Thoughts on the Journey

For yuletide, I wrote By the Fire an Old Kingdom fic set in the middle of Lirael about Mogget and Dog. It was a challenge to write since while I adore their characters, they're not easy to write for me and I had a huge paper to write too. yakalskovich betaed for me and was so helpful as I tried to write something my giftee would enjoy. I'm proud of it but as Viv mentioned, it can be hard writing for smaller fandoms and characters, since you seem to disappear a bit. My giftee Ghostie seemed to like it and that's what counts.

Last night, I went out to dinner to the local New Year's Eve thing in Lewes and had a wonderful time talking with people, eating great food and making some fascinating connections. I still feel rather full from it, it was a dinner of tapas in stages with good wine and a wonderful event.

Now to do one of the year end memes that's floating around and hopefully cards go off before I go back to Michigan on Monday.


1. What did you do this year that you'd never done before?
Drove to Kentucky on my own and helped organize a library.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't think I made resolutions. At this point I just want to finish my masters and find a place for myself where I can be happy and healthy.

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

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
No, but I've been road tripping to Lexington, Kentucky.

6. What would you like to have next year that you lacked in 2010?
An MLIS and confidence

7. What date from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I'm not sure. My life has been so full that no one date stands out more than any other.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
America Reads and the library there, its not done yet, but I'm so proud of the progress I've made.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My body, I haven't gained a lot more weight but I haven't lost any either. School is my priority at the moment, but I want to be a place where I can exercise doing something I love. Though I do think I figured out how to eat healthier as a grad student.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I'm always fighting off colds and allergies and in this last week I briefly lost my voice. That was odd. I like to talk so much.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I'm not sure, probably one of the many books I bought.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My parents, everyone on my flist who's supported me through grad school, Toby and Maria, my good friends in Ann Arbor and my fellow SIers.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Politicians, the news media. I like keeping up to date but sometimes its just hard.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food and books and cable/internet.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Kentucky, my internship at America Reads, rare books in History of the Book, so many things at milliways_bar.

16. What song will always remind you of this year?
"Just About Right" by Blackhawk, I feel like I'm still looking for my right place.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier, I feel like I'm more balanced about how to manage school and work.
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter I think
iii. richer or poorer? richer since I have two jobs now

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Danced, gone to SI Happy Hours, tried to stay with Ring of Steel

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stressing over assignments that I don't like.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With my wonderful family.

22. Did you fall in love this year?
No.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Castle, Top Chef in various incarnations, I need to catch up with the newest one, Gordon Ramsay, Top Gear, Doctor Who I love having BBCA.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, I've been annoyed at people, but I don't think hate is the right word.

26. What was the best book you read?
The two I think of first are Fudoki by Kij Johnson and The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Mumford & Sons.

28. What did you want and get?
Solid grades, enjoyable classes and people in Ann Arbor that I like spending time with.

29. What did you want and not get?
More confidence about my body, a date, the two are connected.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Inception and I don't know what else. Nothing seems to be coming to mind.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I had Toby and Maria over to my place and we ate well, played D&D and drank lambic. I was 29.

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I'm not sure.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Comfortable and warm, jeans, sweaters or nice shirts.

34. What kept you sane?
Roleplaying and having people to vent at when grad school makes me feel like I don't know enough.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm not sure. I can never pick one.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
So many of them, but health care was huge.

37. Who did you miss?
My nieces, I wish Michigan was closer to New Jersey.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
This is hard, so many awesome new people are from Milliways. I won't pick and just say all of them.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year:
You learn more from doing the hard things than the easy ones.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I'll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out.
Avett Brothers Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise