Hello, Goodbye

It's New Year's Eve. In some parts of the world it's already New Year's Day. And where am I? Relaxing at home with the family? Off out at a house party or getting cold and wet at a city centre New Year celebration? Nope. I'm working. And found out that I would be working less than a week before Christmas. This pretty much sums up 2012. It's been like that.

Last year, as the last whisps of 2011 melted away and 2012 arrived, I remember feeling quite melancholy. It was a feeling that clung to me for weeks. And not without good reason. When I look back now, as I'm about to close the door on 2012 forever, I can see it's been a year dogged with ongoing issues, few resolutions and lots of goals left unachieved.

The first half of the year, Granny was very poorly. We were all very concerned for her and to that I added the weight of concern for my Dad and cousins. Steve and I made two very long trips to Canterbury to visit as her health deteriorated and finally my last surviving grandparent passed away.

The second half of the year has been plagued with work issues, as my previous employer's contract came to an end and a new (incompetent) contractor came in to take over. There has been much anxiety in the build up to the transfer, which has manifested in people generally being unkind to each other. I've had to say goodbye to some great colleagues (and one very good friend who is bringing in the New Year in Australia). The final culmination of this has been mass redundancies and some really inappropriate and unfair actions by the new employer. This has been the single most stressful thing I have been through with any employer and I hope I never have to repeat anything similar in the future.

Our house is still on the market. It still hasn't sold. It's still causing a disproportionate amount of stress with dickish estate agents and a kitchen roof that continues to leak. We've missed out on a number of opportunities, the worst of which was a house with a turret. Even with the front of the house sinking, it was a bargain and it would have been a beautiful home. I fear I might always regret that as 'the one that got away'.

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However, 2012 has a few things worth remembering it for. I have waited for most of my life to see The Phantom of the Opera and I was not disappointed when Mum and I went to see it in May. It was spectacular and if I had been able to afford to see it again, I would have. I also saw Starlight Express this year. I've wanted to see it since I was about twelve so it's been a long wait.

May was a great month this year; as well as Phantom of the Opera at the Palace Theatre, Mum and I had a trip down to the Big Smoke so I could sing at the Royal Albert Hall with Sing Live and the Night of 1000 Voices. I love the choir. I love singing. And combining that with the trip and having Mum there was a real treat.

Mum, Steve and I holidayed in Cyprus in May as well. We lounged around the hotel pool and the hotel bar and the hotel restaurant and our room and didn't leave the hotel all week. It was almost perfect. But I really must stop eating milky and creamy things: My stomach can't take it!

In August Ann and I went into Manchester for one of those makeover days where they take photos. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it and came away with a bunch of photos that I'm really pleased with. They actually make me look quite normal, and not strange or hideous. Although they do show I have a dent in my forehead. Investigations into the cause of the dent are ongoing. (I suspect Dad might've dropped me on my head as a child.)

One final highlight of the year has been Pinterest. Ah, what joy. And what agony. Pinterest inspired me to make some of my Christmas presents this year. Claire got a handmade bracelet that I was quite pleased with. My Dad received an iPad case made out of a recycled suit jacket. I gave my Mum a scrapbook of our wedding photos - it wasn't quite finished but I think she was really pleased to finally have a wedding album. Ann got a Memory Jar. And my in-laws... I made them a patchwork quilt, which I finished at 2.30am on Christmas Day. It turned out really well and I have a queue of people asking for me to make them one. So Pinterest has been a success in that it has lead me to achievements myself.

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Looking forward to 2013, I'll be graduating from the Open University, achieving my Literature degree. I'll also be going to see Wicked when it tours (another one of my favourite musicals ticked off the list) and I'm hoping to get to see a few more theatre productions this year too. I would love to see Avenue Q, although I'd be surprised if that opportunity rolls around this year. I'm really looking forward to the Les Miserables movie, and Sing Live's first concert of 2013 on the 3rd of Feb at the Bridgewater Hall.

I'm renewing my 2012 New Year's Resolution to read 12 books (I only managed 6, with 2 still on the go) but I think I might have to aim for 13 books as it's 2013.2013 will also see the first draft of the novel that I've started at least three times, and I'm determined to keep a diary. Writing has to be a focus of the year, if for no other reason than it's necessary for my degree, so I'm relaunching my writing blog tomorrow. I'm not setting a goal of blogging every day, but I want to make sure there is regular content, and if I'm writing everyday that should be easy... Should... Be... Easy. Famous last words.

I really want to spend a bit more time with friends this year; I feel like I've hardly seen Ann or Claire and I'd really like to meet up with some old friends that I haven't seen for a while. I'm already dreaming up a visit to Ally and Rich in Londonium, and maybe lunch or dinner out with Jo Jo from First Choice. And who knows what else I might manage to do.

