I think this is mandatory
What did you do in 2012 that you have never done before?
Went to Australia. Resolved several problems like an adult instead of like a five-year-old. Dealt with members of my family dying. Changed my name legally. Enjoyed a national event. Felt genuinely, undruggedly, unsarcastically proud of the place I come from. Had wisdom teeth removed. Was treated like an intelligent adult by a medical professional and allowed to make my own decisions about what kind of treatment I felt was appropriate. Petted both a kangaroo and a koala. Saw the Gobi Desert from a mile up. Watched Lawrence of Arabia in a cinema (by the end of this year I will have watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in a cinema too). Opened a savings account over the phone and discussed interest rates and limitations LIKE A BOSS. Dealt with professional rejection without throwing a tantrum. Turned thirty. Stayed in a motel. Returned to work in a place I'd previously worked in, twice, and was welcomed back both times instead of viewed with horror. Gave my boyfriend an attractive haircut. Did some things which are not suitable for public discussion, but in a good way. Had a sane and mature conversation with my mother, albeit via text message. Ditto my father, albeit via email and in between wanting to choke him. Was complimented on my clothing & style choices by hipsters more than once. Wrote one book while editing another and hence wrote two books in one year. Became internet famous briefly for something other than fanfic or being a dickhead. Was in Korea. Booked into a hotel myself. Had a five-year anniversary with my girlfriend. Had a song written about me. Touched human brains. Wrote two books in one year. Was evicted from a flat because the flat was falling down. Visited the William Morris museum.
Did you keep all of last years resolutions?
I'm not going to look them up to find out what they were but I imagine I didn't keep any of them.
Have you any resolutions for next year?
Learn to: Charleston (unlikely), speak Irish (trying), design own electrical circuits (who knows).
Write more: of what I want to write and not what I think I should be writing. It seems to work out better that way.
Try less: writing people off the first time I find them annoying, spending entire days in bed, loud public self-criticism.
Go to: Edinburgh, Dublin, Oxford.
What countries did you visit?
Scotland, Ireland. Maybe go and inflict myself on some places on the mainland, but I want to avoid too much long-haul travel for a while.
What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn't have in 2012?
Published work, money, sense of direction, my girlfriend in my house, confidence in other people's affection for me, jewellery/book sales, a year free of people I know dying.
What date in 2012 will remain etched in your memory?
Well, the 29th of June for two reasons: I finally made it to Jess's place, and my grandfather died.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Do not appear to have died so far. Listen, I never achieve anything. It is integral to my personality. I managed to talk to both my mother and my father without fighting with either of them.
What was your biggest failure?
A lot of places couldn't even be bothered to reject me, and somehow apathy feels a lot worse than a straight "no". I continue to be mediocre at a small handful of things, not socialise much, and be pathologically averse to networking.
Did you suffer any illness or injury?
Endless wisdom teeth bullshit for most of the year, and the ongoing attempts of my body to fail to process food.
What was the best thing you bought?
WARM BOOTS.
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Of people I know, no one, largely because I'm beyond caring. Politically every single time I saw anything even related to the news I hated almost everyone involved.
Where did most of your money go?
Books, travel, food.
What did you get really really really excited about?
I don't really get excited about much because I'm eternally convinced something will go horribly wrong if it involves having to rely on another person to do anything, but I was pretty psyched to see Lawrence of Arabia.
What songs will always remind you of 2012?
THE ONE WHICH WAS WRITTEN ABOUT ME and also the one that Hana and I wrote together about fruit and language in Europe.
Compared to this time last year are you fatter or thinner?
I'm always fatter.
Compared to this time last year are you happier or sadder?
A lot happier.
Compared to this time last year are you richer or poorer?
Slightly richer I think, but probably mostly the same.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Seeing people, being out in my city, going for walks especially with Nny and Emma, writing (I've stalled horribly at the moment so it feels now like I've written nothing), paid employment, not being a crazy person at a time when it might have saved a friendship.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being a crazy person, being 10,000 miles away from the person I wanted to be around most, procrastinating, shouting at inanimate objects, worrying needlessly, spending money on shit I didn't actually want or need, eating things I don't actually like because finding food I wanted to eat was too hard.
How will you be spending Christmas?
Consuming an enormous mound of meat and probably embroidering things or reading Cadfael in the fucking bath like a champ.
Which LJ users did you meet for the first time?
LJ being deader than dead, I will say I met Kassie, Nickers, Hana, Batmiz, Wayne, Ret, and Jess for the first time all in person (and no doubt other people I've forgotten to mention due to brain death) and that it was pretty much super from soup to nuts.
Did you fall in love in 2012?
Further in. I'm still avoiding really talking about this as much as I could, I know, but it's a tricky thing to talk to people ABOUT.
How many one night stands?
Newp.
What was your favourite TV show?
I think 2012 was the year I decided TV was a waste of everything.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, I think everyone I hate now I disliked already, and anyone I might have been expected to hate I just ... don't.
