Jackie Danicki

Meme lifted from Robyn:

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

Get mugged. Moved to another country to live by myself. Scary!

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

It’s never been my habit to make new year’s resolutions…not with any intent to stick with them, anyway.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nobody terribly close to me gave birth, though there were lots of babies this year, it seems.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

I still find it hard to believe that Miss Cathy Seipp left us in March.

5. What countries did you visit?

I spent a fair amount of time in France, England, and the US. I also visited Arkansas and Texas for the first time in 2007, and those are basically separate countries, too. (I enjoyed both.)

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

Objectivity about myself and my choices.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

March 10, I left the UK for the US. March 21, Cathy died.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Moving twice and not having a complete nervous breakdown.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I placed and withheld trust erroneously on several occasions.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes, but not much of it was physical. I get sick much more seldom since going freelance. I also had some post traumatic stress ramifications from being mugged in February, but I think those sorted themselves out by the time summer rolled around.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A whole lot of psychotherapy.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Antoine was, and continues to be, pretty amazing. My Cincinnati friends have also gone above and beyond anything I would have expected from people I just met.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The jerks who mugged me in London.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Therapy and plane tickets.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going back to London for Christmas. Sharing lots of little, seemingly insignificant everyday pleasures with my friends. Every game of Scrabble, offline and online, that I played with Antoine.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Apologize - is it me, or his voice totally ’80s? - and Stronger (the lyrics crack me up, and it’s great running music).

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, thank GOD.
c) richer or poorer? Ask my accountant.

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

Cooking proper meals for myself; it doesn’t seem worth the hassle when it’s just me. I hope to change this in 2008.

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

Worrying, procrastinating, standing in lines.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Thanks to jetlag, I slept VERY late and did not feel guilty about it at ALL. Then I had chocolate cherry trifle for breakfast. (ME [to Antoine’s mother]: “Claire, can I have pudding for breakfast?” CLAIRE: “You can have anything you want!”) Later, we had a fab dinner, then sat in the salon, opening presents and eating cupcakes. Then I beat Antoine at Scrabble. I was asleep again by 10.30PM. It was completely wonderful.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

No new loves this year.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I don’t have a TV, but if I did, I’d watch nothing but Real Housewives of Orange County.

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

I’d like to say that I don’t hate anyone, but then we have politicians and those who would have us believe that politics is something relevant, important, and worth “engaging” in.

24. What was the best book you read?

Schuyler’s Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson moved me more than words can say, and also made me laugh out loud every few pages.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Napster.com

26. What did you want and get?

A Canon Digital Rebel SLR - a truly fun camera.

27. What did you want and not get?

My driver’s license (again). It expired when I turned 21, while I was living in England, and now I have to re-take EVERY DAMN PART of the test.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Babel. I think that was this year.

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

I turned 30 and spent the day and night with my friends. We went to a play, to dinner, and to my apartment for two different cakes. It was pretty great.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If all the world’s governments had been overthrown.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Um, “personal fashion concept”? I…don’t know. Judging by my overflowing closets, it was nothing so focused as a concept.

32. What kept you sane?

My friends.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Gordon Ramsay.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

The fact that everything is now political.

35. Who did you miss?

Antoine and his parents.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

All of my Cincinnati friends, and Schuyler.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.

Avoiding pain is a good way to be unhappy.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Make me!

Filed under: Life