Last Post of 2013: Year-End Survey

Here's a nice little year-end survey to sum up my 2013.

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?

• Spoke on an asexuality panel at a conference.
• Let a homeless friend move in with me until he could find a job and a place to live.
• Got a book deal.
• Was on a live TV show (well, webcast).
• Was on a live radio show (that wasn't a podcast).
• Dressed up as one of my own characters for Halloween.
• Participated as a Pitch Wars mentor.
• Became an aunt.

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

I didn't actually make any last year. I do plan to make a couple for next year, though. (Reading more and writing more, if you're curious.)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister Patricia gave birth to my awesome nephew Ash Aoba! My friend Andrea gave birth to baby Saryn as well, but we only talk on Facebook so I don't know if that counts as close. :)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No. My old high school friend Dustin died in June, but I wasn't in touch with him.

5. What countries did you visit?

I only visited other cities inside the US.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?

I'd like more reading time, more time with my mom, better management of all my interaction and projects, and A FICTION BOOK DEAL!

7. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

• January 25: I spoke at the Creating Change conference and kept company with amazing people.
• May 1: I found out I was going to be an aunt.
• May 22: I signed with my nonfiction agent, Andrea Somberg.
• September 30: I found out my sister Lindsay was engaged.
• November 20: My nonfiction book sold to Skyhorse Publishing.
• December 20: My nephew Ash was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I guess by most standards it was selling my book, but that's starting to get boring as my answer to everything. ;)

9. What was your biggest failure?

I both read very little and created very little new fiction material. I did not finish any novels this year and only wrote one short story.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I was pretty sick in March immediately after my friend Victor moved out--I got a horrible illness the weekend he left. Other than that I have been having this weird problem with my leg and my hip. It randomly hurts for no apparent reason sometimes. I'm a little worried about what it might be.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Hard to choose! I bought a new laptop, which is great, but actually I think my new smart phone has changed my life more. And it's in a sparkly silver case.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

• Meggie, who carries on amazingly working as a nurse and supporting her husband and two kids and just being an in general awesome person.
• Cara, who has struggled with various issues and has held it together.
• Jessie, who has experienced love and loss in ways she did not expect.
• My agent Michelle, whose book sold to a publisher this year.
• My dad, who had to help my grandfather choose an assisted living situation for my grandmother.
• My sister, for having an awesome baby that I'm gonna go play with.
• My mom, for everything she deals with and still shows me she loves me.
• Ronni, for finding the courage to do what she loves again.
• My critique partner Jay, for getting to the quarter-finals in the Amazon contest and continuing the agent search with gusto.
• Mandy, for finally achieving her dream to have Community Cafe opened.
• Victor, for going from nothing to getting a steady job and a place to live. He really made it.
• Jeremy, for making the hardest decisions of his life because they will be right in the long run.
• Fred, for all his awesome triathlon achievements!
• C.B. Whitney, for working hard on his book and entering Pitch Wars so I could pick him as my mentee. :)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?


I won't name specific people, but . . .

• Cheating spouses.
• People who limited the rights of LGBT people and caused violence against them.
• All the jerks who sent me inappropriate sexually explicit e-mail.
• All the people who reacted to my asexuality activism with threats of violence and condescending lectures about my obligation to try to change my orientation.
• Sneaky landlords.
• People who claim to support freedom of speech if a speaker echoes their beliefs, but support censorship if the speaker says something they disagree with.
• Music, television, and other media celebrities who create work that advocates coercive behavior and minimizes the legitimacy of consent.
• Bullies.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Besides bills and buying a new phone, I bought silly tee shirts, paid for some stuff at Disney world, spent lots of money on a Halloween party, and just this month bought tickets for airfare to California and the place we're renting while staying out there. Also, birthday presents and holiday presents.

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

Pitch Wars was great! Getting a book contract was awesome! Becoming an aunt was super amazing! And I also got really, really, really excited about going to Disney with Meggie's family, going to an anime convention, my Halloween party, listening to Welcome to Night Vale, reading Shannon Hale's books, getting an awesomely fuzzy blanket, and getting a full manuscript request from one of my dream publishers!

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?

"The Fox," of course.

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

i. happier or sadder?
A little happier.

ii. thinner or fatter?
I'm fatter. :D

iii. richer or poorer?
Richer.

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

Reading, definitely. Writing, definitely. (Though I did a fair amount nonfiction writing.) Reading blogs and keeping up with what everyone's doing.

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

Arguing with assholes on the Internet.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

Mostly arguing with an asshole on the Internet. But my mom came over and we ate mini-quiches and homemade Parmesan biscuits, and we exchanged presents.

21. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?

Visiting my sister, her husband, and her new baby with my mom, in San Francisco. I don't know if we'll be at our rental place or at my sister's place. But there will probably be ice cream. 

22. Did you fall in love in 2013?

With people? Nnnno. Though there were some books I loved. :)

23. How many one-night stands?

Who asks that? Furthermore, who asks ME that?

24. What was your favorite TV program?

I enjoyed The Legend of Korra and Adventure Time, man.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Hate is a strong word. But I think a couple people I know have shown true colors that were disappointing.

26. What was the best book you read this year?

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale, definitely.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

This wasn't really a good music year for me. I really enjoyed a new album I bought by The Bird and the Bee but I didn't discover the band during this year.

28. What did you want and get?

A nonfiction agent and a book deal? :D Also got a lot of media attention, though I wasn't exactly hoping for it.

29. What did you want and not get?

A fiction deal and a million dollars? I also was hoping to get a short story published this year and it didn't happen.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

It didn't come out in 2013, but I loved Rise of the Guardians in 2013.

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

I turned 35 and I had a nice little dinner at my mom's with my friends Eric and Victor and Jeaux.

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

Writing a book, probably. Life is always so enriched by writing books.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?

The two pairs of jeans that fit me right now because I'm fatter than usual, and sweatpants upon sweatpants. God I love sweatpants. Also, funny tee shirts featuring Adventure Time characters and Welcome to Night Vale art, with long-sleeved thin shirts underneath when it's cold.

34. What kept you sane?

Oh, definitely my other writer friends. {{{{{{E-HUGS TO ALL OF YOU.}}}}}}} You all helped me keep my head where it should be and encouraged me and motivated me.

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

I don't really have a thing for celebrities. But I got a lot of happy feels from reading Shannon Hale's books and then watching her be goofy on Twitter and super amazing on her blog.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

I think my answer to this is almost always the same and that is gay and trans* rights.

37. Who did you miss?

A few of my pals whom I really haven't seen this year because I was busy and so were they. If I had to name names I think I'd be here all night.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Wow! I haven't actually met many new people this year. But I'm gonna be a weirdo and say my Pitch Wars mentee C.B. Whitney, 'cause a) he's fresh in my mind and b) can't say I've met a lot of people who have made me want to Skype for like five hours in a row, and I'm looking forward to more of that.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

Overscheduling will lead to stress and underscheduling will lead to procrastination. Find a balance, baby.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

"I will be chasing the starlight until the end of my life."