Questions bipolar version #10

A: I wouldn't be surprised if I had SAD or something similar -- winter tends to depress me. I always think about two paintings by Picasso when I get in this mood. I'll link them below.

Q: What is your favorite memory of this year?



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I don’t know if I have a favourite. It’s been a miserable year. Okay so Christmas with the family was good so I’ll go with that.

Do you have fond memories of being in school?

I do. By and large school was good. Middle school was rocky but overall I loved school I love books and learning and that kind of dimmed everything else. I had friends but never any very close friends. My nose was always in a book. There was a loose group of us that shared fan fiction of Star Trek. But I was also in a lot of art classes and dressed like a hippie so I didn’t fit into any clique. Looking back I can see that others tried to get close to me but I was in my own world

Same question

Mixed. So so. I mean it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t absolutely amazing. Made some great friends though!

Is there anything planned next year already that you want to do or achieve?

So much! The question is actually achieving it! For one, I'd like to be in a financial position to finish school by the end of the year, spring semester at the latest. I'm so close (three classes left), but I have an outstanding bill that needs to be paid as well. Couple that with a sick mother and an aggressively unhelpful father...

Any big events already planned in the coming year? Family reunions, big vacations, seeing someone you haven't seen in years, that sort of thing?

I went to a school reunion in October and saw a lot of good people I hadn't seen in a long time. Also got to see my family which I had not seen in 5 years due to complications with my BP. I joined a vocational school program late this year which should have me employed early 2024.

Although this year was really tough for many reasons, I have to say itemizing the good has been helpful here ! Happy New Year Folks ~

It's been a pretty bland year. Don't have any fave memories really, except for writing and finishing my novel. Probably the mini vacations I took with my husband and daughter.

What's your LEAST favorite memory of 2023?

(I like the paintings you linked a lot.)

Work would be my least favourite memory. I had some difficult classes!

Are you looking forward to NYE?

No! My husband is a kitchen manager at a bar. I'm worried about him driving home late at night, with all the drunken buffoons on the road.

Same question.

Do you have any NYE plans?

Yes. I am taking my son to see fireworks at 9:30pm tonight.

If you could, would you care to watch fireworks?

Yes, I would watch fireworks. Where I grew up, we would see multiple fireworks, 5, maybe 7 fireworks from the balcony of our apartment on the top story of a 12-story building. I miss that. It remains among the cherished childhood memories.

Going back to the question about school years. Do you currently keep in touch with at least one of your former classmates?

No.

Same question.

Yes, I am regularly in touch with my girlfriend who lived in the same apartment complex with me and went to the same elementary and middle school. She still lives in the same apartment. She has a teenage son with anxiety who resists treatment and is herself at her wit's end trying to help him. It is very hard watching her struggle from across the globe. I met her son once in 2019. At that time, he seemed such a hospitable and cheerful boy. I had no idea about his special needs. I offered to talk to him about psych meds, basically to tell him that I use them and am doing fine, all in hopes that he would be less reluctant to try. But then again, I do not take meds for anxiety and cannot speak to them.

I am also in touch on Facebook with a few other classmates and saw a whole bunch of them in 2019. But I have not been continuously in touch with them since the moment we graduated high school. I started using Facebook regularly in 2014 and gradually discovered my former classmates on it. Many of them have been friends continuously, without interruption, since graduation.

Q: how many times have you moved since you graduated high school?

Let’s see. I’ve lived in South Africa, Scotland, London now Australia. I’ve moved homes more times than I could possibly count.

Are you living in your dream home?

I never really had a dream home, if I'm being honest. My dream home is living in a tiny, cozy apartment with my husband once my daughter is all grown up and moved out.

Is your life the way you envisioned it would be when you were in high school?

Nooooo. I never saw the divorce happening. To me, marriage was for life. TIL death do us part. But look at my amazing fiance and beautiful son.

If you could relive one day in your life all over again, which day would you choose?

I just want to say this is such a terrific question. It made me really walk down the memory lane. Several great options to choose from and I feel they are to private to share, but I enjoyed the experience of trying to choose.

Same question.

Any of the 3 days one of my kids were born.

Are you with your soulmate?

Oh definitely!

Do you want or have children? Do you enjoy being a parent?

I love being a parent to 3 kids. Ages: 24 (son); 20 (daughter); 5 (son)

If you could fly for free to anywhere in the world for a week, where would you go to?

Iceland or Hawaii

If you could go to any New Year’s Eve bash in the worlds, which one would you go to.

Oh. Difficult question. Well, my husband doesn't fly because he gets panic attacks on airplanes, and I have no desire to leave the USA, so if we're going to pretend that my husband doesn't have a flying phobia and I could take a week long trip with him, I'd like to visit Ogden, Utah again. When my husband and I were in college we went there for a writers workshop (he pretended he was a writer so he could go. Lol) and we had a really good time, and it was beautiful! The mountains! I'd love to go back there with him sometime, but sadly I don't think it's going to be happening. He's too afraid of flying. And I'm too afraid of driving.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2024?

Just to tell you @raspberrytorte, my good friend overcame his flying phobia after a great many years and traveled to Europe with his kids to meet his wife's parents in their home country. I think he used Valium. I can ask him what he used. He ultimately greatly enjoyed the trip.

My hopes are to:
- develop a consistent sleep/wake cycle and stay employed
- pay off personal debts from a long time ago
- save money (this depends on being able to stay employed which in turn depends on having enough waking hours during the day)

My dreams are to:
- restart my memoir writing after a break of more than five years and send many important letters to reconnect with important people in my life before it is too late
- enjoy a variety of physical exercises and become stronger
- read physical books and not just listen to audiobooks

Q: which of your long term hopes and dreams do you see yourself realizing in 2024?

@Tart Cherry Jam

Unfortunately my husband is resistant to taking meds of any kind. He won't even take Tylenol. I've mentioned to him the idea of going to the doctor and asking about a benzo for the plane ride, or for giving him one of my diazepam, but he absolutely refuses.

Or even a ****ing gabby! But he won't take that either.