New Year's

Austin and the Year Ahead

It's funny. After spending the past 2.5 years almost constantly traveling, I was convinced that by the time my funemployment rolled around, I would be ready and willing to throw my suitcase into storage and say goodbye to boarding passes, at least temporarily. 

This has not been the case. I've continued to travel almost every month, logging Santa Barbara in October, New York in November, and during a quick trip to SF in December, I allowed myself to be (easily) convinced to take a semi-spontaneous trip to Austin with Ramsey right after the New Year. 

Our goals for the trip were simple: eat at Franklin's and be sluts. Being slutty has never been my forte, but eating difficult-to-obtain-food is one of my shining talents. We easily got Franklin's out of the way on the first morning of our trip, waiting only a comfortable 2.5 hours before being rewarded with 1.5 lbs of the best barbecue I've ever had. 

The rest of our time in Austin is a blur of freezing temperatures, breakfast tacos, shots, and dancing from one ratchet hip-hop bar to the next. Considering how we arrived in Austin with no plans except barbecue, the trip was a blast and gave us the opportunity to connect with old friends and get our fill of some of the best food Austin has to offer. 

Now this is a little bit of a digression, but bear with me: New Year's is one of my favorite holidays. It represents a kind of collective optimism and determination for the year ahead, and one of my favorite parts of NYE is getting fucked up with the people I love and counting down to the new year with a room full of strangers, everyone sharing in this energy and hopefulness that the coming year will be better than the last.

Every year, I've had at least a vague idea of what the year ahead had in store - whether school or continuing the job grind or traveling, etc. But this is the first year in a while where I really have no expectations or ideas of what comes next. I have no plans. This trip was one of my first spontaneous decisions for the year, and perhaps a harbinger of more spontaneous decisions to come. I'm learning how to live a little more spontaneously, a little less controlled, and if the success of this trip is any indication, I'm sure the rest of the year will have more positive surprises in store. 

Below are some pictures I took during the trip (killing two New Year's resolutions with one stone, what what). 

2015 In Review

It’s tiiiiime. 

Anyone who’s followed my blogs for any significant period of time knows that I’ve been doing this survey every year for over a decade (with the exception of 2010). It’s a tradition that traces its roots back to Xanga and Myspace, back when they were the blogging/social media sites de jour. 

The questions are juvenile and not conducive to truly personal revelations, but I don’t know, I have an affection for it - this survey is kind of like a mini time capsule that I leave myself every year. My year condensed in 40 questions. 

Every year I also find myself feeling the need to justify why I continue to do this survey, so this year, I say fuck it. I’mma do what I want. This year I resolve to stop feeling the need to justify anything I do or why I want to do it. 

Past years for reference:

2014
2013
2012
2011
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?
I played real ass shuffleboard in NYC. I successfully landed in eka pada galavasana. I ate monkfish liver and sweetbreads. I got comfortable parallel parking and became a true LA resident in the process. I achieved Southwest A-List from my travels to and from San Francisco - so long, “B” boarding group! 

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My 2015 goals:

  • Work out 3-4x/week: Total fail, as far as consistency goes. But still, the fact that I work out on any regular basis is impressive to me, considering the years after college in which I literally did nothing except watch TV and feel sorry for the pounds accumulating around my midsection (and thighs, and arms, and face). 
  • Dress like a grown-up: 100% success. High-fucking-five to me. 
  • Save more money/stop spending so much money on food: Lol. As usual, I failed at this, as I do every year. I mean, I had dinner at The French Laundry again this year, if that’s any indication of my lack of fiscal responsibility. That’s two more times than I ever thought I would go in my life. 
  • Read more, write more: I definitely wrote more, but alas, didn’t read more. 
  • Learn how to code: I got halfway through Codeacademy’s Javascript section and realized that I don’t really want to be a programmer, I’d really rather do something more creative, like get back into graphic design or some other artistic pursuit. Basically what I’m saying is I got toe-deep into Javascript and nope’d the fuck out of this resolution. 
  • Make friends/find new hobbies in LA: I halfway achieved this, I would say. I definitely made more of an effort this year to reach out to old friends and acquaintances in LA and foster those relationships. I didn’t meet any new people, but I’m looking forward to the opportunity to build deeper relationships with the people I do know in LA, and I think that’s a good start. I also got a little closer to dabbling in new hobbies, but not as deep as I would have liked. 

