my 2010

editor's note: with the exception of "how did you spend Christmas", this post was composed very late on the night of november fourteenth.  not that it really changes anything, and only minor changes have been made for clarity, but we felt it worth noting just the same.


once again, thank you for reading sheep go to heaven.  we appreciate your interest in our little corner of the world.

jeff gustafson
editor-in-chief
sheep go to heaven




what did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
went to europe, moved to the lone star state, snowboarded more than i have in the past ten years, worked closely with two oscar-winners in the desert, repaired my washing machine, failed a class, and ate fast food almost every week i could until i moved to texas.

did you keep your new years' resolutions?
the only one i see written down was to retreat into my social shell less, and i think i did that.

did anyone close to you give birth?
my sister, my best friend's wife, and those awesome people in fargo.

did anyone close to you die?
i attended dave stoddard's funeral.

what countries did you visit?
freaking belgium.

what did you want and get?
admission into texas a&m, changes and opportunities to grow and move forward with my life, answers to prayers, and someone to watch movies with.

what would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
someone to watch movies with for more than a week.

what date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
friday, july 23. the planets were all aligned and my life was as perfect as i could imagine it.
runner-up: thursday, august 19. i moved out of 907 and felt like the most fortunate person in the world.

what was your biggest achievement of the year?
1. holding a girl's hand at the amusement park.
2. surviving october.

what was your biggest failure?
honestly, i can't think of anything where i particularly "failed," though there may be something i'm blatantly missing.
i went through some very hard times and hopefully i endured them acceptably.

did you suffer illness or injury?
i think i had salmonella and know i had heartbreak.

what was the best thing you bought?
seven samurai on blu-ray and a number 3, animal style, with a chocolate shake instead of a drink.

whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
my boss at sundance the night i spent at the house.

where did most of your money go?
snowboarding tickets and the barnes & noble criterion sales.

what did you get really, really, really excited about?
flying back from austin to salt lake.

what song will always remind you of 2010?
the beastie boys, especially "looking down the barrel of a gun", "so what'cha want", and "root down."
"sweet child o' mine" on my snowboard.
also,  "magic" and "greener", to name a few.
and according to my itunes, i listened to "standing outside a broken phone booth with money in my hand" sixty-some times in two days.

compared to this time last year, are you: much happier, richer, nicer?
forgive me for saying this, but i am not immediately happier now than i was this time last year though i do hold to hope in the bigger picture.
this was arguably my best year for work and i would be richer but student loans kind of cut into that.
i'm not sure if i'm nicer or not.

what do you wish you'd done more of?
making better use of my time, watching movies (really), running, and practicing my accordion (hey, those were on my list last year!)

what do you wish you'd done less of?
not sure right now.

how did you spend Christmas?
in minnesota, doing the best i could, although i probably could have done better.
i also went cross-country skiing and really enjoyed it, especially the beauty of the snow-swept plains.

did you fall in love in 2010?
yes

what was your favorite tv program?
the series finale of 24 had us on a wild/awesome ride.
we lost conan then got him back.
and that's really all the tv that i watch.

what was the best book you read this year?
the screwtape letters. i have no idea why it took me so long to read such a wonderful book.

what were your favorite films of this year?
up in the air, metropolis, louder than a bomb, underworld (two of those are silent and none were actually released this year…)
as for films actually released this year, i enjoyed scott pilgrim and inception.

what were your least favorite films of this year?
double take at sundance was just really lame.

what did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
i turned 31 (still feel like i'm 25 or 26) and had a blast with the two party system again. marin's chocolate cake was perfection in a fallen world, and all the games and fun were great, but the after-party talking and reminiscing was my favorite.

what one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
still having somebody to love.

how would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
...vests?

what kept you sane?
kristin, ruby tuesday, my manfriend, and becky-san.

who did you miss?
kristin and chocolate; caleb and isaac and becky and brady; doing everything with mark; her; brooke and emily and the hpbc; going shopping with t; mary joy and rock band; rocio and the i.c.; jaime's not really gone; malia on sunday afternoons; sariah; everyone who played mario kart; and president sam.

who was the best new person (people) you met?
shaun

tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2010.
trust in your Heavenly Father and everything is going to be ok.

what are you most excited for in 2011?
um…. wow, i'm not even sure. last year i said "the unexpected," citing that 2009 brought so many surprises. and i think i wrote that looking forward to 2010 and wondering if anything interesting would happen.
2010 was the most monumental, stretching, breaking, up and down, adventurous, unexpected year of my adult life. i'm still recovering and reeling from some of it and astounded that so many drastically different things could happen in just one year.
i have no clue what to expect from 2011. none.

and yet, i find myself looking forward to the unknown adventure.

what are you least excited for in 2011?
the cruciatus curse.