The one in which i-just-hide reviews the year 2013...
I think I pinched this from davidbrider originally.
1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Hmmm, lots of things but visiting another continent and asking Boy to move in with me were probably the most significant. Oh, and I visited the North East of England for the first time too. That was very significant for Boy.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
If I made any, I've forgotten them. I always do.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my good friends from uni had baby number two, the first of my uni friends to have a girl. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of them this year. Also another of my uni friends had her second boy a few weeks ago (a 10lb monster baby!) and Boy's best friend's wife had a lovely baby girl.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Sweden, USA and Canada. I finally completed one of my 'things to do in my thirties' which was to visit another continent. I never would have expected that North America would be the first other continent I'd visit.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
Hours in the day!
7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
1st January 2013 because that's when me and Boy got together. I can't think of any others.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Taking a really long flight, followed immediately by another long flight made worse by a tropical storm at the airport we were meant to be landing at causing us to have to land at another airport to refuel before a bumpy journey back to the original airport, without completely freaking out. I still don't like flying though.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I think I only completely read two books this year. It's probably a good job I didn't have a serious boyfriend when I was doing my degree or I might never have graduated!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Both me and Boy were sick with cold type viruses from February to May. I also managed to hurt my neck last month needing a day off work. Generally not too bad though.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Tickets to visit Stratford upon Avon during a classic car show as a suprise birthday present for Boy. Oh, and a very nice pair of M&S boots a few weeks ago :)
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Boy of course! My friends and family who have been amazing as usual and Boy's friends and family who have all been absolutely lovely.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
The person who pinched my handbag from friends' going away/wedding party earlier this month. I cancelled all the stuff in it immediately so all they really got away with was a nice handbag and purse and scratched 2.5 year old mobile phone. I'm still trying to sort out all the admin now, 30 days later. Oh and TfL who have been really unhelpful about replacing my season ticket and caused me additional stress at an upsetting time.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, bills and food as usual but also holidays which is a vast improvement on usual!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Holidays and seeing Basement Jaxx live for the first time (they were amazing!)
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Blurred Lines for all the wrong reasons and Berzerk by Eminem as it was always being played while Boy's friend drove us around Portland, Oregon. Strangely we didn't hear it as often in Michigan. Oh and Best Song Ever by One Direction purely because of a memory of a load of very drunk blokes leaning out of the window of a top floor flat of a very fancy house around the corner from Boy's house in Pimlico singing it at the top of their voices
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier. I'm not sure I could possibly be less happy than I was at the end of last year. 2012 was a dreadful year for me. I couldn't even write a review of the year because the internet broke, along with my laptop and my oven, between Christmas and New Year!
b) thinner or fatter? Definitely fatter. One of the benefits of being extremely unhappy and stressed last year was that I got very thin. Now I'm bigger than I was before. My mum reckons it's because I'm content but I suspect the additional beer and eating out has a lot to do with it.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer. The trip to North America made a dent in my savings. If the boiler breaks I'm stuffed now!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, learning and cleaning my flat.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With Boy's family in Newcastle as it was his niece's first birthday on Christmas Eve. We had a belated celebration with my family last Sunday.
21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Yep :)
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
Fresh Meat and Arrested Development. Both made me laugh out loud.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Erm, I don't think so.
25. What was the best book you read?
Hmmm, I've done so little book reading this year that I don't think I really make a judgement on this.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I've made any this year. As well as not reading many books I haven't listened to much music either.
27. What did you want and get?
An additional person in our team at work.
28. What did you want and not get?
Good skin. Almost 33 years old and I still have acne :(
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Guess what? I haven't seen any new movies this year either.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Had cocktails and dinner in the OXO Tower with Boy. It was pretty awsome. I was 32.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More reasonable weather. It seems to have been either too cold and inclemant or too hot and uncomfortable. Where's the happy medium?
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Erm, old stuff. I've hardly bought any new clothes this year.
33. What kept you sane?
Boy, my family and work colleagues.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I bought the 100 sexiest men issue of Glamour this year and thought they all so young! I think I'm too old to reasonably answer this question although Jared Leto is still my all time favourite.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Housing in general. The whole fact we need to have something described as 'affordable housing' makes me soooo angry.
36. Who did you miss?
Some friends I didn't see as often as I'd have liked as we are all so busy.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Boy's friends and family who couldn't have been nicer to me. Especially those who let us stay with them in the USA.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013:
Keep hold of your handbag at all times, even at a private party. Which makes me really sad to be honest.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Hmmm, I can never think of these.
Happy New Year! I wish everyone a fabulous 2014. I might even manage to update my LJ more regularly next year. You never know!
