been much too apathetic of late. Need to work on that, to be sure.

36. Who did you miss?
Some PEI folk. Josh & Erin. My family.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Gabrielle; many times.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?


39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I can't really think of anything right now. So many songs are struggling for the top spot in my brains right now. It's like a rumble that is royal up in there. Maybe mix a little Darkthrone, a little Xasthur (always a little Xasthur), a little combatwoundedveteran, a little Skinny Puppy, a little something else and WHIZZ-BANGO!: there it is. 2009 in a few lines.