2023 Year-End Review
Hello (again) to readers of this LiveJournal that I barely ever use!
For the first time in a while, I actually posted something on this LJ in between year-end reviews (my Robin fic), but I've been so busy this year that I'm amazed I even did that! What else for 2023? Well...
1. What did you do in 2023 that you'd never done before?
There are plenty of things, and although I can't remember them all, they include: Worked as an HLTA. Went to Manchester but not with Knightmare people. Met Sarah's dad (I daresay I've met him before; this was the first time I've talked to him, despite knowing Sarah for years. Completed a union rep training course. Hired a cleaner. Visited and eaten in Botany Bay, Enfield Island Village, and Little Russia. Bought the same book twice. Had a wedding anniversary (well, realistically more than one, but my own). Started collecting Jar Jar merchandise. Had an OFSTED inspection. Got PIP, Access to Work, a disabled person's railcard and a Freedom Pass! Taught a class all on my own for a week. Had a very close friend die. Oh, and I went to the BFI too!
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
LJ tells me my resolution was "practise self-care more frequently". I genuinely did not do this. My resolution this year is to help my wife get a different job, which - I suppose - is indirect self-care in action. If I can do this, I'll have done both.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
There are lots of children around these days and they all look the same. I've no idea which ones are new. I know a fair few pregnant people, but I'm going to go with a tentative "no". My colleague Maria gave birth over the summer, but I've never actually met her baby.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Jenny. This was devastating - she has been a constant presence in my life since childhood. I'm not sure I've really internalised this yet.
5. What countries did you visit?
I didn't leave the UK this year, for budgetary and "can't organise dinner, who expects me to organise a trip abroad?" type reasons. Maybe going to do so next year.
6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?
I mean, I'd like a happier wife...
In all seriousness, I'd like to have a range of things that make it easier to manage my DM. I'm just about getting by right now with my stick, but that won't do forever. I can barely put on cardigans and coats now without a combination of effort, luck and swearing. I have no idea what sort of tech there is around that can help, but there must be at least something.
7. What dates from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Hmmm, I think the orchestral James gig in Birmingham is worth remembering, as is the week in Manchester. I'd never seen Afflecks before and we spent basically the entire week in that place. I always will remember my HLTA interview day and the aftermath. Obviously Jenny's funeral was a Thing.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting promoted to HLTA status. This almost didn't happen. I was offered the job, but accepting would mean a change of circumstances I wasn't happy with. After a few hours of observation I turned it down. My tenacity was rewarded with getting the job anyway, in the campus I wanted; as it turns out, we have so many staff off this year that we genuinely needed more HLTAs. Right place, right time.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Lord. I mean, I continuously fail at so many little things it's difficult to keep up. Okay, so I had a writing target I thought I could beat and completely failed to do so. I love writing - it's my favourite thing to do - but the words just weren't coming!
I also failed at the Hallowe'en disco, for which I was the DJ. I'm not doing that again for a number of reasons.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes - in fact. I've been very ill this year and sometimes quite badly. I had COVID twice and a chest infection that spread to my ears, nose and throat and kept me off school for an entire week. I've had massive problems with my shoulder, I had a brain scan yesterday to see if there's anything wrong there, and as my DM progresses my limbs are getting weaker. It turns out I also have a heat condition. Zounds, I'm broken.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Right. I'm sure there are better things than Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but the amount of effort I went through to actually get the damn thing was nothing short of Herculean. I mean, it looked easier than it actually was. Next time I want a game I'm genuinely going to go into Central London for it. Boo to whoever made the decision to close the Enfield branch of GAME.
It's also not really a thing, but I hired a cleaner, Karoline. She is a complete godsend.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My wife, my friends, my staff, and some - but not all - of my students. A further special shout out to the guy who runs the sandwich shop, because a) he does good sandwiches, and b) he gave me a free lunch on my birthday. Oh, and thank you to my consultant neurologist because he is lovely.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
The other half of my students. I won't go as far as to say they're the worst class I've ever had, but they are far from the nicest. Whereas we have some students who give me smiles, the others draw blood from each other. I've been hit a few times as well. Despite all this, it's the racism, sexism and homophobia which really gets me.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Rent, bills, council tax and food. This is what being an adult is like. More frivolous purchases included books (of course), music, Jar Jar Binks merchandise and going to see Operation Mincemeat... twice.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie. I was basically hyperventilating by the time I finally got to see it.
16. What song will always remind you of 2023?
I've already mentioned Operation Mincemeat, but I bought the soundtrack last time I saw it and tonight I'm going to see it for the third time, so most, if not all, of the songs will stick with me. God, That's Brilliant! is a highlight.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Difficult to define. I suppose I'm sadder, but it varies.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter. I put on a lot of weight over Christmas and the lack of movement also doesn't help. I should do one of those crash diets or something.
c) richer or poorer? Right now, I have enough money in the rent account to cover both rent and bills and my current account says the letters CR. I have never been in this position before. Obviously, this will change, but...
