New Year's Retrospective 2023
2024-Jan-03, Wednesday 14:32![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorchadas
As is tradition, here is the New Year's meme I've posted every year for...a decade now? Quite a long time, anyway.
1. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before?
Teach someone to speak. She's still picking up words!
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do New Year's resolutions, so I will neither keep them nor make more.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
I did not go anywhere--travel with a toddler is pretty difficult.
6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
Again, fewer trips to the hospital. I did get that in 2023 and hopefully it goes down even lower in 2024.
7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't remember the exact date, but the day in July when they did a Zoom evaluation of Laila and told![[instagram.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/profile_icons/instagram.png)
sashagee that she had the language skills of a 14-month-old (at 26 months).
We've had in-person therapeutic intervention for her by specialists for the last three months and they, ah, disagree with the Zoom assessment.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
It's a boring answer but I actually don't think anything really stands out.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not jumping full-force into my exercise program again, still derailed after my 2021 appendectomy. I did buy a set of resistance bands, though, so all I need now is will and I can get the process moving.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Once again, I have escaped unscathed.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Theoretically a set of new appliances to replace the 18-year-old ones I have, but as of the time of writing they haven't actually been delivered yet, so this answer may need revising.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Laila, who has moved right into all the normal toddler behaviors. Saying no to everything, acting out, demanding food all the time, trying to take off all her clothes. None of that was guaranteed after her medical difficulties and, despite how trying they are to deal with sometimes, I'm grateful to see them.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All of the people on the left who decided to hitch their wagons to Hamas as their embodiment of The Resistance, or who decided that they can drag out every old antisemitic conspiracy theory in the book if they search-replace "Jews" with "Zionists." Just yesterday we had Sairo Rao resurrect the Doctor's Plot, and sure every single take she has is bad, but a bunch of medical faculty went along with it!
14. Where did most of your money go?
Into medical care for Laila andsashagee, and also into new appliances.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The new words that Laila kept using.
16. What song will always remind you of 2022?
"Turns to Dust" feat. Nilka by Verso and Sound Surfer. Mostly just that I listened to it so much rather than my life crumbling around me.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? About the same
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same
iii. richer or poorer? Richer thanks entirely to the stock market. Only a little bit more to go until I hit a half-million dollars.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I did get to see friends more compared to last year, so that's good. I wish I had done more reading in Japanese this year--I only read one bit of manga. I bought the full 風の谷のナウシカ (kaze no tani no naushika, "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind") boxed set and still haven't even started on page 1.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Been grumpy, again. Always good advice.
Also maybe a little bit less work on my Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead mod. A lot of people really like it, and it's a lot of fun to work on, but it sure does take a lot of time.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
We did nothing. The evening before we went out to dinner, as is tradition.
21. Is there a particularly memorable meal you had?
No.
22. Did you fall in love in 2023?
No.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Barely watched any TV at all, to be honest.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No one I know personally.
26. What was the best book you read?
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That Clamavi de Profundis had continued to put out original music, not just adaptations of Tolkien songs.
28. What did you want and get?
Laila to start talking and not stop.
29. What did you want and not get?
A year with no health problems.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I guess it has to be the film adaptation of Persepolis because that was the only film I watched the whole year.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 41. My parents came into the city and saw Laila and we went out to dinner, just like last year. Not big and exciting, but very nice.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
sashagee recovering earlier. She's not back to 100%, and she's doing much better than she was at the start of the year, but it really took until September before she started to improve and she still has a lot of bad days. Laila was gone most of New Year's weekend and other than actual New Year's Eve itself, sashagee was sick for almost all of it.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
Academic. I bought a bunch more dress shirts and actually added some color back into my wardrobe--white and brown pants, grey and green dress shirts. Now I just need more
34. What kept you sane?
The good days thatsashagee had and how Laila was good for most of the year.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I have never answered this question because I don't follow celebrity culture.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The cultural response to the terrorist attacks on October 7th.
37. Who did you miss?
Some of my friends. I saw more of them than I did in 2022, which with baby Shabbats keeping a slightly more regular amount of contact, but I didn't get to see some people like![[twitter.com profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/e0caa790ec10/-/twitter.com/favicon.ico)
lisekatevans because they were so busy.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I'm not sure I met anyone new, really. I don't get to many events where I'd have the chance to anymore.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.
עם ישראל חי. Am Yisrael Ḥai--"The people of Israel live."
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I think for this year the best one is the one I sing twice a day to Laila, when she takes a nap and when she goes to bed at night:
Happy New Year to everyone!
1. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before?
Teach someone to speak. She's still picking up words!
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do New Year's resolutions, so I will neither keep them nor make more.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No one this year.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
I did not go anywhere--travel with a toddler is pretty difficult.
6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
Again, fewer trips to the hospital. I did get that in 2023 and hopefully it goes down even lower in 2024.
