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Entry tags:
2003
01. What did you do in 2003 that you'd never done before?
Flew a plane.
02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I've never been a new years' resolution sort of guy. I don't generally plan for the next two weeks, let alone the next twelve months. I have some vague ideas about things I'd like to do more of this year, but they're not promises to myself or anyone else.
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes; "some friends had kids" would sum it up.
04. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope. Thank you all for persisting for another year.
05. What countries did you visit?
The UK, twice. Were I being Witty and Amusant, I would say, "Ireland" since there are probably sufficient differences between Dublin and the rest of the country to merit some sort of distinction.
06. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003?
More vacation. More time with friends. More of kissing and the things it sometimes leads to.
07. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Ummm. There were a few pretty good days, but probably nothing that'll last me to the onset of senility.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not fucking up a situation I could have fucked up if I'd followed my initial instincts. And that's all you're getting, although if you're on my friendslist you'll have a good idea what I'm talking about, and you'll be saying, "jeez. that's not much of an achievement", but it's the best I've got.
09. What was your biggest failure?
An unnamed project failed to be completed. To be fair, it wasn't wholly my fault, but a certain unwillingness to take a chance didn't help. The project is now in some sort of limbo whence it'll most likely not return, which IMHO is a good thing.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No sports => No injuries. I carried something of a generic GI infection for a couple of days over Christmas, and possibly had one or two sickdays during the year - I'd have to consult Ye Olde Web Diary to check, really. Nothing major, anyway.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Best thing I borrowed, maybe - the office projector, for use with my DVD player & surround sound and the HULKING GREAT EXPANSE OF WHITE WALL in my new digs to make a very impressive home cinema experience. If I wasn't currently tending to a nasty lump of credit card debt, I'd probably actually buy one of these. Failing that, well, I did buy some pretty good pints in The Kings.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Colin, one of the barstaff at the Kings, for being an instant friend. Hindered slightly by the fact that he's now joined the Irish Army, but still.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
I'll take dwenius' line on this: Any politician you could name, but one miserable failure in particular.
Also, several acquaintances who I've always thought Knew Better, but Apparently Don't.
14. Where did most of your money go?
I'm one of these misguided? unperturbed? individuals who doesn't keep close track of cashflow. I check my bank account once or twice a month to see which way it's trending, and I skim the credit card bill every so often to make sure I've not just bought property in Barbados or a new Ferrari. As a result, I can say that the single largest number of units of a thing I bought would be either Guinness, Petrol ("Gas" to you on the left side of the Atlantic), or Milk. In terms of sheer expense, I guess it'd have to be rent.
15. What did you get really excited about?
The conclusion of The Lord of the Rings, which was amazing. The Matrix sequels, which didn't live up to the promise of the first movie, but were still damned good action movies. And meeting an old friend for the first time in a long time.
16. What song will always remind you of 2003?
I have several complicated reasons for being completely unable to answer this question.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Neutral. Possibly wiser, which alas generally implies sadder.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Taken time off, I guess. Useful outside-the-office geekery. Getting out more, which conflicts with the preceding sentence.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Thinking. Worrying about the opinions of others. Working, I guess, but not really. Procrastinating. Slacking. Regrets, I've had a few...
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
In a somewhat complicated fashion. See previous entries on topic. Total mileage for the Christmas period - including a work trip the Sunday before Christmas Day - came to several hundred miles, which in this country does amount to a serious quantity of driving.
21. Did you fall in love in 2003?
As previously stated, I fall in love at the drop of a hat. Of course, that was a locked post. So for the record, I fall in love at the drop of a hat. Extrapolate to get the answer to this question. Of course, that may not have been proper love. Whatever that means.
22. Did you fall out of love in 2003?
You just pick the hat up again, you know?
23. How many one-night stands?:
Zero. Dammit.
24. Compared to this time last year, are you
i. happier or sadder?: see #17 ii. thinner or fatter?: a little fatter iii. richer or poorer?: see #14
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I have a hard time hating people. As Elsie once said, "hate is self-destructive, love. all things are interconnected blah blah blah. take the money."
One of the nicest things I got to say to someone this past year, particularly since I meant it and I wasn't just being glib, was "I can't not be your friend." On the whole, I have a hard time doing more than being irritated by people, which doesn't really get in depth into the area of dislike, much less hate.
26. What was the best book you read?
Oh GAWD. You're asking the guy whose once- or twice-weekly trips to the pub generally include sitting at the bar with a book and a pint? The guy who stayed up until 5am this morning reading? It's not so much that I have a lot of books, more that a day doesn't go by without me reading something even if it's rereading an old favourite. I read a ton of books I loved this year. I read a few naff ones, and there's still an unfinished stack next to the bed and one as-yet unopened doorstop. Since memory fails me, I'd have to say the best book I can remember reading in the last month was Nick Hornby's "31 Songs" which spoke to me in ways that most people can't.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hah! "31 Songs"? Maybe.
