Last year, I followed in RA's footsteps and did this 35 questions thing. Like her, I'm doing it again. Though I doubt I have much new to report. Hmm. Grad school just isn't fodder for much excitement or change.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Went to Vegas, met my half-sister, wrote/defended PhD candidacy exams, and did my dissertation research. At least three of those I am not in the least be interested in repeating. Oh! And I volunteered for Obama's campaign for the post-primary election season. That was...interesting.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't really make resolutions for 2012, nor do I plan to for 2013, exactly. I have recently decided to try giving up caffeine--while writing my dissertation, what?--and so far it's helping with my endocrine symptoms. I also got really good about shopping at the farmer's market every Saturday.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Aunt Hilary's brood grew by at least two, Holden G. and Giovanni P. Lots more acquaintances had babies, too. It continues to be an epidemic, I say.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no.
5. What countries did you visit?
In many ways, Vegas seems--or at least likes to think itself--a foreign country. I stayed in the U.S. this year. This has got to stop!
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn’t have in 2012?
A full time, salaried job, perhaps? Though I'm starting to doubt this whole academia business.
7. What dates from 2012 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
No dates, exactly, but exams (late spring), research (fall), and New Year's Eve will be memorable. (At least one of those will be remembered fondly.)
8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I sound like a broken record, but getting my exams, proposal, IRB, and dissertation research done in 6 months is pretty key to the whole future Dr. Brewster situation. Having a dozen or so first round interviews was a wee bit of an Academia Ego Boost, too, though nothing has gotten to the next round quite yet.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm. I got a couple of publication rejections, which will surely be a continuing saga of my academic life. Oh, and my car got broken into while I was house sitting, which then in turn resulted in my adviser's garage being robbed. This wasn't my fault, clearly, but it was an epic fail.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Well, not exactly. I was placed on a strict, medically induced diet for the summer in an attempt to resolve my endocrine/thyroid/hormonal issues, but that's not really the same thing. So no, thankfully.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Oooh, probably a pair of nude, "snakeskin" T-strap peeptoe heels, or maybe the slinky silver dress I wore to a New Year's Eve wedding. My awful, roll-y teacher cart helped Team Dissertation, and to make it less terrible, I've decorated it with bumper stickers. (Politically themed, natch.)
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The rescue workers during Hurricane Sandy (I stole this answer from RA), and, quite frankly, good ol' POTUS supporting gay marriage is pretty freakin' great.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
How about the Aurora, Colorado shooter, the Newtown shooter, the Sikh temple shooter, the Seattle mall shooter...oh, and probably some dictators and a lot of the GOP, especially all of those white men saying stupid crap about rape, abortion, birth control, and transvaginal ultrasounds. Ugh.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, bills, and I had to drop $1100 on necessary car maintenance over break. Yowza.
15. What did you get really excited about?
Meeting Shawna, the aforementioned PhD stages being completed, the fact that my dissertation "worked," and New Heteronormative Resisting Exclusive Male Partner. (Boy/girlfriend are terms we've decided to reject because we're both academic dorks.)
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Oh, good grief, that stupid Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me, Maybe" summer ear worm. At least some of the videos are pretty entertaining. Wait--was that from this year? Hmmm.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
Assuming I accept these binaries: Happier, neither, and technically poorer, since I accumulated more debt, even though my third year GA monthly paycheck was larger. By, you know, like $5. Woot.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Blogging, academic writing, reading, outdoorsy stuff in Ohio, cooking, traveling.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Allowing myself to be stressed out by people whose behavior I can't/couldn't control, going on bad dates, facing big deadlines.
20. How will you spend Christmas?
I went home to see my mom; we did low key gifts, watched Downton Abbey Season 2, did a bunch of snowshoeing/skiing, and just hung out.
21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
You know what? Yes. Yes I did. It snuck up on me right there in November/December. And it is both magical and terrifying. Mostly magical.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
My favorite pundits, Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes, still have top billing, but I also learned about The League, which is terribly funny, and got on the Downton Abbey bandwagon.
23. What was the best book you read?
I listened to Tina Fey's memoir Bossypants in the car on one of my many trips from PA to OH. Amazing.
24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I realize I'm way late to the party (per usual), but my friend Jarad told me about Macklemore. "Thrift Shop" is one of my new jams, for sure.
25. What did you want and get?
Hopefully smarter. Oh, and remember that time I blogged about finding a guy who passes the 5-6 dealbreakers? Yeah. He exists.
26. What did you want and not get?
So far, a job.
27. What was your favorite film of 2012?
I see a lot of movies. But. Beasts of the Southern Wild was beyond amazing.
28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
It's my Jesus year--33! My friend Matt and I took a ballroom dancing lesson (my idea--he begrudgingly humored me) and then went out to a yummy dinner.
29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding HREMP on Match faster and having a chance to see more of my non-Ohio friends more often.
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2012?
Lots of jeans/flats/tshirt/cardigan combos in fall and spring, sweaterdresses and boots in winter. Though quite frankly, I spent a bunch of time in my OSU sweatshirt and schlubby pants. It's a bennie of academia, I guess. My fashion concept was also informed/limited by my two favorite second hand stores.
31. What kept you sane?
My Columbus girlfriends, my mom, organic dark chocolate raisins, the staff at Caribou Coffee on Tremont Road, several podcasts, and BodyAttack.
32. What political issue stirred you the most?
Ugh, all of the vitriol regarding gay marriage and the aforementioned batshittery about women's sexual health and choices. Oh, and gun control. GAH. The election in general gave me inRomneya.
33. Who did you miss?
All of my non-Columbus friends that I don't get to see frequently enough.
34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
One time this summer, I accidentally caught the wrong bus to campus on a morning I had to teach. (I wasn't paying attention--clearly--and didn't even consider the idea that something other than #18 came to my stop.) It was a pain to deal with, cost me $12 in cab fare, and made me feel like an idiot. (Though I did get to work on time.) But. I recognized then that almost every problem has a solution. You might not like the solution (attention, political leaders), but almost every problem can be solved somehow.
35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I should be hip enough to include something from Mumford & Sons or some other funky, indie type band. But I'm not. And, quite honestly, music is generally not my thing the way it is for some people. I've got nothin'. If it weren't so late, maybe I could find a quote from politics/movies/books, but you know what? I'm tired and going to bed.
May your 2013 be lucky!
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