Gary BUTTERWORTH Online

Stratford, NJ

Well, it’s finally official: I am now, once again, resident in the state of New Jersey, with all of my crap situated therein. I guess years 23.75–?? will be a lot like years 0-18.5 in my life.  I’m back where I started!

I was down to the former Hotel Garyfornia for most of the weekend to finish packing and to enjoy my last couple of days of being out on my own.  I had a good time.  I planned on writing one last long post from Silver Spring while I was down there, but fittingly, that didn’t happen.  Things don’t always go as planned.

Anyway, I have that long year-end survey that I post every year to get to, so I’ll try to make my musings minute.  But I have a couple of photos to share!

Mish and I exchanged our Christmas gifts this weekend.  I got, inter alia, the awesomest bubble bath ever!

(Yes, I occasionally have my immature moments.  And yes, I like bubble baths.  So what?!  Also, thanks to my mom for being the hand model.  She’s no George Costanza, but she gets the job done).

Mish and I went out for New Years eve…

…but we ended up somewhere different than I had planned on when I opened my wallet to find that it had a hole in it and MY LICENSE WAS MISSING!

(Fortunately, the Irish bar where these pictures were taking had a genuine Irishman working the door for the night, and he didn’t bother to card us.  So, we had a happy new year after all).

Now onto the traditional, belated……

Year in Review!

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
Travelled on business (twice!).  Worked 3am-Noon (pretty much the only hours that I had never worked previously).  Quit my life and moved in with my grandmom.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t really make any.  I might resolve to use my time here in Stratford more productively, through reading, studying, and freelance writing.

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

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

5. What countries did you visit?
The UK (London, England) and Canada (Montréal, Québec).

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
2006 had everything.  No complaints.  I wouldn’t mind if 2007 was more like the first 11 months of 2006 than December, but I’ll take whatever it gives me.

7. What date from 2006 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.  (I said that last year, didn’t I?)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a big raise to help launch a new show.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I’m not sure.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Na-hee.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The double-edition of the new BNL CD from Canada.  Barenaked Ladies Are Men is incredible. Buy it when it’s released in a stand-alone package!
Actually, my ticket to Montreal was probably better than that.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The people I worked with at 3am in October and November.  True dedication!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Several former coworkers.

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

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Both of my business trips, and my Montreal trip!  I met Brian Lara!  And I taught a deposed Prime Minister about overexposure!  And MacZde Carpate bought me a drink!  (My Pittsburgh trip is in Feb. 2007, but I started getting really excited in 2006, so that might count, too.)

16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Any of the new BNL or MacZde that came out this year.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder?  Less happy, but more self-assured.  So, I’d say it’s a push. (That makes sense to me).
ii. thinner or fatter? About the same.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Nothing really.  I actually think I had a good balance of everything. Although, this year did show me that I can get money-hungry, and I hope I always remember to balance that out.

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

20. How will you/did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve with my dad and stepmom, Christmas Day with my mom her at my grandmom’s.  Just like the first 20 years of my life.

22. Did you fall in love in 2006?
I didn’t fall out of it!

23. How many one-night stands?
0. C’mon now.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
TV Ashna and Ashna TV (I can’t chose!)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.  But I am dissappointed in some people.

26. What was the best book you read?
That’s a tough one.  Maybe The Thinking Fan’s Guide to the World Cup. I’ve always thought that sports were one of the best ways to get an insight into a culture, and this book (and Franklin Foer’s How Soccer Explains the World, which I could also name here) really back that up.  Soccer is still my number three sport, behind hockey and baseball (probably tied with American football and ahead of cricket), but unfortunately those sports don’t have the broad international appeal of soccer, and I don’t think this type of book could really be written about those yet.  Maybe one day!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Dave Melillo?  Eve 6?  They’re both good, but I wouldn’t really call either “a discovery.”

28. What did you want and get?
The chance to travel, for work and fun.

29. What did you want and not get?
More time for travel!

30. Did you make any new friends this year?
New coworkers.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 23 and I got a bed, watched the Olympics, and went to the Caps game in the snow with my dad.  I REALLY enjoyed that day, and I think about it pretty often.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A better work situation.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Meh.

34. What kept you sane?
Faith that things always work out for me, and I see no reason why that would change.  Besides, there really wasn’t all that much to make me insane.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Alizée !  Actually, I probably should have put her up as my “musical discovery.”

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Immigration reform.  We need guest workers, we don’t need English-only legislation, and the crusade against illegals is starting to get scary.

37. Who did you miss?
No one in particular; I just wish everyone could be in one place.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Probably one of the guys I trained at work.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
1) Keep work professional.
2) Things are easier than they seem.  If you’re thinking about doing something, suck it up and do it.

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

So there’s 2006.  Here’s to an even better 2007!

Link du jour (thanks, Mish!): http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/30/us/30support.html?ei=5088&en=6cd79ccb19e562a8&ex=1325134800&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

Filed under: Life, Posts with Pictures, Reminiscing, South Jersey, WHAT?!, Washington, DC/Silver Spring, MD