I've done this survey every year for probably seven years. Can't break the tradition now.

1.What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before? Moved across the country from MI to MD and started grad school. Relied on public transportation to get around the city and got an apartment with someone I'd only talked to online beforehand. Used InDesign and a Mac to design newspaper pages.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions and will you make more for next year? I'm sure I made some last year, but I can't remember what they are. Probably something about reducing my debt, in which case I failed miserably. I'm giving some consideration to some resolutions for this year.

3. What countries did you visit? I don't want to talk about it. Mainly because the answer is "none."

4. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? A trip out of the country? I really can't think of much.

5. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Well, NYE 2010 was pretty memorable. My trip to Memphis in January also. My first trip to Baltimore, my first days living in Baltimore, and Jeff & Cari's wedding were all pretty memorable too.

6. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting into, then going off to, grad school in Baltimore to get my MFA. And surviving my first semester alone in a new city.

7. What was your biggest failure? Parking in Baltimore City. Two parking tickets and a trip to the impound lot to retrieve my towed car (all of which happened within about a month and a half) were enough to cement my decision to send the Grand Am back to MI.

8. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing a little antibiotic or cold medicine didn't cure.

9. Whose behavior merited celebration? My dad's for moving me from Saginaw to Baltimore -- he loaded everything up and drove it all out there for me, and covered the expenses (including a motel room in Ohio along the way). Also Jake's for sticking with me through all this -- long distance isn't fun but he's stuck by me through it.

10. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I'd rather not talk about it here. Besides, "appalled" and "depressed" might be too strong of choices.

11. Where did most of your money go? Aside from the obvious (bills), my savings account went toward moving expenses and tiding me over 'til I got a job and my financial aid check.

12. What song will always remind you of 2010? Anything from the Black Keys album "Brothers" or Yeasayer's "Odd Blood."

13. Compared to last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier. This time last year I was pulling myself out of a pretty bad funk.
ii. thinner or fatter? Walking everywhere has definitely caused me to lose weight.
iii. richer or poorer? I feel richer, but the records at the Department of Education would definitely tell you otherwise.

14. What do you wish you'd done more of? Budgeting?

15. What do you wish you'd done less of? Worrying what other people thought of me. I got better about it at the end of the year though.

16. How did you spend Christmas? in Michigan, with Jake's family then with my mom's side of my family. There were of course Christmas celebrations with my dad's side on Christmas Eve and with friends at various points. The last was just today.

17. Did you fall in love in 2010? I don't think so, because to say yes would mean that I wasn't in love previously, and I think that I was but that it took me awhile to realize.

18. What was your favorite TV program? I actually have an answer this year! HBO ran a show called "Treme" that I saw every episode of in season one (partly because Patrick [my roommate] paid for OnDemand so I could catch the ones I missed).

19. What was the best book you read? Hm. Zadie Smith's On Beauty was very good. I loved Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut. These are the ones that come to mind first -- I read a lot of books over the summer. A couple of the Han Nolan books I read were pretty good. Oh, also Still Life with Oysters and Lemon by Mark Doty and Ariel by Sylvia Plath.

20. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2010? rockabilly -- specifically Cash O'Riley in MI and BW&TS in MD. I'm loving the fact that the Baltimore/DC area has a rockabilly scene.

21. What did you want and get? An apartment in the middle of a big city and a fresh start somewhere new.

22. What did you want and not get? An assistantship to cover all of my tuition. Also, an MD driver's license. I'm trying again soon on both of those.

23. What was your favorite film of this year? Inglourious Basterds was good, as was Shutter Island. Those are the two that immediately come to mind.

24. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 24. On the day itself I spent the majority of my time in the car coming home from Nashville. But the highlights included a stop at Jack White's record label/store. Also, the preceding several days were spent in Memphis.

25. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I'd been able to bring some of my MI friends (or at least Jake) to Baltimore with me.

26. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Evolving again. Baltimore has some pretty fabulous thrift/vintage stores.

27. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? The Black Keys. I don't know if "fancy" is the right word -- I just really loved their album.

28. Who was the best new person you met? Nick K. is my favorite new person by far. We had some pretty great Saginaw adventures over the summer before I moved to MD. But, that said, my new roommate Maureen is my favorite new MD person. She's been very cool to live with and to explore Baltimore with (especially since she knows more about it than I do).

29. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010: I've better-internalized the notion of being/doing what I want without worrying about what other people think. Also gained the sort of perspective that one gains when she moves 11 hours away from home.

30. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Without any love, there's nothing at all."