28. What did you want and get?
Errr. "through the year, mostly unharmed and still alive"?
29. What did you want and not get?
See #23, #18 and #6, among others. Extrapolate, dammit.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Return of the King is the easy choice, I guess. I signed up for a NetFlix-like service called DVD Rentals this year, and I've had a constant stream of movies dropping through my letterbox ever since. I occasionally comment on them in my other journal.
31. What did you do on your birthday?
Four-day pissup. No kidding. Well, it was my 30th, and John says I don't get another real birthday for the next ten years, so.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less awareness of what a shitty place the world is turning into in the interests of the "war on terror". Sticking my head in the sand seems preferable to trying to cope with the vast and immense stupidity of the past year perpetrated in the name of this utterly meaningless phrase.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?
Same as it ever was: jeans that don't fit me (hi Ods!), I have tshirts that are old enough to be in school, and despite our inclement climate I still don't have a proper combination of waterproof and warm in my selection of outer garments.
Actually, I don't think I bought any clothes at all this past year.
34. What kept you sane?
Friends, I think, both online and off. And occasionally sufficient quantities of Guinness. Of course, the whole sanity question is relative.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Miranda Otto. Those with more than a passing familiarity with my life may nod knowingly at this, too.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The continued deterioration of civil liberties in nations supposedly founded on principles of upholding said liberties and willing to go to war to defend them. The continued passive acceptance of this by my elected representatives, despite the fact that I do recognise that they're acting out of expediency - if they'd taken a stance more in line with, say, our constitution, then we'd probably be in far worse economic shape.
37. Who did you miss?
See previous locked posts for someone I unexpectedly discovered was a gaping hole in my life, although I think realising that allowed me to patch the hole somewhat. Long term, this past year as ever I missed the old cameraderie of friends who've moved away from Dublin and Ireland.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Colin, I guess :)
39. What was a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003?
I'm not too sure I learned a whole lot, to be honest. I did make some interesting discoveries about myself which I've discussed or at least mentioned in previous locked posts, and I guess I could be glib and say, "time doesn't heal all wounds, it just hides 'em under a bandaid". But I don't think I believe that. Maybe 2004 will teach me something useful.
39? Shouldn't there be, like, 40 questions? Well, I suppose there were, if you count the fact that #24 is a three-parter, one part of which is a repeat of an earlier question. Anyway, roll on 2k4.
Flew a plane.
02. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I've never been a new years' resolution sort of guy. I don't generally plan for the next two weeks, let alone the next twelve months. I have some vague ideas about things I'd like to do more of this year, but they're not promises to myself or anyone else.
03. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes; "some friends had kids" would sum it up.
04. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope. Thank you all for persisting for another year.
05. What countries did you visit?
The UK, twice. Were I being Witty and Amusant, I would say, "Ireland" since there are probably sufficient differences between Dublin and the rest of the country to merit some sort of distinction.
06. What would you like to have in 2004 that you lacked in 2003?
More vacation. More time with friends. More of kissing and the things it sometimes leads to.
07. What date from 2003 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Ummm. There were a few pretty good days, but probably nothing that'll last me to the onset of senility.
08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not fucking up a situation I could have fucked up if I'd followed my initial instincts. And that's all you're getting, although if you're on my friendslist you'll have a good idea what I'm talking about, and you'll be saying, "jeez. that's not much of an achievement", but it's the best I've got.
09. What was your biggest failure?
An unnamed project failed to be completed. To be fair, it wasn't wholly my fault, but a certain unwillingness to take a chance didn't help. The project is now in some sort of limbo whence it'll most likely not return, which IMHO is a good thing.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No sports => No injuries. I carried something of a generic GI infection for a couple of days over Christmas, and possibly had one or two sickdays during the year - I'd have to consult Ye Olde Web Diary to check, really. Nothing major, anyway.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Best thing I borrowed, maybe - the office projector, for use with my DVD player & surround sound and the HULKING GREAT EXPANSE OF WHITE WALL in my new digs to make a very impressive home cinema experience. If I wasn't currently tending to a nasty lump of credit card debt, I'd probably actually buy one of these. Failing that, well, I did buy some pretty good pints in The Kings.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Colin, one of the barstaff at the Kings, for being an instant friend. Hindered slightly by the fact that he's now joined the Irish Army, but still.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
I'll take dwenius' line on this: Any politician you could name, but one miserable failure in particular.
Also, several acquaintances who I've always thought Knew Better, but Apparently Don't.
14. Where did most of your money go?
I'm one of these misguided? unperturbed? individuals who doesn't keep close track of cashflow. I check my bank account once or twice a month to see which way it's trending, and I skim the credit card bill every so often to make sure I've not just bought property in Barbados or a new Ferrari. As a result, I can say that the single largest number of units of a thing I bought would be either Guinness, Petrol ("Gas" to you on the left side of the Atlantic), or Milk. In terms of sheer expense, I guess it'd have to be rent.