My 2016 goals:

  • Stop using Jojo as a mental excuse for not working out, going out, being productive, etc. This year I found myself justifying not going to the gym or not going to my coworking space because I wanted to hang out with Jojo. It was a flimsy excuse to rationalize deeper problems - my laziness, my depression, my light agoraphobia that I’ve started to develop in the past year. Next year I’d like to focus on refining my daily routine and allocating appropriate time to work, to Jojo, and most importantly, to myself. 
  • Follow through. Beyond just following through with my hobbies and promises to myself to work out more, write more, read more, etc., I’d also like to be better at following through with other things. Like when I tell someone let’s hang out, I want to follow through on all aspects of this process - reaching out, making plans, responding to texts in a timely manner, being punctual. This year I noticed that I would sometimes reach out to people and check that box on my list, so to speak, but then would be terrible at actually responding to texts within a timely window. While I’m an extremely reliable person in professional settings, next year, I’d like to translate this sense of reliability into my personal life as well. 
  • Gain expertise in a new hobby. I don’t know how this will take shape just yet. In previous years I’ve focused on improving myself in areas I know I excel in, like writing and yoga, but I languished, I think partially because I’m already pretty comfortable in those areas. Next year I’d like to tackle something new, something foreign, something to really push myself outside of my comfort zone. I have a lot of peripheral hobbies - things I’ve dabbled in in the past but haven’t touched in years, like web design, graphic design, photography, collage art and hip hop dancing - I’d like to revisit these and reattain a sense of competency in at least one of them next year.
  • Develop weekly grocery habit. I don’t have this, and honestly, it’s what contributes to most of my eating out. I grocery shop so rarely, I don’t know how to do it. It’s crippling. I’m paralyzed by the idea of cooking at home, but if I want to save money and develop healthy eating habits, I know I need to do this. 
Read More

2014 - it's not me, it's you.

Oh, hi. 

Sorry for the extended absence, Tumblr. To be totally honest I’ve been fucking depressed, and I haven’t been able to talk about it, because talking about it would have given it weight, would have given it shape and made it more real. 

I’m doing better now. I’ve crawled out of my hole far enough to acknowledge that yes, I have been living in a hole for the last few months. And yes, while I had a damn good life in San Francisco, I can’t replicate that life exactly in LA, and that’s still ok. It’s ok that things aren’t the same, because that’s just what life is - it’s transition and growth and continually evolving into the better versions of ourselves.

I realize now that I had become too comfortable in San Francisco. I’d settled into this wonderful life with my wonderful friends and my wonderful routines and everything was wonderful, and then I uprooted everything to move to LA.

Now living in LA, it’s like I’ve forgotten who I am; I’ve misplaced my identity. Returning to SF every other month for work then always has the effect of reminding me - like, oh right, I used to be confident, I used to have interests, I used to be able to leave my apartment before 2pm without feeling a sense of dread. I used to live, and not just have life happen to me or around me.

Today, I’m working on carving out a new life for myself in LA, on digging new roots into the ground. With the entirety of 2015 before me, I figured this was the right time to fill out my annual survey - get ready for the most pity-party version yet! 

Past years for reference:

2013
2012
2011
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before?
I got:

I also:

  • Went to the ER/Urgent Care 
  • Ate at the French Laundry 
  • Attempted other cool yoga poses for the first time
  • Got a parking ticket (#becauseLA)
  • Got into a minor accident 

Then in the Philippines, I:

I feel like I’m missing some things, but it’s only because the past 6 months exist in a kind of black hole in my memory. 

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My 2014 goals: 

  • Go to yoga at least 3x/week: Uh, I did sometimes. Fell off the wagon after I moved to LA, but working slowly to increase my frequency.
  • Invest future wedding funds into mutual funds: Lol. I pretty much purged my dedicated wedding savings account, because I realized how ridiculous it is to have a dedicated wedding savings account.
  • Save more money/stop spending so much money on food: I ate at 9 Michelin starred restaurants this year. Epic fail.
  • Read more, write more: Fail. 
  • Create a new home/website for my blog: Also a fail. The depression is real. 
  • Be healthy. Be happy. Be not an asshole. Hmm. 

