The Year Meme - 2014
I have loads of other (technically more important) things I need to do today, but here comes the Year meme, because it's time sensitive and because I felt like it. ;)
1.What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
Bought a smartphone (although I still haven’t actually used the ‘net on it or dared to try to set it up to read my work email on it…); attended a convention as a punter rather than helping out on a stall (I’ve done the latter several times previously…); worked as an exam invigilator; joined Facebook; became a forum moderator (still not quite sure how that happened!).
2.Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t (officially) make resolutions, but I have said previously that I 'would like to have both myself and the flat in better shape by the end of the year'. In both cases I have achieved that, although both still very much count as works in progress.
3.Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, not this year.
4.Did anyone close to you die?
Also not this year, mercifully.
5.What countries did you visit?
I’ve not left the UK this year, for reasons which had a bit to do with money and a lot to do with time.
6.What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
A residence which has no cracks in the walls and no leaks or damp patches. ;)
7.What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Once again, I'm not sure I have any particular dates which were significant.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I increased my income quite significantly compared to 2013, to the extent that I didn’t have to keep raiding my savings.
9. What was your biggest failure?
For once, nothing immediately springs to mind. There are quite a few things which are as yet incomplete or which I might have liked to have done rather better, but nothing which I feel I’ve ‘failed’ at.
10.Did you suffer illness or injury?
None of any major significance.
11.What was the best thing you bought?
Probably my ticket for the Nine Worlds Geekfest.
12.Whose behavior merited celebration?
I’ll stick with my answer from last year: all the people who haven't given up on trying to make this country a slightly better place, despite all the current obstacles.
13.Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
How long have you got? The political situation in the UK regularly appals me, and that's down to a lot of different people…
14.Where did most of your money go?
Once again, if you leave out mortgage and other non-avoidables, the biggest expense in the average week was probably Sunday lunch with the guys.
15.What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Until such time as it didn’t happen, I was really looking forward to AltFest…
16.What song will always remind you of 2014?
The obvious one is Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’, a hit so huge that even I couldn’t miss it…
17.Compared to this time last year, are you:
i.happier or sadder? Probably slightly happier.
ii.thinner or fatter? Thinner. I’ve reduced my BMI a couple of points this year, although I’m not at an NHS-approved weight just yet.
iii.richer or poorer? Richer. Nowhere near ‘rich’ by UK standards, but I will at least have to pay some tax this year…
18.What do you wish you'd done more of?
So many things. ;) Reading and clubbing and making stuff and sorting stuff in the house and…
19.What do you wish you'd done less of?
Waking up at a stupid hour and struggling to get back tot sleep again.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With A’s family at his brother’s place (then my parents on Boxing Day).
21.Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
As ever, almost certainly the parents. I’m really not a fan of phone conversations…
[22.Did you fall in love in 2014?
23. How many one-night stands?
These questions have been discontinued for repetition]
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
There was lots of good stuff this year. New and impressive things included True Detective, The Leftovers and The Strain. Returners included A Game of Thrones, Hannibal and Doctor Who (Capaldi is well on the way to being my favourite Doctor ever)
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
[Also discontinued, on the grounds that I don't make a habit of hating people]
26. What was the best book you read?
As is often the case, I’ve read a fair bit of pretty average stuff this year. Best fiction was probably Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall; best non-fiction was a very old one: William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
As with last year, a lot of the year was spent with old favourites rather than new discoveries. Best gig by miles was New Model Army. My one proper ‘discovery’ was Lindi Ortega, who’s officially ‘country’ by genre, but does some great stuff in terms of hope/defiance/pain etc…
28. What did you want and get?
All sorts of things, tangible and otherwise.
29. What did you want and not get?
A publication date for either of the books I’ve translated this year and last.
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
In ‘proper’, serious films, Boyhood. In mainstream films, The Lego Movie, which was better than anyone could possibly have expected. Half way between the two, Edge of Tomorrow, which demonstrated, for anyone who didn't already know, that sci-fi films can be intelligent (even when there are lots of things blowing up).
31.What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On the day itself, just London stuff, chief of which was the Hunterian Museum. At the weekend, a rather good burlesque show. And I’ve no more intention of specifying my age this year than on any previous year.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A genuinely tidy flat. (One can dream, no?) Seven consecutive hours’ sleep every night (On that one, dreaming was, at least some of the time, at least part of the problem…)
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Not hugely different: mostly goth, with a bit of steampunk here and there. The biggest changes were a) finally accepting that, although deep (blue-based) red is a lovely colour, it doesn’t work on me when my hair is usually a shade of (orange) red and b) buying rather more items in deep green, shades of blue and grey and (somewhat to my surprise) leopard print.
34. What kept you sane?
Earning enough to live on this year certainly helped reduce the stress levels. Keeping an eye on things like food and sleep and doing slightly more exercise also helped.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most/least?
Calling him a celebrity would be a bit of a stretch, but Andrew O’Neill (‘comedian, transvestite metalhead, amateur occultist and all-round show-off’, according to his website) is rather yummy…
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The awful, awful things the coalition has done to this country and especially to its most disadvantaged inhabitants. The alarming rise of UKIP and the dismal failure of Labour to get its act together and convince the majority of the general public that it would at least be better than the current government.
37. Whom did you miss?
Lots of bands I was going to see at AltFest; gothstew and silver_daisy, neither of whom I saw this year.
38. Who were the best new people you met?
With one of the new jobs this year, I met a few people I can sort-of count as new work colleagues, albeit that we only see each other once a term or so. It’s nice to have colleagues to bounce ideas off once in a while. ;)
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014…
A worrying number of people who have appeared broadly rational when met in real life will happily express quite bizarre/alarming views on Facebook. (As a single example, it turns out today that my f-list includes a completely unexpected climate change denier...)