1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Hmmm, lots of things but visiting another continent and asking Boy to move in with me were probably the most significant. Oh, and I visited the North East of England for the first time too. That was very significant for Boy.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
If I made any, I've forgotten them. I always do.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my good friends from uni had baby number two, the first of my uni friends to have a girl. Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of them this year. Also another of my uni friends had her second boy a few weeks ago (a 10lb monster baby!) and Boy's best friend's wife had a lovely baby girl.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Sweden, USA and Canada. I finally completed one of my 'things to do in my thirties' which was to visit another continent. I never would have expected that North America would be the first other continent I'd visit.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
Hours in the day!
7. What dates from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
1st January 2013 because that's when me and Boy got together. I can't think of any others.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Taking a really long flight, followed immediately by another long flight made worse by a tropical storm at the airport we were meant to be landing at causing us to have to land at another airport to refuel before a bumpy journey back to the original airport, without completely freaking out. I still don't like flying though.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I think I only completely read two books this year. It's probably a good job I didn't have a serious boyfriend when I was doing my degree or I might never have graduated!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Both me and Boy were sick with cold type viruses from February to May. I also managed to hurt my neck last month needing a day off work. Generally not too bad though.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Tickets to visit Stratford upon Avon during a classic car show as a suprise birthday present for Boy. Oh, and a very nice pair of M&S boots a few weeks ago :)
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Boy of course! My friends and family who have been amazing as usual and Boy's friends and family who have all been absolutely lovely.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
The person who pinched my handbag from friends' going away/wedding party earlier this month. I cancelled all the stuff in it immediately so all they really got away with was a nice handbag and purse and scratched 2.5 year old mobile phone. I'm still trying to sort out all the admin now, 30 days later. Oh and TfL who have been really unhelpful about replacing my season ticket and caused me additional stress at an upsetting time.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage, bills and food as usual but also holidays which is a vast improvement on usual!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Holidays and seeing Basement Jaxx live for the first time (they were amazing!)
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Blurred Lines for all the wrong reasons and Berzerk by Eminem as it was always being played while Boy's friend drove us around Portland, Oregon. Strangely we didn't hear it as often in Michigan. Oh and Best Song Ever by One Direction purely because of a memory of a load of very drunk blokes leaning out of the window of a top floor flat of a very fancy house around the corner from Boy's house in Pimlico singing it at the top of their voices
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier. I'm not sure I could possibly be less happy than I was at the end of last year. 2012 was a dreadful year for me. I couldn't even write a review of the year because the internet broke, along with my laptop and my oven, between Christmas and New Year!
b) thinner or fatter? Definitely fatter. One of the benefits of being extremely unhappy and stressed last year was that I got very thin. Now I'm bigger than I was before. My mum reckons it's because I'm content but I suspect the additional beer and eating out has a lot to do with it.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer. The trip to North America made a dent in my savings. If the boiler breaks I'm stuffed now!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading, learning and cleaning my flat.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With Boy's family in Newcastle as it was his niece's first birthday on Christmas Eve. We had a belated celebration with my family last Sunday.
21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Yep :)
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
Fresh Meat and Arrested Development. Both made me laugh out loud.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Erm, I don't think so.
25. What was the best book you read?
Hmmm, I've done so little book reading this year that I don't think I really make a judgement on this.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I've made any this year. As well as not reading many books I haven't listened to much music either.
27. What did you want and get?
An additional person in our team at work.
28. What did you want and not get?
Good skin. Almost 33 years old and I still have acne :(
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Guess what? I haven't seen any new movies this year either.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Had cocktails and dinner in the OXO Tower with Boy. It was pretty awsome. I was 32.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More reasonable weather. It seems to have been either too cold and inclemant or too hot and uncomfortable. Where's the happy medium?
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Erm, old stuff. I've hardly bought any new clothes this year.
33. What kept you sane?
Boy, my family and work colleagues.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I bought the 100 sexiest men issue of Glamour this year and thought they all so young! I think I'm too old to reasonably answer this question although Jared Leto is still my all time favourite.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Housing in general. The whole fact we need to have something described as 'affordable housing' makes me soooo angry.
36. Who did you miss?
Some friends I didn't see as often as I'd have liked as we are all so busy.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Boy's friends and family who couldn't have been nicer to me. Especially those who let us stay with them in the USA.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013:
Keep hold of your handbag at all times, even at a private party. Which makes me really sad to be honest.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Hmmm, I can never think of these.
Happy New Year! I wish everyone a fabulous 2014. I might even manage to update my LJ more regularly next year. You never know!