1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Rode up a freaken mountain. With a cold no less. It was a really, really long way up.
2. Did you keep your new year resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I fail to see the point of new year resolutions so therefore don’t make them.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My brother and his partner welcomed a daughter into the world on Jan 6 🙂
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.
5. What countries did you visit?
None! And that’s just wrong!!
6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A trip overseas. I really hated not going anywhere this year. Already planning a trip for 2012.
7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
4 – 5 June and 11 November (because riding up a mountain tends to stick in the memory).
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
See question 1.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I don’t know if I really failed at anything. I didn’t get the job I wanted but that’s not me failing, that’s me not being the best candidate for the job.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Head injury for the first time ever (as far as I can remember anyway). And my first cold in about 18 months (which has been quickly followed by another one!).
11. What was the best thing you bought?
New brakes and shifters for my Cannondale. I’m still enjoying the novelty of being able to stop without over-shooting.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Marissa the occupational therapy student who assisted me when I fell of my bike in August. She didn’t know me from a bar of soap but she still knelt in the gutter in the rain to check that I hadn’t totally scrambled my brains.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
You know, I see shitty things happen every day and now I’m trying to ignore it. I see people who are oblivious to their surrounding and have a total disregard for their own personal safety. If I saw them about to do something stupid like cross a road against the lights, I’d shout out. But after copping an earful from one guy, not any more.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Bike bits, comic books and a few dvds. And, well, just general living.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I was going to say nothing but I got pretty excited about my super-dooper birthday present from my best friend: a weekend in Sydney to see Kevin Spacey in Richard III. Richard III was not a nice man.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Sticks and Stones by Jonsi.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier!
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same I think
iii. richer or poorer? Richer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sleep!!!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eat junky food. I write this down every year whilst filling in this survey and it never changes. Guess I’m never going to change.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I’ll be Barwon Heads with Richard’s family. First time in years I haven’t been at my parents’ place.
22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Yup.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Doctor Who, Castle.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope.
26. What was the best book you read?
The Rider by Tim Krabbe. Yes, it’s a book about cycling. I also really enjoyed the three volumns of Gotham City Central that were finally published in order this year. The comic finished ages ago but for some reason when DC originally published the TPBs they didn’t have the stories in publication order.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
How To Destroy Angels. I do wonder if it counts as it’s Trent Reznor but it’s a new thing for him.
28. What did you want and get?
Well, in last year’s meme I mentioned sorting out my emotional baggage and meeting someone so I suppose I wanted that quite a lot. I honestly don’t know if I sorted through all my baggage but apparently it was enough to actually be open to the possibility of a relationship when it came along.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I was surprised by how much I liked Captain America and Thor. The former because it’s essentially a World War II film and I generally don’t like them. The latter because I expected it to be very silly with no heart. So while it was very silly, it had way more heart than I thought it would.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was whisked away to Chateau Yering at Yering Station for the night. I turned 39.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
You know, not a lot. This year has been way better than the last few and I’m pretty happy with how things are right now.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Same as last year. I have a pair of Chuck Taylors that say KA-BOOM!!
34. What kept you sane?
Same as last year – my bike. Although this year, I think Lisa actively tried to kill me. You know, with the head injury and all…
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Got say that one scene with Chris Helmsworth when he had his shirt off in Thor was pretty phooooooaw!!!! worthy.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Kinda annoyed at how the Victorian Government is trying to screw over nurses and their ilk after giving the police a rather healthy pay rise. And I had to change channels or turn the tv off every time Alan Joyce was on during the QANTAS debacle.
37. Who did you miss?
My American peeps. The Tim Sale board disappeared in about April and then they were still all talking about getting together for the Boston comic con and I didn’t go. That was really hard.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Richard *blushes* We met in January this year on a ride, although I think he’d been in a few other group rides before that but we’d never officially meet.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011
That I’m stronger than I think I am.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Absolutely nothing is springing to mind.