Stolen from Jenni (and Dan):
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
-conceived a child
-owned a non-condo detached single family home
-live in Minneapolis proper
-Visited somewhere in Georgia other than the Atlanta Airport in February
-Watched the NFL draft with my 11 year old newphew
-followed U2 to 3 different cities and saw them in a city other than Minneapolis or Chicago
-Met distant Norwegian relatives
-Watched Brett Favre play football in a Vikings jersey (and still somewhat in disbelief about it)
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
-I don't do them really, but I suppose I was resolved to have a kid, and we accomplished that.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
-Two of my cousins had baby boys
-Ask me again in a year, I'll have a lot here, including my own! No less than 6 couples we know are pregnant and due around the same time that we are.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Didn't leave the US this year.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
-Be able to focus better and tune out distractions.
-More discipline at work.
7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The day we found out we were pregnant - 8/18/09
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Knocking up my wife. (do you detect a theme yet?)
9. What was your biggest failure?
eating too much food and blimping out.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A Tivo, to finally rid myself of shitty cable company DVRs.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Sully Sullenberger. I'm still amazed at how he landed that plane in the Hudson and nobody was seriously hurt. Stand up dude.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Tea Baggers (Republi"cant's") and the mainstream press. I really try to avoid it for the most part now. I don't give a shit that Tiger Woods fucked 27 women.
I wasn't appalled or depressed by Obama and his administration, but I was disappointed. Change, my ass. More of the same political bullshit, IMO. So much for being optimistic last year. Really does prove that Democrat or Republican, it doesn't make that much of a difference in my life.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Our house and Savings
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Norwegian visit over my birthday in July
When we found out that we were pregnant.
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"Breathe" - by U2
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter
iii. richer or poorer? Richer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
work on the house, acting instead of just thinking, reading books
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Watching TV, being a lazy jackass, lacking motivation, checking twitter so incessently
20. How will you be spending (spent) Christmas?
Spent it at my parents house in North Carolina, as we often do. I told my mom last night that it just feels like Christmas there. I wish we could go every year, but it's tough with my wife's family here in Minny.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yeah, with the idea of having a beautiful baby daughter. And my wife and I are doing better than ever. You really hit your stride in marriage after 3 or 4 years, I really realized that this year. There's a rhythm, an ebb and flow to it that's hard to describe, but it works really well.
22. What was your favorite TV program?
There's so many. Survivor. How I Met Your Mother (discovered and watched all 6 seasons this year). Those are the two that stick out the most this year. We watch a lot of TV. Too much.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't really hate on anybody. We've reconnected with some that we fell out of touch with though, and that feels good.
24. What was the best book you read?
Infinite Jest, hands down. It was actually one of the only books I completed reading this year. I started a lot of books.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2009?
You know all those "Best Albums of 2009" lists that come out this time of year? I've realized over the past several days that on most of them, I don't know a single Album, and in a lot of cases not even a single band. To say that 2009 was not a year of new music discovery for me is not an understatement.
26. What did you want and get?
To sell my house and buy a new one
27. What did you want and not get?
Can't think of anything really. I get anything I want to, and set realistic wants to begin with...
28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Avatar, hands down.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Hung out with a bunch of awesome Norwegians and most of the Kinney family at my aunt's house, then watched the fireworks from the roof of a building downtown. I turned 31, and it was the greatest birthday ever. I'm not exaggerating.
30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to deal with negativity. I'm trying to shut it out of my life, because life's way too short.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Same shit, different day. Not at all an innovator here.
32. What kept you sane?
My wife, 150%.
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hate to say it, but Brett Favre. I am fascinated by the man.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
How, in the end, Healthcare will continue to be ruled by the fat-cat insurance companies who will continue to ensure that many Americans will not get the care they need, and the government doesn't have the balls to do something more drastic about it. A tie with that and the lack of financial reform to make sure the greedy motherfuckers on Wall Street don't keep pulling their garbage. It's already happening again and Obama/Congress are not gonna stop it...
35. Who did you miss?
My grandfather. I miss him every year. He died 6 years ago. That's crazy to me that it was already that long ago.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
I didn't technically meet him in '09, but I got to know my new manager a lot better this year - and he's someone that can serve as a good mentor to me. For that, I am grateful.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:
Preparing to have a child puts everything in perspective. Everything.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"I love it when they call me big Poppa" - Notorious B.I.G.
both because I'm fatter and I'm gonna be a dad.
