2004 Reflection

I never understood why the celebration of New Years was such a big deal. It's pretty much an arbitrary point chosen by humans to mark the next cycle of calendar days. It doesn't really hold any significant meaning in any real sense, only because we choose to perpetuate some stupid ball drop and the excitement of watching the new year roll in. It's like a birthday...there's no real change, only in the system that we've created.

Speaking of New Years, I pretty much hate New Year's Resolutions too. Why do we as a society insist on procrastinatinng self improvment and other lofty goals for 364 days only to reannounce them triumphantly when the rest of the world does- a sort of group courage that rarely lasts even to the next day. If you're serious about losing weight, go to the gym. If you're serious about quitting smoking, stop smoking. That's why I resolved many years ago not to make any more New Years resolutions.

Found an end-of-year reflection from Sis that was much cooler than mine from last year:

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
How about college? Isn't that enough?

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
See above rant.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
I've still never been outside the United States.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
A solid uninterrupted school year. Please.

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 15th (surgery), May 30th (my 18th birthday/graduation party), August 15th (first day of Purdue), Thanksgiving (first ruined holiday), December 18th (finshed last final exam)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Overcoming numerous obstacles to start my first semester at Purdue.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Letting personal emotions and life events get in the way of my goals.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
There was that one time in January where I went to the hospital and had a metal rod bolted to my spine. I lost 13 pounds and a rib but grew 3 inches and was loaded up with more medicine and had more medical attention than I've ever had at one time of my life. I stayed there for a week and I missed three months of school, officially making my senior year at Amelia High School one of the worst periods of my life. ...sorry, that just came out.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My school computer, probably.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents, when I was in the hospital.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My mother's.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Purdue (out-of-state tuition, books, travel, food, entertainment, football tickets, the works).

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting out of high school and starting college.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
"This Land" by Jib Jab

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? sadder as a whole
b) thinner or fatter? thinner...I still haven't gained back all of the weight I lost in the hospital, despite the rumors of "Freshman 15"
c) richer or poorer? poorer by leaps and bounds

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Have fun.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Fighting life and the events the comprise it.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Carefully. Mom and Grandma didn't come, and lots of our traditions were messed up.

21. Did you fall in love in 2004?
No. A part of me still is stuck in the past. I did have a few significant crushes, though.

22. How many one-night stands?
Zero.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
I really didn't watch much TV.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
My Calculus TA.

25. What was the best book you read?
Stick and Rudder by Wolfgang Langewiesche

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Styx

27. What did you want and get?
a few new good friends at Purdue

28. What did you want and not get?
4.0, some sort of relationship at Purdue

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Probably The Incredibles or AVP, but mostly because of the company

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 18 and had a combination birthday party and graduation celebration at Woodland Mound park. It rained, but I got to see a bunch of good friends and family.

31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Something in my life being relatively constant.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
broke college student

33. What kept you sane?
classic rock and my friends that stay with me no matter what school I go to

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Liv Tyler

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
space exploration

36. Who did you miss?
Pretty much everybody in Cincinnati at some point in time.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Loaded question...I've met too many new people at Purdue. I mean, c'mon, we've got 40,000 students.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004
Nobody gets to pick when and what happens to them in life. Be glad, instead, that you're getting all of this shit out of the way now.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"And you're fooling yourself if you don't believe it
You're kidding yourself if you don't believe it
How can you be such an angry young man
When your future looks quite bright to me
How can there be such a sinister plan
That could hide such a lamb, such a caring young man"