1. What did you do in 2012 that you've never done before?
Well, I got married. So that was new!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never make resolutions. I remain resolute that I never shall. :-P

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Uh, not that I remember. Some family members did (and one lj friend!), but no one I talk to on a regular basis.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

BUT some really close friends got married. I got to be a bridesmaid in Mike and Eliz's wedding, and that was really, really cool.

5. What states/countries did you visit?
Um. Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont. Also, England, Scotland, France, and Germany.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Foresight? Any ability to plan whatsoever? Creativity maybe. I need to work on that.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Well, I got married on April 22nd. That was pretty cool. :-) Also, we moved to California on August 1st, and words can't even express how happy I am to be back.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmm. Biggest thing I achieved...? Finally getting back to California? Getting a good job in California? Not sure. Those both feel like inadequate answers.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Still being terrible about follow-through.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major, though I seem to keep re-breaking the same pinky toe, and that's obnoxious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
This is kind of a sad question. Really? We're elevating monetary purchases to status of Must-Be-Remembered-Next-Year? Can't we ask something like, "What's the best thing you created?" instead? The best thing I created was probably our wedding. It was very us, and we worked together to make it exactly what we wanted, and I think it turned out to be an incredibly personal and wonderful celebration.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Um, Jim is pretty damn impressive. Both our moms have been pretty cool, too. Jim's parents are both really amazing people, actually. And I definitely want to highlight how absolutely amazing everyone who came to our wedding was. It would not have been what it was without the support and effort all of our friends and family put in, from the table runner my mom knit to the plates my friends put on the tables to the dress my friend made. Jim's cousin paid for my dad's hotel room. I mean, geez. Above and beyond. I was blown away by how hard everyone worked to make our wedding incredible. Thank you.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Humanity's in general. Can't we freakin' be nice to each other? Is it going to take an alien invasion for us to realize we're all humans and worthy of the same respect we demand for ourselves?

14. Where did most of your money go?
Student loan repayments. And rent. Ugh, rent.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
DRAGON*CON!!!!!! It's basically like Christmas for nerds.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Um. Someone else mentioned this, but We Are Young by ... who sings that? The internet says "Fun." Fun? That's a band name? Oh my god, I'm old.
Train: Hey Soul Sister
Jason Mraz: I'm Yours (our wedding song)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? Waaaaaaay happier
- thinner or fatter? About the same. Maybe slightly thinner.
- richer or poorer? Monetarily? Who the hell knows. Abstractly? Oh man, so much richer. Life is so much better now. I have an amazing husband and a good job and I love living near the ocean and closer to my family, and I'm getting to know my dad, and learning a new creative hobby, and things are just GOING SO WELL.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Eesh. It would have been hard to have packed anything else into this year, honestly. But more planning and adhering to plans would have been helpful. (Europe would have been more fun if we'd done, like, ANY planning at ALL.)

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sleeping. I wish I didn't need so much sleep. Why does my body need so much sleep??

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Quietly, with Jim, in our apartment, playing video games. It was wonderful and absolutely unremarkable. Perfect.

21. How will you be spending New Years?
I spent it playing video games online with distant friends. Jim was out working. I am content. 

22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
No.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Errr, of all time? Or of this year? What came out this year? Uh. Still enjoying How I Met Your Mother

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I don't think I actually hate ANYONE.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Train, actually. I didn't like them when I was younger, but I think they're great now. Have you heard the song 50 Ways To Say Goodbye? HILARIOUS.

27. What did you want and get?
California and an endless, fabulous, organic supply of ripe avocados. Ooooh avocados. I could write sonnets for you.

