40 Questions for 2025
A little while ago I read Ava's answering the 40 questions for 2025, where she answers Steph Ango's 40 questions to ask yourself every year. I thought it looked interesting, so this is my attempt at answering those same questions. Maybe this'll become a yearly tradition on my blog? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.
1. What did you do this year that you’d never done before?
I visited my state's capital for the first time. I crocheted a whole, adult-sized cardigan! I also experienced a lot of "firsts" at my job this year, which I'll probably talk about more in the later questions.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions?
No. I made the mistake of making a bunch of small resolutions instead of one big resolution, but I found having so many goals at once to be overwhelming. Next year I'll definitely try keeping things simple.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately, no.
5. What cities/states/countries did you visit?
I visited some family out of state over the summer, and visited my state's capital earlier this year.
6. What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?
I'd like to get out more and generally have better social skills.
7. What date(s) from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
I remember the exact date I started my new job, for some reason. Also, the date Charlie Kirk was shot, but that's just the day before 9/11, so I don't know if that really counts.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I got a new job! :)
9. What was your biggest failure?
I think there've been times at work that I could've done better, but I'm choosing to view those as learning opportunities, since now I know what not to do. Sometimes, you just have to learn from your mistakes.
10. What other hardships did you face?
I live in the US, so the political climate has been very stressful to deal with, to say the least. Me and my family have also been struggling with managing healthcare and insurance. Adjusting to my new job was also very difficult for me at first, I considered quitting after my first week, but I pulled through and that was 100% for the better.
11. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a few colds, but thankfully nothing serious and no major injuries.
12. What was the best thing you bought?
I'm having trouble coming up with something practical, but as far as just "things that made me stupidly happy"; I bought a couple OuiOui plushies from itemLabel a while back. I put them on my shelf and every time I see them I can't help but smile the biggest goofiest smile.
13. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Considering how US politics are currently going, I'm really proud of how my town has generally handled it. A lot of regular, everyday citizens have donated their time, money, and resources to protecting each other in a way I haven't really seen before. I feel very lucky to have the community that I do.
14. Whose behavior made you appalled?
The vast majority of US politicians. Also, some of my coworkers 😒.
15. Where did most of your money go?
A lot of it went into savings this year. Of the money I actually had access to, I was able to donate some money to charity, which I wasn't really able to do previously. As far as fun things go, I probably spent a more than I should've on crafting supplies and fidget toys (I bought a mini nice cube just the other day).
16. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
To be honest, I had trouble feeling as excited as I should've been about certain things. It's not like I wasn't excited, it was more like I just thought the words "I'm excited" in my head without any of the bodily reactions (heartbeat racing, etc.). I'm not really sure what to make of that.
Here's a handful of things I told myself I was excited about, though:
- Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4
- Rhythm Heaven in the Nintendo Direct
- The premiere of Pluribus (Rhea Seehorn my beloved <3)
- Wake Up Dead Man coming out
- My OuiOui blind bags coming in the mail
17. What song will always remind you of this year?
In terms of stuff that come out this year: The Subway by Chappell Roan and anything of off Don't Tap the Glass by Tyler, the Creator.
In terms of old stuff I listened to this year: I guess you could consider You Lose! by Magdalena Bay and I Got My Tooth Removed by 100 Gecs my "anthems" for the year. They certainly bring me back to certain periods of my life, even if those periods were just a couple months ago.
18. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder? Richer or poorer? Healthier or unhealthier?
I'm definitely happier and better off financially. I don't know if I'm really "healthier" or not. I think in some ways I am and in some ways I'm worse, so probably a lateral move overall.
19. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Engaging more in my hobbies (especially art), socializing more outside of work, being more active in my community, eating better, having better time management skills.
20. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Lurking social media (especially visiting pages that I knew would just make me angry), constantly starting and restarting projects that I never actually finish, being so critical of myself.
