Current mood:	sleepy
Current music:	my ring tone ($5 says it's Droid18)

Putting 2008 To Rest
...but first, a word about the future! In case there's anyone left in the free world whom I haven't told by one medium or another, the rumors are true; droid18 and I are expecting our first child in June. There, I said it. I have much more to say on this topic, but later; it's time for the 2008 wrap-up for posterity (my own, at least, even if no one else cares at all).

1) Was 2008 a good year for you?
By and large, yes.

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?
I have several, and they all have to do with droid18's excitement and enthusiasm about the baby.

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?
Every time I skipped a concert I really wanted to see or a party I really wanted to go to just because I was tired (this was pre-pregnancy; now I'm ALWAYS tired), I felt unbelievably old and lame. Like, get-the-coffin-it's-over old and lame.

4) Where were you when 2008 began?
You know, I honestly don't remember. I remember that we went to droid18's mom's house for Christmas, and then I got sick, but I don't remember whether or not I was still sick for New Year's. I want to say I made a roast chicken and we had a couple of people over?

5) Who were you with?
I'm gonna take a wild guess and say droid18. Possibly some other people.

6) Where will you be when 2008 ends?
I was actually already fast asleep at the very moment 2008 ended, but droid18 and I had spent a lovely evening eating dinner at the bar where Chaz works in Charlotte and then watching inannamoon perform in the FREEZING cold of First Night. (And just as a bonus, we ran into Bret Blackshear!)

7) Who will you be with when 2008 ends?
See above.

8) Did you keep your new years resolution of 2008?
Oh, man. Not even close! I did not quit caffeine, go to the gym (well, I did have bursts of gym-going, but it was far from consistent), eat no fewer than 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day, or lose weight. However, I did write some new songs just for me, and I did finalize plans for my third album before the end of the year. (I mean, hopefully they're finalized; I'm supposed to start recording next week!) So, being generous, I guess you could say I kept two out of three.

9) Do you have a new years resolution for 2009?
You know, I've been having trouble making resolutions for myself this year. I have, however, come up with several resolutions to suggest to droid18 and to my co-workers, which I'm pretty sure is not how this works.

10) Did you fall in love in 2008?
I'm still in love with droid18.

11) If yes, with who?
See above.

12) If yes, do they know?
Yes.

13) Are you still in love with them?
Yes.

14) You regret it?
No.

15) Did you breakup with anyone in 2008?
Nope.

16) Did you make any new friends in 2008?
I've become friendly with a couple of new co-workers, but I didn't make any new bosom buddy-type friends this year.

17) Who are your favorite new friends?
The co-workers are the only ones.

18) What was your favorite month of 2008?
July! droid18 and I went to Fredericksburg for a week with his mom, and I got to show her my hometown with the help of my parents, who were excellent hosts. We were there for the fourth of July, when they revealed the archaeological discovery of the actual house George Washington grew up in at Ferry Farm, and we got to go check out the site, which was super cool! THEN, just when we thought we were done driving to Virginia, my niece Charlotte was born! We got to see her the very next day, and Ollie was so excited; it was really cool.

19) Did you travel outside of the US in 2008?
No.

20) How many different states did you travel to in 2008?
Virginia and North Carolina (the usuals), but I also got to visit Oklahoma for mosaicjulz's wedding! New state, yay!

21) Did you lose anybody close to you in 2008?
No.

22) Did you miss anybody in the past year?
All my far-flung friends and loved ones.

23) What was your favorite movie that you saw in 2008?
I'm going to go with Burn After Reading. I thought it was definitely the funniest movie I saw all year.

24) What was your favorite song from 2008?
droid18's new favorite band, Porcupine Tree, has a song called "Even Less" that I listened to probably more than any other song.

25) What was your favorite record from 2008?
I loved Indian Summer by Carbon Leaf.

26) How many concerts did you see in 2008?
I saw Sonia Leigh at Eddie's Attic with my friend Cortney. I liked her, but I REALLY liked the opening act, a guy named Levi Lowrey. I went out to the Atlanta Brewing Company to see Kenny Howes play with the members of What The...? when he was in town. We heard some old time music on the Fourth of July. I saw a couple of Speechless shows. And I think that's about it. To ALL of my friends whose shows I did not see, I apologize.

27) Did you have a favorite concert in 2008?
I always love watching Kenny perform.

28) Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2008?
No.

29) Did you do a lot of drugs in 2008?
Caffeine (I'm down to half a can per day), pre-natal vitamins, and Zoloft.

30) How many people did you sleep with in 2008?
One.

31) Did you do anything you are ashamed of this year?
I freaked out about my weight gain, despite having sworn that I would not.

