Putting on the years
Given that today is my birthday, I thought I'd break my long LJ silence and say hi to everyone. Hi.
My sister has bought me a new shiny knife. I have yet to test it in the way I test all my new knives, by waving it at eternatyawaits and seeing how much he cowers. My brother got me Anansi Boys, which due to him being lazy and not wrapping it before giving it to me a freak time accident I finished reading yesterday. It's the first book I've ever read with a deleted scene at the end. It's also really really good.
Other stuff: New Years Eve was fun: boobook and I ended up doing a slightly crazy trip to York in the afternoon to visit deliriousplanet in hospital: it was one of those strange days where you try and do something relatively complex (travel to York by train, get to hospital that we've never been to before, not knowing when visiting time ends, then try and get food before heading home, all on New Years Eve when all opening/running times go crazy), with absolutely no plan or checking ahead, and which all ran mysteriously smoothly, up to and including randomly bumping into verte in York city centre.
The houseofgoth party was fun, although I wasn't in a massively party mood, so once I'd finished wandering the house wishing everybody a happy new year I buried myself in the corner of the quiet room (where all the cool people were :) ).
Below the cut is one of those "what did you do last year" memes, just because.
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Went walking in the Lake District. It's very pretty up there.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year's resolution was to do something about my finances (read: debts). I managed to pay off about £2,000 of debt (clearing credit cards and getting out of overdraft), so I'm going to call that a yes.
I haven't made any this year. It's very rare for me to make them anyway.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My older sister had her second child; Harrison Jackson (Harry for short). He is very large for his age.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not really close any more, but the aunt of an ex-girlfriend, who I got along with well while we were going out.
5. What countries did you visit?
I didn't. That would involve having a passport, which I still have never managed to sort out getting.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
My answer to this question last year was "Mental stability. It's not very likely."
Just shows what I know, doesn't it :)
I'm not sure about this one. 2005 was a good year. I think I'll go with more time spent doing stuff, instead of wasting all of my holiday time just lazing round the house (he says, spending a day off lazing round the house).
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
2nd April. boobook making the terrible mistake of meeting me at the cinema, and ended the evening as my girlfriend. All according to my devious plan. Bwahahahaha!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting rid of the vast majority of my debt. Handling the situation mentioned in the last question without resorting to drinking alcohol. I'm not sure which of those two it is.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I really can't think of anything right now
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious enough to mention.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My hat, which I bought in October in Whitby, then lost within a month. It was good while I had it though.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
boobook: I now have much more appreciation of exactly how much work teachers actually do, and how she hasn't gone insane I have no idea.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
*sigh* Sometimes you have a friend, a person who you get along well with, who helps you when you feel shit. A guy who's always good to go out with and fun to be around.
And then you find out some more about him, about how he is when you don't see him, and it gets very complicated, because this person you like suddenly isn't very likeable. And the people around you obviously don't like him, and you can't argue with their reasons, but you also can't forget that he was your friend, and that he helped you when you were down. So you tend to just clam up when the subject comes up, and try to keep out of it.
He drinks Jack Daniels.
14. Where did most of your money go?
After rent and bills, paying back debts.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Serenity. Not that I'm a fanboy or anything *cough*
16. what song will always remind you of 2005?
Alice Cooper - Poison
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
Happier. Much much happier. Re-reading my answers to when I did this last year has reminded me that I was feeling quite bad this time last year, whereas now I feel great.
ii. thinner or fatter?
A little fatter. Some of it may be additional muscle from swimming lots
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer; more accurately less in debt.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleeping.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Lying in bed wishing I could get to sleep. My insomnia made a bit of a comeback this year
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home, with the family. Same as every year.
21. How did you spend New Year's?
See the main bit of the post.
22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Yes. No points for guessing who with.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Babylon 5. Because I've only just started watching it.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
I've read a lot of books in the last year. Many of which were very good. Anansi Boys, the three books in A song of Ice and Fire (need to read book 4 now), and either Sabriel or Lirael
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Great Big Sea, probably
28. What did you want and get?
boobook :P
29. What did you want and not get?
Higher wages.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Serenity and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Harry Potter 4 was pretty good too.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
For my birthday last year (25) I went to Batfink and had a bad time (I was very miserable at the time, and being in a goth club probably didn't help). The whole thing was saved when I went out the next night to grok_mctanys birthday thing, when I discovered that edy_ had made me birthday cake too. And the music was more cheerful (even though it was the same DJs :) ).
32. What one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Can't think of anything.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004 2005 every year since I arrived at university in 1999?
Black. Scruffy. Rock.
34. What kept you sane?
My manager leaving/being fired
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I try to ignore celebrities as much as possible.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Walter Wolfgang being detained under anti-terrorism legislation for shouting "Nonsense" during Jack Straw's speech at the Labour party conference. Not only because it happened, but because nobody on stage shouted at security to stop.
37. Who did you miss?
I think I managed to see all the people that I wanted to this year (maybe not as much as I wanted to).