So I'm making 2013 a year of friendship and achievement! 13 might be unlucky for some, but it's never steered me wrong. Hello 2013. Goodbye 2012.

Happy New Year!

It is just a few days into 2010. What remains of Christmas and the holiday period is quickly waning; the turkey has been eaten (or frozen) and soon even the deccies will be coming down leaving nothing to cheer the cold January nights. Still, at least the nights are getting shorter.

Tomorrow the daily grind will recommence so before I pack away the ghost of Christmas past into its cardboard boxes and plastic crate, in true New Year stylee, I'll take a moment to reflect on 2009 and make promises to myself for 2010.

So, what of 2009? My first intention for 2009 was to blog more. I think it's fair to say, without risk of disagreement, that this is one resolution successfully achieved with 48 posts against 6 from the previous year! However, they say promises are made to be broken, and my intention to lose weight and be more active fell decidedly flat! Sing Live has robbed a little bit of my time and there's the OU degree, which is in its penultimate year, so it can be tough to keep up with all the comings and goings of life and still find time for being active. Losing weight, it appears, is always going to be a battle for me. Maybe 2010 will bring a bit more success in these areas!

And so to the New Year. I'm already trying to avoid thinking about all the things I have on my plate but there a hand full of things I particularly want to achieve. I intend to try and keep up the blogging - lets aim for at least 50 blog posts in 2010! My OU course this year is creative writing, so I should be writing everyday anyway. Most of this will be in my notebook / journal because I love the feeling of writing by hand, but if I can get into a good writing habit offline, it should reinforce my blogging habits! Next on my list of priorities is to get better at looking after my money. Thanks to my marvelous Mum, who has paid for carpets for our house (we have never had carpets since moving into this house three years ago!) the last of the major spending on our home is pretty much done. This should make money a bit easier, but it is time to start paying off the credit card and doing some saving as well. It would be nice to have a little pot of Christmas money for next year so that gifts don't end up coming out of two months salary, which is always a bit crippling! Of course, having not achieved it in 2009, I am also aiming to be more active and to lose some weight in 2010. I'd like to lose a stone (that's only 1lb every four weeks so it's not beyond the realms of possibility!) and I want to use the Wii to be more active. I'll aim to use it once a week to begin with but really I want to be on it everyday that I can find the time. Finally, my softer goals. I want to visit my friends Mel and Sven in Belgium at least once this year. It would also be great to visit Anders and Jennifer in Sweden, and I'd love to see Mieke from the Netherlands this year too. I would also like to get deltafleet.com back up on the net and finish the deltafleet story, so look out for that too.

So there we go... no small feet to achieve all of that, but hopefully some, if not most of my goals can be reached. But as I said before, promises are made to be broken! ;o)

Resolve

In 2000 I started working for QVC in London, making a weekly commute to and from Manchester by train and lodging in Croydon during the week. I did this for 18 months, working 12 hour shifts, one week on, one week off. I loved it, but the disruptive pattern took its toll and I went from an already overweight 13 stone up to a shocking 16 stone. Returning to a normal pattern of three square meals a day and a normal working day improved matters but I added a further two stone to my girth before the weight gain stopped.

In 2006 I managed to lose one and a half stone but last year I only managed to maintain my weight. Of course, being skinny is not my ultimate goal. I have never really suffered from the self-image issues that others do so I'm not bothered about looking like a mo-delle: I would rather have curves! However, I have two reasons for wanting to get my weight in check. First is the obvious health issues and benefits. Being obese puts me at risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis and more. Second, in order to have a family, we need IVF, which can only happen if I lose weight.

And so, New Year's resolution numbers two and three is to lose weight and to be more active.

Welcome 2009

Forgive me reader; it has been 3 months since my last confession... er... indulgence... whatever... which is far too long! And so, being that it is the season of turned leaves (that are apparently new) and resolutions (that are frequently old) I felt the need to return and grace these electronic pages with a post.

A few weeks ago I received a surprise email from a friend of mine that I used to write with in my PBeM days. We'd been out of touch for a while so it was a pleasant surprise to hear from him. At the bottom of his email in his signature were a number of links, one being to his blog, so I decided to go and see what he'd been up to. I was horrified to discover that he had actually been quite unwell, recovering from a minor stroke that happened in April. However, as I read on, I had found, within his blog, the journey of an individual trying to find the way back to himself and struggling to understand and find answers in a world that rarely provides them. His blog inspired me to get back into the habit of blogging myself. Not because I could hope to produce anything as insightful or witty, but more because I enjoyed reading.

Aaron: Thank you!


So here lies resolution number one - blog more! Happy New Year everyone! :o)