New Year New Meme

[diffrentcolours]

This is a mixture of a version I've seen on DW and a version I've seen on Facebook.

• Was 2021 a good year for you?
  
  It was a holding pattern of a year, mostly. A few things got incrementally better.



• What did you do in 2021 that you'd never done before?
  
  Visited Heaton Park, and Anderton Boat Lift. Left a political party. Got a professional certification. "Attended" Infest, which I've been boycotting since 1998 when it ruined Dystopia in Bristol.



• Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
  
  I did not make any, and will not make more. I do like the idea of "New Year's Intentions" though, they seem a lot less stressful and specific.
  
  In the next year I intend to do a bit more exercise, see a few more people and get a better job.



• Did anyone close to you give birth?
  
  Not that I recall.



• Did anyone close to you get married?
  
  Again, not that I recall.



• Did anyone close to you die?
  
  Closer than usual - a good few friends-of-friends and people I'd met once or twice are no longer with us. Sophie-Anne, my ex's buttdog Pekinese, died before Christmas and I was glad I got to see her before she did.



• What countries did you visit?
  
  Ahahahahahahaha. Something of a pandemic going on. I planned my hypothetical US tour with cosmolinguist some more. At this rate it'll take about six months.
  
  I did travel to the Outer Hebrides, which involved a ferry trip, to see mother_bones' eldest.



• What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?
  
  Social contact; time in pubs; holidays.



• What date from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
  
  Literally none, I am terrible at remembering dates. I'm also not sure any particular events will.



• What was your biggest achievement of the year?
  
  Keeping my shit together. Achieving some DIY to secure the new shed so it's usable. Letting go of some hosting commitments.



• What was your biggest failure?
  
  Not fully reorganising all my personal / volunteer hosting. Not selling my stepson's fiancé's car which is still sat on my drive.



• Did you suffer illness or injury?
  
  Not particularly.



• What was the best thing you bought?
  
  A new laptop-tablet hybrid.



• Whose behaviour merited celebration?
  
  My partners for helping keep me sane, and look after our house. I'm sorry I didn't do more cleaning.
  
  Lee Chaos and Tes Duracell Bunny for keeping the Chaos Emergency Doof Broadcast going. Online club nights every Thursday for two years is a hell of an achievement.



• Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
  
  TERFs. Anti-vaxxers. Tories. Opponents to the Levenshulme Low-Traffic Neighbourhood scheme.



• Where did most of your money go?
  
  Other than the obvious answer "mortgage", mostly on nice takeouts to try and break up the relentless humdrum of persistent lockdown. I also spent quite a lot of money on quasi-luxury camping equipment which I hope will have reuse value.



• What did you get really, really, really excited about?
  
  The new series of What We Do In The Shadows, which was excellent.



• What song will always remind you of 2021?
  
  Both late contenders, but I heard Gayle's ABCDEFU came out about the time I agreed to quit my job and filled me with glee. Also, Jessica Darrow's Surface Pressure from Encanto hit entirely too close to home.



• Compared to this time last year, are you
  i. happier or sadder?
  ii. richer or poorer?
  
  Probably about the same on both counts TBH.



• What do you wish you'd done more of?
  
  Being able to leave the house and go to pubs, gigs etc.



• What do you wish you'd done less of?
  
  I got horribly into a zombie survival-themed match-three mobile game which ate many hours, but the addiction wore off after a few weeks. I could do with that time back.



• How will you be spending Christmas?
  
  I spent it at home with my partners. On Boxing Day, Erik and I went to Birmingham to see my Mum, big sister, their respective partners, and my niblings. It was good to see them, we stayed overnight and came back home.



• What was the best book you read?
  
  I didn't read any new books in 2021. I re-read "Snuff", one of Pratchett's later Discworld novels I didn't care for, and found I still didn't care for it.



• Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
  
  I genuinely have come to hate Boris Johnson in a personal way. I don't actually think I could stop myself punching him in the face if I met him.



• What political issue stirred you the most?
  
  Obviously, the pandemic and lockdown. The idea that "getting on with our lives" means not taking precautions, which is fine for able bodied people but not for others. Rejection of the concept that we could make a few strong short-term measures coupled with minor longer-term behavioural changes to make the pandemic liveable for everyone. The ongoing lack of vision from all sides of UK politics.



• What have been your favourite moments?
  
  Possibly agreeing to resign from work. Apparently I seem happier than I've done in years.



• What was your least favourite moment of the year?
  
  Probably the same - agreeing to resign from work. I had genuinely hoped that I might be able to effect positive change in my new management position, but ultimately it was just beating my head against the same brick wall.



• What did you want and get?
  
  A new laptop. My MD to pay me to go away.



• What did you want and not get?
  
  A new job.



• What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
  
  I turned 42, and genuinely cannot remember what, if anything, I did on the day.
  
  Update! I did double dinosaurs with Erik and innerbrat! It was pretty awesome actually! I just forgot it was nominally a birthday.



• What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
  
  Other people being less shitty about the pandemic.



• How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?
  
  I remembered to shower every now and again.



• Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
  
  I usually have an answer for this but can't really think of one. Maybe some combination of Guillermo, Nadja and Nandor from WWDITS.



• Who did you miss?
  
  It would have been nice to see Dave Bastard at some point in 2021. Hopefully 2022 will be better.



• Did you treat somebody badly in 2021?
  
  I don't think so?



• Did somebody treat you badly in 2021?
  
  Other than the work stuff, no. I surround myself with lovely people and my life is made better by them.



• Who was the best new person you met?
  
  I don't think I met any new people in 2021. Got to know a few people better, particularly via the Doof Discord (Doofscord).



• Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021
  
  It was yet another example of "the stop trying to make things better, it doesn't work and makes you miserable" lesson that started in 2019.



• Where were you when 2022 started?
  
  I was *very nearly* still on the bog. Seeing in the year mid-crap would have been an excellent idea and I don't know why I didn't do it. Instead I rushed to sit on the sofa with Erik and open a beer to commemorate.



• What was your favourite month of 2021?
  
  One of the summer ones.



• Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2021?
  
  Not really. Usually a beer or two a week on a Thursday night while watching the Doof, and the occasional Friday night pre-dinner gin & tonic. Got a little squiffy once or thrice, including at StayInfest.



• What are your plans for 2022?
  
  * Going camping and sea swimming for the summer solstice / my birthday.
  * Getting a new job.



• Quote a song lyric that sums up your year
  
  "Under the surface, I'm pretty sure I'm worthless if I can't be of service"
  
  Need to work on that.