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Kathryn, a friend of boobook's who most people reading this won't have met.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Remember to phone people when you're going to be late.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I've already taken ages filling this thing out, and I'm not going to spend longer trying to remember or google some kind of appropriate song words. It started badly and ended up really really good; if anyone can find a lyric that says that then I'll use it
My sister has bought me a new shiny knife. I have yet to test it in the way I test all my new knives, by waving it at eternatyawaits and seeing how much he cowers. My brother got me Anansi Boys, which due to him being lazy and not wrapping it before giving it to me a freak time accident I finished reading yesterday. It's the first book I've ever read with a deleted scene at the end. It's also really really good.
Other stuff: New Years Eve was fun: boobook and I ended up doing a slightly crazy trip to York in the afternoon to visit deliriousplanet in hospital: it was one of those strange days where you try and do something relatively complex (travel to York by train, get to hospital that we've never been to before, not knowing when visiting time ends, then try and get food before heading home, all on New Years Eve when all opening/running times go crazy), with absolutely no plan or checking ahead, and which all ran mysteriously smoothly, up to and including randomly bumping into verte in York city centre.
The houseofgoth party was fun, although I wasn't in a massively party mood, so once I'd finished wandering the house wishing everybody a happy new year I buried myself in the corner of the quiet room (where all the cool people were :) ).
Below the cut is one of those "what did you do last year" memes, just because.
1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Went walking in the Lake District. It's very pretty up there.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year's resolution was to do something about my finances (read: debts). I managed to pay off about £2,000 of debt (clearing credit cards and getting out of overdraft), so I'm going to call that a yes.
I haven't made any this year. It's very rare for me to make them anyway.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My older sister had her second child; Harrison Jackson (Harry for short). He is very large for his age.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not really close any more, but the aunt of an ex-girlfriend, who I got along with well while we were going out.
5. What countries did you visit?
I didn't. That would involve having a passport, which I still have never managed to sort out getting.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
My answer to this question last year was "Mental stability. It's not very likely."
Just shows what I know, doesn't it :)
I'm not sure about this one. 2005 was a good year. I think I'll go with more time spent doing stuff, instead of wasting all of my holiday time just lazing round the house (he says, spending a day off lazing round the house).
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
2nd April. boobook making the terrible mistake of meeting me at the cinema, and ended the evening as my girlfriend. All according to my devious plan. Bwahahahaha!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting rid of the vast majority of my debt. Handling the situation mentioned in the last question without resorting to drinking alcohol. I'm not sure which of those two it is.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I really can't think of anything right now
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious enough to mention.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My hat, which I bought in October in Whitby, then lost within a month. It was good while I had it though.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
boobook: I now have much more appreciation of exactly how much work teachers actually do, and how she hasn't gone insane I have no idea.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
*sigh* Sometimes you have a friend, a person who you get along well with, who helps you when you feel shit. A guy who's always good to go out with and fun to be around.
And then you find out some more about him, about how he is when you don't see him, and it gets very complicated, because this person you like suddenly isn't very likeable. And the people around you obviously don't like him, and you can't argue with their reasons, but you also can't forget that he was your friend, and that he helped you when you were down. So you tend to just clam up when the subject comes up, and try to keep out of it.
He drinks Jack Daniels.
14. Where did most of your money go?
After rent and bills, paying back debts.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Serenity. Not that I'm a fanboy or anything *cough*
16. what song will always remind you of 2005?
Alice Cooper - Poison
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
Happier. Much much happier. Re-reading my answers to when I did this last year has reminded me that I was feeling quite bad this time last year, whereas now I feel great.
ii. thinner or fatter?
A little fatter. Some of it may be additional muscle from swimming lots
iii. richer or poorer?
Richer; more accurately less in debt.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleeping.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Lying in bed wishing I could get to sleep. My insomnia made a bit of a comeback this year
20. How did you spend Christmas?
At home, with the family. Same as every year.
21. How did you spend New Year's?
See the main bit of the post.
22. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Yes. No points for guessing who with.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Babylon 5. Because I've only just started watching it.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.
26. What was the best book you read?
I've read a lot of books in the last year. Many of which were very good. Anansi Boys, the three books in A song of Ice and Fire (need to read book 4 now), and either Sabriel or Lirael
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Great Big Sea, probably
28. What did you want and get?
boobook :P
29. What did you want and not get?
Higher wages.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Serenity and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Harry Potter 4 was pretty good too.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
For my birthday last year (25) I went to Batfink and had a bad time (I was very miserable at the time, and being in a goth club probably didn't help). The whole thing was saved when I went out the next night to grok_mctanys birthday thing, when I discovered that edy_ had made me birthday cake too. And the music was more cheerful (even though it was the same DJs :) ).
32. What one thing that would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Can't think of anything.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004 2005 every year since I arrived at university in 1999?
Black. Scruffy. Rock.
34. What kept you sane?
My manager leaving/being fired
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I try to ignore celebrities as much as possible.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Walter Wolfgang being detained under anti-terrorism legislation for shouting "Nonsense" during Jack Straw's speech at the Labour party conference. Not only because it happened, but because nobody on stage shouted at security to stop.
37. Who did you miss?
I think I managed to see all the people that I wanted to this year (maybe not as much as I wanted to).
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Kathryn, a friend of boobook's who most people reading this won't have met.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Remember to phone people when you're going to be late.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
I've already taken ages filling this thing out, and I'm not going to spend longer trying to remember or google some kind of appropriate song words. It started badly and ended up really really good; if anyone can find a lyric that says that then I'll use it