15. What did you get really excited about?
The conclusion of The Lord of the Rings, which was amazing. The Matrix sequels, which didn't live up to the promise of the first movie, but were still damned good action movies. And meeting an old friend for the first time in a long time.
16. What song will always remind you of 2003?
I have several complicated reasons for being completely unable to answer this question.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder?
Neutral. Possibly wiser, which alas generally implies sadder.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Taken time off, I guess. Useful outside-the-office geekery. Getting out more, which conflicts with the preceding sentence.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Thinking. Worrying about the opinions of others. Working, I guess, but not really. Procrastinating. Slacking. Regrets, I've had a few...
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
In a somewhat complicated fashion. See previous entries on topic. Total mileage for the Christmas period - including a work trip the Sunday before Christmas Day - came to several hundred miles, which in this country does amount to a serious quantity of driving.
21. Did you fall in love in 2003?
As previously stated, I fall in love at the drop of a hat. Of course, that was a locked post. So for the record, I fall in love at the drop of a hat. Extrapolate to get the answer to this question. Of course, that may not have been proper love. Whatever that means.
22. Did you fall out of love in 2003?
You just pick the hat up again, you know?
23. How many one-night stands?:
Zero. Dammit.
24. Compared to this time last year, are you
i. happier or sadder?: see #17 ii. thinner or fatter?: a little fatter iii. richer or poorer?: see #14
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I have a hard time hating people. As Elsie once said, "hate is self-destructive, love. all things are interconnected blah blah blah. take the money."
One of the nicest things I got to say to someone this past year, particularly since I meant it and I wasn't just being glib, was "I can't not be your friend." On the whole, I have a hard time doing more than being irritated by people, which doesn't really get in depth into the area of dislike, much less hate.
26. What was the best book you read?
Oh GAWD. You're asking the guy whose once- or twice-weekly trips to the pub generally include sitting at the bar with a book and a pint? The guy who stayed up until 5am this morning reading? It's not so much that I have a lot of books, more that a day doesn't go by without me reading something even if it's rereading an old favourite. I read a ton of books I loved this year. I read a few naff ones, and there's still an unfinished stack next to the bed and one as-yet unopened doorstop. Since memory fails me, I'd have to say the best book I can remember reading in the last month was Nick Hornby's "31 Songs" which spoke to me in ways that most people can't.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hah! "31 Songs"? Maybe.
28. What did you want and get?
Errr. "through the year, mostly unharmed and still alive"?
29. What did you want and not get?
See #23, #18 and #6, among others. Extrapolate, dammit.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Return of the King is the easy choice, I guess. I signed up for a NetFlix-like service called DVD Rentals this year, and I've had a constant stream of movies dropping through my letterbox ever since. I occasionally comment on them in my other journal.
31. What did you do on your birthday?
Four-day pissup. No kidding. Well, it was my 30th, and John says I don't get another real birthday for the next ten years, so.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less awareness of what a shitty place the world is turning into in the interests of the "war on terror". Sticking my head in the sand seems preferable to trying to cope with the vast and immense stupidity of the past year perpetrated in the name of this utterly meaningless phrase.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2003?
Same as it ever was: jeans that don't fit me (hi Ods!), I have tshirts that are old enough to be in school, and despite our inclement climate I still don't have a proper combination of waterproof and warm in my selection of outer garments.
Actually, I don't think I bought any clothes at all this past year.
34. What kept you sane?
Friends, I think, both online and off. And occasionally sufficient quantities of Guinness. Of course, the whole sanity question is relative.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Miranda Otto. Those with more than a passing familiarity with my life may nod knowingly at this, too.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The continued deterioration of civil liberties in nations supposedly founded on principles of upholding said liberties and willing to go to war to defend them. The continued passive acceptance of this by my elected representatives, despite the fact that I do recognise that they're acting out of expediency - if they'd taken a stance more in line with, say, our constitution, then we'd probably be in far worse economic shape.
37. Who did you miss?
See previous locked posts for someone I unexpectedly discovered was a gaping hole in my life, although I think realising that allowed me to patch the hole somewhat. Long term, this past year as ever I missed the old cameraderie of friends who've moved away from Dublin and Ireland.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Colin, I guess :)
39. What was a valuable life lesson you learned in 2003?
I'm not too sure I learned a whole lot, to be honest. I did make some interesting discoveries about myself which I've discussed or at least mentioned in previous locked posts, and I guess I could be glib and say, "time doesn't heal all wounds, it just hides 'em under a bandaid". But I don't think I believe that. Maybe 2004 will teach me something useful.
39? Shouldn't there be, like, 40 questions? Well, I suppose there were, if you count the fact that #24 is a three-parter, one part of which is a repeat of an earlier question. Anyway, roll on 2k4.