What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? Apply to college; drive above 10 mph; go to an attorney's office (a lot!); watch a Blu-ray movie; call 911.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Didn't make none as I recall. I think I have a couple general resolutions for this coming year, which is more than zero, so I suppose that's a yes.

Did anyone close to you give birth? A number of people at my church gave birth. They're close to me as members of the same church body, but I'm not really close friends with any of them. Most of my close friends aren't married yet, though I suspect that in another three to five years I could be seeing a "wave a' babies!". ;-)

Did anyone close to you die? Sadly, yes.

What countries did you visit? California could easily declare itself a country, but I visited no officially recognized nation-state beyond the borders of the U.S.A.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? 1/8 of a college education, a trip to the Mediterranean, more books, more muscle, more knowledge. :P

What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 16th, the day my father passed away.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Probably getting accepted to Hillsdale, or successfully taking the SAT, or getting my driver's license.

What was your biggest failure? The first thing that comes to mind is having some big laziness problems as per schoolwork. :-)

Did you suffer illness or injury? If that was earlier this year...hm. I had a pretty atrocious case of pink eye a while back, but that may have been more than a year ago. As you can tell, no flesh-eating disease or anything.

What was the best thing you bought? That I bought personally? Oh boy...I don't know! Probably some book.

Where did most of your money go? My total earnings weren't that significant, as I am not gainfully employed, but most went either to the purchase of various media (books, CDs, movies) or to my bank account.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Going to Hillsdale, Robert coming home, seeing Mom, hanging out with the Deckers.

What song will always remind you of 2008? I don't know. Songs don't typically remind me of years. Maybe "American Made" by George Thorogood, as I bought one of his CDs this year and that is one of my favorite songs from it.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

Thinner or fatter? Oh, I may have put on a touch of weight, though it wouldn't be very significant.

Richer or poorer? Richer.

What do you wish you'd done more of? School, writing, praying, Bible-reading, hanging out with Robert and Mom, exercising.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Slacking off, sorting through bills and insurance documents, going to the attorney's office, walking on slick ice.

How will you be spending/have you spent Christmas? Opening gifts and eating Christmas dinner with my family.

Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes. Her name is Tsukiko Takahashi and she's 41, a secret agent, and fictional. It's not a romantic sort of love, but the benevolent love of an author for a character who makes him happy. :-)

What was your favorite TV program? Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and House, M.D. Yes, I can cheat and name two.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Nope...I can't say that I hate anyone at all currently, and I hope to keep things that way. I have a newfound appreciation for several people, though.

What was the best book you read? Well, I think the one I enjoyed the most was Retribution: The Battle for Japan 1944-45. But then there's also The Fall of Berlin 1945, and So Brave, Young, and Handsome, and probably some other literature I'm not thinking of.

What was your greatest musical discovery? I discovered that I liked George Thorogood.

What did you want and get? The first season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles; a cool sweater; Black Hawk Down and its soundtrack; The Combat Leader's Field Guide; a sound system that docks an ipod; a Macbook; .22 ammunition.

What did you want and not get? A Taurus 24/7 compact .40 pistol; an Audi A8; $1,000,000; a sarkan; a chance to visit some friends.

What was your favorite film of this year? Well, I think I might choose The Dark Knight with David, but I also greatly enjoyed Walk the Line, Serenity, and some others.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was the big 18. I went to Sweet Tomatoes and opened some presents, and a day or so later bought some ammunition unaccompanied. :)

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being a more faithful, righteous, and courageous servant of God.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? I'm not sure what language to use to describe a fashion concept. How about this: neat and tidy, occasionally dapper but not ostentatious.

What kept you sane? God, of course. And through him, family, friends, long phone conversations, hanging out and playing pool, those walks with Dad, and my great church body. Of course, as David said, I never felt in real danger of going insane, especially since I doubt that truly insane people really think of themselves as such. But the above things fortified my spirits.

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

What political issue stirred you the most? I guess the issue of abortion stirred me the most this year. I found or was recommended a website that really raised my hackles about it. Otherwise I have been interested but not hugely stirred by the political landscape.

Who did you miss? Tack an M onto that incorrect nominative pronoun and maybe I'll answer. Thank you. Robert and Mom.

Who was the best new person you met? I can't say, really. Perhaps the couple I met at a church family's house.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Life can change in an instant in dramatic ways. Put your trust in God and not in earthly things. However much you come to hang on the temporal things you love, they have neither the permanence nor the perfection necessary to bear that weight. Depend on Christ, and all the rest will be in its proper place. Even the worst experiences can make you a better person, and God really can work all things for good. Don't shun responsibility, because you never know when it may be thrust upon you. Stick your neck out. Be confident. Learn from your mistakes. Oh, and don't get tire chains hung up on your brakes! It's a pain. Trust me on this one. :D

Merry Christmas, everyone! May your meditation and your celebrations be blessed as we commemorate the day the Word became flesh.

EDIT: From my gracious parents, grandparents, uncle, and aunt, I received the following:

--A fine Italian sweater with a rectangular decorative pattern in autumnal colors
--Gift cards to Barnes and Noble and Borders, my two favorite stores :D
--Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - The Complete First Season :)
--And the iHome, a bluetooth enabled ipod dock/alarm clock/radio/speakerphone: a compact little unit with good sound that will be perfect for a college dorm. And oh, hm, guess what? That's where I'm going to be living in 8 months. ;-)

Thanks to my awesome family! And never forget why we give gifts today.

Check out the views!

Out in front; that's the tail end of my car blanketed in the white stuff on the right there.

Grandpa's garden in the back.

The back porch.

The garden shed.

Beautiful out there, isn't it? I just can't drive anywhere for, it looks like, most of this week. According to weather.com it's currently 29, feels like 19, and the real temperature is going to drop over the next few days. And we're apparently looking to get another snow storm on Wedesday! Other than missing church, though, I don't think I'm going to miss anything else important or tantalizing. Meanwhile, I'm just going to enjoy the severe weather--but please be sure to pray for anyone who has to make a commute or who may get stuck out in the cold without a warm house.

Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Oh, what? Yes. Pardon the evil cackle. It's just that I solved another big piece of the Kirianic puzzle, one that may carry us to the very end. And that makes me happy--but work first, work first. Gregory of Tours awaits. :D

On the Grid Again

Hey all,

We had a good Thanksgiving here--just finished up the last of the leftover turkey yesterday, in fact; it was a 22 lb. bruiser--and so far life has been progressing well. If anyone who reads this didn't hear from some other source, I have been admitted to Hillsdale College, my hands-down top choice, on a 1/2 tuition scholarship. That makes me exceeding happy. :D

I'm also finding the Venerable Bede a bit tricky to translate in spots, but that's ok. He can be that way. He'll just see if I care.

It's getting cold, finally: Grandpa estimated it was around 28 last night and I had to put de-icer on "my" car (Dad's leased car, which we'll be turning in, in anticipation of whatever car I do end up owning). For some time the weather has been unusually mild for November-December, and I'm ready for it to get cold for good until April. It should be nice and bracing for my walks, which because of the steep hills in this area will be deathly to calories.

Lastly, I've inherited a Motorola Razr from mea mater, which I've been very much enjoying. It's of a bold dark red in hue, and, to me the most fun part, I got it to play a theme from The Dark Knight soundtrack whenever someone calls me. So call me, ja? :D