Gary BUTTERWORTH Online

1. What did you do in 2005 that you’d never done before?
Been in a relationship.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t really make any.  At one point I started going to the gym again, but that fell through.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, marshala.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.  Although I think I should get credit for visiting India and/or Pakistan. 

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
International travel.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Hmm…there aren’t really any dates that stick with me.  Some probably should, but I honestly can’t remember without checking a calendar.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a good job.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm…maybe failing in salary negotiations and not getting the money I was promised.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nein.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I gave some nice gifts.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Everyone I work with.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I don’t call people out.

14. Where did most of your money go?
DC restaurants. 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Arcade Fire concert back in January.  The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe movie.  My brother’s hockey game at the Hersheypark Arena.  I’m still really excited for his second one there.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
Anything ABBA.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier.  Much.
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Ironing my clothes.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Nothing that I can think of.

20. How will you/did you spend Christmas?
I worked on Christmas day, so we celebrated in NJ a day early.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
I think so.

23. How many one-night stands?
0.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
“Beyond the Headlines.”  

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.

26. What was the best book you read?
 Tough call.  I’m proud of myself; I actually read 9 books this year for fun.  Although, I admit, most were embarrassingly easy.  I’m stuck between The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo and Pyongyang by Guy Delisle.  I kinda dismissed the idea at first, but a comic book style graphic novel is actually extrememly appropriate for a travelogue/memoire of a cartoonist.  I thought the idea was revolutionary, but apparently it has been done several times before.  I feel a little too geeky saying this, but after reading that I kind of want to check out the rest of the graphic memoire genre, like the Persepolis books.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn’t really discover anything.  But I was introduced to some cools 70s stuff.

28. What did you want and get?
A good job and good friends in DC.

29. What did you want and not get?
Time and money to travel.

30. Did you make any new friends this year?
Mish and my coworkers. 

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 22 and I hung out with Mish.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A long vacation.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Meh.

34. What kept you sane?
My long weekends at my old job.  With the new job, I’m pretty sane most of the time anyway.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No idea.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmmm…not one particular one.  I’m bad, especially for a DC guy.

37. Who did you miss?
My friends from NJ.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Mish easily beats out my coworkers, which is no easy task.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
When things suck at work, don’t hesitate to move on.
Also, be skeptical of people’s opinions of things.  Almost everyone has a skewed impression of things.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I can never do this one.

Posted 1/3/2006 at 6:9 PM