1. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before?
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Just keep swimming.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope. We are all too old. A lot of my friends have kids who are graduating high school and headed into college. How did that happen?
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
We went to Cozumel, Mexico and St John’s, New Brunswick I think, Canada.
7. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
April 29, 2023, the day we booked Big Cruise ’24.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Booking Big Cruise
9. What was your biggest failure?
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nah.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
The cruises!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mine, dammit.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Republicans. All of them. And if you’re a Republican and reading this, Fuck You!
14. Where did most of your money go?
The cruise line.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Big Cruise ’24, Small Cruise ’23, Small Cruise ’24.
16. What song will always remind you of 2023?
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Happier!
18. Thinner or fatter?
Fatty fatty bo-ba-latty
19. Richer or poorer?
Same.
20. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Travelling, specifically to Indiana. I also wish I’d been a better friend, but I’m going to work on that.
21. What do you wish you’d done less of?
22. How will you be spending Christmas?
Xmas 2023: At home.
23. Did you fall in love in 2023?
Nope
24. Any one night stands?
I bought a desk at some point!
25. What was your favorite TV program?
For All Mankind (on AppleTV). So good.
26. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No one new
27. What was the best book you read?
This was technically at the end of 2022, but I’m going to say it was How High We Go In the Dark. Still hauntingly beautiful. I loved it so much.
28. What was your greatest musical discovery?
29. What did you want and get?
30. What did you want and not get?
I couldn’t figure out a way to get to Italy for the last show of Harry’s Love on Tour tour. Oh well. There were 70,000 people there and I probably would have been trampled.
31. What was your favorite film of this year?
Barbie. I saw A Movie in the theater!
32. What did you do on your birthday?
We had a dinner with two other couples at the Melting Pot.
33. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Harry twice.
34. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?
Why do I keep buying dresses?
35. What kept you sane?
Harry Styles. We bought Alexas for our home offices and being able to croak “Alexa play Harry Styles” is immeasurably satisfying.
36. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
See above. And also Don Henley, obviously. Some things never change.
37. What political issue stirred you the most?
Abortion. I’m 46 years old and no babies here, but I appreciate having the option if everything went to hell. For me, for my nieces, for some perfectly normal woman who never thought she’d need one until she needed one. Fuck you, Ken Paxton you are a piece of shit.
38. Who did you miss?
I miss my friends. I’m not great at keeping up with them and I’m sorry about that.
39. Who was the best new person you met?
40. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023:
41. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
42. (New Question for 2020) Hey Elaine, are you going through a midlife crisis, what with all of this pop music performed by a 29 year old?
Yes, I think so. Elaine (circa 1992) is horrified by what I’ve become in this regard. She did not spend her free time sneering at New Kids on the Block fans only to become a middle aged water buffalo screaming at Harry Styles.