Tuesday 6 January 2015

2014: A Year in Review

I've not got any resolutions for the New Year, not because I'm not resolved to do anything but more because I'm already in the middle of doing the things I've previously resolved to do. Most notably, perhaps, is buying (and then moving into) a new house - the chaos of which means the typical resolutions towards healthier life style are just a bit trickier and are being filed under "things to do after we move". Also on that list is a whole truck load of domestic things - it may surprise you to know that "paint new house" requires me to be in the new house before it can be undertaken.

I've been toying with the idea of not drinking, but I don't think I would say I'm resolved to it. Certainly the genealogical leanings play on my mind from time to time and in 2014 I think I thought "I'm getting too old for this shit" too many times. I haven't quite worked out if I've quit and if so for how long or if I'm just going to work out a more age appropriate way to enjoy alcohol. 

At the start of 2014 I decided to record one thing everyday that was good. It would be like a micro-diary or calendar, I did it for a number of reasons:
  1. I like keeping records of stuff. I keep a journal of films I've seen, my photo everyday for a year is something I'm immensely proud of, and of course I record losses and victories of board games I've played.
  2. I knew 2014 was going to be a big year for me (what with getting married and all) and I liked the thought of having a log of it all. I suppose point 2 might be the same as point 1.
  3. Regardless of how much I like my job (which of course varies wildly from day to day) I wanted to remind myself that I was capable of being more than just a teacher and regardless of how busy or tired I was I could, and should, always make a little time to do something I enjoy. A bit of a work to live move rather than live to work. It didn't have to be monumental, watching a TV show for half an hour or reading a comic.
  4. I'm prone to negativity. Sorry. I thought that taking a moment each day to reflect on something positive, and moreover to ensure I did something deliberate that I'd enjoy, would be a good thing. A little something to show I was in control.
And it was good. I can now tell you one enjoyable/awesome/fun/nice/good thing for everyday of 2014 and that feels good. The variation of "things" is like a microcosm of life in that they range from the mundane to monument. The box I had to write in was about 4cm long so comments were fairly limited here are a few highlights (with added explanation)

May 29th: End of Empires
Toby Frost still asks me to "proof" his books, I'm not convinced he needs or wants me too but it means I get to read it before it hits the shelves! I did the majority of End of Empires whilst overlooking the Bay of Naples, which was nice.

July 7th: Black Science
Comic book discovery of the year, Black Science is reminiscent of the 1950's TV series of Forbidden Planet ...on acid. It's a wonderful celebration of everything Science Fiction can be - truly free and more than a little unhinged.

July 13th: Tringe
Full day of stand up comedy including Marcel Lucont, Rob Deering, and Tony Law

July 19th: I am Batman
Outstanding stag do in North Wales, some kinda blog entry for this is overdue/necessary.

July 31st: Ginstitute

August 9th: Wedding!
That's right, got married! Likewise blog overdue.

August 20th: Helicopter and August 26th: Sharks!
Not a reference to 1966 Batman but 2 highlights of my honeymoon!

September 6th: Vinyl
Bought myself some record to play on this

September 18th: First viewings + valuation
Got the ball rolling on moving house!

December 22nd: Lip Sync Battle
Inspired by Jimmy Fallen, we had a lip sync battle, it was awesome.

Not surprisingly the build up to and the day of the wedding. Regular appearances came in from seeing people, food, drink, and playing games - these four best combined in named events: Brofest, Geekend, and The 4 Boardmen of the Apocalypse. Also top scores for making things, comics and oddly sorting and tidying.

I have played a lot of games this year (see reason 1), 258 to be exact, of which I've won 133. Pretty good really. I also know how many games you played here and how many you won, of course you may not care for stats the way I do.

So let's go 2015, what you got?

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