1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Got two articles published!

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
So far as I remember, I didn’t make any last year. This year, it’s not so much “resolutions” as a “strategy,” and it’s mostly about writing. I plan to:

a) pitch and get published my article on feral kittens
b) polish, finish, and start shopping my Ex-Fundie book to an agent and/or publisher
c) do a final polish and edit on my novel, Helix, and start shopping it too
d) do research on a co-authored article, and get it pitched and sold
e) work out a strategy for working up my writing more and more and more, to become a larger part of what I do, and gradually start transitioning out of office work [doesn’t mean I’ll accomplish that in 2007, but I need to get the strategy going]
f) possibly find a manga-style artist who’d be interested in working on the animé-type story I wrote for National Novel Writing Month in 2005

And maybe! Soon, if possible and if I don’t need my current savings to keep me going during a break for surgery: GET A LAPTOP.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Just stuck around in Canada. I didn’t even get outside Toronto, actually. I must do something about that, this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
A laptop. Solar panel(s). A PUBLISHED BOOK!

7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
The last weekend in May, because that was when I had visits from two online friends, independent of each other: Maia, who regularly visits on that weekend, from Michigan; and Rob, from L.A., who I’d known and loved online for years but never met.

I spent the whole weekend see-sawing between the two of them – while I had one of the worst colds/coughs in my life. I was NOT going to miss out, dammit! And it was a great, great five days, from the Friday to Tuesday.

And I now have a weakness in my lungs where the slightest thing will set me coughing and hacking till I almost choke. *sigh* I think it will eventually go away, but it’s a legacy of that weekend. The things you do for love, huh??

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
In case you missed it earlier – publishing those two articles.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not having the mental or physical energy, and not wanting to risk spending the money (in case of future health issues) to get to Calgary for Xmas, as I’d said I might this year.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Well, there was that coughing thing. No explicit illness or injury, but there are some potentially not-thrilling issues still being investigated, that came out of the yearly physical. Progress isn’t swift on those, since really, one can only work on one thing at a time sometimes. So they’re possibly out there, but I’m paying attention and ignoring them in phases.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My voice recorder, for doing future interviews.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Stephen Lewis. Do a Google, and immerse yourself in the wonderfulness.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Hm. Name an American Neo-Con or their acolytes…

14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent and food. With books, I suspect, a pretty close third. As Erasmus is supposed to have said, “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” I try as much as possible to live up to him.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Edmonton Oilers going all the way to the Stanley Cup final! Yes, me – cheering for the Oilers.

(And the earth began rotating the other direction, and the magnetic field flipped, and I’m sure Satan had to buy a really warm coat too.)

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
[I’ll have to do an edit and come back to this one]

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happer
b) thinner or fatter? More or less the same, though if there was any change, I’d think very slightly fatter
c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same, but with richer prospects than I’ve had for a long time, I think

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Normally, it would be writing, but I did immensely more of that this year, so…right now, I can’t think of anything.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying about health, toward the end of the year.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Guess! (Okay, writing. Duh!)

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Lordy. Do I ever talk on the phone?

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
As usual, no. But I reconnected with a very wonderful friend in Arizona, and that’s way, way better.

23. How many one-night stands?


24. What was your favorite TV program?
Slings and Arrows. Doctor Who.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, I don’t think so. There are very few people who I hate. Contrary to certain opinions!

26. What was the best book you read?
You…want me to narrow down to just one??

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hawksley Workman!

28. What did you want and get?
All my course-work, finished, toward the editing certificate I’ve been working toward (one course per quarter) for two years. Now just the three-month practical placement to do, starting January, and I’ll be finished the whole shebang!

29. What did you want and not get?
Can’t think of anything right now.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I go to so few… Hm, can’t think of any. Maybe I should make a New Year’s resolution involving seeing more films in the theatre!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Now, you just never mind that age thingie.

And since my birthday was on a Sunday again, I spent much of it wandering the neighbourhood trying to find a nice restaurant that was open, and having almost no luck. Pretty frustrating.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Can’t think of anything. Having all that writing in there makes all the difference. Seriously.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Concept??

Um…Standard Middle-Aged Informal Person Whose Main Work Involves Digging in Old Boxes, So She Never Ever Dresses Up? Heehee!

34. What kept you sane?
My writing, and my online friends, many of whom I got to see in real life too.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Amitabh Bachchan, the Bollywood actor. Totally smitten. Apart from him, any “celebrities” I crush on are all voices – voice actors from animé series. Most of them, I don’t even know what they look like, but I love their voices. David Kaye, my absolute favorite. Sam Vincent, who comes next. Dave Wittenberg. Chris Patton.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The American election in November; it was pretty much “do or die” at this point, and to my vast relief and delight, they seem to have decided to “do.” Whether real positive results come of it remains to be seen, however.

37. Who did you miss?
My friend Michael, who died in October of 2004. A lot of things happened this year that made me wonder what he would have thought of them.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Rob from L.A.! On our evenings together in May, we chatted about everything from academic to celebrities to animé to philosophy and theology. Wonderful time!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
[Sheesh! I think I’ll have to think about this, and come back for a later edit!]

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
[Again, this will require a later edit.]