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- Melanie
This has been a long time coming, in that I actually started it at the end of last year, as one should. What can I say? It's been a busy month-and-change. But it's here. Just like me.
(Previous versions are here => 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, [Apparently I missed 2006. I think I had food poisoning.] and 2005.)
1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?Hm. Can't really think of anything.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year?Last year's resolutions, as follows:
- Lose ten more pounds by the end of the (Spring '12) semester. I lost about seven. I would like to lose about seven more, but I'm not obsessing about it. My weight has remained pretty stable (I'm not lying about it on my resume for the first time in yeeeeears), and I'm in better shape than I've been in a long time.
- Continue with my yoga practice, and try to incorporate more of the mental/spiritual work along with the physical. I practice at least three days a week. I'm working on the rest.
- Practice gratitude for the things I have, and let go of resentment for the things I don't. Again, a work in progress, but I'm trying.
- Find some sort of creative outlet, because for reasons both external and in-, I've been feeling pretty stagnant for a couple of years. That was a tough one - opportunities have been few and far between.
- Move on.And I have, about some things.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A few people, yes.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Entirely too many. Several fellow theatre people, relatives of others. And many went far too young.
5. What places did you visit? Atlantic City, NJ for the first time in at least 15 years. Chicago, IL for the first time in 21 years.
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? A real mainstage run. I miss doing theatre...
real theatre. But I started off the year with a short run of Sondheim's
Company at Hofstra, and I'm hoping that's a harbinger of things to come.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?8/4 - Seeing my best friend get married. It was a really great day.
11/21- Seeing War Horse with Ed - possibly the most incredible thing I've ever seen on a stage. The salted caramel vodka was pretty awesome, too, as was the company.
1/21 College reunion, and 9/28-30 -
Chorus Line reunion. Getting to see
Sunday in the Park... live onstage, and watching Jason be so marvelous as George. And both involved seeing people who "knew me when," and getting context as to who I am now.
12/27 - Celebrating both Joe Barnes' birthday, and Nikki Hignite and Melissa Smith-Hignite's wedding in ONE DAY!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?Staying in shape.
Actually making it to a local farmstand (which was a resolution from the year
before) and buying and eating fresh produce, stuff like kale and tatsoi that I'd
never had before.
Trying acupuncture. If anyone had told me at age four that several decades later I'd WILLINGLY lie on a table and have someone stick needles in my ass, I'd have said they were Out. Of. Their. Mind. And then run away screaming.
9. What was your biggest failure?Occasionally backsliding into depression and negative thought patterns.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?Yet more random vertigo and back issues (see above, re: acupuncture), and what felt like four back-to-back illnesses in the fall. Bleah.
11. What was the best thing you bought?Yoga classes, and a plane ticket to Chicago.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?Those who surprised and touched me with their kindness and candor.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled or depressed?Any male politician who thought he had any valid say in legislating a woman's body.
14. Where did most of your money go? Mortgage, yoga, credit cards, cat food. The usual.
15. What did you get really excited about?Weddings and vacations.
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?"After All" ~ Dar Williams.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a. happier or sadder?
Happier. And I'm really happy about that.
b. thinner or fatter? Thinner.
c. richer or poorer? Poorer, but only monetarily.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?Singing. Sleeping.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Jumping to conclusions.
20. How did you spend Christmas?Home alone, with my husband and cat and a lovely Christmas dinner.
21. What was your favorite TV program?Smash (as the campy, guilty pleasure it is) and
Nashville.
22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?No.
23. What was the best book you read? Oy. Hard to choose. I really enjoyed
Gone Girl,
Why We Broke Up and
The Fault in Our Stars.
24. What did you want and get?A raise.
25. What did you want and not get?A bigger raise.
26. What was your favorite film of this year? I don't believe I saw one movie. So let's amend that to "favorite show(s)" once and for all, shall we? I finally saw
Merrily We Roll Along onstage, and really enjoyed it - both experiencing it and waxing nostalgic over a score I listened to so much freshman year of college. Same with
Sunday in the Park with George, with the added bonus of seeing a dear friend play the lead.
Peter and the Starcatcher was hilarious and charming. And
War Horse was just magnificent.
27. What did you do for your birthday?Went out for a nice meal with my family a couple of days after the fact.
28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Enjoying the first half of it as much as I did the second.
29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?It's really nice to wear clothes that fit, in a size I haven't seen in several years.
30. What kept you sane?Yoga. Therapy. The ocean.
31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are still duking it out to be my Pretend TV Boyfriend, with Colbert having a slight edge. However, they're both still behind Pretend TV Girlfriend Rachel Maddow.
32. What political issue stirred you the most? The whole election. The divisiveness of it in my Facebook feed, even though I managed to "hide" the worst of it. The marriage equality measures that were put to public vote and
passed! Ridiculous right-wing rhetoric re: rape and reproductive rights.
33. Who did you miss? Brent. Still.
34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. It
does get better, just like Dan Savage says.
35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "And it felt like a winter machine
That you go through and then
You catch your breath and winter starts again
And everyone else is spring bound."
After All ~ Dar Williams
I'm really glad that my winter seems to be over.
And on to this year's resolutions:
- To incorporate a home practice into my yoga practice, even if it's just a few rounds of sun salutation in the morning.
- To eat less crap.
- To get my (literal) house in order.
- And in tandem with the previous, to downsize. There's a lot of crap in our house we simply do not need. We donate a fair amount of "stuff" to our local civic council's thrift shop, but there's still more to go, along with just general clutter.
Happy new year, everyone.
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a very fine cat indeed - Friday, Jan. 17, 2014
happy new year! - Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013
this is where i am - Saturday, Jun. 30, 2012
this is how it is - Friday, Feb. 24, 2012
a very late last year's wrap-up - Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
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