Christmas and New Year's were good. We travelled from Connecticut to Massachusetts to Connecticut to New York. I'm hoping that next year we can have holiday dinners and then just go home, since we'll be so much closer. I received many lovely gifts including The Simpsons seasons 6 & 7. It's great to have two Simpsons seasons to watch after Christmas as opposed to just one. Today is supposed to be the day I "return to work," but I'm apparently taking it leisurely. And just to demonstrate how much I'm procrastinating, here's a little survey.

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
I bought a house, put down two different kinds of wood floor, tiled, and renovated a kitchen.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make New Year's resolutions. I know that's not very spirited, but when I've made them in the past, they haven't worked out. Goals that have nothing to do with New Year's seem to work better.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousins Scott and Dena gave birth to twin girls! We saw them on Friday, and they are the cutest little girls ever!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. I believe that at least three people who work with Mike also gave birth this year...I think these babies were all boys. But the best thing is we get pictures. Incidentally, Mike and I are the only couple without children at the CNF. That won't be the same deal at IBM. So no pressure.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
Canada! For a conference! It's so damn expensive!!! Don't go to Canada. The exchange rate sucks.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
A vacation with my husband somewhere out of the country.
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 17, 2005 because that's when we purchased our house.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
O.K., I think I've already mentioned that one, and you're probably all sick of it by now.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't really know. I didn't get some stuff I applied for -- an award, a paper presentation, and a directing spot. I suppose those were rejections -- but I don't like to think of them as failures, because that's defeatist.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
My f-ing hip problem came back. And I was sick during the summer with the flu. Ugh! Having a temperature during a heat wave is a pain in the bum!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Guess.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mike, who works hard at home and at the lab.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Numerous politicians. Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Libby, and Bush mostly.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Guess again!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Other than saying "guess," I will say that I'm really excited about Dena and Scott's babies.
16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
L'Via L'Viaquez by The Mars Volta
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:i. happier or sadder? ii. thinner or fatter? iii. richer or poorer?
The same. Thinner. Are they talking about $$$ or quality of life? The same on both counts.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Vacationing! Traveling while on vacation to a lovely faraway place!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Painting.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? Mike and I were at his grandmother's house for Christmas Eve, where she makes many kinds of fish (with help from Uncle Ed). We slept at Mike's mother's house and had Christmas dinner there.
22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Every year moreso.
26. What was the best book you read?
Oh jeez! Maybe "Perform or Else" by Jon McKenzie? I'm not counting the one's I reread for exams.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Daddy Yankee?
28. What did you want and get?
Guess.
29. What did you want and not get?
I think this was answered under "failures."
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Hmmm...new film? I really didn't find to many I enjoyed this year. Mike and I haven't seen a film that we REALLY liked in a long time. So I'll go with older films that I saw for the first time this year. "Flat is Beautiful" "Un Chien Andalou" and "Rejected"
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
28!!! That's late 20's. No longer mid 20's. Mike and I went to a restaurant in Ithaca called Olivia's, which thankfully we haven't been to since. And we went to Batman Begins -- a great disappointment. (Especially since they put the last reel of the movie on before the second to last one and didn't realize it for several minutes).
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I think I've already mentioned that whole vacation idea.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
I think I'll wear this again because I don't have to iron it.
34. What kept you sane?
Mike.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I give John McCain a lot of credit for pushing that "no-torture" clause.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I'm pretty upset at Target still for allowing their pharmacists to deny prescriptions for women's birth control and emergency contraception based on the pharmacist's religious beliefs. Note that this does not apply to a cashier selling condoms!
37. Who did you miss?
I miss not being close to family -- which should change soon.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
It's hard to narrow this down. I met a lot of great people.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Taking down a garage is a lot easier than redoing a kitchen.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Jokes and jokes and jokes and jokes.
spaghetti spaghetti spaghetti