28. What did you want and not get?
Uhhh. Nothing comes to mind, really. This was actually an amazing year.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I don't think I liked ANY of the movies I saw this year. :-P Cloud Atlas and The Hobbit were both awful, and I can't remember seeing anyth- OH THE AVENGERS. That was really good. Joss Whedon, I love you.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Um, I turned 27. It was just a few days after we got back from our honeymoon in Europe, and I was sick, and I don't think it was particularly good, but that's okay. Europe was good and that was fine. :-)

31. What one thing would have made your year?
Ha, I think my year WAS made. I mean, can you ask for much more than marrying an amazing person and moving to the best place in the world? I mean, we went to a spa at the foot of the Alps, with friends, on a gorgeous spring day. Can you ask anything more of life than relaxing in a hot tub while surrounded by good people, staring at a mountain lake and a blue sky?

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Solid colors. Knee-length or longer skirts whenever possible. I started buying multiples of shirts that fit well, because it's so rare that I find ones I like. The more unremarkable and plain they are, the more I like them.

33. What was the best book you read?
Oooh. Um. Well, I just finished The Way of Kings, and that was really good. Oh - but WOOL was way better. Did I read that this year? Man, this year has been really, really long, hasn't it?

34. What kept you sane?
Jim. And endless books on my kindle, and music on my phone. And I drank a LOT of $4 Trader Joe's Blue Fin Petite Syrah.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Eh? This is another bizarre question. We should delete this one from the list next year.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Oy. I get pretty wound up about feminism, and abortion, and education, and the military. But overall I'm really just appalled that we can't all agree to be nice to each other, and to take care of each other.

37. Whom did you miss?
This list is so long, every year. :-(  Nanny. Ann. Eliz, Mike, Kristy, Emily, Clark, Stef, Richard, my mom, Ellie, the whole HPKCHC knitting group I seem to have somehow grown away from, my cat, and a few people I shouldn't miss but I did anyway. Aaron, George, Jamie. Someday hopefully I will stop missing those three.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Hmm. I really liked some of the people from the failed housing experiment our first month here. Damian was cool. I also really like my new coworkers. Sharon (and her metalworking from her garage!) has been an inspiration for me to be more creative, and is part of why I'm managing to muster the courage to try leatherwork. Ulf has motivated me to be a better scientist and to learn faster, when I always thought I was a quick learner. Everyone has room for improvement, I guess! But really, I wasn't blown away by any particular new person this year.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Uhhh. Everyone has room for improvement? People have an incredible, untapped, powerful ability to love and to help one another. A society based on money necessarily squelches that by pitting us against one another instead of fostering cooperation.

40. A quote or song lyric that sums up your year:
...I'll be giving it my bestest
And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damm you're free
Look into your heart and you will find love love love love

Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved


If I'd read this entry ten years ago, or even five years ago, I don't think I would have recognized myself (the last time I filled out this questionnaire, that I can find, was 2006. it makes me cry to read it - oh, I was so not in a good place that year.). It has been a CRAZY decade. I am not the same person, but I think that's okay. Even good. Not that I wasn't a good person a decade ago, but I have come a long way. I hope I keep growing over the next decade. Hello, Kara of 2023. Do I even recognize you?

A friend of mine listed the things in his pockets. My list is far less interesting.

* Ten dollars
* My cell phone
* A tube of darning needles
* A card that says "Lilly munsters got nothing on you"


Is your list more entertaining than mine?

I made it to Utah and am settling in with my aunt and uncle. The upstairs is amazing and huge and wonderful! Claire has already found several sunny spots and claimed them with her excessive shedding, which I find remarkable for such a short-haired, frequently-brushed cat.

She is also learning to open doors. It's only a matter of time before she kills me in my sleep, takes my wallet, and steals my car to run away to Mexico.

I have been tagged to post the seventh picture in my seventh file of pictures, so here you go.


This is me, when I was... 18. In Davis, CA, at a friend's house. I was losing horribly at Halo.

I'm supposed to tag 8 people now to post the eighth picture in their eighth file of pictures... so... um.
fieryminge
in_a_space
alchymyst
tryptonique
and four other people.

COMMENT HERE AND I WILL:

a) Tell you why I friended you.

b) Associate you with something -- a fandom, song, color, photo, etc.

c) Tell you something I like about you.

d) Tell you a memory I have of you.

e) Ask you something I've wanted to know about you.

f) Tell you my favorite userpic from your list.

g) In return, you need to post this on your own livejournal.