7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I don't remember the exact date, but the day in July when they did a Zoom evaluation of Laila and told
sashagee that she had the language skills of a 14-month-old (at 26 months).We've had in-person therapeutic intervention for her by specialists for the last three months and they, ah, disagree with the Zoom assessment.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
It's a boring answer but I actually don't think anything really stands out.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not jumping full-force into my exercise program again, still derailed after my 2021 appendectomy. I did buy a set of resistance bands, though, so all I need now is will and I can get the process moving.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Once again, I have escaped unscathed.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Theoretically a set of new appliances to replace the 18-year-old ones I have, but as of the time of writing they haven't actually been delivered yet, so this answer may need revising.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Laila, who has moved right into all the normal toddler behaviors. Saying no to everything, acting out, demanding food all the time, trying to take off all her clothes. None of that was guaranteed after her medical difficulties and, despite how trying they are to deal with sometimes, I'm grateful to see them.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All of the people on the left who decided to hitch their wagons to Hamas as their embodiment of The Resistance, or who decided that they can drag out every old antisemitic conspiracy theory in the book if they search-replace "Jews" with "Zionists." Just yesterday we had Sairo Rao resurrect the Doctor's Plot, and sure every single take she has is bad, but a bunch of medical faculty went along with it!
14. Where did most of your money go?
Into medical care for Laila and
sashagee, and also into new appliances. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The new words that Laila kept using.
16. What song will always remind you of 2022?
"Turns to Dust" feat. Nilka by Verso and Sound Surfer. Mostly just that I listened to it so much rather than my life crumbling around me.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? About the same
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same
iii. richer or poorer? Richer thanks entirely to the stock market. Only a little bit more to go until I hit a half-million dollars.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I did get to see friends more compared to last year, so that's good. I wish I had done more reading in Japanese this year--I only read one bit of manga. I bought the full 風の谷のナウシカ (kaze no tani no naushika, "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind") boxed set and still haven't even started on page 1.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Been grumpy, again. Always good advice.
Also maybe a little bit less work on my Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead mod. A lot of people really like it, and it's a lot of fun to work on, but it sure does take a lot of time.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
We did nothing. The evening before we went out to dinner, as is tradition.
21. Is there a particularly memorable meal you had?
No.
22. Did you fall in love in 2023?
No.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Barely watched any TV at all, to be honest.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No one I know personally.
26. What was the best book you read?
People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That Clamavi de Profundis had continued to put out original music, not just adaptations of Tolkien songs.
28. What did you want and get?
Laila to start talking and not stop.
29. What did you want and not get?
A year with no health problems.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I guess it has to be the film adaptation of Persepolis because that was the only film I watched the whole year.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 41. My parents came into the city and saw Laila and we went out to dinner, just like last year. Not big and exciting, but very nice.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
sashagee recovering earlier. She's not back to 100%, and she's doing much better than she was at the start of the year, but it really took until September before she started to improve and she still has a lot of bad days. Laila was gone most of New Year's weekend and other than actual New Year's Eve itself, sashagee was sick for almost all of it.33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020?
Academic. I bought a bunch more dress shirts and actually added some color back into my wardrobe--white and brown pants, grey and green dress shirts. Now I just need more
34. What kept you sane?
The good days that
sashagee had and how Laila was good for most of the year. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I have never answered this question because I don't follow celebrity culture.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The cultural response to the terrorist attacks on October 7th.
37. Who did you miss?
Some of my friends. I saw more of them than I did in 2022, which with baby Shabbats keeping a slightly more regular amount of contact, but I didn't get to see some people like
38. Who was the best new person you met?
I'm not sure I met anyone new, really. I don't get to many events where I'd have the chance to anymore.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.
עם ישראל חי. Am Yisrael Ḥai--"The people of Israel live."
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I think for this year the best one is the one I sing twice a day to Laila, when she takes a nap and when she goes to bed at night:
בשם י”י אלוקי ישראל,
מימיני מיכאל, ומשמאלי גבריאל,
ומלפני אוריאל, ומאחורי רפאל,
ועל ראשי ועל ראשי שכינת א-ל,
B'shem hashem elohei Yisrael,
mimini Miḥael, umismoli Gavriel
umilafanai Uriel, umeaḥorai Rafael,
v'al roshi, v'al roshi, Sheḥinat El
"In the name of the Lord, the god of Israel,
At my right hand, Michael, at my left hand, Gabriel
Before me Uriel, and behind me Raphael
And above my head, above my head, the presence of G-d"
Happy New Year to everyone!
no subject
Date: 2024-Jan-04, Thursday 08:22 (UTC)otherwise this has seemed a pretty alright year for you (not without it's downs obviously)! I hope 2024 is better for you & your family
no subject
Date: 2024-Jan-04, Thursday 10:07 (UTC)