21. How are you spending the holidays?
I spent Chrismukkah with my parents and siblings. My dad's family is Christian and my mom's family is Jewish, so we celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah. Both holidays went pretty well this year, I think. I helped my parents with some baking/cooking and I got everyone to play Jackbox on Christmas, which they seemed to enjoy.
For New Year's, we're staying up till midnight, probably going to watch whatever countdown they have on TV, have some champagne. On New Year's Day we're planning on having brunch with some family friends.
22. Did you fall in love this year?
I become infatuated pretty easily, don't know if you'd really call that "love", though.
In a more figurative sense, I've realized I'm more passionate about certain things than I thought I was. I'd consider that a form of falling in love.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't know, probably. It's hard to keep track nowadays.
24. What was your favorite show?
(I'm assuming the questions about media refer to stuff that came out/became popular in 2025.)
I don't keep up with TV/streaming. The only new show I watched this year was Pluribus, but I did thoroughly enjoy it, very much looking forward to season 2!
25. What was the best book you read?
I don't think I finished a single book this year. It's funny because I'm pretty sure one of my mini-resolutions was to read more, lol.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery of the year?
I'm not that adventurous when it comes to music. I'm not really sure there's anyone I'm consistently listening to this year who I wasn't listening to last year.
27. What was your favorite film?
I really enjoyed Wake Up Dead Man! Big fan of the Knives Out series in general.
28. What was your favorite meal?
I've really been enjoying scrambled eggs, recently. You throw in a bunch of spinach and whatever other vegetables you have laying around, you got all the vitamins you need for your whole day right there.
My mom's also been making a lot of pastries lately. She's got a sourdough starter and has been nice enough to share what she makes with the rest of us. She made these wonderful peanut butter cookies over the holidays.
29. What did you want and get?
A new job, more direction in my life, more offline connections.
30. What did you want and not get?
Better health insurance...
31. What did you do on your birthday?
Got lunch with some relatives, fed the ducks at a local pond (birdseed, not bread!), and got some very thoughtful gifts from my siblings.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being able to be more open with people, and having more things within walking distance/distance of public transportation.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion this year?
Most days I just wore my work clothes. When I'm not working I'm pretty casual, maybe with a couple low-key accessories to keep things fun.
34. What kept you sane?
Remembering that there are people worth fighting for, people worth protecting. If you can't do it for yourself, then at least try to do it for them.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you admire the most?
I don't know if this is weird, or "cringe", or a "hot take", or whatever, but I genuinely admire Chappell Roan so much.
She's a great artist who seems like a decent person and has based politics. Every time I worry about being "too dykey" or too annoying I just think about Chappell Roan and all the misogynistic, homophobic weirdos on the internet who keep telling her to shut up and I'm like "you know what, I should be even dykier and even more annoying!". Why should I bother making myself more palatable to people who were never going to like me in the first place?
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Oh god, there's a lot. The genocide in Gaza, ICE raids, and trans healthcare, especially for trans youth, have been at the top of mind for me lately.
37. Who did you miss?
My paternal grandmother. This was our second Christmas since she passed. She used to come to visit us every year for the holidays, it feels very empty without her around.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
One of my new friends/coworkers! I've gotten along with my coworkers at previous jobs, but I was never really friends with any of them. It's nice to have someone who actually wants to talk to you outside of work, and about non-work/non-small-talk topics.
39. What valuable life lesson did you learn this year?
That I can trust my own judgement a lot more than I thought I could. To have more confidence in myself.
40. What is a quote that sums up your year?
The first two quotes that comes to mind are Life's a bitch and you keep on living
and Be the person you needed when you were young
I know the first one probably sounds negative to most people, but I don't really see it that way. I think of it being more about resiliency. Life's a bitch, but it won't kill you. If we all just gave up every time life was a bitch, the human species would have gone extinct by now. You have to find a reason to keep living in spite of it all.
The second one is probably self explanatory. I interpret it as being for the benefit of both your current self and other people, but most people I see mostly interpret it as being for the benefit of others.