End-of-Year Meme

I’ve always wanted to participate in a meme on the blog but could never find a good one. Unless I alighted on one I really like on this great blog. I think it will be very useful to look at it in the future and remember the year 2011.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Presented at a philosophy conference and duped people into thinking I was a philosopher. 🙂

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Yes, I did and I definitely will. I haven’t been able to decide on the full list of resolutions yet, though. I know that answering emails as soon as I get them will be on it. As it has been for years. Maybe 2012 will be the year when I finally manage to get that one.

3. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?

The New Year’s Eve is the most important celebration in my culture. We have a tradition where I prepare a majestic feat, N. and I eat it, exchange gifts under the New Year tree, then we go to a wine bar for a countdown, then we come home, walk around the neighborhood, talk about everything under the Sun, eat the dessert, drink alcohol, and go to bed at 6 am.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Praise be to Allah, no.

5. What countries did you visit?

Does Canada count? N. and I still can’t leave the US together, so traveling has been restricted to my trips back home to Montreal.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

A green card that N. and I can use to fulfill our dream of going to the Dominican Republic and to Barcelona together.

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

April 18th because it was the best Birthday celebration of my life.

8. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?

I became a lot better organized and a lot healthier. I also translated a difficult postmodern novel from Russian into English.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Still haven’t finished transforming the stupid dissertation into a book.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a really bad pericarditis last January and ended up in the ER.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A dress from Jones New York.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Rent and books.

13. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Sorry, I haven’t listened to any music this year.

14. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Reading and writing.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Checked the Stats page of my blog.

16. What was your favorite TV program?

Project Runway was my TV show of the year.

17. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Not really.

18. What was the best book you read?

In Spanish, the most significant book I read was Donde nadie te encuentre by Alicia Gimenez Bartlett. It has inspired me to enter into a completely new area of research and I’m very excited about that. I’ve really had enough of collective identities and Bildungsromane, so it was time for some entirely different area of research.

19. What was your greatest musical discovery?

None.

20. What was your favorite film of this year?

None. I now feel like a very limited human being.

21. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 35. This is the best age ever so far. 🙂 N. and I went to St. Louis, stayed at our honeymoon hotel, and explored the city.

22. What kept you sane?

Kindle Fire and the man I love.

23. Who did you miss?

My sister and my niece Klubnikis, most of all.

24. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned.

I have severe issues with fully assuming adult womanhood.

25. What does 2012 hold for me?

My midpoint tenure review. Also, hopefully, the final decision on the whole children-bearing issue. 🙂