tiny democracy Pop Quiz, 2008 Edition.

So, I was reading All and Sundry's blog, a personal favorite. And she invited her readers to answer her Pop Quiz for themselves. I think that ideally this would have been done BEFORE New Years, but I think its a great way to sum up the year that was. So I'm posting late. Ya gotta problem with that??





1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I had a baby. It was weird. And fantastic. Still is, come to think of it.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn’t make any resolutions last year, and never really have. But I’ve made some for this year already, because I think I need to have more concrete goals.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Just me. I guess I’m close to me, most of the time.


4. Did anyone close to you die?
GeekDad’s aunt passed away shortly after BabyA was born, due to chronic organ rejection on a double lung transplant she had about 6 years ago. We miss her dearly.

5. What countries did you visit?
None. Just puttered around Alberta. Being pregnant and then a new mom was not so conducive to long distance mobility.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A permanent work situation.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 21, the day my daughter was born. Nov. 4, when Barack Obama was elected.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Having a child, teaching my first class.


9. What was your biggest failure?
Overcoming my procrastinating tendencies. Hello, my name is Dawn, and I’m a chronic procrastinator.


10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, other than a slightly rough recovery from my C-section.


11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our Quinny stroller for our daughter. The infant car seat fits onto a stroller frame, and the whole thing fits in the trunk of our Mazda 3.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The American voters, collectively. You got all excited about democracy, and hope, all that shit. You turned out to vote in droves, which is meritorious in itself, and then you went and elected Obama. Seriously, dudes, kudos to you!


13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Sarah Palin, mostly because she didn’t seem to have any clue how clueless she was.


14. Where did most of your money go?
Various and assorted pregnancy and then baby gear.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The obvious is BabyA, but the less obvious? My friend Jen finally running in the federal election. It’s something we’ve been working on for a long, long time.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Forever, by Chris Brown. I’m not a fan of Chris Brown generally speaking, but this song from So You Think You Can Dance – Season 4, which was my guilty pleasure while I learned how to breastfeed BabyA. That show was what got me through July and August, while I recovered from labour and learned to be a mom. I can’t hear it without feeling a rush of emotion.


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

a) happier or sadder? 
Happier. My baby is here, and alive, and healthy. I have a fantastic life partner, and great family and friends.
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner, surprisingly enough. I’m hoping to keep that trend going.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, as I’m on maternity leave.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
I always wish I’d travelled more, although travel was rather complicated for a good part of this year. Maybe keeping in touch with friends who live away.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying about whether BabyA was doing alright. I know it’s just part of the post-partum hormonal soup, but I spent the first two months obsessing to an unhealthy degree about whether she was eating, sleeping, pooping, too much, not enough, whatever. If it was possible to worry about it I did. I even worried about whether I was worrying too much. Seriously.



20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family at my sister’s house. It was noisy and happy and tiring and exactly what Christmas should be.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
With my daughter. It sounds cheesy, but I am absolutely, ridiculously infatuated with her. Also, I fell for my partner all over again, watching him becoming a father.


22. What was your favorite TV program?
Probably Chuck. I heart Chuck. And Zachary Levi. Nom nom.


23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t really hate people. I feel bad for people who make themselves unlikable, but find hating is mostly a waste of time and energy on people who really aren’t worth it.

24. What was the best book you read?
I loved the Twilight series. It’s cheesy, melodramatic, angsty teen fiction, and I craved it like the literary crack it is.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Making musical discoveries is one of the things that fell by the wayside in what turned out to be a very busy year. I loved a lot of the soundtrack to SYTYCD, as was already mentioned.

26. What did you want and get?
Cute maternity clothes. A cool camera.

27. What did you want and not get?
An iphone. I am already campaigning for this year.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. I didn’t have much for expectations as I only came across the preview on another DVD we rented, but it turned out to be a wonderful little gem of a film. Watch it.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I marked papers. All day, and half the night. I was teaching my first political science course, and it was a condensed spring session, so that kind of ate up all of May. And how old? 33. No comments from the peanut gallery.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I can’t really think of a lot. This year was pretty great, personally and professionally. And I try not to feel dissatisfied, but remind myself of how truly lucky I am.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Body fluctuations. Not so much weight gain as a major change in body shape with the pregnancy, a major weight loss after. These have left me searching for anything at all in my closet that fits.

32. What kept you sane?
My husband. His patience through my pregnancy and post-partum crazies deserves a Nobel prize.


33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Can I name a literary character? Edward, from the Twilight series. Not Robert Pattison (the actor who plays Edward), but Edward from the book, who lives in my head. Oh, swoon. Really.


34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The sneaky crawl towards privatizing health care in Alberta. When I realize that having BabyA would have cost us thirty to fourty thousand dollars in the US, I realized how important our publicly funded health care system is.

35. Who did you miss?
My friends, April, Andrea, and Hader, who don’t live near me. And my brother, who also lives too far away.


36. Who was the best new person you met?
I’m going to say my students (!), the first class I’ve taught. They were interesting, and funny, and smart, and I’m sure I learned as much from them as they did from me.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Children do not come with an instruction booklet. Trying to treat the myriad of advice books about children like instruction manuals can lead to extreme craziness and obsessive behaviour. Parenting requires a bit of intuition, and a lot of learning from mistakes.


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

Say, its only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me


Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me



Without your love
It's a honky-tonk parade
Without your love
It's a melody played in a penny arcade



It's a Barnum and Bailey world
Just as phony as it can be
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me




And with that, we begin a new year, people. Use it wisely!!