What was/were the best books you read?
OH MY GOD THE RIVERS OF LONDON BOOKS.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
We will pretend that I have heard any new music at all this year.
What did you want and get?
Trip to Australia. Paid employment that was pretty unhorrible. Trousers that fit, even if I had to make them myself. More tattoos. My fucking stupid horrible tooth removed. Laid. To huff a koala. Some books written, even if not the ones I was intending to write. Birthday party of some considerable success. Many pretty jewellery. Warm boots. A new flat (wasn't so much "want" there as "need") which isn't freezing. My name legally changed. To find the statues from the British Museum in Maurice. William Morris everything, or at least part everything. Lots of books about London. All the Cadfael books ever. The goddamn David Attenborough box set. Floral syrups. Dinner at Hawksmoor. A William Morris CORSET.
What did you want and not get?
Enough bookshelves. Bicycle (I technically have one reserved I just haven't picked it up off Nny yet). Enough time with Jess. Fabulous wealth. A new body which doesn't arbitrarily hurt and which fits into clothes. Published. Half of Bolongaro Trevor's stock. My shit together. A cessation of death. Knee-high chestnut Doc Martens. Mad popular blog (might help if I updated a bit more frequently, eh?). Lots of book/jewellery sales. All of the tattoos that I wanted to get. Sharkbite piercings. All the way through Seven Pillars of Wisdom (I am at 52% and still gamely plugging away). An overlocker.
What was your favourite film this year?
Of the films that came out this year I probably enjoyed Skyfall and Avengers the most, but my favourite films remain unchanged.
What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
On my birthday I went to dinner at Hawksmoor and ate really nice food and got slightly drunk with my boyfriend and it was delightful and I was overdressed and no one cared. Then I had an actual birthday party about a month later and that was magnificent. I was THIRTY, which somehow did not end the world as we know it or cause me to die suddenly.
What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
Hell if I know. Different brain chemistry?
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Chronically overdressed, breeches, no fucks given.
What kept you sane?
Given that being batshit has been mentioned several times already... oh, I dunno. Having a reasonable balance of work/not work, and lots of very sensible friends.
Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
Idris Elba still.
Which political issue stirred you the most?
I have tried so fucking hard to stay away from politics because it is like a poison.
Who did you miss?
I think that part would probably be obvious.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year?
Sometimes things have to end. Also, while you cannot have your cake and eat it, having your fucking cake is more than enough.
Went to Australia. Resolved several problems like an adult instead of like a five-year-old. Dealt with members of my family dying. Changed my name legally. Enjoyed a national event. Felt genuinely, undruggedly, unsarcastically proud of the place I come from. Had wisdom teeth removed. Was treated like an intelligent adult by a medical professional and allowed to make my own decisions about what kind of treatment I felt was appropriate. Petted both a kangaroo and a koala. Saw the Gobi Desert from a mile up. Watched Lawrence of Arabia in a cinema (by the end of this year I will have watched Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in a cinema too). Opened a savings account over the phone and discussed interest rates and limitations LIKE A BOSS. Dealt with professional rejection without throwing a tantrum. Turned thirty. Stayed in a motel. Returned to work in a place I'd previously worked in, twice, and was welcomed back both times instead of viewed with horror. Gave my boyfriend an attractive haircut. Did some things which are not suitable for public discussion, but in a good way. Had a sane and mature conversation with my mother, albeit via text message. Ditto my father, albeit via email and in between wanting to choke him. Was complimented on my clothing & style choices by hipsters more than once. Wrote one book while editing another and hence wrote two books in one year. Became internet famous briefly for something other than fanfic or being a dickhead. Was in Korea. Booked into a hotel myself. Had a five-year anniversary with my girlfriend. Had a song written about me. Touched human brains. Wrote two books in one year. Was evicted from a flat because the flat was falling down. Visited the William Morris museum.
Did you keep all of last years resolutions?
I'm not going to look them up to find out what they were but I imagine I didn't keep any of them.
Have you any resolutions for next year?
Learn to: Charleston (unlikely), speak Irish (trying), design own electrical circuits (who knows).
Write more: of what I want to write and not what I think I should be writing. It seems to work out better that way.
Try less: writing people off the first time I find them annoying, spending entire days in bed, loud public self-criticism.
Go to: Edinburgh, Dublin, Oxford.
What countries did you visit?
Scotland, Ireland. Maybe go and inflict myself on some places on the mainland, but I want to avoid too much long-haul travel for a while.
What would you like to have in 2013 that you didn't have in 2012?
Published work, money, sense of direction, my girlfriend in my house, confidence in other people's affection for me, jewellery/book sales, a year free of people I know dying.
What date in 2012 will remain etched in your memory?
Well, the 29th of June for two reasons: I finally made it to Jess's place, and my grandfather died.