32) What was the worst lie someone told you in 2008?
Work-related. But ultimately not a big deal.

33) Did you treat somebody badly in 2008?
I hope not. The worst thing I did was to RSVP "maybe" to a few Evites, which is a totally lame cop out, but it was always because I was so tired all the time and never because I was holding out for a better option.

34) Did somebody treat you badly in 2008?
No.

35) How much money did you spend in 2008?
It feels like we didn't spend very much at all, but then, we didn't have a whole lot to spend. We DID get through the year without ever asking our parents for a loan, and we currently have no outstanding debts aside from our mortgage. (This makes me wonder why it feels like we still have no money, but I blame the house and the cars; there's always something to fix on those things.)

36) What was your proudest moment of 2008?
Probably continuing to sing through my fainting spell at the caroling gig. That made me feel pretty tough.

37) What was your most embarrassing moment of 2008?
I had a total crisis of self-confidence while trying to be a mentor for songwriting students for a few days, and I was really upset with myself for not being able to conquer it.

38) If you could go back in time to any moment of 2008 and change something, what would it be?
I would do my last day at GARF over again knowing that it was my last day. It's weird not to get to say good-bye to something that's been such a big part of my life for eight years.

39) What are your plans for 2009?
Well, I'm having this baby. Most of my plans for the year center around that (working out child care, work schedules, equipment, feeding, etc.). The only exception is the album that I'm about to start recording next week and that will hopefully be finished before the baby is born.

40. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Pregnancy. I got a niece! I went to Oklahoma and to a Vietnamese wedding. I hit a number on the scale that had better be due to the baby and that had better go away after the baby is born, or I just don't know what.

41. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister had a girl. My second cousin had a boy, and my first cousin had another girl. I think that's all for this year; the rest are still to come in 2009.

42. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Spending money. (I know, I know - fat chance!)

43. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Seeing Charlotte the day after she was born. The day droid18 and I officially decided to have a baby. The day I found out I was pregnant. The day after that when I told my family. The first ultrasound. Yeah, I know I'm not the only woman who's ever gone through it, but it's an amazing little saga when it's you.

44. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I can't really call my pregnancy an "achievement" because it happened pretty naturally. Check back next year, and we'll see how I've done with the actual baby!

45. What was your biggest failure?
Same as last year; weight gain (pre-pregnancy, obviously) and failure to maintain a regular exercise routine

46. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing apart from the occasional cold or stomach ick.

47. What was the best thing you bought?
A bassinet and a bunch of baby clothes for Norm and whyvette, plus a pack 'n play for us, at a garage sale

48. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have been honored and touched by my family's excitement about the baby and their support of me and droid18.

49. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
There were a lot (it was an election year, after all), and they were all self-serving bastards who cared only about getting and abusing power.

50. Where did most of your money go?
The mortgage

51. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Charlotte being born, getting to hang out with Ollie and Charlotte at Christmas time, giving Ollie a drum kit, girls' night out at Melton's, and Obama.

52. What song will always remind you of 2008?
"Even Less" by Porcupine Tree

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

54. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Accepting invitations to do fun things

55. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sitting on the couch watching TV (I seriously never used to do that, and now it's become a habit, especially on Saturdays when I should be running errands)

56. What was your favourite TV program?
Gossip Girl and 30 Rock

57. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

58. What was the best book you read?
Hmmmm. I actually read a lot of books this year. I think my favorite was Killing Bono.

59. What did you want and get?
Maternity clothes, baby stuff, iTunes gift cards

60. What did you want and not get?
I can't think of anything that's not something silly like a DVD of some chick movie (I still want to own The Devil Wears Prada and Bring It On because I seriously never get sick of watching those movies).

61. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I don't remember whether this was the actual day of my birthday (I don't think so), but, since I turned 35, I ran for President! arseaboutface volunteered to be my campaign manager, and we had a lot of fun coming up with celebrity endorsements and silly ideas for my campaign kickoff party. We served red and blue Jell-O shots, hung red, white, and blue beads all over all the lamps in the house, and staged a debate. The highlight may have been playing the board game for 3 and up called "Pretty Pretty Princess" - and having kungfubadboy win! There's nothing like seeing a normally clean cut guy with plastic kiddie jewelry dangling off of his earlobes.

62. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More sex

63. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Same as last year - a steady rotation of the few things in my wardrobe that still actually fit. I finally got some new clothes right at the end of the year, though! Maternity clothes, but still.

64. What kept you sane?
I honestly didn't really manage to stay sane this year.

65. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
James McAvoy

66. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election!

67. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
All of my mother's cliches were right on: never say never, love is the answer, and life is what happens while you're making other plans.