Me! Me! Meme.

[ozgirlabroad]

xxxlibris did this meme, which looks a bit more my cup of tea than the multiple questions one that everyone else is doing where it got a bit repetitive.  So here it goes:

This is what I did for:
New Year: At Lizzy's with what seems like half the denizens of Livejournal. And bunnies!
Valentine’s Day: I was dating someone, but I am just not that into Valentine's Day so did absolutely nothing.
Birthday: A trip to the pub on the nearest Sunday with all my chums, and Song Que for dinner on my actual birthday with some of my favouritest peeps.  I got a balloon from moleinthegroundand angelv!
Christmas: Mostly volunteering at Crisis which was the best thing ever, with added lovely food and hugs and socks from Jussi.

Employment status:  Well, it's definitely a 100% improvement on my unemployment at this point last year.   I started off on the 10th of January with a couple of months at MEND, then I got offered the job at the North West London Diabetes Local Research Network which is basically my ideal job.  I love having employment, and holiday leave, and just general financial security after the misery of 2010.

Creative output:

• Graduated from my MA in Health and Social Marketing - I'd call my dissertation "creative" but I did pass so hurrah for me.   I also completed a module at the OU in diabetes management.  I am not studying for anything in 2012 at the moment, may need to change that.  I keep wanting to do an A Level in biology just for kicks. 
• I made some skirts.
• I taught myself how to use Dreamweaver and a bit of coding and made a couple of websites for work. 
• Put together a website for a paying client.   Would like to do more of this, maybe.

Financial situation: Much better now.  I got so used to being a dual income household and having someone else sort out the bills that becoming responsible for all that myself was a bit of a challenge.   I've been tough on myself in 2011 as I want to pay off a loan I have as quickly as possible so I have all of my salary to spend each month.   I can ease back a bit in 2012 and do some proper traveling - goals are Uganda to see my friend Amy, then South Sudan if yiskah is about and Australia for Christmas.

Family stuff: My family are ace, and I got to see my grandparents twice (Malta and then in London later in the summer), my parents once (a few days in Florence) and my brother Bart and his wife Kate in London.

Relationship stuff: All is good.  I am happy.

Friend stuff:  I seriously have some amazing friends.  I keep saying this, but you lot have been just awesome.  Keep being my friends in 2012, please?

Living situation: By myself in South Tottenham.  I keep thinking of moving to get the bills down a bit, but I think I like paying that extra £150 for the bonus of living by myself.

Travel:

I didn't do nearly enough travel in 2011.  This MUST change.

• Italy (Florence and its environs)
• Malta
• UK (Oxford)

Health: It's been up and down.  My back has been playing up a bit but I have plans for 2012 to make it stop, namely physio, swimming and losing a couple of stone.  I was so ridiculously exhausted through the middle of the year, firstly diagnosed with Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome (totally felt like I was copying xxxlibris there) but then it turned out it was actually Vitamin D deficiency.   I feel so much better since taking Vit D supplements.  Luckily they caught it before I developed rickets and started walking around like a Dickensian street orphan.

General mental state: Good, with scattered showers of pure happiness.  2012 forecast is bright sunshine all year around.   2010 was a bastard with me going "WHAT the VERY FVCK have I DONE" every few days.  2011 was all about realising that I had done a good thing and seeing that actually, it's turned out jolly good for everyone.  2012 has me running around singing D:Ream in my head.

Weddings attended: None. Always on the wrong side of the world to attend them!

Babies born:  Lots of them.   All of LJ had babies.  You are so productive!

Deaths: My grandmother and my great aunt.

Best books read:

• Everything that wasn't a text book discussing theories of health behaviour or diabetes.

Best TV watched:

• I don't actually own a TV so actually barely watch any telly.   But recently I have loved Frozen Planet
• This is England ’86/’88

Best films seen:

• Trollhunter.    I really should spend 2012 seeing a lot more films though.  I used to watch five a week when at uni.

Best things bought:

• Ticket to see my parents in Florence

Music of 2011:

• Joe Goddard's Gabriel EP.
• Thurston Moore, Demolished Thoughts.

Fashion concept: Much of the same really, as I am trying to not spend on clothes until March.   Mainly my wardrobe is bought to you by People Tree, e-Bay Camper shoe wins and Uniqlo.

Things never done before:

• Been to Florence and Malta?
• Spoken to community groups about diabetes research. 
• Taken part in a clinical research study involving eating macaroni cheese.  
• Had an MRI scan taken of my heart. 

Highlights:

• The endorphin rush of some things I've gotten up to this year which were new to me.
• Having a job.
• All the lovely parties friends have thrown. 
• New friends.
• My sister announcing her pregnancy.

Lowlights:

• The loss of my grandmother.  Not that we were close, but it did hit me for six, because it meant my uncle no longer had a mother, and that's a hard thing to deal with at any age. 
• A project I worked bloody hard at for work being postphoned a few weeks ago.  It's my chance to get something published, so hopefully it'll be back on track in 2012.

Resolutions kept:

Well, I am still two stone too heavy.   This is the Olympic Year in which I shall fix this.    I want to turn up in Adelaide next Christmas and have my family fail to recognise me at the airport.

Staying away from anything stronger than booze.  I've been pretty good since about 5am on New Year's Day last year.  I am not a puritan, and never say never, but I am hopefully less of a massive knob nowadays.

But, I wanted this year to be the year I challenged some boundaries, and I did, and I feel bloody fantastic for doing so.

Resolutions for 2012:

• Putting together and writing a proper blog for work purposes.  I want a career in clinical research, and I need to up my game to stand out. 
• Volunteer somewhere on a regular basis, hopefully something related to homelessness.  
• Continue to see lots of new music.

Things I’m looking forward to in 2012:

Everything!   My joint 35th birthday/10th anniversary in London party in May.  My sister's new baby arriving in March.   Life is generally pretty bloody amazing and it will continue to be so in 2012, touch wood.