2008: the meme of the year

[lnr]

1. What did you do this year that you'd never done before?

Went flying in a small aircraft piloted by Mike

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't remember making any offhand, and I can't find any in journal entries from early this year. I think my main resolution for 2009 is to try and tackle the problems with my job: I'm spending too much time with too little to do, I need to use my initiative more to make sure that if I'm between official projects I'm actually doing something useful, and I need to talk to my boss about making sure I actually get the appraisal that's supposed to have been happening since this time last year so we can talk about where I go from here.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No-one very close, no.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly yes, my grandad died in late October, a few days after collapsing on the bus on the way home from the shops. I'm sad I didn't get to visit him during the week he was in hospital and say goodbye, but it's unlikely he would have been alert enough to recognise me, and realistically even if I'd made it up there they wouldn't have let me in the ICU or high dependency ward with the stinking cold I had at the time anyway. I'll miss him.

5. What countries did you visit?

Portugal, Scotland, and Wales: though we didn't actually spend any nights in Wales.

6. What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?

A few more gigs maybe. And fewer colds.

7. What dates from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

23rd/24th September: the day we bought and moved into our new house.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Buying a house :-)

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not managing to keep positive at work.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing worse than a cold, as far as I remember.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Probably the wii.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

Mike's always does.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Can't think of anyone.

14. Where did most of your money go?

If we're talking savings then: House deposit! And we spent quite a bit on the costs of moving too, obviously, including a new fridge and lots of curtains. But on a more normal basis there's the usual rent and bills, but then I guess the wii and its games and Christmas presents account for most of my spending this year.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Mike's flying lesson, moving house, Christmas.

16. What song will always remind you of this year?

Erm, can't think of any that will be specifically this year.

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

a) happier or sadder?

About the same I think

b) thinner or fatter?

A little fatter: I was dieting at the time, and I've put on a few pounds over Christmas. But overall this year I've been mostly a fairly similar weight to what I weighed when I wasn't dieting last year.

c) richer or poorer?

Oddly richer. Less savings, more house. Our monthly outgoings aren't all that much different, and October's payrise in line with RPI has made a fair difference to how much is coming in.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Work, playing the bass, cycling, gigs.

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

Can't think of anything.

20. How will you be spending did you spend Christmas?

With Mike's family near Lydney: a fairly traditional Christmas day of presents, big lunch, and watching TV and reading/playing with presents, and then a few days of seeing Mike's friends from school and uni and a bit of shopping in Gloucester. I missed being with my lot though, even though I've seen them a lot this year.

22. Did you fall in love this year?

I already was and still am in love with Mike.

23. How many one-night stands?

None.

24. What was your favourite TV program?

Heroes, Survivors and Strictly on the telly, the X-files on DVD.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I still don't hate anyone.

26. What was the best book you read?

Probably Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I think I may have failed to make any musical discoveries this year! Oh, unless you count discovering the rock music channel Scuzz on Freesat. That's great fun.

28. What did you want and get

Cushions and vases and beanbags.

29. What did you want and not get?

Guitar Hero World Tour :)

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

I liked Wall-E, but probably The Dark Knight

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

Enjoying my job more. More shops selling clothes in a 22-24.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year?

Black M&S jeans, and Monsoon dresses (not together).

34. What kept you sane?

Knowing that it wouldn't be the end of the world if HSBC's delays made our purchase fall through: thankfully that didn't happen in the end, but it was a close-run thing.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

No-one really.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

I've been very apathetic this year.

37. Who did you miss?

My grandad, my family at Christmas.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Um, not met many new people this year. My young cousin Benjamin (he's over a year old now, so not a recent birth, but I didn't meet him until this year). He's not much of a conversationalist yet.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year:

Can't think of any. Be grateful for the good things in your life?

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I can't think of one.

21. This question seems to be missing. And other people have "Did you enjoy this year?" as the last question. So I shall answer that

Yes!

31. I seem to have no 31 either, and am missing the question "What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?" as well.

I was 33, and I had the day off work: Mike made me breakfast in bed, we had a lazy day of reading and playing wii Music, and then we went out for Chinese for dinner and came home in time to watch Heroes. Also the following weekend my family came down and we had a combined birthday and housewarming, with indian takeway on Friday, a party on Saturday night with music and a great buffet, and a big proper Sunday lunch. It was a nice birthday, although I'm now beginning to feel a bit old in a way I wasn't at 30.

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Previous years: 2007 (ish), 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003.

Also this year I have been keeping lists of books I've read (with brief reviews) and bike rides we've taken (with maps). Lots of the former and not quite enough of the latter.