My 2015 goals: 

  • Work out 3-4x/week: Yoga, obviously, but I’d also like to take at least one cardio class/week, and eventually take up rock climbing as well.  
  • Dress like a grown-up: I can’t keep wearing clothing with holes in them. 
  • Save more money/stop spending so much money on food: I REALLY NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DISCIPLINE MYSELF. 
  • Read more, write more: ^ ditto 
  • Learn how to code: I’m almost done with the HTML/CSS section on Codecademy. Eventually, I’d like to brush up my skills to the point where I can complete my resolution from last year - a new fucking website. 
  • Make friends/find new hobbies in LA: I just need to start making more of an effort in this area all around. I need friends. People in LA - please be my friend. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Kristy did! Welcome June Marion.  

4. Did anyone close to you die?
There was a lot of death around me this year. My cousin, Jeff, died suddenly of a massive stroke. My client who I’d been working with for the past year also died suddenly after she was hit by a car. My best friend’s mom died. There are other tangential deaths that I’m forgetting - this has been a jarring year, to say the least. 

5. What countries did you visit?
Philippines for fun, Spain for work (and let’s be real, a little fun too)

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
A more complete sense of happiness

7. What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June 28 - the day I moved out of San Francisco 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting promoted to Digital Marketing Director. So fancy. 

9. What was your biggest failure?
I kind of failed at life all around this year, to be honest. I have little to no memory of this year - nothing felt very remarkable, because feeling depressed took priority on my spectrum of emotions. It colored every experience with shades of gray. 

I’ve noticed that even smiling in pictures has been difficult - it’s like my facial muscles have forgotten the expression. I forgot how to be happy. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was sick pretty frequently this year - I definitely had the flu and came down with a pretty terrible case of food poisoning. 

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Jojo! 

image

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Chris deserves a “boyfriend of the year” medal for the amount of shit he’s endured from me. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mine. Obviously.   

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food, moving costs, and rent. Goddamn, rent. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Dinner at the French Laundry! I still fantasize about this meal.   

16. What song will always remind you of 2014?
Banks - Change, Bleachers - Rollercoaster, Silver Swans - Secrets, Panama - How We Feel, Sylvan Esso - Coffee 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Sadder. 

ii. thinner or fatter?
Probably a little fatter. Skinny fatter. 

iii. richer or poorer?
A little of both? Richer on paper, but not in practice.  

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading, writing, working out, meeting new people, being happy. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Feeling sorry for myself.  

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Watching classic Christmas movies from my childhood with Chris, Katie and a house full of dogs. 

22. Did you fall in love in 2014?
Stayed in it.  

23. How many one night stands?
My long-distance relationship turned into a same-city relationship this year. I don’t need one night stands.   

24. What was your favorite TV program?
The new season of New Girl has actually been great! I also continued to love Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey, no surprises there. At some point I’ll watch True Detective…at some point. 

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nah. 

26. What was the best book you read?
Books? I’d forgotten what those are.  

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Chet Faker, Banks, and I really enjoyed The Colourist for a minute there.  

28. What did you want and get?
A puppy. He’s the fucking cutest. 

29. What did you want and not get?
Nothing really. Just goes to show you can get everything you want and still be a miserable, dead person inside.  

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
The LEGO Movie, The Imitation Game, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Got Korean BBQ. I think alcohol was also involved at some point, but it was a pretty low key event.  

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Honestly? Friends in LA. 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Pretty much the same as its always been - lots of black, lots of leather, lots of studs, lots of holes, lots of boots. I really need to start dressing like a grown-up, and less like a goth punk princess from the 90s. 

34. What kept you sane?
Nothing, really. I think I might have lacked sanity this year, though I wouldn’t say I was insane. 

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you want the most?
Still pretty dedicated to Ian Somerhalder. Always and forever, amen. 

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
ISIS had a pretty fucked up year. Also, gun control.  

37. Who did you miss?
Like, all of my friends in SF. My life in SF, really. 

38. Who are cool new people you met?
I wrote this last year, and it still holds pretty true: I’m not confident I even meet new people these days. 

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014?
You have to create your own happiness.  

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I’ve had dreams of breaking all, breaking all my bones
Before I break it off, I break it off alone

Melt my happiness, some kind of fucked up mess
Looking out for you is a kinder way to gain, it leaves me
Running circles into my brain
Help, my loneliness will take no part in this
Oh, Oh, Overdose
//Chet Faker (ft. Kilo Kish) - Melt

Now let us never speak of 2014 ever again. 

2013.

I’ve been doing this silly survey every year for over a decade (with the exception of one year - 2010). 

