Where did most of your money go?
The house, specifically the new refrigerator
What did you get really excited about?
Finding quite a bit on my family tree
Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Marginally happier
Thinner or fatter?
Marginally thinner, and need to do much more.
Richer or poorer?
I feel poorer, but our financial planner says that in retirement, over time, we’ll be richer
What do you wish you’d done more of?
Reading
What do you wish you’d done less of?
Dealing with the retirement paperwork
How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve means singing at church, so that. Eventually, we go to the in-laws
Did you fall in love in 2019?
Sure
How many one-night stands?
Jaquandor always says: “Now, that’s not the kind of question a gentleman answers!”
What was your favorite TV program?
CBS Sunday Morning, JEOPARDY!, Grey’s Anatomy, CBS This Morning Saturday
The hate question
Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is such a tricky word. I don’t want to give them that much power. Enraged with, perhaps. But, oh yeah, I certainly loathe the behavior of a whole lot of people. I noted some of them yesterday
What was the best book you read?
The Twilight Man, a graphic novel about Rod Serling by Koren Shadmi
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. She was on the Country Music series that Ken Burns did for PBS.
What did you want and get?
The new Hess truck – what a shock!
What did you want and not get?
The luxury of more time that I thought I’d have
What were your favorite films of this year?
Cold War
The Farewell
Toy Story 4
Jojo Rabbit
Blinded by the Light
What did you do on your birthday?
Actually, I wrote about that!
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?
There was SOME new trend in men’s apparel I noticed some months ago. I thought was SO stupid, I was sure I’d write about it at the end of the year. Then, because it’s fashion, and I don’t really care about it, I’ve managed to totally block it from my mind. Which is fine.
What kept you sane?
Once again, I continue to argue the premise of the question.
The fame question
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I’m hard-pressed to answer this, because celebrity, for the most part, does not interest me. I saw this in the New York Post in November: “Bristol Palin and boyfriend Janson Moore are Instagram official.”
Everything in that sentence bugs me. The idea that Bristol Palin is enough of a celebrity to merit the coverage. The notion that “Instagram official” is a thing. Bleech.
That said, Greta Thunberg, because there are people who like to bash her.
What political issue stirred you the most?
If we haven’t screwed up the planet ecologically, we’ve hosed it politically.
Who was the best new person you met?
Some new church members
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019
“The trouble with normal is it always gets worse” (Same as last year, and the year before)
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
White Man’s World by Jason Isbell
There’s no such thing as someone else’s war
Your creature comforts aren’t the only things worth fighting for
If you’re still breathing, it’s not too late
We’re all carrying one big burden, sharing one fate