Via Mitch, a mindless meme:
1. Was 2006 a good year for you?
On a personal level, yes, a very good year. On a professional level, being a managing editor for two magazines has been a stress roller-coaster I can't wait to be done with.
2. What was your favorite moment(s) of the year?
Vacationing in Tokyo in April. Earning my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Deciding to get married sometime in 2008
3. What was your least favorite moment(s) of the year?
Having to take on a second magazine. Moving my girlfriend's dad's boyfriend from the Cities.
4. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
Earned my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Decided to get married sometime in 2008. Moved my girlfriend's dad's boyfriend from the Cities.
5. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do resolutions. I have a hazy idea of what I'd like to accomplish and where I'd like to be, but no real plan for achieving either.
6. Where were you when 2006 began?
At a friend's house.
7. Who were you with?
My girlfriend and several friends.
8. Where will you be when 2006 ends?
At a friend's house.
9. Who will you be with when 2006 ends?
My girlfriend and several friends.
10. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Proximity-wise: no. My girlfriend's sister is slated to go into labor on or around the 31st of this month, and my girlfriend's the lamaze coach, so that proximity thing could actually go south, should my luck fail somehow.
11. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2006?
Nope.
12. Who did you miss?
Nobody.
13. Who was the best new person you met in 2006?
The Rhodes don't play favorites with his acquaintances.
14. What was your favorite month of 2006?
I think September.
15. Did you travel outside of the US in 2006?
Yes. Tokyo, Japan for about a week.
16. How many different states did you travel to in 2006?
Oh, brother. Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Washington, Maryland, Nevada (twice), New York. Illinois.
17. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
A sense of job security.
18. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Not sure on the date, but when my mom asked me to buy her lotion and panties, that's gonna be with me for awhile.
19. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Attaining my blue belt.
20. What was your biggest failure?
To land a job at the Mayo Clinic. Not a failure so much as a recurring disappointment.
21. Did you suffer illness or injury?
A broken toe, and that's about it, except for the usual flu and cold knock-downs.
22. What was the best thing you bought?
An entertainment center.
23. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have no idea.
24. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Not sure, although I know MY BEHAVIOR has appalled and depressed many.
25. Where did most of your money go?
My mortgage, utilities, and a new central air conditioning unit.
26. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My trip to Tokyo.
27. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2006?
Define "a lot." I would have to say a drinking night every other weekend or so, with the occasional tipsy evening of Monday Night Football. Usually a beer or two on the nights the girl and I went out to eat.
28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2006?
Nope. My body's a temple. A temple to Bacchus!
29. Did you treat somebody badly in 2006?
Not that I know of.
30. Did somebody treat you badly in 2006?
Probably.
31. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? - Happier. I'm a happy machine!
ii. thinner or fatter? - Pretty much the same, with maybe a little more muscle, particularly around the neck.
iii. richer or poorer? - A little richer. Although, I wouldn't call it "rich."
32. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2006?
More travel.
33. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Stressing about work. Watching television.
34. Did you fall in love in 2006?
Just more with my girlfriend, and with myself, of course.
35. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
Big Love. Weeds. Oh, and I'm majorly gearing up for the second season of Rome! But that's in 2007, so nevermind.
36. What song will always remind you of 2006?
That one about some sort of black horse and a cherry tree.
37. How many concerts did you see in 2006?
None.
38. Did you have a favorite concert in 2006?
What part of "None" don't you understand?
39. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I discovered that 99.999999 percent of Hip-Hop continues to suck.
40. What was the best book you read?
I read the entire Harry Potter series up to this point, which was very, very good. I'm hooked. Also enjoyed "Memoirs of a Geisha," "The Kite Runner," and "Princess Orchid."
41. What was your favorite film of this year?
Little Miss Sunshine. Hands down.
42. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Ate at a Japanese steakhouse as I absorbed the reality of being 31.
43. What did you want and get?
New shoes.
44. What did you want and not get?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
45. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Salma Hayek.
46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Levis jeans and assorted decent looking shirts.
47. What kept you sane?
Who says I'm sane?
48. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Salma Hayek.
49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
No matter how much you have built up in your savings account, you can imagine 12,000 simultaneous disaster scenarios that could wipe it out in under 30 seconds, thus making it almost impossible to actually spend any of it, on anything.
50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Sometimes the world looks perfect,
Nothing to rearrange.
Sometimes you get a feeling
Like you need some kind of change.
No matter what the odds are this time,
Nothing's going to stand in my way.
This flame in my heart,
And a long lost friend
Gives every dark street a light at the end.
Standing tall, on the wings of my dream.
Rise and fall, on the wings of my dream.
The rain and thunder
The wind and haze
I'm bound for better days.
It's my life and my dream,
Nothing's going to stop me now.
Stumble It!
