Technically, there are still a few days left of 2018, but for all intents and purposes, it’s over. As such, time to dust off this old thing. Let’s have at it.
What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before?
Travel to the Middle East. Partake of Black Pudding. Submit a stool sample. Not all on one day, mind you.
Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My plans for the inevitable “Dry January” were stymied by the arrival of the bomb cyclone. We’ll see what happens this year.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Friends of mine had children. No one in the immediate family.
Did anyone close to you die?
In the beginning of the year, my childhood friend Danny passed away. I wrote a few posts about it. Still hard to believe.
What countries did you visit?
I went to Lebanon in August (with a stopover in Paris) and England in November.
What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?
A responsible adult in the White House.
What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory?
I’m going to say September 12, which was significant for me in that it was both my organization’s company-wide Town Hall meeting (for which I orchestrated video coverage and content) in Nashville, Tennessee and the date of Killing Joke’s New York stop on their 40th Anniversary tour. I’d taken pains to arrange it so I could actually do both, but those plans collapsed, as discussed in histrionic detail here.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I’m proud of my continuing ascent at my place of work. The work I do is recognized and appreciated. That’s a nice feeling. Here's hoping I can sustain in 2019.
What was your biggest failure?
My little family has sorely outgrown our living space, but we have yet to find a working solution.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Well, at one point, I had a scare with a tick. Then I developed a wicked case of Montezuma’s Revenge (read: traveler’s diarrhea) following the trip to Beirut. Then there was a sort of mystery condition that prompted a few invasive and uncomfortable tests (see stool sample answer above), that revealed nothing and went away as mysteriously as it had arrived. I’m sure you’re sorry you asked, now.
What was the best thing you bought?
Airline tickets for London to see the close of Killing Joke’s 40th Anniversary tour.
Whose behavior merited celebration?
Christine Blasey Ford
Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Brett Kavanaugh, Matthew Whitaker, Susan Collins, Chuck Grassley, John Cornyn, Mike Pence, Lyndsey Graham.
What did you get really, really excited about?
Traveling to Beirut. Traveling to London to see Killing Joke.
Where did most of your money go?
Tuition for my kids’ schools.
What song will always remind you of 2018?
“Never Fight a Man with a Perm” by IDLES
Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
I’d say I’m about the same. I’m worried about a few things, but overall am content with how things are going on a personal level. On a grander scale, 2018 was a year of constant incredulousness, shock, disgust and shame over the Trump Administration.
Thinner or fatter?
Certainly fatter.
Richer or poorer?
Feeling the latter in the wake of the holiday season. We’ll see when those Amex bills arrive.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Relaxing with my wife and kids.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on social media. Arguing about politics with certain folks.
How did you spend Christmas?
Spread over Quogue, Manhattan, Brooklyn and West Chester, PA.
Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
No earthly idea.
Did you fall in love in 2018?
Was already in love.
How many one night stands in this last year?
Zero. Happily hitched.
What was your favorite TV program?
I quite liked “The Bodyguard.”
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I continue to hate Trump and his cronies and his supporters.
What was the best book you read?
Without question, the “Beastie Boys Book.”
What was your greatest musical discovery?
From eons passed, I discovered that great collaboration of Robert Fripp and David Sylvian, and a band I’d entirely slept on called The Oblivians, who are amazing. I also became somewhat enthralled by two newer bands, specifically IDLES and Daughters, as I mentioned here.
What did you want and get?
I was finally able to see Killing Joke on their 40th Anniversary tour –- TWICE, no less (Oxford and London)
What did you want and not get?
Regime change.
What were your favorite films of this year?
I quite liked “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, which was a refreshingly smart, very New Yorky film. I suppose I liked “Avengers: Infinity Wars,” but all those Marvel movies are starting to blur together for me.
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned an unseemly 51, and had a small celebration with my family.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Trump’s impeachment, indictment and incarceration.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?
Embarrassing Dad With a Band T-shirt Problem
What kept you sane?
My lovely wife and children.
What celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I normally don’t have an answer for this, but I’m going to say Hayley Atwell. She’s close to perfect.
What political issue stirred you the most?
Fuckin’ take your pick.
Who did you miss?
Pete Shelley, Stan Lee, Mark E. Smith
Who was the best new person you met?
Three of my wife’s cousins in Beirut, who are all totally excellent.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018
Never lose your sense of humor, regardless of how bleak and dire things get.
Song lyric that sums up 2018
Not a current song, but from World Party’s “Ship of Fools,” this feels kinda accurate…
We're setting sail to the place on the map
from which no one has ever returned
Drawn by the promise of the joker and the fool
by the light of the crosses that burned.
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