Past years for reference (1/7/13 update: all the links below are back live!):

2012
2011
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
I ran a couple 5ks, went to Miami, walked in the SF Pride Parade, started wearing glasses, shot an Airsoft gun, was published in Thought Catalog, got a couple tattoos, and successfully attempted a few different yoga poses. 

For some reason I don’t feel as positive about 2013 as I did 2012, but overall, it was a solid year. 

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I give you, verbatim straight from my journal, my 2013 goals: 

  • Open a CD account to save wedding funds: DID, but a high-interest Savings Account instead of a CD account. I seriously have a Savings Account specifically for my wedding, because I’m fucking crazy. 
  • Get in the fittest shape OF YOUR FUCKING LIFE: DID, but that wasn’t really a lofty goal, since I’ve never really been that fit to begin with. Any slight increase in exercise would have helped me get into the fittest shape of my life.
  • Open a new credit card and (responsibly) accrue credit: DID! My credit is badass. 
  • Get Invisalign: DIDN’T, because what-the-fuck-ever. 
  • Start dressing like a grown-up/like not a lazy slob: DID/DIDN’T. I definitely don’t dress as homeless as I used to, but I also definitely don’t dress like a grown-up. I think the way I dress has transitioned from lazy slob/homeless person to slutty gothic 90s vampire schoolgirl. I’ll dress like a grown-up when I’m 30. 
  • Travel twice (without needing to cut into savings): DID, KIND OF. I did travel twice. I did need to cut into my savings. So yeah, I did it kind of. 

My 2014 New Year’s resolutions:

  • Go to yoga at least 3x/week: I want to be doing handstands by the end of the year. Huzzah! 
  • Invest future wedding funds into mutual funds: Seems like the logical next step. I want my wedding to be straight unnecessary, because why not? 
  • Save more money/stop spending so much money on food: Every other month I go through, like, a 2-week period of feeling fat and poor. I want to stop doing that. 
  • Read more, write more: I feel like I’m slowly becoming illiterate, I read and write so infrequently these days. 
  • Create a new home/website for my blog: I need to be a big girl and get off Tumblr already. 
  • Be healthy. Be happy. Be not an asshole. Amen. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
The answer to this is finally yes! Jen! Woo, baby Claire! 

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No one “close” per se, but an alarming number of mutual friends/acquaintances passed away this year from unfortunate accidents.

Each death brought the concept of mortality to the forefront of my thoughts, and several times over the course of the year I found myself imagining how devastated I would be if Chris suddenly died (because for some reason, I tend to kill off my boyfriend in my fantasies). Chalk it up to my sick sense of morbidity, but it really made me love him more. The thought of life without him feels so empty and meaningless. 

5. What countries did you visit?
None. 

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
An apartment in LA with Chris. 

7. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
To be honest, 2013 kind of flew by. There was no one day that sticks out as being particularly remarkable - I feel like I waded through the year, doing just the bare minimum to stay afloat. 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I’m pretty proud of all the weird yoga poses I successfully attempted this year. I’m also pretty happy that I finally got my writing on Thought Catalog after a couple of different attempts. 

9. What was your biggest failure?
I didn’t “create” nearly as much as I would have liked last year. I normally try to create a few collages or pieces of writing every year, but for one reason or another, I just didn’t set aside enough time in 2013 to do these things. I didn’t even finish a full journal, whereas I usually fill a journal every year.

It makes me uncomfortable, because these activities were such fundamental aspects of my life and my identity for so long, I hate feeling like I’ve been prioritizing work or other trivial shit in lieu of the creative endeavors that used to bring me pride and happiness. 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not especially. A cold here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. 

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My tattoos. And dinner at Hinoki & the Bird. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Pope Francis. I still don’t and will never identify as Catholic again, but I’m glad that the Catholic Church has finally elected a Pope to lead them into the modern age. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. I just hate them, really. 

14. Where did most of your money go?
Again, my stomach/taste buds. I may not eat cheaply, but I do eat mother fucking well. Also, to workout clothes, because Lululemon is heroin. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Every single yoga pose that I was suddenly able to do, after previous failed or otherwise unsuccessful attempts. Clearly, I love yoga. 

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Disclosure - Latch, CHVRCHES - Recover, Daughter - Smother, The National - This Is The Last Time, Houses - Big Light 

God, my taste in music is fucking sad. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
A little sadder. 

ii. thinner or fatter?
Fitter.

iii. richer or poorer?
Slightly richer, but responsibly so. 

