2012 Meme

[lemonbella]

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?.
Went to Slovakia; rode in a cable car up a mountain, ate fried cauliflower, actually started a PhD, didn’t get a PhD program snatched from my grasp, made a Move;

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t do resolutions. Be yourself; Be happy; Do good in the world. Those are my three rules for life and I generally kept to them last year. When I diverted from them (I ignored the be yourself rule for a little while in the summer replacing it with a you’re crap at this so be someone else rule), it didn’t end well, so lesson learned. Same three for this year too I think.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, last of the gang of friends from school succumbed to dullness and lack of ambition. I remember a conversation at a sleepover when we were 14 about who would get married/have children first and it happened in the exact order we all predicted (I was, unsurprisingly not on the list for either). Makes you wonder whether it’s obvious from an early age or a self-fulfilling prophecy.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What countries did you visit?
Slovakia, Austria, An airport in Germany.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
A different exciting expedition. More money, more cricket, a new type of latte.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
‘Super Saturday’ of the Olympics will probably be remembered, but not for Olympic reasons.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Unsure on this one – work stuff went very well, PhD finally going ahead (crosses everything).

9. What was your biggest failure?
In the spirit of not being too hard on myself I’m not writing that here.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major, a chest infection, possibly scarlet fever right now.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Slovakia – with every expedition my travel bug grows.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Helen, Strauss & Sunshine.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Alex’s. Appalled and depressed, yes. Surprised, no. Boy, was that a lesson I didn’t actually need to learn.

14. Where did most of your money go?
I have no idea. Which is a problem. I believe a frightening amount may have gone on a fancy coffee.

15. What were you really, really, really excited about?
Mountains (fabulous); Alex (waste of time); Honey Badger (so much better than expectations); Batman (awesome); South Africans (south african); Community (Brilliant)

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Justin Beiber’s ‘baby’. Not my fault. I blame mountain air and ridiculousness.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) Happier or sadder? A bit sadder

b) Bigger or smaller? About the same

c) Richer or poorer? A bit poorer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Expeditioning; Animal seeing; gardening; cooking; cricket watching; cat smooshing

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Worrying, crying

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Eating too much, throwing a ball for a dog, possibly contracting Scarlet Fever

21. How many one-night stands?
1, I didn’t intend it to be that way.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
No

23. What was your favourite TV programme?
Community. Hands down. Been a while since I had a programme I loved as much as that. If I stay there can be no party. I must be out there in the night, staying vigilant. Where ever a party needs to be saved, I'm there. Where ever there are masks or if there's tom foolery in joy, I'm there. But sometimes I'm not because I'm out there in the night staying vigilant, watching, lurking, running, jumping, hurdling, sleeping. No I can't sleep. You sleep, I'm awake. I don't sleep. I don't blink. Am I a bird? No, I'm a bat. I am Batman. Or am I? Yes, I am Batman.

24. How will you see in the New Year?
I’ve agreed to trade my usual alone time, movie and takeaway for food and the Twilight saga at a friend’s house. It was a stupid decision.

25. Do you hate / dislike anyone now that you didn't hate / dislike this time last year?
Yep Some people I like more though, so these things even out.

26. What was the best book you read?
Oooh, Jon Ronson’s books were great. Checker and The Derailieurs & Female of the Species by Lionel Shriver were great. Caitlin Moran’s How to be a Woman has been recommended to other people.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Underneath the Stars by Kate Risby.

28. What did you want and get?
PhD Place

29. What did you want and not get?
A free standing handstand in yoga

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Batman: Dark Knight Rises

31. What did you do on your birthday?
I worked until 10 pm on a day I’d booked as annual leave writing a proof for an article that didn’t get published. Not doing that this year. There will be cake this year.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Season 4 of Community

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Scruffy Walker seems to be my natural state.

34. What kept you sane?
Helen, Coffee; My Cats; Yoga; indian_skimmer; My Mum

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Quite possible Jeff in Leather Trousers

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Extent to which the vast majority of people have sleptwalked into destroying the welfare state.

37. Who did you miss?
Angie, indian_skimmer

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Wendy and Nicola at work are lovely. Ellie and Lucy from Slovakia.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Don’t put your happiness in the hands of someone else. That’s actually a lesson I knew, I just forgot it temporarily.

40. Quote a song lyric Community quote that sums up your year.
do you have any idea how long someone as sarcastic as me would last in prison?