1.What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
Bought a smartphone (although I still haven’t actually used the ‘net on it or dared to try to set it up to read my work email on it…); attended a convention as a punter rather than helping out on a stall (I’ve done the latter several times previously…); worked as an exam invigilator; joined Facebook; became a forum moderator (still not quite sure how that happened!).
2.Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t (officially) make resolutions, but I have said previously that I 'would like to have both myself and the flat in better shape by the end of the year'. In both cases I have achieved that, although both still very much count as works in progress.
3.Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, not this year.
4.Did anyone close to you die?
Also not this year, mercifully.
5.What countries did you visit?
I’ve not left the UK this year, for reasons which had a bit to do with money and a lot to do with time.
6.What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?
A residence which has no cracks in the walls and no leaks or damp patches. ;)
7.What date from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Once again, I'm not sure I have any particular dates which were significant.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I increased my income quite significantly compared to 2013, to the extent that I didn’t have to keep raiding my savings.
9. What was your biggest failure?
For once, nothing immediately springs to mind. There are quite a few things which are as yet incomplete or which I might have liked to have done rather better, but nothing which I feel I’ve ‘failed’ at.
10.Did you suffer illness or injury?
None of any major significance.
11.What was the best thing you bought?
Probably my ticket for the Nine Worlds Geekfest.
12.Whose behavior merited celebration?
I’ll stick with my answer from last year: all the people who haven't given up on trying to make this country a slightly better place, despite all the current obstacles.
13.Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
How long have you got? The political situation in the UK regularly appals me, and that's down to a lot of different people…
14.Where did most of your money go?
Once again, if you leave out mortgage and other non-avoidables, the biggest expense in the average week was probably Sunday lunch with the guys.
15.What events did you get really, really, really excited about?
Until such time as it didn’t happen, I was really looking forward to AltFest…
16.What song will always remind you of 2014?
The obvious one is Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’, a hit so huge that even I couldn’t miss it…
17.Compared to this time last year, are you:
i.happier or sadder? Probably slightly happier.
ii.thinner or fatter? Thinner. I’ve reduced my BMI a couple of points this year, although I’m not at an NHS-approved weight just yet.
iii.richer or poorer? Richer. Nowhere near ‘rich’ by UK standards, but I will at least have to pay some tax this year…
18.What do you wish you'd done more of?
So many things. ;) Reading and clubbing and making stuff and sorting stuff in the house and…
19.What do you wish you'd done less of?
Waking up at a stupid hour and struggling to get back tot sleep again.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With A’s family at his brother’s place (then my parents on Boxing Day).
21.Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
As ever, almost certainly the parents. I’m really not a fan of phone conversations…
[22.Did you fall in love in 2014?
23. How many one-night stands?
These questions have been discontinued for repetition]
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
There was lots of good stuff this year. New and impressive things included True Detective, The Leftovers and The Strain. Returners included A Game of Thrones, Hannibal and Doctor Who (Capaldi is well on the way to being my favourite Doctor ever)
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
[Also discontinued, on the grounds that I don't make a habit of hating people]
26. What was the best book you read?
As is often the case, I’ve read a fair bit of pretty average stuff this year. Best fiction was probably Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall; best non-fiction was a very old one: William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery or rediscovery?
As with last year, a lot of the year was spent with old favourites rather than new discoveries. Best gig by miles was New Model Army. My one proper ‘discovery’ was Lindi Ortega, who’s officially ‘country’ by genre, but does some great stuff in terms of hope/defiance/pain etc…
28. What did you want and get?
All sorts of things, tangible and otherwise.
29. What did you want and not get?
A publication date for either of the books I’ve translated this year and last.
30. What were your favourite films of this year?
In ‘proper’, serious films, Boyhood. In mainstream films, The Lego Movie, which was better than anyone could possibly have expected. Half way between the two, Edge of Tomorrow, which demonstrated, for anyone who didn't already know, that sci-fi films can be intelligent (even when there are lots of things blowing up).
31.What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On the day itself, just London stuff, chief of which was the Hunterian Museum. At the weekend, a rather good burlesque show. And I’ve no more intention of specifying my age this year than on any previous year.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A genuinely tidy flat. (One can dream, no?) Seven consecutive hours’ sleep every night (On that one, dreaming was, at least some of the time, at least part of the problem…)
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Not hugely different: mostly goth, with a bit of steampunk here and there. The biggest changes were a) finally accepting that, although deep (blue-based) red is a lovely colour, it doesn’t work on me when my hair is usually a shade of (orange) red and b) buying rather more items in deep green, shades of blue and grey and (somewhat to my surprise) leopard print.
34. What kept you sane?
Earning enough to live on this year certainly helped reduce the stress levels. Keeping an eye on things like food and sleep and doing slightly more exercise also helped.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most/least?
Calling him a celebrity would be a bit of a stretch, but Andrew O’Neill (‘comedian, transvestite metalhead, amateur occultist and all-round show-off’, according to his website) is rather yummy…
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The awful, awful things the coalition has done to this country and especially to its most disadvantaged inhabitants. The alarming rise of UKIP and the dismal failure of Labour to get its act together and convince the majority of the general public that it would at least be better than the current government.
37. Whom did you miss?
Lots of bands I was going to see at AltFest; gothstew and silver_daisy, neither of whom I saw this year.
38. Who were the best new people you met?
With one of the new jobs this year, I met a few people I can sort-of count as new work colleagues, albeit that we only see each other once a term or so. It’s nice to have colleagues to bounce ideas off once in a while. ;)
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014…
A worrying number of people who have appeared broadly rational when met in real life will happily express quite bizarre/alarming views on Facebook. (As a single example, it turns out today that my f-list includes a completely unexpected climate change denier...)