Taking Stock

More money or less?
Less. A lot less. I’ve never had trouble paying my rent before.
Biggest way to waste time?
You’re reading it. Although there’s been a lot of reading stuff that didn’t exactly relate to my studies.
Best use of time?
UISS. Yeah, yeah, my Swedish improved and it was a great adventure. But more importantly, I met Luneray, which was well worth the 7,000 miles journey.
Best movie?
I’m not sure, but I think I didn’t see anything besides Harry Potter. Well, in the theater, anyway. But we did rent Dirty Pretty Things, which I loved (I think I’m about to develop an Audrey Tatou thing).
Listened to?
My usual (lots of what is sometimes called folk, sometimes called adult contemporary—see www.wnku.org for more information, plus a healthy dose of classic rock), although I went on a Blood Sweat and Tears tear right after I got to Sweden, so that now every time I hear “God Bless the Child”, I am immediately transported to Uppsala in the rain.
Read?
Harry Potter in Swedish and German. More law books than you can shake a stick with. Comics (Mutts, Baby Blues, and Get Fuzzy), trashy Maeve Binchy novels, and a lot of other stuff with no redeeming value. Once I get through my assignments, I don’t want to engage my brain in any way. I haven’t read any “real” literature in ages.
Fatter or thinner?
Fatter. A lot fatter. Leading to my first ever New Year’s resolution to lose weight. Or at least get back into shape. I hate getting winded from a flight of stairs.
Smarter or stupider?
I don’t know. I feel stupider most of the time. But every once in a while, things click and I feel smart again. This is the real reason I’m taking Swedish. It makes me feel smart.
Best buy?
My curry-scented couches. Thanks, Craigslist!
Best bargain?
The dress from Filene’s. It’s the only thing I own that still makes me feel sexy despite my ever-growing arsch. And it cost $10.
Stupidest purchase?
The International Law textbook. I don’t think I ever actually opened it. What a waste of $96..
Drank the most?
Previous entry notwithstanding, coffee. Oh, sweet elixir of life!
Best drink?
The cheap coffee from the vending machine at the youth hostel in Reykjavík. I’m still having sensuous dreams about Alan Rickman serving me cups of that ambrosia.
Ate the most?
It was the year of the Brie.
Worst food eaten?
The horse lunch meat that I accidentally bought in Sweden. I don’t have a philosophical problem with eating horse—I figure if you eat meat, you can’t get picky about which animals it’s “OK” to slaughter for food—but it was very, very nasty tasting. If it had tasted good, I probably never would have figured out that it was horsemeat, seeing as it was called “Hamburger Kött”, leading me to believe it was beef when I bought it. I only discovered its origin because I was trying to figure out what part of a cow could taste so horrible.
Best food eaten?
I can’t decide! There was the poppyseed pastries in Munich, the pumpkin crème brulee, the goat cheese omlette at LaPresidente’s birthday brunch, the Vaniljdrömmar I scarfed in Uppsala, the cinnamon ice cream, Mrs. C’s lasagna... No wonder I’m so fat. I did nothing but eat all year.
New friends found?
Yes! The best part of the year—Luneray, LaPresidente, Masshole, Death, and the Naughty Nurse all entered my life in a meaningful way in 2004.
Old friends lost?
No, I don’t think so.
Resolutions not kept?
Yes. I still procrastinate like a mofo and get into a lot of trouble that way.
Missed chances?
Yes. I should have pursued that internship in Iceland. See previous answer for the underlying problem.
Fears?
Failure. That’s not new, though.
Biggest success?
I kept my scholarships.
Biggest failure?
Civil Procedure.
Heathier or Sicker?
Despite a few health scares, mostly healthier. My asthma is under control, my allergies are under control, my TMJ is under control, my foot went back to its normal size... things are looking pretty good.
Best spontaneous fun?
Estonia. Talinn was more than I ever might have dreamed and who gets the chance to go to Estonia, anyway? OH! The answer to the “Best food eaten” question just came to me! It was the blueberry torte at Tristan & Isolde in Talinn!
Learned the most?
How very little I know and how not special my intellect is in the grand scheme of things. This is not a bad thing..
What I definitely don’t want to see in the next year?
Another set of courses and professors like this past semester.
TV puke?
Wow, so much to choose from! But anything from the reality TV genre fits the bill pretty well.
TV-Wow?
“Airline” and “Family Plots”. I love A&E.
Biggest change?
My attitude toward school and the future.
Biggest loss for mankind?
W’s re-election and the “War on Terror”.
Biggest Disappointment?
See above.