End-of-the-Year Meme

I've been tagged by Jane for this end-of-the-year meme. I am pretty bad about doing things when people have tagged me (I have at least two outstanding tags that I haven't done), but the timing is right this time, so here goes.


1. Will you be looking for a new job?
Nope. Not unless something unexpected happens. I just got a new job, I like my new boss and colleagues, and they like me too.

2. Will you be looking for a new relationship?
I'm always open to making new friends, but I'm not looking for a new relationship per se. Something I'd like to do is to further cultivate the friendships I have developed with some of my female colleagues.

3. New house?
No, thankfully. It would take a lot for me to move again. And if we ever do move again, as frustrating as movers are, they are less frustrating than doing it yourself.

4. What will you do differently in 08?
Now that I've found this martial arts club at work, and Jeff and I have found another enjoyable exercise activity (I may blog about it at some point), I think I will be able to "move more" (as they call exercise in Weight Watchers) and keep my body in better shape.

5. New Years resolution?
I like Jane's/Profgrrl's idea of a new years theme. I think I'd like to have a theme of "happy and healthy," highlighting the need for me to move more and to continue to eat right and spend quality time with my husband and son.

6. What will you not be doing in 08?
There are a lot of things, such as smoking, that I have never done and will continue to not do in 2008.

7. Any trips planned?
Yes. March is busy: I'll be going to a conference, going to a planning meeting for SC08, and going to my sister Laura's dissertation defense celebration. There are two more planning meetings and the actual conference to go to. Jeff and I are planning a fun getaway for the two of us this summer, in celebration of our tenth wedding anniversary. There's the annual family reunion, although I don't know if we'll have the energy to go to that too.

8. Wedding plans?
Been there, done that. I wouldn't mind attending a wedding, though :)

9. Major thing on your calendar?
There are lots of looming deadlines and so forth, but I'd say the biggest thing, the project I've never done before, is this conference committee work.

10. What can’t you wait for?
I'm pretty excited about a lot of things. I'm looking forward to my sister's dissertation celebration. I can't wait for Vinny to walk (he may get around to it just before New Year's). I can't wait for him to really start talking.

11. What would you like to see happen differently?
I'd like the political world around me to stop going to hell. Eight years ago, we were a respected world superpower with a strong military, known for our commitment to human rights. Today, anti-American sentiment is at an all-time high, the dollar is at its weakest level in my lifetime, our beleaguered military is stretched thin, and we use torture on our enemies and egregiously violate the rights of even our own citizens. These developments are entirely our fault, and I hope that the next president (who will be elected next year, although not yet in office) will be able to turn things around for us.

12. What about yourself will you be changing?
I'm always working on becoming more confident and this year will be no exception.

13. What happened in 07 that you didn’t think would ever happen?
I got a "real job."

14. Will you be nicer to the people you care about?
There is always room for improvement in my behavior towards my loved ones, and I definitely will continue to do my best to be aware of their needs and be considerate towards them.

15. Will you dress differently this year than you did in 07?
I hope to shed the last 20 lbs of maternity weight and be able to get back into the clothes I wore in 2005, and maybe some new clothes too.

16. Will you start or quit drinking?
I don't drink alcoholic beverages, and I don't plan to start. I do, however, need to drink more water during the day :)

17. Will you better your relationship with your family?
There's always room for improvement in my existing family relationships, and in my non-existing family relationships, for that matter! But I don't anticipate that the status of any of these relationships will change.

18. Will you do charity work?
That's one thing I really haven't made time for in the past. As Vinny grows older, I hope that we will introduce him to charity work and cultivate compassion in him.

19. Will you go to bars?
No, probably not.

20. Will you be nice to people you don’t know?
Of course. Even evil atheists know the golden rule :)

21. Do you expect 08 to be a good year for you?
Yes. I think it will be a good year both personally and professionally.

22. How much did you change from this time last year till now?
I changed a lot. I lost a lot of weight, the pregnancy hormones wore off, I felt like I was once again on top of things at work, I had elbow surgery (a funnybone-ectomy, as one of my colleagues called it), I got a new job, and I watched my little baby grow (which, as Jane says, really does change your life).

23. Do you plan on having a child?
I don't anticipate having another child in 2008, but we might make an addition to the family in 2009.

24. Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now?
Yes, I think so.

25. Major lifestyle changes?
Not that I know of.

26. Will you be moving?
Not if I can help it!

27. What will you make sure doesn’t happen in 08 that happened in 07?
I didn't publish any papers or present at any conferences in 2007 (although others did, and included my name as an author). I'm already signed up for a conference in March, and my former boss is currently reviewing a paper that I've prepared about our work, which we will submit to a journal.

28. What are your New Years Eve plans?
My dad and bonus mom are going to be here. I think we will ring in the new year with sparkling juice, like we did last year.

29. Will you have someone to kiss at midnight?
Yup. Jeff will be there.

30. One wish for 08?
That common sense may prevail throughout the world.


Now I have to tag people. I'm with Jane, I hate tagging people. So I'm going to tag people who love me in real life and will forgive me if they're unhappy with being tagged. My sisters Rachel and Laura are obvious first targets, as are my favorite sister-in-law in the entire blogosphere, Ginger, and my better half, Jeff. And my cousin Susie, who won't be overtaxed or sleep-deprived until sometime in January ;)

Anyone else who wants to play, consider yourself tagged!