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading. Writing. Chilling. 

I actually wish I’d spent more time alone last year. I feel like I was almost constantly on the move, traveling back and forth from SF to LA every month, going to shows, seeing friends, etc. Though I had a lot of fun, I really miss all the time I spent in 2011 and 2012 exploring San Francisco by myself, holing up for hours in cafes reading and writing, and spending entire days without speaking to anyone at all. I miss setting aside regular moments for self-reflection and allowing nostalgia to wash over me for extended periods of time. It’s like I didn’t even feel 2013, because I never had a free moment to appreciate it. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Honestly? Spending money on food. This is a constant source of conflict - I just love eating delicious food! But I can’t keep spending all of my money on things that get expelled out of my body after a few hours! 

20. How did you spend Christmas?
On a couch. With my dog. Doing nothing. At one point I ate. It was spectacular. 

22. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Going strong in love since 2007. 

23. How many one night stands?
None. I’m too boring/mean to bring random strangers home with me. 

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey. 

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. Hate is for angst-ridden teenagers and the ignorant. 

26. What was the best book you read?
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris, which wins by default, because it was the only book I read last year. 

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Daughter, Houses, CHVRCHES, and Germany Germany. 

28. What did you want and get?
What’s nice about having a disposable income is that I can now have most, if not all the things that I want.

That being said, I don’t really “want” a lot of material things. I did get a new yoga mat. It’s purple. I really like it. 

29. What did you want and not get?
A new apartment. But, this is something for 2014 me to deal with. 

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I really enjoyed Her. I also liked Stoker, because it was dark and so am I. 

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my actual birthday I had dinner at Hakka Restaurant with some of my favorite people. Then that weekend Chris came into town, we hung out with friends at Dear Mom, moseyed on over to Double Dutch for dancing, then finished the night at Elixir. I got pretty drunk, because that’s what 25-year olds are supposed to do, I think. 

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More time. 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
I can’t get over how stupidly this question is phrased, but I guess this survey was created by presumably a 15-year old in 2003, so whatever.

In 2013 I continued to look how I always look: skinny jeans/leggings, boots, studded leather jacket and crosses. I also wore a lot of backless/sideless tank tops/dresses, because I’m a whore and my back is my favorite part of my body. There, I said it. 

34. What kept you sane?
Yoga. And Chris. Boyfriends are the best, because the good ones are basically unpaid therapists who pretend to be interested in what you’re saying. 

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you want the most?
The answer to this question will always be Ian Somerhalder. Because look at him: 

image

Smolder smolder smolder, I’m a sucker for brooding types. 

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The government shut down was pretty much a load of shit. 

37. Who did you miss?
I missed old friends and acquaintances who I grew apart from last year, but I suppose that’s just the nature of life - people move on. 

38. Who are cool new people you met?
I’m not confident I even meet new people these days. 

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013?
Being smart with your money (investing, saving, using credit responsibly, etc.) is incredibly gratifying. 

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

And if you’re in love, then you are the lucky one,
‘Cause most of us are bitter over someone.
Setting fire to our insides for fun,
To distract our hearts from ever missing them.
But I’m forever missing him.
- Daughter // Youth

2012 - Looking Back.

I spend my entire year pinning highlights of the year in my memory and thinking about what I’m going to write in this survey. I’ve been doing it every year since I was 14, with the exception of 2010 (which I still regret), so I just don’t have the heart to stop. Yeah, it’s cheesy - one of those surveys that was passed around during the heyday of MySpace - but it’s become part of my year and, in a way, part of my life.

Past years for reference:

2011
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
I was mugged, drugged, published on The Huffington Post, went to London, Paris and Boston, ate uni, unagi, oysters and foie gras for the first time, met Ian Somerhalder, went viral on Reddit, and started practicing yoga.

Not gonna lie, I’ve had a pretty stellar year.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year my New Year’s resolution was to continue pursuing what makes me happy, and I think I’ve definitely done a good job of that in the last year. I’ve also fulfilled several past New Years’ resolutions to start working out regularly and eat more healthily in this past year.

I also think I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping up with these New Year’s Resolutions for 20-Somethings, because I is a responsible grown-up nao.

My New Year’s resolutions for next year will be about the same as they’ve been in years past - to keep being healthy, to keep being happy, and to try to not be a narcissistic bitch all the time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one “close.”

