Now that it’s over and I can’t jinx it…
1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Helped save a life. Met Cygnet.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Can’t remember what they were and probably.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Many people. Some closer than others 
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. One of them about one metre away. But she got better (!)
5. What countries did you visit?
This year, none other than the country of myself and family.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More spare time and creative impulse. A new house. Global happiness.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Cygnet’s birthday. Sorry day. Obama’s election. Internet censorship protest. A random Wednesday at work.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Cygnet. Surviving 2008. Taking Puggle and Bilby for their swimming lessons. Sorting out a car.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not Getting Things Done (TM). Not enough art, not enough writing. Disorganised home office. Slack-assed backup schedule. Not spending enough time with Bilby and Puggle and Cygnet, but better than last year I think. (Note that this year I do not have Too much TV on the list!)
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Coffee (also the worst thing I bought), information, beer. A camera. The Battlewagon.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My family. Those who elected Obama. Anyone doing humanitarian or volunteer work.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The outgoing regime. Global warming deniers (looking at you, Rudd government). Internet censors (looking at you, Rudd government). So I guess that’s probably the incoming Australian regime too.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Most of it into a new car. Otherwise somewhere between electronic gadgets, food, down with the sharemarket, and the mortgage.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Cygnet. Swimming with Bilby and Puggle. Puggle reading. Bilby talking more. Cygnet smiling.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Undecided, will have to check the playlist and get back to you on that.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
Another years worth of happy memories, so I’d have to say happier.
ii. thinner or fatter?
Thinner than last year, fatter than before Christmas.
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Art, writing, iPhone hacking, spending time with Puggle, Bilby and Cygnet. Hedonism. Travel. Films. Outdoor cinema.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Administrivia. Organising the study. (“Watching crap TV” is not on this list this year, yay!)
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Spent both first and second Christmas eating excessively and watching the Bilby, Puggle and Cygnet.
21. What LJ users did you meet for the first time?
This was more a Facebook year
22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yes, with Cygnet.
23. How many one-night stands?
Less than 10.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Grand Designs. Heroes. Battlestar. Doctor Who.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Used car dealers. See also #13.
26. What was the best book you read?
Lets see, I read “First National Bank of Dad”, the pop-up version of “Moby Dick”, “Slaughterhouse 5″, “Newton’s Wake”, “Jagged Orbit”, “The Alchemist”, “The Other Wind”, Enid Blyton’s The Faraway and Wishing Chair books, Milly Molly Mandy, and probably some others. I think many of those are ‘best’ in different ways.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Loius Armstrong’s “Skokiaan”.
28. What did you want and get?
My family. C’est suffie.
Other than that, a new car to put them in.
29. What did you want and not get?
World peace. Everyone to be happy. Travel overseas. A new house. Solar power, greywater recycling and a permaculture garden.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Iron Man. I think that was this year…
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Dinner with my family and folks I think. Older.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More outdoor films. More hedonism. Sane government of Australia, the US and the rest of the world. Maybe that’s destined for 2009?
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Relaxed, but still not cool enough for an Australian summer. Perhaps something with inbuilt A/C?
34. What kept you sane?
Sanity is overrated. Postsecret. My family helped me get through the day though, when most of them behave.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds). Natasha. Alyson Hannigan (Willow, Buffy). Pauley Perrette (Abby, NCIS). Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck, Battlestar Galactica). This list doesn’t seem to change much from year to year.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Australian internet censorship, Australia’s failing at setting more than 5% emission reductions.
At the end of 2006 I said: “Nice to see an increase in the amount of environmental awareness, now all that remains is to see how much of it is lip service, and how much of it is too late.” I guess we know a lot of it was lip service from the Rudd government.
37. Who did you miss?
Friends I didn’t socialise with as much as I’d like to due to other life commitments or geographical difficulties. Or the ones who didn’t make it through 2008.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Old people: schoolmates from 20 years ago.
New person: Probably random people at SF@The Pub. Didn’t meet any new people particularly, worked on attempting to spend time on existing friendships.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned
Having your heart beat and your lungs breathe is something we all take for granted, but it’s a lot of effort when you have to do it for someone else (and I wasn’t the one doing it). CPR can work. Even better if it’s backed up with O2 and a defibrillator. Make sure your first aid is current! UWA ambulance response time is >20 minutes. Blue is not a good colour on people.
Other than that, used car salesmen really can make you feel unclean.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Politically I’m tempted to say something from The Herd’s The King Is Dead:
The dickhead dictator leader imitator
Made me feel immature when I said I hate ya
Did you read the paper the day after and hear the laughter?
However that’s not really my personal year. “Beautiful, beautiful boy” perhaps?