From in_a_space

Tell me something that's made you happy in the last:

1) Hour
2) Day
3) Week
4) Month
5) Year

Pass it around if you want to.

...







52%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Tampa Singles from Mingle²

I suppose this is fairly accurate. The first time I took it, it said I was an Eight, but that was clearly wrong. It gave me Six the second time; that's the first result beneath the cut because it seemed much closer, so I assumed it was correct. Then I decided, ah hell, I'll take it a third time and see what happens (all this is just from changing my answer on the first question), and it gave me Four. So that's beneath the cut too.
The weird thing is that Six feels like it describes what would be the WHOLE me, even though bits are inaccurate, while Four feels like it's 100% accurate but only describes one side of me.

I decided to bold specific bullets that I identify with.
Because, you know, it's nearly 1 am on a weeknight and of course I'm not sleeping.
( Test thing )

Today:

6:15. Ignore alarm.
8:45. Wake up and think, "Damnit! Didn't wake up to read papers." Roll over.
9:05. Scramble out of bed and get dressed in a hurry.
(9:14. Note that internet isn't working.)
9:35. Buy breakfast and coffee.
9:55. Arrive in lab.
10:00-11:50. Work in lab, read papers.
11:50-12:30. Read papers in panicked sort of manner.
12:30-1:10. Buy lunch, ride shuttle. Still haven't read second paper.
1:10-1:20. Lie in sun. Be amazed that sun came back, despite all evidence that it had permanently deserted New England. Decide to become sun worshipper.
1:30-3:30. Sit in class and feel depressingly stupid for not remembering pKa information.
3:30-4:00. Rush home, grab nice clothes, walk hurriedly back to lab (make mental note that am wearing tank top outside for first time in seven months).
4:00-5:05. Work in lab.
5:05-5:06. Throw PCR in machine, neglect to set up culture for tomorrow, rush out door.
5:25-5:30. Arrive at Pierson, change into nice clothes, arrive early at Fellow's Dinner. Feel on top of things.
5:30-8:35. Fellow's Dinner. Eat expensive food, drink expensive wine and cognac, and discuss world politics and religion with educated real adults while supposedly representing... some population (grad students? Pierson students? geneticists?). Pretend to be knowledgeable on these topics, while admitting uninformedness to fellow graduate affiliate. Reveal plans to not be graduate affiliate next year.
(Side note--had conversation about PhD program. Which title is more impressive, geneticist or biochemist? I vote biochemist, but was voted unanimously against by the four other people involved in the conversation. Thoughts?)
8:35-8:45. Escape from fellow's dinner and walk home.
8:45. Arrive home feeling exhausted yet strangely happy.
8:47. Realize internet still doesn't work. Begin computer struggles.
9:00. Get internet working again.
9:02. Uninstall unnecessary programs to keep computer from being sluggish.
9:03. Try to listen to This American Life, realize computer sound no longer works.
9:04. Take moment to bang head on table.
9:05-10:46. Search entire internet for help getting sound working again.
10:46. Mention problem to Rico Suave Sex God over AIM.
10:47. Install file under link Sex God sends.
10:48. Sound works again.
10:49. Take moment to bang head on table.
10:50-10:55. Update lj.

Gonna go read/take a shower/knit/sleep/rinse and repeat now.

Briefly, in other news:
Started new lab rotation, like it. Favorite cousin engaged; I will be in Utah in July for the wedding (Yaaay!). Did not get NSF grant, do not know anyone who did; feel stupid about this. Am so poor can no longer afford laundry/groceries/anything else; am still buying coffee in the mornings--clearly unsettled in the head. Luckily, was told this morning that new lab has free coffee made every morning by lab tech, is plenty for rotation students.

Right, bout that shower/knit/read/sleep thing.

( EDIT: Oh yeah, and... )