State of the Year meme
Dec. 21st, 2008 01:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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corelog though my answers will be somewhat less verbose I think.
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Attended two actual weaving workshops, with loom and all. Dressed in a wolf fursuit for MFF, after designing and making it myself.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I do not make resolutions.
3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
At home, safe and warm, with my mate and probably his mom.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
A first cousin was the closest it got. He was always friendly and helpful to me, but we were not particularly close.
5. What countries did you visit?
None other than the one I live in.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A working antenna for amateur radio. The sunspots are coming! I've got one ready to go up, but the weather hit before we actually pulled the old one down and replaced it.
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I might say Election Day, November 4, because we finally got rid of the neo-con government, except that I have little faith that the new one is going to be much better. I suspect that the series of economic crashes that began to go public in September and are continuing to now are going to be the memorable events of the year. No single date can be assigned, though.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The Argos fursuit, I think.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Bailing out of NaNoWriMo to finish the Argos suit and attend MFF.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing significant.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
An old TRS-80 model 100 computer. Great fun and still perfectly useful for writing. Cost: $25.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Horses, for food, farrier, and vet bills. Fuel to drive to and from work mostly. Real estate taxes.
13. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I don't usually associate music with dates or events.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Artwork of all kinds.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Falling asleep at the keyboard while reading internet junk.
16. What was your favorite TV program?
What's TV?
17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope.
18. What was the best book you read?
Waterways by Kyell Gold.
19. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Eh? Rediscovering classical guitarist John Williams (not to be confused with the film score composer and conductor.)
20. What was your favorite film of this year?
Films this year mostly disappointed me.
21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 59. I'd been to two parties the day before, and on my birthday I stayed in and did nothing (and liked it.)
22. What kept you sane?
My mate, the animals we share our lives with, and communicating with friends.
23. Who did you miss?
My parents, occasionally, even though they've been gone for ten years (mom) and fifteen years (dad.)
24. Who was the best new person you met?
Kinda unfair to single out just one. I've added a dozen or so regular online contacts this year and all have been good people to know.
25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Financial security is a figment of the imagination. (Politicians are ALL liars, regardless of party or affiliation, but that's not a new lesson. Greed and dishonesty know no boundaries, also not new.) A very old lesson reinforced: "A borrower nor a lender be." --Benjamin Franklin
COLD! Past noon and still below zero outside. The wind is gusting to 30 mph or more, making not only for nasty wind chill but drifting loose snow all over. Kept the sheep in out of the wind. Only the ducks and the boys are out, and they can get into shelter if they choose.
corelog though my answers will be somewhat less verbose I think.1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Attended two actual weaving workshops, with loom and all. Dressed in a wolf fursuit for MFF, after designing and making it myself.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I do not make resolutions.
3. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
At home, safe and warm, with my mate and probably his mom.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
A first cousin was the closest it got. He was always friendly and helpful to me, but we were not particularly close.
5. What countries did you visit?
None other than the one I live in.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A working antenna for amateur radio. The sunspots are coming! I've got one ready to go up, but the weather hit before we actually pulled the old one down and replaced it.
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I might say Election Day, November 4, because we finally got rid of the neo-con government, except that I have little faith that the new one is going to be much better. I suspect that the series of economic crashes that began to go public in September and are continuing to now are going to be the memorable events of the year. No single date can be assigned, though.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
The Argos fursuit, I think.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Bailing out of NaNoWriMo to finish the Argos suit and attend MFF.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing significant.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
An old TRS-80 model 100 computer. Great fun and still perfectly useful for writing. Cost: $25.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Horses, for food, farrier, and vet bills. Fuel to drive to and from work mostly. Real estate taxes.
13. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I don't usually associate music with dates or events.
14. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Artwork of all kinds.
15. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Falling asleep at the keyboard while reading internet junk.
16. What was your favorite TV program?
What's TV?
17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nope.
18. What was the best book you read?
Waterways by Kyell Gold.
19. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Eh? Rediscovering classical guitarist John Williams (not to be confused with the film score composer and conductor.)
20. What was your favorite film of this year?
Films this year mostly disappointed me.
21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 59. I'd been to two parties the day before, and on my birthday I stayed in and did nothing (and liked it.)
22. What kept you sane?
My mate, the animals we share our lives with, and communicating with friends.
23. Who did you miss?
My parents, occasionally, even though they've been gone for ten years (mom) and fifteen years (dad.)
24. Who was the best new person you met?
Kinda unfair to single out just one. I've added a dozen or so regular online contacts this year and all have been good people to know.
25. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Financial security is a figment of the imagination. (Politicians are ALL liars, regardless of party or affiliation, but that's not a new lesson. Greed and dishonesty know no boundaries, also not new.) A very old lesson reinforced: "A borrower nor a lender be." --Benjamin Franklin
COLD! Past noon and still below zero outside. The wind is gusting to 30 mph or more, making not only for nasty wind chill but drifting loose snow all over. Kept the sheep in out of the wind. Only the ducks and the boys are out, and they can get into shelter if they choose.
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no subject
Date: 2008-12-21 08:31 pm (UTC)In 1999, financial security was living in a rented luxury condo on the French Riviera, a half million dollars (or less) invested entirely in growth stocks, retired before age 45.
In 2006, financial security was living in the family home in the suburbs, mortgage paid for, two million dollars invested in a sensible portfolio half in dividend stocks and half in bonds, retired at age 67 with Social Security or CPP.
In 2008, financial security is living in Podunk, middle of nowhere, in a run-down shack on the cheapest land you could find, 5 million dollars (or more) invested in gold bars and ammo, and working till you die.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-21 11:34 pm (UTC)Our house and land is paid off, we have no significant debts, I'm still employed full time and have some mediocre insurance benefits. If I retire at 67, even if Social Security is still paying out as it should, it won't be enough to live on. The additional pensions I have entitlement for will probably be worthless, either due to inflation or mismanagement. My own retirement accounts are all insured bank certificates, but I have little faith in the promise of the government to back those CDs with the promised insurance if everything collapses. Their treatment for the present recession looks to me like a guarantee of hyperinflation in a year or two, that will totally wipe out the value of my "safe" investments.
Gary's retirement accounts have already been trashed by the current banking/credit fiasco. He's looking to return to work full time. If either of us gets seriously ill, we'll be wiped out in weeks by the high cost of medical care.
This year's lesson? Only the wicked and the criminally selfish come out on top in the US. Worse, they are not punished for their actions. Instead, the rest of us are punished AND forced to pay the wrongdoers' huge buyouts.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-22 12:16 am (UTC)Hopefully, the need to go out in the middle of a field defending a stash of gold is just as unrealistic an expectation next year as it would have seemed a couple of years ago.
We'll have to see what the new year brings.
no subject
Date: 2008-12-22 02:40 am (UTC)However, I'm thinking that they (Obama administration) might be short-sighted enough to continue stimulus until the previous levels (of employment, oil price, stock market level, borrowing, spending, etc.) are reached again. There is a very strong psychological need to get all of that back, and undo the mistakes of the previous administration ASAP. The problem is that those were very obviously not equilibrium levels for this point in time, or they wouldn't have crashed. But psychological needs often trump logic.
We'll have to see what they do. It will take years for it all to play out, so don't expect to know the answer very soon...
no subject
Date: 2008-12-22 05:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-12-22 07:21 pm (UTC)My mare, on the other hoof, doesn't like nasty weather, but she doesn't like being kept in either. On bad days, she complains loudly and often regardless of whether I put her in the indoor pen or out in the pasture. I can't win.