8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Managing to stay sane and do everything by myself while Tarik is gone.  Also, I received and acting award at a competition in February for my role in "Jekyll and Hyde."

9. What was your biggest failure?
I started smoking again after two years.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No, thank God.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Well, didn't buy much since money has been pretty tight.  Hopefully a new car in the next few days.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My mother, who bought my plane ticket to Vermont for Christmas.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My mother, who seems to be sometimes missing that "mother" gene.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and bills.  In fact, 85% of it went to mortgage and bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Directing my first show.

16. What song will always remind you of 2003?
I am so lame in the music department.  I don't really have one.

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

i. happier or sadder?
Well, I can't really say either.  I am less worried about money since Tarik is making tons in the middle east and the first $80k is tax free, but then again, he IS gone for a year.
ii. thinner or fatter?
The same.
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Visit my sister and her family to see my niece and nephew.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stress about everything.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it in Vermont at my aunt and uncle's with my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew.

21. Did you fall in love in 2003?
Already in love.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Insomniac, Chappell's show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - I have a Comedy Central addiction.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nah.  I basically just feel sorry for them for being horrible people.

26. What was the best book you read?
Bloody Mary by Carrolly Erickson.  Its an older biography of Queen Mary I.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That I can still play my trumpet fairly well.

28. What did you want and get?
A job.

29. What did you want and not get?
The money I asked for at said job?

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
"Pirates of the Caribbean"!.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 34 and was in Clear Lake (next to NASA) for a theatrical competition.  The cast woke me up in the morning at the hotel and presented me with a birthday cake and roses.  We performed our one hour version of "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" performed very well, and I received an award for my performance.  Later, I went over to the Johnson Space Center and took pictures of the flowers and memorials people had placed for the Columbia Shuttle crew.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably satisfying?
Finding a new performance space for UpStage Theatre.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?
Classic and inexpensive.  Yea to the clearance sales at Kohl's!

34. What kept you sane?
Theatre and friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Well, I can tell you who its NOT - Dubya.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Dubya.

37. Who did you miss?
My husband.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Dang, I meet so many people all the time its hard to remember.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003:
No matter how horrible I perceived my situation to be, I had to often remind myself that I am truly blessed.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow...."

Song virus du jour:  Beethoven's Ninth Symphony