Year End Recap Internet Meme

I'm planning to write some kind of "Year in Review" post, but since I probably won't have time for that, this meme, posted by Steve Rolston amongst other bloggers I read, appealed to me:

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Had a son. Bought a business. Played Rock Band. Canceled my digital cable.

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions, usually. If I had, I'm sure I would have failed at them. See also, why I don't make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Well, there was my wife. And my sister had her second son. And one of my employees and friends had a boy with his wife. So yeah, it was a big year for births.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope, this year was pretty clear as far as that went.

5. What countries did you visit?
I visited California, which is *like* another country when you're visiting from Texas. Also, on December 31st, through the miracle of Rock Band, I visited the United States of Rocking Out.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
Money. Or alternatively, the ability to not stress about money and whether or not we have enough of it to survive now and into the future.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 19, the day I officially bought the comics shop. And June 11, the day my son Aaron was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I bought a comic shop, and managed to avoid running it into the ground for the entire year.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I freaked out way too often about how the business/our personal finances were doing, and I took on so much that I feel like some things (comic reviewing in particular) suffered.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Aside from a couple evil cold/flu type things, not really.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Rogues Gallery Comics & Games. And I didn't buy them, but getting an XBox 360 and Rock Band for Christmas qualifies as my favorite material things acquired for the year, aside from the store.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food... we spend a shocking amount of money on groceries every month. Then the mortgage, ever-more costly gas, health insurance, preschool bills, etc. Nothing fun, really.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Wow, I sound like a broken record, but the birth of my son and buying the store.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
I don't tend to link music and memory, but if anything sticks, it'll probably be either The Fratellis - Flathead because that song cheered me up a lot when I was stressed or The Humpty Dance by The Digital Underground due to a number of inside jokes at the store in the last few months.

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

Older or wiser?
Yes and probably no.

Thinner or fatter?
About the same. So fat. :)

Richer or poorer?
Poorer. But my *future* financial prospects are much stronger, if we can survive the duration of the business loan.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gone outside, exercised, spent time with my wife and kids (because no matter how much time I spend, it's never enough).

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Messing around on the Internet. Like I'm doing. Right. Now. So this will be the same answer in 2008, probably.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Visited the in-laws in Dallas the week before, had Christmas Eve at our house with my parents. If only my sister and her husband and kids could have visited (and Katy hadn't had strep), it would have been perfect, but as is, it was still a great Christmas.

22. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Yes. With Rock Band. :)

23. What was your favorite TV program?
How much time do you have? Choosing one, I'd say Dexter.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Almost certainly, but I don't have a handy list or anything.

25. What was the best book you read?
Non-comics, since that's a list all its own, my favorite book of the year was probably the final Harry Potter.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The Fratellis

27. What did you want and get?
XBox, Rock Band, a comic book store, good friends, good family, etc.

28. What did you want and not get?
A bazillion dollars, worldwide fame and a license to kill.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Knocked Up in theaters, Children of Men on DVD

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 36, and I cannot for the life of me remember what I did.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More money, less near-death and hospital bills as a result of Aaron's arrival. But really, it was a pretty satisfying year.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Um... t-shirt and shorts or t-shirt and jeans?

33. What kept you sane?
Suzanne and the kids. My best friend/store manager Dave. Videogames and TV. Murdering hobos with my bare hands. (Wait, scratch that last one.)

34. Which celebrities/public figures did you fancy the most?
There are whole lists for this kind of thing, but I'm gonna go with Tina Fey.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
I've fallen into a sort of simmering, constant frustrated outrage over the Bush Administration, but I think I was stirred most by realizing that Barack Obama is a candidate I'm actually *excited* about, rather than just willing to settle for. I'm dying to see how tomorrow's Iowa primary plays out.

36. Who did you miss?
I'm always disappointed Don MacPherson can't make San Diego, as I haven't seen him for years.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Wow, I don't know. I always meet a ton of people in San Diego and at STAPLE!, and new customers turn into friends with regularity at the shop.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
I will always, always stress about things I can't control, even if everything winds up turning out OK.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Yeah, that's gonna be a little too emo/Myspace for me.