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I'd spoken at Jenny's funeral. Basically everyone else from the gang did, and the worst thing was that I actually had a speech in my head, but was too chicken to ask to speak!
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying and blind panic, which is more my wife's remit than mine!
20. How did you spend Christmas?
With my family. An epsiode of Doctor Who bookended by meals and present-giving. It was a calm, quiet Christmas, mostly because the young children we have were elsewhere. I missed my cousin Rosie, who wasn't there, but it was an okay Christmas. Mass was good too, although Martin could have chosen carols we knew rather than... whatever it was we got.
I usually end with the sentence "it's not the first time I've cried at Christmas," and I've even got a song called Crying at Christmas which is about that, but this year I didn't cry. I don't really know why. My parents were on the verge of doing so, however, as they were cooking lunch this year and freaking out over it!
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
Still my parents. Not living with them any more kind of necessitates this. Also occasionally some friends, but they send to send WhatsApp text messages as an alternative. I also spent some time talking to colleagues, usually the absence line explaining my absence(s). I styled that out pretty well, I think.
22. Did you fall in love in 2023?
Define?
23. How many one-night stands?
Zero. There was one moment where any casual observer would have thought I might come close, but that was more of a joke than a genuine prospect. I'm married, anyway, and monogamous, so I'm not entirely sure one-night stands are my thing.
24. What was your favourite TV programme?
I genuinely don't watch a lot of "new" TV although I'm excited for Gladiators coming back! This year I've been rewatching a lot of old favourites, like Dave Gorman's Modern Life is Goodish, The Demon Headmaster and Ghostwriter. I was, however, impressed by Doctor Who. I'm looking forward to the next series with Cutie. Er, Ncuti.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Yeah, Kemi Badenoch. I keep thinking the Tory government won't ever find anyone so hateful, but they keep pulling one out from somewhere! Thankfully, she (and the rest of her odious party) will be out by June.
26. What was the best book you read?
At the beginning of the year I started reading Just Crazy Enough To Work, by my mate Stu. In the summer, when I was halfway through (I kept taking breaks to read through other books... I do that), I misplaced my copy. Nobody could find it, so I bought it again with my Christmas money. That's how much I've been enjoying it.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
New Rebecca Black. Hyperpop isn't really a new thing for me (I was fond of SOPHIE before she died), but it's interesting to hear Rebecca doing it. She's a genuine queer icon.
28. What did you want and get?
Super Mario Bros. Wonder HLTA status Jar Jar Binks figure Other Jar Jar Binks figure A ticket to the annual conference. I was genuinely unsure if I'd be able to go at all. In the end, thanks to somebody very generous, I was able to go.
29. What did you want and not get?
A yucca! I keep saying I'll get one and never do!
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
As usual, I put together a list of films! We put together all the films with a mark between one and five and then a combined score out of ten. We then picked ten from all the films that scored 6 or more, and ordered them. Mine were:
01. Bottoms
02. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
03. Polite Society
04. Batman (Re-Release)
05. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
06. Barbie
07. Matilda: The Musical
08. Taylor Swift: The ERAS Tour
09. Women Talking
10. M3GAN
Honourable Mention: The Little Mermaid
Worst Film: Enys Men (a film in which nothing happens for an hour and a half. It's worse than The Tree of Life, or at least it would be if it wasn't shorter).
For the longest time, I genuinely thought my favourite film would be the cinematic event of the year - The Super Mario Bros. Movie - which I saw twice, once on my own. Bottoms just about pipped it to the post, so although I think SMB has more staying power, that gets the win. Mind you, it could just have easily been Polite Society, which I only don't remember as well because it wasn't as recent!
31. What did you do on your birthday?
I went out for a meal with my parents and sister. It took me a while to remember this, but that's what I did.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A lot more energy. I know that, in a lot of ways, this isn't really my fault - it's not through choice that I ended up with limited movement - but not feeling like every time I lie down will be my last would help, cheers.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?
Incredibly limited, on account of the fact that I've been losing clothes over the past few months. Seriously, they're just vanishing!
35. Which celebrity / public figure did you fancy the most?
I still don't do celebrity crushes, as we know! Taylor Swift was everywhere, though, and I was at the very least impressed by her.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I can't really give an answer to this without talking about the conflicts going on in Ukraine and Palestine. Is that a political issue? I'm not sure. I'm still having issues with the continued demonisation of millennials and the increase in obvious transphobia this year. I wish I could fix everything, but...!
37. Who did you miss?
Jenny. She has left a void.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Robyn! I wasn't sure if I was ever going to meet her, as we had been having an internet friendship for a few months, but eventually I did and it was worth the wait. What a person.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.
It's worth sticking to what you feel is right, even if it's not what's easy. If this involves offering yourself up for self-sacrifice, then so be it; it may work out in the end. If it doesn't for you, then it will probably at least benefit someone. I'd rather than than see everyone fail.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"If you're in a chat room fighting off all the gloom 'cause you're getting grief from some twonk on it, tell an op real quick so they'll get a swift kick, and if that fails, put a donk on it!"
Whether or not that sums up the year I've no idea, but I'm still pleased with that one!