I’m writing this entry on Dec. 7 because I’ll be on a plane for most of Dec. 16. It’s an annual meme which I’ve filled out previous years. It’s a good piece of filler for a day I’ll have limited access to the Internet.

  1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
    Flew out of town for a job interview
  2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

    I didn’t make a New Year’s resolution for 2010, and I’m in no mood right now to make one for 2011.

  3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

    No.

  4. Did anyone close to you die?

    Yes. Finally.

  5. What countries did you visit?

    None.

  6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?

    Residence in either San Francisco or Seattle.

  7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

    July 12, when I started a new job, and Nov. 28, when my dad died.

  8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
    Starting a new job.
  9. What was your biggest failure?
    I’m still living in Austin.
  10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    I was felled by two prickly-pear margaritas, which revealed a non-threatening heart condition.
  11. What was the best thing you bought?
    A new computer.
  12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
    My mother.
  13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
    The American electorate.
  14. Where did most of your money go?
    To my home studio, The Closet
  15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    My new job and some encouraging demos I recorded with the new computer
  16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
    Neutral Milk Hotel’s "Two Headed Boy, Pt. 2", although Cocco’s "Nirai Kanai" and Tokyo Jihen’s "Denpa Tsuushin" come close.
  17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

    a. happier or sadder

    b. thinner or fatter

    c. richer or poorer?

    a. Ambivalent b. Fatter c. Positive net worth, but I wouldn’t call that richer

  18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
    Songwriting
  19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
    Living in Austin
  20. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?
    I’m taking a rain check on Christmas this year
  21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
    Of course not.
  22. How many one-night stands?
    Zero.
  23. What was your favorite TV program?
    Friday Night Lights.
  24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
    No, I still hate pretty much the same people.
  25. What was the best book you read?
    Appetite for Self-Destruction by Steve Knopper.
  26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    That Renée Fleming sounds awesome singing indie rock.
  27. What did you want and get?
    A new job
  28. What did you want and not get?
    Residence in either San Francisco or Seattle.
  29. What was your favorite film of this year?
    I’ll wait till I see TRON Legacy before I answer this one.
  30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    I turned 38, and I was given the best damn cupcakes I’ve ever had in my life.
  31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    Residence in either San Francisco or Seattle.
  32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
    Size 36 jeans.
  33. What kept you sane?
    You assume I’m sane.
  34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
    I’m falling back on Mike Doyle for this question.
  35. What political issue stirred you the most?
    Equality.
  36. Who did you miss?
    Everyone.
  37. Who was the best new person you met?
    The folks at my new job.
  38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
    My technical skills aren’t really as good as I thought they were.
  39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
    God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life — "Two Headed Boy, Pt. 2", Neutral Milk Hotel