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My grandma died this year, but I also wouldn’t consider us “close.”

5. What countries did you visit?
London, UK and Paris, France. Holla.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
My life didn’t lack anything in 2012. Though, I could probably go for a new apartment in 2013. I’m over living in an apartment the size of a large closet.

7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 22nd - the day I was mugged or November 6th - election day!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I have two: 1) Being selected as one of two people at work to get sent to London, all expenses paid, or 2) Getting my writing published on The Huffington Post.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I wrote this as my answer for last year’s survey but I think it’s still pretty applicable: “Failure?”

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I’ve spent most of 2012 covered in hives about every other day due to some unknown allergy to life that I’ve yet to identify. Additionally, recovering from my wisdom teeth surgery was a pretty blah experience.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The Ray-Bans I bought while visiting New York City (they are so fucking fabulous), as well as dinner at State Bird Provisions and O Ya (top 2 meals of life, no joke).

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Also from last year, still applicable: “Um, mine. Because I’m awesome.”

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
About 95% of the Republican Party. Probably more.

14. Where did most of your money go?
My stomach. As well as to clothing/accessories/haircuts that make me look even more unapproachable and intense than I usually do - this basically entails a lot of leather, a lot of crosses and a lot of sharp things.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Boston and New York City to visit friends, going to London and Paris for work and for pleasure, getting published on HuffPo, and Coachella, of course.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Walk The Moon - Anna Sun, Purity Ring - Fineshrine, The Knocks - Dancing With The DJ, Kindness - House, SBTRKT - Wildfire   

17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier. Always happier.

ii. thinner or fatter?
Fitter.

iii. richer or poorer?
Richer! HUZZAH.  

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Every year I wish I’d done a little more reading, though honestly, I’ve probably done more reading this past year than I’ve done in the last decade. I’m actually pretty satisfied with everything I’ve seen and done in the last year - a lot of loving, a lot of traveling, a lot of eating, and a lot of exercising. 

I’ve had a really really great year, what can I say.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I wish I had spent less time fixating on this one specific thing that ultimately wasn’t worth the time or emotional investment.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home with my family, snuggling with my dog, and then eventually at my sister’s boyfriend’s family’s Christmas party. (Fun fact: my sister’s boyfriend has 12 siblings and there are over 30 grandchildren. Just picture this Christmas party in your head.)

22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Haven’t fallen out of it since 2007.

23. How many one night stands?
Um.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Girls. I also got into Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey this year.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is an exhausting emotion, I don’t waste my time with it.

26. What was the best book you read?
I really liked The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Bossypants by Tina Fey.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I was really into Gold Panda, Purity Ring, The Knocks, Walk The Moon, and Geographer this year.

28. What did you want and get?
Errthang.

29. What did you want and not get?
Nothing. I got all of the things this year.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Take Shelter and Looper were favorites that I watched this year.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my actual birthday, I had afternoon gimlets at 83 Proof with my coworkers and then went to Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem with my coworkers and a few other friends for more drinks after work. That weekend Chris and a few other friends came to visit me and we just hung around SF, went to Bootie, drank in abundance, and partook in the usual birthday shenanigans. All in all a successful celebration of my 24th year of life.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Nothing. My year was pretty satisfying.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
This question is so stupid, but in a nutshell, how I look everyday can basically be summarized as thus: leather, boots, skinny jeans/leggings, and some kind of fetish accessory (crosses, spikes, studs, etc).

34. What kept you sane?
Chris and my journal. Per yooge.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you want the most?
The answer to this question will always be Ian Somerhalder, WHO I MET THIS YEAR AND WITH WHOM I EXCHANGED WORDS. #lifecomplete

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The 2012 election and all the fuckery spewed from idiotic Republican leaders.

37. Who did you miss?
Well, I always miss Chris, but that’s just a given. I also miss my family a lot more these days than I ever have before, probably because we all like each other now.

38. Who are cool new people you met?
Who just lists out all the “cool new people” they’ve met in the past year? Unless we’re friends, I can barely remember the people I met last month, let alone throughout the year.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012?
Don’t be an asshole. Good things come to people who aren’t assholes. 

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Screen falling off the door door hanging off the hinges
My feet are still sore my back is on the fringes
We were up against the wall on the west mezzanine
We rattle this town we rattle this scene

- Walk The Moon // Anna Sun