Another Meme

Tracy clued me into the year end meme over at Toast's place. Its another meme, which is easier than coming up with my own post right now.

1a. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Pulled a piece of cabbage out of someone's throat with my bare hands. Just reached in, grabbed it and brought it out. Kids...

1b. What did you do in the aughts that you'd never done before?
Had kids.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Didn't have one, as I recall. I do for 2010.

3a. Did anyone close to you give birth in 2009?
No.

3b. Did anyone close to you give birth in the aughts?
Hirono and Teri.

4a. Did anyone close to you die in 2009?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die in the aughts?
That depends on what you mean by close. I had an employee (direct report) die at work.

5a. What places did you visit in 2009?
Outside the US: Japan, India. Inside the US and relatively far: Reno, Seattle.

5. What places did you visit in the aughts?
A ton of places: India, China, Japan, various European countries, Canada, Mexico, a number of places across the US.


6. What would you like to have in the next decade that you lacked in 2009?
No major wars.

7a. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
As Toast says, January 20th when Obama was sworn in. All the other dates are a blur of milestones and sleeplessness.

7b. What dates from the aughts will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 3rd, 2008 when the twins were born. August 6th, 2005 when Hirono and I were married. May 12th, 2006 when I finally felt I was a successful manager. Of course, September 11th, 2001.

8a. What was your biggest achievement(s) of 2009?
Achieving SCF milestone on Christmas Day for The Project from Hell (tm).

8b. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the aughts?
Living well and surviving the first year of the twins (albeit without my sanity intact.)

9a. What was your biggest failure of 2009?
Smoking too much.

9b. What was your biggest failure of the aughts?
Stupid shit I've done while drunk.

10a. Did you suffer illness or injury in 2009?
Early in the year I had a wicked sinus infection that put me out for nearly a month.

10b. Did you suffer illness or injury in the aughts?
Lots of broken fingers, a couple of times.

11. What was the best thing you bought in 2009?
Day care for the girls.

11. What was the best thing you bought in the aughts?
Fertility treatment.

12a. Whose behavior merited celebration in 2009?
The girls. They're growing up generous and kind to each other (mostly.)

12b. Whose behavior merited celebration in the aughts?
Hirono for being a trooper for the past nineteen months.

13a. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed in 2009?
What Toast said: The American right wing. For eight years their team ran the show, and they fucked up everything. Absolutely everything. So what do they do in 2009 when it's all over and we're in charge again? Do they back off, admit they were wrong, quiet down and take an introspective time-out? No, they triple-down on the Crazy. Fucking asshats.

13b. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed in the aughts?
Americans in general as they fell for the propaganda of the Bush administration and called for war against innocents.

14a. Where did most of your money go in 2009?
Mortgage.

14b. Where did most of your money go in the aughts?
Mortgage.

15a. What did you get really, really, really excited about in 2009?
An occasional good night's sleep.

15b. What did you get really, really, really excited about in the aughts?
The birth of the twins.

16a. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"

16b. What song will always remind you of the aughts?


17a. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
I'm heartbroken about work right now. Definitely more sad.

b) thinner or fatter?
Definitely fatter. I gotta get back on the exercise routine and eating well. I feel like crap.

c) richer or poorer?
Much poorer, for the second year in a row. Damn the economy and damn corporate executives.

17b. Compared to this time ten years ago, are you:
a) Happier or sadder?
Infinitely happier.

b) thinner or fatter?
Much fatter. See above. I was pretty slim and muscular until the girls were born.

c) richer or poorer?
Much poorer. Divorce and economy flushed down the toilet.

18a. What do you wish you'd done more of in 2009?
Slept.

18b. What do you wish you'd done more of in the aughts?
Table-top RPGs.

19a. What do you wish you'd done less of in 2009?
Hash.

19b. What do you wish you'd done less of in the aughts?
Nothing, really. I'm pretty satisfied with my behavior overall.

20. How did you spend Christmas this year?
First, opened gifts with nephews and daughters. Then did some work (we made our SCF milestone on Christmas day!) Then pigged out on ham and potatoes. Then kicked my brother's ass at strategy games. Then drank. All of this was done up in Reno at my parents' house.

21. Did you fall in love in the aughts?
Absolutely. Three times with my three favorite babes.

22a. How was work in 2009?
Work suffered from my inability to put 100% into it. I was too tired from raising the twins. Its getting better as far as that is concerned; but, there are other things that just plain suck.

22b. How was work in the aughts?
Overall really good. I accomplished lots of great stuff and my career went well. My teams are truly awesome.

23a. What was your favorite TV program in 2009?
n/a

23b. What was your favorite TV program in the aughts?
n/a

24. What did you do for your birthday in 2009?
I don't remember. Probably worked and changed diapers.

25a. What was the best book you read in 2009?
What To Expect: The Toddler Years

25b. What was the best book you read in the aughts?
The Goal, by Eli Goldratt

26a. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2009?
Raga Bop genre



26b. What was your greatest musical discovery of the aughts?
R&B genre, focus on the bass for full appreciation



27a. What did you want and get in 2009?
A long vacation, two months that were tacked onto another month at the end of 2008!

27b. What did you want and get in the aughts?
Children

28a. What did you want and not get in 2009?
Enough rest to feel like I can go exercise again.

28b. What did you want and not get in the aughts?
Peace.

29a. What was your favorite film of 2009?
n/a

29b. What was your favorite film of the aughts?
n/a

30a. Did you make some new friends in 2009?
Yeah, mostly online. A few at work.

30b. Did you make some new friends in the aughts?
Definitely. Mostly online or at work.

31a. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More sleep.

31b. What one thing would have made your decade immeasurably more satisfying?
As Toast said: President Al Gore sworn in in 2001.

32a. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
If its only been worn once, its clean enough to wear again. Who has time to shower or do the laundry?

32b. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in the aughts?
Until the girls were born, metrosexual with a focus on leather and denim.

33a. What kept you sane in 2009?
Hash.

33b. What kept you sane in the aughts?
Hirono; particularly after the nasty end to my first marriage at the beginning of the aughts.

34a. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most in 2009?
n/a

34b. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most in the aughts?
n/a

35a-1. What political issue stirred you the most in 2009?
Fallout from the banking bailout (which technically started in 2008.) What a waste, and it ain't fixed yet. Its a shame so many people panicked and we ended up with such a stupid solution.

35a-2. What political issue stirred you the least in 2009?
Just about anything coming out of the mouths of the tea baggers. What a bunch of knuckleheads!

35b-1. What political issue stirred you the most in the aughts?
Iraq invasion.

35b-2. What political issue stirred you the least in the aughts?
Just about any scandal that involved sex.

36. Who did you miss in 2009?
My wife.

37a. Who was the best new person you met in 2009?
I'm not all that fond of anyone new I met in 2009.

37b. Who was the best new person you met in the aughts?
Hirono.

38a. Burn any bridges in 2009?
Yeah, work stuff. I set fire to a couple of personal bridges but they didn't burn down completely.

38b. Burn any bridges in the aughts?
Divorced. Thank the gods!

39a. Best new restaurant you went to in 2009?
Hah! Restaurants?!?! Who has time to eat out?

39b. Best new restaurant you went to in the aughts?
Irata in Barcelona.

40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in the aughts.
Make sure your partner in life is sane.