Tis the season for survey loveliness. So here's an end of the year survey to catch you up on the preceeding and upcoming year in the life of L. Rose truly...

1. 1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before? Waxed my legs - I don’t recommend it, excruciatingly painful and all the reward you get is ingrown leg stubble.

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t make a habit of saying things I don’t mean.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yeah, my niece came into the world. But most of the people I know just got knocked-up they haven’t actually given birth yet. 2007 will be a busy year for baby showers.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, my good friend Grace. I’m glad I know the truth about what happens after death, but I’m still missing her east coast accent, italian cooking, and the way she loved her family.

5. What cities/countries did you visit? Manhattan, Newark, Jersey City, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Rockford, Ingleside.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 which you lacked in 2006? Well if you stop that and reverse it: I’d like to lack all the weight I have gained in 2006 and then some.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched in your memory, and why? June 9th when I saw the Stanley Theatre for the first time. WOW!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Recognizing the signs of a potentially bad relationship situation before things got too far

9. What was your biggest failure? Like 90% of divorces in this country I have to cite Irreconcilable Differences with a friend for whom I will probably never be able use that designation for again. I just can’t fix it, I’m not strong enough.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I popped a disc in my lower back and had to lay on my couch for a month almost completely incapacitated. I hate being the patient, my lot in live is the care giver - not the other way around.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Rudy, he’s my Tiki Head kleenex dispenser. You pull the kleenex out through his nose. He totally rocks!

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? Brad - He came to all the right conclusions on how to spend his youth wisely without being told. Truly, his value is beyond words.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? My brother Dan, someday I hope he’ll wake up and realize the world has been slapping him around because it really DOESN’T owe him a living.

14. Where did most of your money go? Well my disposable income (laughable term isn’t it?) was spent on movies mostly either the theatre or DVD. Close runner up would be earrings. I LOVE Earrings

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? The new babies.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006? “Catch My Disease” - Ben Lee

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Sadder

Thinner or fatter? HA HA! TRICK QUESTION! This was the year of the cankles.

Richer or poorer? Shockingly enough, richer both monetarily, and intangibly

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Exercising but I suppose that’s a given. Playing with my niece.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Staying out late, buying books.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I don’t celebrate holiday’s I’ll be working double time with a client who will probably leave me black and blue with some signifigant hair loss. She has trouble with the holiday season.

21. What was your favourite TV program? Grey’s Anatomy, Avatar: The Last Airbender (I’m a geek, live with it!)

22. What was the best book you read? Eats, Shoots and Leaves - it’s a book on the history of and proper use of punctuation.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery? Annie - “Heartbeat” I think I played that song on repeat for three hours while cleaning my house. I have to admit I really like the trance-pop thing she has going on. I also like the song “Bubble Gum”. But “Heartbeat” has more significance to me b/c it was written as an elegy which I find totally enrapturing.

24. What did you want and get? New livingroom furniture

25. What did you want and NOT get? A Pony

26. What was your favorite film of this year? X-Men 3 - Wolverine has terrible taste in women but other than that...

27. What did you do on your birthday? turned 22

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

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? Personal fashion concept? Not being naked. It’s the creed on which I’ve built my entire existence.

30. What kept you sane? My Mum. It has taken me years and my own bumps and bruises to truly appreciate her, but I do now more than ever. She laughs at me when I know I’m not funny, defends me when I very well might be wrong, and rescues me when I feel like I might be broken and unfixable

31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Hugh Jackman all make top billing on the movie screen that is my fantasy. Oh and Mos Def - can’t help but love the man.

32. What political issue stirred you the most? I’m politically neutral so I don’t get into debates about the state of world affairs. It’s obvious things are bad, why bother looking at politicians who don’t have the power to solve the problems anyway?

33. Whom did you miss? Leah from Rockford, she’s always just what I need to make me feel good.

34. Who was the best new person you met? The Walklin Family I’ve “met” them before this year but spoken with them only briefly. This summer they opened their home to me when I was two words shy of a mental nuclear meltdown and gave me perspective.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: I wouldn’t say learned but perhaps I accepted the truth: all persecution no matter how severe cannot last forever.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: “This is the first day of my life, I swear I was born right in the doorway . . . I don’t know where I am, I don’t know where I been, but I know where I want to go. So I thought I’d let you know. These things take forever, I especially am slow. But I realized that I need you and I wondered if I could come home . . . You said this is the first day of my life, I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you. But now I don’t care I could go any where with you and I’d prob’ly be happy so if you wanna be with me, with these things there’s no telling, we just have to wait and see but I’d rather be working for a paycheck than waiting to win the lottery. Besides, maybe this time it’s different. I mean, I really think you like me.”