All I’m saying is that if the armed services were a little more welcoming of “the gays,” it wouldn’t have taken almost nine years for the troops in Afghanistan to come up with the idea of lip-syncing, recording and releasing a music video online.  Plus, the rooms in the background would probably be cleaner.  At least, that’s been my experience.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Got an Oregon Drivers License, lived by myself, bought a car (photos coming soon!), successfully navigated a long-distance relationship.

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

I did pretty well, honestly. And I’m going to try to revive the ones I’ve been slacking on.  I’m also adding one WHOPPER for 2010 – I am going to run a 5 mile race.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! I got two new baby cousins this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No. Thank goodness.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just Canada. Wait, does Vegas count as a foreign country?

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

Patience.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 20th – Barack Obama’s Inauguration Day (and the day the Kilmorey burned down).

May 9th – Galen took me on our first date.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Living on my own has been very empowering, as silly as that sounds. I always thought I’d hate it, but it’s been pretty nice.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I don’t like this question. I failed to pay a couple of bills on time?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing more serious that the Swine Flu, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I’m hoping my new(ish) car will fill this role.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

The Blazers.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I’m going to change those words to “disappointed and confused” and say President Obama. Not overall, mind you, but I’m still sort of confused about a few things, like the deployment of so many troops to Afghanistan.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent, car.

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

Pretty much every time Galen came to visit. And my cousins having babies.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

“Boom Boom Pow” – Black Eyed Peas
“Don’t Trust Me” – 3Oh!3
“Battlefield” – Jordin Sparks
“Poker Face” – Lady Gaga
“I’m Yours” – Jason Mraz
“Love Story” – Taylor Swift
“Single Ladies” – Beyonce

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

happier or sadder? Happier
thinner or fatter? Thinner, I think. Maybe the same.
richer or poorer? About the same

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

I wish I’d spent more time in Montana.

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

I wish I’d spent less time worrying about the future.

20. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Yes. :)

21. What was your favorite TV program?

The Daily Show, 30 Rock, So You Think You Can Dance, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Boston Legal (reruns).

22. What was the best book you read?

It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Zac Brown Band

24. What did you want and get?

A new job, a new car, A fabulous boyfriend.

25. What did you want and not get?

More sunshine. It’s never enough.

26. What was your favorite film of this year?

Wow, I saw so few (as always). I’m going to have to go with either The Hangover or Bolt. I saw both of them without knowing anything about them, really, so I was pleasantly surprised.

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

I turned 26 and went to one of my favorite bars with almost all of my favorite people in Portland. It was a wonderful reminder that I have friends of all ages from many different areas of my life, and they’re all amazing.  It was also a reminder that tequila shots are never a good idea.

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

I’m going to state the obvious here and say that living in the same city as my boyfriend would have made a huge difference.

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Jewel tones. And jeans whenever possible. (Damn you, new dress code at work! *Shakes fist*)

30. What kept you sane?

My mom.

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

I’m going to change “fancy” to “admire” and go with Heather Armstrong.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?

Healthcare stirred me so much it left me exhausted and more than a little depressed.

33. Who did you miss?

Galen, my family, my friends who live elsewhere.

34. Who was the best new person you met?

It’s hard to believe I only met Galen in April…

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

I have very high standards when it comes to my close friends. In return, they have my undying loyalty and love.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Now my feet turn the corner back home
Sun turns the evening to rose
Stars turning high up above
You turn me into somebody loved

-Somebody Loved, by The Weepies

I don’t even know what else to say…

And then? This.

Elton John and Billy Joel are rescheduling their concert because of E. coli and the flu? What are the odds? And why aren’t people paying better attention to what Elton John is eating?!?! I mean, I get pretty much everything that goes around, including the swine flu, and even I’ve never had E. coli. I hope he gets well soon. And I REALLY hope that “postponed” doesn’t turn into “canceled.”

I have been known to be very critical of DJs at weddings, mainly because I have very high expectations when it comes to DJs in general.  Wedding DJs need to play a good mix of old and new, but almost all upbeat (keep in mind I’m always the single girl at weddings).  Slow songs have their places: first dances, father/daughter dances… maybe one or two more.  That’s it.

But the thing about wedding DJs is that everyone has an opinion about what they should play.  So here’s your chance: what would you want to hear at a wedding?

2. Free Falling, by John Mayer
Overheard while shopping. Downloaded almost immediately. It’s like the original, only for a different mood.

3. Battlefield, by Jordin Sparks
Yeah, it’s terrible pop music and she was on American Idol. But did you see Jeanine and Brandon’s dance on SYTYCD?

4. Love Story meets Viva La Vida, by Jon Schmidt
Peaceful. That’s the only word I can come up with that seems appropriate.

5. Daylight, by Matt & Kim
Yeah, I download songs from Bacardi commercials. So what?

TWO THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE WATCHING THIS VIDEO:
1. It is not safe for work.
2. If you are easily offended or don’t like blatant sex talk, you should not watch this.

The part I saw is the outdoor dancing that starts at 3:00.

Storm posted the video on her website and blog, along with a list of people she wanted to thank for their help and support. Then she signed off with this great line:

Last, but not least, thank you, Portland, Oregon. Your endless support of all things weird will always make you the coolest city on the planet. Bless your rainy and rosy wild heart.

xoStorm

Sure, he’s whacko. Hell, most of his family members are whacko. (Does anyone else remember when David Spade asked about LaToya Jackson, “Latoya, out of all the Jacksons, how screwed up do you have to be to be known as the crazy one?”) But the man may have been the most talented singer, songwriter and dancer that the 20th century knew.

It’s also sort of an odd situation when a famous person passes away that you not only never knew, but that wasn’t actually in the news for anything when he passed. It’s not like he was still coming out with great albums… I didn’t even know he was going on tour until I heard about his death. So will I miss him? No. But his music has been a huge part of my life, and this seems like a good time to honor that.

So what did I do tonight? I listened to every Michael Jackson song I had on my ipod (34, in case you’re wondering) as I ran errands, then I came home and drank a beer while I watched So You Think You Can Dance. It all seemed incredibly appropriate.

Tribute – Top Five Michael Jackson Songs According to Mego:
1. Billie Jean*
2. P.Y.T.
3. Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough
4. Thriller
5. The Way You Make Me Feel

*It’s worth noting that Billie Jean was the #1 song on the charts the day I was born.