1.What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Completely redecorated a bedroom start to finish.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t like New Years resolutions so I didn’t make any last year. I will make many resolutions in 2011, but I will make them all year long.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thank goodness, no.

5. What countries/states did you visit?
I didn’t even leave New Brunswick this year. Ugh.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A bedroom.

7. What dates/events from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
So many, especially the last half of the year. November 21st was a very good day. <3

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Jasmin’s bedroom reno.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I failed to put as much money into savings as I had hoped/planned.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Always with the stomach problems, but I don’t seem to get sick otherwise.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought a piece of art in the spring I rather fancy, and a table for my hallway. They were both indulgent purchases.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My daughter for being giving and thoughtful, funny and brilliant. My friends for being there when my life rolls towards the dramatic. My coworkers for letting me show up for work ten minutes late almost every morning.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The administration at my workplace, for their apparent disregard of good employees and/or ignorance of their hard work. Also the Catholic church.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Just bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Airbender movie (disappointment).

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
And So It Goes – Billy Joel

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner
c) richer or poorer? About the same
TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Dancing, swimming, hiking, camping.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Pouting, brooding, fretting.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Surrounded by my family and people I love. Oh and opening lots of pressies, I LOVE pressies!

21. Which internet people did you meet this year?
Too many Twitter people to count thanks to the Fredericton tweetups. Also some fellow bloggers.

22. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Twice.

23. How many one-night stands?
None. Ick.

24. What was your favourite TV program?
The Walking Dead

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I can think of one that I have no more time for, but hate is an awfully strong emotion.

26. What was the best book you read?
The Lions of Al Rassan – thanks Mister!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Amy Annelle

28. What did you want and get?
A lot of things actually – I’m very blessed.

29. What did you want and not get?
A million dollars.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Probably Red, though the Expendables was also really good.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I don’t remember what I did. I turned 31.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Financial stability.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
I’ve spent a good part of 2010 defining my personal style actually, and I’m very happy with where it is going. I would describe it as “class” – both classy and classic.

34. What kept you sane?
Peter.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jason Statham – and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The most? I’ve just spent twenty minutes brooding over this and can’t decide. Locally I was really fired up about the attempted sale of NB Power. Nationally I am disappointed in the decline of our Canadian identity abroad as well as the protection of our natural resources. Internationally I was moved by the natural disasters all over the world, and not just Haiti which seemed to get all of the attention.

37. Who did you miss?
Nana.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know many excellent people this year. I think in many ways I’ve also rediscovered myself.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
The registration for your vehicle has an expiry DATE, not just a month. Don’t go by the stickers on your license plate, look for the date on your registration card. Also, fuck the police.

40.Do odd numbers make you uncomfortable?
Yes, very much so. Who makes a meme with 39 questions anyway?

CFWU x 3

Squats
5 x 45#
5 x 65#
3 x 85#

Cash Out:
30 hang power cleans, 65#

Everything felt good today. Every once in a while when I do knees-to-elbows my knees actually get close to my elbows. This was one of those times. Yay.

Communication really is the keystone of human interaction. I think I watched a documentary once about the evolution of man that theorized that our use of language developed as a consequence of communal eating. That is; we learned to talk to each other over family meals. But I digress. This installment of “Amy’s adventures in romance” is all about the importance of clear communication.

Communication; it’s a two-way street. You readers that know me personally know that I’m a great listener, but only IF you can get me in that lane. Otherwise I will talk your ear off. You also know that I can get really animated and enthusiastic when I talk. What’s important is that I KNOW THIS about myself. If I’m talking with someone I try to stay aware of the conversation and put as much effort into listening as I do talking.

The whole two-way communication thing is especially important when you’re getting to know someone, and that brings me to a conversation I had a while ago with a…dudeguy. He seemed nice enough on the dating site, we passed a few messages back and forth and then decided to add each other to IM. It was soon after that he earned the nickname “caffeine guy”.

The guy talks, and talks, and talks…like a million miles a minute.

Seriously.

His chat messages.

Look like this.

Constantly.

All the time.

And he randomly changes topics.

Rainbow monkey lightbulb bathtub.

That in itself isn’t a deal breaker, but let me add that not only does he talk a lot, and fast – he also doesn’t pay attention to what the other person says.

Example anyone? Voila:

dudeguy: how were the movies the other day

amyt: ugh, well…I guess I showed up a bit too early. Like a whole week early. The film fest starts this Thursday.

dudeguy: nice

dudeguy: who showed up early?

dudeguy: your period ?

amyt: um, what?

dudeguy: you said guess who came a week early

dudeguy: usually that means your period

amyt: I think you need to slow down and read carefully.

dudeguy: let me see

dudeguy: oooh you came early

Awkward much?

CFWU x 3

Squats
45# x 5
65# x 5
85# x 5

Cash Out:
5 – 10 – 15
Double Unders
Burpees
Hang Cleans
Time: irrelevant, I finished it, fuck off

There was no new Friday Five this week, so here’s a twenty-five question Christmas meme instead.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. Gift bags are a shallow cop-out used by soulless people who have forgotten the joy of ripping open a carefully (or not) wrapped package.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Real, and I think I’m getting it today!

3. When do you put up the tree?
Whenever I have time. Usually the second or third weekend of December.

4. When do you take the tree down?
I tend to start disassembling the tree and decorations the day after boxing day, but I don’t do it that way for any superstitious reasons.

5. Do you like eggnog?
*Glug*

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
So many gifts of my youth were awesome. My cabbage patch dolls, popples, and science kits. *sigh* One of the most memorable was a purse my aunt sent me – it was made from a dried toad (basically just an empty dried toad with a zipper in the center of the belly).

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
The kiddo! I can basically just buy all the awesome stuff that my inner child wants to have and give it to her!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
No, but this made me think of my Nana and her over-the-top Christmas decorating. I miss her so much.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I haven’t been in the habit of sending cards. I really should pull up my big girl panties and send some.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I love just about any gift I’ve ever received. I had an aunt that used to just tear pages out of magazines all year and wrap them up and give them for Christmas and I thought that was AWESOME. However a few years ago I received a gift from my significant other of four years. It…triggered something. It was so NOT me. Something that nobody that knew me would think I would like, but he thought I would love it. That’s when I knew I wasn’t understood, or that the person he saw me as was who he wanted me to be, and not who I really was. It was the beginning of the end.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Die Hard. It’s a tradition with me and Jas now to watch it every year on Christmas Eve.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Mentally in August, but the gifts never seem to actually get purchased until the last few weeks before Christmas.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Regifted? No.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My mom’s tortiere.

16. Lights on the tree?
Uh, yes? I go with all-white on the main tree. Sometimes I do another tree in the porch with coloured lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Anything Tchaicovsky.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Both! I like to be in my own home with the kiddo on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but out and about the rest of the time. Not much traveling happening this year, just to Saint John for Boxing Day with the family I think.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. Nailed it!

20. Angel on the tree-top or a star?
A star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
One present Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Parking at the mall. Sometimes I will take the bus or a taxi just to avoid the parking.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
My main tree is done in a theme of blue, silver, and white. Last year I bought a bunch of tiny white birds that clip onto the branches of the tree and I am really smitten with them.

24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner?
Traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, etc.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Different things from different people. You’ll either have to ask me or surprise me.