A New Year's Day Meme

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Got married. Went cable-skiing. Did an live broadcast from the field. Got really close to exotic wild animals and photograph them with their young.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Shannon. I cannot wait to meet the new munchkin.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.


5. What countries did you visit?
Australia. Honeymoon, baby!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More job security- HA! A new camera body and laptop if I need to be my own boss. A down payment for a house. Or a townhouse. Or a treehouse, even, as long as it has a dishwasher.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
08.09.08, wedding day. Nov. 4, 2008- the night America elected Barack Obama.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Helping Alissa with graphic design, photography, slideshow and videography. Pulling off all the do-it-yourself projects for our wedding, while staying strong enough at work to win a significant photo award the day before we got hitched.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not getting to photograph the Pope after all.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope. Unless you count getting punched in the face by a camel, which I do not.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I can't think of a specific object or purchase, but I can say that EVERY wedding vendor we worked with was worth every penny. All the key players came through for us. It was amazing.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The American voters.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Ugh. George W. Bush. John McCain and Sarah Palin's nasty, fear-mongering campaign. Bernie Madoff. Yes on Prop 8 voters. The newspaper industry's cannabilism.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Gas for my car. Holy $4.27 a gallon, Batman!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Launching Untangling Photography.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
"Fly" by Sara Groves.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? fatter
c) richer or poorer? richer


18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Developing closer friendships in New York. Spending time with the co-worker friends who've left the newspaper.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Losing my temper and getting all stressed out when I'm trying to be a good daughter and hostess. Working without a break.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Worked, played Guitar Hero and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" with Joel on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, I worked, then cleaned, set the table, made latkes and pie and ate a lot of ham. Then I worked some more.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Ooh, Intervention. I can't turn away. Intervention, my addiction to you has affected my life negatively in the following ways...

25. What was the best book you read?
"When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
You know, I didn't really have one.

27. What did you want and get?
A Kitchen-Aid mixer! Yay! A FUN bridal shower that was enjoyable for me and my guests. Mission accomplished.

28. What did you want and not get?
Hmmm... I'm pretty content. I'm trying to save up for a new laptop and camera body, but that desire has only kicked in full force since the layoffs on December 2nd. So that doesn't really count.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Ghost Town is the first one that comes to mind, so... that says something if it stands out of the clutter, no?

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 and went out to dinner at Legal Seafood, where my mother-in-law gave me an Ove Glove has a present.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I wish I didn't feel an impending sense of doom about the year ahead. The economy hasn't hit rock-bottom yet.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Some of the funkier, ruffly, feminine offerings at the Gap.

33. What kept you sane?
Bella. My mom. The fact that Joel trusts that there's a "method to my madness" and really has faith in my judgment. An amazing circle of womenfolk from every era and aspect of my life who stepped up to make Joel's and my wedding run smoothly and beautifully.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Rachel Maddow is my girlfriend.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
If solutions to life/society's problems were easy, someone would have thought of them already.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard.
No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart.
Our dreams, and they are made out of real things
like a shoebox of photographs
with sepia-toned loving.

Love is the answer at least
for most of the questions in my heart, like
Why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
sometimes life can be deceiving.
I'll tell you one thing,
it's always better when we're together."
-Jack Johnson, "Better Together"