New Year Meme

Saw this one on Mrs A's Blog and couldn't resist nicking it ...

Here's the original : The musings of a juggling mother: A new year meme

1. What did you do in 2005 that you’d never done before?
Visit a different continent - the USA

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't tend to make resolutions at a certain time of the year, but I do try setting targets for myself. The target for now is to get ready for a better season this summer, which means being ok to bowl, which also means losing a little weight (only about a stone).

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Heh - Mrs A - the person who I nicked this Meme idea from !

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, unless you count the numerous times I killed off my World of Warcraft characters ... (probably doesn't count !)

5. What countries did you visit?
USA and Scotland. Hey ! When you don't go to that many other countries, you have to include the really close ones ! Forgot Wales - visited there as well.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
Company.

7. What dates from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June. See above ...

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Highest score batting - only 40 but it's improving ... Would have liked to get a bowling average under 20 as well (I should average 10) but the shoulder didn't quite cooperate.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Keeping myself intact, failure to foresee what would happen after coming back from the States.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Muahahaha ! I always suffer injuries ... I just play too hard. This year, it's intercostal muscles on the right side and a reoccurance of the groin strain. No broken bones this year, as far as I know. I rarely feel the breaks. At least I didn't tear up the shoulder again, just the rib area.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I'm tempted to say World of Warcraft, because it kept me entertained for most of the year and it made up for the lack of company.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
The Crazies for putting up with me over a rough summer. Miss L for giving me some confidence back (she probably doesn't realise that she got me back on the road to getting out of a deep depression pit). IT Girl for being an angelic pixie. Oh yeah - Zaphyr/Zalzar, Souleater, Re/Charge, Fubb and Makai.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and remortgage (having to release some equity because of what happened in June). Car for petrol, apart from that though, I'm pretty economical. £275 on a washing machine ?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The USA trip.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
Tough one - I'll have to go for Free, a rare demo track from Alisha's Attic.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder?
Little of both. The future is a little clearer and I don't feel as if I'm marking time any more. Which makes me happier. Bit sadder though due to lack of company.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Getting out more. More exercise.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Snacking ! One of the things I'm trying to do now is to not eat when I don't have to, instead of just constantly grazing.

20. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve?
Spent New Year's Eve playing Eve, an online multiplayer game that I'm just starting out with. So a quiet night ... Think I started my Star Wars marathon that night as well.

21. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Several times :-) But one now completely ignores me and I'm not sure about the other 2.

22. How many one-night stands?
None.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Stargate Atlantis. Good start for that one takes it ahead of my other unmissable - ER, which has been slipping a little of late.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is a sad waste of time and energy. There's a few people who I'll be avoiding over the next year or so but I wouldn't say I hate them. Pity is a more appropriate word.

25. What was the best book you read?
I'll go for 3 here, which still counts because they're re-releasing those three as a single book. David Weber - Mutineer's Moon, Armageddon Inheritance and Heirs of Empire.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Being free to listen to music again instead of having to ignore cartoons.

27. What did you want and get?
England winning the Ashes back.

28. What did you want and not get?
An injury free year.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Serenity.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Bought donuts for the team at work, restarting a tradition that had faded :-) Went to see my parents and sister and got molested by the dogs. 31 this year.

31.What one thing made your year measurably more satisfying?
Being in control of my destiny again instead of having to manage and apologise for a manic depressive.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
Does it fit ? Does it have a subversive message, does it have any holes in it.

33. What kept you sane?
Work people, the Crazies, World of Warcraft core guildmates and joining them is this blog. This blog is letting me talk about the things that normally wouldn't get known about due to not getting past the exterior. If someone asks me "everything ok?", it turns me into a pathological liar because the alternative would be a thirty minute summary.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Suzi Perry.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Iraq - should never have been sucked back in there by the Americans.

36. Who did you miss?
Family because I don't go back to see them as much as I could. Brother still.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Miss L.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
Make sure you can stand on your own before demanding help from others.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"I wrapped up all the love we had And threw it in your face" from Alisha's Attic's Valentines '98.