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Do not appear to have died so far. Listen, I never achieve anything. It is integral to my personality. I managed to talk to both my mother and my father without fighting with either of them.
What was your biggest failure?
A lot of places couldn't even be bothered to reject me, and somehow apathy feels a lot worse than a straight "no". I continue to be mediocre at a small handful of things, not socialise much, and be pathologically averse to networking.
Did you suffer any illness or injury?
Endless wisdom teeth bullshit for most of the year, and the ongoing attempts of my body to fail to process food.
What was the best thing you bought?
WARM BOOTS.
Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Of people I know, no one, largely because I'm beyond caring. Politically every single time I saw anything even related to the news I hated almost everyone involved.
Where did most of your money go?
Books, travel, food.
What did you get really really really excited about?
I don't really get excited about much because I'm eternally convinced something will go horribly wrong if it involves having to rely on another person to do anything, but I was pretty psyched to see Lawrence of Arabia.
What songs will always remind you of 2012?
THE ONE WHICH WAS WRITTEN ABOUT ME and also the one that Hana and I wrote together about fruit and language in Europe.
Compared to this time last year are you fatter or thinner?
I'm always fatter.
Compared to this time last year are you happier or sadder?
A lot happier.
Compared to this time last year are you richer or poorer?
Slightly richer I think, but probably mostly the same.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Seeing people, being out in my city, going for walks especially with Nny and Emma, writing (I've stalled horribly at the moment so it feels now like I've written nothing), paid employment, not being a crazy person at a time when it might have saved a friendship.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being a crazy person, being 10,000 miles away from the person I wanted to be around most, procrastinating, shouting at inanimate objects, worrying needlessly, spending money on shit I didn't actually want or need, eating things I don't actually like because finding food I wanted to eat was too hard.
How will you be spending Christmas?
Consuming an enormous mound of meat and probably embroidering things or reading Cadfael in the fucking bath like a champ.
Which LJ users did you meet for the first time?
LJ being deader than dead, I will say I met Kassie, Nickers, Hana, Batmiz, Wayne, Ret, and Jess for the first time all in person (and no doubt other people I've forgotten to mention due to brain death) and that it was pretty much super from soup to nuts.
Did you fall in love in 2012?
Further in. I'm still avoiding really talking about this as much as I could, I know, but it's a tricky thing to talk to people ABOUT.
How many one night stands?
Newp.
What was your favourite TV show?
I think 2012 was the year I decided TV was a waste of everything.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, I think everyone I hate now I disliked already, and anyone I might have been expected to hate I just ... don't.
What was/were the best books you read?
OH MY GOD THE RIVERS OF LONDON BOOKS.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
We will pretend that I have heard any new music at all this year.
What did you want and get?
Trip to Australia. Paid employment that was pretty unhorrible. Trousers that fit, even if I had to make them myself. More tattoos. My fucking stupid horrible tooth removed. Laid. To huff a koala. Some books written, even if not the ones I was intending to write. Birthday party of some considerable success. Many pretty jewellery. Warm boots. A new flat (wasn't so much "want" there as "need") which isn't freezing. My name legally changed. To find the statues from the British Museum in Maurice. William Morris everything, or at least part everything. Lots of books about London. All the Cadfael books ever. The goddamn David Attenborough box set. Floral syrups. Dinner at Hawksmoor. A William Morris CORSET.
What did you want and not get?
Enough bookshelves. Bicycle (I technically have one reserved I just haven't picked it up off Nny yet). Enough time with Jess. Fabulous wealth. A new body which doesn't arbitrarily hurt and which fits into clothes. Published. Half of Bolongaro Trevor's stock. My shit together. A cessation of death. Knee-high chestnut Doc Martens. Mad popular blog (might help if I updated a bit more frequently, eh?). Lots of book/jewellery sales. All of the tattoos that I wanted to get. Sharkbite piercings. All the way through Seven Pillars of Wisdom (I am at 52% and still gamely plugging away). An overlocker.
What was your favourite film this year?
Of the films that came out this year I probably enjoyed Skyfall and Avengers the most, but my favourite films remain unchanged.
What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
On my birthday I went to dinner at Hawksmoor and ate really nice food and got slightly drunk with my boyfriend and it was delightful and I was overdressed and no one cared. Then I had an actual birthday party about a month later and that was magnificent. I was THIRTY, which somehow did not end the world as we know it or cause me to die suddenly.
What one thing would have made your year more satisfying?
Hell if I know. Different brain chemistry?
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Chronically overdressed, breeches, no fucks given.
What kept you sane?
Given that being batshit has been mentioned several times already... oh, I dunno. Having a reasonable balance of work/not work, and lots of very sensible friends.
Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
Idris Elba still.
Which political issue stirred you the most?
I have tried so fucking hard to stay away from politics because it is like a poison.
Who did you miss?
I think that part would probably be obvious.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year?
Sometimes things have to end. Also, while you cannot have your cake and eat it, having your fucking cake is more than enough.