1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Snowboarded in the Canadian backcountry at Baldface Lodge. Not only had I never ridden in the backcountry before, but I'd never ridden anything that steep, nor so treed, nor in such accomplished company. I would not have been able to ride that when I was 30; I was only a good enough snowboarder to ride it when I was 40. That, for me, was huge.
I was one of a team of 10 who architected and then executed a monumental corporate web site conversion from one CMS-ish platform to another. It was sort of horrible and sort of awesome at the same time; it was challenging and interesting and disheartening. We missed our (extremely aggressive) timeline by four months. However it's something our team tried to do when I was 29 -- same company and some of the same people, if you can believe it -- but we failed then. So in the end I declare it a major career accomplishment.
Also: for the last six months of the year, I worked full-time. I haven't done that in a decade!
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I set goals, I don't make resolutions; and! I met all but one. I never hiked in the mountains in the moonlight. (I did camp there, though.)
I have new goals for 2012.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! Sarah, Sophie, Sue and Livia all had babies this year. In fact Livia had twins.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no. I did however attend four funerals, all for people I had never met. (My husband knew them.)
5. What countries did you visit?
Canada and Kauai. (Kauai felt like another country. I meant to blog about that but didn't. When I have a chance : )
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Confidence in my financial future.
7. What dates from 2011 remain etched upon your memory, and why?
One week in April at Baldface Lodge.
My 40th birthday.
One week in May in Kauai.
One week in July with my husband (while the children were with my parents).
Every weekend in July and August, when the children and my husband and I played.
The first weekend in October: my anniversary and my sister-in-law's 30th anniversary party.
The week before Christmas, which was the week after go-live, when only four of us were working (!) and we had a heck of a lot to mop up. It was psychotic.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
See #1: Baldface + Drupal.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I spent almost no time with my Bend friends. Too much time working, too many trips to Portland, too tired.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Oh, sure, but nothing too terrible.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Black Betty, an Audi Allroad that's been so modified it's a member of the 400 Horsepower Club.
12. Where did most of your money go?
Well, most of it went to Bank of America, holders of our mortgage. The rest went to Canada.
13. What did you get really excited about?
Baldface Lodge. Dudes. Someday I'm going back.
14. What song will always remind you of 2011?
The Yeasayers channel on Pandora. I listen to it all. the. time.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? On the whole I'd say I was more satisfied
– thinner or fatter? The same
– richer or poorer? I feel poorer, but in fact probably: the same
16. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Yoga.
One of my goals for 2010 was to build up to Visvamitrasana, and I did it. By June I could hold Visvamitrasana for 5 seconds on the right side. Then I upped my work commitment and stopped practicing yoga regularly. Boo, me.
17. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Sitting!
18. How did you spend Christmas?
At my house with my sister and her husband and my exuberant nephew and my own children and my husband, and my parents, and my husband's parents, and his sisters and his brother and his brothers-in-law and our more sedate older niece and nephew. And then three days later, my other sister and her husband stayed with us.
It was awesome.
19. What was your favorite TV program?
I don't watch TV. This was the year of the app. My son talked me into playing Fieldrunners two-player and I got totally addicted, and then weaned myself from it by learning to play Plants vs. Zombies!
20. What were your favorite books of the year?
The Jane Austen mysteries. I hate every other Jane Austen spin-off I've (attempted to) read, but I love Stephanie Barron's books. Jane is the main character and she's so Jane. She lives with me for days after I close the books, you know what I mean?
21. What was your favorite music from this year?
22. What were your favorite films of the year?
Oh, please.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Forty. Forty! F O R T Y.
I was in Portland. My little sister made me the best cake ever (a wedge of brie!) and then I spent the evening at my friend Sarah's baby shower, which was in fact a truly lovely way to spend the day that marks the beginning of my bodily decline, the point after which things do not ever get better, biologically speaking.
The next day I drove home to find that my husband and children had planned a beautiful evening for me. It was really the nicest birthday I've ever had.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not being 40?
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Patagonia, meet Mountain Hardware.
26. What kept you sane?
My funny, smart, loving children; and my funny, smart, loving husband; and all my funny, um, extended family. (Hee!)
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
It is actually possible that you will be able to do something, physically, at age 40 that you couldn't do at age 30.
1 comment:
Wrong on #21. You saw the Decembrists on a cold night in May at LWA and Dangermuffin on warm July evening at Black Butte Ranch. Nobody said turning 40 was going to be easy . . .
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